Medieval Period Tunic

The word tunic has been derived from the word ‘tunica’ (Latin), meaning an enclosing membrane of body tissue. From the period of ancient Greeks and Romans up to the medieval times, tunics have probably been the most common dress worn by all classes of men; slaves as well as the nobles, and all other people from different occupations.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Medieval Period Tunic specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The simplest kind of tunic was readied by sewing two pieces of cloth, making a tube; holes were kept for the arms. The medieval tunic resembled a T-shirt and was worn by men and women alike. The medieval tunics were made from a varied range of fabrics, depending on the status of the people wearing them. Even different forms of tunics were made for people of different status. The medieval tunics usually had sleeves and were cut to different lengths. Male tunics reached crotch and thigh in length; older men wore knee-length tunics (Diehl Donnelly, 2011). The medieval tunic could be worn plain and/or tightened at the waist with a belt. The belt also served the purpose of a purse. The Romans wore tunics under their toga (a single piece gown). Woollen tunics were worn during the winter seasons. From all these facts about medieval tunics, it may be concluded that they were really versatile. The medieval tunics were made in different forms and the fabrics used in tailoring were also different (Netherton Owen-Crocker, 2012). The tunic was basically a significance of status and title. The women wore tunics that stretched up to the ankle. Such tunics were called ‘Tunica Talaris’. The word ‘talaris’ is a derivative of the Latin word ‘talus’, which means an ankle. Another form of the tunic was the ‘Tunica Pulla’. It was a black or any other dark coloured tunic that was put on as a symbol of mourning. Yet another form of m edieval tunic was the ‘Tunica Recta’. The word ‘recta’ means straight. This particular tunic was worn in the medieval period by the girls during their marriages and by the boys when they were supposed to have matured. Then there was the ‘Tunica Augusticlavia’ which was worn by the Roman magistrates. ‘Tunica Laticlavia’ was worn by the Roman senators. This form of tunic had a broad band on it that was easily recognizable from a distance. Lastly, the Roman emperors wore a special tunic called the ‘Ornamenta Triumphalia’. The ‘Ornamenta Triumphalia’ comprised of the ‘Tunica Palmata’ and the ‘Toga Picta’. This was the official dress of the Roman emperors. The ‘Tunica Palmata’ was heavily adorned by leaf embroidery made from gold thread. All the edges (like the neck-line, wrist ends, and the bottom edge) of this tunic had a rich and colourful border.Advertising Lookin g for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The different ranks of office bearers were distinguished by the ‘Latus Clavus’. The office bearers of the Roman Empire wore tunics that had a particular number of bands sewn on them. The quantity of bands signified the rank of the wearer and the ‘Roman Sumptuary Laws’ governed this quantity. Even the width of the bands was governed by the ‘Roman Sumptuary Laws’. The members of the senate used to wear tunics with a scarlet or purple band. The band was about 2 inches in width and was considered to be a distinct badge of office. Even the male children of the senators could put on this band but in such cases the band had to be a less wide. The ‘equites’ or the knights wore a different tunic that had a band on each side and also at the front and the back. These bands were called the ‘Augustus Clavus’. The usual colour of these bands was purple but other colours such as red, violet and dark blue were also authorized. Modern interpretation of medieval tunic Although the modern day tunic does not have similar social and/or historical context, it is popular in the fashion world, particularly among women. The changing context also refers to the style and fabric used for making this item. Despite the shifts in trends, women’s tunic can still have elements reminding of the medieval epoch. Specific attention should be given to the loose sleeves and forms concealing the silhouette. In modern day women wear tunics with denims and it comes in various styles. Now-a-days tunic can be worn as a traditional outfit too. During the medieval period, tunics were worn as they were the only commonly used clothing. But in today’s world, tunics are considered to be a fashion statement. They come in large varieties with lovely laces and embroidery works. Tunics have never gone out of style. Even th ough the bottoms styles come and go, tunics in all variations have stayed till date. During medieval period, the material of the tunic suggested the rank and position of the person putting it on. Like the poor people wore tunics made from normal cloth whereas the rich wore tunics made from costly material such as linen and silk. But now-a-days women wear trendy linen tunics with formal pants as a daily wear. This is one style that young girls wear with denims and married women wear it as one of their traditional outfits.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Medieval Period Tunic specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Tunics are gracefully accepted by both the orthodox and the conservative families as they are decent and sober clothing. Tunics have also transformed into short dresses. Many manufactures have indulged in large scale manufacturing of tunics as they remain in demand throughout the year. During summers, you get them in pastel colours and in winters they are available in dark and vibrant colour tones. When on a shopping spree, no matter which store we enter or which online shopping site we surf, we can find tunics in abundance, and that too in a variety of colours, shapes, designs, sizes, and materials. In fact tunics are the most hunted clothing by the female gender (Thats, 2012). The main difference between the tunics of medieval times and those of today is the length. As discussed earlier in the paper, women wore tunics that were up to the ankles but today’s tunics are up to the knees to the maximum. One of the main reasons of the revival of this historical clothing and its popularity among the female gender is that being loose fitted clothing it hides the actual body type. Means it doesn’t allow the onlooker to have information about the actual body figure. This is a boon for women and girls who are plump but want to hide their being overweight from the people. At the same time, wearing a tunic allows overweight women and girls to wear tight jeans and leg-ins to keep up with the fashion trend. Modern day tunics can be accessorized according to the requirement of the day or event. There are many accessories that go with the tunics. Such accessories include belts, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, etc. The best part of wearing a tunic is that there is no fixed style. The wearer can make her own style statement with the help of the accessories. Like while going to office you can wear a tunic without a belt (it looks little formal) and in the evening, you may put on a sizzling belt to enhance the look of your tunic. Another reason for the revival and the popularity of the tunics among the women is that since they are loose fitted, women can do all their chores easily. The tunic is really very comfortable and allows the wearer to move freely. As mentioned earlier in this paper, tunics hide the real body type. This enables the overweight women and girls to l ook attractive. Normal T-shirts or shirts reveal the actual body shape and the overweight women and girls might look shabby and ugly. So it may be said that tunics enhance the beauty or aestheticism in the female gender. Even for slim girls and women, tunics are a nice, sober, and smart way to be decent and formal. In countries (especially Islamic countries) where women are required not to reveal too much of their body description, tunics are a great clothing. They serve a dual purpose; help the wearer in being decent and at the same time keeping up with the fashion.