Importance of Uniforms in Schools Speech or Presentation

Significance of Uniforms in Schools - Speech or Presentation Example Brunsma and Rockquemore (54) characterize school uniform by contending that garments would be viewed as uniform in the event that it got the job done as a seal of a gathering, smothered distinction and showed the authenticity of a foundation by uncovering the general places of people. Studies by Brunsma and Rockquemore back the contention that school outfits improve conduct among both the female and male understudies (53). These investigations show that suspensions from schools lessen radically with selection of school regalia and in situations where an expansion would be recorded, infractions of school uniform guidelines could be the inside and out reason and not different types of indiscipline. This recommends the conduct of understudies shifts towards less serious infractions. In Norfolk, Ruffner Middle School recorded a 42% reduction in referrals identified with discipline following the presentation of garbs. The improved order in understudies means improved scholastic accomplish ment. Exploration on rudimentary understudies to find out this speculation derived a 10% enhancement for test scores after reception of school outfits with 0.05 standard deviations. ... Without garbs, attire could occupy understudies particularly the young people known to dress to be seen by others. Holtz revealed that high school understudies would put on â€Å"shirts that remark on reasons not to do schoolwork, might be related with group hues and images or uncover a lot of skin† consequently making interruption different understudies. An excessive amount of time would be spent on sprucing up to intrigue others to the detriment of focusing on scholastic work. Normalized garments would guarantee that all understudies are at a similar level henceforth nobody would stand apart to divert others. It assembles solidarity and the longing for good ambassadorship thus advancing sound scholastic rivalry among understudies from various schools (Stafford and Wade 416). Brunsma and Rockquemore (54) contend that if garbs socially control the conduct of understudies, understudies in regalia would along these lines depict practices reliable with the objectives of their ind ividual schools. School outfits make it simpler to recognize unapproved guests in this way forestalling utilization of symbol and pack hues, which thus lessens burglary with understudies done bringing along costly dress to class. These creators give the case of the adequacy of school garbs for security of understudies in posse tormented territories in Los Angeles where putting on certain hues could set off battles. The Long Beach School District likewise noted half diminishing in muggings and battles and 74% reduction in sexual offenses with the presentation of school garbs (Brunsma and Rockquemore 54). Being an indication of gathering enrollment, school outfits would flag those outside the school participation. Without a doubt, the contention on

Successes and Failures of Détente in the Cold War

Victories and Failures of Dã ©tente exposed War From the late 1960s to the late 1970s, the Cold Warâ was featured by a period known as â€Å"dã ©tente† †an invite facilitating of pressures between the United States and the Soviet Union. While the time of dã ©tente brought about beneficial dealings and settlements on atomic arms control and improved political relations, occasions toward the decade's end would take the superpowers back to the verge of war. Utilization of the term â€Å"detent†-French for â€Å"relaxation† concerning a facilitating of stressed geopolitical relations goes back to the 1904 Entente Cordiale, an understanding between Great Britain and France that finished hundreds of years of now and again war and left the countries solid partners in World War I and from there on. With regards to the Cold War, U.S. presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford called dã ©tente a â€Å"thawing out† of U.S.- Soviet atomic tact fundamental to keeping away from an atomic encounter. Dã ©tente, Cold War-Style While U.S.- Soviet relations had been stressed since the finish of World War II, fears of war between the two atomic superpowers topped with the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Coming so near Armageddon inspired pioneers of the two countries to embrace a portion of the world’s first atomic arms control settlements, including the Limited Test Ban Treaty in 1963. In response to the Cuban Missile Crisis, an immediate phone line †the supposed red phone †was introduced between the U.S. White House and the Soviet Kremlin in Moscow permitting pioneers of the two countries to impart right away so as to lessen the dangers atomic war. In spite of the quiet points of reference set by this early demonstration of dã ©tente, fast acceleration of the Vietnam War during the mid-1960s expanded Soviet-American strains and made further atomic arms talks everything except unimaginable. By the late 1960s, be that as it may, both the Soviet and U.S. governments acknowledged one major and unavoidable reality about the atomic weapons contest: It was immensely costly. The expenses of occupying ever-bigger bits of their spending plans to military exploration left the two countries confronting residential monetary difficulties. Simultaneously, the Sino-Soviet split †the fast decay of relations between the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China †made getting more amiable with the United States resemble a superior plan to the USSR. In the United States, the taking off expenses and political aftermath of the Vietnam War made policymakers see improved relations with the Soviet Union as a supportive advance in dodging comparative wars later on. With the two sides willing to at any rate investigate arms control, the late 1960s and mid 1970s would see the most gainful time of dã ©tente. The First Treaties of Dã ©tente The primary proof of dã ©tente-time collaboration came in the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) of 1968, an agreement marked by a few of the major atomic and non-atomic force countries swearing their participation in stemming the spread of atomic innovation. While the NPT didn't conclusively forestall the multiplication of atomic arms, it prepared for the first round of Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (SALT I) from November 1969 to May 1972. The SALT I talks yielded the Antiballistic Missile Treaty alongside a between time understanding topping the quantity of intercontinental ballistic rockets (ICBMs) each side could have. In 1975, two years of exchanges by the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe brought about the Helsinki Final Act. Marked by 35 countries, the Act tended to a scope of worldwide issues with Cold War suggestions, including new open doors for exchange and social trade, and arrangements advancing the general security of human rights. The Deathâ and Re-Birthâ of Dã ©tente Lamentably, not all, yet most beneficial things must end. Before the finish of the 1970s, the warm sparkle of U.S.- Soviet dã ©tente started to blur away. While negotiators of the two countries concurred on a second SALT understanding (SALT II), neither one of the governments endorsed it. Rather, the two countries consented to keep on sticking to the arms decrease arrangements of the old SALT I settlement pending future dealings. As dã ©tente separated, progress on atomic arms control slowed down totally. As their relationship kept on disintegrating, it turned out to be certain that both the U.S. furthermore, the Soviet Union had overestimated the degree to which dã ©tente would add to a pleasant and tranquil finish of the Cold War. Dã ©tente everything except finished when the Soviet Union attacked Afghanistan in 1979. President Jimmy Carter incensed the Soviets by expanding U.S. safeguard spending and financing the endeavors of hostile to Soviet Mujahideen contenders in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Afghanistan intrusion likewise drove the United States to blacklist the 1980 Olympics held in Moscow. Later that year, Ronald Reagan was chosen President of the United States subsequent to running on an enemy of dã ©tente stage. In his first question and answer session as president, Reagan called dã ©tente a â€Å"one-way road that the Soviet Union has used to seek after its aims.† With the Soviet intrusion of Afghanistan and Reagan’s political race, the inversion of the dã ©tente strategy that started during the Carter Administration took the most optimized plan of attack. Under what got known as the â€Å"Reagan Doctrine,† the United States embraced the biggest military development since World War II and actualized new strategies legitimately restricted to the Soviet Union. Reagan resuscitated the B-1 Lancer long-extend atomic plane program that had been cut by the Carter organization and requested expanded creation of the exceptionally versatile MX rocket framework. After the Soviets started to send their RSD-10 Pioneer medium range ICBMs, Reagan persuaded NATO to convey atomic rockets in West Germany. At long last, Reagan surrendered all endeavors to execute arrangements of the SALT II atomic arms understanding. Arms control talks would not continue until Mikhail Gorbachev, being the main competitor on the voting form, was chosen leader of th e Soviet Union in 1990. With the United States creating President Reagan’s supposed â€Å"Star Wars† Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) subterranean insect ballistic rocket framework, Gorbachev understood that the expenses of countering U.S. propels in atomic weapons frameworks, while as yet battling a war in Afghanistan would in the long run bankrupt his legislature. Notwithstanding the mounting costs, Gorbachev consented to new arms control converses with President Reagan. Their arrangement brought about the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaties of 1991 and 1993. Under the two settlements known as START I and START II, the two countries not just consented to quit making new atomic weapons yet in addition to efficiently lessen their current weapons reserves. Since establishment of the START settlements, the quantity of atomic weapons constrained by the two Cold War superpowers has been fundamentally decreased. In the United States, the quantity of atomic gadgets dropped from a high of more than 31,100 of every 1965 to around 7,200 out of 2014. The atomic reserve in Russia/the Soviet Union tumbled from around 37,000 out of 1990 to 7,500 of every 2014. The START bargains call for proceeded with atomic arms decreases during that time 2022, when reserves are to be sliced to 3,620 in the United States and 3,350 in Russia.

