Importance of Quality and Quality Management

Importance of Quality and Quality Management NEED OF QUALITY In todays competitive world producing world class products. In order to survive in the competitive world market producing different product with best techniques, it is important for the firms to take extra mileage to the quality of product and service they provide. In the recent world consumer are aware of the products and service provided by the other firms. Also today there are government empahasis on the quality issues of the products. So firms give extra emphasis on quality and productivity. Total quality management is an attempt in this direction. In other words it is an effort to take the advantage of competitive market by focusing on the organisational operations which is important for the customers, by providing customers best product and services using new manufacturing techniques. Definition of quality The totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs Quality is the extent to which products and services satisfy the requirement of internal and external customers So the Quality Management is the leadership, infrastructure and the resources that support employees as they meet the needs of those customers. A quality product or service is one that satisfies the customer. Usually there are two types of products quality 1) Quality of design Quality of design measure the functionality of a product or services. It is the decision of designer to include or exclude certain production features. The customer really measures quality through appearance, operation and reliability. 2) Quality of performance Quality of performance measures how products and services match the intent of the design. This characteristic traditionally has been the focus of a quality management program. In this regard, quality refers to doing it right at first time. APPROACHES TO QUALITY There are 2 approaches to quality TRADITIONAL APPROACH Traditional approach to quality uses an acceptable quality level that permits a certain level of defects to a product produced and sold. The AQL is where level of defects are allowed to minimize the total quality cost. Traditional approach believes that the defects will payoff the failure cost and prevention and appraising costs. As prevention and appraisal cost increase, the internal and external cost are expected to decrease. As long the failure cost are greater than the corresponding increase in prevention and appraisal cost it is acceptable. THE MODERN APPROACH Modern approach is to GET IT RIGHT FIRST TIME. It believes in total quality control and view the optimal quality cost with Zero defects are produce. For firms operating in the advanced manufacturing environment quality is a critical dimension. Quality cost can be managed differently then implied by the traditional AQL model. Defects can be reduced below the AQL level and quality cost can be reduced simultaneously THE COST OF QUALITY Market shares of many firms have eroded because of the firms using high quality products have been able to sell mare than the products of lower price. In order to compete in the market, firms have placed quality prior to the price. Firms have placed emphasis on quality and productivity in order to Produce saving such as reducing rework cost and Improve product quality. Cost of quality is the cost due to poor quality which exist in the product. Quality cost are the cost incurred by investing in the prevention of non-conformance to requirement appraising a product or service for conformance to requirement Failing to meet requirement. Cost of quality are classified into three categories Prevention cost Prevention costs are those cost incurred to prevent defects. Amount spent on the quality training program, research to determine the customer requirement and improve production equipment are the prevention cost. Appraisal cost Appraisal cost are the cost associated with measuring, evaluating and auditing product or services to assure conformance to quality standards and performance requirement. These cost includes the cost of inspection of product purchase in process or in final or service audits ie the costs associate with products supplies and materials Failure cost Failure cost are cost resulting from products or services not fulfilling the requirements of the users need. Failure costs can be either internal or external. Internal costs are the cost occurring prior to delivery of products or furnishing the services. Example cost of scrape, rework, reinspection, retesting, material review and down grading. External costs are the cost occurring after the delivery of product or during furnish services to the customer. Example processing customer complains, returns, warranty claims and product reclaim. Total quality management total Quality Management is a global customer orientated management philosophy, which encompasses all actions, values and beliefs of an organisation which aims to continuously improves and maintain quality standards. It is a systematic approach to education, management and operation designed to focus and co-ordinate the efforts of all employees in an organisation. TQM is supported by two key beliefs: that quality is what the customers say it is and that must be thoroughly integrated into the