Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Apartheid in South Africa - 1154 Words

Nelson Mandela helped bring an end to Apartheid in South Africa because he was a believer in basic human rights, leading both peaceful and violent protests against the white South African Government. His beliefs landed him in prison for twenty-seven years, almost three decades. In doing so, he became the face of the apartheid movement both in his country and around the world. When released from prison in 1990, he continued to honor his commitment to fight for justice and equality for all people in South Africa. In 1994, Nelson Mandela was elected to become the first black president of South Africa and formed a government that represented the people of South Africa. What was Apartheid? Apartheid was when people were segregated into†¦show more content†¦As a result the government passed the Suppression of Communism Act in which any Opposition to the government was treated as Communism. Nelson Mandela helped lead the ANC’s 1952 Campaign for the Defiance of Unjust Laws, travelling across the country to organize protests against policies that discriminated against black people. This lead to the Freedom Charter, a list of basic demands that existed in every true democracy around the world. At this time, Mandela encouraged the ANC to form an alliance with other groups who were interested in changing South Africa. As a result Nelson Mandela went on trial for treason but was found innocent in 1961. Nelson Mandela believed in peaceful resistance but gradually began to realize that passive resistance was not winning the fight. Their peaceful demonstrations were met with unforgiveable violence. At Sharpeville in1960, protestors showed up at the Sharpeville police station without their passbooks, a riot broke out and police killed sixty-nine people. In Soweto (June 1976), six hundred unarmed high school students protesting for an improved education were killed. The Government banned the ANC and PAC and Mandela was forced to go underground to avoid detection. Plans were made to bomb places of significance to apartheid, but these were always planned to avoid anyone being hurt or killed. Nelson Mandela was tried for treason and at one stage was foundShow MoreRelatedThe Apartheid Of South Africa1174 Words   |  5 PagesSome periods in human history are simply shameful. The period of apartheid policy in South Africa was one of these times. Apartheid featured a rebirth of racist legi slature in South Africa from the 1950s to the 1990s. Essentially, these laws treated people who were not white as completely separate from society; the term apartheid literally means â€Å"apartness.† The national legislature in South Africa wanted to suppress blacks and ensure a white supremacy in the government. Basically, politicalRead MoreSouth Africa Apartheid And Oppression1695 Words   |  7 Pages South Africa Apartheid (oppression) Oppression is at the root of many of the most serious, enduring conflicts in the world today. Racial and religious conflicts; conflicts between dictatorial governments and their citizens; the battle between the sexes; conflicts between management and labor; and conflicts between heterosexuals and homosexuals all stem, in whole or in part, to oppression. It’s similar to an article in south africa that people have with racial segregationRead MoreApartheid and The Future of South Africa in Cry, The Beloved Country1044 Words   |  5 Pagesall characters from Alan Paton’s book, Cry, The Beloved Country, are used to share Paton’s points of view on the future of South Africa and the apartheid. Paton uses these characters to represent specific views; Arthur expresses clearly that the apartheid isn’t the right way to progress as a country, Napoleon exemplifies how Paton thinks people should take the anti-apartheid effort, and Msimangu explicitly expresses Patonâ €™s ideas of an ideal leader. Arthur Jarvis was the son of James Jarvis, anRead MoreEssay on South Africa Under Apartheid: A Totalitarian State1356 Words   |  6 PagesDuring the Apartheid Era, there emerged from South Africa cases of gross human rights abuse, racism, police brutality and general mistreatment of the non-white population. Excluding the fact that South Africa was never ruled by a dictator, it can be argued that some of these features were totalitarian and that South Africa was, to a certain extent, a totalitarian state under Apartheid. This discussion will analyse the totalitarian features that were apparent during Apartheid, and will be structuredRead MoreTo What Extent Did The Collapse Of Apartheid South Africa ( 1991 ) Really Bring About Change For The Bantu Population1458 Words   |  6 PagesTo what extent did the collapse of Apartheid in South Africa (1991) really bring about change for the Bantu population? The collapse of Apartheid in South Africa (1991) brought only a small amount of change for the Bantu population. South