Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 3

Assignment - Essay Example The company’s management is not market oriented and lagging behind market changes is dangerous for any particular company. The paper attempts to look at basic management concepts and their effective application in the daily running of a company. The basic definition of management is getting work done by others. Comprehensively management can be described as a set of functions that are directed at the efficient and effective utilization of resources for the achievement of set organizational goals. The difference thus arises in the management of the Royal Store that violates the definition of management, as its management does not adhere to any set functions. Effectiveness in the running of a business organization refers to the making of right decisions and successfully implementing them. It also means the accomplishing of tasks that are helpful in achieving organizational objectives. On the other hand, efficiency in a business entity refers to getting work done with the use of minimum effort, expense, or waste. Efficiency entails the use of resources available to an organization in the most cost-effective way. Effectiveness and efficiency in any business organization contribute to productivity.... The difference thus arises in the management of the Royal Store that violates the definition of management, as its management does not adhere to any set functions. a) Relationship Between Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Productivity Effectiveness in the running of a business organization refers to the making of right decisions and successfully implementing them. It also means the accomplishing of tasks that are helpful in achieving organizational objectives. On the other hand, efficiency in a business entity refers to getting work done with the use of minimum effort, expense, or waste. Efficiency entails the use of resources available to an organization in the most cost-effective way. Effectiveness and efficiency in any business organization contribute to productivity. This forms one of the major arguments of Taylor on the issue of productivity. Productivity entails the performing of assigned duties in the manner that is required. In any company, the measurement of productivity is imp ortant in relation to the resources employed, which include labor, time, and monetary resources against the total output. Effectiveness and efficiency establish a base in measuring productivity in any organization. The Royal Store in its business activities exhibited lack of efficiency and effectiveness in its management leading to the productivity falling below the owner’s expectations. The company in its efforts to boost productivity should employ several of Fayol’s principles on successful management. The first principle they can inculcate is the unity of command. The principle means that any organization no matter how large it is should

Zakaria Reading Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Zakaria Reading - Essay Example From the discussion it is clear that  the government purports that the economy is improving, it is evident that the US economy is rapidly losing the preeminent position it held for the last decades. By taking into consideration nearly all measures of economic and financial wellbeing, it is evident that the US economy is rapidly declining comparable to other economies such as China. Although the international community still regards the US as a country holding a preeminent position in terms of economic and political factors, an in-depth examination of the country’s economic situation provides a contrary view.This paper discusses that  the US economy is muddled by great debt, which is adversely impacting its economic situation. Comparable to China, the US has massive quantities of public debt. As a percentage of its GDP, the US has public debt of 73.0% and gross government debt as a percentile of its GDP stands at 102.94%. Both of these figures are extremely high for a count ry deemed to be the most economically successful country in the world. The figures essentially speak to the country’s detrimental political processes and administrative decision making, which plunge the country into greater and greater debt over time.  As part of the US government’s ploy to revamp the country’s financial and economic position, the government instituted massive bailout strategies.