fabric of the organisation including its basic strategies, culture and management systems. It is an essential pursuit for total quality. It is zero defect approach. It emphasises the top level of quality where zero defective goods are produced. This approach opposes the traditional belief of acceptable quality level which accepts to produce and sell predetermined defective units. This approach allows some defects in order to minimize the total quality cost. Studies indicate that cost of poor quality is 20%for the manufacturing and 30% service industries of the gross sale. Quality expert maintain that the optimal quality level should be about 2.5% of sales. The accounting dept is the major force in the firm that keep track of and report on quality PRINCIPLES OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT Making the product right first time is the main objective of total quality management. Successful implementation of TQM program will reduce cost than increasing it. It is obvious that better quality will increase productivity. This principal is based on the principle that when less time is spent on repairs and rework and more time is given on manufacturing will increase productivity. When an organisation keep the accurate records of cost of quality tqm will demonstrate that effective total quality measure cost will payoff the cost of repair and rework. Elimination of high reject rate results in fewer repairs, rework or scraps resulting in reduction in cost. Comparing the cost of quality with tqm is necessary for the management who are cost conscious in both industry and government. Management will measure the success of tqm on the basis of cost data. Successful implementation of tqm can eliminate the following costs Rework or repairs Inspection of rework Testing of rework Warranty cost Returned materials Discounts adjustment and allowances The cost of prevention in tqm is far lower than the above failure costs. FEATURES OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT A systematic way to improve the product and services A structured approach in identifying and solving problem A long term method of quality control A process support by managements action A process that is supported by statistical quality control A technique practice by everyone. ELEMENTS OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT A focus on the customers:- Any functional unit has customers whether they are external customer or internal units. tqm advocates that the managers and employee are so customer focus that they always try to meet or exceed customers expectations. The management must accept concept that quality gets customer orders and meet the customers needs and expectations which is the stretagic goal of tqm Long term commitments: Experience shows that significant gains come only after management makes long time commitment to improve quality. Customer focus must be constantly renewed to keep that goal foremost. Top management support and direction: The top management must be driving force behind tqm. Senior manager must show their personal support by using the quality improvement concept in their management style and providing financial and staff support. Employee involvement Full employee participation is the integral part of this process. Every employee must participate in achieving this goal. It involves managers, supervisors and employees in improving service delivery, solving systematic problems and correcting errors in the all the parts of production process. Effective and Renewed Communications. The power of internal communication is central to employee involvement. Regular communication must be made at all levels in order to adjust its way of involvement and reinforce the commitment to total quality management. Reliance on standards and Measures Standard and measures should reflect customers requirement and changes that needs to be introduced in the internal business of providing this requirement. This emphasis doing the right thing right the first time. Commitment to Training Training is very important for the success of total quality management. This should start for the top level management to all associated with this task. Areas required for concentration must be identified. Required trainings skills and courses need to be provided to the person involved in. Modern approach to quality are associated with a number of GURUS. The modern approach to quality is reflected in the following quality gurus. The modern era of quality was herald by the following gurus. W. EDWARDS DEMING W. Edwards Deming, also known as father of quality control in 1951. He was an American statistician, professor, author, lecturer and consultant. He is well known for improving quality production in America though he was recognised for his work more in Japan. After World War II he travelled to Japan at the request of Japanese government to assist its industries in improving productivity and quality. He taught that by adopting appropriate principles of management, organization can increase quality and reduce cost at the same time. His basic premise was that high quality is equal to lower cost. If you get it right first time then there are minimum prevention, detection remaking cost. His philosophy is summarised in his 14 key principles. Create