still faces racism in society, due to the continual domination by the â€Å"white† population with race interaction limited to the false â€Å"rainbow† television campaigns and promotional Africa strategies. At the close of Apartheid, a number of false statements were usedRead MoreHow and why did the apartheid system come into existence in South Africa and how was its existence maintained and enforced for so long?1593 Words   |  7 PagesThe term apartheid was one of the most politically charged words in the second half of the 20th century, and still remains notorious today. Apartheid translated from Afrikaans means separateness or apartness. However when the National Party came to power in South Africa in 1948, it took on a much more sinister meaning and today is associated with racial and ethnic discrimination. The roots of apartheid stem deep into South African history. It started way back during European settlement, andRead MoreApartheid in South Africa1118 Words   |  5 PagesApartheid In South Africa APARTHEID Apartheid is the political policy of racial segregation. In Afrikaans, it means apartness, and it was pioneered in 1948 by the South African National Party when it came to power. Not only did apartheid separate whites from non-whites, it also segregated the Blacks (Africans) from the Coloureds (Indians, Asians). All things such as jobs, schools, railway stations, beaches, park benches, public toilets and even parliament. Apartheid alsoRead MoreThe Apartheid Of South Africa1159 Words   |  5 PagesDuring the year of 1948, the lives of south Africans changed forever. The National Party, which was an all-white government, gained power and created hell for non-white citizens, their goal was to have white people continue to dominate the country and to keep each race separated from each other; even though at the time whites were only 20% of the population. The apartheid, which literally means â€Å"apartness† lasted until 1991, and during this time many acts were passed. One being that â€Å"non-white AfricansRead MoreThe Apartheid Of South Africa Essay1742 Words   |  7 PagesNelson Mandela and protesters during South Africa s journey away from apartheid. It’s a curious ponder, in fact, that America’s and South Africa’s ascents from racial discrimination were possibly involved with each other. However, while the world may be convinced the nation is out of racist dep ths, evidence displays the rise from discrimination in South Africa is undeniably incomplete. There is a dangerous and unresolved influence of apartheid in South Africa today. After World War 2 was won byRead MoreThe Apartheid Of South Africa1333 Words   |  6 Pageshistory of South Africa all we could see is racial discrimination. Africa was all in control of Whites till 1994. South Africa got free from racial discrimination when Nelson Mandela took a step became the first black prime minister of South Africa. Contemporary South Africa is now economically strong and it is completely a racial free state. The contemporary South Africa is now in race with every state in every field. Before 1994 South Africa was completely under control of Apartheid. WHO IS APARTHEID

Monday, December 16, 2019

5.10 the Awakening - 814 Words

1. What features make The Awakening a local color story?The type of dialogue used, the way the town is depicted and the fact that it was a time where women did not have much say in their lives or decisions 2. What customs and beliefs of Edna Pontellier s society are significant in relation to her psychological development?The typical new Orleans woman is expected to let their life revolve around their husband and children and they are expected to spend their time doing their domestic duties, and Edna is forced to live in these confines, and she is not happy with her life and feels tied down in her marriage and life. 3. What attitudes and tendencies in the Creole characters does Edna have trouble adjusting to?She has trouble†¦show more content†¦8. How are the background characters such as the young lovers and the lady in black at the shore, significant in Edna s story?The young lovers represent the love supported by the society Edna lives in, and the lady in black represents what society expects of a woman after her husband has passed. 9. In detail, explain how the flashbacks to Edna s past function. How does her father compare to the other men in her life?The flashbacks show a time where she was really happy and talks about a time where she remembers just being a little girl and running through a large green field so she wouldn’t have to go to church, besides that she was a carefree person back then. Her father is different because he states his opinion about her actions instead of keeping quiet and he is more controlling. 