Training for improving service quality at Honda Essay Example for Free

Training for improving service quality at Honda Essay This case is about Honda American Motor Company which tries to improve quality due to blended learning approach. They split it in three different phase. 1. Phase one: The first phase takes place online. For two to three weeks, learners access a series of online modules that introduce the logical processes for effective problem solving and decision making. Learner progress is essentially self-paced, but since the content is driven from a Web server, the instructor can follow the progress of each learner and provide on-going encouragement and support. During phase one, learners are also asked to identify situations to which they intend to apply the techniques so they can focus on these situations when they attend the workshop. This powerful combination of initial learning and preparation for applying the concepts to real-life issues ensures the following phase will not only be efficient but also build deep understanding and significant motivation to use the ideas on the job after training. 2. Phase two: The second phase takes place at the workshop. Guided by the instructor, learners spend two days deepening their understanding of the concepts, discussing best practices and additional techniques for problem solving and decision making, and practicing on detailed case scenarios. Since skill transfer and results occur most rapidly when starting with the learner’s on-the-job issues, a significant portion of the session is spent working on the problems, decisions and plans identified in phase one. Simultaneously, learners receive coaching and feedback from the instructor and one another. Learners leave the session ready to fully apply the concepts and with a plan in hand to move successfully from the workshop to consistent use of the concepts back on the job. 3. Phase three: The final phase takes place back online. In the three weeks following the session, learners resolve the on-the-job issues they began to work on during the workshop. They document for instructor review, feedback and approval the specific techniques they used to resolve the issues. During phase three, learners have access to a host of online support tools and information. They can contact the instructor with questions at any time. The goal of this phase is to ensure use of the learned concepts and build  confidence. Advantages of Honda’s blended learning approach Quality of individual output is improved. Employees have the same way of thinking and working - Makes it easier to work with manager and all the co-workers. Deep understanding and strong motivation from the employees Personalized support Reduce their time away from the job Take advantages of expanding technology capabilities and infrastructure Assure tangible transfer of skills Format which best support the overall emphasis on growth and quality Questions After the presentation of our case some questions have been asked by the students of the class. We have discussed about them and tried to bring some explanations. There were different kinds of questions. The first kind was about the learning model itself. The main questions were the followings: 1. How can you measure the quality improvements? Overall and in figures? 2. Is the learning time too short? 3. Can you find in the library some video clips? 4. Is it not to theoretical this learning system? For the first one we think that it is really difficult to measure in term of figure this kind of program. Indeed it is not a small part of Honda’s employees that are training but the whole company. In addition it is not a program for the short term but for the long term. The global quality of Hondo production will increase due to the learning program that means that the customers will be more satisfy. In the long run they will come back to the company to buy their next car. It will take years to quantify the real impact on the turnover. However it is possible to conduct some survey to the customer to know if they think that the quality has improved. The company  can also check if the time to make a car decrease or if there are less failure with the production. For the second one we do not think that the learning time is too short. 6 weeks is enough for this time of training. Moreover it is not because you have done it one time that you cannot do it anymore in the future. With a short training you can be focused on the main point and do not lose time on secondary information that the employee will never use. For the third one we do not know if it is already available on the intranet of Honda. But it can be a really good idea if it does not exist yet. People prefer to watch somebody explaining something (and see how it is working) than only read it in a book. The last one if one of the most important question for this kind of program where you mix theoretical and manual learning. Where is the border between too much of one or the other? At the first view it seems that two days of practice is not enough. However when the employee start is manual formation he has already learned lots of information. So the trainer will not lose lots of time to explain easy and obvious things but can be directly focus on the main important information that the trainee must learn. The second kind of question was more about the employees and their interaction with the learning program. The following questions have been asked to us: 1. How can you motivate the employees, with which kinds of incentives? 2. What about the learners who are not ready after phase 2? 