Leadership In The Construction Industry Management Essay

Leadership In The Construction Industry Management Essay Among the many variables that have an effect on an organization such as economic condition and competition, leadership is considered to be one of the most important factors that directly impacts the level of success an organization may experience (Goleman, 2000). The construction industry is no exception to these popular beliefs as described in the research reviewed for this paper. Within the construction industry, leaders are exposed to fast-pace, complex, and constantly evolving environments (Riley, Horman Messner, 2008). The styles and skills of a leader are directly related to generating a positive working environment which is crucial to positive performance. The purpose of this paper is to: (1) discuss the classifications of leadership and associated styles; (2) identify the skills that are associated with construction leadership including the aspect of emotional intelligence; and (3) analyze leadership factors that impact the working environment. It is the authors intention th at this literature review and its findings may be used to assist individuals and organizations in their efforts to evaluate past, present, and future leaders. Leadership in the Construction Industry Throughout the construction and engineering industry, there is a growing recognition of the importance and need for improved leadership skills within organizations (Skipper Bell, 2006). Developments such as the growing volume of activity, advancement in technology, intense global competition, increasing number of active stakeholders, and the demand for fast track completion, have generated many distinct challenges for the construction industry (Toor Ofori, 2008). According to Giritli and Oraz (2004), the construction industry demonstrates distinct characteristics that separate it from all other industries. Some of the unique characteristics that have an impact on leadership styles include: project characteristics, contractual arrangements, project life-cycle, and environmental factors. Giritli and Oraz (2004) explain how construction projects are composed of a multitude of organizations or contractors, and typically all of these entities contribute to the project in different ways. These organizations are drawn together for a short time to work on a specific project and then disbanded upon the completion of the project. The temporary or short-term nature of projects in the construction industry, combined with its multi-organizational framework, will almost certainly have an impact on the style of leadership construction professionals choose to follow (Giritli Oraz, 2004). The fact is construction professionals in leadership roles are faced with constant change throughout the different phases of a projects lifecycle. This combined with the responsibility of leading or directing a multitude of different sub-contractors and personnel for short periods of time creates many challenges and gives leadership in construction its distinction (Giritli Oraz, 2004). The necessary tools to be an effective leader in the construction industry include both technical and soft skills. Technical and Soft Leadership Skills Construction leaders often assume the role of design managers, construction managers, procurement managers, contract managers, or project managers (Toor Ofori, 2008). Regardless of the title, leaders in the construction industry are considered facilitators and the focal point of communication (Riley et al., 2008). Approximately 88% of project managers spend more than half of their working time interacting with others (Sunundijo, Hadikusumo Ogunlana, 2007). This leadership requires a set of competencies and traits such as vision, communication, honesty, integrity, continuous learning, courage, tolerance for ambiguity, and creativity. These competencies and traits are considered to be soft skills (Riley et al., 2008). Toor and Ofori (2008) label these traits as general management and leadership skills similarly described in many industries. Technical or hard skills are considered to be more complex and describe traits related to a specific industry. In the construction industry, tech nical skills may include intimate knowledge of the scheduling, installation processes, day to day operation of specific job related activities, and overall knowledge of all sub-contractors/tradesman operating on the project. In short, a leader who possesses technical skills in the construction industry understands the terminology and has extensive knowledge regarding all construction related activities. Process Development and Emotional Intelligence Both technical and soft leadership skills are learned and developed over time. Maxwells (2007) law of process explains how leaders, either natural born with greater natural gifts, or those who become leaders through a collection of skills, have the ability to improve. These skills are not developed overnight, because leadership is complicated and has many facets including: respect, experience, emotional strength, people skills, discipline, vision, momentum, timing, etc. Butler and Chinowsky (2006), report that the level of emotional intelligence of a leader is as important as classical traits of intelligence and experience in developing the leaders of tomorrows construction organizations. According to Goleman (1998), emotional intelligence is the capacity to recognize our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in us and in our relationships. (Sunindijo et al., 2007, p.166). Leaders with higher emotional intelligence tend to display the traits of transformational leadership found in open communication and proactive leadership styles. Emotional intelligence has been found to assist in generating delegation, opening lines of communication, and improvement of proactive behavior, which can bring positive outcomes to organizations (Sunindijo et al., 2007). Butler and Chinowsky (2006), list fifteen multi-factors which fall within five specific components of emotional intelligence that are related to transformational leadership behavior at a convincing level of statistical significance. The