The Shadow Lines Essay Example For Students

The Shadow Lines Essay BOOK REVIEW Novel : The Shadow Lines AUTHOR : At-nitav Ghosh Awards : winner of the Sahitya Akademi Award (1989). Bibliography : The Shadow Lines(novel), Wikipedia(lnternet). Main Characters : Mayadebi, Tridib, Ila, May, Narrator, Nick, grandmother. POLITICAL SCENE-RIO : The novel is set against the backdrop of historical events: 1 . Swadeshi movement 2. Second World War 3. Partition of Country 4. Communal riots of 1963-64 in Dhaka and Calcutta CHARACTERS ANALYSIS : The characters in this novel except that of Tridib are realistically portrayed and are not larger than life. Each one is portrayed with all the weaknesses that make them endearing. Each one is believable . But Tridib does not seem to belong to this world. He comes across as a seer, someone endowed with extra-sensory and extra- visionary abilities. 1. Narrator : The protagonist is a middle class boy who grows up in a middle class family. He is sexually attaracted to lla but he never tells her. He is very close to his grandmother and knows about her more than anyone. As a young boy he seldom gets to travel farther than his school. And yet his world spans far beyond, across continents. We will write a custom essay on The Shadow Lines specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now He paints up this world, rather vividly, borrowing colours from others. He uses Tridibs eyes to view a certain family in London, their house, the streets, the panic of war. He uses his grandmothers eyes to see her life in Dhaka as a young girl, her uncle and cousins, the other side of the big house where everything was upside down. He uses his cousins eyes to view different parts of the world where she travelled, her aspirations for belonging, her heartaches caused by a reality as different from her dreams as she and her background was from those with whom she lived in those foreign lands. 2. Tridib : He was the son of Mayadebi, and so by relation he was the second uncle of Narrator. He is well-travelled but he prefers to live his life in Calcutta, where he works at a Ph. D. in archaeology. For Thamma, he is very irresponsible person who wastes his life wandering across the streets but narrator loves to listen to Trideb. He passionately believes that a place does not merely exist, that it has to be invented in ones imagination . He was killed by Muslim mobs in communal riots of 1963-64 in Dhaka. Calcutta. She is very strict, disciplined, hardworking, mentally strong and patient lady. Time is very precious for her. According to her, time is a toothbrush; it goes mouldy if it isnt used. She had been awarded a Bachelors degree in history by Dhaka University. She has a dreadful past. She was married to an engineer with the railways, in Burma. In 1935, her husband passed away. 4. Ila : She is the cousin of narrator. She lives in Stockwell, London. She is very good looking, and broad minded. She wants to be free. According to her, the constraints on women in India made their life horrible. Thats why she lived in London, so that she could do whatever she wants. She marries Nick, an Englishman, buys a home, finds a job, tries to settle down but without success. 5. May : She is the daughter of Prices family, who are relatives of Tridibs family. Tridib was in love with her. She is committed to a purposeful and principled social life. She is kind-hearted and works for society by collecting funds for famine relief in Africa, and other social services. 6. Nick : He is a good looking blonde having long hairs and wants to become a Chartered Accountant. As May says to narrator: He is different, he is not like us. He lacks the sensibility and moral values of a normal human being. He marries lla and is cheating on her as he admits sleeping with other women. Apart from all these characters, there is a fantasized character Magda, llas fantasy child whom she acknoledges when she was playing houses with the narrator. Magda is blue-eyed and blonde and has very bright and beautiful hairs. This shows that lla fantasized to marry an Englishman from her childhood. TITLE OF THE BOOK- The Shadow lines : The shadow lines that the title proclaims to be the theme of the novel are very shadowy themselves. We never get to see them as they are and there is never a ention of these lines anywhere in the novel. The interpretation of the meaning of the shadow lines is left to the reader. Now that points to an interpretation itself as the shadow lines could mean something that is insubstantial and therefore, its existence is doubtful. Another interpretation of the shadow lines could be that they are lines that change positions with the gaze or perspective. Yet another interpretation of the shadow lines could be that they are Just a pale imitation of reality. What are lines associated with? .uce34870d6adacf3915996e3da112d089 , .uce34870d6adacf3915996e3da112d089 .postImageUrl , .uce34870d6adacf3915996e3da112d089 