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Gothic dress for women Let us first understand the meaning of ‘Goth’. Goth was basically an outrage against the fashion styles that prevailed during the 1970s. People who believed in the Goth culture were against any extravagance and use of vibrant and gaudy colours in clothing. Gothic dresses are basically dresses that are worn by the people of Goth culture. Usually, the colour of such clothing is black. There are certain typical characteristics of the people of the Goth culture. They can be identified from the following traits – black clothes and hairs, male Goths have long hair, filthiness and untidiness, inclination towards writing poetry, and attention seekers. Despite the fact that the Gothic style is well distinguished from other historic styles, it contains eclectic elements (Taylor, 2004). In particular, it skilfully combines sensibility, beauty, and simplicity of the dress due to the employment of sumptuous fabrics, such as brocades and velvets. In addi tion, the gothic garment was usually presented in a black colour pallet, which also introduces a specific meaning and style during this period. The basic concept behind the Gothic garments was to minimise extravagance and to look decent. Vibrant colour garments highlight the presence of people wearing them. Probably, the reason for choosing black colour for Gothic garments was to keep a low profile. This aspect may be related to being decent, as in the case of tunics. The onlookers are not attracted towards the person wearing Gothic clothing. Apart from the clothing, the overall look of people of Gothic culture is totally unattractive with long and untidy hairs people of Gothic culture can be distinguished easily. Fashion statement of any particular period reflects the prevailing social beliefs and the approach of people. During the fifteenth century, the fashion was limited to the upper class or the opulent people. The general public couldn’t afford the costly and fashionabl e clothing. In fact they were too busy in their daily chores to pay attention to things that were not important for them. Until the seventeenth century, different areas were under the Lords. People didn’t have much of a say in most of the matters. Fashion was one such thing that was unknown to the normal public. But as soon as the royal power gained supremacy over the feudal power, the Lords became weaker as far as their control over the people was concerned. People became free to decide for themselves. People started to earn more and had spare money to attend to their fantasies. This was when they started learning about fashion and practising the prevailing trends. This was the period when printing was invented and people were able to keep themselves updated on the latest happenings around them. Media was also one of the mediums to spread fashion during that period. Modern interpretation of Gothic dresses The influence of revival of historical style constitutes the main reas on for the emergence of the gothic style at the modern time (Brill, 2004). However, unlike the historical gothic style, the modern waives are more concerned with aesthetics and the revival of the romantic movements (Spooner, 2004). The modern day Gothic dresses are actually far similar to the ones that were initially meant to be. The main motive behind Gothic dresses was to oppose extravagance and vibrant colours in clothing. But today’s Gothic dresses have become very popular and the prices are sky-rocketing. But at least the colour has not been changed. Even today, the Gothic dresses are mainly in black or other dark colours. But since renowned stores have started selling Gothic dresses the cost has gone up. Moreover, famous designers have also started designing the Gothic dress, which again has added to the cost to a great extent. Gothic dresses are now being seen as fashion statements. Celebrities wear these dresses at special events, making them all the more popular. Peo ple who like to imitate their favourite celebrities want to adore themselves with Gothic dresses. Fashion is such a thing or tradition that is spread by the famous and rich people. So the concept has totally changed; from being ant-extravagant, the Gothic dresses have now become super extravagant. References Brill, D. (2008). Goth Culture: Gender, Sexuality, and Style. Germany: Berg. Diehl, D., Donnelly, M. P. (2011). Medieval Celebrations: Your Guide to Planning and Hosting Spectacular Feasts, Parties, Weddings, and Renaissance Fairs. US: Stackpole Books. Netherton, R., Owen-Crocker, G. R. (2012). Medieval Clothing and Textiles. US: Boydell Press. Spooner, C. (2004). Fashioning Gothic Bodies. UK: Manchester University Press. Taylor, L. (2004). Establishing Dress History. UK: Manchester University Press. Thats, S. (2012). Women’s Tunics-oh so stylish. Retrieved from http://moderntunics.blogspot.com/ This essay on Medieval Period Tunic was written and submitted by user Teagan E. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Bourne Supremacy essays

The Bourne Supremacy essays To start with, I want to say that the movie The Bourne Supremacy impressed me so much because of its action. Every moment of the film is so fast and its holds attention! Infrequently continuation of successful film appears so grasping and original. Fortunately, it was possible to film with Matt Damon. The thriller which will not allow the spectator to relax, can brag of an interesting plot and the talented actors who have proved to be from the best party. Two years ago Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) as it seemed to it, has finished with the past. But now its past just about will overtake it. The elite agent who has lost memory of CIA Born (Damon) tries to begin a new peace life in far India in the company of true girlfriend Marie (Franka Potente). But, as us for a long time have convinced, spies do not release on pension. When in the peace small village which has become by a haven of fugitives, there is an Agent, Bourne and Mary throw the new life and hasten away: when the past appears on a threshold, for Bourne it is necessary only - to run one choice. But as soon as it crosses an invisible line, and rates in global game in a cat-mousy raise, created Treadstone - the confidential organization not existing not so made on white light of cool professional murderers-mercenaries - Jason Bourne comes back. The main character wants to find out who hi is and what was in his past. He is trying to go on a step ahead of present at each inexplicable sight of the stranger, each casual phone call of danger in any second and without any prevention to be tightened in the world, which as it hopes, has remained in the past. And again Hollywood reduces together old friends on Cold War: CIA against KGB with it dirty " Russian communications ". Operation of CIA with participation of Russian investigation fails, a whipping boy becomes Bourne - and the former killer of CIA should play on two parties to find a way out of a situation and, during searc...