factors are: Interpersonal Skills Self-regard, Emotional self-awareness, Assertiveness, Independence, Self-Actualization Intrapersonal Skills Empathy, Social Responsibility, Interpersonal Relationship Adaptability Reality Testing, Flexibility, Problem Solving Stress Management Stress Tolerance, Impulse Control General Moods Optimism, Happiness The research by Butler and Chinowsky (2006) proves that the relationship between emotional intelligence and the factors listed above have a significant potential impact on construction organizations and the success of its leaders. Leadership Classification and Styles Leadership styles, behaviors, and techniques are typical topics of discussion in the search for what or who constitutes a true and effective leader. Countless research articles examine the preferred methods of developing or identifying the traits of a quality leader. Among the many articles reviewed for this paper, there has been no evidence that clearly shows a particular style of leadership as optimal; hence, it may be concluded that no single leadership style is best for all managerial situations (Giritli Oraz, 2004). Research indicates that most successful leaders in any industry are those who possess the skills to employ a range of styles based on the situation, flexibility is key (Giritli Oraz, 2004). Goleman (2000) reports research performed by the consulting firm Hay/Mcber, draws a random sample of 3,871 executives selected from a database of more than 20,000 executives worldwide. This research reveals six distinct leadership styles, each derived from different aspects of emotional intelligence, and possibly more important, the research indicates that leaders who produced the best results do not rely on only one style of leadership (Goleman, 2000). Giritli and Oraz (2004) explain how different approaches to this subject have led to various classifications of leadership styles. Despite similar labeling of leadership categories, two types of leadership are commonly discussed, accompanied by the six styles that assist in explaining the traits of the two classifications (Giritli Oraz, 2004). Giritli and Oraz (2004), list the classifications and styles which include: Classification 1: Transactional leadership This classification of leadership is defined as an exchange of rewards with subordinates for services rendered. Transactional leaders typically seek to motivate followers through intrinsic rewards. Transactional leadership includes the following styles: Style # 1: Coercive (do what I tell you) Considered to be the least flexible and effective style because leaders manage by controlling subordinates tightly, and motivate by using discipline. Some may refer to this as micro-management. Style # 2: Authoritative (come with me) This style describes a leader who maximizes commitment to goals and strategy; defines standards and provides flexibility in completing tasks. This form of leadership provides a clear vision in the attempt to motivate subordinates to be creative. In the presence of experts and peers, this style of leadership can be received as overbearing. Classification 2: Transformational leadership This classification of leadership is defined as the process of influencing and empowering subordinates. Researchers commonly refer to transformational leadership as a feminine leadership style or approach. However, some view transformational leadership as a gender balanced style. Transformational leadership includes the following styles: Style # 3: Affiliative (people come first) This style is considered to be flexible, which creates emotional bonds and harmony between leaders and subordinates; improves communications; and increases the morale of subordinates. This style displays the importance of people and how they come first, as opposed to tasks which are ranked second. The success of this style typically depends on the level of development of the subordinates, if subordinates require a high level of direction, this style of leadership cannot be successful. Style # 4: Democratic (what do you think) This style generates ideas, builds consensus through participation, but requires highly developed and competent subordinates to generate ideas and take part in the decision making process. This style is typical of leaders who are looking to develop and build trust among subordinates and peers. Negative side effects include conflict, and endless meetings with no consensus. This style is not recommended during crisis mode when subordinates are in need of direction rather than support from a leader. Style # 5: Pacesetting (do as I do, now) A style which characterizes a leader as someone who expects excellence and self-direction, sets high standards, and demands more from poor performers. This style of leadership has little concern for interpersonal relationships, that is, they tend to concentrate on the achievement of tasks. Best suited for highly competent, self-motivated, professional employees, this style is recommended to be used in conjunction with other styles. Style # 6: Coaching (try this) This style of leadership develops people for the future, creates dialogue and flexibility, and establishes long-term goals and plans. Also, this style assists employees in identifying their strengths and weaknesses to help improve their performance. This style is least effective when employees are hesitant to learning or change. Leadership Adaptation and Intuition Goleman (2000) suggests that leaders who are capable of utilizing different styles seamlessly and in different measure, depending on the situation, are typically more successful. Goleman (2000) goes on to compare this type of flexible leader to a professional golfer. The pro golfer over the course of a round is required to pick and choose clubs based on the demands of the shot. Sometimes he may ponder his selection, but quite often, the decision is automatic. Ultimately, the pro assesses the challenge, chooses his tool of choice/makes a decision, and effortlessly goes to work. High impact and effective leaders operate in a similar fashion (Goleman, 2000). The ability of a leader to make quick and accurate decisions while effortlessly adapting to different