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uce34870d6adacf3915996e3da112d089 , .uce34870d6adacf3915996e3da112d089:hover , .uce34870d6adacf3915996e3da112d089:visited , .uce34870d6adacf3915996e3da112d089:active { border:0!important; } .uce34870d6adacf3915996e3da112d089 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uce34870d6adacf3915996e3da112d089 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uce34870d6adacf3915996e3da112d089:active , .uce34870d6adacf3915996e3da112d089:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uce34870d6adacf3915996e3da112d089 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uce34870d6adacf3915996e3da112d089 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uce34870d6adacf3915996e3da112d089 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uce34870d6adacf3915996e3da112d089 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uce34870d6adacf3915996e3da112d089:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uce34870d6adacf3915996e3da112d089 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uce34870d6adacf3915996e3da112d089 .uce34870d6adacf3915996e3da112d089-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uce34870d6adacf3915996e3da112d089:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Breast Cancer Treatment EssayLines could be boundaries or they could Just signify the linearity of relationships. Lines are also used to measuring and dividing length. They are also constructs created by humans and are thus, unreal. Shadow could be referring to the physical shadow that light casts when obstructed by objects. It could also mean protection or security. It could also mean an inseparable companion as a shadow always follows some object or a pale representation of the object. Together, shadow lines could mean insubstantial boundaries or boundaries humans carry everywhere . The lines are Just human constructs that have no real significance. Grandmother asking whether she would be able to see lines on the land eparating India and East Pakistan, and the narrators father saying that the boundaries start at the airports itself and grandmother trying to find the boundaries in the Dhaka airport. Even though boundaries separate them, grandmother reveals that Dhaka and Calcutta are very similar to each other. These boundaries are shown to be very flimsy and perspective oriented. The categorisation is based on the perspective of an individual. The best example from the book of this perspective- oriented classification is the way many people look at the riots that killed Tridib. For he narrators father, it was an accident, for May it was a sacrifice, for Robi it was a nightmare. An event has been shown as categorised in several ways by different people. They are correct in some way or another but for the people who classify them so, they are experienced in so varied ways and hence, the difference in the classification. Boundaries demarcate and classify. Man is inherently programmed to classify and form groups of all that he samples by his senses. These classification are generally based on adjectives that are dependent like good, bad, warm, cold, etc. Shadows are known to change shape and size with changing light positions. The light positions could be considered as the perspective of a person and the shadows as the lines that classify. Hence, the perspective determines the classification and as shadow lines demarcate them, they are unreliable. Authors way of Presenting Story : The narrator, Indian born and English educated, traces events back and forth in time, from the outbreak of World War II to the late twentieth century, through years of Bengali partition and violence, observing the ways in which political events invade private lives. Amitav Ghosh refrains from giving him a name. The novel brings into perpestive the fact that one cannot attribute absolute identities to things or events that cant be absolutely good or bad. The knack of the narrator to go to places hitherto unseen in a manner as if he had visited them before surprises us Just as it surprises Nick and Ila. The narrative is simple. It flows smoothly, back and forth between times, places and characters. The use of the first person and therefore a reflective style is very effectively used by Ghosh to say much more than the written word. PLOT SUMMARY : It is a rather straightforward story, which follows the life of a young boy growing up in Calcutta and later on in Delhi and London. His family the Datta Chaudharis and the Prices in London are linked by the friendship between their respective patriarchs Justice Dattachaudhari and Alan Tresawsen. The narrator adores Tridib because of his tremendous knowledge and his perspective of the incidents and places. Thamma thinks that Tridib is type of person who seems determined to waste his life in idle Unlike his grandmother, the narrator loves listening to Tridib. For the narrator, Tridibs lore is very different