Saturday, August 31, 2019

Compare and Contrast the Presentation of Love in the Relationships Between Edgar and Catherine and Catherine and Heathcliff

The two most significant relationships in Catherine's life are with Edgar and Heathcliff; however, they could not be more different. Her relationship with Heathcliff is one of raw, natural passion not social stamina, whereas her marriage to Edgar is one based on convention. Her two lovers come to represent the two conflicting parts of her identity and it is the internal struggle between these conflicting impulses that can be said to lead to her death. As the novel opens, Mr Lockwood says that Heathcliff is a ‘dark-skinned gypsy in aspect in dress and manners a gentleman†¦ He also observes that Heathcliff will ‘love and hate equally. ‘ His description of casual violence lack of manners or consideration for other people which characterizes Heathcliff is only a hint of the atmosphere of the whole novel, in which that violence is contrasted with more genteel and civilized ways of living represented by the Lintons. When Nelly Dean begins to narrate the story of Heathcliff's past, she describes him with discrimination. When Heathcliff is first introduced, Mr Earnshaw says ‘†¦ ut you must e'en take it as a gift of God, though it's as dark almost as if it came from the devil. ‘ Bronti implies early on that Heathcliff has gifts from both God and the Devil (good and bad characteristics). Nelly Dean describes him as a ‘dirty, ragged, black-haired child; big enough to walk and talk†¦ ‘ she also constantly refers to Heathcliff as ‘it'- ‘†¦ Mrs Earnshaw was ready to fling it out of doors†¦. [He's a] Gypsy brat', Heathcliff is constantly referred to as if he weren't human. Nelly talks of how he ‘repeated over and over again some gibberish that nobody could understand†¦ ‘ this portrays him as a wild animal/beast. Catherine and Hindley don't automatically get on with Heathcliff. Catherine ‘showed her humour by grinning and spitting at the stupid little thing†¦ ‘ However later on Mrs Dean describes the friends to be ‘very thick. ‘ Heathcliff's origins are obscure; he was ‘found' and ‘Not a soul knew to whom [he] belonged. ‘ Nelly says ‘†¦ they had christened him Heathcliff†¦.. nd it has served him ever since, both for Christian and surname'; this emphasizes the idea of how low Heathcliff's class is because in the 18th century, the absence of a persons surname exposed a lack of background. Hindley hates Heathcliff from the beginning and the writer comments on how he sees Heathcliff ‘as a usurper of his parents' affections†¦ ‘ This conveys how Heathcliff was favoured above the children. Bronti describes Heathcliff to be ‘as uncomplaining as a lamb†¦ ‘ which persuades the reader to think he is innocent. It is also a biblical phrase as in the bible; lambs were used to portray the innocence and purity of life. Hindley fiercely calls Heathcliff ‘an imp of Satan' in contrast to the original idea that he was innocent and corresponds to the idea that Heathcliff has gifts from both God and from the devil. In the next chapter, Catherine and Heathcliff become extremely close. ‘She was much too fond of Heathcliff. The greatest punishment we could invent for her was to keep her separate from him†¦ ‘ says Nelly showing that the two were inseparable. When Catherine's father dies, Nelly Dean comments on how ‘they both set up a heart breaking cry†¦ ‘ this shows that Heathcliff is the only person Catherine can now turn to and that they only have each other to get through the sorrow. In Chapter VI when Heathcliff describes Thrushcross Grange, he says ‘it was beautiful, – a splendid place carpeted with crimson and crimson-covered chairs and tables and a pure white ceiling bordered by gold†¦ ‘ This description creates a heavenly image of splendour especially to Heathcliff who has never seen anything like it before. Bronti uses the drawing room window to symbolize the boundary between the two classes since it divides the two sets of children. The window is the barrier motif shown throughout the novel. When Catherine is accepted into the house and Heathcliff is rejected, this is the end of their childhood innocence and the beginning of their awareness of the difference of class: ‘†¦ and I would have been there too, but they had not the manners to ask me to stay†¦ ‘ Earlier on in the novel, Mr Lockwood's describes Wuthering Heights; the house and its furniture are described as plain and ‘nothing extraordinary†¦ he floor was of smooth, white stone; the chairs high-backed†¦ ‘ This contrast with the description of the Grange and perhaps Bronti uses this as a metaphor to describe the social context of the inhabitants of both houses. The meeting of the two families begins the ‘tug of war' for Catherine between Edgar and Heathcliff. Heathcliff describes Catherine to be attracted to the Lintons and ‘full of stupid admiration' for them suggesting that Catherine's love for Edgar was built on admiration and for what he represents rather than his innate qualities. At the moment when Heathcliff and Catherine's intimacy is on the verge of blossoming into love, social class intrudes into the novel and their affection. As Heathcliff says- ‘†¦ I resumed my station as a spy; because, if Catherine had wished to return, I intended shattering their great glass panes to a million fragments, unless they let her out.. ‘ This conveys that his love for Catherine is protective and possessive. If the window through which Catherine and Heathcliff first view the Lintons is a metaphor for class division, then Heathcliff vows to smash both the literal and metaphorical boundary between him and Catherine. When Catherine comes back, it is evident that her stay at the Lintons' house was the beginning of the wilting of their relationship because although she is still extremely fond of him, she has realized ‘how very black and cross' and how ‘funny and grim†¦ ‘ he appeared, and she has also realized that he is ‘†¦ so dirty†¦ ‘ Heathcliff ‘did not stand to be laughed at' and ran away. Catherine has begun to think like the Lintons, and thus begins a thaw in their love. ‘Heathcliff was hard to discover at first- if he were careless and uncared for before Catherine's absence, he had been ten times more so, since†¦ says Nelly, emphasizing the fact that Catherine had defended and protected Heathcliff in their home. Heathcliff was only cared for if she was there. When Catherine returns home her behaviour is acquired; her attitude and appearance as a ‘very dignified person' show that she has moved into a different sphere; that of the ‘genteel' Lintons. Heathcliff cannot follow her. He tries to follow her, ‘†¦ Nelly make me decent†¦ ‘ and he wants to have the effect Edgar has on Catherine: ‘I wish I had light hair and fair skin, and was dressed and behaved as well, and had a chance of being as rich as he will be†¦ Although Cathy still cares for the things she did with him during their childhood, she is still under a lot of pressure to become a lady and she is vain enough to enjoy the admiration and approval she receives from Edgar, Hindley and his wife. Just as the window separated the Wuthering heights children from the Lintons in the last chapter, a material object separates Catherine from Heathcliff. The fine dress she wears is a very real boundary between the old friends: it must be sacrificed (smudged and crumpled) if she is to embrace Heathcliff. The dress is also a metaphor for the fact that id Catherine is to associate with Heathcliff, the wildness of her character will be exposed. As Catherine is wants to enjoy both Edgar's admiration and Heathcliff's love, this leads her to ‘adopt a double character without exactly intending to deceive anyone†¦ ‘ Edgar represents the side of Catherine that satisfies her vanity and her yearning for social consequence; Heathcliff represents her natural and real emotions. Catherine has to change in order to be loved by Edgar. During one of his visits, she shows her impulsive and impetuous side when she ‘snatche[s] the cloth from [Nelly's] hand, and pinche[s] [her]' to the great shock of Edgar who only knows her as ‘a very dignified person†¦ ‘ It seems as though Catherine's love for Edgar is based on external considerations ‘†¦ you love Mr Edgar because he is handsome and young and loves you†¦ ‘ says Nelly. Her love is based on his appearance, his wealth and how he feels towards her. Her love for Heathcliff however is internal; in her heart: she loves him ‘not because he's handsome, but because he is more myself than I am. This suggests that Heathcliff represents the person who Catherine actually is whereas Edgar is who Catherine wants to be in terms of social aspirations and consequence. When Catherine tries to explain why she feels she is wrong to marry Edgar, she says she feels it ‘Here! and Here! ‘ striking ‘one hand on her forehead and the other on her breast' as she does so. This creates another metaphorical boundary, between the external and internal: Catherine's love for Edgar is based on internal qualities but her love for Heathcliff is felt within her body. Cathy's description of her love for Heathcliff shows the contrast between Linton's softness and Heathcliff's wildness: ‘Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same and Linton's is as different as a moon beam from lightning or frost from fire. ‘ This is an interesting contrast as ‘moon beam' and ‘frost' are calm and beautiful images, however, they are completely opposite to ‘lightning' and ‘fire' which are both dangerous and wild things. gall, I never would have raised a hand against him†¦ I never would have banished him from her society, as long as she desired his. ‘ Correspondingly, he imagines Catherine's affection for Edgar in terms of property: ‘He is scarcely a degree dearer to her than her dog, or her horse. It is not in him to be loved like me. ‘ Material wealth has always been associated with the Lintons, so Heathcliff extends ideas of property and ownership to their emotions as well. Heathcliff's reunion with Catherine is presented as bittersweet: though passionately glad to be reunited, Catherine accuses Heathcliff of having killed her. Heathcliff warns her not to say such things when they ‘will be branded in [his] memory and eating deeper eternally' after her death. He also says that she had been at fault for abandoning him: ‘why did you betray you own heart Cathy? You deserve this†¦ ‘ This passionate scene between Catherine and Heathcliff in this chapter is probably the emotional climax of the novel though it only marks the middle of the book. It is as though they were members (who belong together) of a different species from other humans. Ellen says: ‘the two, to a cool spectator, made a strange and fearsome picture. ‘ Catherine tears Heathcliff's hair, and he leaves bruises on her arm. Later, ‘he foamed like a mad dog, and gathered her to him with greedy jealousy. ‘ ‘[Ellen] did not feel as though [she] were in the company of a member of [her] own species. ‘ What Ellen considers as bestial, the lovers would probably consider transcendent; their love sets them apart from others but in what way is open to interpretation. When Catherine dies, Bronti creates a contrast between the ways the two men react to her death. Edgar Linton had his head laid on a pillow and his eyes shut†¦ ‘ this shows that he is mourning silently and calmly but, Heathcliff ‘dashed his head against the knotted trunk, and lifting up his eyes howled not like a man but like a savage beast getting goaded to death with knives and spears†¦ ‘ This harsh diction portrays Heathcliff's pain, torment and anger at Catherine's death. Bronti uses this language to show that Catherine was Heathcliff's other half; without her (his beloved), half of his soul was missing. The comparison between Edgar's peaceful mourning and Heathcliff's declaration of love again refers to the difference of their emotions and their contrasting natures. The question of what happens after death is important in this chapter and throughout the novel; though no firm answer is given. Ellen is convinced that Catherine went to heaven, ‘where life is boundless in its duration, and love in its sympathy, joy in its fullness. ‘ Heathcliff however, cannot conceive of Catherine finding peace whilst they are still separated, or of his living without her. In the chapter before, Catherine said ‘I'm wearying to escape into that glorious world and to be always there; not seeing it dimly through tears and yearning for it through the walls of an aching heart, but really with it and in it. ‘ It is as though she had in mind a heaven that was like the moors in everyway but with the spirits of natural freedom. Eighteen years after her death, Heathcliff's continued love for Catherine's dead body paradoxically emphasizes the physical, yet non-physical nature of their relationship. This all-consuming love is revealed when he explains how he tried to dig up her body on the day she was buried. Heathcliff is pleased to see that Catherine still looks like herself after eighteen years but claims that if she had been ‘dissolved into earth or words,' he would have still been happy. His idea of heaven is to be completely united with Catherine in body, as well as in spirit and this could just as well mean to disintegrate into dust together as to be joined in the act of love. In the final two chapters, we are given an extraordinary window into Heathcliff's mind in the chapter. Whenever he looks at something, he sees Catherine in it; he hears her voice in every sound. This is Bronti's idea of true haunting, which seems to resemble madness rather than scary noises in the dark. If the ghost of Catherine is at work, she has found her home in Heathcliff's mind and her vocation is distorting his perception and his ability to communicate with the outside world. The presentation of love in the relationships between Catherine and Edgar and Catherine and Heathcliff are clearly profoundly contrasting. Heathcliff represents passion and nature, whereas Edgar represents culture. These two characteristics symbolize the duality in Cathy's own personality and it is her struggle between the two conflicting impulses that eventually consumes her. However, when Heathcliff and Edgar die and are both buried alongside Catherine, we can see how Bronti portrays that the two men will always have a place in her heart.