styles to address continuously changing situations, can be attributed to his/her level of leadership intuition. Maxwell (2007) discusses the law of intuition and explains how intuition is based on facts, instinct, and other intangible factors, such as employee morale, organizational momentum, and relational dynamics. Maxwell (2007) goes on to say that intuition comes from two things: natural ability, which comes in a persons area of strength, coupled with their learned skills (2007). The principles of leadership are constant, but a leaders application must change and adapt to every situation. Without the intuition and ability to adapt, leaders are blindsided, which is one of the worst things that can happen to a leader who wishes to stay at the top (Maxwell, 2007). Giritli and Oraz (2004) explain how the style of leadership changes as the project progresses through its lifecycle. For example, during the design phase, styles may need to allow for more debates, fine-tuning, and deliberation. Conversely, during the complex construction phases, a leader may need to be more structured and dominant. In summary, a leader may need to switch styles to conform to particular situations throughout a project to create the right balance between concern for tasks and concern for people (Giritli Oraz, 2004). Impact of Leadership on Organizational Climate Research shows that committed employees are the most valuable assets of any organization (Rehman, Shareef, Mahmood Ishaque, 2012). However, leadership within an organization impacts the climate, perceptions, and effectiveness of the working environment (Otara, 2011). The leadership role provides the motivating force that may ultimately determine an organizations success or failure. For this reason, many organizations place great emphasis on choosing the ideal candidate to assume the leadership role. Part of this decision can be based on dominant traits demonstrated by a candidate. Goleman (2000) lists six key factors that influence an organizations working environment or climate. These factors can be useful in determining a leaders impact prior to hiring him/her. The six factors spring from different components of emotional intelligence and include: Flexibility: how free employees feel to innovate unencumbered by red tape Responsibility: to the organization Standards: set by the people Rewards: the sense of accuracy about performance feedback and aptness of rewards Clarity: the clarity people have about the mission and values Commitment: to a common purpose Goleman (2000) presents the following table to demonstrate how each leadership style affected the six drivers of climate or working environment: Coercive Authoritative Affiliative Democratic Pacesetting Coaching Flexibility -.28 .32 .27 .28 -.07 .17 Responsibility -.37 .21 .16 .23 .04 .08 Standards .02 .38 .31 .22 -.27 .39 Rewards -.18 .54 .48 .42 -.29 .43 Clarity -.11 .44 .37 .35 -.28 .38 Commitment -.13 .35 .34 .26 -.20 .27 Overall impact on climate -.26 .54 .46 .43 -.25 .42 (p.81) The Data provided by Goleman (2000) reveals the authoritative leadership style has the greatest positive impact on climate, with affiliative, democratic, and coaching styles following closely. This data also indicates that no style should be relied on exclusively, and all have potential, depending on the situation (Goleman, 2000). Of course very few leaders if any possess the ability to change roles and function in all categories. Fortunately, the remedy is quite simple. Good leaders will hire and surround themselves with team members who employ the skills or styles they lack (Goleman, 2000). Maxwells (2007) description of the inner circle confirms Golemans statement and informs his readers of the importance of a support system in regards to a leaders success: When we see an incredibly gifted person, its always tempting to believe that talent alone made him successful. To think that is to buy into a lie. Nobody does anything great alone. Leaders do not succeed alone. A leaders potential is determined by those closest to him. What makes the difference is the leaders inner circle. (p. #127) A true leader displays many traits, one of which is a high level of self-confidence. This individual is not afraid or threatened by the success of others and embraces the fact that the people/team he/she has assembled, possess skills that the particular leader lacks. A good leader will apply the skills of others to improve or progress an organizations performance. All of this is done without worry of his or her competencies. Recommendations After completing a review of literature addressing leadership in the construction industry, it is recommended that further research is needed to address the level of emotional intelligence that a potential leader should possess. The consensus of numerous researchers is that many universities fall short or dont address the multitude of important factors that help in developing potential leaders in the industry. Emphasis needs to be placed on real life situations faced in the construction industry and played out in the classroom environment. It is important to know if an individual has the right level of emotional intelligence to succeed as a leader in the complex industry of construction. Conclusion Although economic factors and competitive dynamics have a tremendous impact, leadership and the working environment created by a leader has been reported to account for one-third of an organizations performance (Goleman, 2000). The conclusions of this research suggest that the construction industry boast a number of factors that separate it from other industries. The construction industry is unique due to its short-term project life cycles, sub-contractor involvement, project characteristics, environmental factors, and contractual arrangements (Giritli Oraz, 2004). All of which affect the style of leadership and its impact on an organization. Due to these distinct characteristics, research has revealed that no one leadership style is optimal for every situation. Leaders who have the intuition and ability to demonstrate multiple styles and possess a high level of emotional intelligence will have greater influence and success.