3. What are the interactions among the employees? By participating into an important process in order to improve the quality of their company, the worker feels involved and useful. Indeed, its not sufficient for the most part. Regarding to the low wages that the workers can perceived, a money incentive can be a real motivation to make them want to learn. Moreover, they can motivate them by establishing in the company policy, a rule that explain that if the worker is efficient and provides good work quickly, he can whether be promoted or get bonus in the end of each month. The answer of the second question is quite simple. Indeed, the instructors  can easily evaluate the learners by watching him doing the job. If the learner applies the method perfectly, the instructor will give him the permission to go to the next phase. Otherwise, according to his level of difficulties, the instructor will send him either in the first phase or remake the second phase. Employees interact each other every time (within the company, lunch breaks), but also on the intranet through forums or instant messages. Thus, they can talk easily about working problems, or for instance, share tips and solutions about technical problems. Every single solution is directly saved into the database. Lot of communication channels allows workers to interact easily each other. How does Honda doing compare to its competitors? First of all it is a really complex process to compare sales and figures with quality management. As we learned during the lecture there is no guaranteed effect between sales of products, Stock price progress and quality. Therefore it is even challenging for Managers to analyze the effects of quality improvements. In ours point of view there is one obvious point how to compare it. The annual recalls of Cars. Toyota US 2013 (Toyota US, 2014 Reuters, 2014) Cars Sold: 182’152 Cars Recall â€Å"Nearly 19 million vehicles globally from late 2009 to early 2011 due to unintended acceleration claims.† Honda US 2013 (IBT, 2014 Reuters, 2014) Cars Sold: 135’255 Cars Recall â€Å"Between 2008 and 2011, Honda was forced to recall about 2.8 million vehicles after finding a defect with driver-side airbags supplied by Takata.†  « Honda (2.8 million), Hyundai-Kia (2.2 million) and Ford Motor Co. (1.2 million) rounded out the top five in terms of vehicles recalled in 2013.  » Conclusion To conclude, this system of training in three phases has many advantages. It permits to all employees to feel involved in it because it is not only a theoretical learning system, to have a personalized support and a control at each phase permit to really evaluate their progression. Furthermore this system of training allows them to reduce their time away from their job. We have analysed some questions about this system such as the measurement of the quality improvement because we can’t really quantify the real impact on the turnover now. The project is on the long term and it will take some few years to measure the satisfaction of the customer, if they will buy another car of this brand or not. The other questions were about employees and their interaction with the program. The money is not the only motivation for employees; they are also motivated by the self-satisfaction (increase their knowledge, promotion, or belong to a company of quality). This program permits the skills transfer also, to discuss of problems on the intranet (forums) Despite some â€Å"issues† such as measuring the efficiency right now of this system or the non-guarantee of effect between sales of product, stock price progress and quality; Honda is the company with the lowest annual recalls of cars. Bibliography IBT http://www.ibtimes.com/here-are-december-2013-big-eight-us-auto-sales-numbers-gm-ford-chrysler-toyota-honda-nissan-1525492, 16.04.2014 Reuters http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/11/us-toyota-recall-idUSBRE93A04D20130411, 16.04.2014 Toyota US http://toyotanews.pressroom.toyota.com/releases/tms+march+2014+sales+chart.htm, 16.04.2014

The Effect of Hydration on Blood Pressure and Heart Rate

The Effect of Hydration on Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Introduction Water is the key to all life; without it, life as we know it would not exist. So it is natural to believe that hydration should have an effect on blood pressure and heart rate, considering our heart is also one of the keys to our life as humans. So we will be testing what affect hydration has on blood pressure and heart rate, if any. Blood pressure is the pressure of the blood within our arteries. The measurement is recorded as the systolic pressure (pressure when heart contracts) over the diastolic pressure (pressure when the heart is relaxed). (Weedman, Sokoloski 2009) A study was done at Franz-Volhard Clinical research center that examined how water drinking affected blood pressure in the body. The results showed that drinking 500mL of water increased patients blood pressure and also increased heart rate (Schroeder 2002). Although it was only a slight increase, it still had an affect on the pressure and heart rate. Jens Jordan also did a study on how water affects blood pressure and found that the older the patient was the more of an effect drinking water had on blood pressure. In fact, in some of the younger patients drinking water had no effect at all. However, when the water did have an effect it increased blood pressure every single time. Some of the reasons for this increase,Jordandescribes, are because water and plasma have different osmolarities (concentration of solute vs. solution), the pressure in the blood increases. Also, water may cause different plasma concentrations in the blood which would also cause an increase in blood pressure (Jordan 2002). Rats and humans are very alike organisms. Our bodies both function and are made similarly. So when David Belanger and Samuel M. Feldman did a study on the effects of water deprivation on rats, we can predict that something similar may happen in humans. The rats heart rates decreased the longer they were dehydrated (Belanger and Feldman 1962). The study did not test what hydrating the rats would do, but since the heart rates decreased without water, it is possible that they would increase with water. One reasonable explanation of why dehydration affects blood pressure is due to the tightening of blood vessels. The volume of blood in the blood vessels and veins of the body will begin to lessen when water is drawn from them. As a result, the vessels and veins will contract in order to stay full of blood (otherwise there is extra space, leaving room for gas to build up). This contracting results in high tension, or high blood pressure (Healthy-water-best-filters). I hypothesize that hydration will affect blood pressure and heart rate. I predict that the blood pressure and heart rate will increase. The significance of this experiment is determining how hydration affects blood pressure and heart rate. It