a culture of constancy of purpose towards improving of product and services. ie replace short reaction with long term planning. Adopt the new philosophy. ie the implication is that management should adopt the philosophy instead of expecting the workforce to do so. Cease dependence on inspection if variation is reduced there is no need of inspection of item for defects. Reduced number of suppliers to a manageable quality. Award supply contracts on the basis of conformance than low cost. Also specify the quality expectation from them. Set up programs for continuous improvement of costs, designs, processes, products, culture, etc Institute continuous training programs to maximise the contribution of each employee. If employee are inadequately trained there will be no uniformity in the work process leading to variations. Establish leadership. It means focus supervision on helping employees. Encouraging them to do a better job and take pribe in their work. Eliminate fear from the work place by encouraging communication. Fear may prevent them acting to best for the organisation. Break down barrier between departments by encouraging team work. Eliminate slogans- Another central idea of TQM is it is not people who make the mistake it is the process they are involved in. Harassing the workforce without improving the process will have a reverse effect. Eradicate management by targets. The numerical target may also lead to production and delivery of poor quality goods. Remove barriers to pride of workmanship. Institute education and self improvement of training in new and appropriate technologies Defining clearly the transformation is everyones job. Though some of the principles were challenged they remain vital for the concept of quality management. PHILIP B. CROSBY PHILIP B. CROSBY contributed to the concept of quality in 1979. He is widely recognised for promoting the concept of Zero defects and for defining quality as conformance to requirement. He initiate the Zero Defect program at the Martine Company Orlando, Florida Plant. As quality control manager the perishing missile program, he was credited for 25% reduction of cost and 30% reduction in scrap cost. He stated that the management must include cost of quality as part of financial system. Crosby defines quality as conformance to requirement. He stated that what cost money are the unquality thing. Quality is free when organisation emphasis on prevention of mistakes than to detection. Mistakes are caused either because of lack of knowledge or lack of attention. The first can be identified and corrected while the second is the attitude which can be changed by the individual. To achieve this Crosby listed the 14 steps to quality improvement. It must be made clear that management are committed to quality. Quality improvement team of senior management must be formed. Evaluate the process to measure quality to find out where the potential or current problem to quality lies. Evaluate the cost of quality to explain as a tool for management. Create awareness among employees the personal concerns for the quality. Appropriate action must be taken to correct the problems identified in the process of quality. Process of improvement must be monitored constantly and must make sure zero defect quality process is carried out. Trained supervisors must actively carry out their part in quality improvement. Hold the Zero defect day to reaffirm management commitment. Individual must be encouraged to set improvement goals for themselves and for their groups. Employee must be encouraged to put for the obstacle in their way to quality improvement. Appreciate the performance of the employee for their participation. Quality councils must be established to communicate at regular basis The process of quality improvement must be reviewed so that it continues and do not stops. ARMAND V. FEIGENBAUM THE PROPONENT OF TOTAL QUALITY CONTROL. ARMAND V. FEIGENBAUM proposed the theory of total quality control. He believed that high quality could be achieved only through organizational support. He also asserted that the quality must be priority and not afterthought. He emphasised on the administrative viewpoint and considered human issue as a basic issue to quality control. He stress that quality do not mean the best but best for the customers use and selling price. Quality control represents a management tool with 4 steps. Setting quality standards. Appraising conformance to thsee standards Acting when standards are exceeded Planning for improvement in the standards According to him quality must encompass all the phases of in manufacturing the product which includes design, manufacturing, quality check, sales, after sales services and customer satisfaction. He also put forward the way to control the above phases. Feigenbaums idea of modern quality concept was more management based. He recommended that Increase operators efficiency to enhance overall quality. Prospecting to increase quality awareness in the organisation. Involving all the employee in the quality enhancement process. He also believed that quality must not be regarded as cost reduction tool but must be taken as an administrative effort to provide channel for knowledge integration and communication and encourage employee to participate in quality