Satire in Pride and Prejudice Essay -- essays research papers

Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen satirizes the entire premise of social statuses and how they affect the people around them in her book Pride and Prejudice. To make her characters look ridiculous she evinces the folly of them by using satirical tools: irony of situation, verbal irony, and dramatic irony. Jane Austen utilizes these distinct satirical tools throughout Pride and Prejudice tools to help point out the ridiculousness of the characters and to point out how the different social statuses affect how the characters act around the each other. Irony of situation is one of the most prevalent tools of satire used in Pride and Prejudice. Mrs. Bennet is full of ridiculous statements that contradict what she should actually be saying or doing. One example is after Elizabeth had declined the marriage proposal of Mr. Collins, her mother went on to say, ?I told you in the library, I should never speak to you again, and you will find me as good as my word. I have no pleasure in talking to undutiful children? (99). The irony in the situation comes from the fact that Mrs. Bennet makes such an effort to tell her daughter she doesn?t want to talk to her daughter, yet she goes on and on talking about how she is the target of so many complaints from her daughters. Verbal irony is also widely used throughout the book. After Charlotte marries Mr. Collins she is introduced to Miss Catherine de Burgh, who is regarded in the highest form by Mr. Collins, but unfortunately Charlotte merely tolerates her and her husbands? seemingly obsessive interest in her wealth and dignity. This tolerance is evidenced when Catherine has just heard her husband speak extravagantly about his benefactress she says to him, ?Lady Catherine is a very respec... ...rs. Bennet?s ridiculousness comes from the scene where Jane has become ill and is at the Bingley residence, learning of this Mrs. Bennet says, ?As long as she stays there, it is all very well? (26). This shows that Mrs. Bennet is completely serious when she says that it isn?t a big deal if her daughter is sick as long as she is in the company of a rich man who could possibly marry her. The characters take a completely serious tone towards things that the reader knows to be irrational and ridiculous. Jane Austen uses various satirical tools?irony of situation, verbal irony, dramatic irony?to point out the many issues that her characters have. Pride and Prejudice uses these tools to show how ridiculous the characters really do become in their pursuit of either a higher social status or to show the absurdity in the way the characters interact with each other.

Bead Bar E Commerce

Bead bar is a company which specializes in making beads jewellery for the customers. They have three divisions’ namely studios, franchises and bead bar on board. The E-Commerce site would enable all its customers and employees to collaborate evenly for synchronization of activities and operations. The customers get a chance to design their own jewellery using the beads of different dimension and nature so that it is completely custom-built and inline with their preferences. The employees in turn get all the proposed designs and contact customers for their info and other details.The e-commerce site would arrange for online payments and delivery of ones products safely with ease. E-Business for Bead Bar: Bead bar is expanding its wings in the market and wishes to capture the eyes of the customers at large. Building an e-commerce would make the Bead Bar stores to be in synchronization with resources and would be able to capture the essence of internet. Connecting all its stores a nd departments always forms a crucial portion for sharing information and quickening its operations.An intranet in place would facilitate all the connection of all its departments and divisions but would incur extra costs for getting the large bulk of customers all over the world. It is on a mission to cater its jewellery services to all and decided to make facility for online payments and delivery. The primary component is that the customers must be facilitated to make their own designs and are able to do that at anytime at their own convenience. They are provided with several options to pick and choose several options for making and designing their own product.Furthermore the site would be able to allow purchase options for the clients so that they can order their designed products and purchase it online. Delivery options are also facilitated at the site. Bead Bar can use e-business to market their website in other commercial sites for providing the customers with enough knowledge about their services and facilities it provides. It can cater to the entire world to fetch customers. Its online presence would create an anytime anywhere environment for accessing its services by the customers. Tracking the orders online and updating of inventories would be quite possible for Bead Bar.Time and effort would be capitalized for every customer and employee for making their operations planned, organized and decisive. The customer would also be freed from location dependent problems and Bead Bar in turn would create a world class facility for every customer giving them a feeling that the entire store is for them and they would get equal assistance and status in getting any services from the enterprise. Building an e-business also helps them to cater to large number of customers at the same time with no problems of call-waiting and poor support for orders.The online store would take that all relevant information is put up and make each customer feel that they own the sto re. Technology The technology required for the Bead Bar to become an e-business would