Inspiring the Uninspired free essay sample

â€Å"Fear not, for I am with you; be not alarmed, for I am your God; I will fortify you, I will support you, I will maintain you with my honest right hand.† Isaiah 41:10 Briggs Berry is somebody who left a gigantic effect on me before the Lord took him on September 13, 2014.You could never observe him without a grin on his valuable face.â€Å"It’s going to deteriorate before it gets better,† were the words that Briggs had addressed me before he went into the emergency clinic for the last time before he would have been an ordinary child again. I stay here and wonder when it will better and when the torment will leave however just Briggs and God will know the response to that question. I admire him and marvel each day how he had so much confidence, quality, and boldness. We will compose a custom exposition test on Rousing the Uninspired or then again any comparable point explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page He kept on and experienced each day, as nothing wasn't right. I generally asked â€Å"Briggs, how are you so solid in such an intense situation?† His answer was consistently â€Å"God.† God assumed such an immense job in the Berry family. You would consistently hear his mother, DeAnna, perusing book of scriptures stanzas to Briggs and saying petitions over him. The specialists consistently would disclose to them that they didn’t feel that their child would endure the night however supernatural occurrences occurred and they said it was simply because they have such solid confidence. Briggs had defeated such a significant number of supernatural occurrences with the exception of God understood that He required him more than we required him down here on earth. He caused me to understand that life is so delicate and that I generally need to have confidence in the Lord. I need to continue advising myself that everything occurs for an explanation however right now I jus t don’t comprehend what that reason is. I have become such a more grounded individual since the time I met Briggs. I don’t know where I would be correct now in my life on the off chance that it weren’t for him. Briggs Berry will consistently be such a motivation to me.

Social Identity in the Breakfast Club :: Movie Film Breakfast Club Identities Essays

Social Identity in the Breakfast Club Breakfast Club film contained a wide assortment of conduct and generalizations. Every individual had their on character and taste toward the start of the film. I accept that correspondence had the greatest influence in the film. It shows the way that individuals from very surprising foundations can convey and even concur on issues. The different sorts of correspondence and practices inside the film will be talked about. Key terms will be called attention to and featured, just as depicted according to the models extricated from the film. Regardless the film began with a correspondence atmosphere that was both tense and without verbal correspondence. This was for the most part because of the difference in enrollment builds of the characters in question. The character's incorporated the cerebrum Brian, Andrew the competitor, the criminal Bender, the princess Claire, and the maniac Allison. There was a lot of fascinating nonverbal correspondence occurring between these individuals. Their responses and reactions to one another exhibited perceptual blunders, which would be appeared as the story advanced. The sex struggle styles likewise assumed a job. The young ladies both would in general tune in, instead of hold the consideration of the others. This was particularly obvious for Allison's situation, whom never talked. Allison was presented in the film as the crackpot. Allison indicated that she was clearly uncertain, seating herself confronting endlessly from the remainder of the room (evasion). She would not stand up. She was non-decisive, when asked what she needed she would not react (impenetrable reaction). She would just sit and grin to herself. You could classify her in to the uninvolved forceful mark impeccably. She didn't such as herself (low confidence), or others. She was both worthless and vulnerable. The main way she showed her resentment was by giving a cry. She clearly had a great deal of repressed inclination, for she uncovers significantly later in the film through self-divulgence. Allison clearly came up short on the regard of others, for she had no companions at all before her time spent in this detainment. She likewise has anxious ticks, such biting her nails, and played with her hair. Brian was another instance of weakness. The impact of self-idea was solid with Brian Johnson for he had no feeling of self. He was unable to fulfill the guidelines of his ideal self and was in this way discontent with himself as an individual.

Onnagata: The Art of Woman in Japanese Kabuki Essay -- Japanese Societ

The beauty of a swan, unobtrusive elegant developments, excellence, and artfulness, these are on the whole parts of the Japanese Onnagata 1.The Onnagata (male entertainers depicting ladies) in Japan is seen as the perfect ladies, as indicated by the venerated Misaki Isaka, their direct â€Å"offstage is made liable for aestheticness in front of an audience, for example, singing (ka), moving (bu), and acting (ki)† 2. This is the manner by which Japanese society has come to see them throughout the years, however as a general rule, the Onnagata is a quelled person that isn't permitted to communicate their manliness in any aspect in the public eye. This can be found in a statement, inside a short story, composed by Yukio Mishima; â€Å" He should live as a lady in his day by day life, he is probably not going to be viewed as a practiced Onnagata. At the point when he shows up in front of an audience, the more he focuses on playing out either basically female activity the more man ly he will seem†3. The Onnagata, in Japan, is the perfect immaculate lady who outperforms all ladies, yet they are the conflicting, male portrayal of the male dream. The way where, the Onnagata, basically is in Japanese society has made another perfect of sexual orientation in Japan and another type of restraint. Kabuki would have kicked the bucket had not progressively trustworthy, rather than simply entirely, female characters started to show up in the develop male kabuki that rose during the 1650s †¦ an open change from gay venue to Gei Theater, gei being Japanese for art†¦Only entertainers past their youth could do and they were constrained by law to cut their physical appeal 4. The tyrannical individuals from the legislature at the time felt ladies and gay men had over ventured their limits in theater, along these lines forbidding them. One purpose behind this is the fundamental make up of society for; ladies in the To... ...the fights against this type of life, I never understood this was the premise of their thoughts. 19. Isaka, Misaki, Box Lunch Etiquette†, Manners and Mischief, 56. (Ayame a renowned Onnagata from the Tokugawa time frame who spread out dignity for Onnagata. He said one should demonstrate devotion to all their activities including eating and one ought to never leave their dramatic job. They are to become onna inside and out and to be wonderful even in mature age. Ayame instructed them to exemplify genuine ladies and to look evil with a virtuous psyche and ought to never be seen to deliberately make the current crowd chuckle for it is despicable, their most significant job is to seem modest). 20. Mishima, Yukio â€Å"Onnagata† Death in Midsummer, 1966, 146 (Onnagata can never catch the total feeling of womanliness, for it is a bit of a short second in time, essentially a piece of a lifestyle).

