Thursday, December 26, 2019

Case Study on Performance Appraisal

The case study on performance appraisal implies both formal and informal processes that have a purpose to evaluate a specific employee or an organization. In common, it is set to determine ways of a further development. A crucial feature of the performance appraisal paper is an appeal to concrete examples, which illustrate positive or negative sides of company’s performance. It should be noted that by conducting the performance appraisal research, a company is able to improve its management since specific measures to overcome shortcomings can be devised. Background Anovex Inc. is quite a young company specializing in the production of kleenex. Founded in 2005 in the city of Montgomery, Alabama, the company’s commodity quickly achieved public recognition. Anovex Inc. was established on strict principles of a corporate responsibility, thereby, allowing the company to fully focus on developing qualitative products that will completely satisfy customers needs. Until the end of 2015, Anovex Inc. has already possessed approximately 75 percent of the Alabama’s kleenex market. Currently, the company employs 150 workers in their only production facilities in Montgomery. However, Anovex Inc. develops plans to penetrate into the markets of Louisiana and Mississippi. In fact, one of the most attractive features of Anovex Inc.’s kleenex is the application of hypoallergenic materials. Challenges At the beginning of 2016, Anovex Inc. has faced the threat of competition from the Cleancorp, the manufacturer of hygiene products with significant production capacities and market shares in West Virginia, Kentucky, New York, and Pennsylvania. Cleancorp began an aggressive campaign to capture all 100 percent of the Alabama kleenex market. Major difficulties for Anovex Inc. to struggle with Cleancorp implied the fact that Cleancorp has already existed from the late 1980s, thus, this company has a more considerable marketing experience. Specifically, due to a vaster scope of product lines, Cleancorp was able to quickly win a market share in Alabama by selling combined kits with kleenex and disinfectant. Additionally, Anovex Inc.’s ability to compete with Cleancorp was meager due to the fact that the top management tended to allocate all resources for the production of only one type of kleenex without any segmentation. Solutions Since Cleancorp possesses greater financial possibilities to expand geographically, it is barely possible for Anovex Inc. to compete by increasing the scopes of production. As the possible solution, Anovex Inc. may change a managerial approach and start to improve kleenex in different directions like size, smell, the extent of humidity, and other. In fact, a narrow specialization of Anovex Inc. allows it to understand the customers’ preferences sufficiently. At the same time, being quite a young brand, Anovex Inc. has more possibilities to manipulate the price since their kleenex do not contain a price cheat of a common famous brand. However, the presence of Anovex Inc. only in the Alabama state eventually made it prominent among local retailers. Based on this, Anovex Inc. should make all efforts to maintain the cooperation with them, perhaps, by introducing beneficial discount programs. References Armstrong, G., Adam, S., Denize, S., Kotler, P. (2014). Principles of marketing. Pearson Australia. Hartley, R. F., Claycomb, C. (2013). Marketing mistakes and successes. Wiley. Krajewski, L. J., Ritzman, L. P., Malhotra, M. K. (2013). Operations management: processes and supply chains. Pearson. Prahalad, C. K., Ramaswamy, V. (2013). The future of competition: Co-creating unique value with customers. Harvard Business Press. Sage, A. P. (2015). Risk modeling, assessment, and management. Y. Y. Haimes (Ed.). John Wiley Sons.

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Japanese Comfort Women - 1493 Words