require the creation of a website which would bring every resource in one page. The site must envelope all the company details and features which would provide enough background for every service the company is rendering and the striking features which make it unique in the internet marketplace in its own segment.The primary requirement is the creation of website which would include all the web technologies like HTML, DHTML, XML, ASP, JSP, PHP and may others. HTML and DHTML would be required to create the static and dynamic pages respectively. Other technologies like XML, JSP and others would be required for fetching data from a warehouse and provide dynamic updation of information. These are established standards for creating a website. Once the website details are figured out one requires figuring out the entities of the system, both internal and external entities, so that their association is ma pped.Once all the entities are found and decided upon, the properties of the entities are established, meaning their attributes which define the entities. Once the planning and analysis stage is done the association is mapped into a schema diagram and relations are normalized and then inputted into the database. A RDBMS such as DB2, Oracle, SYBASE or any other can be used to create the database. Connecting databases with the site is the next step where PHP and other technologies can be used. The Java technologies and other server technologies are used so that they facilitate making the online payments and delivery information’s (Cooke, 1997).The above discussed technologies would provide enough content to describe and market the company services and features. It would also facilitate necessary dynamic updations, make arrangements for designing their own jewellery and facilitate payment procedures and delivery options. Website traffic Website traffic is defined in the sense of generating clicks on the website and actions taken. It is also taken for the path traveled by the customers in the website. The following can be attributed for making the website traffic smooth and consistent:†¢ Creating publicity in other sites as flash images †¢ Giving promotion offers and discounts †¢ Offering seasonal packages in jewellery by experts †¢ Online support and chat facilities with the experts in design and organization †¢ Offering more options in custom design in terms of other related items and accessories Electronic payment capabilities The online payment capability for the Bead Bar is taken care well in the e-commerce site. The use of secure socket layer (SSL) technology is used for facilitating the secure means of payment and encryption of data.The use of secure connections would make sure that data is exchanged with ease and online databases must be adjusted well in accordance to handling credit card and other financial information of t he customers. Encryption The encryption of the information presented in the website and the handling of financial information for verification and payment is done through the use of encryption techniques so that it is not stolen in the process for malicious intent and the customer is also safe and has no worries for any misuse of information.The financial data is encrypted for changing their content when transferring them to other sites for checking purposes. All such personal data and preferences are also tracked and kept in an encrypted form so that they are not prone to changes or modifications. Conclusion The recommended technological suggestions would make Bead Bar to establish them well in the e-business and make sure customers’ and other agents maintain their level of trust.The usability features would make the site in accordance to the best of standards and make sure that every resource is captured and nurtured well. The web technologies would bring all the divisions of the company on the same page and synchronize all the activities and the life cycle efficiently function. References / Bibliography Cooke, M. (1997). Java e-commerce: technologies for distributed enterprise computing. Lynch, P. & Horton, S. (1999). Web Style Guide, Basic Design Principles for Creating Web Sites.

German Threat Was the End to Splendid Isolation

The Growing German threat was the most important reason for Britain ending its policy of Splendid Isolation. How far do you agree? At first examination it would seem that it was not actually the fear of Germany that prompted Britain to end their policy of splendid isolation if we take into consideration that this of fear of Germany only really came to fruition in about 1905. However it was before this that Britain had broken its so named policy of ‘Splendid Isolation’ by signing an alliance with japan in 1902 and then going on to form an entente with the French in 1904.Certainly there are indeed other reasons other than the emerging German threat that might have forced their hand, such as the emergence of alliance’s all around the globe which had begun to upset the balance of power (Franco Russian) this may have left Britain feeling pushed into a corner somewhat so that they felt that they had no other choice but to join an alliance so it was not left behind as it s own level of relative power decreased.Furthermore with the decrease of Britain’s level of relative power (it was easily being led by the US) but most notably Germany, the fact that a state as new as Germany could grow at such a rate made the British sit up and take note. And when in 1905 during the first Moroccan crisis it was the German’s who attempted to test the new bonds between the French and the British it demonstrated not only to Britain but to the world that the German’s wanted to carve out their own chunk of glory and they were not about to let anyone stand in their way.It was