initiative. His concept is reffered to as quality at source and mean that every worker manager and authorities are responsible for performing their work with perfect quality. In TQC quality is more important than production rate so the worker must be given authority to stop production where quality problem arises. KAORU ISHIKAWA KAORU ISHIKAWA wanted to change the way people think about the work. He insisted that quality is not just improving product quality but also can go further. His notion of quality control called for continuous customer service. According to him quality improvement is a continuous process and can always go one step ahead. The head of the fish is the outcome desired, or effect. Contributing factors leading to this or causes are listed as boxes at the end of ribs. Each rib can then be broken down further into the specific factors. Once a diagram has been completed then it can be used to select areas to be tackled and their priority order, and how they can be managed. Generating a complete diagram aids the consideration of an overall development strategy. With his cause and effect diagram also called fish bone diagram management were able to make significant and specific advancement to their quality improvement. With the help of his diagram the users can find out all possible cause of the result and find the root of process imperfection. By pinpointing the root problem this diagram provide improvement from the very base of the problem. His philosophy of total quality management can be summerised as follow Product quality is improved and becomes uniform. Defects are reduced. Reliability of goods is improved. Cost is reduced. Quantity of production is increased, and it becomes possible to make rational production schedules. Wasteful work and rework are reduced. Technique is established and improved. Expenses for inspection and testing are reduced. Contracts between vendor and vendee are rationalised. The sales market is enlarged. Better relationships are established between departments. False data and reports are reduced. Discussions are carried out more freely and democratically. Meetings are operated more smoothly. Repairs and installation of equipment and facilities are done more rationally. Human relations are improved. JOSEPH M. JURAN DR.JOSEPH M,JURAN developed the quality trilogy.- quality planning , quality control and quality improvement. Good quality management requires quality actions to be planned , improved and controlled. Juran believed that quality is dependent on the customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction. His ten steps to quality are Create awareness for the need improvement. Goals must be set for improvement Ways to reach the Goals Facilitate training Carry out project to solve problem Progress must be reported Efforts must be recognised. Results must be communicated Achieved results must be maintained Maintain momentum His concept of quality did not just concentrated on the end of customer but also on internal and external customers.

Gold :: science

Gold Gold was discovered around 3000 BC to 1200 BC. Gold probably was found on the ground and used by prehistoric man as a tool. Highly sophisticated gold art objects and jewelry discovered by archaeologists in the Royal Tombs at Ur, in what is now Southern Iraq, date back to around 3000 BC. Similarly, goldsmiths of the Chavin civilization in Peru were making ornaments by hammering and embossing gold by 1200 BC. Where and abundance in nature: Since gold is both durable and carefully guarded, most of the gold that has been taken from the Earth still exists. Much of it has been buried again in underground vaults, where it is held in government monetary reserves. In 1990 the bullion reserves of the free world were estimated to total some 43,000 tons. Of this, the United States held 11 percent. Gold reserves of South Africa were estimated at some 20,000 tons. Despite the prevalence of antihoarding laws, another 50,000 tons were believed to be privately held. People are willing to take enormous risks and short-term financial losses to hoard gold against the possibility of fiscal inflation . The rest of the world's accumulated gold was held in official stocks by central banks or was industrially employed or lost. Today gold may be bought and sold on many markets. The largest is in London, England. Others exist in several nations of continental Europe, in the Middle East, and in Asia. Past and Current use: Gold probably was found on the ground and used by prehistoric man as a tool. Highly sophisticated gold art objects and jewelry discovered by archaeologists in the Royal Tombs at Ur, in what is now Southern Iraq, date back to around 3000 BC. Similarly, goldsmiths of the Chavin civilization in Peru were making ornaments by hammering and embossing gold by 1200 BC. Gold is usually alloyed in jewelry to give it more strength, and the term carat describes the amount of gold present (24 carats is pure gold). It is estimated that all the gold in the world, so far refined, could be placed in a single cube 60 ft. on a side. It is metallic, with a yellow color when in a mass, but when finely divided it may be black, ruby, or purple. It is the most malleable and ductile metal; 1 ounce (28 g) of gold can be beaten out to 300 square feet.