Japanese Comfort Women It is estimated that between one and two hundred thousand female sex slaves were forced to deliver sexual services to Japanese soldiers, both before and during World War II. These women were known as comfort women and the Imperial Conference, which was composed of the emperor, representatives from the armed forces and the main Cabinet ministers, approved their use by Japanese soldiers. (Walkom) The term comfort women refers to the victims of a premeditated systematic plan originated and implemented by the government of Japan to enslave women considered inferior and subject them to repeated mass rapes, said Michael D. Hausefeld, one of over 35 lawyers in his firm representing the former sexual prisoners in a class†¦show more content†¦In Japan, infected women were killed. Their food was mixed with cyanide, their bodies taken to a cave and finally, the cave was blown up with a grenade. The comfort houses made money off these women and it is believed that the Japanese government paid them, as most of the soldiers paid by coupons. As soon as the war was finished, the Japanese Imperialist guards disappeared without trace. Most comfort women describe the experience this way, Suddenly, the soldiers came no more, and upon asking we found that the war had ended. In other regions, as the Japanese committed â€Å"harikari, the women were forced to do the same. In extreme cases, the women were put in a cave and blown up. After the war, many of the comfort women were too sick to be moved and were taken under the care of the American army. Most of the women were left with no place to go, as they were in a strange country with no money, and were too humiliated to go home. According to one comfort woman, my bodys wasted, therefore I do not dare go home in fear of being ignored and looked down upon. Even after the war ended, the comfort women were not free. Their guilty minds and inferiority complexes kept them from returning home and they stayed in foreign countries. The small amount that married, were often forced to separate after the fact that they were comfort women was known, or they were divorced because they could not have children. The victims are stillShow MoreRelatedEssay on Japanese Comfort Women1011 Words   |  5 Pagesrights is increasing, atrocities of the Japanese Imperial Army are unveiling. â€Å"Comfort women† is sexual slavery system that was utilized by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. Due to pervious traumatic experiences and inputs they had, the struggle of former sex slaves for their rights and justice started in 1991, which is still continuing in present times. While they are declaring that Japanese Imperial Military trampled on their rights, some Japanese officials claim that Japan did not intrudeRead MoreEssay on Korean Comfort Women2590 Words   |  11 Pages Comfort women, or ianfu as they are called in Korean, are females who were forced sex slaves for the Japanese Imperial Army (Chunghee). Some of the women were dragged off with physical force as their families wept, while others were actually sold to the army by their destitute families (Watanabe). Still othe r were officially drafted by the Japanese Imperial Army and believed they would be factory workers or nurses (Hwang in Schellstede 4). Some Korean village leaders were ordered to send youngRead MorePreventing Sexual Diseases During World War I1372 Words   |  6 Pageshardly by a Japanese soldier that causes her arm broke, and it healed twists out of shape. Although comfort women regularly got medical examinations for the purpose of preventing sexual diseases, they could not get any further treatments for other health issues, such as broken bones, injuries from repeated abuse, and sexual intercourse. For these reasons, Japan has caused comfort women serious difficulties along with the miserable suffering from solemn physical injuries. As for comfort women, they hadRead More Yuki Tanakas Japans Comfort Women Essay examples1721 Words   |  7 PagesYuki Tanakas Japans Comfort Women This paper is a review of the book Japan’s Comfort Women-Sexual slavery and prostitution during WWII and the US occupation by Yuki Tanaka. This book was published in 2002 by Routledge. The book deals with the thousands of Japanese, Korean, Chinese and other Asian and European women who were victims of organized sexual violence and prostitution by means of â€Å"comfort stations† setup by the Japanese military during World War II.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As we first get intoRead MoreMilitary Prostitution During Japan s Imperial Rule864 Words   |  4 Pageshistorians have addressed the issue of military prostitution during Japan’s imperial rule and the United States role in it during their reign. For roughly 50 years’ comfort women were the silent victims of war. During the 1990’s and 2000’s many Korean comfort women came into the lime light by opening up about their experiences in the comfort system. The Feminist Studies journal published Na Young Lee’s scholarly work, â€Å"The Construction of Military Prostitution in South Korea during the U.S. MilitaryRead MoreEssay on Asian Women in the Eyes of Americans2297 Words   |  10 Pages Introduction The history of Asian women has many facets. I am about to touch on two key monumental points over a sixty year span that have shaped the views of Asian women in the eyes of Americans. As a brief overview, from as early as the 1940s, Asian women were recruited to serve their soldiers during World War II as sex slaves. Forty years later, the dawning of the 1980s brought about the desire of Asian women into American households and sparked the mail order bride phenomenonRead MorePost World War II : A Major Transformation Into What Is Now Globalisation?1806 Words   |  8 Pagesthat the men believe the women of color to be naturally sexual which meant they were able to act out fantasies that weren’t proper with white women. When white women were placed on pedestals, women of color were the ones being exploited. The major expansion of sexual exploitation and trafficking as a commercial commodity came during World War II. In the past thirty years, there has been a development in the information regarding the sexual violence against Asian women during World War II. BetweenRead MoreChina Vs Jap More Than A Century Of Conflict1381 Words   |  6 PagesChina and Japan have had conflict after conflict, from the first Sino-Japanese war between the Qing Empire and the Empire of Japan then the second Sino-Japanese war nearly 50 years later. The conflict between these two countries stems from fights over territory to constant scrutinization between the two because of cultural differences and what I believe has begun to exhibit signs of cultural incompetence. The First Sino- Japanese war allowed Japan to emerge as a major world power while revealing theRead MoreJapan s Foreign Policy During The End Of The Twentieth And Early Twentieth Century Essay1199 Words   |  5 Pageswas a strong militaristic country that held a strong power and influence in the Asia Pacific region. It was an expansionist and strong imperialist nation similar as the Western colonizers such as England, the Dutch, Russia, France and Germany. The Japanese empire extended from the Dutch East Indies in the south to Manchuria in the north before the country surrendered on September 1945 to the Allies. The Allied Power led by General Douglas MacArthur had occupied Japan for several years before it wasRead MoreThe During The Second World War Essay1735 Words   |  7 PagesStates Navy starting in 1944. During his time in the war he was able to visit many islands that were once being occupied by the Japanese and could see the remainders of their rule. He was able to see wha t had happened to the local people who got caught in the middle of a war that they had no place in and how it affect all of them. That is what I researched, how the Japanese treated the people that they occupied and what had happened to the people during the Second World War. Before the start of