indeed between the years 1906-14 when the Anglo-German naval race was to take place. It was during this time that Germany drastically increased size of its navy, however this navy was only ever meant for short term purposes. Looking at it now it is obvious why the level of British Paranoia may be reaching breaking point at this time as a fleet of short range boats began to mass on her border, it demonstrated once again that the Germans were determined to become one of the great powers.It could however be argued that this naval race was nothing more than an inconvenience towards the British as they in the end emphatically managed to build substantially more ships than the Germans. But it was to show once again that the German’s were without a doubt an up and coming nation and one that Britain must watch carefully and so it was here that the first feelings of fear of Germany were beginning to be felt. Moreover it was understood that the German’s did not actually ever want a war with the British and that the only reason for the assing of this fleet was as I have already said to inconvenience the British and indeed provide a certain amount of leverage over them in terms of international affairs and agreements, this began to scare Britain, so much so that Britain it would seem began to move even more out of the idea of ‘Splendid Isolationâ⠂¬â„¢ when, in 1912 it came to a series of military agreements with the French and actually handed over control of the Mediterranean which actually included the main route to India for the British (The Suez canal).Although these agreements were not intended as a military alliance some historians have seen it as such, but there is no mistaking that it was definitely a move away from the policy of ‘Splendid Isolation’ that Britain had previously adopted, and it would also seem to be because of the fear of the every growing in power Germans. As Germany grew in power Britain began to realise that if it came to war that the only way in which Germany could be defeated is if Britain herself became involved with yet another alliance and so in 1907 it did this with Russia, thus forming the triple entente.I believe that if it was not for increasing aggression of the German’s then Britain would most probably have never had to forge this alliance which once again brought it forward out of its formerly adopted policy of ‘Splendid Isolation’. Although the fear of Germany was undoubtedly important another important factor in regard to the dropping of the policy of ‘Splendid isolation’ is the dropping of Britain’s level of relative power and also trade.The fact that other countries (USA and Germany in particular) were growing exponentially gave Britain cause for concern and she knew that sooner or later she would lose her empire if she did not act, if she continued to operate this policy of splendid isolation then not only in time would her empire collapse around her, therefore severing any trade routes she may have had with them, but the other powers would also continue to grow until eventually they are considerably stronger than her and Britain alone would be no match for Germany.Another important factor that we need to consider in all of this is of course the influence that the Boer war may have had on Britain’s f oreign policy. And when Britain eventually did emerge from that war in 1902 she emerged victorious but it had come at a cost and that cost was a great deal of pride. Although that they had in essence been victorious it is not to be forgotten that they had beaten some lowly people, not the great powers that they had defeated in the past.Britain had to pour huge amounts of resources into this war and this was to come at a massive cost as it was to leave her extremely vulnerable in other places around the world, not least in India. Moreover this links back to the fear of Germany because it was in actual fact the German’s who were angry at Britain for fighting the Boer’s, Indeed this helped to start the path of sour relations with Germany. Not only this but Britain’s industrial power was coming under increasing levels of threat, and although they still ruled the seas it was only a matter of time before it was caught on that front also.The seas became a contentious i ssue for Britain and around 1902 they realised that they would no longer be able to uphold a two power naval standard and the fear of Russia factored into this. The fact was that if Russia and Germany or Russia and France (Franco-Russian alliance) were to attack Britain at sea then her navy would be crushed. She was severely concerned about this fact and so sought the aforementioned alliance with Japan that would help her to hopefully keep both the Russian’s and the German’s at bay.It is clear that fear of Russian along with fear of the German’s was extremely high on the list of priorities of the change in direction of British foreign policy, which in the end culminated with their withdrawal from their so called ‘Policy of Splendid isolation’. Therefore I believe that although Britain’s fear of the growth of German power was significantly important in regard to them ending their policy of ‘Splendid Isolation’ it is not the sole r eason but is the most important.The fact that they had been badly bruised by emerging with their ‘bad victory’ in the Boer war and the fact that they could no longer bear the financial strain of keeping a two power standard navy also meant that they had to drop that policy. And although it was indeed before the intervention of the German actions that the 1902 alliance with Japan and the 1904 entente with France, it is clear that the impact of the German‘s was also extremely important if not more so than the Boer war, the fear of Russia and the fear of losing trade and the routes to India.