is important to know this because high blood pressure is a dangerous condition, and many people suffer from it. If hydration can affect blood pressure (and heart rate) in a good way, it may produce many ways to help keep blood pressure and heart rate at a healthy state. Materials and Methods First, the variable to be tested (hydration) was decided by the class and a question to test was determined. The dependent variable was blood pressure and heart rate (beats per min). The independent variable was hydration (and time). Basal readings (resting blood pressure and heart rate) for each student were used from the last experiment. Each student did not drink any water over the duration of the class (about 2.5 hours), and at the end of class, each student drank roughly 16oz of water. Each person recorded their blood pressure and heart rate at time zero by using their basal BP and HR from the past experiments. Immediately after drinking the water, a partner began timing the other partner. Every three minutes each partner measured their partners blood pressure (systolic/diastolic pressure) and heart rate (beats per min) using a digital sphygmomanometer (which expressed both heart rate and blood pressure). A measurement was taken every three minutes for 12 minutes. There were 13 groups who gathered data, so 26 total students data was obtained and put into excel. Averages, T-Tests, and ranges were then attained and analyzed. (Weedman, Sokoloski 2009) Results The basal readings (resting rate) for blood pressure (systolic/diastolic pressure) for all 26 students ranged from 83/57 (systolic/diastolic) to 158/105 (systolic/diastolic). After every student took three basal readings, the averages for each basal reading were taken, and all three averages were averaged at 108/69 (systolic/diastolic). The blood pressures at time zero ranged from 91/58 (systolic/diastolic) to 175/134 (systolic/diastolic). After the outliers were removed, the average for time zero was 117/74 (systolic/diastolic). At 3 minutes, the blood pressures ranged from 86/63 (systolic/diastolic) to 157/117 (systolic/diastolic) and the average was 111/69 (systolic/diastolic) after outliers were removed. At 6 minutes, the blood pressures ranged from 85/52 (systolic/diastolic) to 150/75 (systolic/diastolic) and the average was 109/70 (systolic/diastolic) after outliers were removed. At 9 minutes, the blood pressures ranged from 91/53 (systolic/diastolic) to 140/80 (systolic/diasto lic) and the average was 116/75 (systolic/diastolic) after outliers were removed. At 12 minutes, the blood pressures ranged from 91/59 (systolic/diastolic) to 137/69 (systolic/diastolic) and the average was 113/70 (systolic/diastolic) after outliers were removed. This data shows that the blood pressures did not change over time. After performing a T-Test, we can determine that the data is significant (the result of the test was 0.17). (Table 2) Graph 2 also illustrates how the systolic and diastolic pressures did not change over time. After drinking 16oz of water, the blood pressure was not affected at all. The slope of the trendline for average systolic pressure is -0.1. The slope of the trendline for average diastolic pressure is -0.07. The heart rate basal readings for all 26 students ranged from 53 beats per minute (bpm) to 122 bpm. The overall average basal reading for heart rate was 76.57 bpm (Table 1). Our data showed that heart rate decreased (from basal), but it is hard to tell whether the heart rate decreased or increased overall because it continued to decrease until 6 minutes, then it began to slowly increase. Graph 1 illustrates the changes in the heart rate over the 12 minutes. From 0 to 6 minutes, the heart rate decreases by 3.2 bpm, but from 6 to 12 minutes, the heart rate increases by 3.03 bpm (Graph 1). However, since the average basal reading was 76.57 bpm, we can see that after drinking water, the heart rate immediately decreased by 7.07 bpm, and did not recover after the 12 minutes (Graph 1). Since we did not measure recovery rate, we do not know how long it took the body to recover. Discussion I hypothesized that hydration would affect blood pressure and heart rate. I predicted that hydration would cause the blood pressure and heart rate to increase. The data did not completely support my hypothesis and prediction. Hydration did not affect blood pressure, but it did affect heart rate. Graph 2 illustrates that once students drank 16oz of water their blood pressure was not affected. The slopes of both of the trendlines for systolic and diastolic pressures were extremely close to zero, showing that the blood pressures did not change due to hydration. This is significant, shown by a T-Test comparing our PRs at 12 and 0 min at 0.70. Although the pressures increased a bit from the basal readings, it still follows the trend of the graph, and would not affect the trendlines. So we determine that hydration did not affect blood pressure. Graph 1 illustrates that heart rate was affected by hydration. From time zero to 6 minutes, the average heart rate decreased by 3.2 bpm. From 6 to 12 minutes, the heart rate increased by 3.03 bpm. These increases and decreases of the heart rate are very close to each other. If we measured heart rate longer, we would be able to determine if this was a pattern or not. However, from the average basal reading of 76.57 bpm (Table 1) to the reading at time zero, there was an average decrease of 7.07 bpm. Compared to the other decrease in the graph, this is a much larger one. So we can conclude that hydration does affect heart rate, but only for a brief period of time. It decreases heart rate immediately, but after about 6 minutes, the heart rate begins to increase again. We can not determine if the heart rate is recovering because we did not measure until the rate completely recovered. So we can only conclude from our data that hydration decreases heart rate for about 6 minutes, and then i t begins to recover. An alternative hypothesis for the effect of hydration on blood pressure and heart rate would be that it would not affect blood pressure, and it would affect heart rate. The results of the study conducted at Franz-Volhard Clinical research center do not match the results we got in our experiment. They found that hydration increased