Immuno-labelling, fluorescence microscopy and live time-lapse imaging Lab Report

Immuno-labelling, fluorescence microscopy and live time-lapse imaging - Lab Report Example The background of the alterations in the cell behaviour to include shape and movement is examined in the paper. The paper seeks to explain the significance of the microtubules in the cell, which is to increase the motility of the cells and the affinity of the cells on different reactions as detected in the body and the cell physiologies (Diaspro, 2011. p. 125). The examination of the process of immune labelling in the experiment to detect the presence and effects of the proteins in the cells is explained. The aims and objectives of an experiment basically answer the intent of the experiment. In this case the aims are directed towards the administration and examination of the cell physiology and the detection of the cell proteins and the reaction tests of the antibodies and antigens of the cell. This work explores on the background of the experiment and the purposes of the involvement of the cell physiological processes and the influences they have, such as the proteins, microtubules. The explanations of the experiment’s procedures, the tasks, actions, results and the findings are all covered in the paper. Introduction Immuno-labelling, fluorescence microscopy and live time-lapse imaging involves the cellular biological experiments which aim to detect as well as visualize the structures of the cells while analyzing the cellular changes in the cell and its substructures during a certain period of the body biological processes (Reimer & Kohl, 2008). This experiment involves the study of the immune system dynamics in the human tracheal cells. The involvement of the fluorescent microscopy in the experiment implies the detection of the fluorescent protein in the cell organelles, while observing other defects in the structure of the cell during the experiment. The experiment is not targeted at one result as the process includes diverse measures to analyze different structures in the cells. The process generally involves the analysis of the cell health to entire ty (Widdows, Kingdom & Ansari, 2009 pp 735). Immuno labelling is a biological process that involves the detection of antigen to a particular site in a cell, tissue or organ. In any immune labelling reaction the antigen and the antibody reacts within the given organ or tissue or cell in the experiment. The experimentation of the immuno labelling in the cell experiments are meant to reveal information about the cell or the substructures of the cells. In these processes, the antigens can be detected and visualizes using a combination of antigen-specific antibody in the process of detection referred to as tag, which is covalently related to the antibody (Tiwari & Nagai, 2013. pp 497). The immune cytochemistry, which is the process involving the imagery and analysis of the cell biology through fluorescent microscopy, compare the amplification strategies for the primary antibody detection in the cells. The results of the experiment after the detection analysis are used to direct action to wards achieving the recommended remedies (Hyatt & Wise, 2001. pp 97). Background of the Experimental Processes The cells of the immune system in the human body explore a wider existence territory than any other cells in the biological systems. The immune-imagery involves t6he visualization of the cells in the native tissues with the intent to detect the changes in the cell biological process of the cell. This process involves the quantification of the immune responses at the cellular level. It is through the process that the

Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault - Essay Example Thesis: Power was the fulcrum around which all else revolved during the Classical period and through Foucault’s examples and arguments we understand how the body was debased through coercion and control, but gradually there came about a shift in power relations which we are experiencing today. In Foucault’s words - â€Å"Perhaps we should abandon the belief that power makes mad and that, by the same token, the renunciation of power is one of the conditions of knowledge. We should admit, rather, that power produces knowledge†¦.† (Michael Foucault, 1977, pp. 27/28) According to Foucault, both power and knowledge compliment each other and go hand in hand together. He explains that power relations cannot exist without the field of knowledge and in the same way, it is knowledge that contributes towards power relations. In Part I, Foucault speaks about torture that was used as a tool to discipline the body during the 18th century, giving us examples of torturous p enalties that were meted out during those days such as public executions. E.g. Damien’s torture (pgs. 3-5) This period of torture resulted in the ushering in of a new penal system for Europe and the United States. New theories involving law and crime were introduced while the ancient laws and customs were discarded and the new reforms were based on the political justification of punishment. According to Foucault, â€Å"justice no longer takes public responsibility for the violence that is bound up with its practice†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Michael Foucault, 1977, p.9) However, with the introduction of the new penal system in our society today, judges have to judge something more than the crime and part of their powers are distributed to other authorities. â€Å"Today, criminal justice functions and justifies itself only by this perpetual reference to something other than itself, by this unceasing reinscription in non-juridical systems.   It’s fate is to be redefined by knowl edge† (22). In Part II, Foucault sheds light on ‘Punishment’. During this period punitive practices were redefined through refinement. Cold blooded criminality morphed into a criminality of fraud. This complex mechanism laid more emphasis and value on more stringent methods of surveillance and effective techniques of getting information which critics called ‘a bad economy of power.’ (79) The eighteenth century saw many reforms in the legal system such as new techniques and tactics for refining and regularizing the art of punishment and reducing the economic and political costs by making it more effective. In Part III, Foucault discusses about ‘Docile bodies’ that was directed towards coercion and supervising the activity rather than the result. In Foucault’s opinion, discipline serves to create docile bodies by disassociating the power from the body. On one hand, it increases an individuals capacity and aptitude but on the other ha nd, it arrests the flow of energy and brings about subjection. According to Foucault, â€Å"disciplinary coercion establishes in the body, the constricting link between an increased aptitude and an increased domination† (138) Among Foucault’s Disciplinary techniques, the one I have chosen for discussion is – ‘Control of Activity.’ Foucault describes discipline as a constant controlling of the activities,

Ryanair Analysis of Strengths and Weaknesses

Ryanair Analysis of Strengths and Weaknesses Michael Porter defines Strategy as a combination of the goals for which the firm is striving and the means and policies by which it is seeking to get there. According to him the Strategy is about competitive position, about differentiating yourself from the point of view of the customer, about adding value through a mix of activities different from those used by competitors. Kenneth Andrews defines Corporate strategy as the pattern of decisions in a company that determines and reveals its objectives, purposes, or goals, produces the principal policies and plans for achieving those goals, and defines the range of business the company is to pursue, the kind of economic and human organization it is or intends to be, and the nature of the economic and non-economic contribution it intends to make to its shareholders, employees, customers, and communities.. Background Currently, the commercial world and its borders are changing more rapidly with regard of terms of size and speed. Travelling all around the world is no longer a luxury but a requirement for many of the population. In the past only rich people could afford to travel, in nowadays with the increasing movement of the technology, students as well as people with average profits can benefit. Due to this fact, in the past decades the number of airlines worldwide has been increasing significantly and respectively in early70s a new type emerged for the first time in the U.S.: the low cost airlines. The first low cost airline was Southwest Airlines which began operations in 1971 and was profitable only in 1973 (Oliveira and Huse, 2008). After twenty years after the Americans (Beigbeder, 2007) due to the fact of the deregulation of European skies in early 1990s, the phenomenon appeared in Europe. One of the first low-cost airlines which emerged was Ryanair (Ireland) and Easy Jet (UK) and they keep being still among the most active on the market. Companys history, development, and growth Ryanair is one of the Worlds favorite airlines and operates more than 1,400 flights per day from 44 bases and 1100+ low fare routes across 27 countries, connecting 160 destinations. Ryanair operates a fleet of 250 new Boeing 737-800 aircraft with firm orders for a further 64 new aircraft which will be delivered over the next 2 years (www.ryanair.com). Ryanair is a innovator among LCA (Low Cost Airline) companies in Europe. They were among the first and they are still today the most active