10. How does the view of romantic love develop in the course of the novel? What is the doctor s view of marriage and childbearing?The doctors view of marriage and childbearing is that that is what makes a happy family, and the romantic loves develops in person and goes on through Roberts letters to Mademoiselle Reisz 11. Can you think of an emotional attachment and/or a romantic obsession you have s tudied in a previous work? How does that incident or character compare with Edna s emotional and romantic relationships?In Romeo and Juliet’s love in their story. Their relationship is similar to Edna’s and Roberts because they love eachShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Industrial Revolution On Society1989 Words   |  8 Pageslaw-making, they also requested the right to stand as Members of Parliament. These were not new demands, but the people charter was to become one of the most famous manifestos in 19th century Britain. This was also referred to in Anthology, document 5.10, where William Corbett, a self-taught journalist who had previously served in the army during the French Revolution, echoes arguments made by radicals against Napoleon. His publications best describe the corruption he witnessed which he saw a destructionRead MoreThe Essentials of Project Management65719 Words   |  263 PagesNow assume that all the design is scheduled to be finished in the first six months of the programme. This could be viewed (simplistically) as a requirement of ten engineers for six months. The manager starting this project might experience a rude awakening on referring to records of past projects. These might well show that projects of similar size and complexity took not ten engineers for six months, but expenditure equivalent to ten engineers for a whole year. An apparent error of five man-yearsRead MoreManaging Information Technology (7th Edition)239873 Words   |  960 Pagesmail—either by clicking the mail bookmark button on the left side of any page (the top icon, which looks like a piece of mail) or the mail hot spot in the bottom area of the welcome page—the inbox view of the mailbox is displayed, as shown in Figure 5.10. In addition to the bars and icons appearing on the welcome page, a view action bar appears above the listing of e-mail messages in the larger window to the right. The actions listed relate to the current view. For the inbox view, the entries are

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Health Information Management of Strategic Resource

Question: Discuss about the Health Information Management of Strategic Resource. Answer: According to Mondy Martocchio (2016), among the various business sectors existing in Australia, the health industry is recognized as one of the most rapidly advancing sections. Based on the census data, it is noted that there has been a significant increase not only in the number of patients admission but also the in the employee structure of hospitals. In addition to focussing on serving the society in the best possible manner, hospitals simultaneously concentrate on their business and management development as well (Tung, 2016). Further, one of the emerging topics that successfully gained attention from the managers is the aspect of human resource management (HRM). As compared to the any other capability enhancing feature, the HRM not only tend to affect decision making but also various concerns like employee development, engagement, services to patients and many others (Kramar, 2014). The case study helps to understand the difference in the two hospitals and their individual atte ntion towards human resource management. Additionally, the study also allows understanding the effect of a well organized HR system in an organization as well. As per the case study, it is seen that the first hospital has a comparatively poor and unplanned HR management. Despite, having a taskforce of around 400 staff members, the hospital has no particular HR department or a HR manager. Moreover, although there are several HR functions in the organization and the CEO is in-charge along with an external supervise to monitor the performance levels, the absence of well-developed HRM affects the hospital as a whole. Analyzing the prevailing situation of industrial disputation, poor turnover ratios, staff complaint and absenteeism increments there are several recommendations that can be made. Operating in the Australian market, the hospital is also confronted with a increased degree of competition. The management of the organization with a motive to serve the public in a better manner focuses on developing the human resource framework on a large scale basis. In order to develop business conditions, it is important that the not only the staff members but also the managers are educated about the topic and its role in building up the economy of the organization. As stated by Bileviciene, Bileviciute Parazinskaite (2015), it is only through a rise in literacy and knowledge levels by which the internal stakeholders can effectively organize and plan the setting up a HR department in the business