A Murdur Is Announced

A Murder Is Announced A Murder Is Announced is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in June 1950 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in the same month. The UK edition retailed at eight shillings and sixpence (8/6) and the US edition at $2. 50. ] The novel features her detective Miss Marple and is considered a crime novel classic. The book was heavily promoted upon publication in 1950 as being Christie's fiftieth book, although in truth this figure could only be arrived at by counting in both UK and US short story collections.Plot summary A strange notice appears in the morning paper of a perfectly ordinary small English village, Chipping Cleghorn: â€Å"A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October 29th, at Little Paddocks, at 6:30 p. m. Friends accept this, the only intimation. † This apparently comes as a great surprise to Letitia Blacklock, the owner of Little Paddocks, as she has no idea w hat the notice means; she didn't place it and none of her companions knows more than she. Miss Blacklock decides to take it in her stride and prepares herself to have guests that evening.Naturally, the villagers are intrigued by this notice, and several of them appear on the doorstep with awkward reasons but a definite interest. As the clock strikes 6:30, the lights go out and a door swings open, revealing a man with a blinding torch. In a heavily accented voice, the man demands they â€Å"Stick 'em up! † Most of the guests do so, believing it to be part of a game. The game ends when shots are fired into the room. The door slams shut, and panic takes hold: in short order, it's discovered that the fuses are blown, the gunman has been shot, and Ms.Blacklock's ear is bleeding, apparently from a bullet's near-miss. The most curious thing of all is the gunman: he is recognized by Dora Bunner (an old friend of Letitia's, affectionately known as â€Å"Bunny,† who lives at Lit tle Paddocks as her companion) as Rudi Scherz, the receptionist at a local spa, who had asked Letitia for money just a few short days ago. The police are called in. All clues suggest that the case is merely a strange suicide or accidental death, but Inspector Craddock is uneasy about both possibilities.As luck would have it, Miss Marple is a guest at the very same spa where Rudi Scherz was employed. Craddock is advised to involve her in the case, and the two commence working together. At the spa, it emerges that Rudi has a criminal background, but petty theft and forgery rather than any more serious crime. His girlfriend, a waitress at the spa, however, reveals that he had been paid to appear as the holdup man; he believed it was all â€Å"a silly English joke†, and was clearly not planning on being shot at. With this new knowledge, Craddock returns to Chipping Cleghorn.Miss Marple, not uncoincidentally, is the godmother of the local vicar's wife, and decides to stay with her . The first step is to establish a motive for Scherz's attack on Miss Blacklock. This presents a problem: Letitia has no known enemies. She worked for a successful financier (Randall Goedler) and has done quite well for herself but is not herself wealthy. She does not lead a lavish life and, aside from her house, she has only enough to live on. However, she may shortly come into a great deal of money; Randall Goedler's estate passed to his wife, Belle, when he died.Belle is frail, and is now very near death. When Belle dies, Miss Blacklock inherits everything. If, however, she predeceases Belle, the estate goes to the mysterious â€Å"Pip† and â€Å"Emma†, children of Randall's estranged sister, Sonia. No one knows where these two are, much less what they look like. Inspector Craddock discovers oil on the hinges of a door into the parlour (where the shooting took place) thought to be unused, and Bunny mentions that until quite recently there had been a table placed aga inst the door.Inspector Craddock travels to Scotland to meet Belle; she mentions that Letitia had a beloved sister, Charlotte, who was born with a goiter. Their father, an old-fashioned doctor, tried unsuccessfully to treat Charlotte, but she only withdrew further into herself as her goiter got worse. Their father died shortly before World War II, and Letitia gave up her job with Goedler and took her sister to Switzerland for the necessary surgery to repair the defect. The two sisters waited out the war in the Swiss countryside, but before it was over, Charlotte died very