LCA on the continent. This business is increasing fast and from the beginning has passed through very significant phases. Ryanair was founded in 1985 by the Ryan family in Ireland. In 1988 and during only one year due to financial losses, the company launches a business class service and a frequent flyer club for customers, neither of which prove particularly successful. This change has meant that Ryanair has changed its generic strategy. Indeed, the company since the early 90s pursuing a cost strategy. Ryanair now offers the lowest fares in every market, high frequency flights, moving to a single aircraft fleet type, scrapping free drinks and expensive meals on board. These decisions have significantly reduced ticket prices for customers. In order to reduce again costs, Ryanair decided also to narrow down traveling lines from 19 to 6 routes between 1990 and 1992. With this new policy the Irish firm carry over 1 million passengers in one year for the first time in 1993. On 29th May 1997 Ryanair becomes a public company for the first time with a successful flotation on the Dublin and NASDAQ (New York) St ock Exchanges. In March 1999, Ryanair accepts the delivery of five new Boeing 737-800 series aircraft. Those new aircrafts began operations from the main base at London Stansted, and their impact allowed Ryanair to operate with significantly lower seat costs and to offer much lower airfares, but with better reliability and a fantastic new customer product (www.ryanair.com). Communication between customers and the company is always a priority. In 2000, Ryanairs website (www.ryanair.com) became the largest booking website in Europe with more than 50.000 bookings each week. This source of information allows also customers to avail of the lowest car hire, hotel accommodation, travel insurance and rail services. At that time, Ryanair was the only LCA which developed interactive useful internet services for customers. Ryanair was in 2003 in the category most popular brand the fifth most searched website in the world (http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/zeitgeist2003.html). The Irish airline became also the first LCA to sponsor a program on television in order to gained more customers. The company decided to sponsor Skynews Weather reports. Following this effort in communication, 1 million people traveled for the first time in during a month with Ryanair in august 2001. According to R. OBrian (mail communication, 15 April 2009) in order to be closer to custome rs, they build also the first continental base at Brussels Charleroi Airport in Belgium between 2001 and the end of 2002. In 2002, the company selected Frankfurt Hahn as the second Continental European base and launched in April with 10 routes. German customers flock in their millions to avail of the lowest air fares to and from Frankfurt according to J. Meier (personal communication, 15 April 2009). To accommodate this growth, Ryanair announced the largest ever aircraft order by an Irish airline by increasing their aircraft order with Boeing from 45 to 125 firm aircraft, with a further 125 options. The value of this order exceeds à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 6 billion and signals Ryanairs ambition to continue to be the largest LCA in Europe. Ryanair became also the number one in Europe of customer services beating all other European airlines for punctuality, fewer cancellations and least lost bags (www.ryanair.com). Meanwhile according to the company respondent communications to customers have not stopped. In 2004, Ryanair is named the most popular airline on the web by Google, as the website continues to be the most searched travel one in Europe. These performances continued and now more than 98% of all Ryanair bookings are made through the website and Internet customer services. During 2005 and 2006, Ryanair used communication tools in order to try to be different from other airlines for customers. First, they made a big communication called no fuel surcharge guarantee. Following the statements by the respondents , this was a new communication for customers because many full service airlines such as British airways, Air France or Lufthansa continue even today to supplement already high fares fuel with surcharges in case of extra costs. Second, Ryanair became The Worlds Favorite Airline because they carried more customers than British Airways and all other airline and LCA firms. Third, Ryanair was and is still the most punctual company in Europe with more than 90% of flights who arrived on time and respect schedules. Many radio advertising were made with this information. Finally, in order to attract new customers, they offered 100.000 seats for 1à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ for the 20th birthday of the Irish brand. From 2006 until now, a new customer service was launched . According to the respondent This is a web check-in service giving passengers the opportunity to check-in online across Ryanairs entire route network. The company is also the first airline worldwide to carried more than 5 million travelers in a month and created plan for a new customer service: onboard mobile. For the moment, Ryanair has 830 low fare routes all around Europe and across 26 different European countries. They produced customer services from their 31 European bases. Ryanair currently has a team of more than 8,000 people and expects to carry approximately 73.5 million passengers in the current fiscal year (www.ryanair.com). Strategy Ryanair strategy remains the same from the beginning of the 90s and since then it continues to act as the European LCA leader and continues the expansion in order to attract more customers. Ryanair aims to offer low fares that generates increased passengers traffic while maintaining a continuous focus on cost-containment and operating efficiencies (Ryanairs annual report from 2008). Business Model Full Service : Low Cost: Using HubSpoke network, Congestion during peak hours Delay of only a few inbound flights Will spill over across large portions of the network Low average daily utilization of aircraft, higher costs per seat mile Enormous transaction costs Complex fare structure Non-stop point-to-point services High seating density and load factors, Uniform aircraft types (usually the 737-300) Direct booking (internet/call centre no sales commissions) No frills such as free food/drinks, lounges or air miles Simple systems of yield management (pricing) Use of secondary airports to cut charges and turnaround times The main components of their strategy are low fares, customer services, frequent point-to-point flights on short-haul routes, low operating costs, high maintaining productivity, high personnel productivity, low customers costs, airport access fees, taking again a better advantage of Internet in order to serve the customer, commitment to safety and quality maintenance, enhancement of operating results and ancillary services and focused criteria or objectives for growth (Ryanairs annual report from 2008). Passengers may trade-off price savings against service reductions but anyway Ryanairs market success shows that the product/price trade-off is broadly in line with customers requirements so far. One of the key to the success of Ryanair was that they adopted the decision to build a powerful brand and as an example in 2003 the company was declared the fifth most searched website in the world. This confirms Gilbert ´s (1996) assumptions that branding is becoming increasingly important when it comes to product differentiation. In the case of LCA`s building brand recognition can be seen as another effective tool to be prepared for the competitive environment. These assumptions will be tightened through the argumentation by O ´Connelly and Williams (2005) that for LCA ´s who are offering a strong alternative to full service airlines it is from special relevance to build a strong brand around the company, but with the addition of customer loyalty and satisfaction. During the years the airline has stated clearly the product and stayed rigidly to that model with over 180 routes and 17 bases. In order to maintain the low fares the company has decided to eliminate the amount of travel agents and marketing costs and to sell tickets per internet. This strategic decision had a positive impact and as a result the number of the customers has increased because the clients prefer to avoid the agency and to check, compare and buy the tickets themselves. Since the implementation of internet booking in 2000, passenger numbers has grown rapidly. The growth rate increased from 15,7% (in 1999) to 30,7% (in 2000) and to over 40 % in the following years. Ryanair stimulated the passenger growing by focusing on price and not on service. Thinking on long terms this can arouse problems when another new airline enters the market and this may adversely affect Ryanair`s market share and profitability. This assumption is mainly based on statement by Lawton (1999) where it is said that just having the focus on one strategy, for instance price leadership, will be unsustainable in the future. Mainly driven by the Ryanair will to expand it is certain to sustain its competitive advantage by setting the focus secondary. While the rate of price reduction in air fares charged by low cost airlines is likely to moderate the passenger demand for the Ryanair product is likely to remain high. Ryanair clearly satisfies the markets demand which indicates that the strong price reducing strategy attracts a high number of customers. We can suppose that this fact will remain the same as