both blood pressure and heart rate (Schroeder 2002). Our study showed that hydration does not affect blood pressure, but it does increase heart rate (for a certain period of time). Jens Jordans study, however, supports our results. In some of the younger patients in his study, hydration had no effect on blood pressure. But in the older patients, blood pressure increased (Jordan 2002). Since the patients of our experiment are all young, our results match Jordans. The study done my David Belanger and Samuel M. Feldman was conducted with rats, not humans and was the effect that dehydration has on heart rate. Their results showed that the longer the rats were d ehydrated, the more the heart rates decreased (Belanger and Feldman 1962). I predicted that since the heart rates decreased without water, they would increase with water. Since the experiments and variables were a little different, it is hard to compare the results of our experiment with theirs, but my prediction that was based on their experiment was not supported by our data. I have identified several weaknesses in our experimental setup. If the amount of time allowed to measure the blood pressure and heart rate were extended, we could have determined when the blood pressure and heart rate recovered, and that would have helped with the analysis of our data immensely-especially the heart rate. We may have been able to determine if the heart rate actually did decrease, or if it was just a pattern that the body and heart have naturally. So recovery time would have helped with the significance of our data, as well as the analysis. Also, our data might have been more accurate with a larger group of people. More people would have solidified our data as more accurate. The water we used was also not measured and temperature was not taken, so that could have an affect on our data. Everyone drank different amounts out water at different temperatures. Keeping those variables constant would have made our results more accurate as well. Works Cited Belanger, David, and Samuel M. Felman. 1962. Effects of water deprivation upon heart rate and instrumental activity in the rat. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology 55. Dehydration And Blood Pressure Are Linked. Treat HBP with Water! Dehydration symptoms= Sickness. Chronic Dehydration,Treatment, Hydration. 31 Jan. 2010. . Jordan, Jens. 2002. Acute effect of water on blood pressure. Mini-Symposium: Review Article. Schroeder, Christoph, Victoria E. Bush, Lucy J. Norcliffe, Friedrick C. Luft, Jens Tank, Jens Jordan, and Roger Hainsworth. 2002. Water Drinking Acutely Improves Orthostatic Tolerance In Healthy Subjects. Clinical Investigation and Reports. 1. Weedman and Sokoloski. Biology of Organisms: A Laboratory Manual for LIFE103. Vol. 5E. Mason: Cengage Learning, 2009.

Black Leaders Of 20th Century Essay -- essays research papers

BLACK LEADERS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY In the time after the fall of radical black reconstruction of the nineteenth century, African Americans were being oppressed by rural farming, civil rights, economical advancement and sharecropping. Booker T. Washington charged the fight for economical and political accommodation with his dream of equal civil rights. Timothy Thomas Fortune was an influential black journalist that fought for the rights of African Americans through literal resistance. The Lonely Warrior, Ida B. Wells was an outspoken voice against lynching throughout America and fought against the oppression of men and woman everywhere. Booker T. Washington was one of the last great African American leaders born into slavery. Washington emphasized political means and civil rights along with economic means and self-determination. Washington was the founder of the Tuskegee Normal and the Industrial Institute in 1881, for the development of skilled trade. The Instituted was the largest self-black supported Institution in America at the time. The school taught the arts of trade, self-determination and economical independence of sharecropping. Washington gave the Atlanta Compromise Address in 1895, to disclaim the notion of white supremacy and social equality to the south. Booker T. Washington sought to influence whites, but sought out the solid programs of economical and educational progress for blacks. Washington was one that thought that speaking out against injustice was self-defeating and should be suppressed. Washington founded the National Negro Business League in 1900, helped put a stronghold on substantial black population and did little for black business. As the chief black advisor to President Roosevelt and Taft, Washington devoted much of his time to securing federal jobs and used political power to win over key political figures in the North. He aided many blacks businesses but also hindered the activities of those who spoke against him. He also helped appoint the first black assistant US Attorney General. Many of Washington's ideas and concepts are still being used today in black communities. Booker T. Washington was in control of many black newspapers that agreed with his views and opinions.... ...hting for all possible rights. Ida B. Well's kept up her fight for black equality for all African-Americans. Her fight stayed alive for some time until mutual friends such as Washington and Fortune decided to push her out of newspaper journalism for black rights and eventually out of the NAACP. All three figures that are talked about above are some of the greatest leaders in the fight for African-American rights. Booker T. Washington was a fine leader in (towards starting) the movement to push black equality, however he lacked the courage to be a true leader because he only wanted to keep whites pleased. The "Agitator" as Thomas T. Fortune was a great editor of black newspaper, next to Du Bois. Fortune is not all that and a bag of chips. He is a man that lived on hiding behind Washington and his ideas, was just a toy of Washington. "Joan of Arc", Ida B. Wells was the anti-lynching spokeswomen and the true heart and soul behind the fight for black equality in America. She is the only true independent leader out of the above. Wells spoke her mind, which was the truth, and she never looked back even when it was her life that mattered.