Japanese Comfort Women - 1493 Words

Japanese Comfort Women It is estimated that between one and two hundred thousand female sex slaves were forced to deliver sexual services to Japanese soldiers, both before and during World War II. These women were known as comfort women and the Imperial Conference, which was composed of the emperor, representatives from the armed forces and the main Cabinet ministers, approved their use by Japanese soldiers. (Walkom) The term comfort women refers to the victims of a premeditated systematic plan originated and implemented by the government of Japan to enslave women considered inferior and subject them to repeated mass rapes, said Michael D. Hausefeld, one of over 35 lawyers in his firm representing the former sexual prisoners in a class†¦show more content†¦In Japan, infected women were killed. Their food was mixed with cyanide, their bodies taken to a cave and finally, the cave was blown up with a grenade. The comfort houses made money off these women and it is believed that the Japanese government paid them, as most of the soldiers paid by coupons. As soon as the war was finished, the Japanese Imperialist guards disappeared without trace. Most comfort women describe the experience this way, Suddenly, the soldiers came no more, and upon asking we found that the war had ended. In other regions, as the Japanese committed â€Å"harikari, the women were forced to do the same. In extreme cases, the women were put in a cave and blown up. After the war, many of the comfort women were too sick to be moved and were taken under the care of the American army. Most of the women were left with no place to go, as they were in a strange country with no money, and were too humiliated to go home. According to one comfort woman, my bodys wasted, therefore I do not dare go home in fear of being ignored and looked down upon. Even after the war ended, the comfort women were not free. Their guilty minds and inferiority complexes kept them from returning home and they stayed in foreign countries. The small amount that married, were often forced to separate after the fact that they were comfort women was known, or they were divorced because they could not have children. The victims are stillShow MoreRelatedEssay on Japanese Comfort Women1011 Words   |  5 Pagesrights is increasing, atrocities of the Japanese Imperial Army are unveiling. â€Å"Comfort women† is sexual slavery system that was utilized by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. Due to pervious traumatic experiences and inputs they had, the struggle of former sex slaves for their rights and justice started in 1991, which is still continuing in present times. While they are declaring that Japanese Imperial Military trampled on their rights, some Japanese officials claim that Japan did not intrudeRead MoreEssay on Korean Comfort Women2590 Words   |  11 Pages Comfort women, or ianfu as they are called in Korean, are females who were forced sex slaves for the Japanese Imperial Army (Chunghee). Some of the women were dragged off with physical force as their families wept, while others were actually sold to the army by their destitute families (Watanabe). Still othe r were officially drafted by the Japanese Imperial Army and believed they would be factory workers or nurses (Hwang in Schellstede 4). Some Korean village leaders were ordered to send youngRead MorePreventing Sexual Diseases During World War I1372 Words   |  6 Pageshardly by a Japanese soldier that causes her arm broke, and it healed twists out of shape. Although comfort women regularly got medical examinations for the purpose of preventing sexual diseases, they could not get any further treatments for other health issues, such as broken bones, injuries from repeated abuse, and sexual intercourse. For these reasons, Japan has caused comfort women serious difficulties along with the miserable suffering from solemn physical injuries. As for comfort women, they hadRead More Yuki Tanakas Japans Comfort Women Essay examples1721 Words   |  7 PagesYuki Tanakas Japans Comfort Women This paper is a review of the book Japan’s Comfort Women-Sexual slavery and prostitution during WWII and the US occupation by Yuki Tanaka. This book was published in 2002 by Routledge. The book deals with the thousands of Japanese, Korean, Chinese and other Asian and European women who were victims of organized sexual violence and prostitution by means of â€Å"comfort stations† setup by the Japanese military during World War II.