Hebrew and Islamic Mythology Essay

While science and religion are notorious for their contentious and often violently contrasting relationship, they bear much in common in their agenda. Both set out to provide explanations for the world’s mysteries. And as such, they also share a large hand of unanswered questions. Perhaps chief among them, the question of the earth’s creation, and by extension, man’s ascension to awareness, is one with very few empirical explanations. And in an absence of any conclusive evidence, theories abound from all camps. A common thread in history’s chapters, myths regarding the Earth’s conception provide insight into the lives and cultures of their respective societies. In western society, the Judeo-Christian anecdote is easily the most well-known. This story is the primary creationist mythology for many monotheistic sects. Herein, God creates the earth in six days, with man arriving on the last. On the seventh day, the omnipotent rests and thus, delivers man the Sabbath. However, in the centuries that preceded the inflection point where monotheism began to take popular hold, polytheistic idolaters provided the most commonly held ideas about the earth’s origin. One of the earliest examples of the literate and elaborated nature that these myths could take on comes from the rich tapestry of Greek mythology. The Greeks were idol-worshippers who had developed a complex and extremely colorful cast of gods. Though not omnipotent like the Judeo-Christian almighty, these gods were believed to possess real and considerable power over the lives of their human subjects. The Greek myth of creation is an exposition of that relationship. It was believed that, prior to earth, there was nothing but darkness. And amid this darkness, the only object was a black-winged bird called Nyx. This bird, alone in the void, was impregnated by the wind. (Note the parallel to the immaculate conception of Christ. ). As a result of this cosmic union, she yielded a golden egg, which she proceeded to roost upon for many thousands of years. Eventually, this egg hatched and the god of love, Eros, sprang forth. Just as Eros was born, so too were his siblings, whom he was given the honor of naming. They were the upper and lower halves of his shell, which rose to the air and sank to the ground respectively. They became the sky and the earth. Eros called them Uranus and Gaia and blessed them with love. This love resulted in children and grandchildren who would blossom into twisted, war-bent gods whose better judgment would be often blinded by a hopeless quest for power. A first-generation child of Gaia and Uranus, Kronus took a wife in Rhea and produced many children, whom he grew to fear immensely. Kronus, a problem-solver by nature, swallowed his children while they were still infants, thus preventing what he considered to be the inevitable threat of usurpation. The youngest of his sons, however, was also the most beloved to Rhea so she deceived her husband into consuming a rock in the child’s place. This youngest child, Zeus, would grow strong in manhood and ultimately bring to realization Kronus’ greatest fear. Zeus liberated his brothers and sisters from his father’s malicious and all-consuming grasp. Then he led them to revolution, waging a war against the tyrannical god. In their victory, they turned their benevolent attention to the great creations of Nyx. The gods began to populate Uranus with the stars thus creating space. They began to furnish Gaia with life, thus birthing nature. After creating the appropriate backdrop, the gods recognized that the earth was correct excepting its want for animals and humans. Zeus set to the task his sons Prometheus and Epimetheus, whose names translate literally to mean forethought and afterthought. This provides some interesting insight, perhaps, into the Greek perspective about man’s intellectual capacity and eventual self-awareness. In addition, it offers literal details about the unique abilities and idiosyncrasies that mark the species which populate the earth. When assigned to the job of designing creatures, the brothers were given a variety of gifts to offer their creations. While Epimetheus set upon the task of creating the animals and awarding them all with gifts, Prometheus carefully sculpted man to be in the image of the gods. (Again, man’s definition as being in the image of god holds much in common with Judeo-Christian creationism). When he completed his task, he found that Epimetheus had given away all the gifts, leaving humankind with the shaft. Prometheus sought to rectify the matter by stealing a trace of fire from the setting sun and giving it to man. When Zeus awoke to find man in possession of that which was to belong only to the gods, he was furious. He punished Prometheus to an eternity stapled to a tree, having his liver chewed on by vultures. But the damage was done. Man had been created and given the power of fire. There is a great deal more to Greek mythology, as with the bible. The role of the gods takes on a wide array of purposes, gradually divining all of man’s vices and virtues. But in the story of the earth’s creation alone, there is much illumination. The Greek legend begins to tell part of the story of Greek culture insofar as it offers some true self-examination. In this story of violence, deception and a natural tendency toward roguishness, the Greeks provide a piercing look into a psyche long since perished from the world. Surviving with far greater ideological intensity are those creation myths driving modern faith. The traditional structure of the dominant monotheistic faiths incorporates a narrative regarding the creation of earth and man into its formative doctrines. Herein is typically contained an originating explanation for the relationship between god, man, heaven and earth that provides grounding for the entirety of the faith’s sacred text. This is a fundamental commonality between the texts of the Hebrew Bible and the Holy Qur’an, both of which dedicate significant portions of their second chapters to delineating the story of the first man. It is striking to compare the passages concerning the creation of the first man as they appear in the two texts. Though today Judaism and Islam function almost as antecedents to one another, with their practitioners often viewing their respective texts as placing them into diametric and practical opposition of one another, these passages provide evidence of their common derivation. The creation myths of the two religions suggest that their political, social and cultural differences today may stem from the nuances therein, which had the effect of placing their interests in close confines with one another while arming them with divergent perspectives on how best to achieve said interests. The details surrounding God’s deliverance of Adam to the Garden are essentially the same according to the two texts, but the wording of each calls for closer speculation. In Genesis, the first book of the Hebrew Bible, God follows his work of creating the heaven and the earth by creating man: â€Å"Then the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.. † (Gen. 2:7) From here is taken a substantial assumption in the Judeo-Christian faith which proceeds from it, that man is created in the image and likeness of God. The breath of God, this passage indicates, circulates in the body of every man, suggesting a responsibility to godliness for all of us. The Qur’an, in its recognition of the same deliverance to the Garden, paints a different image in acknowledgment of God’s endowment of life. In keeping with a prominent thematic impulse of the Qur’an, convicting its readers to note the distinction in fates for believers and nonbelievers, the phrase depicting Adam’s creation is posed with a similar connotation: â€Å"How do you deny Allah and you were dead and He gave you life? Again He will cause you to die and again bring you to life, then you shall be brought back to Him. † (Koran, 2:28) This is a passage which demands not just belief in the creationist role of Allah but also a devotion to eradicating or combating non-belief. More explicitly and ideologically pertinent though, it carries with it a description of the process of reincarnation. Man, in this passage, is described as an entity being fully at the mercy of God within the bonds of the creator-to-created relationship. And where the berth into God’s image, held in the Hebrew Bible, ultimately predisposed man to divine immortality, this infinitude is represented differently in Islam. The overtones of reincarnation here suggest that man is not considered to be made in the image of God, nor even an element of the earth as also implied by Genesis 2:7, but is a soul perpetually disposed to take forms according to the will of Allah. This does not necessarily indicate a fundamental difference in the dispositions of the gods in question, Yahweh and Allah in the bible and Qur’an respectively. In Genesis, there is an articulated statement regarding God’s willingness and right, as creator, to snuff out his subject for transgression of his law. At the time, this law was constituted summarily of one directive in which â€Å"the LORD God commanded the man, saying: ‘Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. ‘†(Gen. 2:16-17) These foreboding words are those which assured our mortality on an earth characterized as the forum for exile from the Garden. The air which god breathed into us through Adam’s nostrils would, as God promised, be the price paid for partaking of the fruit. This fall from the grace of godly immortality would define the nature of man’s life-cycle, and by extension, theoretical concepts such as time and space and spiritual assumptions about death and the afterlife. God’s proposition to Allah as depicted in the Qur’an is not endowed with the same consequence, perhaps a product of the initial divergence between the two texts with regard to the fundamental construct of man in relation to his god: â€Å"And We said: O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the garden and eat from it a plenteous (food) wherever you wish and do not approach this tree, for then you will be of the unjust. † (Koran, 2:35) The fall from grace is described quite differently here, with man incurring no such threat as explicit as a certain death. This is a condition already possessed of man in the passage concerning his formation. It is not a punishment but a state of being given grounded in man’s relationship to Allah. Original sin is still a common element to the doctrines of the two faiths, but its consequences appear as quite different actually. In the Hebrew Bible, the serpent is a creature which plays the role of deceiver and, by metaphorical extension, the antithetical and fundamentally evil counterpart to God’s unchanging benevolence. This is contrasted by the Qur’an’s direct address of a Satan figure, a development affirming its composition as having occurred at a far later date than that of Genesis: â€Å"But the Shaitan made them both fall from it, and caused them to depart from that (state) in which they were; and We said: Get forth, some of you being the enemies of others, and there is for you in the earth an abode and a provision for a time. † (Koran, 2:36) A punishment dealt herein concerns man’s occupation of earth as a home, with God endowing it only a finite capacity to host mortal life. Again, the contrast between the implications to man’s punishment for Original Sin in the two texts can be traced to the contrast in man’s assumed composition. In the Hebrew Bible, God punished Eve and her offspring to a perpetuity of painful childbearing â€Å"and unto Adam He said: ‘Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying: Thou shalt not eat of it; cursed is the ground for thy sake; in toil shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. † (Gen. 3:17) In this passage, a fundamental difference in perspective is illuminated, that man’s lot, to toil on the land, is a punishment profoundly connected to his violation of God’s will and his organic relationship to the soil. Where the Garden of Eden was a sanctuary at Adam’s disposal, the Earth would be his responsibility and his shackles. His mortality would be profoundly chained to his capacity to manage the earth. Where Islam casts its subjects as inhabitants of a land inevitably bound to eventually leave them to resource-deprived oblivion, Judaism confines its followers to a eternity of suffering knowledge of the earth’s hard reality. God tells Adam of this fate as being a mixed blessing, with the knowledge equally capable of delivering him to pain and pleasure, â€Å" for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil. ‘† (Gen. 3:5) In a way, this is a complete fulfillment of man’s emulation of the creator-image just as it is the downfall from godliness. Indeed, the serpent cavorts Eve by telling her that she and Adam will be endowed with knowledge and fortitude, and be gods themselves. In exchange for this transgression, god casts man without guidance into the desert abyss. This is contrasted by the denouement of original sin in the Qur’an, where Allah casts his children out but does so under the auspices of mercy: â€Å"We said: Go forth from this (state) all; so surely there will come to you a guidance from Me, then whoever follows My guidance, no fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve. † (Koran, 2:38) Here, God reaffirms his commitment to man even in his failing, offering him an unconditional love as sanctuary for the pain and suffering of the land. The intricacies that differentiate the two texts offer a useful set of variations on a creation story that is highly associated with the evolution of monotheism. Particularly, the mutual centrality of the texts on man’s role and purpose in the earth’s creation and the heaven’s sanctity illustrates the capacity of each to elucidate its pursuant culture’s views on God’s divine plan for humanity. Bibliography: Fahs, Sophia Lyon, Spoerl, Dorothy T. Beginnings: Earth, Sky, Life, Death. Beacon Press. Boston. 1965. Freund, Philip. Myths of Creation. Washington Square Press, Inc. New York City. 1965. Koran Text. (1997 edition). The Holy Qur’an. University of Virginia: Online Book Initiative. Online at Masoretic Text. (JPS 1917 Edition). A Hebrew-English Bible. Mechon Mamre. Online at