framework. Further, it is suggested that authority delegation will also prove to be fruitful in this aspect. According to Lu et al., (2015), recruitment of a highly qualified and experienced HR manager in the hospital will serve as the first step towards strengthening the system. Concerning the employment structure, the process of recruitment also needs to be a huge concern for the hospital. Moreover, actions like defining business goals, mission spreading and letting the people know about the firm`s expectancy levels will significantly help in building up a efficiency workforce (Pudelko, Reiche Carr, 2015). It is suggested that a creation of various involvement, motivation and morale enhancing programs in the organization will assist in developing a pool of talent and HRM as well. Additionally, a reconstruction of communication levels is also recommended for the first hospital. As opined by Leggat Balding (2013), the existence of a clear and transparent contact channel will lead to free flow and exchange of ideas. Furthermore, a culture oriented environment creation is also emphasized for the benefit of the hospital. Being dispersed geographically across Australia, the cultural aspects tend to be a crucial aspect that affects decision making. Like every other business, the first hospital also has its individual perception of cultural and traditional aspects. It is suggested that the HR manager act as a backbone to the department by implementing beneficial leadership and mentoring skills. In the words of Susomrith Brown (2013), among the various factors the participative style is recommended in the hospital for ensuring a high active and involvement level. Also, a rise in positivism in the hospital environment will benefit the staff members and the patients. It is noted that a consideration of individual perspectives will increasingly contribute towards solving disputes, job dissatisfaction, poor communication and further lower complaint levels. Further, collaboration between the CEO, HR manag er, supervisors and the staff members will noticeably contribute in developing a strong based human resource system in the first hospital (McGraw, 2014). More importantly, a modernization of training and development structure is also recommended for the hospital. As per the case study, the employees of the organization are highly unaware of the HR system, its role in business development and hence disregard the tool as a whole. As stated by Rogers et al., (2016), it is noted that setting up of an efficiency enhancing mechanism will not only help in individual capabilities but also business competency. Further, it is suggested that the senior managers help staff members to assess their personality, skills and perception towards the firm. It is through a proper prospering of individual skills which facilitate innovation and creativity in the hospital. With a delegation of authority based on their personnel abilities, the taskforce tends to work in a more efficient manner (Trebble et al., 2014). In addition to assessing qualities and proficiency, the training programs lend a hand towards the employees in performing in a better way. Reviewing the case study, it is inferred that the first hospital has no existing technological plant that help to carry out HR functions. It is recommended that the management of the organization focus on integrating a analytical and issue dissolving framework. Further, the automation of services will also help in smoothening recruitment, screening and selection processes. According to Townsend et al., (2012), the use of hi-tech mechanisms will greatly in improving communication, accessibility and the HRM system as a whole. The use of electronic system tends to mitigate errors, save time and serve as a cost effective tool. Moreover, data monitoring and tracking also helps in developing human resource practices in the first hospital. Providing the managers with analytical information, the mechanisms have a higher degree of acceptance. It is noted that along with attending towards enhancing capabilities, technology fastens and smoothen HR systems (MohebbiFar, Shams Javadi, 2012). As per the case study, there has been a considerable rise in complaints, disappointment level and further accidents that involve patients and employees. An increment in inefficiency of the existing HR model has lead to the increment in negativities in the first hospitals. It is important that the organization take into consideration various suggested changes to be able to regain health and serve Australia in a better manner. In the modern world, like every other business sector, hospitals also focus on developing a sustainable HR capability not only to perform in a developed manner but also to secure long term gains (Malambe Bussin, 2013). It is noted that there exist several feature that greatly contribute in building up competency levels of the human resource department