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As we first get intoRead MoreMilitary Prostitution During Japan s Imperial Rule864 Words   |  4 Pageshistorians have addressed the issue of military prostitution during Japan’s imperial rule and the United States role in it during their reign. For roughly 50 years’ comfort women were the silent victims of war. During the 1990’s and 2000’s many Korean comfort women came into the lime light by opening up about their experiences in the comfort system. The Feminist Studies journal published Na Young Lee’s scholarly work, â€Å"The Construction of Military Prostitution in South Korea during the U.S. MilitaryRead MoreEssay on Asian Women in the Eyes of Americans2297 Words   |  10 Pages Introduction The history of Asian women has many facets. I am about to touch on two key monumental points over a sixty year span that have shaped the views of Asian women in the eyes of Americans. As a brief overview, from as early as the 1940s, Asian women were recruited to serve their soldiers during World War II as sex slaves. Forty years later, the dawning of the 1980s brought about the desire of Asian women into American households and sparked the mail order bride phenomenonRead MorePost World War II : A Major Transformation Into What Is Now Globalisation?1806 Words   |  8 Pagesthat the men believe the women of color to be naturally sexual which meant they were able to act out fantasies that weren’t proper with white women. When white women were placed on pedestals, women of color were the ones being exploited. The major expansion of sexual exploitation and trafficking as a commercial commodity came during World War II. In the past thirty years, there has been a development in the information regarding the sexual violence against Asian women during World War II. BetweenRead MoreChina Vs Jap More Than A Century Of Conflict1381 Words   |  6 PagesChina and Japan have had conflict after conflict, from the first Sino-Japanese war between the Qing Empire and the Empire of Japan then the second Sino-Japanese war nearly 50 years later. The conflict between these two countries stems from fights over territory to constant scrutinization between the two because of cultural differences and what I believe has begun to exhibit signs of cultural incompetence. The First Sino- Japanese war allowed Japan to emerge as a major world power while revealing theRead MoreJapan s Foreign Policy During The End Of The Twentieth And Early Twentieth Century Essay1199 Words   |  5 Pageswas a strong militaristic country that held a strong power and influence in the Asia Pacific region. It was an expansionist and strong imperialist nation similar as the Western colonizers such as England, the Dutch, Russia, France and Germany. The Japanese empire extended from the Dutch East Indies in the south to Manchuria in the north before the country surrendered on September 1945 to the Allies. The Allied Power led by General Douglas MacArthur had occupied Japan for several years before it wasRead MoreThe During The Second World War Essay1735 Words   |  7 PagesStates Navy starting in 1944. During his time in the war he was able to visit many islands that were once being occupied by the Japanese and could see the remainders of their rule. He was able to see wha t had happened to the local people who got caught in the middle of a war that they had no place in and how it affect all of them. That is what I researched, how the Japanese treated the people that they occupied and what had happened to the people during the Second World War. Before the start of