from the collection of facts and fgures. The narrator is sexually attaracted to lla but his feelings are passive. He never expresses his feelings to her afraid to lose the relation that exist between them. But one day he expresses his feelings when she was changing clothes in front of him being unaware of his feelings. She feels sorry for him. Thamma does not like lla. Why do you always speak for that whore She doesnt like her grandson to support her. Thamma has a dreadful past and wants to reunite her family and goes to Dhaka to bring back her ncle. Tridib is in love with May and sacrificed his life to rescue her from Muslim mobs in the communal riots of 1963-64 in Dhaka. CRITICAL ANALYSIS : The Shadow lines, a novel written by Amitav Ghosh. It was the second novel of him. Language, structure and spirit have coalesced to produce a work of lyrical beauty. Ghoshs prose is evocative and realist. The Shadow Lines is written effortlessly and without the baggage of magical realism. This novel is enigmatically written with a blend of fiction and non-fiction events. Ghosh completely outstands in his language, ay of writing, in different moves he took while the story was proceeding. The most difficult part of a book is to show flashback without explicitly taking off readers interest and attention from his reading flow. And narrator completely showed his supremacy in this regard. His resonant use of language completely spell bound the readers. Girish Karnad rightly said about him, Ghosh uses to great effect a matrix of multiple points of view in which memory, mythology and history freely interpenetrate A delight to read. Amitav Ghosh refrains from giving him a name. .ua060b01f6a4b0937886a6b07bf99960c , .ua060b01f6a4b0937886a6b07bf99960c .postImageUrl , .ua060b01f6a4b0937886a6b07bf99960c .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ua060b01f6a4b0937886a6b07bf99960c , .ua060b01f6a4b0937886a6b07bf99960c:hover , .ua060b01f6a4b0937886a6b07bf99960c:visited , .ua060b01f6a4b0937886a6b07bf99960c:active { border:0!important; } .ua060b01f6a4b0937886a6b07bf99960c .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ua060b01f6a4b0937886a6b07bf99960c { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ua060b01f6a4b0937886a6b07bf99960c:active , .ua060b01f6a4b0937886a6b07bf99960c:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ua060b01f6a4b0937886a6b07bf99960c .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ua060b01f6a4b0937886a6b07bf99960c .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ua060b01f6a4b0937886a6b07bf99960c .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ua060b01f6a4b0937886a6b07bf99960c .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ua060b01f6a4b0937886a6b07bf99960c:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ua060b01f6a4b0937886a6b07bf99960c .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ua060b01f6a4b0937886a6b07bf99960c .ua060b01f6a4b0937886a6b07bf99960c-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ua060b01f6a4b0937886a6b07bf99960c:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Anne Frank EssayThe novel brings into perpestive the fact that one cannot attribute absolute identities to things or events that cant be absolutely good or bad. The narrator is a young boy growing up in Calcutta and later on in Delhi and London. As a young boy, he seldom she lived in those foreign lands. There are two parts in the novel- Gong Away and Coming Home. Going away shows the narrator who has heard about England from a cousin who lived there for sometime and his own discovery of the country when he visits it later in life. Coming Home shows his grandmother visiting her old home in Dhaka, her nostalgia and the discovery of alienation from what she had remembered before Dhaka became part of Pakistan. His grandmother is passionate for freedom. When she was young during the Swadeshi movement, she wanted to Join it and could do anything for her country. She says- I would have killed him. It was for our argues with her about lla, telling her that lla lives in London not because of the lure of money or commodities, but for freedom. Ila believes that there are lot of constraints on women in Indian culture. There are lot of decisions which women have to take because of the pressure of the society and culture. Grandmothers response to this is- It is not freedom she wants, she wants to be let alone to do as she pleases; thats all any whore would want. . She doesnt even hasitate to call her a whore. The narrator grandmothers nationalist faiths fail her because she comes to realize that borders have a tenuous existence, and that not even a history of bloodshed can make them real nad impermeable. Lines on the map are the handiwork of administrators and cartographers. In 1964, as she plans to fly to Dhaka, she wonders if she would be able to see the border between India and East-Pakistan from the lane. When her son laughs at her, she replies- Wheres