Friday, August 30, 2019

What Was More Important In Choosing A Successor Religion

Although, source B and D have evidence that religion as still a slight factor that was taken into consideration. Source B is a historians summary of the events surrounding Lady Jane Grey brief reign. It begins to state how towards the end of Edwards reign he and Northumberland were very aware that his successor would be his catholic sister, Mary. They planned to alter the succession in order to ‘secure Protestantism. ‘ This part of the source clearly shows how determined Edward and Northumberland were at keeping the protestant rule over England.This is because they had spent Edwards rule converting the country to Protestantism and building up power under this religion and if this were then to be changed to Catholicism then the main concern would be the loss of power for some, including Northumberland. In a way, the reason religion was being considered over legitimacy is because Northumberland had convinced Edward to do so. There is no hiding the fact that Edward would do most things that Northumberland would tell him to so what would stop him from altering the succession act if that is what Northumberland wanted.If Protestantism were to continue as the ruling religion then Northumberland loud be able to keep his position of power and if this religion were to be continued with the rule of Lady Jane Grey then Northumberland powers would have increased due to the fact that his son was married to Jane Grey. Whereas in the second half of the source it says how Mary was decided as successor and done by the power of her legitimacy. She was crowned successor because she made it so there was ‘a much wider appeal to legitimacy and a careful avoidance of religious issues. People appealed because she avoided religion, showing that is was not an influential aspect cause people didn't have a great concern towards her being a catholic, and because she based her appeal on the fact that she was legitimate because her father was Henry VIII, the people cared mor e for the relationship of royal blood. The fact that this source is written by a historian is beneficial to the comparison Of which was more important, religion or legitimacy, because he's able to give a over view of the events without the influence of any bias compared to if the source were to be written by someone of the time.Overall this source shows how although religion may on been put into consideration ND may of been really important to others, it doesn't stop that legitimacy became the final decider of who would be successor; going against that ‘in 1 542 and 1 558 religion was more important consideration then legitimacy in settling the succession to the crown. ‘ Source D is also showing how both religion and legitimacy were used to decide a successor. Source D is written by a servant of the king of Spain from the courts deciding on the arrangements for Mays successor.Although it's written by a slave I doubt there would be much bias because he is a servant of the King of Spain who as no interest in the succession and the fact that he will not gain anything from this due to the arrangements in his and Mar's marriage contract. The source begins by saying how the Privy Council had to persuade Mary to agree to Elizabeth as her successor because Mary did not want this to be the case seeing as Mary had converted England to Catholicism after Edwards rule as a protestant and now another protestant would be placed in rule causing her efforts to become meaningless.However, she did agree but with the terms that Elizabeth will: ‘maintain the Old religion as the Queen had restored it; and he other that she will pay the Queen's debts. ‘ Therefore, Elizabeth is chosen as successor completely due to the fact that she has the highest standing of legitimacy but Mary does not want her efforts as Queen to be over looked and disregarded which is why she wishes for Catholicism to be maintained. This agreement is carried out even though Mary knows tha t Elizabeth is most likely to break those promises which show that all Mary truly cares about is legitimacy.As long as the Tudor blood line continues in power, religion does not alter the choice of successor. Again, religion may be considered and important to some yet the decision of successor will always depend on their legitimacy because that's what everyone knows truly counts. Both of sources B and D show how religion may of been important to certain individuals but legitimacy would always over rule. The power of legitimacy is shown within sources A and C; Source A is from the third succession act written by Henry VIII with the permission of the Privy Council.It states how after Henry and Edwards death, then the thrown should pass to Mary and her heirs, then onto Elizabeth and her heirs if Mary were to die without any children. Religion is not mention once within this source because Henrys main concern was to provide the thrown with Tudor successors for years to come. We can tell that religion plays no part with Henry because he willing left the Catholic Church and created the Church of England just so he would be able to have control and grant himself a divorce from his first wife and another to come.His many wives also show his determination to provide heirs to the throne because he had 6 wives in order to create a son who would rule England after his death. Henry was so committed to making sure that the throne would continue with the Tudor name. Also due to this act being passed with the permission of the Privy Council shows that they too do not care about the religion someone has, as long as they fit the part of being ruler of England. No mention of religion and no concern towards what the future successors religious preference may be, the only thing that matters is who will be in control of England in the future.Now for the third time its going against the original statement. Source C is also going against religion being more important than astigmatic. It is a response to Marry letters claiming her right to the throne. The Privy Council are telling Mary that it is Jane Grey who is the rightful successor to the throne due to letters Edward wrote before his death and that due to the divorce of her mother and Henry VIII it causes Mary to be illegitimate.Legitimacy is used within this source to strengthen the position of Lady Jane Grey and weaken the position of Mary. They use it to say that Jane Grey is clearly the right successor because she has a relation to Henry VIII, yet even though Mary is his daughter they choose to disregard her because of a succession act that called her illegitimate even though later on that succession act was over thrown by the third succession act.Even though religion isn't mentioned we know that this response has been written because Edward was desperate to have a protestant as his SUccessor which is why so much weight is put on Edwards ‘Great seal of England. ‘ The PRI,y Council know they h ave a very slim chance at making Jane Grey successor over Mary' but they were willing to try. Yet in the sense of this source it heavily relies on legitimacy, even though Jane Grey isn't the true person to be next in line. The Privy Council have an agenda and purpose that they are trying very hard to fulfill.However, we know that they actually failed to place Lady Jane Grey as the rightful ruler of England because Mary was able to gain the support of the people who believed and knew she was the rightful successor due to her father being Henry VIII and Lady Jane Grey only being a cousin. This source shows how true legitimacy is much more powerful than the word of an existing King. Over all, there is without a doubt that between 1542 and 1 558 elision was not more of an important consideration over legitimacy when it came to choosing a successor.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

What is Corporate Taxation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

What is Corporate Taxation - Assignment Example To fund Napoleonic Wars, William Pitt The Younger incorporated the simple process of taxation in Britain in the budget of 1798. And hence the tradition carries on. History of Corporate Tax: In the Finance Act of 1965, the process of uniform taxation for individuals and corporates was abolished and separate Corporate Taxation was started. It is currently governed by the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988, which has also undergone amendment. Advance Corporation Tax (ACT) and its abolition: The advance Corporation Act introduced in 1976 came as a blow to corporates as dividends paid by the corporates were highly and disproportionately taxed. 0n 6 the April 1999, it was abolished by Mr. Gordon Brown, the then vice chancellor of the Exchequer, who is none other than the Prime Minister of Great Britain today. Reduction of Rates by Gordon Brown In 1999: In the budget of 1999 Gordon Brown introduced a more efficient and proportionate taxing system or rate according to the volume of profits, as in opposition to an age-old system of 1965. A budget of 2002: It scrapped the tax on companies earning profits up to 10000 pounds and that witnessed a huge growth in the number of self-employed and small-scale industries. It is still perceived to be a major step in the UK's Corporate Taxation history. (Darmon, 2008) Adoption of Ethical and more scientific Appraisal standards: IFRSs or International Financial Reporting Standards was adopted by European Union in 2005 and hence as well as the UK to promote transparency in taxation system and hence benefited the corporates in general. (Nardi, 2005)Â   Finance Act of 2004: The first of its kind, it promoted the use of legal anti Tax Avoidance Schemes among Corporates. (Public Sector Information, 2004) Finance Act of 2005: For the need of higher revenues, Oil, Gas & Life Insurance companies were targeted in this budget and laws were implemented forcing them to pay lump sum tax installments and that cost these companies heavily. (Public Sector Information, 2005)