suddenly.Letitia returned to England shortly thereafter. Miss Marple takes tea with Bunny during her shopping trip with Letitia, and Bunny reveals several details about the case: she talks about the recently oiled door she found with the Inspector; she's sure that Patrick Simmons, a young cousin of Letitia's who, with his sister Julia, is also staying at Little Paddocks, is not as he appears; and, most tellingly, s he's absolutely positive there was a different lamp in the room on the night of the murder (the one with the shepherdess and not with the shepherd) than there was now.Their tete-a-tete is interrupted, however, as Letitia arrives, and she and Bunny resume their shopping. That evening, Letitia arranges a birthday party for Bunny, complete with almost everyone who was at the house when Rudy Scherz was kills; and she asks Mitzi to make her special cake, which Patrick has nicknamed â€Å"Delicious Death†. This was while post-war austerity rationing was in effect — butter and eggs were hard to come by even in a rural community, and the chocolate and raisins used in the cake were very difficult to get.A box of chocolates is also a present. Bunny loves chocolate but it gives her a headachek and she can't find the aspirin she bought. She takes some of Letitia's aspirin instead, lies down for a nap – and dies. Miss Marple visits Ms. Blacklock, who mourns Bunny and starts crying. Miss Marple asks to see photo albums which might contain pictures of Sonia Goedler, Pip and Emma's mother, but all photos of Sonia were taken out of the albums recently, although they were in place before the death of Rudi Scherz.Through deduction and re-enactment, Misses Hinchliffe and Murgatroyd (two spinster farmers who were also present at the time of the Scherz murder) figure out that Miss Murgatroyd could see who was in the room as she was standing behind the door when it swung open; she couldn't have seen Rudi as he was on the other side of the opened door, but she could see whose faces were illuminated by the torch beam. The two women conclude that the person who wasn't in the room (and therefore not seen by Miss Murgatroyd) could have sneaked out of the room when the lights went out and come around behind Rudi, and shot at him—and Miss Blacklock.Just as she remembers the one person not in the room, the stationmaster calls to notify them that a dog has just ar rived. As Miss Hinchliffe pulls away in her car, Miss Murgatroyd runs into the driveway, shouting â€Å"She wasn't there! † She is murdered while Miss Hinchliffe is away, and so does not reveal whom she did not see. Miss Hinchliffe returns and meets Miss Marple. They discover Murgatroyd's body, and a distraught Hinchliffe informs Miss Marple of Murgatroyd's cryptic statement. At Little Paddocks, Letitia receives a letter from the real Julia Simmons in Perth.She confronts â€Å"Julia† with the letter, and â€Å"Julia† reveals that she is actually Sonia's daughter, Emma Stamfordis, masquerading as Julia so that she could attempt to gain a portion of the inheritance from Letitia and let the real Julia spend time pursuing an acting career. Julia/Emma insists she is uninvolved in the assassination attempt—she was a crack shot during the French Resistance and would not have missed at that range, even in the dark—nor did she wish to prevent Letitia from i nheriting Randall Goedler's estate.She had intended to ingratiate herself with Letitia and try to obtain a portion of the money, and once the murder took place, had no choice but to continue the masquerade. Phillipa Haymes (a boarder at Little Paddocks and a young widow) sneaks into the kitchen to speak to Julia/Emma, but Julia/Emma sends her away before finding out what Phillipa had to say. That night, the vicar's cat, Tiglath Pileser, knocks over a glass of water onto a frayed electrical cord, which causes the fuses to blow, and the final clue falls into place for Miss Marple.Inspector Craddock gathers everyone at Little Paddocks and launches the final inquest, which is interrupted by Mitzi, Letitia's foreign â€Å"lady-help†, crying out that she saw Letitia commit the murder. The inspector does not believe her, and continues with his questioning. The inspector continues, and quickly insinuates that Edmund Swettenham who, with his widowed mother, was also present at the sho oting, is in fact Pip. However, Phillipa comes forward and confesses that she is in fact Pip; Inspector Craddock then accuses Edmund of wanting to marry a rich wife in Phillipa by