the difference then? And if there is no difference, both sides will be the same; it will be Just like it used to be before . The grandmother has a typical state dominated view about nationalism,what she is unable to realize that one can be unsafe even in ones own country. Mays humanitarianism forces Tridib to stop the car and help the dog lying half-dead on the highway. That same instinct of May led Tridib to lose his life when they were caught in the communal riots of 1964 in Dhaka. She went out of the car trying to save er uncle but Tridib stops her and sacrifices his own life. Torn by her memories, May believes for a long time that she killed Tridib, only at the end, she seems to calm herself and get rid of her torturing guilt when she says- He gave himself up, it was a sacrifice. I know I cant understand, I know I mustnt try, for any real sacrifice is a mystery. . The title The Shadow lines is itself peculiar and mysterious. There is no mention of it even a single time. The shadow lines could be boundaries that humans create and which are insubstantial. The mental boundaries present in the minds of eople that limit their vision to what is visible is transcended by Tridib and the narrator by their imaginations. These mental boundaries are shown to be immaterial, as they cannot limit the sights and scenes of the world. Transcending these boundaries is shown to be a human task that broadens the horizons that one sees. This can be interpreted as a philosophical message that humans can broaden their minds Just by broadening their scope of view. It can be done by seeing things beyond the visible and the obvious, and by seeing things that are subtle and those that are idden for various reasons. The shadow lines that mark our horizons are merely shadows of the real boundaries and humans should cross it like Sita crossed the Laxman-rekha. This is one novel that can be interpreted in so many different ways in so many different perspectives. This is something that the novel seems to be emphasising. The interpretations vary form person to person, as they are dependent on the person. This is the message I see from the novel from my perspective. Of course, someone else may differ on this. This is the beauty of this novel, again from my perspective.

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Deep within the word, â€Å"American† is its association with Race. To identify someone as Hispanic is to say very little, we need the adjective â€Å"white† or â€Å"Latino† or â€Å"colored† to make our meaning clear. In this country it’s the reverse. American means white and that’s it, and Latinos struggle to make the term applicable to themselves hyphen after hyphen and so on. Because American means white, those who are not white are presumed to be recent arrivals and often told to â€Å"go back to where they came from.† Thus we appear to operate within the dichotomized racial categories of American/non-American; these are racial categories, because they effectively mean white/nonwhite (17). This is the reason why I believe race in the United States has indeed been socially constructed is through stereotypes and lack of knowledge. The comparison between â€Å"whites† and â€Å"Latinos† are very different and how each of the group is perceived is very different. A "stereotype" is a generalization about a person or group of persons. We develop stereotypes when we are unable or unwilling to obtain all of the information we would need to make fair judgments about people or situations. In the absence of the "total picture," stereotypes in many cases allow us to "fill in the blanks."... Free Essays on Criminal Free Essays on Criminal Deep within the word, â€Å"American† is its association with Race. To identify someone as Hispanic is to say very little, we need the adjective â€Å"white† or â€Å"Latino† or â€Å"colored† to make our meaning clear. In this country it’s the reverse. American means white and that’s it, and Latinos struggle to make the term applicable to themselves hyphen after hyphen and so on. Because American means white, those who are not white are presumed to be recent arrivals and often told to â€Å"go back to where they came from.† Thus we appear to operate within the dichotomized racial categories of American/non-American; these are racial categories, because they effectively mean white/nonwhite (17). This is the reason why I believe race in the United States has indeed been socially constructed is through stereotypes and lack of knowledge. The comparison between â€Å"whites† and â€Å"Latinos† are very different and how each of the group is perceived is very different. A "stereotype" is a generalization about a person or group of persons. We develop stereotypes when we are unable or unwilling to obtain all of the information we would need to make fair judgments about people or situations. In the absence of the "total picture," stereotypes in many cases allow us to "fill in the blanks."...