in an organization. As per the case study, the integration of a HR polices and presence of HRM in the second hospital enabled it to operate on a much larger scale. Being divided into an individual department, there is a presence of positivity all across the business framework. Additionally, the appointment of a HR manager has also allowed fruitfulness of several activities. Reviewing the case study it is inferred that there exist various major characteristics that help in building up HRM competency in hospitals. Operating in the developed nation of Australia, firms are confronted with a high degree of competition. Apart form analyzing the workplace, managers actively involved in learning and building up factors that help in developing a sustainable human resource system (Floyd, 2012). It is noted that the aspect of HR not only affects decision making, but also determines success of a hospital. Further, the several factors that help in building up a highly effective HR department are taken into consideration by the managers of the second hotel. Further, the aspect of employee lifecycle and absenteeism also tends to play a major role in developing a sustainable HR system in the hospitals. It is noted that a stronghold HR system focuses on the staff development from the initial level of recruitment to guiding them in carrying out very function in the organization (Boella Goss-Turner, 2013). In addition to motivating the staff members, businesses tend to concentrate on providing a positive workplace environment to them as well. As per the case study, an increase in being absent from work exerts a direct pressure on the business performance and also the employee structure. On the other hand, being present at work not only helps to breakdown the work pressure and lethargy levels, but also benefits the HRM system as a whole (Susomrith Brown, 2013). It is noted that among the various performance indicators, the employee and human capital turnover proves to be one of the most contributing factors. As opined by Sharma Goyal (2013), characteristics like full time employment, sales salary ratio and other similar points are taken into consideration by the management to build a sustainable HR department. An increased volume of work and engagement levels significantly helps in achieving targets in the hospital. Moreover, the installation of automation system also helps in detecting errors which tends to be a huge concern for the hospital. According to Abdelhak, Grostick Hanken (2014), in order to develop a stronghold HR system, the managers increasingly focus on mitigating errors as well by acting as a helping hand to the staff members. Additionally, a check is also kept on the individual performances of the employees. An increase in the abilities of the taskforce will lead to a downfall in accidents involving the patients and staff s. It is noted that the cultural and attitudes of the employees and the patients also help in building up of a sustainable HR system. Moreover, managers in the modern world tend to pay higher degree of attention to the corporate values, traditions and perceptions of patients to be able to enhance performance. According to Pudelko, Reiche Carr (2015), a consideration of the fluctuating elements leads to a rise in employee and stakeholder satisfaction. With a motive to serve the people in a much better way, the HR department is responsible for carrying out several functional operations. Based on the case study, it is inferred that positive work environment and higher levels of engagement ensures fruitfulness of the HR department. Further, the attitudes and perspective of the patient also influences the HR system. It is often that the management of a hospital actively take part in understanding the staff member`s merit, objectives, expectations and thereby lends a helping hand towards them (Mondy Martocchio, 2016). On the other hand, a creation of HR polices also helps the visitors to understand the motives of the hospital and further develop a certain level of expectation as well. Apart from the various key factors that affect development of a sustainable HR capability, complaint handling and compensation plays a vital role. According to Malambe Bussin (2013), it is noted that a good amount of pay scale develops a certain level of sense of importance among the staff members. Moreover, incentive and promotional schemes also increasingly contribute towards ensuring a sustainable HR development in the hospital. Also, the remuneration tends to decide job performances, skill building and work time span as well. Concerning Australia, like every other business firms, hospitals also face an increased level of rivalry. The payroll of the hospital tends to decide the success of its employees, the company and further the HR department. On the other, complaint handling also tends to be a vital aspect in deciding the sustainability of a HR system. Employees and