Synthesis Essay on Rear Window Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Synthesis on Rear Window - Essay Example Jeff telephones Thorwald and asks him to meet him at a bar, providing Lisa and Stella with the opportunity to dig up the flower patch, but they find nothing. Lisa then climbs through the fire escape into Thorwald’s apartment, but unfortunately, he returns and catches her. Jeff witnesses this through the window and calls the police to save Lisa, who signals to him across the courtyard with Mrs. Thorwald’s ring. Thorwald notices Lisa signaling to Jeff through the window and realizes that Jeff is behind the whole scheme to uncover him as the murderer of his wife. Â  In the scuffle that follows Thorwald throws a yelling Jeffries through the window, but the police arrive in time to catch him before he hits the ground, and only suffers another broken leg. The police arrest Thorwald, who confesses to murdering his wife. In the final scene of the movie, Jeff has broken his other leg too as a result of the fall and is shown resting at peace in his wheelchair. Across the courtya rd, the lonely woman has a new-found friendship with the songwriter, the lover of the dancer returns home from the military, the elderly couple has acquired a new dog, and the young couple is constantly arguing. Rear Window provides an insightful view of the social and psychological factors that give rise to difficulties experienced in relationships between men and women. Jeff’s relationship with Lisa and the relationships of the other tenants across the courtyard combines throughout the film to bring out this central theme.... In the scuffle that follows Thorwald throws a yelling Jeffries through the window, but the police arrive in time to catch him before he hits the ground, and only suffers another broken leg. The police arrest Thorwald, who confesses to murdering his wife. In the final scene of the movie, Jeff has broken his other leg too as a result of the fall and is shown resting at peace in his wheelchair. Across the courtyard, the lonely woman has a new-found friendship with the songwriter, the lover of the dancer returns home from the military, the elderly couple has acquired a new dog, and the young couple is constantly arguing. Rear Window provides an insightful view of the social and psychological factors that give rise to difficulties experienced in relationships between men and women. Jeff’s relationship with Lisa, and the relationships of the other tenants across the courtyard, combines throughout the film to bring out this central theme. In The Women Who Knew Too Much, Tania Modlesk i interprets The Rear Window by using it as the basis for an analysis of the male and female spectators. Modleski asserts that the film stresses both male and female points of view, with both Jeff and Lisa being portrayed in the reverse shots observing the neighbors through the rear window. She stresses that the male character is not domineering over the female character, and that spectators get the opportunity to identify themselves with both Jeff and Lisa on different occasions. Lisa related to the characters through empathy and identification, whereas Jeff was more interested in spying on them and adopting a controlling relation to the happenings in their lives. Through these two perspectives, Modleski brings out the instances in the film that provided spectators with the

Intenational Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Intenational - Essay Example Spain, France, and Holland launched various expeditions in order to establish colonies in the underdeveloped areas of the world, particularly in Asia, Africa, and South America. Despite the differences in methods, the objectives related to the launching of international and colonial trade in those times are not absolutely distinct to today’s globalisation. Globalisation in modern times is being pursued with the premise that former relationship of colonizers and colonies is no longer dominant. It is founded on the concept that the world is now made up mostly of independent countries that have sovereignty in managing their respective domestic economies and also have the capability of joining international trade. Free trade is the main objective of globalisation. It aims to make the entire world an open and free market, where people can easily avail of commodities coming from other countries. It allows businesses to expand beyond their countries of origin, thereby exporting not just goods but also capital. However, in doing so, it also seeks the removal of major barriers that each country may have established to deter the influx of too much imported goods as a result of unconstrained foreign trade. Consequently, this has an adverse effect on the sustainability of small local firms in any particular economy. The arrival of huge volumes of imports would lead into a competition strong enough to force their demise. This is the reason why debates on the nature of globalisation continue to be waged and international trade organisations and treaties are relentlessly being attacked by sectors that are most affected by its negative effects. This is also the basis why governments must not absolutely subject their economies to unconstrained foreign trade but instead legislate and enforce policies that would protect the small local firms. Apologists for unrestrained capitalism have always extolled the salient features of globalisation. Capitalism is an economic

Historical Site For Heritage Tourism Tourism Essay

Historical Site For Heritage Tourism Tourism Essay The Team Jamaica Handbook, 2006 defines tourist as any person who visits a country or place for more than twenty-four (24) hours but less than a year for a variety of reasons other than employment. One of the most popular attractions for tourist activities on vacation is visiting historical and culture sites. According to the tourism technical report (1998), Since the 90s Heritage Tourism has been the growth segments of the industry, given the countrys rich history and culture. Jamaica has attracted quite a large number of persons, both locally and internationally. It has become apparent that there has been a growing interest in historical and cultural aspects of Jamaicas life among visitors who travel to our country. (Chang 1997) has defined Heritage tourism as the phenomenon in which the cultural, historical and ethnic components of society or places are harnessed as resources to attract tourists, as well as develop a leisure and tourism industry. While, the national trust defines it as a traveling experience, the places and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present. It includes historic, cultural and natural resources. As a result, the whole aspect of heritage tourism can be categorized into several facets called themes as laid out in the 2002 Tourism Master Plan. These includes natural wonders, slavery and emancipation, churches, great houses, maroons, Pre-Columbian Jamaica, forts and fortications and popular customs such as music, dance, dress and language. The case study focuses on the parish of St. Catherine being restored and promoted as a historic site for heritage tourism. Jamaica has been promoted as the island for sun, sea, sand and winter get-away for a number of years. It is where tourists come to frolic and take part in recreational activities. Jamaica consists of fourteen parishes, with St. Catherine been one of its parishes nestled between Clarendon and St. Andrew/Kingston. This Parish was the first area to hold the first capital, Spanish Town, of Jamaica. Hence, this parish holds tremendous sentimental and valuable rich culture that has nourished and molded Jamaica. Heritage Tourism is important as the development of assets is the key to sustainable development as it ensures that the product reflects the culture and aspirations of the Jamaican people. In restoring and promoting heritage tourism, it can become a tedious process so it is essential to promote our cultural remnant and customs that will attract heritage visitors. Through this process, it will be able to do more for local economies by providing jobs, promoting community pride and the structure for new business. Thus, the parish of St. Catherine has been neglected for long while and should be taken into consideration for restoration. Statement of Problem The parish of St. Catherine holds many historical sites which has not been restored and promoted. This research to be carried asserts that Heritage Tourism in St. Catherine has been in decline for a number of years. This has been the case because of the less attention being given to it by tourism managers in the area. Robert Bateman quotes that we need to look back at our wonderful, natural and human heritage, and cherish and protect the abundant values to be found there. We need to look out to the sides and see other parts of the world that need our help and can provide good ideas to go forwardà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.we need too look ahead to be certain that our actions of today will make the world a better and richer and more varied place for our grandchildren and their grandchildren. This goes to show that conserving ones heritage is a growing concern that the Tourism Product Development Company has been placing further emphasis on development of Heritage Tourism and to widen the market f or Eco-Nature and Adventure Tourism. Heritage Tourism seems to be one of the many options to enlarge St. Catherines product base as well as enhancing Jamaicans understanding of their identity and preserving their valuable heritage. 