Frost Essay -- essays research papers

Explication of â€Å"The Road Not Taken†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Robert Frost, a poet from the early Twentieth Century, is well known not only for his elegant style, but for his use of great symbolism throughout his works. In â€Å"The Road Not Taken†, he depicted his theme and meaning through a four stanza poem which consisted of a set rhyme scheme (A, B, A, A, B). This poem has left its readers with many different interpretations. It is one’s past, present, and the attitude with which he looks upon his future that determines the shade of the light that he will see the poem in. In any case, however, this poem clearly demonstrates Frost’s belief that it is the road that one chooses that makes him the man who he is.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the first stanza, the narrator says, â€Å"And sorry I could not travel both...† This quote is plainly explaining how difficult is it to make a decision because it is impossible not to wonder about the opportunity cost; what the decision maker will miss out on. There is a strong sense of regret before the choice is even made and it lies in the knowledge that in one lifetime, it is impossible to travel down every path. In an attempt to make a decision, the traveler â€Å"looks down one as far as I could†. The road that will be chosen leads to the unknown, as does any choice in life. As much as he may strain his eyes to see as far the road stretches, eventually it surpasses his vision and he can never see where it is going to lead. It is the way...

Essay on Setting in Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour -- Story Hour E

Elements of Setting in Kate Chopin's Short Story, "The Story of an Hour" Setting exists in every form of fiction, representing elements of time, place, and social context throughout the work. These elements can create particular moods, character qualities, or features of theme. Throughout Kate Chopin's short story "The Story of an Hour," differing amounts and types of the setting are revealed as the plot develops. This story deals with a young woman's emotional state as she discovers her own independence in her husband's death, then her "tragic" discovery that he is actually alive. The constituents of setting reveal certain characteristics about the main character, Louise Mallard, and are functionally important to the story structure. The entire action takes place in the springtime of a year in the 1890s, in the timeframe of about an hour, in a house belonging to the Mallards. All of these aspects of setting become extremely relevant and significant as the meaning of the story unfolds. When Louise Mallard first hears that her husband was killed in a railroad accident, "she wept at once," and "went away to her room alone" (12). As she mourns, looking out of her window on the second floor of her home, a sudden change of heart begins to come over her. She notices "the delicious breath of rain," " a peddler . . . crying his wares," "notes of a distant song," "countless sparrows . . . twittering," and "patches of blue sky," "all aquiver with the new spring life" (13). As she stares at the sky, she begins to think about her newfound independence from her husband, uttering the words "free, free, free!" (13). What makes her develop such a sudden change in attitude? Could it be that she sees rebirth in the world through her wind... ...giving it boundaries and distinctive characteristics about the situation. Setting preys upon reader stereotypes and preconceptions about the certain time frame or location in which the story takes place in order to bring out more meaning. In this work, Chopin develops the story based on the reader's knowledge and understanding of a woman's place in late nineteenth-century America. But the specific setting--the time of year and the structure of the Mallard house--also gives clues to help readers understand Louise and attempt to determine the cause of her death. Louise may die of heart disease, as the doctors say at the end of the story, but setting indicates that the disease was not "joy that kills" (14). Work Cited Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. 4th ed. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: St. Martins, 1997. 12-15.