Monday, December 9, 2019

Conflict Management Disputes Within Organization

Question: Discuss about the Conflict Management for Disputes Within Organization. Answer: Introduction The conflict management is an important process, where all the matters of disputes are settled that exist within an organization. This can help to bring good coordination within the employees of an organization and thereby increase the effectiveness and business performance (Zhang et al., 2016). In this assignment, the theories and concepts related to the conflict management have been discussed. The conflict and dispute within an organization can be of many types and can have huge impact within the organization. The different type of organizational conflicts and their impact on Emaar properties, which is a company from Dubai, is mentioned in details. Recommendations to neutralize the organizational conflicts are also given. Theories and Concepts of Conflict management The individuals, who are working within an organization, can have different perceptions and opinions about their own and hence, it is very likely that they might face conflict with other employees within the organization (Safi Kolahi, 2016). Therefore, conflict is a process of opposition that occurs between the groups and individuals within an organization. The local culture of Dubai will have huge impact in the conflict management of Emaar properties. In case of collectivistic culture, people try to help others within n the same community. Individuals are also dependent on others to get the support to with the help of improved communication techniques. In UAE people follow this collectivistic culture and thus it is easily possible to resolve the conflicts that can occur in a local organization. On the other hand, in individualistic culture people do not believe in the effectiveness of teamwork. A business organization, where there is individualistic culture has greater possibility of having a conflict. The conflict within an organization can have both positive and negative effects depending on the nature of the conflict. Wolff Yakinthou (2013) believes that the conflict can promote the individual performance and also the performance of the team within a company. It can also help the company to gain competitive advantage. Types of Conflict and their Impact The interpersonal conflict is one of the major kinds of dispute that occurs within an organization, which arise due to the difference in the attitude and behavior between individuals. According to Prenzel Vanclay (2013), poor communication and understandings within the employees are one of the main causes for interpersonal conflict within an organization. Inter personal conflict is one of the major area of concern for the project manager of Emaar properties and due to this performance level has been compromised. The management of the company can be biased towards certain employed and can adopt unfair ways to reward promotion for the company. This is also one of the major causes of interpersonal conflict within Emaar properties. de Wit et al., (2012), stated that some types of conflict can yield positive result for a company as it helps in the making of better decision process. Additionally, it can also help to improve the responsiveness of the in the external environment. The constructive conflicts are the ones, which helps to improve the productivity of an organization. With the help of constructive conflict, it is possible to improve the communication between the workers of a company. On the other hand, the destructive conflict can lower the performance level of a company. In this case, one group or individual within an organization tries to dominate over the other. The lack of coordination within different departments of the organisation is mainly responsible for the destructive conflict. The inter-group conflict is also one the major type of organizational conflict, which occurs due to the disputes between two different groups or departments of the organization (Goetsch Davis, 2014). In Emaar properties, there is a dispute between the human resource department and the software department of the company. On the other hand, conflict can also arise within members of the same group and department, which is called the intra-group conflict. The disagreements and different attitude or behavior of various individuals within a group are one of the prime reasons for inter-group conflict. According to Di Pietro Di Virgilio (2013), intragroup conflict can have negative effect on the performance of the organization. Task conflict is highly associated with intra-group conflict in a workplace. This happens, when two or more parties within an organization are unable to reach a definite solution for a problem. Nevertheless, the intra-group task conflict can also have positive effects on the individual and group level performance as it opens up the chance of exchanging ideas. It is the duty of the manager and also the team members to make the best use of the intra-group meetings and discussions that are done to resolve the conflict. Suggestions to avoid Organizational conflicts Qian, Cao Takeuchi (2013), suggested that it is important to understand the root cause of conflict so that it is possible to make strategic plan to avoid conflict. Hence, the project manager of Emaar properties needs to understand the issues that are lowering the internal performance of the company. The target setting is an important part of strategy planning. In order to minimize the conflicts, it is crucial for Emaar proprieties to make realistic goals so that all the employees can have good level of coordination among themselves. The project manager of the company also needs to have good level of interpersonal relation with every employee. This will help to avoid all types of conflicts and confusion among the workers in the workplace. Hence, it is important for the manger to have good communication and effective decision-making skills. Regular meetings and group discussion sessions can also help in exchange of ideas among the individuals in the company. This will help to increase the coordination and all the workers can provide full potential in their workplace and minimize the level of dispute. Conclusion The conflict and disputes with a business organisation is one of the prime reasons for the poor performance. It can lower the reputation of a company. Nevertheless, there are few conflicts that can have positive impact. It is the duty of the project manager of Emaar properties to make effective planning for conflict management avoid all unfavorable internal environment of the company and make the best use of every situation. Reference de Wit, F. R., Greer, L. L., Jehn, K. A. (2012). The paradox of intragroup conflict: a meta-analysis.Journal of Applied Psychology,97(2), 360. Di Pietro, L., Di Virgilio, F. (2013). The role of organizational culture on informal conflict management.International Journal of Public Administration,36(13), 910-921. Goetsch, D. L., Davis, S. B. (2014).Quality management for organizational excellence. pearson. Prenzel, P. V., Vanclay, F. (2014). How social impact assessment can contribute to conflict management.Environmental Impact Assessment Review,45, 30-37. Qian, C., Cao, Q., Takeuchi, R. (2013). Top management team functional diversity and organizational innovation in China: The moderating effects of environment.Strategic Management Journal,34(1), 110-120. Safi, M. H., Kolahi, A. A. (2016). The Relationship between Job Satisfaction with Burnout and Conflict Management Styles in Employees.Community Health,2(4), 266-274. Wolff, S., Yakinthou, C. (Eds.). (2013).Conflict management in divided societies: theories and practice. Routledge. Zhang, J., Li, H., Luo, X., Warkentin, M. (2016). Exploring the Effects of the Privacy?Handling Management Styles of Social Networking Sites on User Satisfaction: A Conflict Management Perspective.Decision Sciences.