far as the clients dont change their preferences and their necessities, as long as they want just to move from one point to another and nothing more. The clients tend to keep and select the low cost airline especially for the low cost services provided by them. However the Ryanair is not really focused in the relations with the customers and are counting every penny in order to maintain them on the market. To give you anecdotal case experience I had with Ryanair: one of my Ryanair flight was cancelled so I ended with no communications at all, no change of the ticket, no accommodation provided. Writing numerous letters to Ryanair didnt get me not even a reply and only after writing to the European Commissions for Air Passengers Rights after 3 years Ive got my money back. The conclusion is that what is really important for the company is to keep the low cost as low as possible, no matter what is takes. Otherwise Ryanair could even however face the problem of cost cutting itself out of the market. What counts to the customers is to obtain fair services in direct rapport with the fair prices. The focus that Ryanair need to be focus is the importance of relationship building with its customers, otherwise it may risk losing its position. In case that the airline is capable to unite the low price with a special network of customer fidelity, only then the competitive advantage can be obtained. Strategies could be influenced directly by the numbers of travellers. According to the history of the Ryanair, in its initial stages the company wasnt very effective and after introducing the hard discount pricing strategy the firm became really successful and attractive for the clients. Companys internal strengths and weaknesses SWOT Analysis Strengths Low Cost Pioneer First in cost reductions 1stmover advantage Strong Brand Established market share Variety of supplementary services Weaknesses Week relations with customers Unpredictable customer relations Poor relations between employees Refused to recognize unions Reliance on Michael OLeary Unfriendly connection with competitors Opportunities Continuing development Advanced fee decreasing EU growth Traveller Destinations Rapidly developing competition New low cost entrants Alliance/Mergers between rivals Threats Industry criticism Alternative transportation(cars, trains) External environnement Analyzing the external environment we can define 4 categories of external factors that influence the strategy of Ryanair. Political and legal: Have an increased Trade-Union pressure, EU abolishment of Duty-free Sales, EU expansion Advertising and Marketing Campaigns Economic: Continuously price growth of fuel Depreciation of US dollars EU Commissions Decisions regarding: communication with passengers, cancelled passenger compensation, overbooking, getting illegal subsidies from airports. Sociocultural: The developing of new style of living by travelling, increasing demand of business with require travelling Increasing of new high-speed trains, better cars and other ways of travelling Technological: With Internet, and all the IT technology, everything is much simple you can book, cancel, buy easily a ticket wherever you like Competitors Ryanair now has a number of low-cost competitors. In 2004, approximately 60 new low-cost airlines were formed. Although traditionally a full-service airline, Aer Lingus moved to a low-fares strategy from 2002, leading to a much more intense competition with Ryanair on Irish routes. AirBerlin wich uses a Business model -instead of point to point connections, it offered guaranteed connections via its hubs, low fare alliances. Another new competitor is BNIBaby a subsidiary of BMI British Midband and leading low cost carriers in the Midlands and Nothern England. Alos is FlyBE which has an incorporated aspect of budget airline model. Airlines which attempt to compete directly with Ryanair are treated competitively, with Ryanair being accused by some of reducing fares to significantly undercut their competitors. In response to MyTravelLite, who started to compete with Ryanair on the Birmingham to Dublin route in 2003, Ryanair set up competing flights on some of MyTravelLites routes until they pulled out. Go was another airline which attempted to offer services from Ryanairs base at Dublin to Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland. A fierce battle ensued, which ended with Go withdrawing its service from Dublin. [Quinn, Eamonn. No competitors for Ryanair in Dublin, says Cassani, 30 November 2003, at Tcm.ie. Retrieved 18 December 2006.] Ryanairs biggest competitor is EasyJet, announced routes to the Republic of Ireland for the first time, beginning with the Cork to London Gatwick route. Until then, EasyJet had never competed directly with Ryanair on its home ground. [Mulligan, John. Ryanair wins judicial review of decision over Knock route, 10 September 2008 at Independent.ie] External Analysis Porters Five Forces Threat of new Entrants Medium Is somehow affected by new comers in the market Suppliers Bargaining Power Low Industry Competitors Competition Among existing Firms High There are several strong competitors fighting for the same clients. Buyers Bargaining Power Low Threat Of Substitute Products Medium There is a living style that makes EU people to travel during the weekend with, buses, cars, caravans, trails Ryanair Competitive Advantage In nowadays the company tries to position itself by providing a strong brand on the market and obtaining a good reputation. Driven by this, company has to adapt each time to the condition of the market following strategies that can improve their competitiveness. These include cost leadership, differentiation, focused cost leadership and integrated cost leadership/differentiation. Ryanair restructured the model and they moved from conventional airline to the first European low fare. At the beginning it provided services only between Ireland and the UK. At the end of 1990 in spite of the increasing in clients, Ryanair faced losses of 20 mln IR pounds. At this period of time and directed by Michael OLeary the company decides to adopt the model of successful American Southwest Airlines. The problems encountered at this stage were that, Ryanair tried to concentrate and on costs and also on focus. At this stage, the competitors can invade the market, and without a proper strategy the compa ny cannot position themselves on a segment and survive. So they choose to go for Cost Leadership which proved to be a right choice. So how they do that: Fleet Standardization The company uses the most sold and used planes from the world Boeing 737. Maintenance costs are low, spares parts are chip and because of this, the Ryanair is capable to keep the low prices, New Aircrafts, Owns Own Fleet, Operations Denominated in Euro, Hedge Fuel Risk Airport Charges The company chose to avoid main airports and to use secondary or regional airport but closed to big cities, and respectively these airport charge lower taxes Limited Airport Transportation Employees and Productivity The company provides lower employment costs, but the staff can earn more money based on their performance Model Online Bookings, One Class Travel, Ticketless Boarding, Unallocated Seats, Point-to-Point Flying, No Frills, Reduced Turnaround Times, No Refund Policy Outsourcing of Services The company uses the third part services such as aircraft handling, ticketing. Highly Successful Ancillary Service Offering, Outsourcing of Services at International Airports, Marketing and Advertising The companys promoting is basically in newspaper, radio, television and their web site Advertising on Airplanes, In-house Marketing Basic Service on board Offers minimum standards of service and very low prices for point-to point short have flights, no extra such as in flight meals, advance seat assignment, free drinks and other services. Eliminating seatback pockets, No blankets or pillows, Airsickness bags distributed on request, Charges larger penalties for overweight luggage This strategy was a success and by 1997, Ryanair was floated on the Dublin Stock Exchange and on NASDAQ. Expansion strategy is another factor that enables Ryanair to position itself in the marketplace. The company has been known to be an airline which launches new routes since its operation begins. In addition, under the expansion strategy, company acquires Buzz in February 26, 2003. Such acquisition enables Ryanair to gain immediate access to11 new French regional airports and makes the company the largest airline operating at London Stansted Airport. In addition, the company continues to expand by opening two new Continental European bases with low-fare flights from Milan Bergamo and Stockholm. In the year, 2003, the company has been able to launch 73 new routes and carry over 2 million passengers in one month (July). In addition, the company website has been able to make the company position itself in the global market. Corporate Strategy High Global Strategy Transnational Strategy Low International Strategy Multidomestic strategy Low High Future of Ryainair Cutting costs: Race to bottom Ryanair, the Worlds favorite airline, today (9th  July) launched an online poll to ask if   passengers would stand on short flights if it meant they could travel for FREE, or pay 50% less than seated passengers.  