A History of the Architectural Design of Castle Fraser, Aberdeen

As an atmospheric baronial palace that could day of the month back to the 15th century, Castle Fraser was one time the place of the Fraser household. The landscape of Castle Fraser remains overpowering after about 300 old ages, to the people who approach it for the first clip. Visitors to the estate are confronted with ‘one of the most dramatic of the Castles of Mar ‘ , which is the largest and most luxuriant Scots palace. The palace was built on the ‘Z-plan’ design and stands in 140 hectares of beautiful farming area. Following the forest trails, visitants could venture through the palace and up to the unit of ammunition tower, with its bird's-eye positions of the gardens and estate beyond, they have a glance of the life in the medieval to the Victorian period. The chief palace itself was completed around 1636, there were several eighteenth- and nineteenth-century alterations. The name of Fraser initiated in Anjou in France. The history of Castle Fraser could be traced to the center of 14th century, the clip when James II gave the lands around Muchall and Stoneywood to Thomas Fraser as a gift. At the get downing Castle Fraser bore the name of Muchall-in-Mar ( as the castle’s former name until 1695 ) . The edifice work of Castle Fraser was completed between 1575 and 1635. In the 1570s, Michael Fraser decided to construct a larger house for his household, with the name of â€Å" Michael ‘s Tower † , but the palace remained under building at his decease in the terminal of the 1580s. Therefore, his inheritor, Andrew Fraser completed the palace after his decease, to the visual aspect that it has now. After that there have been some little alterations in the early 19th century and a new expansive stairway in Victorian times ( which was demolished after the Second World war ) . In the twelvemonth of 1976, the palace itself and land of 26 estates were gifted to the National Trust for Scotland. At that clip, Major and Mrs Smiley were the last proprietors. Castle Fraser set amidst 120 hectares of beautiful gardens and unfastened forest, merely 16 stat mis from Aberdeen. The design of Castle Fraser ‘s landscape is chiefly done by Thomas White in 1794. Naturally, it is surrounded by the grassland with higher degree. The scope of degree difference within the estate between highest and lowest is 30 metres about. However, sing the country, it is instead smooth and level comparatively. The estate has two easy followed trails go throughing through a mixture of parkland, farming area and forest, with the opening positions of Bennachie. The ancient system of shared agriculture on unfastened Fieldss was replaced by a more profit-driven, agriculturally ‘improved ‘ estate, together with stylish leisure countries and an attractive parkland scene. Castle Fraser. as a well-preserved five-storey tower edifice, was chiefly built from local granite. It a Z-shaped architecture with a rectangular chief edifice and two towers at diagonally opposing corners of it, as an ordinary manner of Scots palace at that clip. It is surrounded by over 300 estates of unfastened wood and farm, with a specially designed walled garden. It is owned by the National Trust for Scotland and is unfastened to tourers during the and is unfastened to tourers in the summer. It is a good topographic point for nuptialss and corporate events as good. Aberdeenshire finest master-masons made a great part to an about perfect Z-plan massing of blocks combined with an antic upperworks as amplification ; Since the clip is near to the extremum of Renaissance Aberdeenshire, the palace was furnished with a prodigious asymmetrical sleeping room stack of six floors which yet trys to do a balance of the whole. Immediately environing the palace, but with a greater extent to the West than the East is an enclosure known as the Cherry Yard, presumptively planted with cherry trees, and beyond it to the West is a larger enclosure, the Ducat Yard. And the Cherry Yard is to the West, as expressed in the map of Policies in 1780. The landscape today of Castle Fraser was established in the eighteenth and early 19th centuries. Former estate programs show that the gardens built following to the palace in typical Scots chateau manner, with the doocot ( dovercote ) and red paces to the West and a big, likely hedged, garden to the E. With its gramd entryway to the palace, the Broad Walk, an avenue of lacewood trees acted as a way and welcome to the courtyard. However, things were different during the eighteenth and early 19th centuries, when the centuries-old community system of joint agriculture on unfastened Fieldss was one time replaced by a profit-driven, agriculturally ‘improved ‘ estate. It is the intentional landscape of this period today. Many of these alterations were carried out by Elyza Fraser, the Laird of Castle Fraser between 1792 and 1814, carried out. She invited a pupil of the celebrated English landscape interior decorator Capability Brown, Thomas White, to plan those betterments to the landscape. It was unusual at the clip for a adult female to play such an active and outstanding function in estate direction. The stallss were built ( to an bing design by John Paterson ) ; a snaky lake, decorated with two swans and a rowing boat, was dug to the south-east of the palace ; and the walled garden was built in 1795. There is a tall cistern and pumphouse of a mechanical H2O pump on the Alton Brae. And it had an of import function of supplying a H2O supply to the palace and estate. It was installed in the early 1900s, and powered by a modern electrical pump now. There is a natural spring here that served as portion of Miss Bristow’s landscaping strategy. It is a re-used triangular rock from above a dormer window, about surely from the palace, and day of the months from the 1630s. The carven initials -LAF- base for Lord Andrew Fraser. The Moses Well House is more cryptic. The beautiful rock panels form portion of one big panel picturing the Old Testament prophesier Moses, surrounded by scenes from his life. They were carved in the mid-1600s, perchance in the Netherlands, and likely for an of import church. The reply of how or when they came to Castle Fraser is yet under outlook. There are tonss of workss in Miss Bristow ‘s Wood besides merely trees. Wildflowers can be seen throughout Miss Bristow’s Wood. Small white flowers of wood oxalis, wood windflowers and wild hyacinths appear in spring, with tall steeples of digitaliss and