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Reflections on Connection of Chemistry to Franciscan Values Research Paper

Reflections on Connection of Chemistry to Franciscan Values - Research Paper Example In school, the value of transformation transcends what is merely physical for the necessitated change comes with spiritual maturity and accountability for others since our transforming thought and act affects not only our state of well-being but as well as our circle of influence within the society. It is, however, saddening to learn that in the modern world of the present, transformation rather bears with it a more physical meaning or something identified as chiefly material in nature. There widely exists, for instance, an extensive research on chemical substances and methods by which to reverse spontaneous reactions and defy aging thereafter yet the main underlying objective has been to improve the quality of commerce and trade for further acquisition of profits by prominent industries. Through recent discoveries in chemistry, majority of us have managed to obtain knowledge and experience of the latest in anti-aging technology and beauty phenomenon. As such, the market of chemical and pharmaceutical goods largely consist of items like BB creams, firming and lifting gels, reconstructing serums, whitening soaps and pills, and other skincare products or services coupled with attractive laser technologies that most people particularly the female population buy into. In the article â€Å"One Chemist’s Accidental Anti-Aging Discovery† by Nina Elias, the author expresses â€Å"What if there was a single naturally occurring ingredient that could fuel a plane, replace saturated fats in baked goods, and repair wrinkles?† Herein, she makes reference to the environment-friendly algae that addresses both health and beauty concerns and somehow, her illustration of the value of transformation coincides with the Franciscan’s insight into transformation with responsibility as the biotech company Solazyme, according to Elias, has come up with innovative solutions which ensure no hazardous impact toward the ecological surroundings. On the other hand, the cosmetic inventions presented via the brand Etude House exemplify a kind of transformation focused on the sole enhancement of external looks and which makes no sensible agreement to the Franciscan attribute of change which ought to include internal foundations of beauty. Moreover, the findings demonstrated in the article â€Å"Can This Drink Save Your Skin?† by Kiera Aaron, nevertheless, may be claimed credible compared to the aforementioned sources in being further responsible to convey the truth despite the product benefits. While Aaron’s composition recognizes the advantage of transformation with respect to drinking collagen, he criticizes the product by using perspectives of other specialists who performed cross-examination of it. Based on this picture, one must have observed the attitude of courage to reveal the truth besides regard for transformation which also constitutes a Franciscan principle. â€Å"Diversity†, as another Franciscan value of choice may be perceived in the flexibility of allowing student body to be variedly comprised of distinct socio-cultural backgrounds to serve the dynamic interest of globalization in helping youth from all over the world unite with each

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Todays workforce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Todays workforce - Essay Example In Lyusin, 2006: 55). It was interpreted as a complex construct consisting of three types of abilities; (1) the identification and expression of emotion as; (2) the regulation of emotions; and (3) the application of emotional information to thinking and action (Lyusin, 2006 pg. 55). Emotional intelligence is the skill of understanding the self and how he or she relates to people which is an important insight in motivating people. The second skill required to motivate people is social skill. Social skill on the other hand is the competency to adapt with the changing situation and environment that makes one effective in dealing the contexts of people (Shanley, 1971). The ability to adjust to different kind of people is necessary to effectively motivate people because not all employees came from the same cultural mold. Understanding their cultural background and able to adjust accordingly would spell a difference between success and failure of an effective manager and leader in a culturally diverse

Monday, August 26, 2019

Bbusiness management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Bbusiness management - Essay Example BMW focused on the market trends and strategies in order to get a hold on high share in the market. BMW Case Analysis What main trends are identifiable in the business environment in general and in the automobile market in particular in 2004 that might affect BMW’s strategy? The main trends that are identifiable in business environment mainly include the competition between the different brands of same product category. It is on the basis of the quality and differentiation that is created by every brand. In automobile market the most important trend that is identifiable is the uniqueness in terms of design, price, quality and convenience provided to every customer when it comes to use. Whether it’s for any segment, the prime objective of automobile industry is to provide the ease to use it. According to Porter’s Generic BMW is highly differentiated in the automobile market, and this differentiation was on the basis of brand itself that created different identity in consumers mind. BMW conveys a perception of prestige and dignity for the high-end users. Uniqueness in terms of design seems to be the most important weapon for any company to fight and to move in fast–paced automobile industry. But in 2004 the market for automobile industry became more concentrated and productive. ... ere was no issue of quality in this year because of rapid growth of automobile industry but consumers of North America and Western Europe started demanding cheaper cars due to economic instability which forced them to reduce the spending on non-essential goods, and this adversely impacted the matured car market. On the other hand the market of Asia especially in China the demand of high–end and expensive models increased. Henceforth, quality was not the issue in 2004 whereas every company was focusing on placing their brand on the top of automobile industry. The war was of branding not of quality because the quality was no longer an issue (Mathews, 2006). 1. Using Porter’s five-force framework, attempt an analysis of the competition in the automobile industry in 2004 (adopt the BMW perspective). Consider the time horizon of strategic planning and attempt to identify what future changes are likely for that period in the light of the factors at play in the macro-environme nt. Industrial Rivalry – The competition became so ferocious, there was no room for differentiation and growth was slow because industry was in the mature phase. So, the focus turned to price of the product in automobile industry. Those who set economical prices and uniqueness into their brands were ruling the market. Quality was the weapon and the design too but that no more be considered as factor for choice-making, it was necessary for car makers to look for quality of product. Profitability was affected badly due to various external factors as well as competition. Substitutes – In 2004 automobile industry was facing substitute like motor bike, boats and leisure cruises were immensely used. Potential Entrants – Deluxe cars like Ford entered the market with Jaguar and Volvo models and

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Why the civil acts rights of 1875 failed and the civil acts rights act Research Paper

Why the civil acts rights of 1875 failed and the civil acts rights act of 1964 succeeded - Research Paper Example Almost half of the country agreed to abolish slavery, wealthy owners of plantations in the southern States could not agree to such a loss of cheap workforce. People were exhausted by the Civil War lasting for four years. Economy of the country was also going down because of devastating effects of the Civil War. Big cities and small towns were damaged starting from houses and ending with roads and railroads. Introduced in 1870, the Civil Rights Act became a law only in 1875. Most of the Southern Republicans were against this law. However, it was pass According to the Civil Rights Act â€Å"equality of men before law† was recognized. One of the duties of government was â€Å"mete out equal and exact justice to all, of whatever nativity, race, color, or persuasion, religious or political†.1 Therefore, treating people equally in all the spheres of public activity and social life had to become one of the prerogatives of American society. However, not long after enactment of this law, in 1883, the Supreme Courte declared this law unconstitutional.2 This law offered by Senator Summers was one of the major effective actions of Reconstruction. Even though the Civil Rights Act of 1875 â€Å"outlawed racial segregation in public accommodations and prohibited the exclusion of blacks from jury duty†,3 it still was controversial in some aspects. First of all, the law did not include access of African Americans to many important public places such as schools, cemeteries, religious institutions, etc. Social rights of Americans became their civil rights according to the provisions of this law. Furthermore, this law allowed segregated schools rather than requiring mixed schooling. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was declared in the time of the social unrest. The major movement for social equality was initiated by Martin Luther King. Protesting men, women, and children were severely beaten by police in Birmingham, Alabama. American president John F. Kennedy was greatly

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Contract law as practiced in Europe Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Contract law as practiced in Europe - Case Study Example The aim of this letter is to examine whether your wife has a chance of getting a favourable settlement in court if she decides to take legal action against you after all. The issue here is whether Penny's case will succeed if brought to court. In other words, will the case find you, Max Power, liable of paying Penny the money that you owe her for support for the past six months This is given the fact that the two of you are still legally married under the Irish Family Law Act 1995 and you having promised to support your wife who is unable to work because of the work place accident that she had five years ago. These are the questions I, as your legal adviser, will be trying to answer in this letter. As to whether Penny's case will succeed if it comes before any Irish family court, I strongly believe that your wife stands a higher chance of convincing the judge to force you to clear the outstanding balance and to continue paying her the monthly allowances. This is if she accuses you on other grounds apart from the current grounds of ostensibly breaking a contract. However, since she has opted to sue you for breaking a contract, I believe that her case does not stand a chance in a court of law in England. This is because there is no legal document that exists showing that the two of you entered in any form of contract. ... 3 In June 2008, you left for Dubai and left your wife alone at home 4 You verbally agreed to pay Penny support allowances of $1500 verbally and you did so for six months 5 In January 2009, you met Stacey Floodgates and soon took her in as your partner 6 Since January 2009, you defaulted on paying Penny her monthly allowances 7 Five years ago, Penny had an accident which left her unable to work, and so she had been relying on her husband's support payments for upkeep 8 The reason why Penny is suing you is because she believes that the contract between the two of you, though verbal, was binding Rule Statement and Rule Synthesis For a contract to be binding under the European code of conduct, there are some requirements that it has to meet. These are generally referred to as "the three c's" (Gordley, 2008). The first is the cause, whereby a reason should have emerged that required for the drafting of the contract (Gordley, 2008). The second is consideration. This is whereby the two parties must have identified the form of contract that is best to enter into to given their circumstances. The third and most important aspect of a contract in our case here is the consent (Gordley, 2008). This is an indication that the parties went through the contract and agreed to abide by the terms provided for there. This consent is indicated in form of a signature that is appended by both parties in the contract. Without a signature, leave alone without the written document, the contract is null and void, and nobody can be accused of breaching it. The only exception whereby an actual signature is not needed on the document is when the contract is done online (Orlando, 2009). But even these form of contracts, under the Irish law that governs electronic contracts,

Friday, August 23, 2019

Fast, global,and entrepreneurial; supply chain management , hong kong Case Study - 1

Fast, global,and entrepreneurial; supply chain management , hong kong style and interview with victor fung - Case Study Example Several changes have been done since its establishment in a bid to conform to the recent demands in the supply chain management field. Globalization has brought about increased interactions among countries in different continents. As such there has been increased focus on eliminating some of the most recurrent challenges faced during conduction of international business such as language barrier. Organizations conducting international businesses have invested deeply in overcoming language barriers among other challenges leading to elimination of intermediaries such as interpreters. During the first years of its establishment, Li Fung ripped heavily from interpretation due to the ability of its founder to speak English. However, such a role in the modern day is seemingly irrelevant hence the need to come up with other strategies to gain competitive advantage. For instance, Li Fung came shifted focus to production of full products from the entire region rather than a single product from one place. This increased relevance of the company in the supply chain since an organization could rely on Li Fung to get all necessa ry materials required at one point. This implies that organizations need to constantly come up with strategies corresponding to market changes in order to prevent elimination. However, production techniques changed once again hence Li Fung was now charged with the responsibility of managing the entire production process for its clients to come with a finished product. However, changes in economic status in Hong Kong triggered yet another shift to employment of dispersed production. This shows that market status is heavily dependent on the economy among other external factors. The changes evident in the life span of Li Fung are a clear indicator of the many changes requiring attention taking effect in the supply chain management sector. This implies that