Ryanair is gauging passenger demand for its vertical seating which will allow passengers to travel for free in a secure upright position on short flights of approximately one hour. Source:http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/news.php?yr=09month=julstory=gen-en-090709 Ryanairs Future Plans, Cutting the costs, No Window Blinds , No Reclining Seats, Leather Seats , Velcro Headrests , Carry-on Luggage Profit enhancement Satellite Television , Internet On-board , Rented In-flight entertainment Future plans Free tickets. In a decade or so, airlines will pay travellers to distribute people around Europe. The airline industry is Tesco, is Ikea, is network TV in the way viewers watch for free and advertisers Pay for access to them, is the internet in the same way that websites earn money for delivering click-through traffic or other sites. Michael OLeary ,Chief Executive Officer of the Irish airline Ryanair Issues at Ryanair Risks and Challenges Extra capacity building would create certaintly about the success of new routes and locations Fuel Prices Vulnerable to rising fuel prices Represents 35 % of the operating costs Compensation to passengers Regulation by the European Union Terrorism and security Added risks and Costs to the industry Expand into Central and Eastern Europe Continue aggressive acquisition Overhaul the customer service Internet ticketing Develop the smaller operating base Increase the ancillary revenues-focus on after sales Future Conclusion Despite the fact that Ryanair is tied to low cost policy and doesnt care about the loyalty of the clients, the relations with the Clients, the service and with bad experience with them, the customers and myself will keep to buy their services, yes we will get the basic service but is cheap, is easy and after the exams I will fly with them in Portugalia. Ryanair rapid growth is due to: Low cost Airline Business Model that restructured European Aviation Industry Pioneer innovative cost reduction methods Creative alternative revenue generation free flights goal in next phase evolution Value segments consist of travellers interested to optimize comfort, time and price. This would mean a requirement for city-centric airports, and comfortable departure times. Competitors are catering to value market segment and have established slots at some primary airports, furthermore provide cost effective basic services. Acquisition of a similar airline would enhance expansion into value-orientated market segments without comprising its top position in the low-price segment. The key challenge for Ryanair in the next few years therefore is developing a successful strategy for not only winning the war in Low Price segment but acquiring solid position in the Value Segment and in new non-European markets. 5. ReferencesBelfast Telegraph. Finance crisis good for

Code of Ethics Essay

The code of ethics is a very important part of the business workplace and must be managed in the right way in order to become successful and maintain the perfect work role. Being able to come up with ideas and plans for code of ethics is a good thing in the workplace because it gives the employees boundaries and policies that have to be followed in order to have a good code of conduct. Code of conduct is a little different from code of ethics because conduct talks about behavior skills in the workplace and ethics plays a role as choosing the right ethical behavior that an employee might show. There are many organizations out there and mostly all of them have either a code of ethics, code of conduct, or even both. These codes are put into the working industry and the environment of the workplace in order to run a business that has no complications and employees have to do what their told. In order to create a code of ethics for an organization, you need to know the components to which can be referenced back to the code of ethics. A code of ethics is also to be accompanied by plans for organizational education, implementation and audit. The overall achievement for creating the code of ethics for the workplace is to come up with a perfect solution theory and be able to translate it into a code that speaks out to the employees and lets them know the rules and regulations of their present day work environment. There are many components that make up the code of ethics because it is initially the rite of passage for workers in a business working environment. What does a statement mean when it is called unethical? Who is the one to decide on whether or not a situation is ethical or not? What are the exact theories and solutions of ethics in the workplace? All these questions relate in a way because of how the work environment is suppose to play a role only by following the right code of ethics and conduct. But there are some who say that the code of ethics cannot be morally wrong or right. Some others believe though that the ethics of code should not have a place in the business industry. We live in a world that is filled with competition and every single individual is trying to be the best they can be at trying to get ahead of one another. In order for this theory to play out, it would be practically impossible for a code of conduct or ethics to be able to be played out in the work environment. By being ethical, there are many ways to win over certain individuals and be at the top of the rat race. In order to be a winner, it is a long journey and passage, but with cretin components of ethics, a positive individual is able to build up work power and use it towards a workplace in a professional way. No matter how badly you need something to be done, going beyond the established code of ethics in the workplace to achieve it is simply unacceptable. † (Lalwani, 2010) Before someone goes into the path of work ethics, one must first take a look at the ethics and benefits of a workplace in order to become a winner of the business industry. Soon as an organization has an established code of conduct and ethics, it is always better to be able to have a greater image and function than a normal man. When a code of ethics is established in the workplace, it enables self-regulation on part of the employees, and it is this code of ethics that guides employees when challenging decisions have to be made. † (Lalwani, 2010) This quality is able to enforce professionalism in the working environment and can also be a provider of products and services in and around an organizations capital. If none of these accusations are able to be produced and made ethically, it is due to the lack of inspiration towards the ethical code of conduct. These are some examples of code of conduct and code of ethics: â€Å"Misrepresentation of data, taking advantage of a professional situation just for personal benefits, working for an organization whose values and ethics conflict with your personal ethics, instigating colleagues and fellow employees to follow unethical paths for group benefits or gains, stealing or misrepresenting information for personal benefit, or on behalf of the employer for the benefit of the organization, stealing or misrepresenting information for personal benefit, or on behalf of the employer for the benefit of the organization, flouting the norm of confidentiality in the workplace regarding sensitive information that will benefit the organization, engaging in corporate espionage, misreporting the amount or number of hours worked, taking credit for work done by another colleague, dressing inappropriately or against the dress code set by the organization, getting personal with any colleague or superior in a professional setup, being dishonest in professional situations for personal or group gain, being insincere, uncommitted, and disloyal towards the organization, violating the established code of ethics in the workplace in the name of individual rights, disrespecting the personal values and beliefs of colleagues in the workplace, with which you have no concern, and dealing with problems in the workplace in an unprofessional manner by making the issue personal. (Lalwani, 2010) By all these rules and codes being engage in opportunity and failure, by following these codes of ethics, you can be the best employee that you possible can be in a work place. A workplace should be able to have ethical organizational subjects helping to decide what is right from wrong. But there are many certain business basics that one must follow and endure in order to play a role as a fellow works men. The basic role of ethics in the work place is for employees to make sure that productivity and progression of the business stay to a descent speed. In not doing so, unprofessional actions can start to take place and employee management will be harder to deal with. By carrying out suitable training to establish workplace ethics, these ethics can be imbibed by every person that comprises an organization, to achieve a common goal that has been laid out by this organization. † (Lalwani, 2010) There are many goals that employees set themselves to and to accomplish those daily goals, they must follow the code of ethics and the code of conduct in the workplace. There are multiple key components of work ethics in the business industry. But there are some organizations that go above and beyond the code of ethics and would soon end up violating the key components of an ethical work environment. There are companies such as Enron and Goldman Sachs show, which have dealt with violations towards the ethics code of conducts and have gone outside of their boundaries only to have failed. The code of ethics is the set of behavioral rules employees should follow to ensure the company’s values are reflected in all business dealings. Regardless of the size of the business, clearly defined codes and closely monitored transactions should keep your company from violating laws and make it a