1.2.1 Background to Research Problem The Tourism industry in Jamaica has been in full effect for years being one of the most anticipated places for tourists. In fact, tourism started to blossom in Jamaica after World War I when improved methods of transporting people to the island were established. The visit numbers have risen tremendously over the course from sixty four thousand in 1938 to One Million Six Hundred and Sixteen thousand Four Hundred and Thirty in 1993. This confirms that tourists are drawn to our island for what it has to offer. The major tourist sites are mostly on the north coast where people visit for the pleasant weather, white sandy beaches and resorts. These areas are mostly limited to Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Negril and Port Antonio while the parish of St. Catherine is used as a commercial centre next to Kingston which in turn holds a few numbers of visits for tourism appreciation. St. Catherine therefore needs a boost to sustain the heritage facets of tourism services. Due to the lack of many amenities to partake in, the deep roots of our heritage in St. Catherine may provide means of satisfying the Jamaican economy and the people who visit. All parts of this parish holds substantial cultural significance since it was the first home of Jamaicas capital, Spanish Town in 1534 and the home of the British Governor of the Island in that year. Most of St. Catherines heritage is held in the small town of Spanish Town holding the Parish Council, Supreme Court and House of Assembly. In 2011 an article was published criticizing Edmund Bartlett for not developing Spanish Town into a tourist destination. Then Mayor of Spanish Town and chairman of the St. Catherine Parish Council argued that the old capital should be restored and developed as a tourist mecca because Mr. Bartlett did not respond to his letter, thus emphasizing that he was not concerned with appreciating the true value of heritage tourism which contributes to eighty percent (80%) of tourism worldwide. In St. Catherine, there are various heritage facilities that will cater to the needs of tourist wanting to experience more of the heritage and a culture exchange. Some of these sites includes: bridges such as Flat Bridge, Old Iron Cast bridge, public buildings-Kings House, Military Structures-Barracks, Museums-Peoples Museum of Craft and Technology, monuments-Rodney Memorial, Churches-Phillipo Baptist, and forts-Fort Augusta and Fort Small. This comes to show that there are over twenty (20) buildings and area of interest that could be categorized as heritage sites. If St. Catherine is marketed properly it may attract hundreds of tourist to the parish. 1.3 Limitations to study ` The research is limited to the parish of St. Catherine, to residents and persons who have visited the area. The Jamaica Tourist Board along with the Tourism Product Development Company will also be used as they are responsible for developing, restoring and promoting cultural heritage in Jamaica. 1.4 Purpose of Study The aim of this research is to see how St. Catherine can be restored and promoted as a historical site for Heritage Tourism. The parish of St. Catherine which is located on the southern coast of Jamaica was chosen because it plays an integral role in our history. St. Catherine holds the first capital of our island, Spanish Town. The research is a source of information that lays out the current areas and applications to be carried out to make St. Catherine a travelled tourism destination for Heritage Tourism. They will be able to integrate and recognize different historical issues in the parish and determine various ways of making St. Catherine a diversified area for the tourism industry. Weiler and Hall has opined that culture, heritage and the arts have long been one of the appeal factors of tourists destinations and culture has been rediscovered as an important tool to attract the travelers with special interests in heritage. This statement justify that, persons will be impacted su ch as residents of St. Catherine, tourists and other visitors. Not only negatively through restoration but positively through fostering job opportunities, attracting visitors interested in history and preservation and diversifying the local economy. 1.5 Significance of Study The proposed research will determine ways on restoring and promoting St. Catherine as a destination for Heritage Tourism. The researcher hopes that the result of this study, the government will develop strategic measures to instill this area so it is preserved and protected. Since the parish has been neglected as far as the year 2009, the tourism body consisting of Ministry of Tourism, Jamaica National Heritage Trust, Jamaica Tourist Board and Tourism Product Development Company should put in place comprehensive and well conceived polices in order to encourage the restoration of the historical assets that each company constitutes. St. Catherine has the prospective to become a Heritage Tourism destination because of its distinct historical and cultural heritage and can provide visitors with unique experiences. Thus the significances should not be ignored but addressed to maintain the value of tourism in Jamaica. 1.6 Definition of Terms Tourist: Is any person who visits a country or place for more than twenty-four (24) hours but less than a year for a variety of reasons other than employment such as recreation, leisure, holiday, business, family and friends, or meeting. (Team Jamaica Handbook, 2006) Restoration: According to the Tourism Glossary (gdrc.org), restoration is returning existing habitats to a known past state, or to an approximation of the natural condition through repairing, degradation and removing introduced species. Promotion: All the activities in producing and increasing sales, including advertising, publicity and personal selling or the activities that supplements and makes more effective advertising and personal selling. Special events individually treated to bring public attention to specific products (Bhatia). As applied to the tourism industry, the most important function of marketing is to bring about an awareness of the product in the minds of existing as well as prospective consumers in the overall market area (Khan, 2005). Heritage Tourism: This is the phenomenon in which the cultural, historical and ethnic components of society or places are harnessed as resources to attract tourists, as well as develop a leisure and tourism industry. (Chang, 1997) 1.7 Research Questions/Hypotheses This research was premeditated and carried out to study three main research questions that will help St. Catherine become flourishing through restoration and promotion. They are: What is the present status of Heritage Tourism in St. Catherine? How can Heritage Tourism be restored in St. Catherine? How can Heritage Tourism be promoted in St. Catherine? 1.7.1 Hypotheses: St. Catherine, Jamaica can be restored and promoted as a historical site for Heritage Tourism. 1.8 Chapter Summary This chapter recaps the problems being faced of not using St. Catherine as a heritage site for Jamaica as well as the importance of the researchers topic and how it will affect persons such as the residents and tourists in St. Catherine. It gives a general overview of heritage tourism in Jamaica and St. Catherine along with various citations from persons who have said something about the issue of Heritage tourism and an understanding of different terms used throughout the introduction. 1.9 Thesis Overview The research is divided into five sections called chapters which are prearranged in the following way. The first section is an overall overview of the topic chosen including the introduction, statement of problem, background to research problem, limitations to study, purpose of study, Significance of Study, Research Questions/Hypotheses, and Definition of Terms. The second part holds an extensive description of St. Catherine as a heritage site. It also gives a brief story of the area of study and the major historical sites it holds, and the different practices taken to involve restoring and promoting heritage tourism as it relates to the research topics, questions and problems. The third section of the research examines the type of instrument used for the methodology to obtain information. Section four presents the findings, analysis and confers the results gathered from all findings. Lastly, section five draws the conclusion and presents recommendations and probable approaches to the topic.