tap Rhododendron maxima willowherb emerging in the summer. Inside the wood stands the memorial for Mary Bristow, which was set by Elyza Fraser The lettering on it is: Farewell! Alas how much less is the society of others than the memory of thee. There are two chief trails to acquire straightly to the palace. One is in the North and the other is in the West. The earliest estate map to demo the lay-out of the policies could be dated back every bit early as 1788, and likely it keeps a record of an agreement from the the late 17th century. The map shows that the Castle stands at the junction of four great avenues of lacewoods. The chief ocular axis is the avenue to the North – the Broad Avenue – which is the widest 1 as the name suggests, but the most of import entree must hold been from the West Avenue, since it led to the Aberdeen route at Broomdyke It is the Broad Walk of lacewoods that acts as an chief attack to the palace itself. The Broad Walk through Alton Brae one time connected the palace with the old Aberdeen. The trees here were planted more than 200 old ages ago. A squad of cattle one time pulled a large and heavy Big Dipper, and so those long additive ridges in the Alton Brea came into being as remains of mediaeval cultivation rigs. Cereals were grown on top of them. The Alton Brea trail begins in the Fieldss and windbreaks with agricultural usage, and so passes the Alton Brae forests, inside which a big scope of birds exist, treecreepers, longtailed breasts and coal breasts and so on. And the finish of the Alton Brea trail isthe flight Pond. This flight pool is non a outstanding topographic point for wildlife, since it was created at start to pull animate beings for hiting. In the late 17th century, this country around this beautiful pool was divided into topographic points for the laird to feed their animals and so direct them to the market. This mosaic of home grounds at Castle Fraser encourages a big scope of species to come. All in all, The estate’s design achieves practical functionality every bit good as astonishing views. Mary Bristow was the interior decorator of this forest, known as Miss Bristow’s Wood, as a pleasance land full of weaving waies, pleasant clearings and distant positions. Elyza Fraser and Mary Bristow developed these forests from agricultural land. They spent more than ?9,600 ( over ?500,000 today ) between 1797 and 1800 to carry through this task.Miss Bristow’s Trail ( 1.25 stat mis ) is named after Mary Bristow. The trail besides passes interesting archeological characteristics including the Moses Well. Merely to the North of Castle Fraser, there is a traditional walled garden of trees, bushs and herbaceous plantings, a medicative and culinary boundary line and organically adult fruit and veggies. The rectangular walled garden contains 17th-century sundial with complex lectern dial in freestone. The garden depicted on the 1788/9 program is likely to hold been first designed and laid out shortly after the east wing of the palace was completed in 1633/4 ( Fraser 2010 ) and by the clip it was dismantled in 1796 the garden had been in being for over 160 old ages. The Walled Garden on this site was built in this location to replace the walled enclosures to the E and South of the Castle, as expressed in the 1788 map. It is possible that there has been alterations after that, non merely the replacing and remotion of workss and trees, but besides likely alterations in the building of the garden, such as the waies and walls The manner that Walled Garden expressions now could dates from about 1977-78, and it is designed by Eric Robson, the former NTS Head of Gardens. The walled garden provided the palace with fruit, veggies and flowers, and contained a vineyard and two Prunus persica houses. The west portion of the garden is for veggies. The east portion is of assorted boundary lines and lawn. Both of them are separated by violet beech hedges from the cardinal of the garden. An avenue of tree rows stand on the axis of the garden. A pump has been installed inside the garden. One little greenhouse remains on the north wall with the bothy edifice on the exterior of the wall. This is portion 2-storey, portion 1-storey, in unsmooth squared granite blocks with some snecking: in usage as public lavatories and a nurseryman ‘s room. Deserving to advert that in 1959, the south boundary line of the garden replied to one of the design of James Russell in Sunningdale Nurseries. The are assorted bushs and herbaceous workss, with some roses and lilies. By 1978 most of the original workss died. so the boundary line was replanted and redesigned by Eric Robson. The north wall was heated. However, there is lone portion of this system remains low in the wall of the brick arches. It was the ovens ‘ occupation to plug the air through flukes inside the walls. They have to do a batch of work to return the gardens to what they used to be in 18th century. The gardens besides feature the ‘Woodland Secrets’ escapade resort area and trails. Two manner marked walks offer brilliant positions of the local hills. Since 1976, the National Trust for Scotland has farther developed the gardens. The chief regeneration work is between 2003 and 2005. The Woodland Secrets play country was specially designed for amuze the kids. The site known today as the Castle Frazer rock circle is situated about 800 m to the West of the palace in the parish of Cluny. The circle is about 20.4m of diameter and it comprises the seeable remains of the rock circle – seven independent standing rocks, in which two of which have now fallen down. The circle one time was consisted of 11 rocks, merely nine remains now. The Altar â€Å" ( the recumbent slab ) † measures 6’ 9† in length and is 4’ 6† in tallness. The rock at its East terminal is 6’ 7† high and 4’ 6† broad at the base. About 200 gaits due easts are two rocks a few gaits distant from each other and about 7’ high’ . The circle is to some extent guerrilla in form. The ‘Altarstone ‘ is about due south from the Centre. There is a little homocentric circle, 13 pess in diameter, within the larger one, but merely defined at the North and South sides, as shewn in the ground-plan, – by rocks sunk in the land down to the sub-soil and demoing themselves a few inches above land. They touch each other, and demo by and large a level side turned to the Centre of the circle. The whole country of the Circle was found to be paved closely and steadfastly with little bowlders, lying about 6 inches below the surface.