The preaching ministry of Heinrich Bullinger Research Paper

The preaching ministry of Heinrich Bullinger - Research Paper Example Life of a Preacher 5. Highs and Lows of his Life in Zurich 6. Conclusion 1. Introduction Heinrich Bullinger was a well-known Swiss reformer who was the head of the Zurich church as the successor of Huldrych Zwingli. Most researchers show how different he was form the earlier generation of reformers such as Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli. Bullinger was rather a consolidator; he added his own perspective to the theology and was a genius to think beyond just gathering the gospel riches that the people of Switzerland craved. Hence, it is believed after being long underestimated, that without him, the shape of theology of England in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century would have been unimaginable1. Bullinger is known for being one of the most influential theologians in the history and specifically in the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. The life of Bullinger indicated how he had been raised for priesthood. His father was a Catholic priest and though he was a prie st, he had married, mainly because of the loose enforcement of the vows of celibacy. Bullinger was the youngest of five sons. Bullinger’s parents are not much discussed, but the fact the Bullinger’s father came to confess on the doctrines of the Reformation when he was very old, is known. This may be probably because of the influence of his gifted son2. 2. Early Life Eventually Bullinger started with his formal education in the school of The Brethren of the Common Life in Cleves. While his education, his father gave him no money as he believed that his poverty is necessary for him to develop good habits and responsibilities in his life. However, like Luther, Bullinger was also subjected to sing to earn his living. Bullinger also wanted to enter a Carthusian monastery during his studies, but he was put off against his brother. And he rather set off to Germany to attend the University of Cologne when he was 15 years of age, as his parents expected him to follow the clerg y just as Luther3. Bullinger went through many of the experiences and formations of his life while he was in Germany. It was in Cologne when he started studying about the scholastic theologians of the middle Ages. Soon he became disgusted of them, and rather turned his way to the church fathers, specifically Chrysostom and Augustine. He was involved in the lives of the church fathers and eventually became inspired by their writings, especially by their abundant use of Scripture. Prompted by the determination of the church fathers to ground all their doctrine in God’s Word, Bullinger turned his direction to the study of Scriptures4. Thus, as he involved himself more in the pleasure of reading Scriptures, he went through the writings of Martin Luther and used to be inspired by them greatly. These writings used to revolve throughout Germany at that time and thus Bullinger involved himself immensely in this world. It is these years of study in Germany that Bullinger spent and bec ame one of those whose life was surrounded by the winds of reform that were let loose by Luther5. On returning to Switzerland with his master’s degree in 1522, Bullinger accepted the call by Wolfgung Rupli to teach in the cloister school. As he was already influenced by the thought of Reformation, he taught the monks form the New Testament and from Philip Melanchthon’s Loci Communes, which was considerably the first systematic theology of the Reformation. He also initiated the systematic

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Diet & Hypertension Essay Example for Free

Diet Hypertension Essay Hypertension or High Blood Pressure, as it is commonly called, is a condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is chronically elevated. With each heart beat, heart pumps blood through the arteries to the body. Blood pressure is the pressure or force with which blood is pushed against the walls of the blood vessels. If the pressure is too high, the heart has to pump harder which in turn can damage the body organ and cause illnesses like stroke, heart attack, heart failure, or renal failure. Hypertension in India is emerging as a major health problem, that is more prevalent in urban than in rural India. Normal blood pressure is below 120/80, where 120 represents systolic measure (highest pressure in arteries) and 80 represents diastolic measure (lowest pressure in arteries). A pressure of 140/90 and above is considered hypertension. Hypertension can be due to many factors namely- 1. Sedentary lifestyle 2. Lack of physical activity 3. Obesity or overweight 4. High salt intake 5. High intake of processed food items like- chips, bakery products, cheese etc. 6. Stress 7. Aging 8. Excessive alcohol consumption 9. Genetics and family history of hypertension However, hypertension can be easy to control if diagnosed at an early stage and with lifestyle modifications. Changes in diet and increase in physical activity levels can have a great impact on controlling high blood pressure Reducing salt intake: Salt is known to be an important cause of hypertension. Therefore, a diet low in sodium, viz. recommended sodium intake- 1500mg, which is equivalent to 6gm salt or 1 leveled teaspoon of salt, is suitable for body and heart. DASH (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension) diet that recommends 1500mg sodium intake, along with high intake of fruits and vegetables is known to have beneficial effects in controlling blood pressure. Though the market is flooded with processed foods, they are a complete NO for hypertension or heart patients. Processed foods like- breads, chips, nachos, processed cheese, ready-made soups, cookies, etc. are high in sodium in the form of salt or baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). Now-a-days many food companies are producing salts with â€Å"low sodium content†. However, they are excessively high in potassium, and excess of any mineral is deleterious for the body. Fruits and vegetables: Fruits and vegetables have a positive impact in controlling and maintaining blood pressure within the recommended level. Fruits are primarily a source of minerals and most important amongst them is potassium. Besides minerals, the high fiber content is healthy for the heart. Watching your weight: Diet rich in carbohydrates and fats is calorie dense. Excessive calorie intake and eventual weight gain is harmful to individuals with blood pressure. A diet with more complex carbohydrates, proteins from pulses or lean meat, high fruit and vegetable intake helps not just to maintain weight but is also heart healthy. Products like- chips, processed juices, cookies, instant noodles, cakes, achars, papad, namkeens, nachos are high in salt/sodium and are not suitable for hypertensive individuals. However, food without salt is difficult to sustain for long period of time. But, there are substitute that can be added to your daily meal that will help make the food palatable and interesting. Salt can be substituted with lemon juice, vinegar, mint chutney (with raw mango and less salt), imli chutney to add taste to your meal. Eating in moderation and physical exercise are mantra for healthy life!