beethoven :: essays research papers

Beethoven   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ludwig Von Beethoven was born December 17, 1770. by the time he was 12 he has already composed a published work of music. His public debut was in 1795 which was the same time his first important publications appeared, three piano trios op.l and three piano sonatas op.2. It was claimed that as a pianist, he had fire, brilliance and fantasy as well as depth of feeling. At this point in Beethoven’s life nothing could go wrong, he was on top of the world. In 1802 Beethoven had encountered a terrible tragedy, realizing that the hearing problems he had noticed over the years were incurable and were sure to get worse. By the end of the first decade in the 1800’s Beethoven had many established works, which include the Pastoral Symphony, Symphony no.7 and Symphony no. 8, Piano Concertos nos.4 and 5 and the Violin Concerto, along with many more. By this time Beethoven was firmly established as the greatest composer of his time. In 1808, due to his deafness, Beethoven had ended hi s piano-playing career. After a few years Beethoven started writing what would be know as â€Å"Beethoven’s final symphony† while completely deaf. Symphony no.9 preformed in D minor is considered to be his best work. On march 26, 1827 while in the process of writing the final symphony Beethoven passed away leaving behind a legacy which wouldn’t soon die, as the greatest composer of all time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When I first got the Beethoven CD I was a little pessimistic on how it would be. However after the first time my roommates and I heard the CD we immediately made it our study time and sleep time mix. The music although at times may be very powerful, was very helpful in keeping us focused on our work, or just fall asleep peaceful.

Life Goes On Essay

Life experiences bring knowledge to people. Having a lot of good and bad experiences helps us improve our way of thinking; it opens our minds and teaches us unforgettable lessons about life, lessons that we have to apply in the future. My parents taught me to be independent and self-motivated by providing me opportunities to learn by trial and error. I was given a remarkable amount of freedom at a young age. When I was 6, my parents bought me an old computer for $25 from a local yard sale with the intention of letting me loose on it . I was thrilled .Motivated by curiosity. I delved into it at once and learned how to use each and every feature of the computer. My intellectual curiosity is the result of a unique combination of early influences and childhood experiences which have fueled my passion for learning inside and outside of the classroom—learning from everything I do . I hope to apply this curiosity to all aspects of my life. I have lived such a life experience in my last high school year. Along with 12th grade and turning up eighteen years old, I was going to become independent, ‘on my own feet’ as some would say. Time has taught me how to take fast decisions. Some of them were bad decisions, some were good. It was a very difficult period for me, as I was forced to fight against time, stress, hidden emotions and most important, I had to choose the road to follow for my career. The final exam was a hard challenge. There were times I felt I would quit; times of weakness when I searched peace in a cigarette without thinking it can make me dependent, all these times I was teaching a great lesson: maturity! I realized I wasn’t a kid anymore and that my own destiny can be influenced by a simple decision. This experience made me learn what truly means making sacrifices for achieving your goals. I gave up to my free time to replace it with hard working, interminable tiredness and meditations. It wasn’t an easy sacrifice, as desperation said her word in some moments. But the most important thing is the positive lesson it taught me, that is, never gives up fighting, no matter what happens because there is a hope for everything in life, and loosing it doesn’t bring you close to your goals. I have lost some of my friends for being able to reach on top, and this thing taught me what true friendship really meant and that some people we see as friends can turn out to be our worst enemies. To me, change is something new and you experience changes throughout your life. However, I learnt that telling everything about yourself can only bring bad things,  because you can never know how a relationship can turn out between people. I can say I found myself again in this last high school year, rediscovered my ambition and passion for the things I do.

Ask these questions when negotiating a job offer

Ask these questions when negotiating a job offer If you’re on the job hunt and you’ve played your cards right, then perhaps you’ve found yourself in the following scenario: you’ve successfully made it through a series of interviews, waited patiently, been contacted by a hiring manager or HR representative, and been made a job offer. Often, this is absolutely fantastic news- the end result of a challenging job hunting process filled with ups and downs, excitement and disappointment. Now, after a long journey, you’re faced with an offer for what could be the next great opportunity along your career path. But hold on for a second- are you absolutely certain that this job offer is the right one for you?Most people fall into one of two camps when making a decision about a job offer. On one hand are the impulsive deciders, those who blindly and quickly latch on to the first available offer made to them. While it can be good to show that you’re eager and enthusiastic, there are some very good reas ons for deciding to slow things down a bit and take some time to weigh a job offer before accepting it. After all, accepting an offer that may not completely align with your best interests may actually set your career trajectory back, and it may be difficult to make up any lost ground- either in salary or job title. Furthermore, if you do quickly take an offer that you come to regret later, you may be sowing the seeds for a passive-aggressive workplace attitude down the road.On the other hand are the overthinkers- those who spend way too much time and effort weighing and overweighing every small detail of the offer in an attempt to reach a clear and decisive decision about whether or not to accept. These folks can count on a few restless days and sleepless nights as they struggle to reach some decision. And in the end, the exhaustion and worry that these people generate make it hard for them to feel good about whatever decision they reach. That’s not a good recipe for happine ss either.There is a middle ground between making an impulsive decision and overthinking a job offer, and for most folks it’s right where they should be when trying to decide about whether to accept a job offer. Thankfully, there are some strategies you can take advantage of to help you negotiate your next job offer. Envato recently published an article highlighting the key questions you should ask- either yourself or someone at the company- before accepting a job offer. Let’s take a closer look at some of these.Questions to ask yourselfWhat are my non-negotiables? When we’re looking for our next job opportunity, most of us have at least a vague, and possibly a concrete, sense of what we’re willing to be flexible about and what are deal breakers. This will vary by individual, based on one’s specific needs and goals. You should have a set of non-negotiables in mind when you’re on the job hunt to help you to determine if a job offer is right f or you or if some additional negotiation is required.Am I happy with the salary offer? This may seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised by how many people, either out of desperation or overeagerness, quickly accept the first offer made to them, even if it’s below what they were hoping to make- and once this happens it can take a long time to make up any lost financial ground. The truth is, most offers are within a flexible salary range and there is often some room for additional negotiation, especially if they really want you on their team. Just remember not to be too aggressive here or you could wind up talking yourself out of an offer completely.Is the company reputable and stable? The last thing you want to have happen is to jump onto a sinking ship. Even if the offer is great, what good is it if the company implodes before you can really reap any benefits? Before you agree to accept an offer, do your homework and make sure that the company has a good reputat ion in its industry and seems stable for the foreseeable future. There are even websites available for you to learn about what other employees thought about the company while they were there. The more information you have at your disposal, the more informed your decision will be, which is always a good move.Can I see myself getting along with my future colleagues and bosses? This one’s a bit tougher, as you’ll never truly know the answer until you start working there, but do your best to use interviews and office visit to get a sense of what it might be like to work there. Does there seem to be a friendly and collaborative vibe with good energy, or does something less positive and productive seem to be in the air? If possible, engage with whoever you run across or are introduced to and see if they seem like the sort of people you’d click well with. For most folks, this matters a lot- and could be the difference between a quick unhappy job hop and a satisfying an d extended stay.Questions to ask an HR representative or hiring managerWhen do you need my decision? If you want to make the most of your time to weigh a job offer fully, it helps to know how much time you have to decide. Politely asking this question will help you know what timeframe you’re working with, and then you can go from there.What benefits are being offered? In addition to basic information such as salary- which is typically provided upon receiving an offer- knowing what else is included in the offer (i.e., vacation time, retirement savings, insurance coverage, gym membership, etc.) will help you to weigh the full offer and determine if any additional points need negotiating.What will my everyday responsibilities look like? Hopefully, you have a clear answer to this question after interviewing, but if you don’t its okay to ask for a little more detail before accepting an offer. Remember, accepting a new job is a major life commitment, so it stands to reason t hat you’ll want to know all the parameters of the deal so you can choose wisely, including what your average work day will be like- especially if some of these details are on your non-negotiable list.Consider asking these questions when you’re weighing your next job offer and before you accept- because once you do, you may be closing the door on any further negotiating. Choose wisely and good luck!