Meltdown

Meltdown This next week and a half promises to be electrifying. We’re on the brink of an epic hurricane, a Presidential election, and either the most disappointing or the spookiest Halloween ever. But right now I’m going to talk about me, about MIT, and about why I haven’t talked to you in a month. Toward the end of September I became noticeably stressed out. I stopped talking to people, I stopped cleaning my room, and I got very lonely. It culminated in an hour-long cry session after a benign meeting with my biology professor about a class presentation. “Cory,” I said to my boyfriend, “nobody loves me.” “Nonsense,” he replied, “I love you.” “I want to go home,” I said. “My mommy loves me.” Then I watched an episode of America’s Next Top Model and felt better. America’s Next Top Model makes everything better. “Have I always been this crazy?” I asked Cory. “Well,” he said, “you’ve always been a little crazy. It’s only recently that you’ve become comprehensively insane.” That afternoon I went to S^3. “I think I’ve gone insane,” I said. I have a fantastic dean at S^3. Last year, I also came in feeling overwhelmed. We spent the half hour appointment talking about personal genomics and when I left I felt perfectly fine. This time, it took about three minutes for him to identify a medication I’ve been on that sometimes causes emotional instability. Two days later I had a procedure at MIT Medical to replace the medication. It was the most physically painful experience I’ve had. It stretched to four hours and left me nonfunctional for the next three days, and then it was over. The next week was my primary hell week of the term. It was doubled by the work I had to make up from the previous week and I did not do much other than study. There were lots of naps and not enough sleep, and there was a lot of frozen food. I stopped talking to people again. I stopped cleaning my room. I missed my dorm’s annual apple picking event. I got very lonely and I started to wonder if I’ll ever retain enough information about the world to contribute to our understanding of it. After my final all-nighter I woke up to someone waddling down the alley below my window and swearing angrily. I went to lab, had a conversation with my supervisor about grad school and grades and my future in the lab, and stumbled home crying in the theatrically-placed light rain. When I got home, I broke. I turned into a spiky blob of yelling and crying, completely freaked out my poor boyfriend, drank some cold water, and fell asleep. Friday evening I went to visit my high school friend Eric at Tufts. My dad tells me that when he and my mom were at PhysTech, the Russian counterpart to MIT, he went out to Moscow on weekends just to see other faces. There’s something about seeing the same people every day, and all of us with similar problems, and seeing your particular misery reflected back at you everywhere you look. Visiting Tufts was like inhaling after holding my breath. The people I met were beautiful. They were relaxed, they were happy, and they didn’t have bags under their eyes. There was a spark, an extra degree of freedom, a young, harmonious vitality. The people around me were spending Friday experimental baking or jazz dancing until the AM hours. I didn’t see anyone studying. They were just having fun, and they were doing it guilt-free and not under the guise of putting off homework. There was something exciting and completely unpredictable about the situation: we might bake! we might dance! we might run out into the cold without our coats! It felt good to talk with someone completely new, and it felt good to be the nerdy one again. We walked through vast lawns, past trees and scattered red brick houses with white columns. The buildings looked warm and inviting and none of them looked weird. For once, I didn’t want weird. The cold wind bit through my sweater, and the sting felt tangible in a way I hadn’t felt in a while. “Why don’t you transfer out?” Eric asked. “Why would I do that?” We stopped on top of the library to look at the Boston skyline in the distance. The roof was lined with trees and a path of white arches, which looked like they should have grape vines or roses. It was quiet, except for the occasional airplane. I wondered if I could pick out the Green Building in the distance. “I think I understand you,” Eric said, “I understand your priorities.” “And what are my priorities?” “You’re willing to maintain your mental health to the extent that it helps you be a good biologist. You’re willing to stay happy to the extent that it helps you be a good biologist.” When I got home that night, Cory and I sat down on his bed and talked about how miserable we both were. Something needed to change. Anything. We decided to break up. Half an hour later he came up to my room to collect his Lord of the Rings Legos. “You forgot your spider,” I said, gesturing toward Shelob, who was hanging by his string from my bedframe. He unhooked the spider and folded its legs in, one my one, slowly. “I’m making it more compact,” he said. He wound the string up. “The extra pieces are in the top shelf on my desk,” I said. I sat down at my desk, pulled the shelf out, and handed it to him. I picked his sweatpants up from on top of my dresser and handed those to him too. He wrapped his Legos in his pants, folded them carefully, and got up by my chair. He looked around the room slowly, avoiding my eyes, and stepped closer to the door. We stared at each other without making eye contact for a few minutes. “I don’t think I want to do this,” he finally said. “Me neither,” I responded. And we didn’t. (Cory agreed to let me post this on the condition that the money I get for this blog post goes toward Legos. “This building is 16+. Are you sure we can handle it?” “Yes. Were only emotionally immature. Luckily we don’t build Legos with our feelings.”) The next morning I went to Artist and Craftsman in Central Square and bought a new pencil sharpener, masking fluid, three erasers, mixed media paper, and three small brushes. I stopped by Shaw’s and bought apples, sharpened all my colored pencils, and spent the rest of the day coloring. There was no swooping deus ex machina: not the operation, not Tufts, not the pencils, not the apples, not Legos, not boyfriends or the lack thereof. I hit the average on my exams, my supervisor ingenuously dreamt up my original life plan and presented it to me last week, and I’m still behind on work. I’m trying to take it day by day, problem by problem, line by line. I’m calling my family more often, watching TV every now and then, and trying not to say no to opportunities to go outside. I’m trying to get nine hours of sleep a night, even if there’s work to do. I don’t think many people understand what we mean when we say that MIT is hard. It’s not just the workload. There’s this feeling that no matter how hard you work, you can always be better, and as long as you can be better, you’re not good enough. You’re a slacker, you’re stupid, and MIT keeps an overflowing warehouse of proof in the second basement of building 36. There’s stress and there’s shame and there’s insecurity. Sometimes there’s hope. Sometimes there’s happiness. Sometimes there’s overwhelming loneliness. There’s something to giving everything and always falling short. Eventually we’ll walk out with a deep understanding of our fields, a fantastic tolerance for failure and late nights, and raised expectations for ourselves and for humankind. Someday, we’ll look back on these four years as the best years of our lives and the foundations of the kinds of friendships that can only be formed with some suffering. But right now, IHTFP. Sometimes it feels like MIT drags your self-esteem over a jagged, gravely rockface and stretches your happiness, your mental health, and the passion and energy that brought you here like an old rubber band. I love this place. I love the amazing people I’ve met, I love watching myself grow as a scientist and a writer, and I love being engulfed in the heart of scientific progress and passion and feeling like I belong. At the same time I’m miserable, sometimes. IHTFP is the middle of the semester, when the lounges off the Infinite Corridor fill up with sleeping people, when I don’t leave the dorm except to go to class or to lab, when I can’t go apple picking because I’m hosed, and when the faces around me reflect my own anxiety. IHTFP is studying my butt off to hit the average, crying about my grades, and then helping a freshman with his homework and realizing how much better I’ve become at patiently disentangling a challenge. MIT is paradise. I cry sometimes. I love it here. My only consolation is that the salt in my tears will squelch any unsuspecting plants they land on. It’s beautiful. Thats right, unsuspecting Killian Court grass, wither. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

Strategies for Challenging the Patriarchy Critical Theory in Fight Club and The Passion of the New Eve - Literature Essay Samples