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

BT Company: Business Analysis Report and SWOT

BT Company: Business Analysis Report and SWOT Part 1: Understanding the business 1. Suggest the income streams and costs that may be appropriate to an organisation in your sector. The main income streams for the telecommunication industry is the revenue achieved through the usage of their services. Originally those services were limited to the provision of telephone communication using landlines. Today, the communication industry has expanded the number of services that it provides into mobile, VoIP, internet and other communication. The majority of the revenue can come from any one of those different services. For example, in 2005 BT had 75% of its revenue coming from their traditional services, but in 2006 this number decreased to 68%. Instead the company received an increased amount of revenue from it’s â€Å"New Wave† services, such as networked IT services, broadband, mobility etc. The mobile telecommunications provider such as Vodafone gets the most of its revenue from the tariffs that it charges its customers for using their mobile phones. However, the mobile telecommunication has also expanded into the provision of other services such as messaging and data and information provision. The largest cost for any communication company is the maintenance of the business. This cost can consist of staff costs, contractor wages, operational costs etc. Main contributor will depend on the company. For example, BT identifies ‘other operational costs’ as its main contributor to the overall cost of maintaining the business, representing 35%. The ‘other operating costs’ include the cost of supporting the network IT services, maintenance and support of the networks, costs of accommodation and marketing and general overheads (BT, 2007, p. 34). 2. What measures of performance are applicable to the industry? The majority of the industry has a few fundamental performance measures. The prime measure is the satisfaction of their customers. This is not surprising considering the competitiveness of the industry, the ease with which customers can change providers and the fact that the companies’ profits are based on the volume of customers. The other measures can include the satisfaction of the company’s employees. The industry that is so customer focused tries to provide them with as much human contact as possible (as long as it is profitable). Therefore the industry employs a large volume of employees. Satisfied employs are more likely to make sure that the customers are happy with the service that they are getting, allowing the companies to stay competitive. For example, BT has four performance measures regarding the satisfaction of their employees: employee engagement index, diversity, HS: loss time injury rate and HS: sickness and absence rate. Other performance measures can include: the satisfaction of the suppliers; investment in the community; protection of the environment; digital inclusion and sustaining integrity. In order to measure those performance measures, the company engages a number of internal indices. Some of those indices are much easier to measure, for examples the number of complaints that the company receives, the others are more difficult, such as measuring the integrity of the employees. The majority of the companies employ surveys in order to measure the more difficult quantifiable factors. 3. Construct a Value Chain for a company within the industry. The value chain has been developed by Michael Porter in 1985. The method divides the organization into the activities that is performs and them links them to the company’s competitive position. Porter (1985) argued that only by separating the organization into its activities and findings the right links will the managers be able to achieve a competitive advantage. The value chain method distinguishes between primary and support activities. Combined, they should lead to a margin, which is equal to the cost of the product subtracted from the price that it is sold to the customer. Model 1 depicts the value chain. Primary activities in the business are concerned directly with the creation, production and delivery of service and are grouped into inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and sales, and service. The Support activities are there to help the primary activities and they are divided into main areas of support activities: procurement, technology development (including RD), human resource management, and infrastructure (systems for planning, finance, quality, information management etc.). The support activities are directly linked to the primary activities, and if those links are produced well, then the company will become more efficient and competitive in the market. The value chain model can be applied to the telecommunication industry. The inbound logistics are the goods and services that the company receives from its suppliers. In the world of telecommunication, this can be the phones (that might be manufactures in China), the cables, the sim cards etc. The ‘operations’ in the original method meant manufacturing of the product. Since telecommunication is already dealing with a finished product, it is the provision of this product that can be named their ‘operation’. For example, provision of the reception, the IT platform that connects people etc. The outbound logistics is the finished product being delivered to the customer. In this case this can be the phone set, the website of the company where the customer can buy their own product etc. Every telecommunication company has their marketing and sales team, that offer services and make customers aware (through advertising) of their services. In the competitive industr y such as telecommunication, the firms pay a lot of attention to the right kind of marketing and promotion. If a company releases a new product, the other companies are likely to follow. Therefore the first ‘inventor’ has to capture as much market as possible. Furthermore, due to the competitiveness of the industry, the companies are under pressure to provide the customers with as much as possible, in order to keep them, as finding a new customer is always much more expensive then keeping the old one. The last section of the primary activities is the ‘service’. Service is something that the company provides after the customer has the product. In the telecommunications this means installation of the product into the customers home, helping the customer with every day questions, replacing the product if is gets broken etc. Under the support activities the first factor is ‘procurement’. The procurement department in the telecommunications industry are people who buy all of the inbound logistics into the company. This department will be in charge of agreeing the best deal with the suppliers of the product and making sure that the product is of high quality. Technology development is an extremely important element in the telecommunications industry, which allows them to gain a competitive advantage. The technology development in this method can also include customer relationship management activities, and not be limited purely to the innovation. Human resource management is a vital part in this method as those people are responsible to the satisfaction of the employees, which can be achieved through remuneration, training and development, bonuses and other HR strategies. The above mentioned would be the base for the value chain. However, it should be noted that the majority of the companies in the telecommunications industry are multi-national corporations. They provide a large number of products to their customers world wide. Furthermore, the components of their services may come from a wide range of suppliers, for example the plastic for the phone will come from Russia, the phone will be constructed in China and painted in India. Due to their size, the majority of the companies have already established the most productive and available route of producing, maintaining and providing the service. Therefore, the value chain would be a lot more complicated with both the primary and support activities. Furthermore, the margin may also come from a wide range of sources, such as mergers and acquisition, investment in stock markets etc. 4. Construct a Value System for the industry. The value system was also introduced by M. Porter (1985). It represents the link between the value chains of different ‘market customers’. For example, it will link the value chain of the suppliers to the value chain of the company to the value chain of the channel and then to the value chain of the customer. The supplier value chain for the telecommunications industry can include the suppliers of the physical products, such as phones and sim cards from the supplier value chain; provision of the telephone connection and services in the company value chain; services provided by the third party distributors (such as Yahoo!) in the channel chain and a wide range of customers buying the products (for example businesses, individuals and other telecommunication companies). 5. What are the environmental factors that may influence the industry? Most of the large organizations today are environmentally friendly, and have special strategies to maintain this position. For example, BT is one of the largest consumers of electricity in the UK (BT, 2007, p. 3). In order to reduce the damage to the environment, the company has adopted the majority of the environmentally-friendly electricity sources, such as wind generation, solar and hydroelectric energy generation. The telecommunications industry face a number of environmental risks that can damage their profitability. For example, global warming increases the number of storms and floods that are occurring around the world. In turn, this damages the telecommunications’ infrastructure and can cost the industry billions of pounds. Moreover, by damaging the environment, the costs of the primary products can increase (e.g. electricity). Since the telecommunications industry relies on a wide range of products outside of their own services, an increase in the cost of primary prod ucts, such as electricity, is likely to have a negative effect on their profits. Part 2: Evaluating Company Resources 1. How well is the present strategy working? â€Å"Group Strategys principal role is to help the BT Group maximize long term value for shareholders. This involves ensuring that the BT Group can sustain competitiveness in all its markets† (BT, 2007, Group Strategy). The financial results for the 2006 showed that the company has strengthened its position in the market. It had increased its revenue by 6% to  £19,514m, provided its customers with both the income and investment growth, by increasing the share price by 8% and dividend pay out by 14% in one year (BT Annual report, 2007, p. 2). Since their share price has gone up over the year, it can be argued that the company’s strategy has worked. Furthermore, BT has also subdivided their strategy aim into a number of objectives, namely: â€Å"to pursue profitable growth in new wave markets to maximise the return from our traditional business to transform our networks, systems and services for the twenty-first century to create long-term partnerships with our customers† (BT, 2007, Annual Report, p. 4). The â€Å"new wave† activities (networked IT services, broadband and mobility) growth has been overachieved by 50% by the company in 2006 (BT, 2007, Annual Report, p. 4). The company has also asked all of their existing customer to swap to the subscription-based packages. They have achieved 67% customer base being swapped to the subscription, which has also overachieved their target. The transfer of all of the services onto the 21C (twenty-first century IP technology) has not been completed yet. Finally, BT has achieved an increase of 3% in their customer satisfaction table, which also brought them closer to their long term goal. Therefore it can be argued that BT’s strategy has been successful. 2. What are their resource strengths and weaknesses? BT’s resource strength is their brand and strong reputation, that is recognized world wide. Their strong brand allows them to form stronger relationships with their customers (stakeholders, customers, suppliers, employees). BT’s reputation of reliability, consistency and effectiveness allows them to keep their customers and increase their customer base. Furthermore, BT provides a wide range of services that are in line with the latest technology, such as IP phone calls and are often a market leader in the industry. BT had a large number of weaknesses a few years ago: it was loosing the DSL market share to every competitor in the market, it had a shrinking market share in the fixed line services and sometimes it was not up to speed with the innovative technology. However, the new market strategy has proved very beneficial to the company. The company was the first in the IDSL provision in the UK market in 2006; its market share is growing and it is transferring most of its services onto the 21C technology (BT, 2007, Annual Report). Although introduction of 21C will be beneficial to BT in the future, it can have a negative impact on the profits in the short run. Furthermore, does BT think far enough? There are a wide range of external risks that BT group faces. From the social aspect, they can be divided into: supply chain working conditions and outsourcing. The ‘supply chain working conditions’ risks arises from the wide range of services that BT buys from across the world. The company is committed to following the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Labour Organisation rules. The main risk of breaching those rules is that the company may be faced with a large number of law suits and loose its reputation. In turn, reputation is one of the most valuable assets of the company, as it has a positive correlation with the number of customers that sign up and stay with BT. The group deals with this risk by asking all of the suppliers to fill in the ‘Risk assessment questionnaire’, which it then examines and decides if it should deal with the named supplier (BT, 2007, Human Rights and Suppliers). BT has outsourced a number of operations such as human resource contracts, pensions, recruitment and training, as well as finance, accounting and payroll (BT, 2007, Outsourcing). The risk arises when the company tries to get the cheapest service and ends up making a very expensive mistake. For example, the BT can loose control of the quality of the service that the outsourced functions provide; or the outsourced departments may make a financial mistake, that will lead to wrong internal decisions within a company. 