Critical Discussion of Crisis Management and BP Leadership The WritePass Journal

Critical Discussion of Crisis Management and BP Leadership Introduction Critical Discussion of Crisis Management and BP Leadership IntroductionLiterature ReviewCrisis and Crisis ManagementPolitical and legal forcesEconomic forcesSocial forcesTechnological forcesEffective Leadership in CrisisClear responsibilitiesTraining and educationPractice and rehearsalsEmpowering LeadershipDelegationAuthority linesEstablished systems and supporting mechanismsInnovation and FlexibilityLeveragingMethodologiesIntroductionResearch MethodologyResearch PhilosophyResearch ApproachResearch StrategyData Collection method · Data Collection · Data AnalysisData quality issuesLevel of knowledgeLevel of information given to the intervieweeAppropriateness of locationAppearance in the interviewOpening comment during the commencement of the interviewQuestioning approachBehaviour during the interviewDemonstration of attentive listening skillsDocumentation of the dataGeneralisabilityAccess and Ethical ConsiderationsRelated Introduction Literature Review This section briefly discusses crisis management and leadership, the two key areas of literature that will help to examine Tony Hayward’s leadership during BP’s most recent organisational crisis. Crisis and Crisis Management There is no one definition of the term ‘crisis’ (Keown-McMullan, 1997), however a guiding definition is that a crisis is an event that impacts or has the potential to impact the entire organisation (Mitroff and Anagnos, 2000). A crisis can also be described as a major, unforeseen circumstance that can potentially jeopardise an organisation’s employees, customers, products, services, fiscal situation, or reputation (Callan, 2002, Augustine, 1995, Santana, 2003). This definition is in line with the theory that a crisis is characterised by three elements: high threat, short decision time, and an element of surprise, indicating that each crisis contains an urgency that necessitates decisions and actions to be taken immediately by the people involved (Keown-McMullan, 1997, Reilly 1987). While the idea that a crisis as a negative state of affairs is still the most popular construal in the literature, the idea of a positive outcome from a crisis situation can also be found in some definitions and discussion (Keown-McMullan, 1997). For example, Fink (1986, p. 15) defines a crisis as: †¦an unstable time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is impending – either one with the distinct possibility of a highly undesirable outcome or one with the distinct possibility of a highly desirable and extremely positive outcome. It is usually a 50-50 proposition, but you can improve the odds. This definition implies that, if managed effectively, a crisis can bring a desirable outcome. Indeed, it has been suggested that an organisation can experience a ‘successful’ crisis that actually leads to improved firm’s performance (Boin and ’t Hart, 2003). Such an outcome is possible because crisis â€Å"focuses attention on how tasks are managed and draws new patterns of cohesion, a successfully handled crisis can benefit an organisation† (David, 1990, p. 90). This therefore reinforces the fact that the effective management of crises is important. It should thus entail the execution of well-coordinated actions to limit any damage and preserve or rebuild confidence in the organisation under crisis. It is also important that crisis management should start before a crisis arises and may extend after the ‘actual crisis come to an end, such as after the oil has stopped gushing into the sea (Fink, 1986). Based on this, Santana (2003, p. 308) defin es crisis management as: †¦ an ongoing integrated and comprehensive effort that organisations effectively put into place in an attempt to first and foremost understand and prevent crisis, and to effectively manage those that occur, taking into account in each and every step of their planning and training activities, the interest of their stakeholders. There are number of elements within the external environment, shifting of which leads to the occurrence of a crisis. These elements include Political – legal, economic, social and technological forces and these constitutes a complex network within which organisations exist.   Even though shifting of these elements do not occur often, organisations needs to consider these elements while drafting their strategy because of negative blow that would be brought about by shifting of these elements. The most common examples are when government across the world come up with a law that bans the sale of certain type of products. This would create substantial disruption in a firm’s operations which would constitute a crisis. This does not mean that every external threat faced by an organisation will constitute a crisis. For e.g., if a government passes a law which would require manufacturers of certain products to have 2 languages in a product pack, rather than having one that is used in the current pack, it cannot be considered as a crisis as it would not probably cause substantial disruption. Therefore, the term ‘crisis’ cannot be used for every external threat and in most of the cases, even though the organisations tend to be regularly exposed to number of actual and potential crisis situations, they fail to recognise its seriousness. The following examples illustrate this reality (Crandall et al, 2009). Political and legal forces Some of the political forces that contribute to a shift which has the potential to lead to a full blown crisis include relations between countries, outcome of meetings between government leaders, rules and regulations and decisions taken by individuals and teams at various levels of government. The legal forces that can contribute to the crisis include laws and legislations passed on by governments, the judgements made by judiciary in various cases involving government and an organisation etc (Crandall et al, 2009) (GOEL, 2009). Economic forces The economic forces contributing to the shift includes changes in the Gross domestic product and various indicators that show the economic health of a country. These include inflation, exchange rate and interest rates (Labrosse et al, 2009)/ Social forces The social factors contributing to the shift includes values within the society, the change in traditions and religious practices. The crisis from social factors will be disastrous when society / people lose trust in the company or are angry with a corporation. This can be explained by the recent banking and financial crisis. The main reason for the crisis is that people and society and organisations lost trust in each other. This made people withdraw huge sums of money from the banks, who were not in a position to fulfil the demand because the banks or organisations from which they were expecting money were not willing to provide them the cash. What made people angrier was that banks or other financial institutions were paying huge amount of bonuses to their employee while people outside these institutions were losing money. This opportunistic behaviour of bankers, stockbrokers, investment bankers etc lead to a situation where common man lost trust in the stock market, which is an i ndicator of the performance of top companies of a nation, and it plummeted down to record levels not seen in recent memory. The spiral effects lead to laying off of thousands of people which affected the economies of the countries across the world because as companies lay off workers, their spending capacity reduces. Once their spending capacity reduces, then they are not in a position to go to high street shops to buy products. When people are not going to high street shops to buy products, then these shops lay off people thereby affecting the local economy. Most of these people would be having a number of commitments like paying their mortgage, credit card debt, personal loans etc. When people are not in a position to pay off these debts, the financial institutions are not in a position to roll over money which hits the core of banking activity. Thus, this shift in one social factor called trust has lead to one of the most dreadful global crisis ever experienced by mankind in rece nt history. Even though, it’s been close to 2 years since the crisis, a vast majority of countries and organisations have not yet been able to recover fully from the impact (Crandall et al, 2009)   (Jordan-Meier, 2011). Technological forces The technological factors which contribute to shift include major scientific innovations or improvements. These innovations or improvements can lead to either creation of new opportunity or threat to existing businesses. Technological innovations and improvements have the capability to destroy not only existing businesses but also entire industry as well. For example, personal computers were a fantastic technological innovation which gave rise to a entire new industry centred around computers which includes monitors, servers, operating systems etc.   