murdering Letitia.Edmund denies this and as he does so, a terrified scream is heard from the kitchen. Everyone rushes to the kitchen and discovers Miss Blacklock attempting to drown Mitzi in the sink. Miss Blacklock is arrested by a local constable who has been hiding in the kitchen with Miss Marple, who imitates Dora Bunner's voice to make Ms. Blacklock break down. Miss Marple explains it quite simply: it wasn't Charlotte who died in Switzerland, but Letitia.Charlotte, aware that Letitia was in line to inherit a fortune, posed as Letitia and returned to England; few people knew Charlotte, as she had been a recluse before leaving England, and a slight change in Letitia's appearance could be explained away to casual acquaintances by her time abroad during the war. She only needed to avoid people who knew Le titia well, such as Belle Goedler, and to always cover her throat with strings of pearls or beads to hide the scars from her goiter surgery. Bunny was one of the few people who remembered Charlotte as Charlotte, but by then, Charlotte was so lonely that she allowed her old chool friend to move in. However, Rudi Scherz could have ruined everything: he worked at the Swiss hospital where Charlotte had been treated and could therefore identify Charlotte as herself. This is why Letitia/Charlotte hired him to come to Chipping Cleghorn and â€Å"hold up† a room full of guests: she blew the fuse by pouring water from a vase of flowers onto the frayed cord of a lamp, slipped out the second door, stood behind Rudi, and shot him. She then nicked her ear with a pair of nail scissors and rejoined the others, playing the part of perplexed host.Bunny became the next target because she, too, could reveal too much. Bunny had an eye for detail, but was prone to slip-ups: on several occasions, she referred to Ms. Blacklock as â€Å"Lotty† (short for â€Å"Charlotte†) instead of â€Å"Letty† (short for â€Å"Letitia†), and her conversation with Miss Marple in the cafe proved fatal. Miss Murgatroyd, the final victim, was also killed for guessing too much and for coming to the realization that Letitia/Charlotte was the one person, beside herself, whose face was not illuminated by Rudi Scherz's torch.Mitzi and Edmund had been persuaded by Miss Marple to play parts in tripping Charlotte Blacklock up; Miss Marple's plans were almost brought down when Phillipa admitted to being Pip, but Inspector Craddock thought fast enough to turn around and claim Edmund was after Phillipa's money. In the end, Phillipa/Pip and Julia/Emma inherit the Goedler fortune; Edmund and Phillipa/Pip get married and return to Chipping Cleghorn to live. Characters in â€Å"A Murder is Announced† * Miss Jane Marple * Inspector Dermot Craddock Letitia Blacklock, lady of th e house, in her early/mid 60s * Dora Bunner, her elderly fluttery childhood friend, usually known by her nickname, â€Å"Bunny† * Patrick and Julia Simmons, Miss Blacklock's spoiled and foolish young cousins (who call her Aunt) * Mitzi, Miss Blacklock's foreign housekeeper and cook, a young refugee * Phillipa Haymes, a young widowed paying guest/gardener with a young son at boarding school * Colonel Archie Easterbrook, blustery old colonel just returned from India * Laura Easterbrook, his considerably younger, glamorous wife * Mrs Swettenham, elderly lady who dotes on her son Edmund Swettenham, cynical young writer * Miss Hinchcliffe, efficient lady farmer * Miss Amy Murgatroyd, her pleasant but giggly companion * Belle Goedler, dying widow of Letitia's former wealthy employer * Diane `Bunch? Harmon, wife of the local vicar * Julian Harmon, the vicar * Tiglath Pileser, the vicarage cat * Rudi Scherz, a young man of Swiss extraction, the receptionist at a local spa * Myrna Har ris, girlfriend of the latter, waitress at local spa * Chief Constable George Rydesdale, Craddock's superior

A Short Definition of Landscape Archaeology