place where employees feel comfortable doing the right thing. † (Sullivan) The first major component of ethics is the values of ethical decision making. Businesses are able to express the performance of a company or an organization in terms of how they work with suppliers, employees, and customers on a day to day basis. â€Å"A primary objective of the code of ethics is to define what the company is about and make it clear that the company is based on honesty and fairness. (Sullivan) Values are defined as a word that describes interactions and the importance of what a company has to offer. A second component of ethics would be the principles of it and how they work towards the company’s performance. The principles come into play by supporting a value of the business industry then having employees of a company following the right scheduled operations. When principles play a role in the business world, customer satisfaction is the most important subject of running a business. No customers, no business. â€Å"Corporate responsibility to the environmentally friendly use of natural resources is another business principle that often is found in code of ethics. (Sullivan) Manager support comes from both the principles and values of the code of ethics. This subject is able to include a process of reporting any ethic violations towards the code of ethics and by the process of which people can run an organization. â€Å"To reflect how seriously management considers the code, some businesses display the code of ethics with management signatures in prominent areas, such as the break room, where employees will see it on a daily basis. † (Sullivan) The fourth component that comes into play with the code of ethics is personal responsibility. Personal responsibility regards that each of the employees working in an organization have total responsibility to uphold and keep with the program of ethics. There are both legal and moral issues regarding this certain component because if an employee decides to violate an ethic of code, he or she will have to deal with the consequences. The requirement for personal responsibility is that it can relate to the other components towards the code of ethics. If an employee goes against the rules of ethics, the violators will become an issue towards the company. â€Å"This is meant to show that it is not sufficient to merely adhere to the values and principles but to help ensure every employee supports the code of ethics by reporting violators. † (Sullivan) One of the final components of ethical decision making is compliance. Compliance comes into play when any laws or regulations are referenced as rules towards an association or organization. Relating back to the Enron case, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act was the execution of falsified financial records and became a big problem for Enron. The full details of financial filing is that when a file becomes a record, is has a lot of information towards any company or organization. â€Å"Compliance to all financial reporting and any licensing requirements such as ISO 9000 by the International Organization for Standardization can be documented, along with the expectation that all licenses will be maintained and legal regulations met. (Sullivan) Overall, the code of ethics is a great way to pursue organizational skills in a company and by doing so an organization is able to come up with a code of ethics that employees can follow on a day to day basis. The construction of ethics is how a company or organization is built around by provided a good work environment for certain individuals in the workplace. In order to build an ethics program that helps and supports a company’s actions, you must have a compliance program that is in relation to the code of ethics. There have been recent financial scandals that have been seen by corporate companies. Financial scandals have shown us that there is more need for compliance programs and the need of better business ethics throughout organizations. Out of the National Association of Corporate Directors, there are about 280 corporate CEO’s that have been discussing the problems of the code of ethics being dealt with in all companies. It’s about one out of three CEO’s that talk about how highly they were affected by ensuring legal compliance. When it comes down to the brass tacks of a corporate organization, every organization should have a code of ethics and the only way to come up with one is to construct multiple ideas that support and help the employees of a major organization. By building an ethics and compliance program, most companies are entitled to realize that it takes a lot of development and time to be put into the creation of an ethics and compliance program. Businesses are filled with all sorts of different codes, but here are some examples that can relate to an ethics program and be able to support the company in a long term effective program: â€Å"Establish a code of conduct that reduces risk of criminal behavior, detect wrongdoing, foster quick investigations, minimize consequences, demonstrate company’s ethical/legal philosophy during an investigation, reduce fines if company is found guilty of wrongdoing, and enhance company reputation and stature. † (How to Build a Business Ethics Program) It is not all just about coming up with the code of ethics and that’s it. A company or an organization always has to look at the options they are able to deal with in order to create the perfect effective program. A lot of companies have the power to create the best programs possible, but with just three options to look at, a program can go from a failure to a progressives and successful plan. Here are the three examples that are able to help out building the perfect effective program: â€Å"Develop in house from scratch, hire and external consultant, and use a pre written manual. † (How to Build a Business Ethics Program) Most companies use these options to create the perfect system, but some company’s decision makings go the wrong direction and they eventually have to find of decisions the hard way. A company or organization must have strong decision making skills because creating a code of ethics from scratch is the hard part of developing a program. The company also might have to fully understand the complexity of creating a knowledge list of codes that can be support in the workplace. Companies are dealing with the hiring’s of an extra consultant to help them out with an organizations decision making. Organizations say that an extra consultant might be a cost effective plan, but the question is, what else is left? It all comes down to actually building the ethics program of choice. A company or organization should either use a manual of choice or a pre written template that they can base their ideas off of. By using these two subjects of choice, organizations and companies find it a lot easier to make guidelines towards the production of building a code of ethics. Companies are looking for the strength in an idea to be produced in the program of needs. In order to come up with the best ideas and tools for running a business, it is important to look for the right tools that can implement the ethics of business and strive to create the perfect program. Here are some examples of what a successful compliance program should provide in their development of ethics: â€Å"Sample policies and procedures, step-by-step instructions for the development of a program, a business ethics training program outline with classroom materials and a detailed session leader’s guide, business ethics and compliance officer position description, templates for employee involvement, and sample code of conduct. † (How to Build a Business Ethics Program) After coming up with the perfect ideas to support a company’s foundation, an organization must start to implement the ethics program into the business workplace. The next step to creating a perfect code of ethics is to bring the ideas to the corporate office of the company and have the executives take full responsibility for implementing the code of ethics into the company’s compliance program. By taking the idea to corporate, the effectiveness of the tools needs to be yielded with a solid program that the company or organization can work with. Such as understanding it, endorsing the program, and being able to monitor the code of ethics for total true effectiveness. â€Å"With step-by-step guidelines and accompanying examples of policies, procedures, a training program and an employee survey, such an effective tool provides an excellent road map for implementing an ethics and compliance initiative. † (How to Build a Business Ethics Program) After all the hard work is completed by creating the compliance program, certain companies have to make certain decisions that can be related to the code of ethics from the workplace. The compliance manual should provide the full files of what the code of ethics is suppose to represent and how it is suppose to be reliable with the company’s boundaries. The files can be written with policies, surveys, forms and training session outline for the organizations progression levels. â€Å"Also, businesses should ensure their ethics compliance system manual is fully endorsed by The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) as a tool to maintain a culture of integrity. † (How to Build a Business Ethics Program) Overall, the construction of building the code of ethics come from a lot of planning and brainstorming ideas towards the relations of an organizations boundary limit and employee’s satisfaction.