But the rise of the computer industry was followed by the slow demise of the type writing industry following the development of word processors and personal computers (Moore, 2005). In fact, just a couple of months back, world’s last remaining typewriting factory was closed by its owners Godrej and Boyce in Mumbai, India Over the period of last few decades, different frameworks for crisis have been developed by taking into account different stages of crisis. The frame work for a crisis is based on the analysis of the life cycle of the crisis and this is usually accounted for by three-stage approach and four-stage approach (Laws, 2006). The three-stage framework is the most basic approach to crisis and involves the following stages – PreCrisis, Crisis and Post Crisis. Different experts have suggested different formats for three-stage format. In the three-stage approach suggested by Smith (1990), Crisis of management constitutes the Pre Crisis stage; the crisis stage is called Operational Crisis and post crisis stage is called Crisis of Legitimation. In the Crisis of Management stage, a crisis can be easily triggered by a event due to the fact that organisation is not prepared to handle the crisis and actions of the leaders in the organisation does not inspire confidence in their teams. In the second stage, called the Operational Crisis stage, all the key leaders in the organisation put their heads together and try to develop quick fix solutions to get over the crisis. In the third stage called Crisis of Legitimation, the key stakeholders in the organisation including the ones who played a major role in Operat ional stage starts looking for scapegoats so as to shift blame and to appear legitimate and rightful in the eyes of public after the crisis   (Andari, 2010)   (Coombs, 2010). Another approach to three-stage framework is the one suggested by Richardson (1994). In this framework, the PreCrisis stage is called disaster phase and this phase focuses on neutralising all the threats that may cause a crisis. In Crisis stage is called Rescue stage and is focused on the occurrence of the crisis. The Post Crisis stage is called Demise stage which emphasis on restoring stakeholders confidence in the organisation following the occurrence of the crisis (Coombs, 2010). Another approach to crisis is a four – stage framework which adds an additional stage, to the three-stage framework, which focuses on the progression as it happens during the crisis. In one of four-stage framework suggested by Myers (1993), the first stage is a Operations stage, where the organisations puts in standard operating procedures and crisis management teams to act in response to the occurrence of the crisis. The second stage is the emergency response stage which focuses on the response that needs to be initiated in the first few hours following the occurrence of the crisis. The third stage is called Interim processing stage where stop gap arrangement and temporary procedures are put in place until the restoration of normal operations. The fourth stage is the restoration stage where the organisation comes back to normal operations (Coombs, 2010)   (Crandall, 2009). Another approach to four-stage framework was put forward by Fink (1996). In the approach, the first stage is called Prodormal stage which is stage before a full blown crisis and shows all the red flags and warning signs that a crisis is imminent. If remedial measures are taken during the prodormal stage, then a crisis can be prevented. The second stage is called Acute crisis stage and this is stage where actual crisis is happening and normal operations are seriously disrupted. This is also the stage where outsiders of the organisations get to see and hear about the crisis on a regular basis. The third stage is called chronic crisis stage which is not as dramatic as acute crisis stage and the organisation is trying to clean the mess created during the acute crisis stage. The Resolution stage is the final stage where the organisation has just gotten over the crisis and is slowly coming back to the normal operations (Fink, 1996) Five stage frameworks is another approach to crisis and provide a more detailed approach than the three stage framework and four stage frameworks. It provides a more detailed understanding of different stages of the crisis (Perason Mitroff, 1993). In the five stage framework suggested by Pearson and Mitroff (1993), the following stages are included : Signal detection: These are warning or red flags which occur when an organisation is slowly moving towards a crisis. In most cases, these warning and red flags are raised by people on the ground or lower level or middle level management or those directly interacting with customers. Detecting these signals and accepting them as ones which may lead to crisis so as to try to look at ways to manage a crisis is a skill not found is many leaders. Developing a mindset and skills so to become adept at detecting these signals is what organisations needs to embrace (Perason Mitroff, 1993). Preparation / prevention – In this stage, organisation gets ready to attack the crisis by setting up crisis management teams and workings on different plans to tackle different crisis occurring in different forms. The approach towards a crisis management will be through a systematic manner and should be on going. The objective from which this step is approached is to ensure that any crisis that may occur gets nipped in the bud (Perason Mitroff, 1993). Containment / damage control – This stage focuses on actual management of the crisis and trying to contain it with as minimal damage as possible to the organisation and stakeholder (Perason Mitroff, 1993)   (Mitroff, 1992). Recovery – This stage focuses on bringing the workings of the organisation to as normal a stage as possible. The recovery process passes through different sub stages. The short term recovery stage tends to bring the working on the organisation to a minimal acceptable level of service. The short term recovery is followed by long term recovery where the operational capabilities of the organisation reach pre crisis level. In some cases, long term recovery will be followed by another recovery process whereby the organisation tends to work at a higher level than that was observed during the precrisis stage. For example, if a fire at a production facility destroys a old machine which has the capability to produce ‘X’ number of products every hour, then a modern machine which has been installed following a crisis has the capability to produce ‘2X’ products thereby ensuring higher level of productivity when compared to the Pre Crisis period (Perason Mitroff, 1993) (Mitroff, 1992). Learning – This fifth stage, post the recovery stage, focuses on improvising operational problems so as to prevent the occurrence of future ones. The stages emphasises on reflecting on the crisis and documenting the lessons learnt rather than finding scapegoats and blaming other parties (Perason Mitroff, 1993). Particularly important during major crises such as the BP oil spill, which affects many different stakeholders, is crisis communication. Crisis communication, which involves communicating with a range of stakeholders, generally relates to the public relations element of crisis management, and is arguably the single most important aspect of the organisation’s response to the crisis. It therefore requires communication with internal stakeholders, including employees and shareholders, and external stakeholders, such as customers, the media, and the surrounding community, about what occurred and how the organisation is managing the crisis (Callan, 2002). Effective Leadership in Crisis Leadership is one of the most discussed topics in times of crisis because, to most people, the importance of leadership is clear since effective organisational leadership: †¦provides a sense of cohesiveness, personal development, and higher levels of satisfaction among those conducting the work; and it provides an overarching sense of direction and vision, an alignment with the environment, a healthy mechanism for innovation and creativity, and a resource for invigorating the organisational culture (Van Wart, 2003, p. 214). As with trying to define ‘crisis,’ there are also many definitions of ‘leadership’ (Stodgill, 1974). Some researchers present established definitions of leadership, for example Kotter (1999, p. 10) defines leadership as â€Å"[t]he development of a vision and strategies, the alignment of relevant people behind those strategies and the empowerment of individuals to make the vision happen, despite obstacles.