3. What are the external opportunities and threats facing them? There are also a number of factors that can be quite threatening to BT. The change in the environment, where natural catastrophes can destroy BT’s infrastructure, have already been discussed. The collapse of the stock market can also have a negative effect on the company, as BT invests some of its money in the stock market. Furthermore, an innovative product, such as WoIP being introduced by another major competitor, will strongly harm BT’s profits (since all of the phone calls can be free, without relying on the internet). The economic and political decisions can also affect the profitability of the company. For example, if the interest rates rise sharply in the UK, the disposable income of the customers will decrease. In turn, the customers may reduce their usage of the BT’s services or swap to cheaper providers. Moreover, since BT has global presence, large looses in one of the countries may put a lot of pressure on the rest of the Group to ‘bail outâ₠¬â„¢ the damaged company, which can negatively affect the profits. As has been mentioned above, there is also an issue of reputation. Loss of reputation due to the external factors can strongly affect company’s profitability. Furthermore, mobile phone providers also represent a threat, since they undercut the prices and the majority of the customers find mobiles an effective way to communicate. However, there are also a wide range of opportunities available to BT externally. For example, the technology progress has been very rapid over the last few years, which means that BT can take advantage of this to gain extra customers. The IP voice communication will also allow BT to gain more customers worldwide, as there will not be legal barriers of the contract. More and more people are getting to know how to use the internet. Since BT is moving towards making their phone calls through the internet rather then fixed lines, this means that BT will have an opportunity to deal with a larger customer base. Finally, BT has a good reputation, capitalization and brand that it can use to expand into a wide range of those products. 4. How strong is their competitive position? BT’s competitive position can be seen from two perspectives: in the UK and worldwide. In the UK, BT has a very strong competitive position, since it is the largest communication provider in the country (BT, 2007, Annual Report, p. 7). Worldwide the situation is a bit different (see Table 2). Table 2: BT’s competitive position worldwide BT T Pvt1 VZ Industry Market Cap: 47.23B 232.84B N/A 105.08B 6.51B Employ ­ees: 104,400 302,000 143,251 N/A 12.52K Qtrly Rev Growth (yoy): 5.00% 23.10% N/A 31.80% 3.80% Revenue (ttm): 38.76B 63.06B 5.62B1 88.14B 4.02B Gross Margin (ttm): 84.08% 56.99% N/A 60.33% 65.54% EBITDA (ttm): 11.00B 22.88B N/A 29.53B 1.67B Oper Margins (ttm): 13.31% 16.87% N/A 16.13% 15.46% Net Income (ttm): 5.38B 7.36B 304.40M1 5.48B 402.77M EPS (ttm): 6.35 1.887 N/A 2.12 1.55 P/E (ttm): 8.98 19.76 N/A 17.03 15.1 PEG (5 yr expected): 2.17 1.51 N/A 3.08 1.64 P/S (ttm): 1.24 3.67 N/A 1.21 1.61 Source: Yahoo! Finance Where: T= AT&T Inc Pvt1 = Cable and Wireless plc VZ = Verizon Communication Inc Industry = Telecom Services – Foreign As can be seen, BT has a small capitalization value compared to its closest direct competitors in the telecommunication market. However, its value is still nearly 7 times the size of the average market capitalization of the industry. The revenue growth has also been poor compared to the largest competitors, and hardy exceeds the industry average. However, despite the low capitalization, the net income of BT is very close to that of the other companies, which indicates that the company is efficient. 5. What is your assessment of the culture within the company? Will it be supportive to change or not? BT has a strong set of values within the company. Those values build the culture of the company. Furthermore, judging from the amount of information that is available of their website, it can be assumed that BT is very good at informing all of its employees of any changes that are taking place in the organization. The employees rarely welcome change or restructuring, however over the years it has been shown that good and frequent communication with the employees will allow the company to implement the changes much more easily. Therefore, the BT’s employees are likely to be supportive of the changes that BT makes. Part 3: Strategy and Competitive Advantage 1. Review the generic strategies. Which would be suitable cost advantage, differentiation or focusing on a niche market? Given the 3 generic strategies: cost advantage, differentiation or focusing on a niche market, BT is more likely to go for differentiation. This opinion is based on the existing strategy that the BT is adopting. BT provides a wide range of services. It could go for a niche market if it will have an opportunity to keep the rest of the products. For example, at the moment it’s transferring most of its services onto 21C platform. This will allow BT customers to use internet for communication. Although most of the large telecommunications companies have not done that, there are a number of companies that have already dominated this market e.g. Skype. BT could also go the cost advantage, as the telecommunication industry is becoming more and more price competitive. However, as with any industry, price wars can not last forever. Considering that BT used to be a state monopoly and therefore has an advantage of the largest customer base, it has decided to provide quality to the customers rather then quantity. Furthermore, since BT is launching the large transferal of its technology onto the 21C base, it is unlikely to go for a cost advantage this year. Instead, it will provide its customers with high quality innovative products, that will be cheap once they launch (internet communication is free). This leaves differentiation. As has been discussed above, BT has chosen a number of strategies that will differentiate it from its competitors, such as the 21C platform, direct and clear communication with the customers, emphasis on the good treatment of its employees and innovative products. 2. Looking into the future, how may the company seek to achieve cost competitiveness? Achieving cost competitiveness is the aim of every company in the world. Cost competitiveness can be achieved through economies of scale and scope, as well as synergies. BT is a very large company and therefore has a stronger negotiation power with its suppliers. The suppliers might be willing to provide BT with lower prices for their products, since BT is likely to order large volumes of products. Economically, as the company gets bigger, the cost of production of one more unit of a good or service decreases (marginal cost). Therefore, as BT expands it will be able to decrease the cost of the production. However, the economic theory also states that this decrease in marginal cost will eventually reach a point where the company will enter the diseconomies of scale (the marginal cost will start to increase). In order to avoid that, BT has expanded globally, rather then just within the UK. BT can also reduce costs through the economies of scope – the production of a wider range of goods. The marginal costs will decrease because certain fixed costs will be shared between the products. For example, the IP platform that BT is using will not only be used to generate revenue from the phone calls, but will also be used for the provision of video messaging services. Later on, if BT decides to bring out another product, it will be able to use this IT platform without the need of building a new one. BT can achieve synergies between its businesses. BT operates 4 separate businesses: BT retail, BT wholesale, BT Global services and Openreach. There are a large number of synergies between all of those companies, for example HR, finance and accounting services. Furthermore, if BT decides to acquire another company in the future, it is likely to use the existing synergies to create even more synergies with the new company in the future. Furthermore, there are a large number of other cost cutting exercises that the company can do in the future to achieve cost competitiveness, such as restructuring, selling some parts of its business that are no longer useful to it and increasing efficiency internally. 3. Suggest ways that information technology and information systems can be used to exploit external opportunities and defend against threats facing the company? Information technology (IT) is strongly linked to the information systems (IS) in telecommunication industry. BT is successfully using both to capture new opportunities in the market, as has been discussed previously. However, as the whole industry is moving towards VoIP, BT could use its existing information systems to move a step further – provide WoIP services. VoIP requires internet in order to use free voice calls, while WoIP allows a customer to use free voice calls without internet. In turn, by using the IT and IS BT can capture a larger share of the market not only in the UK but also worldwide. Furthermore, BT has enough capitalization and IT in order to compete with the mobile phone providers. It can expand to provide those services. Efficient IT and IS will allow BT to connect people cheaply around the world, where the customers will not need to worry where they are resident. BT is very much aware of the external threats that it faces. IT and IS will not be able to defend BT from the environmental risks. However, some of the social risks can be eliminated. For example, the outsourced functions of finance and accounting can be checked electronically first, by setting up an appropriate IT system. The work can then be send to Britain for checking. Furthermore, although BT can not control the stock markets, it can certainly install a number of IT systems that will allow it to prevent a large loss of money, for example by using Technical Analysis systems. By making sure that all of BT’s IT and IS systems work efficiently, the company will reduce the risk of losing its reputation. 4. Analyse the current core competencies of the company. The current core competencies of the company is professionalism, integrity, straightforwardness and team work. All of those competencies are built into their core values. Furthermore, by achieving those competencies as a business the company will be able to achieve its overall aim – bring value to the shareholders. Competencies are often measures on the internal scale of the company, which makes it difficult to analyze for the outsider. However, the companies achievements and the strategy for the future work reflect those competencies. It is in the interest of the company to retain professionalism and integrity towards the customers and employees, if it want to keep both groups. Straightforwardness is a good differentiator of the company, as this allows better communication with the customer, and therefore contribute towards building a loyal customer base. The team work, in turn, will allow the company to achieve its performance targets. 5. Apply a SWOT matrix to the analysis carried out in Activity 2 to gain an understanding of how the strengths and weaknesses of the company may be considered, together with the opportunities and threats that exist, to determine a set of strategic options for the company. SWOT Analysis (S)trengths (O)pportunities Stable and increasing share price Strong financial results Strong brand Good reputation Worldwide Reach Market leader in the UK Large customer base Increasing number of customers that will use the IP platform Further expansion into the world market Use of capital to expand into ‘products of the future’ (W)eaknesses (T)hreats Lack of innovative products Sometimes overprices products which leads to loss of the market share (DSL) Weak global market presence Supply chain working conditions Outsourcing Loss of reputation Environment Stock market crash Recession Mobile phone users BT is the largest fixed-line provider of communication in the UK. Since BT used to be a state monopoly it has a very large number of customers. However, since its privatization, despite a strong competition not only from the new fixed-line providers by also from the mobile phone providers, BT still has a very strong market presence in the UK. This indicates that BT has built a certain customer loyalty, which can be added to its strengths. As the communication market matures, new technology and opportunities are entering the industry. The most recent innovation, that remains a threat to the most fixed-line providers is the building of the IP platforms. The IP platforms allows the customers to speak to each other for free by using their internet. BT has been extremely proactive and has built the platform. Since the majority of its customers are still using fixed lines for communication, in order to the customers to start using the new products, BT should communicate the instruction on how to use the products very clearly. Furthermore, it should also inform the customers of the new products available. Strategically, BT should be able to connect the majority of its customers, since it will be cheaper to them to use the platform. The next move would be to make sure that all of the ‘voices of the customer’ are heard, as with any new systems there will be a number a faults. BT should then implement all of the changes that it has decided on. Since the price of the communication will decrease, the BT will be able to make higher revenue through an increasing number of customers that will start using the service and through the sale of other goods and services that it provides through the new platform. Therefore, BT should start making a good marketing plan of how to sell their new products. The number of customers available to BT is likely to increase over time, as more people are connecting to the internet. This is a great opportunity for BT to increase its world market share. Considering that BT is not the first company to implement this, a large number of customers have already been captured. The BT can use