patients tend to look up to the human resources to solve their issues (Kramar, 2014). Additionally, a rational management of problems noticeably helps the organization as well. Being related to trust factors, clarity and transparency, issue solving plays a crucial role in building up of a sustainable HR capability. References Abdelhak, M., Grostick, S., Hanken, M. A. (2014).Health information: management of a strategic resource. Elsevier Health Sciences. Bileviciene, T., Bileviciute, E., Parazinskaite, G. (2015). innovative trends in human resources management.Economics Sociology,8(4), 94. doi:10.14254/2071-789X.2015/8-4/7 Boella, M., Goss-Turner, S. (2013).Human resource management in the hospitality industry: A guide to best practice. Routledge. Floyd, P. (2012). The new key role in hospital leadership-VPPS.Physician Executive,38(5), 38. Kramar, R. (2014). Beyond strategic human resource management: Is sustainable human resource management the next approach?The International Journal of Human Resource Management,25(8), 1069-1089. doi:10.1080/09585192.2013.816863 Leggat, S. G., Balding, C. (2013). Achieving organisational competence for clinical leadership: The role of high performance work systems.Journal of Health Organization and Management,27(3), 312-329. doi:10.1108/JHOM-Jul-2012-0132 Lu, C., Chen, S., Huang, P., Chien, J. (2015). Effect of diversity on human resource management and organizational performance.Journal of Business Research,68(4), 857-861. doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2014.11.041 Malambe, L., Bussin, M. (2013). Short-term incentive schemes for hospital managers.SA Journal of Human Resource Management,11(1), 1-e9. doi:10.4102/sajhrm.v11i1.487 McGraw, P. (2014). A review of human resource development trends and practices in australia: Multinationals, locals, and responses to economic turbulence.Advances in Developing Human Resources,16(1), 92-107. doi:10.1177/1523422313509572 MohebbiFar, R., Shams, M., Javadi, A. (2012). Analysis of the human resource management role in hospitals using ulrich model.African Journal of Business Management,6(50), 11943-11952. doi:10.5897/AJBM12.074 Mondy, R., Martocchio, J. J. (2016). Human resource management.Human Resource Management, Global Edition. Pudelko, M., Reiche, B. S., Carr, C. (2015). Recent developments and emerging challenges in international human resource management.The International Journal of Human Resource Management,26(2), 127-135. doi:10.1080/09585192.2015.964928 Rogers, S. E., Jiang, K., Rogers, C. M., Intindola, M. (2016). Strategic human resource management of volunteers and the link to hospital patient satisfaction.Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly,45(2), 409-424. doi:10.1177/0899764015596434 Sharma, D. K., Goyal, R. C. (2013).Hospital administration and human resource management. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.. Susomrith, P., Brown, A. (2013). Motivations for HR outsourcing in australia.International Journal of Human Resource Management,24(4), 704. Townsend, K., Wilkinson, A., Allan, C., Bamber, G. (2012). Mixed signals in HRM: The HRM role of hospital line managers.Human Resource Management Journal,22(3), 267-282. doi:10.1111/j.1748-8583.2011.00166.x Trebble, T. M., Heyworth, N., Clarke, N., Powell, T., Hockey, P. M. (2014). Managing hospital doctors and their practice: What can we learn about human resource management from non-healthcare organisations?BMC Health Services Research,14(1), 566-566. doi:10.1186/s12913-014-0566-5 Tung, R. L. (2016). New perspectives on human resource management in a global context.Journal of World Business,51(1), 142-152. doi:10.1016/j.jwb.2015.10.004

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Misunderstanding in Organization

Over a period of months, several organizations collaborated to identify why some minority demographic groups were not accessing certain community services. This involved many meetings and focus groups, both large and small. The staff members of the participating organizations saw each other at least once a week. However, this was not a social milieu.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Misunderstanding in Organization specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One day, one staffer was trying to leave the office, taking personal leave to go to receive a volunteer recognition award. Because this was a personal matter, the staffer had pushed the departure time until the very last minute, in order to get as much work done as possible before being out of the office. By the time she was exiting, the staffer was nearly late. Entering the office at just that moment was one of the representatives of one of the collaborating organizati ons, arriving for a meeting. This individual hailed the staffer and indicated that she had been trying to reach her. The staffer, conscious of the cramped space of the reception area of her office, tried