Gender studies is the interdisciplinary study based around ideas of the masculine and feminine. It also looks at sexual differences and the more fluid definitions of gender which have arisen over time. This theory can also be broken down into three sub categories: Women’s studies, Men’s studies and Queer studies which can be further broken down into the three categories of: gender identity, gender expression and biological sex. These three categories help us look at the social, biological, and cultural constructions of gender and help us analyse the ways in which femininity and masculinity can be viewed as fluid entities which change depending on the different factors of life that shape them. From gender studies, feminist theorists have also identified the social system of patriarchy where males are shown to take dominant roles through various aspects of life such as the workplace, thus forcing women into the position of ‘other’. Through my essay, I am goin g to locate the patriarchal aspects of both Chuck Palahniuk’s psychological thriller ‘Fight Club’ (1997) and Angela Carters dystopian novel ‘The Passion of New eve’ (1977) and assess the ways in which characters in the novel effectively challenge this system or conform to it. Throughout this theory there are many influencers who explore different ideas and theories surrounding the field of gender. One of the main influences of gender theory is that of the psychoanalytic and some of the main theorists surrounding this area are Freud, Kristeva, and Lacan. In a Freudian system, gender is said to develop during the phallic stage through the Oedipus and Electra complex. The Oedipus complex explores a male’s unconscious desire for his mother and the resolution of the complex being the child’s identification with the same sex parent. Boys experience this complex in the form of castration anxiety, whereas girls (whose experience is named the Electra complex) explore the same ideas but experience the complex in a form of penis envy towards the males. Comparably to this, there is a feminist psychoanalytic group who state that this Freudian system is almost accurate, apart from the fact that everywhere Freud uses the word ‘penis’, it should be replaced with the word ‘power’ to address the idea that if women do envy men, it is because of their socia l power and privilege, not their anatomy. The final influence surrounding gender is that of the post-modernist. Postmodernism is the 20th century movement which branched across the arts, architecture and philosophy. This affected the studies of gender by causing a movement in identity theories, thus forcing people away from the set ideas of identity and opening up ideas surrounding fluid or multiple identities. This began the thoughts surrounding queer theory and in time allowed the study of sexuality to arise. In relation to the topic of patriarchy, a main concept is that of heterotopias and gender specific places which reaffirm the inequality between men and women and the pressure to conform to society’s depiction of gender. A heterotopia is ‘a zone where identities, maps of cultural meaning, relations of power and technical uses of the body are enforced in both traditional and non-traditional ways.’ (Monaghan and Atkinson, 2016, p.136). For men, an example would be a zone such as a locker room as they are shown to be ‘places of doubt, existential confusion, and in some instances resistance; where boys masculine identities are enforced and monitored among themselves in largely hidden, anxiety-producing and ritual ways’ (Monaghan and Atkinson, 2016, p. 136). Over time, the stereotype of males has become that they need to be strong, confident, and heterosexual in order to portray the ideal masculine identity which is shown in the media, these stereotypes are identified by the term ‘Toxic masculinity’ as they show the damaging traits which are set by a patriarchal society; but are harmful to men overall. By having large group of males in these environments it forces them to see other stereotypically male characters, thus putting pressure on them to conform to this identity and creating problems later in life such as the repression of emotions which can lead to isolation and depression. This connects to the construct of ‘Fragile masculinity’ which refers to the ways in which men forcefully assert their masculinity, in some cases through aggression, violence or sexual domination. This is commonly seen in homosexual or transgender males who feel they are effeminate, so to counteract these feminine qualities which a patriarchal society views as wrong, they act overly masculine. In reference to one of my chosen texts, the construct of heterotopias is evident in Palahniuk’s ‘Fight Club’. The fight clubs themselves and the ‘project mayhem’ group can be seen as heterotopias as they show an area filled with men acting in a way which confirms the stereotypical aggressive persona given to males in a patriarchal society. We also see a cancer support group called Remaining Men Together filled with men who act opposingly to this and are portrayed as being emasculated by society due to their illness. It becomes obvious that these heterotopias are depicted as a space for men to take control of their masculine identities and gain a sense of escape from a strict, capitalist world. As project mayhem, they begin performing acts around the city in order to counteract consumerism and ‘break up civilisation so we can make something better out of the world’. (Palahniuk. 1997. P208). This initially consists of smaller acts such as p utting funny stickers on cars and picking fights with random strangers, but at both the beginning and the end of the novel we see the final act of project mayhem which is to destroy multiple corporate buildings with explosives. Throughout gender studies, it has been said that skyscrapers are ‘phallic symbols, which have been made by men, to asset their supremacy over women’. (Chirag Mehta, 2000). Therefore, through this group of men choosing to destroy a representation of the phallic, it shows how they are taking a stand against the patriarchal system in place by symbolically castrating those in power. Through the cancer support group, we see a group of males who act opposingly to these stereotypes as they are encouraged to cry, this is seen as emasculating due to the view that men shouldn’t show emotion as it shows weakness. However, through the name of remaining men, we are encouraged to believe that even though these men are different to the archetypal man; they are still fighting to keep their masculine identities. In the group, we are introduced to Robert Paulson also known as Bob, the narrator (Jack) states: ‘Bob cries because six months ago, his testicles were removed. Then hormone support therapy. Bob has tits because his testosterone ration is too high’ (Palahniuk. 1997. P17). This character is portrayed as a role model and friend of Jacks as he is the one who encourages him to release his emotions through crying. This scene highlights Jacks break from the patriarchal hold over his identity and thus marks the beginning of his and Tyler’s defiance against society. The quote ‘It’s only after you’ve lost everything†¦that you’re free to do anything’ (Palahniuk. 1997. P70) connects strongly to Bobs character as it is only after he has lost all (his testicles, his masculinity, his wife/home/etc) that he is free from the mould of a ‘typical man’ and can show his emotion and be himself. The ideology of consumerism is linked throughout the entirety of the novel through Jacks referral to and destruction of his ‘IKEA furniture’ and through the distribution of Tyler’s homemade soap. It becomes evident that the theme of consumerism is used to represent the patriarchal society and show how consumer culture has caused men to feel emasculated. Jack states that he ‘wasnt the only slave to my nesting instinct. The people I know who used to sit in the bathroom with pornography, now they sit in their bathroom with their IKEA furniture catalogue. (Palahniuk. 1997. P43). This quote effectively describes the way in which humans have become obsessed with the goods they possess, and especially in Jacks’ case, have begun to define themselves and their self-worth by their material goods because it has been ingrained into them by society. We find out later in the novel that it was actually Jacks other personality, who blew up the apartment. This can rep resent the way Jack has subconsciously removed himself from the patriarchal, capitalist society which surrounds him by removing the material goods from his life and forcing himself to start again. Later in the novel, Tyler introduces Jack to ‘Paper Street Soap Co’. This is Tyler’s soap business which consists of him rendering rich peoples’ fat to make soap which he sells for a profit. As he begins creating project mayhem, he involves the ‘space monkeys’ (Palahniuk. 1997. P130) in his business, Jack tells how ‘the house is filled with strangers that Tyler has accepted†¦The whole first floor turns into a kitchen and a soap factory’ (Palahniuk. 1997. P130). This creates a juxtaposition in terms of the fight against consumerism as Tyler has forced workers into selling his product for profit, thus positioning himself in the middle of the consumer culture by becoming a producer of goods. The quote ‘we have to show these men and women freedom by enslaving them’ (Palahniuk. 1997. P149) accurately shows this by referring to the way in which Tyler has enslaved the men by promising freedom from their former, strict lives in return for labour. However, the use of the soap company is effective overall in defying the source of oppression as it shows Tyler acting comparatively to the heroic outlaw Robin Hood, stealing from ‘the r ichest thighs in America’ (Palahniuk, 1997. P150) to give to the poor in order for them to profit by selling back to the rich. Through the novel we are introduced to characters who defy the typical standards of beauty and heteronormativity which are associated with a patriarchal society. Through these characters we are encouraged to see the negative impact of beauty and the ways in which being a perfect depiction of a human is unattainable and damaging overall. This includes ideas of being successful, powerful, straight, and attractive which mainstream media promotes in order to persuade us into buying goods which make us feel closer to this ideal. The plot of Fight Club is mainly set in and around the United States of America; it is emphasized how there is a lot of pressure from American society to be beautiful. It seems like who we are depends on how beautiful we are. Here we are so exposed to the mass media and images of other women. The image of what is thought of as beautiful is being pushed upon us by promotion and advertising. (Jacobson, L. 2017). One of the first non-conforming characters we are introduced to is Chloe who Jack meets at the cancer support group. She is depicted as being an overly sexual female whose only desire was to get laid for the last time (Palahniuk. 1997. P19). Jack also describes her as looking like ‘a skeleton dipped in yellow wax with a silk scarf tied around her bald head’ (Palahniuk. 1997. P106) By being shamelessly sexual and no longer attractive it shows the way that as Chloe moves closer to death, she is becoming free of the patriarchal hold over her identity by allowing herse lf to become the things society deems unfeminine. The heroine of the novel, Marla Singer, also depicts an image of an unsuccessful, depressed, sexual woman as we discover that she steals food from delivery vans, clothes from laundromats in order to sell them, and she has an overtly sexual relationship with Tyler. In terms of Jack and Tyler, we perceive that Jack is jealous of Tyler. He states ‘I love everything about Tyler Durden, his courage and his smarts. His nerve. Tyler is funny and charming and forceful and independent†¦Tyler is capable and free, and I am not. I’m not Tyler Durden.’ (Palahniuk. 1997. P174). Through Jacks descriptions we are forced to believe that Tyler is the perfect man, however it is not until the end that we discover Tyler was never real. This forms the idea that Tyler represents everything Jack wants to be, but overall represents the unreal beauty standards forced onto us by a patriarchal society which are realistically unattainable. Also, there is an ambiguity surrounding the sexuality of Jack as there are notes of homosexuality scattered through the novel, thus defying typical patriarchal views of heteronormativity which are associated with masculinity. We initially discover this through the nudist beach section, which describes Jack watch ing Tyler (for an undisclosed amount of time) building a log sculpture. Later, it becomes obvious that Jack is jealous of Tyler and Marla’s relationship as he states, ‘I am Joe’s Broken Heart because Tyler’s dumped me.’ (Palahniuk. 1997. P134) however, it is never discovered why this jealousy arose and the novel ends with both Marla and Jack confirming their feelings for each other. Thus, forcing us to accept that Jack could be straight or bisexual. By looking at the novel as a depiction of homoeroticism, it connects to the previously mentioned construct of ‘fragile masculinity’ and could thus form the idea that the novel depicts homosexual males acting overtly masculine so to counteract feelings which society deem shameful. Similarly, through Angela Carters ‘The Passion Of New Eve’ (1977) we are introduced to a dystopian world where a god-like figure named ‘Mother’ is trying to completely eradicate the male species by forcing men to have gender-reassignment surgery. This is depicted as a way of saving the world by completely removing the dominant species which are the cause of patriarchy and female repression. Evelyn is found in the desert and taken to Beulah, this is where she is told that Mother is ‘going to castrate you, Evelyn, and then excavate what we call the â€Å"fructifying female space† inside you and make you a perfect specimen of womanhood. Then†¦she’s going to impregnate you with your own sperm’ (Carter. 1977. P65). This shows the way in which it has been decided that males are unnecessary as women can be self-sufficient and create their own new species. However, this act is not necessarily effective in the novel as even though Evel yn has been changed into the biologically female Eve, she still has the mind of a male. Therefore, the act teaches the males a lesson by taking away their biological identity but overall wouldn’t fix the oppression caused by a patriarchal society as the dominant male mindset still exists. Through gender studies the theorist Judith Butler created the term ‘Performativity’. She defines this by stating that: ‘identity is performatively constituted by the very expressions that are said to be its results. (Gender Trouble, p. 25). In other words, gender is a performance; its what you do at particular times, rather than a universal who you are’ (Gauntlett, D. 1998). This construct connects to Eve’s character as now she has been placed in the body of a woman, so she is forced to perform her gender even though she knows its not really who she is internally. The mother figure here could be depicted as hypocritical as she is eradicating the male gender i n order to readjust society and remove the patriarchy, but by taking away the freedom of the male species and forcing them to conform to a different gender, it could be said that she is duplicating the negative characteristics evident in a patriarchal society, thus creating a matriarchy. As in Fight Club, there are characters throughout the novel who don’t conform to the patriarchal characteristics associated with male and female, they associate more with the construct of fluid identities as they cannot be defined by a particular gender label. One of the key characters here is actress Tristessa, who we discover at the end is really a transgender female. In the first chapter of the novel we discover Evelyn’s awe for Tristessa and how ‘the sculptural flare of her nostrils haunted my pubescent dreams’ (Carter. 1977. P2) and how she had been billed ‘the most beautiful woman in the world’ (Carter. 1977. P1). This creates the idea that her physical appearance is the most important thing about her, thus illustrating the way in which the female gender is defined by appearance over other character traits. However, after revealing Tristessa’s male genitalia the descriptions given completely change and her pronoun is changed to â⠂¬Ëœhim’ in the novel. I would argue that by doing this it effectively helps us look at the construct of fluid identities and helps challenge the patriarchal norms surrounding masculinity and femininity as we are confronted with the idea that someone can be both a ‘beautiful woman’ but a biological male. We are also told that Tristessa’s ‘speciality had been suffering’ (Carter. 1977. P4), thus making us believe that she effectively portrays the idea of female oppression in the media; however, after finding out she was born male this quote creates more impact as we realise she will have experienced real suffering through her life by being a symbol of shame in a patriarchal world. A character who is described as having a fluid identity is the cult leader; Zero. We learn this through the animalistic language used which creates the idea that Zero has no human identity such as male or female, as he no longer defines himself as human at all. When we are first brought in to ‘the church of Zero’ (Carter. 1977. P84) we learn how he has become so hateful towards humans that he now only speaks through a ‘bestial locution of grunts and barks’ (Carter. 1977. P83). We also discover that he has seven wives who have ‘dedicated themselves, body, heart and soul, to the church of zero’ (Carter. 1977. P96) as they believe that he produces ‘sacred fluid’ (Carter. 1977. P89) which will keep them alive. This creates the idea that Zero has used his authority over the women to force them to believe that he is no longer male; he is a deity with magical powers. Similarly, the last character who depicts an image of a deity/god is that of Mother. We discover this through the postmodernist ideology of grotesque realism which is used to describe Mother’s body modifications. When Evelyn meets Mother, she refers to her as ‘a sacred monster†¦she was breasted like a sow – she possessed two tiers of nipples†¦And how gigantic her limbs were!her skin, wrinkled like the skin of a black olive.’ (Carter. 1977. P56-57). By giving Mother the matriarchal role and showing her to be large, it subverts the typical roles of a female in a patriarchal world as they would normally be portrayed as small and subservient. Both novels included look at the theme of patriarchy in very different ways. ‘Fight club’ mainly looks at the male gender and the ways in which men who are of a lower social class, are fighting to stand up to patriarchy in a capitalist society. I would argue that in using the idea of men fighting patriarchy (men in power) it is more effective overall as it creates the idea the patriarchy is an oppressive construct which all genders are struggling to fight, thus creating a stronger sense of equality between males and females overall. However, through ‘The Passion Of New Eve’ it isn’t necessarily as effective overall as we can distinguish themes of fluid identities and castration which show a defiance towards patriarchy, but through the evident matriarchy of Beulah it shows that even though they are fighting to remove the dominant male roles, the ideologies of control and a dominant power figure are still evident. Lastly, through each novel it is eviden t that an effective ‘strategy’ is that of non-conforming characters who defy typical patriarchal norms surrounding femininity and masculinity, thus reiterating the point that typical ideas and norms surrounding gender are slowly diminishing due to the ever-expanding knowledge of gender itself.