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Changes to Irish Historiography and Historical Debate

Changes to Irish Historiography and Historical Debate Discuss the growth of Irish historiography and historical debate since the 1960s with specific reference to at least two of the following areas: women’s history, social history, labour history, economic history, local history, the history of the diaspora. There has been without a doubt a growth in Irish historiography and historical debate since the 1960’s. The following will discuss and examine the reasons for the growth of Irish historiography and historical debate. Irish historiography had tended to focus on the relationship between England (and later Britain) and Ireland with its consequences for both countries’ developments and history. Irish historiography also highlighted key events that proved pivotal in shaping the Irish nation. Such events include the English invasions from the 12th century, the reformation, the plantations of Ulster, the consequences of the English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution. Further defining moments were also the development of Irish Republicanism that was shown by the 1798 rebellion and the emergence of the Fenian Brotherhood during the 19th century. The potato famine of the 1840’s would prove disastrous to the Irish population whilst encouraging immigration to Britain, the United States and Australia. Such immigration will as examined lead to the development of the diaspora. The way in which Ireland was partitioned to account for the two versions of Irish nationalism has become the central theme of historical debate. The Civil Rights Movement within the Roman Catholic community of Northern Ireland which inadvertently led to the troubles will be evaluated as to whether that is the prime motivator of changes in Irish historiography and historical debate. Prior to the English involvement Ireland was an independent if divided country. One historical debate is whether the English were good or bad for Ireland. It had been influenced by mainly Celtic, Anglo-Saxon and Viking settlements.[1] Irish culture was Gaelic and Christian in character. The English that came to Ireland were descendants of the Normans that ruthlessly conquered England a century before. In contrast to William the Conqueror these Anglo-Norman invaders did not intend to stay and were invited to cross the Irish Sea to join in with a conflict between Gaelic chieftains. For the Irish the involvement the Anglo-Norman in their affairs was a monumental change in their destiny. From Henry II English Kings came to regard stability in Ireland as in important part of their security. The accident of geography was to lead to the inter relationship between the English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish that has brought both benefits and disasters to all concerned. There are people who believ e that the English or British brought benefits to the Irish will tend to stress the good consequences of their involvement rather than the bad. Those who have an anti-English outlook stress the harmful consequences, [2] Henry II himself was not in a hurry to invade Ireland; his possessions in France and England took priority. However once the English arrived in 1172 they would not be removed by the Irish for centuries, and even then not from the whole of Ireland.[3] English control of Ireland was never complete and centred around Dublin. The amount of control fluctuated depending on the power and interest of the King. Strong Kings such as Edward IV and Henry VII attempted to increase their power in Ireland. It was to be Henry VIII that would alter the shape of Irish history as much as he changed that of England. Henry VIII was a man of great ambition, in 1541 he proclaimed himself King of Ireland, thus showing the intention of gaining greater control of Ireland.[4] The Tudors made their control of Ireland effective if not complete yet at the cost of sowing future conflict over religion, politics and the status of Ireland. Henry VIII had already attempted to gain the loyalty of the Irish nobility and gain control over the Irish church. After the break from Rome, Henry was determined to introduce the Church of England to his Irish subjects as well as his English subjects. The Reformation would further complicate the relationship between the Irish and English. The Reformation was slow to take root in Ireland; the Roman Catholic Church maintained its strength in the majority of the island, especially in rural areas. Whilst the Irish parliament faithfully followed the religious legislation roller coaster ride seen in England the Irish did not follow suit. Ironically it was the Roman Catholic, Mary I that came up with the strategy that would change Irish society and economy as profoundly as it affected its politics and religion, the plantations.[5] The Irish did not accept those changes without resisting. The most serious threat to the Tudor hold on Ireland came with the Earl of Tyrone’s rebellion of the 1590’s that was not finally put down until 1604.[6] Despite that rebellion James VI of Scotland inherited Ireland under the crown’s control when he gained the English throne.[7] James I greatly expanded the plantations in particular to the Irish province of Ulster. The protestant settlers gained land off of the Irish population of Ulster in return for their loyalty to Britain. The settlers would be given social and economic advantages by the government that persisted into the 20th century and was deeply resented by the Roman Catholic communities. That resentment contributed to the rebellion of 1641 that attacked the plantations. Irish nationalists and republicans regard the plantations as a prime example of British imperialism whilst Unionists regard them as the foundation of their communities.[8] The rebel lion in Ireland sparked off the English Civil War, there was in effect Civil Wars in England, Scotland and Ireland that would result in much bloodshed and the removal of Charles I. The situation in Ireland was complicated; there were those that supported the English parliament and those that wished to use the Civil Wars as an opportunity to gain independence. All Irish opposition to the English parliament was ruthlessly suppressed by Oliver Cromwell and resulted in the massacre of Drogheda. Oliver Cromwell remains associated with bloody repression and the use of terror to this day, the paradox of an English republican with Imperial policies.[9] The Irish Catholic community would remain loyal to James II who lost his Irish kingdom after his English and Scottish ones. The victory of William of Orange only reinforced the British bias in favour of the Ulster Protestants. The Protestants liked to show their loyalty to Britain through their Orange orders and apprentice boys’ marche s, a source of sectarian friction for more than three centuries. Whilst the Unionists see these as symbols of their British nationality, the Catholic communities see them as symbols of their continued rule from Britain. [10] The consequences of these events were two rival senses of nationalism developed in Ireland. There were many of the Irish population that remained overwhelmingly poor, rural and Roman Catholic wishing for independence from Britain or at least autonomy. The other form of nationalism was that centred on the Ulster Protestants that saw themselves as British and did not want independence and would only accept more autonomy if their special status were maintained. Some of these Protestants were also poor but regarded themselves as better than their Catholic peers. There was an upsurge in Irish nationalism following in the wake of the American War of Independence and the French Revolution that culminated in the rebellion of 1798. The French had done their best to cause trouble in Ireland yet proved incapable of supporting the rebellion. The failure of that rebellion led to rebels such as Wolfe Tone joining the Diaspora and the union of Ireland with Great Britain. The population of Ireland g rew rapidly especially with the introduction of the potato. The economy started to develop especially in Belfast and other parts of Ulster that produced linen and ships. Dublin and Belfast also grew to rapid urbanisation.[11] Potato blight brought famine to Ireland drastically reduced the population through starvation and immigration whilst showing the British government as inept during the crisis.[12] There have certainly been many debates around the Potato Famine, which centred on those that did not wish to become too involved in describing the consequences and the revisionists that its consequences could not be overemphasised. Perhaps one of the most important revisionist works was Cecil Woodham-Smith’s ‘The Great Hunger’ written in 1962 and tried to examine if the famine could have been averted or at least alleviated. The main debate concerns who was to blame for the famine, the British government on its own or others either singly or in various combinations.[13] The Potato Famine of 1845-47 would lead to demands for Home Rule and Land Reform whilst it also convinced Irish Catholics that the British government did not care about them. There had been earlier famines, for instance th at of 1739-41, yet none became as notorious as the one of 1845-47.[14] On balance most historians now seem to edge their bets when apportioning blame for the famine. However at the time many in Ireland blamed the British government for not acting quickly enough. Perceptions can often be more powerful than fact, the image of British indifference has been far more enduring than the countless number of British individuals that attempted to help the Irish.[15] The emigration from Ireland that followed was remarkable, between the start of the potato famine and partition four million Irish left for the United States, Australia and Britain. The Irish –American communities can assert great political influence in the United States which is why Irish Republicans, Ulster Unionists, Irish and British governments will try to influence American policy towards Ireland.[16] Concession from the British government over Land Reform were gained with relative ease which many poor labourers across the country at limited expense to absentee landlords. It was to be the campaigns for and against Home Rule that caused much controversy then much later amongst historians. Home Rule was campaigned for by Irish MPs spearheaded with great skill by Charles Stewart Parnell The Liberal governments led by Gladstone favoured Home Rule yet were unable to make headway against the Conservatives and Liberal backbenchers opposed to it or the Ulster Protestants. Home Rule caused some of Gladstone’s least successful moments. However it was the Asquith government that actually passed Home Rule legislation in the face of almost insurrectionists Unionist opposition only to have it delayed by the First World War.[17] That war saw the majority of Irish back the British war effort. However, it gave the IRA chance to launch the Easter Rising in 1916. The Easter Rising was put dow n by the British Army but gave the Irish Republican Movement martyrs.[18] The war the IRA waged using the tactics of Michael Collins forced the British government to peace talks and the partition of Ireland. The British called the IRA terrorists whilst the Republicans referred to them as freedom fighters. The IRA did not gain independence for all of Ireland just 26 counties. The Ulster Protestants in Northern Ireland remained part of the United Kingdom whilst Civil War broke out in the Irish Free State leading to the deaths of Michael Collins and Arthur Griffiths amongst others. Despite public statements to the contrary even hard-line republicans such as Eamon de Valera accepted the partition.[19] The partition of 1921 showed that neither the British or the Irish Republicans could gain total victory. The Ulster Protestants were content with having Home Rule in Northern Ireland and denying Roman Catholics their civil rights and any real political influence. The Roman Catholic minority in Northern Ireland felt let down by the Republic of Ireland for not fighting for a united Ireland and uninterested in a state they did not want to belong to and did nothing to protect their rights.[20] Despite making a claim to aim towards a united Ireland in its constitution, the Irish Republic left Northern Ireland alone. As for the Republican campaigns of the 1930’s, 1940’s and 1950’s they were ineffective. The harsh economic climate of the depression of the 1930’s did more to set off sectarian violence than radicalism.[21] The 1960’s were to witness a change of attitude amongst the nationalist and republican communities that resulted in the civil rights move ments, a violent backlash from the Unionists. The British Army was brought in to stop sectarian violence yet provided the Provincial IRA with a reason to launch a long running armed struggle. In part the civil rights movement had been encouraged by the attempted political, social and economic reforms of Northern Irish Prime Minister O’Neill, with similar aims of ending discrimination against Catholics. The events of 1969 seemed to catch all sides by surprise.[22] The emergence of the troubles in Northern Ireland did lead to a change in the historiography of Ireland. That occurred either to justify the actions of one faction against the others yet also by others as a means of explaining the conflict. Republicans justified their actions by maintaining that Irish history was dominated by the struggle to be free of British rule. They were merely carrying on the struggle that Wolfe Tone and Michael Collins had given their lives for. More moderate nationalist opinion could point to trying to achieve their objectives through peaceful means, following the sample set by the moderate campaigners for Home Rule of the previous century and the more recent civil rights movement.[23] The Unionists defended the existence of Northern Ireland arguing that it was a just and pragmatic partition of Ireland that maintained their right to remain within the United Kingdom, a right that was theirs as they were formed the majority of the Northern Irish population.[24] Another impact of the Troubles was that it led to a renewed interest in studying the Anglo-Irish War and the subsequent partition of Ireland. Republican opinion had often seen the agreement to the partition as a great betrayal rather than the IRA military leadership getting the best deal it could. However there was the opposing perspective of the British and the Ulster Unionists that partitioning Ireland had been the only viable option as neither the British nor the IRA could decisively defeat the other. Perhaps one important perspective that the Provisional IRA and Sinn Fein missed was that circumstances surrounding the Anglo-Irish War were uniquely favourable. The Easter Rising had strengthened the resolve to gain independence whilst the human and financial costs of the First World War meant that the British government did not want a long war in Ireland.[25] Therefore Irish historical debate and historiography has changed as a result of the troubles in Northern Ireland. That was partly due to different sides trying to justify their cause and to historians trying to explain the causes of the troubles and the Irish problem. As explained the roots of the Irish problem can be traced back to the first English invasions of the 12th century. Those who support the Unionist perspective emphasise the positive aspects of British involvement pointing out that Ireland would have been poorer and less civilised without it. Those that examine Irish history from a nationalist or republican perspective tend to blame the British for everything that has gone wrong in Ireland and that there would not have been an Irish problem without British interference. Traditional historical debate usually tried to argue in favour of one perspective rather than another, whilst revisionists have tried to look at all factors involved without apportioning blame or praise to any sole actor in Irish history. Some also tried to look at Irish history from a Marxist perspective. This approach has been most popular with republicans as justification for their struggle against the British. Bibliography Ardagh, J (1994) Ireland and the Irish – Portrait of a Changing Society, Hamish Hamilton Ltd, London Fitzpatrick, D (1998) The Two Irelands 1912-1939, Oxford University Press, Oxford Gardiner J Wenborn N (1995) The History Today Companion to British History, Collins Brown, London Hobsbawm E (1975) the Age of Capital 1848-1875, Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London Moody T W Martin F X, (2001) The Course of Irish History, Mercier Press, Cork and Dublin Morgan K O (1989) The Oxford Mini History of Britain Volume II – The Middle Ages, Oxford University Press, Oxford Schama S (2000) A History of Britain 1 – at the edge of the world 3000 BC – 1603, BBC Worldwide, London Schama S (2001) A History of Britain 2 – The British Wars 1603 –1776, BBC Worldwide, London Stewart A T Q (2001) The Shape of Irish History, The Blackstaff Press, Belfast Footnotes [1] Moody Martin, 2001, p.95 [2] Stewart, 2001, p.26 [3] Morgan, 1989, p.24 [4] Moody Martin, 2001, p.139 [5] Gardiner Wenborn, 1995, p.417 [6] Schama, 2000, p.389 [7] Moody Martin, 2001, p.139 [8] Lockyer, 1989, p.302 [9] Schama, 2001, p. 203 [10] Kennedy-Pipe 1998 p.9 [11] Hobsbawm 1975 p. 209 [12] Kinealy 1997 p. 5 [13] Kinealy, 1197, pp.6-7 [14] Stewart, 2001, p.106 [15] Stewart, 2001 p. 153 [16] Ardagh, 1994, p. 305 [17] Kennedy-Pipe, 1998 p. 13 [18] Fitzpatrick,1998 p.59 [19] Fitzpatrick 1998 p. 35 [20] Stewart, 2001 p. 174 [21] Moody Martin 2001 p. 269 [22] Kennedy – Pipe 1998 p. 37 [23] Moody Martin 2001 p. 291 [24] Gardiner Wenborn 1995 p.767 [25] Stewart 2001 p. 171