to sidle out without impinging on her space, while simultaneously signaling with words and gestures that she knew that they had something to discuss sooner rather than later. When she returned to the office, her supervisor was waiting to meet her, in a fury. The representative of the collaborating organization had taken deep offense at being â€Å"blown off†, and had demanded an apology. She had interpreted the physical avoidance as an attempt to avoid interaction. A phone call apology indicating that no offense was intended was duly made, and duly rejected. A face to face apology was demanded. During this deeply embarrassing conversation, the staffer was compelled to reveal how uncomfortable she was at the thought of looming over the other person in the cramped office hallwa y, and how she had intended to give her respect by giving her space. Her credibility was always thereafter a bit suspect. This was a case of mutual misunderstanding of body language and personal space.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Back in the days of secretarial â€Å"pools†, one word processing supervisor had everyone intimidated. If a document was sent back more than twice for revisions or corrections, she would question why; even high level managers were terrified of her. They would handwrite rather than deal with her displeasure. One document bounced back more times than she thought necessary, and she grumbled. However, right there, as glaringly wrong as could be, was the word ‘impotent’ where it should have been typed as ‘important’. It had slipped by the rudimentary spell checking software. In a desperate attempt to avert a confront ation with this unpleasant person, managers from three different levels of the organization huddled together, trying to puzzle out what their superior could possibly have meant that could have resulted in the use of the word ‘impotent’ (the original handwritten draft was long since in the trash can). They argued and proposed different readings of the text as though they were rabbinical scholars. In the process, they burned up literally three person hours of work time – far more than would have been used if they had simply sent it back to be corrected and reprinted, and at a pay grade that was easily double that of the word processing worker who had made the error. This is an example of a misunderstanding on the part of both the word processing supervisor and the whole staff of the role of a support function in an organization; where the tail wags the dog rather than the other way around. This report on Misunderstanding in Organization was written and submitted by user Ember Q. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Free Essays on High School Violence

Will Extreme Measures at High Schools Stop Teen Violence? Presented By: Brian Fisher, Jude Gentsch, Sharon McElmeel, Lacy Schilkofski Table of Contents SUMMARY 4 PURPOSE 5 SCOPE 6 LIMITATIONS 6 JUSTIFICATIONS 6 RELATED PUBLICATIONS 7 PRESENT STUDY 9 INTERVIEW INFORMATION 10 THE CHANGING AMERICAN SCHOOLS 10 THREAT OF TEEN VIOLENCE 11 PROBLEMS BEGINNING AT HOME 12 TEENAGERS LEARNING VIOLENCE 13 VIOLENCE FROM THE MEDIA 13 GUNS IN AMERICAN SOCIETY 14 DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE AND TEEN VIOLENCE 15 GANGS AND VIOLENCE 15 MEASURES TO ENSURE SCHOOL SAFETY 16 METAL DETECTORS IN THE SCHOOL 16 WARNING SIGNS OF A TROUBLED CHILD 17 CONCLUSIONS 17 RECOMMENDATIONS 17 WORKS CITED 19 Memorandum To: Mr. Koehl and Mrs. Hovey From: Group #1 Date: 4/8/2003 Re: Memo of Transmittal The following report is the written portion of an overall English and Business Communication presentation. This report is a requirement for the class. The topic covered is school safety. Jude Gentsch, Brian Fisher, Lacy Schilkofski, and Sharon McElmeel researched this topic of school safety different ways. Various sources including the Internet, library books, and current magazines were used to gain information for the report. Each group member interviewed at least two people. Persons interviewed include Normal Community High School's Officer Jeff Caughron, Dr. Alan Chapman, and Mr. Dotzert. Students were also interview to understand what the student population believes is good or bad about the safety of NCHS. The information collected was used for this report and presentation. It is our hope through this report that anyone who wants to know about how safe NCHS is that they can find out by reading or watching our presentation. Summary We intend to show our attendees that outside factors are the cause of teen violence in school. Our group believes that drastic measures inside school will not curb school viol... Free Essays on High School Violence Free Essays on High School Violence Will Extreme Measures at High Schools Stop Teen Violence? Presented By: Brian Fisher, Jude Gentsch, Sharon McElmeel, Lacy Schilkofski Table of Contents SUMMARY 4 PURPOSE 5 SCOPE 6 LIMITATIONS 6 JUSTIFICATIONS 6 RELATED