† Alternatively, some researchers present more general definitions of leadership that may apply equally well to leadership in organisations as to leadership in other settings. Peter. G.Northouse in his book â€Å"Leadership: Theory and Management† (2007 explores four components that are central to leadership: (1) Leadership is a process. (2) Leadership involves influence. (3) Leadership occurs in a group context. (4) Leadership involves goal attainment. Based on these four components, Northouse coined a definition which states that â€Å"Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal†. (Northouse, 2007, p .3). The concept of leadership has evolved over a period of time which typically reflects the larger society as norms, attitudes, and understandings in the larger world have evolved and thereby changed (Richard Daft, 2005). Crisis leadership effectiveness depends largely on an organisation which is responsible for creating an environment for the leadership to operate. A highly experienced and competent manager will still struggle to successfully manage a crisis if there is no adequate support from his colleagues and if the groups are poorly structured and disorganised. Micheal Blyth in his book Business continuity management: Building an effective incident management plan mentions about the following organisational principles to support effective crisis leadership (Blyth, 2009). Clear responsibilities Demarking of clear responsibilities in organisation will ensure that gaps and shortfalls are avoided and duplication of efforts is prevented. Establishing clear responsibilities will also ensure that during the occurrence of crisis along with internal company politics are eliminated (Blyth, 2009)   (Fearn-Banks, 2007). Training and education Every organisation should develop a team of leaders who have expertise in dealing with crisis situations and that companies should regularly train these leaders by keeping aside time and resources. These leaders should be regularly trained on managing crisis and utilisation of policies, systems, tools and protocols (Blyth, 2009)   (Fearn-Banks, 2007). Practice and rehearsals Regular practice and rehearsals by the crisis management groups will ensure that any loopholes or shortfalls. Regular practice will not only increase the confidence of crisis management team but also help develop familiarity with the Crisis management plans (Blyth, 2009). Empowering Leadership An organisation should develop certain parameters within which crisis management leadership should be empowered and given the freedom to operate. This decentralization process will ensure that crisis at the local level can bring about effective management in times of crisis. Having a centralised leadership in terms of crisis management will significantly undercut the ability of leaders in the ground to successfully manage crisis (Fearn-Banks, 2010). Delegation An important aspect of crisis management structure and the one which is the core component of empowering leadership is to sensibly delegate responsibilities to the lowest level decision making abilities so as to put in place a structured and streamlined management system (Blyth, 2009). Authority lines During the crisis, middle level managers should be aware of the person to be contacted for requisite permissions so as to prevent a scenario where the people attempt to name a decision maker during the crisis event. To ensure that swift actions are taken during the crisis, clear authority lines and permissions should be granted to the crisis management team and people within the organisation must be made aware of the responsibilities of their colleagues in times of crisis (Blyth, 2009). Established systems and supporting mechanisms Effective response to a crisis can be generated by having established systems and support mechanisms in place. Establishing these strategies in place prior to the crisis will help crisis leaders in taking logically defined decisions which will develop confidence among their peers and sub ordinates (Devlin, 2006). Innovation and Flexibility The corners stones of effective crisis leadership are Innovation and flexibility as crisis tends to be unique every time thereby requiring tailored approach for achieving resolution (Blyth, 2009). Leveraging Companies and crisis management teams must be smart enough to leverage both outward and inward resources, capabilities, knowledge and also external resources so as to ensure that it does not lose out opportunities for effectively responding to the crisis (Blyth, 2009).. The leadership framework for crisis management involves drafting a crisis management policy, setting up of crisis management team, developing a communication strategy, establishing partnerships and ensuring preparedness of the crisis management team with regular practice and training sessions. Crisis management a leadership challenge, 2011 Drafting the crisis management policy includes setting the tone for leadership commitment and mentioning the generic guidelines for action. This policy is based on an organisation’s values and philosophy (Crisis management a leadership challenge, 2011). After drafting the policy, the next step is to establish a crisis management team. The crisis management team analyzes different scenarios leading to a crisis and plans for the scenarios. Also while establishing a management team, the roles and responsibilities of different members of team are established so as to vent ambiguity in times of crisis (Crisis management a leadership challenge, 2011) (George, 2011). Following the setting up of a crisis management team, an effective communication strategy and infrastructure will ensure that there is going to be a consistent flow of information to all stakeholders at all time (Crisis management a leadership challenge, 2011) (George, 2011).. The established crisis management team should go about setting up of partnership with external agencies / organisations so as to ensure availability of critical resources and timely help (Crisis management a leadership challenge, 2011)   (George, 2011). To ensure preparedness of the crisis management team and make sure that they are always on their toes, regular training programmes needs to be conducted and the capability of the crisis management to deal with   crisis situation should be checked from time to time through mock drills (Crisis management a leadership challenge, 2011) (George, 2011). Leadership is particularly important in crisis situations and Boin and ’t Hart (2003) argue that crisis and leadership are closely related phenomena. Since crisis situations are times of uncertainty, people inside and outside the organisation look to leaders to ‘do something’ and thus the visibility of top management, particularly the CEO, during a crisis assures the public that the crisis is being tackled at the highest levels (Halverson et al., 2004, Sadgrove, 2005). Top managers must also actively engage in long-term corrective and preventive actions to avoid being involved in crises time again (Augustine, 1995). Additionally, leaders need to understand the dynamics and psychology of a crisis if they are going to respond well because crisis events require the organisation to make considerable changes to its ‘standard operating procedures’ while still responding to the crisis (Borodzicz, 2000, Santana, 2003). This seems to be have been missing in th e case of BP, as the company has found itself in several crises situations over the past five years that have done major damage to its image and left it seemingly unable to respond well to new crises. In the latest oil spill, the leadership performance of BP’s CEO, Tony Hayward, was not well received. According to Boin and ’t Hart (2003, p. 544): When crisis leadership results in reduced stress and a return to normality, people herald their ‘true leaders’†¦ But when the crisis fails to dissipate and ‘normality’ does not return, leaders are obvious scapegoats. This view of leadership sits quite comfortably with the forms of organization that are common in business, the armed forces and government. Where the desire is to get something done, to achieve a narrow range of objectives in a short period of time, then it may make sense to think in this way. However, this has its dangers. Different leaders have different styles. A great deal of power remains in their hands and the opportunity for all to take responsibility and face larger questions is curtailed (George, 2011). The question to be investigated in this research is: What lessons can be learnt by Hayward performance as a leader during this crisis? The way in which this question can be answered is described in the next section. Methodologies Introduction This chapter focuses of the methodologies that have been used by the researcher during the course of this research. Research Methodology is the course taken by the researcher to find answers to research questions (Kumar, 2005). Middle level managers from BP were engaged in a semi structured interview which focused on their view of BP’s leadership in general and their opinion of how their leaders went about handling Deepwater Horizon Oil rig disaster in particular. The answers collected have been used to provide a simple overview of the factors contributing the crisis and then BP CEO Tony Hayward’s performance as a leader during the crisis Research Methodology The various paths or courses available to choosing data collection techniques and analysis procedures can be depicted by using research â€Å"onion† (Fig A). The centre of the onion gives an idea on the exact way of collecting the data to answer research questions and this centre is reached by peeling away important layers. The important layers that needs to be peeled away to reach the centre point i.e. data collection methods include research philosophy, research approach, Research strategies and Time horizons (Saunders, 2009).    