The Revolutionary Era During The 1760 S - 1651 Words

Jacquelyn Cox During the 1760’s, slavery was a normal and well-structured part of American society despite the tremendous amount of problems with the institution. Slaveholders often treated their slaves like disposable property, which rightfully angered blacks, and many whites questioned the act of owning another human being. As time moved forward, the country fell into a state of despair over many issues, including slavery, and these problems caused the North and South to go to war with each other. Though the war was not started to declare the fate of slavery, blacks mostly fought on the side of the North in hopes that they would prove to whites that they deserved to be treated as equals. Slavery went from being codified in the Revolutionary era to being abolished in the Reconstruction era due to the rise of multiracial rebellion and organization. During the Revolutionary era, slavery had a stronghold in the U.S. Despite this, the Revolution had influenced many to define what they thought freedom was. Slavery existed in every colony and some people claimed that the enslavement of blacks allowed for whites to live better lives. Slaves argued that they were just as human as their masters, and fought during the Revolution in order to be free from servitude. Their fighting appeared to have changed some of the existing attitudes towards slavery. Some states allowed any black that participated in the Revolution to be set free, and some plantation owners released theirShow MoreRelatedAmerican Revolution : The Great United States Of America1565 Words   |  7 Pagesway to the top. Yet before all that occurred there were other events that circulated George Washington s leading. During the 1760 s a lot of events occurred that changed and developed the world . 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However, it resulted to the demonstration in Boston in 1760, led by Rev. Jonathan Mayhew shouting No taxation without representation and taxation without representation is tyranny. The British parliament used to control everything, trade and tax both imports and exports. Americans felt that they were being denied their historic rights, which was the Bill of Rights of 1760, and therefore started to forbid tax without consent of parliament (Nicole Smith, 2009). Read MoreThe 19th Century : The Nineteenth Century1333 Words   |  6 PagesCentury Political The youth of today can hardly compare to those of 200 years ago. As a matter of fact, under Common Law, a person between the ages of eight and fourteen could have been considered an adult (Blackstone, W., 1760). At the turn of the century the Revolutionary War occurred barely twenty years earlier and was actually still going on in places like Louisiana. 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Although this was true, a few decades later during the 1810’s and 1820’s this Spanish domain, was calling for independence. This desire came about thanks to French invasion of Spain and the capturing of the king which brought many changes to the area. These changes include, the creation of juntas to maintainRead MoreThe Sons Of Liberty And Their Influence On Colonial Rule1948 Words   |  8 PagesSurge in the number of patriotic revolutionary groups, seen in the late 1700’s, can be attributed to the Sons of Liberty and their influence on the public’s attitude towards colonial rule. Numerous forms of propaganda were us ed by the Sons, reflecting poorly upon colonial rule, therefore furthering discontent amongst the population. Additionally, the lack of British military enforcement in its colonial states allowed the Sons to publicly express their revolutionary ideas, a concept rapidly increasingRead MoreSlavery Was A Part Of Many Societies And Nations Around The World1401 Words   |  6 Pagesstrength of the society and economy of the United States. Slavery really fully developed during the colonial times; boomed in the South during the antebellum times; and finally dissipated after a war proved to be the only way to resolve the controversy. Slavery in the New World started in 1492 when Europeans started migrating, and slaves were brought from Africa to the Americas with the Atlantic Slave Trade during colonial times. Slavery not only brought free labor for the agriculture industry, butRead MoreThe Black Of Black Ideology1434 Words   |  6 Pagesrelations and history as a whole. 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It was yet held and distributed by African American men. Access to the land by women depended

Attitudes Towards the War in Regeneration and All Quiet...

...no nation is rich enough to pay for both war and civilization. We must make our choice; we cannot have both. -- Abraham Flexner Regeneration is an anti-war novel, reflecting the issues and the concerns in wartime Britain. All Quiet on the Western Front is also an influential anti-war novel and an important chronicle of World War 1. Both are historical fiction set near the end of the war, 1917-1918. The two texts explore similar themes in condemning the war. Remarque’s novel (All Quiet on the Western Front) is a profound statement against war, focusing especially on the ravaging effects of war on the humanity of soldiers. Similarly, Barker (author of Regeneration) offers realistic detail of many abominable war†¦show more content†¦Remarque’s novel dramatizes these aspects of World War 1 and portrays the mind-numbing terror and savagery of war with a relentless focus on the physical and psychological damage that it occasions. At the end of the novel, almost every major character is dead, epitomizing the war’s devastating effect on the generation of young men who were forced to fight it. In its depiction of the horror of the war, All Quiet on the Western Front presents a scathing critique of the idea of nationalism, showing it to be a hollow, hypocritical ideology, a tool used by those in power to control a nation’s populace. Paul and his friends are seduced into joining the army by nationalistic ideas, but the experience of fighting quickly schools them in nationalism’s irrelevance in the face of the war’s horrors. The relative worthlessness on the battlefield of the patriots, Kantorek (former schoolmaster in Paul’s high school) and Himmelstoss (a non-commissioned training officer) accentuates the inappropriateness of outmoded ideals in modern warfare. 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Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesCredits and acknowledgments borrowed from other sources and reproduced, with permission, in this textbook appear on the appropriate page within text. Copyright  © 2013, 2011, 2009, 2007, 2005 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. This publication is protected by Copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in anyRead MoreMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 Pagesby Aptara ®, Inc. and printed and bound by Courier/Westford. The cover was printed by Courier/Westford. This book is printed on acid-free paper. Copyright  © 2009, 2006, 2004, 2001, 1998, 1995, 1992, 1989, 1986, 1981, 1976 John Wiley Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. 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I found that every Friday and Saturday night my door was taking  £30,000 and the security team was making  £40,000 on Ecstasy. It happens everywhere in the UK leisure business. There are all these fat bastards running chains of discos and bowling alleys, and none of them admits it. We went through a really traumatic time at the club.1 Palumbo changed his security team, bringing in security professionals from the North of England 1