Monday, December 2, 2019

The Battle Between The Spanish Armada And The British Fleet Essays

The Battle Between the Spanish Armada and the British Fleet ~1588~ In the later part of the 16th century, Spain was the major international power and either ruled, colonized, or exercised influence over much of the known world. Spanish power was at it's height and Spain's leader, King Philip II, pledged to conquer the Protestant heretics in England that began as a result of the Reformation. Philip held personal hostility towards England's Queen Elizabeth I and was desirous of eliminating a major sea-going rival for economic reasons. Elizabeth encouraged Sir Francis Drake and other English seamen to raid Spanish ships and towns to invest in some of their wealth. The English also began to aid the Dutch Protestants who were rebelling against Spanish rule. The Treaty of Nonsuch (1585) along with damaging raids by Drake against the Spanish commerce finally convinced Philip that a direct invasion of England was necessary. Philip wanted to restore England to Catholicism, keep his wealth he discovered, and prove that his country is still looked upon as all-powerful. King Philip disliked Elizabeth with a passion. He tried to plot against her ages ago with Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, in 1568. She was beheaded in 1587 for she pose a threat to the queen and England's safety. Finally Philip decided he had to do something about it himself. He drew up a flawless plan that wouldn't underrating England's ability to defend herself, Philip organized a brilliant fleet, which he called his Spanish Armada. It was called 'Invincible', the fleet of unprecedented size and strength. His Armada consisted of about 130 ships from his Mediterranean and Atlantic fleets, from the Portuguese navy and his allies, with as many as 8,000 seamen and possibly 19,000 soldiers. These ships were to join 30,000 troops who had been fighting in the Spanish Netherlands under Philip's commander, the Duke of Parma. Don ?lvaro de Baz?n, Marquis of Santa Cruz, who had initially organized the Armada, did not live to command it. His successor, Alonso P?rez de Guzm?n, Duke of Medina Sidonia, was no less intelligent and courageous. The men were inexperienced and their knowledge of ships and battles was poor. Their ships were mainly line-of-battle ships, and the rest being mostly transports and light craft. They were conscious that even their best craft were slower and less reliable than those of the English and less well armed with weapons, but they counted on being able to force boarding actions if the English offered battle. The Armada set sail from Lisbon on May 9, 1588, but gales forced it back soon after. The voyage was not resumed until July 22. Since November 1587 the English and the Dutch had been aware of Philip's intentions. To prevent a juncture of Parma's army with the Armada, they had several troops patrolling the Netherlands coast. The English fleet was under command of Charles Howard, 2nd Baron Howard of Effingham Ships were anchored at Plymouth on the English Channel to blockade and destroy the Armada before it left the Spanish coast. On July 29, 1588, the wind direction made this impossible and the Armada was already first sighted off the Scilly Isles, near the coast of Cornwall in southwestern England. The Armada reached the Strait of Dover on August 61 (Having already entered the English Channel on July 30) and anchored at Calais, France. This is where Medina Sidonia had planned to meet Parma in Flanders. The Dutch gunboats prevented the barges from meeting the Armada and this defect in their strategy was to prove disastrous. In the early hours of August 7-8, the English launched eight fire ships2 into the Spanish fleet, forcing the Spanish ships to cut or slip their cables, thus losing their anchors, and stand out to sea to escape the flames. The 'Invincible' Armada's formation was thus completely broken. At dawn on the 8th about 60 English ships attacked the disorganized Spanish ships off the French port of Gravelines. Three Spanish ships were sunk or driven ashore, and the others were badly battered. During all the battles, the wind direction and speed and waves and currents had a great effect on the movement of the ships. Both the west wind and the English fleet now prevented the Armada from rejoining Parma, and it was forced to make the passage back to Spain around the northern tip of Scotland. The English fleet turned back in search of supplies when the Armada passed the Firth of Forth and there was no further fighting, but the long voyage home through the autumn gales of the North Atlantic proved fatal