Figure A: The Research Onion (Saunders et al. 2009) Research Philosophy The development and nature of knowledge encompasses the term research philosophy. This development and nature of knowledge contains important assumptions on the way a researcher views the world which underpins a researcher’s choice of a research strategy and the methods chosen as part of the strategy.   This philosophical commitment not only has a significant impact on what researcher does but also on how they understand things while investigating (Johnson, 2006). The three different research philosophies are Positivism, Interpretivism and Realism. Positivism involves development of knowledge based on observable social reality. The end product of research based on Positivism philosophy is law like generalisations similar to those produced by natural scientists. Intrepretivism involves development of knowledge based on the understanding of differences between humans in roles as social actors and the emphasis on their variables such as behaviour, mood and previous experience. Realism is the development of knowledge based on scientific approach and assumes the independent existence of objects from the human mind (Kothari, 2008) . The research philosophy adopted for this dissertation is Intrepretivism as the development of knowledge was through questioning and dialogue by which people shared their experience. This is because feelings and attitudes towards performance management as â€Å"social phenomena that have not external reality and cannot be measured and modified† (Saunders et al, 2006).   Interpretavist stance provides scope for the researcher to use phenomological case studies of people and how they make sense of the world, using their opinions and experience of performance measures in the working environment. Postivisim was not preferred because conducting research among people involves   taking into consideration various factors such as behaviour, mood etc which is advocated by interpretivism rather than objects such as trucks and computers as advocated by positivism, whereas emphasis is on working with observable social reality.   On the flip side, the difficulty of taking interpretavis t stance is that findings make not be generalisable. However, it may be that the types of people being interviewed, due to culture of a BP background, have similar thought processes and hence are generalisable with a BP context   (Goddard, 2004). Research Approach Deductive research and inductive research are the research approaches which results in the achievement of new knowledge. Deductive research is more like a top down approach to research where objectives are established followed by defining of key definitions and assumptions. Then the researchers works through a logical structure, based on the key definitions and assumptions, to accomplish the objective. Inductive research is more like a bottom up approach to research where conclusion is drawn only from observations of specific situations (Panneerselvam, 2004). This research involved the development of theory only after analysis of collected data therefore approaching research through inductive approach. Deductive approach was not chosen as the approach required the development of theory and hypothesis and then testing of this hypothesis by designing a research strategy whereas this research was based on finding view of BP’s middle level managers on their leaders handling of Deepwater Horizon Oil rig disaster and the performance of then BP CEO Tony Hayward’s performance as a leader during the crisis, which was the outcome of data collected through semi structured interview. Using Saunders et al’s ( 2006) characteristics of inductive research, the following are reasoned. An understanding will be gained of the meanings humans attached to events through the meanings they attach to performance management, and there will be a close understanding of the research context through the investigation of reasons as to how best to operationalise performance measurements (Kumar, 2005) . The data to be collected will be qualitative, which suggests that the deductive approach is more natural. There may be the potential for collections of qualitative data as well that may lend itself to a deductive approach, but the number of people intended to be interviewed would not enable any generalizations to be made   (Kumar, 2005) . The flexible approach of the inductive stance means that if findings lend themselves to a change of direction within the dissertation, this will be possible (Singh, 2009) . The researcher realizes that as part of the research process, ideas developed may translate into action research as they are suggested to the interviewees (Kumar, 2005). Research Strategy The analysis of the collected data so as to obtain information through systematic and orderly approach is called Research strategy. In management studies, the three important research strategies that are rooted in inductive approach and are commonly used include case study, grounded theory and Ethnography. A research strategy for a research is chosen based on certain criteria’s like research questions and objectives, availability of time and resources, existing knowledge level etc (Kumar, 2005). During this research, the researcher used a case study approach which Robson (1999, p. 146) defines as â€Å"a strategy for doing research which involves an empirical investigation of a particular contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context using multiple sources of evidence.† This was chosen because, in this research, â€Å"a ‘how’ or ‘why’ question is being asked about a contemporary set of events, over which the researcher has little or no control,†. The case study approach will not only entail in depth examination of single case but also engage many variables with collecting of information from multiple sources such as interviews with BP personals, archival data from BP’s files etc. This research strategy will be used as part of a qualitative methodology because qualitative research examines the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of human behaviour and so does the case study methodology (Yin, 2003). Other strategies such as grounded theory and   ethnography which are rooted in inductive approach was considered but it did not fit the scope of this research because of the fact that they are time consuming (Kumar, 2005). Data Collection method Sampling The research objectives were concerned with understanding of BP’s middle managers view of BP’s leadership in general and their opinion of how their leaders went about handling Deepwater Horizon Oil rig disaster in particular and then BP CEO Tony Hayward’s performance as a leader during the crisis. Therefore, the sampling frame for this research included middle-level and senior level managers of BP. Only those managers who have in depth analysis related to the topic of interest were chosen. This method of sampling is called purposive sampling. Unlike random sampling in which every combination of respondents from the sampling frame has a known probability of occurring, purposive sampling is used in the research when the research selects those respondents that are most appropriate for the study (Robson, 1999). Purposive sample is powerful because it allows the researcher to choose respondents that have the most information for in-depth analysis related to the centra l issues being examined. The richest information is not likely to be available from the ‘typical’ case and so using purposive sampling will allow examine in detail the root causes of a given issue and its consequences. A close colleague of researcher who is on the staff of BP helped the researcher in short listing only those managers with access to in depth knowledge of the research topic and on the basis of the contact details provided by the provided by the researcher’s colleague, the researcher sent across email requesting for an appointment to the discuss the research topic and only those who expressed willingness to part of the research was interviewed (Jackson, 2008).  · Data Collection Data will be collected in face-to-face interviews with three middle level managers within BP over a period of one week. Thus till date collected is the primary data. The data will be collected using semi-structured in-depth interviews. Semi-structured interviews were chosen over alternative approaches, such as focus groups and surveys, as this method will allow researcher to guide the research and probe for deeper answers, elaborations, and examples to allow further explanation of specific topics and at the same time cover a wider scope if undiscovered issues should arise (Robson, 1999). Additionally, semi-structured interviews allow interviewees to tell the interviewer what they consider most significant (Marshall and Rossman, 1999). Semi-structured interviewing starts with more general questions or topics rather than the formulation of detailed questions ahead of time and so structured and unstructured questions will be outlined prior to the interviews based on the research questio n framework (Marshall and Rossman, 1999). In this research, relevant topics will have to be initially identified as well as the possible relationship between these topics and the issues. These managers are responsible for teams of professionals and would be able to provide insight into leadership issues in the organisation, allowing them to accurately articulate ‘rich’ descriptions of their experience of leadership at BP. Each interview is expected to last between 30 and 90 minutes and the interviews will be transcribed within one week of having conducting them to ensure that no additional material or observations were lost or forgotten (Marshall and Rossman, 1999). Following the collection of primary data, secondary data was collected so as to understand get a overall prespective of BP’s leadership and its response to deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. This data was obtained by analyzing various sources including internet and published guides (Jackson, 2008) .  · Data Analysis This research will use qualitative content analysis to interpret the data collected and further analysis will be carried out by triangulating these findings with the findings of the literature review and the questions and topics that this raised. Content analysis is often recommended for analysing semi-structured interviews because it allows the researcher to identify themes, concepts, and meanings and is a way of classifying content (Krippendorff, 2004). As there is existing (but incomplete) theory about crisis management, this research will use a directed approach to content analysis, which allows existing theoretical frameworks to be validated (and sometimes extended) (Hsieh and Shannon, 2005). In the directedapproach to content analysis, extant theory will be used to form codes that will be used in the initial analysis. Data that do not fit into these predetermined codes will be identified and later analysed to determine whether they represent a new category or a subset of a curr ent category. Data that cannot be coded will be identified and analysed later, as suggested by Hsieh and Shannon (2005), to determine if they represent a new category or a subcategory of an existing code. While this method has limitations, the accuracy of predetermined categories can be increased by using an audit trail and audit process (Krippendorff, 2004). By compiling a spreadsheet of literature topics and cross-referencing this to the interviews, it is hoped to be able to correlate findings that produce new insights into the implementation of performance measurement and enable a more effective method of doing so at BP and potentially, within other organisations. Data quality issues The drawback of doing a semi structured interview is the lack of standardisation in these interviews. But the researcher still went ahead with the current interview structure because of the fact that the topic of interest is complex and dynamic and using a semi structured interview approach will provide an opportunity for the interviewer to explore the topic in greater detail (McBurney, 2009). Therefore, in order to overcome these issues, careful planning was done which has been described below. Level of knowledge The effectiveness of interviewing particular manager and their level of knowledge in the deepwater horizon oil spill was obtained by researcher following a detailed discussion with a colleague, who was working in BP. The literature review provided enough level of knowledge with respect to the situational context (McBurney, 2009). Level of information given to the interviewee The interviewees were given relevant information with respect to the research including the topic of the research, the motive of conducting the research and goal to be accomplished by the end of the research (McBurney, 2009). Appropriateness of location The prior appointment was taken before meeting the managers. A meeting room within the BP offices was chosen as the location for the meeting. This was done so to ensure that there is minimal disturbance during the interview process   (Louis Cohen, 2000). Appearance in the interview Even though BP is a highly successful and highly powered organization, its dress code is causal i.e. no suits. Therefore, the researchers appearance was also causal which not only went in sync with BP’s dress code but also went well with the semi structured approach to interview Louis Cohen, 2000).. Opening comment during the commencement of the interview To ensure that the discussion shapes in the right direction, the participants of the interview were given the brief on the motive of conducting the research and goal to be accomplished by the end of the research and following their consent, interview questions were put forward Louis Cohen, 2000).. Questioning approach The researcher made sure that the questions put forward for the interview were open ended questions. This was done so as to ensure that the researcher had the opportunity to explore the question in greater detail. Also, while discussing the questions, the researcher was careful not to use highly complex industry jargons whose meanings may vary with the interviewee. In scenarios where the use of jargons were essential, the researcher took care to ensure that both the researcher and the interviewee had the same understanding Louis Cohen, 2000).. Behaviour during the interview The researcher ensured that at all times there was appearance of enjoying the interview process as any appearance of boredom will not encourage the interviewee to give a good response. Also, for the answers given by the interviewee, the researcher made sure that a neutral response was projected so as to not to provide lead that may result in bias Louis Cohen, 2000). Demonstration of attentive listening skills In order to ensure that the interviewee gives as much information as possible, the researcher made sure that the thoughts were held back deliberately. Defending or arguing a particular point of view mentioned by the interviewee would not only result in diverting away from the topic but will also stop flow of thoughts (Jackson, 2008). Documentation of the data The information gleaned from the interviewee was recorded using audio recording equipment and also by taking down notes while the interview was in progress (Jackson, 2008). Generalisability As this research follows Intrepretivism, the development of knowledge was through questioning and dialogue by which people shared their experience. These sharing of knowledge are highly subjective and vary on the moods and behaviour of the people. Therefore, the concerns raised in the dissertation are organisation specific to B.P and may not be applicable to other organisations. But the problems associated with arriving at the right kind of Leadership and crisis management is universal and therefore this dissertation will be useful in other contexts (Jackson, 2008). Access and Ethical Considerations Access to the organisation is to be gained via a close colleague that is a currently on staff at BP. Complying with the ‘Qualitative Research and the Data Protection Act 1998,’ before every interview the researcher will give participants an informed consent form, explaining that the interview will be recorded and that they have the right to withdraw at anytime and withhold any information that they do not wish to share (Marshall and Rossman, 1999). The participants will then be required to sign a consent form before the interview commences. The researcher has read and understood the university’s ethics policies relating to   the dissertation and is confident that the dissertation will be carried out by ensuring the following. All interviewees have the choice whether or not to participate in the research They were provided with the outline proposal for the research. The interviewees provided written consent prior to taking up the interview and were given the option of withdrawing from the inte