Network Rail - A not for profit company - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 17 Words: 4987 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Business Essay Type Analytical essay Level High school Did you like this example? Network Rail A not for profit company. 4,500 words. (i) To what extent and why has Network Rail, a not for dividend private company, been able to resolve the problems of financing and managing the national railway infrastructure, as compared to both public and conventional (for profit) private ownership? Discuss the degree to which the difficulties it has encountered are generic to rail systems elsewhere. There are two essential conclusions to be drawn here. Firstly, that value for money is a outcome mediated through the type and the location of use exercised by individuals, and groups of consumers. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Network Rail A not for profit company" essay for you Create order Secondly, that the imperfect or intermediate state of railway management (if it is regarded as such) ultimately reflects the nature of a problem which successive governments à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" or, if you prefer, successive ideologies à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" have tried to address. If this perspective is accepted, the corollary is that only a rigorously utilitarian re-appraisal of the railway question, conducted with regard to likely outcomes, can offer any kind of solution. ) The problem with this approach however, is that the resulting analysis may well be one which rail users, and society as a whole, are unwilling to accept. The other, and largely unknown factor in this analyses, is the likely impact of medium and long term external factors, such as shifting energy markets and environmental policy. The privatization process as it has been conducted since the 1990à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s, has four essential components, as Steel and Heald indicate: charging, contracting out, denationalization, and load shedding: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Charging involves the (partial) substitution of user charges for tax finance. Contracting-out represents the substitution of private contractors for in-house production. Denationalisation and load-shedding refer to reductions in the scope of public sector activity, taking the forms, respectively, of the sale of enterprises and the (partial) abandonment of public non-market functionsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Steel and Heald 1984: p.13). In the post-privatisation phase, we are essentially faced with a hybridised management style presiding over an increasingly fragmented business. As Hibbs indicates with regard to overall transport use, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Measured by volumeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the railways account for a proportion of less than 10 per cent of the market. Wartime apart, their contribution has declined steadily for since the 1920à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s, and yet there are those who seem to see them as in some way essential.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Hibbs 2006: p.59). It is government and the taxpayer who largely make up the difference between utility and viability, so close attention must be paid the extent of government influence in railway management. The Railways Act 2005 dismantled the Strategic Rail Authority and split its tasks between the Department for Transport and Network Rail. As Tyrrall points out, this put the government à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦back in charge of the strategy and the cost of the railways, and of the franchising of TOCs.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ Meanwhile the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) transferred its remit to the Office of Rail Regulation. (Tyrrall 2006: p.123) It has obviously been both the salvation and the misfortune of the rail network to be the subject of long-term government interest and intervention. These activities, sometimes necessary, sometimes unnecessary, and frequently representing some form of financial or structural discontinuity, have the added implication of involving rail ways in an ideological debate. As Ferlie et al. have indicated, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"There is a danger that the reforming cycle simply reproduces itself endlessly, as each generation of newly appointed ministers builds short term political reputations on announcing ever newer reforms.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Ferlie, 2003: S2) The implicit absorption of such dialogue into the political sphere means that generic controversies about the relative utility of private and public management are difficult to divorce from the entire issue of railway management. As Glaister and Travers pointed out of John Majorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s original privatization impetus, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Debate about the privatisation of the railways has been obscured by the exaggerated nature of opposing views. The government has projected an attachment to an ideologically pure version of privatisation that probably exceeds its own hopes and expectations. Opponents of the policy have exaggerated the potential threats to the operati on of an integrated railway.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Glaister and Travers 1993: p.54) Fortunately for this discussion, we are able to focus on a much more tangible problem: the fitness, for its declared purpose, of Network Rail. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Tangibleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, in this respect, does not necessarily imply the easy physical access to objective or even accurate information, or that the issues involved are to be adduced or debated in a straightforward way. There is also a further dimension to this question. The performance of Network Rail may be apprehended with relative objectivity in terms of the judgment, activity , and reliability of its governance, officers and systems. This, however, is merely an appraisal of the specificity of that organization. Whilst this is useful, it does not adequately answer the underlying question, which is, on precisely what basis should the UK rail network be run, and what kind organization an be envisaged to properly carry out that function? Within certain parameters, Network Rail is well situated at present: it also has new management. In October 2008, both Chief Sir Ian McAllister and Chief Financial Officer Rod Henderson announced their departure, amidst speculation that the CEà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s post would be filled by Rob Holden, current head of London and Continental Railways. (Wright 4.10.08) In the six months leading up to September 30th 2008, it made pre-tax profits of  £706 million out of turnover of  £3.12 billion: the same results over the same period in 2007 were  £780 million and  £2.9 billion respectively. (Wright 20.11.08). (See Appendix ) The challenge it faces is essentially the same one faced by it ill-fated predecessor: inescapable political pressure for the overall reduction of its public subsidy. The inevitable nature of this is mediated through one key variable: the timescale. As Glaister and Travers argued at the time of privatisation, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦In the short term, there is no prospect of reducing subsidy because: Productivity savings will take some time to go through; The backlog of investment will be caught up; Future investment requirements must be financed; and Reductions in profitability in some services because of regulation and, in the longer term, because of competition through open access, will imply replacement by direct subsidy.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Glaister and Travers 1993 p.57) Network Rail is currently awaiting the outcome of its credit rating to be established by January 2009 which will effectively determine the viability of its plan to raise  £4.4 billion in debt over the next four years. (Wright 20.11.08) As in many other respects, it lacks the self-determination to adequately influence these events. The regulator has recently allowed Network Rail government subsidies, operators fees and freight revenue of  £26.7 billion, a sum  £2.4 billion less than it asked for. Whilst it theoretically has recourse to the Competition Commission for an appeal over such rulings, as Wright indicates, the latter à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦could take years to reach a decision and Network Rail in the interim would have to abide by the October 30 guidelines on its spending.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Wright 20.11.08) This in effect means that, despite making concessions of  £800 million on its original request, Network Rail has to make significant savings on its infrastructural budget. As a spokesman explained, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Reducing costs in line with ORRà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s draft determinations would require annual savings of over 7 per cent in other areas, which is double the overall rate assumed by ORR. It has given no evidence to suggest that this is realistic. It is also out of line with assumptions made by other regulators.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Vermeulen 2008). Basically then, Network Rail has at best reinterpreted, and at worst, perpetuated, the problems of railway finance. Although these issues are not unique to the UK, they are exacerbated by its historical, fiscal and geographical caprices. ii) Based upon the information you have been given, to what extent is it possible to compare Network Railà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s performance in 2008 with regard to usage, investment, punctuality, complaints and overcrowding with Railtrackà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s performance? Evaluate the degree to which performance in these areas has improved under Network Railà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s stewardship. Discuss the degree to which such performance measurement is useful and to whom. Support your arguments with evidence. The enormous amount of data available via the ORR needs careful consideration against that of Network Railà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s predecessor, Railtrack, before any meaningful conclusions can be drawn about the relative performance of the two organizations . The overall passenger kilometers have risen from 9.8 billion to 12.6 billion since 2002. (National Rail Trends 2008) Punctuality, we are informed, has also improved. In 1999, the ORR imposed a penalty of  £400,000 for each one-tenth of a percentage point by which Railtrack failed to meet the 12.7 per cent target for the reduction of self-caused minutes delay per passenger train. (ORR 1999: p.1) This is exactly the kind of margin by which Network Rail has been shown à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" through the ORRà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s own statistic s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" to have made redress. The percentage of trains arriving punctually has reportedly risen at least 10 per cent across all categories of operators, ( National Rail Trends 2008). Network Rail has not been slow to highlight this: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the dramatic improvements in punctuality seen over the last five years have continued. By the end of the year, punctuality of trains reached 89.9 per cent.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Network Rail 2008). The passenger approval ratings as published by the ORR also show a shallow upward trend across all regions and types of service. (National Rail Trends 2008). Obviously, such statistics are subject to all the vagaries implicit in mean averages, a clause which must be applied equally to both sets of figures. More specifically, they marginalize the thorny issue of engineering work delays and closures, which have caused significant disagreement between government, regulators and Network Rail. The parliamentary Select Committ ee on transport has drawn specific attention to what it terms the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"seven day per weekà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ service commitment: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"We welcome the commitment of both Network Rail and the Government to the seven-day per week railway, where engineering works are done overnight, avoiding major engineering possessions at weekends and Bank Holidays. Network Rail will need to implement many changes to the network, such as rerouting and double tracking before the seven day per week railway can become anything more than a distant dream.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (House of Commons 2008). The overall point needs to be made then, that there is a big difference between measuring the performance of a company running on a poorly maintained network, and one which running on a network which is not fully functional. As a means of assessing Network Railà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s performance therefore, a direct comparative approach has significant limitations. Passenger volumes are obviously influenced by performance, and it may be argued that there is a correlation between the two trends. However, the altered business, economic, and infrastructural environment should also be taken into account, as should the differentiated pressures which apply to the respective bodies in different periods. As Wright points out of contemporary projections, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦passenger volumes look set at least to keep pace with such capacity improvementsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦SouthWest Trains predicts the present economic slowdown will provide only temporary respite from the rapid demand growth that has created serious peaktime overcrowding on many of the regionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s rail routes. Southeastern Trains now plans to maintain capacity on its existing routes even after introduction of the new, high-speed services because it expects continuing, growing demand.