‘A complex character deserving sympathy.’ How far and in what ways do you agree with this view of Angelo in Measure for Measure?

In Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, Angelo emerges as a double-sided character; an appropriate focal point for such a ‘problem play', as many of Shakespeare's later works are considered to be. Shakespeare appears to have taken his inspiration for the story from sources such as Promos and Cassandra (George Whetstone) and Giraldi Cinthio's Hecatommithi, both plays in which a self-righteous deputy, be it Promos in Whetstone's version, or Angelo in Shakespeare's, seduces a woman (Cassandra or Isabella) by promise of pardon for her condemned brother. Scholars have argued for centuries whether Angelo, or indeed Promos, is a moral or an evil character. Those scholars who support the notion of Angelo as moral often cite the following factors in the play: the Duke obviously trusts Angelo; Angelo is disheartened enough by the end of the play to offer a sincere apology; and Angelo tries to resist the temptation that Isabella presents. On the other hand, others have argued that Shakespeare depicts Angelo as a purely evil man. These critics emphasise Angelo's treatment of Marian, the Duke's possible suspicion of Angelo, his desire for Isabella, and his broken promise to Isabella. By examining Angelo in both of these circumstances, it will become apparent that the most successful interpretation of Angelo's character is a combination of both of these facets. One of these critics, Leo Kirschbaum, suggests that the change in the structure of Measure for Measure is the result of a change in the characterization of Angelo. At the beginning of the play, Kirschbaum notes, Angelo is cruel and inflexible, but this is tempered somewhat by the fact that he is also noble in his consistent adherence to the law. But in the end he is a character who is no longer noble but who is instead â€Å"small-minded, mean, calculating (and) vindictive. † Therefore, a comprehensive analysis of the character and his significance is necessary to decide whether Angelo does actually deserve sympathy. Upon analysis of the early scenes, we, as the audience, would instinctively begin to consider Angelo a character not worthy of sympathy, as he has ostensibly fooled the Duke into trusting him enough to give him power over Vienna and then immediately condemns Claudio to death for impregnating his lover, despite his genuine love for her. By telling Angelo â€Å"Mortality and mercy in Vienna Live in thy tongue, and heart†, it is apparent that the Duke trusts Angelo, even more than his own right-hand man, Escalus, who is overlooked to be the Duke's deputy. This, however, is overshadowed by the Duke's conversation with the friar in I. iii where he says â€Å"Believe not that the dribbling dart of love Can pierce a complete bosom† and â€Å"I have on Angelo impos'd the office; Who may in th'ambush of my name strike home †¦ ; in both quotes we are led to believe that the Duke perhaps does not trust Angelo to the extent that is initially apparent. Instead, it appears to be part of a wider plan of which we are so far unaware. To make a moral judgement on Angelo at this stage of the play would be incorrect however; we have barely met him as a person, and only seen him in a brief exchange whilst accepting the position the Duke offers him. He is, however, â€Å"tyrannous† enough to promise Claudio's liberty in return for Isabella's virginity, such is his power in the Duke's place. These factors, along with his cruel treatment of Mariana, with whom he had plans of marriage which broke down because â€Å"her promised proportions Came sort of composition†, exposing his shallow and hypocritical nature, would point to Angelo not being worthy of the audience's sympathy, and simply a cold, emotionless character (â€Å"whose blood is very snowbroth†) created by Shakespeare to reflect the promiscuous evil of Viennese society at the time. For all the negative criticism of Angelo, there is in fact plenty of evidence to suggest he is a character with redeeming features who can be seen as reflecting the positive implications of punishment in a play so concerned with the theme of justice. His apology in the final scene is the prime example of his somewhat altered attitude, due to the events of the story. He is â€Å"sorry that such sorrow I procure And so deep sticks it in my penitent heart† – a quote which refers to the Duke's analysis that â€Å"the dribbling dart of love Can [not] pierce a complete bosom†. This apology, especially with its placement at the end of the play, does leave the audience with a slightly more positive view of Angelo than would be had otherwise. Angelo's initial refusal of Isabella's offering whilst carrying out the Duke's plan is another factor of the play which would lead the audience to sympathising somewhat with Angelo and not considering him an entirely malicious character. Despite the evidence of these two points, however, I firmly believe that Angelo is mainly a character undeserving of sympathy, whose reputation amongst the masses is well-founded by his selfish actions and hypocritical nature, as we learn that he has committed a crime far worse than Claudio's – something apparently known by the Duke, who soliloquises at the end of Act III, saying â€Å"He who the sword of heaven will bear Should be as holy as severe†. Although the best analysis of Angelo as a person would clearly be a combination of both malicious and beneficent, as many of the key characters in Shakespeare's ‘problem plays' would best be described as, he does appear to be vastly a malevolent being, not worth of the audience's compassion.