Childhood experiences Essay

The quality and type of relationships differ between individuals:some are happy with long term-relationships, others prefer more temporary, less passionate relationships. Some individuals seem ‘lucky in love’, while others seem to struggle to maintain a long term stable relationship. Bowlby (1951) believed that the type of quality of relationship that individuals have with their primary caregivers provides the foundation for adult relationships by forming an internal working model hat acts as a template for all future relationships. This is the Continuity Hypothesis, the belief that similar relationships will occur as an adult. One theory that is thought to affect someones future relationships is the attachment styles a child can develop. These Attachment styles are determined by Mary Ainsworth’s strange situation experiment, where a child is either Secure attachment, Insecure-resistant attachment or Insecure-avoidant attachment type. It is believed attachment style provides children with a set of beliefs about themselves and others and the nature of relationships. The Continuity Hypothesis sees attachment as a main factor as predicting the nature of adult relationships. Therefore, someone who is securely attached as an infant will have similar relationships throughout life. This is Theory is supported by the study of HAZAN & SHAVER (1987). The experiment consisted of a ‘love quiz’ questionnaire that was published in a newspaper. The questions were designed to classify and individual as one of Ainsworth’s attachment type. The questionnaire also included q’s which aimed to assess the pps childhood relationships with their caregivers, and their romantic experiences in their life. Results showed that attachment type that individual had shown as a child was related to how they felt about adult relationships. Showed secure attachment types in childhood were more likely to enjoy secure relationships as an adult. Those with insecure-avoidant found it more hard to trust people in an adult relationship. Those with  insecure-resistant were more likely to feel anxious in adult relationships and find it hard to get as close to them as they wanted. As a result they concluded that relationships formed with parents during childhood affect relationships in adulthood. However this study does have issues with reliability as it is based on self-report data which is subjective. Furthermore the data is also retrospective further reducing reliability of the study. Also because the study relied on volunteer sampling, so the sample they have may not be truly representative of the population. However there are contradicting results in experiments done on the effect of attachment type on adult relationships as STEELE et al. (1998) found a small correlation of 0.17 between having a secure attachment type in childhood and early adulthood. This is also true for the study of RUTTER et al. (1999) who reported that individuals without secure attachments to their parents went on to secure stable relationships contradicting the findings of HAZAN & SHAVER. It is also believed that interaction with peers during childhood also influences later adult relationships. Peers become more influential as children progress into adulthood, playing a significant role in individuals becoming independent adults, helping develop social skills including those needed for adult relationships. GARNETT(2007) suggests that friendships during childhood give opportunities to develop skills needed to form successful adult relationships including: how to resolve conflict and how to take on different roles needed in relationships. COLLINS VAN DULMAN (2006) supports this theory and also suggests that relationships with peers give individuals the opportunity to learn behaviours and expectations involved in adult relationships. Supporting the idea that experiences during childhood and adolescence influence the quality of adult relationships. However some believed that it is difficult to measure the impact of a childs peer relationships on adult relationships, as there is a need to differentiate between having friends, who the friends are and the quality of each of the relationships, making it hard to identify the direct influence each of these factors has on quality of adult relationships. Furthermore it is thought that children who have witnessed unstable relationships between their parents and others around them will be influenced by this and thus influences their adult relationships. Studies have shown that people who experienced parental divorce during childhood have more negative attitudes towards relationships than those who didn’t experience parental divorce. These negative attitudes include being less optimistic about having a successful relationship, feeling less trustful of partners, having more favourable attitudes towards divorce and more negative attitude towards marriage. SILVESTRI (1991) supports this notion as he found that having divorced parents significantly increased an individuals own chances of getting divorced. JOHNSTON and THOMAS provide an explanation for this suggesting that this could be because individuals model their behaviour on their parents behaviours. Linking back to bowlbys theory that children form an internal working model as to how relationships should be whilst not only being in a dysfunctional relationship themselves but observing these dysfunctional relationships too. However this theory cannot be generalised to the entire population as there are a large amount of people who experience divorce during childhood but still go on to have successful adult relationships. Thus proving that their must be many other factors that can influence the long term effects. Also research into this area of how divorce effects a child’s adult relationships can be used to minimise the effect of divorce on children. To conclude it seems that there is sufficient evidence to support bowlbys theory that early childhood experiences both being involved in relationships and observations of parents to does to some extent play a role in affecting their adult relationships. However due to the causal nature of much of the studies related to this area means that it can be difficult to establish what the true cause and effects are of early childhood experiences or whether it is other factors that are contributing to this, supported by the contradicting results of many studies in this area. Furthermore attachment theories are somewhat deterministic, perceiving childhood/peer attachments as causing later adult relationships. However it is likely that other factors are influential such as the different attachment types other people  bring to the relationship. e.g if a insecurely attached person can have a secure relationship if they are in a relationship with a securely attached person.