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Wright 25.11.08) Furthermore, some of the most revealing indicators of Network Railà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ ž ¢s real performance lay in the minutiae of official reporting on individual infrastructural projects, such as the West Coast Main Line. In 2006 the National Audit Office concluded that, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦value for money for the programme in its entirety has not been maximized: there were substantial early abortive costsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and the need for additional franchise support for Virgin Rail Groupà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦to keep train services running.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ From this kind of evidence the NAO projected that Network Rail was likely to overspend its budget to 2008-9 by approximately ten per cent. Furthermore, the job still appeared incomplete: as the NAO indicated, there remained à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"uncertaintyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ about the lifespan of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦some of the equipment on the upgraded line.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (National Audit Office 2006: p.8). There is therefore a complex ethical trade off implicit in the current spending and subsidy negot iations between Network Rail and the government. Iain Coucher, head of Network Rail, has recently said his company was minded to accept the Office of Rail Regulations ruling on its funding, which as Wright reminds us, was à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦  £2.4bn less than Network Rail said it needed to achieve improvements in train punctuality and investment projects.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Wright 21.11.2008) . It will be interesting to see if, despite this significant shortfall, the Rail Trends reports show continued improvement next year, and even more interesting to consider their provenance if they do so. iii) The UK government has indicated its support for procuring public services from the private sector. Evaluate the arguments used in the research and official literature to support the view that the private sector provides a better alternative than the public sector, citing evidence derived from the course readings to support your views. The Economist furnishes us with a useful introduction to this part of the discussion, which is worth quoting in some length. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"The advantage, from the governments point of view, is that it is neither one thing nor the otherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ neither in the private sector, which is widely regarded as having ruined the railways, nor in the public sector, which would place the outfit on the governments books and thus discomfit the Treasury by increasing public debt. The disadvantage is that it is answerable neither to shareholders nor, directly, to the Treasury. And with nobody controlling costs, they have mushroomed.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Unattributed, The Economist 2003). Discussion of the privatization of the rail network inevitably involves the consideration of privatization per se, and its comparison à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" favourable or otherwise with public sector management. The public-private debate was one a literary and academic cause celebre, throwing up a whole genre which had its roots in the divi siveness of the 1980à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s and post-Thatcher years. Now that discourse has apparently been displaced by assumptions about the hegemony of a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Third-Wayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ neo-liberal economics, rendering discussion of corporatism and the mixed economy vernacular, passÃÆ' © and irrelevant à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" or so it might seem. However, controversy about the stewardship and management of bodies such as Network Rail contains much that is residual, calling up an older discourse about the relative competencies of either camp in British management. There are two strands to this controversy: the supposed abrogation of public resources by private interests, and the relative managerial à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" and ethical à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" qualities of public and private management. This template of public-private competence should not, however, distract us from the specificity of the situation: for example, in the hand over from Railtrack to Network Rail, both set s of senior management were substantively drawn from the private sector, as the Economist noted: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Network Rails pleas are likely to raise a wry smile from the former chairman of Railtrack, John Robinson. Railtrack was forced into bankruptcy when Mr. Robinson told ministers that it could not continue without additional government funding. At that point, it was getting barely half the  £3 billion a year from the taxpayer which Network Rail now says it needsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢. (Unattributed, The Economist 2003). Neither should this fact distract us from the fact that governments of both political persuasions have stopped short of fully re-creating the railway network in their own ideological image. Conservatives have failed to allow authentic laissez-faire economics to take their course, perhaps because of the political impact of line closures and increased costs at the ballot box: Labour meanwhile has avoided full-blooded re-nationalisation, perhaps because their spending plans and the Public Sector Borrowing Requirement could not absorb the burden of the rail balance sheet as in bygone days. Therefore, it may be argued, a partisan analysis of the Network Rail management impasse does us little good in utilitarian terms. It may, as Roberts has argued, be true thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"While private sector boardrooms are under pressure to do more with less, many government departments are giving a masterclass in how to do less with moreà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Given that some parts of the country rely almost entirely on the public sector for economic growth, the problem is too large for anyone to ignore.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Roberts, 2008, n.p.). The potential of either form of expertise is unlikely to be fully tested while the current parameters of rail management remain unchanged. The substitution of a full-blooded private sector ethic in railway infrastructure management is not only extremely unlikely, but of questionable utility unless the f ull implications are genuinely accepted on all sides. In 1986, Starkie à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" with some prescience à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" reflected that, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"It is arguable whether such transfers would promote the objective most strongly canvassed by the privatisers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" increased efficiency in the supply of services and therefore more benefits to consumers. Efficiency is associated with competition, but it is not necessarily true (even if it seems likely) that a simple transfer of assets to the private sector has the effect of sharpening competitive forces.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Starkie 1986: p.178) At present, the nearest thing Network Rail has to this kind of relationship lays in its contractual arrangements with train operators, although even this features an elasticity not normally present in commercial deals. As one operator spokesman put it, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"We will bend over backwards to help Network Rail to perform,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  says Graham Eccles, head of rail at Stagecoach. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“But at the end of the day if they dont deliver on their contract with us, we will have to take action.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ .à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Unattributed 2003) As the demise of Railtrack demonstrated however, it is really only the government who can apply the ultimate sanction. (iv) To what extent and how does Network Railà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s governance structure as a not for dividend private company provide accountability to the public for taxpayersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ money? Is this corporate structure likely to be a problem for not for profit companies that deliver public services in other countries? As Tyrrall points out, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Almost all indicators suggest however, that costs have increased substantially. The cost of BR had been approximately  £4 billion per annum, consisting of around  £3 billion of passenger and freight revenue and  £1 billion of government subsidy. It was accepted that after privatisation gove rnment subsidy payable to the industry via the TOCs would increase to approximately  £1.8 billion initiallyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Tyrrall 2006: p.113). In absolute terms then, railway management governance has merely presided over a net increase in expenditure, with the only measure of return residing in the official statistics. Long before premier John Major somewhat precipitously launched the rail privatisation programme which had been eschewed by his no less zealous but perhaps more circumspect predecessor, Mrs. Thatcher, a Department of Transport report adduced that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"One can distinguish two approaches to managing the railway. One is a business-oriented approach in which the purposes of investment are to adjust as fast as possible to changing demand for transport, to permit changed operating practices which will save money, and to take advantage of the greater productivity of newer assets . The other approach is a custodial approach in which th e purpose is to retain and renew as much as possible of the railwayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s infrastructure and servicesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Department of Transport 1983: p.49) Privatisation overall à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" if not Network Rail per se has boosted passenger numbers, although, as Tyrrall points out, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"this increase has largely been attributed to the growth in the economyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and increasing road congestion. These would have increased demand regardless of privatisation, but there is no doubt that more imaginative approaches to pricing and promotion since privatisation also played a part. (Tyrrall 2006: p.111). If we wanted to define Network Railà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s probity in inversionary or oppositional terms, we could do so in Altmanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s definition of corporate ethics: as he puts it, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"From a Kantian perspective, a corporation can have no responsibility at all. Insofar as it is a tool, and a good tool performs its designated function well, a good corporation maximizes profits for its shareholders.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Altman, 2007: p.261). Whatever the ethical integrity of this perspective, it illustrates precisely the kind of unequivocal purpose which Network Rail lacks. As Ferlie et al. argue, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"There hasà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ been continual restructuring in the UK public sector for over 20 years, initially based on securing greater productivity and value for money, but more recently (though somewhat ambiguously), with a new partnership on partnerships and networks.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Ferlie et al. 2003 S1) Network Rail has attracted many labels and unsolicited testimonials, from being characterised as merely à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"unusualà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ to being a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"pantomime horse with 230 legsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, a description which the Economist evolved with reference to Network Railà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s 115-member public interest board. The same commentary judged that the institutionà ¢ â‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s origins à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦were not auspicious. Stephen Byers, the transport secretary who forced Railtrack into administration, was casting around for ideas on what to do with the railways and plucked the model from a policy paper by the Institute for Public Policy and Research.