Quantitative easing - Emphasis

Quantitative easing Quantitative easing Look out for the latest innocent-sounding financial buzz-phrase that hides some very big news indeed. This one sounds more benign than sub-prime loans. Yet its effects could be just as far reaching, if not more so. That phrase is quantitative easing. It may sound like the lesson you forgot in physics class, as Gerard Baker of The Times has put it. But its actually what governments do when theyve run out of options. It means, essentially, printing more money. Its what the Japanese central bank did when its economy went belly-up in 2001. (It had already driven interest rates close to zero.) As we write, UK business secretary Lord Mandelson is strongly denying that quantitative easing is even on the agenda. But the US Federal Reserve has already decided to do it, in order to buy up long-term debt. The theory is this lowers the interest rates on these assets, so that loans in general become cheaper and money starts to move around the economy again. A cynic might say that the jargon is there to hide whats really going on, just as collateral damage sounds better than killing innocent civilians. Whether thats true or not, youre likely to hear it more and more soon: when we searched on Google for the (exact) phrase we got well over three hundred thousand results.

Markets As A Form Of Production, Use And Consumption.The Meaning Of Article

Markets As A Form Of Production, Use And Consumption.The Meaning Of Property And Water Rights - Article Example This much is seen as acceptable to most theorists and economists, but the motive behind the marketing function is not. Adam Smith, considered to be the father of modern economics, stresses that division of labor which is characteristic of a reasonably large market has come about due to the propensity of man to barter excess goods in exchange for other commodities which he needed for his family needs. He adds that man is motivated by the element of profit in marketing and that the price fixed for a commodity should essentially have a margin over and above the input costs of labor and rent. According to him, "the whole price of any commodity must still finally resolve itself into some one or other or all of these three parts; as whatever part of remains after paying the rent of the land, and the price of the whole labor employed in raising, manufacturing, and bringing it to market, must necessarily be profit to someone" (Smith 22). Smith goes on to argue that this propensity for barter ing and profit will best be supported by a free market economy. Economists over the years have subscribed or gone against this view. But here again, only very few have really contradicted Smith's views on bartering and profit. Marx stated that such a situation will result in greed and eventual exploitation of workers. But two prominent writers namely Karl Polanyi and Robert Heilbroner vehemently argue that a study of history of markets around the world, even in the famous ancient kingdoms goes against the view of Smith with regard to marketing and bartering. The views of these two writers will be analyzed to review the distinguishing features of the new market economy in comparison with earlier market systems followed. The paper also tries to make a comparative study between Donald Worster's view on water as a commodity and Marx's own views. Polanyi had definitive views on marketing motivations and customs regarding the evolution of marketing and states that the views of other theorists on this area were erroneous in a number of areas. As an economist, Polanyi is known for his substantivist approach, a situation where the marketing function was closely aligned with culture, social practices and beliefs of a particular community. The author states that "to start with, we must discard some nineteenth century prejudices that underlay Adam Smith's hypothesis about primitive man's alleged predilection for gainful occupations" (Polanyi 45). He goes on to argue that the current market environment is of recent origin and that most of Europe followed the same standards and sophistication carried on from over the centuries with very little change. To substantiate this, he studies various civilizations and societies from a variety of periods and regions and provides specific examples. In essence marketing has a social function base d on survival and growth of the society rather than for individual gain. Polanyi agrees to the fact that a marketing function is essential in organized societies, but its aim is for overall benefit and growth. A person is expected to share his surplus commodities, whether it is an agricultural or animal product. This generosity will enhance his position in the society. Its benefits are not immediate, but will only come at a later stage, when others respond to this generosity by helping him out with his needs of the time. There are two ways in which this can happen. It can come from individual or common reciprocation. In other words, a particular individual who has benefited from an act of generosity will respond when in a position to reciprocate. The society will also have a common store of products which is

HR-Faculty of Business Environment and Society Essay