Landscape archaeology has been defined in a number of ways over the past couple of decades. It is both an archaeological technique and a theoretical construct—a way for archaeologists to look at the past as the integration of people and their surroundings. Born in part as the result of new technologies (geographic information systems, remote sensing, and geophysical surveys have all contributed greatly to this study) landscape archaeological studies have facilitated broad regional studies and the examination of elements not readily visible in traditional studies such as roads and agricultural fields. Although landscape archaeology in its present form is decidedly a modern investigative study, its roots can be found as early as the 18th century antiquarian studies of William Stukely and in the early 20th century with work by the geographer Carl Sauer. World War II impacted the study by making aerial photography more accessible to scholars. Settlement pattern studies created by Julian Steward and Gordon R. Willey in the mid-century influenced later scholars, who collaborated with geographers on such landscape-based studies as central place theory and statistical models of spatial archaeology. Critiques of Landscape Archaeology By the 1970s, the term landscape archaeology came into use and the idea began to take shape. By the 1990s, the post-processual movement was underway and landscape archaeology, in particular, took its lumps. Criticisms suggested that landscape archaeology focused on the geographical features of the landscape but, like much of processual archaeology, left the people out. What was missing was the influence people have on shaping environments and the way both people and environment intersect and affect one another. Other critical objections were with the technologies themselves, that the GIS, satellite imagery, and air photos used to define the landscape were distancing the study from the researchers by privileging the research with the visual aspects of a landscape over other sensual aspects. Looking at a map—even a large scale and detailed one—defines and limits the analysis of a region into a specific data set, allowing researchers to hide behind scientific objectivity and ignore the sensual aspects associated with actually living within a landscape. New Aspects Again, as a result of new technologies, some landscape archaeologists have attempted to build in the sensuality of a landscape and the people who inhabit it using hypertext theories. The impact of the Internet, oddly enough, has led to a broader, non-linear representation of archaeology as a whole, and landscape archaeology in particular. That involves inserting into standard texts such sidebar elements as reconstruction drawings, alternative explanations, oral histories, or imagined events as well as attempts to free the ideas from text-bound strategies by using three-dimensional software-supported reconstructions. These sidebars allow the scholar to continue to present the data in a scholarly manner but reach for a broader interpretive discourse. Of course, following that (explicitly phenomenological) path requires that the scholar apply liberal amounts of imagination. The scholar by definition is based in the modern world and carries with him or her the background and biases of his or her cultural history. With the inclusion of more and more international studies (that is, those that are less dependent on Western scholarship), landscape archaeology has the potential to provide the public with comprehensible presentations of what can otherwise be dry, inaccessible papers. Landscape Archaeology in the 21st Century The science of landscape archaeology today melds theoretical underpinnings from ecology, economic geography, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, and social theory from Marxism to feminism. The social theory portion of landscape archaeology points to the ideas of the landscape as a social construct—that is, the same piece of ground holds different meanings to different people, and that idea should be explored. The dangers and delights of phenomenologically-based landscape archaeology are outlined in an article by MH Johnson in the 2012 Annual Review of Anthropology, which should be read by any scholar working in the field. Sources Ashmore W, and Blackmore C. 2008. Landscape Archaeology. In: Pearsall DM, editor-in-chief. Encyclopedia of Archaeology. New York: Academic Press. p 1569-1578. Fleming A. 2006. Post-processual landscape archaeology: A critique. Cambridge Archaeological Journal 16(3):267-280. Johnson MH. 2012. Phenomenological Approaches in Landscape Archaeology. Annual Review of Anthropology 41(1):269-284. Kvamme KL. 2003. Geophysical Surveys as Landscape Archaeology. American Antiquity 68(3):435-457. McCoy, Mark D. New Developments in the Use of Spatial Technology in Archaeology. Journal of Archaeological Research, Thegn N. Ladefoged, Volume 17, Issue 3, SpringerLink, September 2009. Wickstead H. 2009. The Uber Archaeologist: Art, GIS and the male gaze revisited. Journal of Social Archaeology 9(2):249-271.