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Unattributed, The Economist 2003) Whilst this may be apocryphal, the structure to which the Economist alludes it not: a management body answerable to the aforementioned 115 worthies, two-thirds of whom are selected from 1,200 applicants, the rest drawn from interested stakeholder bodies such as the National Farmers Union and the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation. Many features of the organisationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s structure, such as its public interest board, were designed to reflect its not for profit public service ethic. However, it also retains many aspects of corporate governance which its architects in New Labour may regard as less de sirable, such as a remuneration structure whose profligate tendencies preponderate in the boardroom. The short circuiting of the supposed break with the past in the form of the defunct and now apparently friendless Railtrack à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" was apparent in the awarding of 60 per cent bonuses to all five of its executive directors. Within their terms of service, this largesse would be triggered even if the statistics reflected a performance worse than that of the now sidelined Railtrack. The retention of private sector executive pay structures has not, however, been mirrored in the achievement of other standards. As Monks and Minow put it, the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"external legitimacy of the executive.must be sustainedby the personal ethic of the individuals involved as well as the broader corporate and societal ethics.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Monks and Minow, 2004, p.41). Yet many of Network Railà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s worst failings have been in the related areas of ethics and value for money. In March 2007, Network Rail was fined  £4 million for its part in an infrastructural disaster directly attributed to its operations management: as Tait reports, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Network Rail, which took on Railtracks liabilitiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦pleaded guilty to a single count of breaching health and safety laws in the run-up to the fatal crash. Prosecutors told the court this week that there had been a catalogue of failures à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" and that the problems had started with the culture at the top of the body responsible for the track and affected staff at all levels of the organisation.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Tait 2007) As Tyrrall indicates, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the accident record since privatisation contrasts unfavourably with the record under BR after Clapham Junction (1988), but not by comparison with a longer history of UK rail accidents.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Tyrrall 2006: p.110). However, when one considers the enormous technological and regulator y differentials inherent in the latter comparison, any collateral which might be claimed for Network Rail over its nationalised antecedents appears specious. Network Railà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" and the governmentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" discomfiture is not without precedent elsewhere, although the value of direct comparison obviously diminishes in the light of confounding variables. For example, Indiaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s railway system hovers similarly between pressures for privatisation and the maintenance of an essential public service. As the Economist reveals, its à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“operating ratioà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ operating costs as a proportion of revenuesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ which had climbed close to 100% by the beginning of this century, has fallen to 92.5%. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦not enough to cover depreciation, maintenance and expansion. Nor can the railways rely onà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ government bail-outs at a tim e when Indias overall fiscal deficit (at more than 10% of GDP) risks becoming unsustainable. Yet the railway system has been losing customers to an improving road network, making it hard to see how its finances will ever improve.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ The important point for comparison here is that, despite this, vested railway interests have little difficulty in garnering support from a range of opinion across Indian society, somehow circumventing the inescapable logic of the balance sheets. As the Economist reports, much of the disagreement is between economists looking at the railways as a business, and dedicated civil servants looking at what they still see as a public utility and social service. As one senior railway officialà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦puts it, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“if you moved to a business model, Indian Railways would collapse.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ .à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Unattributed, The Economist, 2003) Appendix Bibliography Altman, M.C., (2007) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"The Decomposit ion of the Corporate Bodyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol.74, No.3, pp.253-266, Springer, USA. Carbon Trust, (2005), Brand Value at Risk from Climate Change, Carbon Trust, London. Department of Transport, ((1983), Railway Finances, Report of a Committee chaired by Sir david Serpell KCB CMG OBE, Supplementary Volume, HMSO, London. Ferlie, E., Hartley, J., and Martin, S., (2003), à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Changing Public Service Organizations: Current Perspectives and Future Prospectsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, British Journal of Management, Vol.14, S1-S14. Freeman, R., and Shaw, J., (eds), (2000), British Railway Privatisation, MGraw Hill and Price Waterhouse Coopers. Giddens, A., (2000), The Third Way and its Critics, Polity Press, Cambridge. Giddens, A., (2001), The Global Third Way Debate, Polity Press, Cambridge. Glaister, S., and Travers, T., (1993), New Directions for British Railways? The Political Economoy of Privatisation and Regulation, Institute of Eco nomic Affairs, London. Hartley, J., and Allison, M. (2000) , à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"The role of leadership in the Modernization and improvement of public servicesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, Public Money and Management, April-June, pp. 35-40. Hibbs, J., à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Railways and the Power of Emotion: Seeking a Market Solutionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, in Institute of Economic Affairs, (2006), The Railways, the market and the Government, IEA, London, pp.46-67 Hooley, G., Saunders, J., Piercy, N., Marketing Strategy and Competitive Positioning (3rd Edition) Prentice Hall, Essex 2004. House of Commons (2008), Transport à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Tenth Report, INTERNET, available at https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmselect/cmtran/219/21902.htm [viewed 30.11.08] Institute of Economic Affairs, (2006), The Railways, the market and the Government, IEA, London. Kay, J., Mayer, C., and Thompson, D., (1986), Privatisation and Regulation, the UK Experience, Clarendon Press, Oxford. M onks, R., and Minow, N., (2004), Corporate Governance, Basil Blackwell, Oxford. National Audit Office, (2006), The Modernisation of the West Coast Main Line, The Stationery Office, London. Network Rail, (2008), Annual Report and Accounts 2008, NR London. Network rail, (2005), Corporate Responsibility Report, NW London. Network Rail (2005), Business Plan: Summary Plan, NR London. Office of Rail Regulation, (2008), National Rail Review, Q2 2008-09, ORR, London. Office of the Rail Regulator, (1999), Railtrackà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Performance Targets: Statement by the Regulator, ORR London. Office of Rail Regulation, (2008), Rail Trends à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Spreadsheets, INTERNET, available at https://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.1540 [viewed 30.11.08] Roberts, J., à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"COMPANIES UK: Public sector needs more than Private Eye jokes Why Capita deserves a nicer nicknameà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, Financial Times, ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¨Published: J ul 21, 2006, INTERNET available at https://search.ft.com/ftArticle?queryText=public+sector+managementy=8aje=truex=17id=060721000987ct=0 [viewed 2.12.08] Starkie, D., à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"British Railways: Opportunities for a Contestable Market, in Kay, J., Mayer, C., and Thompson, D., (1986), Privatisation and Regulation, the UK Experience, Clarendon Press, Oxford, p.177-188.. Steel, D., and Heeald, D., (eds), (1984), Privatising Public Enterprises, Royal Institute of Public Administration, London. Veljanovski, ., (ed) (1989), Privatisation and Competition, A Market Prospectus, Institute of Economic Affairs, London. Tait, N., à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Network Rail fined  £4m over fatal 1999 crashà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, Financial Times, 30 March 2007, INTERNET, available at https://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/220fa5f6-dea8-11db-b5c9-000b5df10621.html [viewed 30.11.08] Tyrrall, D.E., The UK Railway: Privatisation, Efficiency and Integrationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢in Institute of Economic Affairs, ( 2006), The Railways, the market and the Government, IEA, London, pp.105-129. Unattributed, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Anyone know how to run a railway?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ The Economist, 2nd October 2003, INTERNET, available at https://www.economist.com/world/britain/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_NTDTVVT [viewed 1.12.08] Unattributed, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"The Pantomime Horseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, 26 June 2003, The Economist, INTERNET, available at https://www.economist.com/world/britain/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_TRSSGGD [viewed 1.12.08] Unattributed, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"The Rail Billionairesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, The Eonomist, 1st July 1999, INTERNET, available at https://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_NTRRSG [viewed 1.12.08] Unattributed, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s no such thing as a free rideà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, The Economist, 4th December 2003, INTERNET, available at https://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_NNGVRPP [viewed 1.12.08] Ve rmeulen, A., à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Shortfall impedes Network Rail budget dealà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, Financial Times, 8 Sept 2008, INTERNET, available at https://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/63adb6c6-7df6-11dd-bdbd-000077b07658.html [viewed 30.11.08} Wright, R., à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Network Rail to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“acceptà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  cutsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, Financial Times, 21 Nov 2008, INTERNET, available at https://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/93db04e8-b76c-11dd-8e01-0000779fd18c.html [viewed 30.11.08] Wright, R., à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Network Rail seeks clarification on funding from regulatorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, Financial Times, 20 Nov 2008, INTERNET, available at https://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/297bb5b4-b6dd-11dd-8e01-0000779fd18c.html [viewed 30.11.08] Wright, R., à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Network Rail Seeks New Chiefà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, Financial Times, 4 Oct 2008, INTERNET, available at https://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/285ada56-91ae-11dd-b5cd-0000779fd18c.html [viewed 30.11.08] Wright, R., à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Red and Green lights on roads and railà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, Financial Times, 25 Nov 2008, INTERNET, available at https://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/94fbd3de-ba82-11dd-aecd-0000779fd18c.html [viewed 30.11.08] à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"The funding package for Network Rail, owner of the UKà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s rail infrastructure, for 2009-14 includes money for work to allow longer trains to run on many of the regionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s routes. Platforms will be lengthened and power supply enhanced along the Tilbury loop on the Fenchurch St line to allow operation of 12-carriage trains. Similar work will be undertaken around Gravesend on the south side of the river. (Wright 25.11.08) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"The Regulators and Franchising Directorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s duties imply relationships with the government, with each other, with the owners and operators of the infrastructure, with owners and operators of trains, and with each other. In each relationship, there will be points that are politically contentious; badly-handled activiti es could threaten either the success of privatisation or the future of the railway system (or both). (Glaister and Travers 1993: p.55) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"The influence of the HSE has been to enforce regulations which have too often been inappropriate and expensive, conflicting with the element of self-regulation proper to a fail-dangerous industry like transport.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Hibbs 2006: p.57) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"There are many other aspects of brand or a companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s reputation that can impact a company, including its reputation amongst its business customers, staff, suppliers, shareholders and regulators.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Carbon Trust 2005: p.22)