HR-Faculty of Business Environment and Society - Essay Example The multinational corporations operate from their branches and headquarters spread all over the world to expand and enlarge their reach worldwide. And all these initiatives by the business firms have been supported and encouraged by the gifts of modern technology. This global presence of companies is essentially accompanied by the global presence of their human resource or rather the presence of a workforce that comprises people from different parts of the world. The functions of human resource management become more varied and complex when employees are located around the world. Apart from the factors such as technology, economic systems, legal frameworks and industrial relations, the cultural factors also assume great importance in the managing of a global workforce. And the most prominent manifestation of the cultural challenge is the diversity of modern workforce. The US workforce, for instance, has been increasing day by day in terms of its diversity. More and more women are joi ning the workforce. The majority of the existing workforce is gradually nearing old age. The number of immigrants has increased manifold over the past few years. People from different racial and religious background have come to form a part of the ever-increasing workforce of the USA, thus adding to its ethnic diversity. Thus the human resource in all transnational business endeavors has become increasingly diverse in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, culture, political views, physical abilities and psychological orientation. This paper aims to explore the different styles of managing and leading such a diverse workforce in the light of international human resource management. The term diversity used with respect to a workforce simply implies that the working population at the workplace is a heterogeneous mix of people in terms of age, gender, race, religion, culture, education, physical abilities and psychological make-up.

North American and European Airline Industry Essay -- Business Managem

North American and European Airline Industry INTRODUCTION The Airline industry is one of the world’s largest industries generating over $300 billion in revenues in 2001 alone and additionally has the second highest industrial growth rate, after the computer industry, with typical growth rates of 3-5% per annum over the last 20 years (Humphreys, 2003; BA Fact book, 2002). For the purpose of this assignment, freight/cargo airline activities will not be considered as freight travel consists of only 2 % of total airline activity (see figure 3.1 and appendix 1) (BA Fact book, 2002, ICAO, 2003). Furthermore, due to the nature of the airline industry and the Asian market being a lot smaller and internally focused, we will concentrate on the North American and European markets which between them, account for 65% of the market (see figure 3.1 and appendix 1) (ICAO, 2003). Section 1:The main forces shaping the airline sector’s global business environment. The past two years has seen an unprecedented number of airlines, worldwide, filing for bankruptcy and many more would have followed suit had it not been for government intervention (Economist, 2002a). The main factors leading to their demise and to the problems currently faced by the airline industry in general, have their roots in the existing economic and political climate, which according to IATA (2002) continue to remain challenging. 1.1 Economic Forces facing the airline industry Since the performance/profitability of the airline industry is closely connected to the economic cycle (BA Fact Book, 2002), the importance of the global economic environment and the impact that it has on the industry cannot be underestimated (see figure 1.1). This is evident from the performance of the industry during the late 1990’s as profitability soared on the back of a buoyant world economy (characterised by the hype generated by the technological revolution; record levels of corporate activity etc) which fuelled demand for air travel. It is not surprising that the subsequent slump in air travel which began in the USA towards the end of 2000 and slowly spread to other parts of the world (Economist, 2001), corresponded to a change in the economic forces as the knock on effects of the US economic slowdown infiltrated the global economy. One of the main consequences of the g... ... flights and the introduction of ‘World Traveller Plus’ – a new business and economy product. These two markets of business and economy are perceived to be the most demanding and profitable in the future and therefore BA have additionally positioned itself well to take advantage of these developments (Economist, 2002b; BA Fact book, 2002). Therefore, the penetration and consolidation of markets, cost management and refocusing of culture and infrastructure assisted by the collaboration available within its OneWorld Alliance are placing BA in a healthier position to survive the turbulence that lies ahead. FINAL THOUGHTS The future of BA and that of many other airlines is going to depend on the highly volatile political and economic situation facing the world as seen in section 1. War in Iraq is creating an increased sense of panic in the world’s industries and therefore, an accurate forecast as to the airline industry development is somewhat convoluted and complex due to the overwhelming sense of uncertainty that prevails. Therefore, BA’s future positioning and its subsequent success within this sector is going to be decidedly susceptible to the worlds events.