PUBLICATIONS 7 PRESENT STUDY 9 INTERVIEW INFORMATION 10 THE CHANGING AMERICAN SCHOOLS 10 THREAT OF TEEN VIOLENCE 11 PROBLEMS BEGINNING AT HOME 12 TEENAGERS LEARNING VIOLENCE 13 VIOLENCE FROM THE MEDIA 13 GUNS IN AMERICAN SOCIETY 14 DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE AND TEEN VIOLENCE 15 GANGS AND VIOLENCE 15 MEASURES TO ENSURE SCHOOL SAFETY 16 METAL DETECTORS IN THE SCHOOL 16 WARNING SIGNS OF A TROUBLED CHILD 17 CONCLUSIONS 17 RECOMMENDATIONS 17 WORKS CITED 19 Memorandum To: Mr. Koehl and Mrs. Hovey From: Group #1 Date: 4/8/2003 Re: Memo of Transmittal The following report is the written portion of an overall English and Business Communication presentation. This report is a requirement for the class. The topic covered is school safety. Jude Gentsch, Brian Fisher, Lacy Schilkofski, and Sharon McElmeel researched this topic of school safety different ways. Various sources including the Internet, library books, and current magazines were used to gain information for the report. Each group member interviewed at least two people. Persons interviewed include Normal Community High School's Officer Jeff Caughron, Dr. Alan Chapman, and Mr. Dotzert. Students were also interview to understand what the student population believes is good or bad about the safety of NCHS. The information collected was used for this report and presentation. It is our hope through this report that anyone who wants to know about how safe NCHS is that they can find out by reading or watching our presentation. Summary We intend to show our attendees that outside factors are the cause of teen violence in school. Our group believes that drastic measures inside school will not curb school viol...

Friday, November 22, 2019

6 top phone interview questions and how to answer them

6 top phone interview questions and how to answer them You’ve put your resume in for a job opening, and now you’ve got your first bite- a phone interview. The phone interview doesn’t happen in every application/interview process, but you might encounter it for two reasons: You’re currently far away from the hiring company.The company wants to do a preliminary interview to see if they want to bring you in for a more traditional sit-down interview.Either way, the phone interview is likely a precursor to some kind of physical meeting, before significant time and resources are invested. The main goal of a phone interview is usually to see if you meet certain requirements and would likely be a good fit for the job- or at least for the next round. If a company has a lot of great-on-paper applicants for a single position, phone interviews are a way to narrow the candidate pool to the most appropriate people.How is a phone interview different?There’s the obvious format difference, for starters. Instead of physi cally sitting face-to-face with someone, shaking hands, and being able to read body language cues, you’re sitting by yourself and have no in-person contact or visibility with the person interviewing you. That can be a benefit (it’s the one interview you can attend in your pajamas! Unless it’s a Skype interview), but also a drawback. You’re in a bit of a void, counting on your conversational skills above all else to get you through to the next round.Also, while an in-person interview is usually with the hiring manager for your position, that may not be true for a phone interview. You may be talking to a Human Resources representative or even a recruiter. It’s important to know up front the person with whom you’ll be speaking, so you can adapt your answers accordingly. If it’s a recruiter or HR person, you can be a little more general. If it’s the hiring manager, you should be more detailed about your qualifications in the specif ic field, with nitty gritty details.How to prepare for your phone interviewAlthough you don’t need to prep your interview outfit or work on your handshake, you can still work on your speaking and listening skills.Make sure your voice is calm, confident, and conversational. If it helps you to call someone else first (like a friend or a family member) right before the interview to get into conversational mode, do it. Anything that puts you at ease and gets you ready to talk about yourself confidently is good. If it helps to dress up in your normal interview clothes to get into that mode, go for it.Be sure that when you’re speaking, your voice is also warm and conversational. Part of the purpose of the phone interview is (let’s be blunt here) to verify that you’re, well, interviewable. You want to come across as friendly and competent; if your voice is stressed or your tone is cold, the interviewer may think there are some red flags lurking beneath your word s.As for your listening skills, you won’t have the advantage of doing the head nod + thoughtful â€Å"I’m listening† face, so it’s important to make sure the interviewer knows you’re listening. Make sure you’re allowing the person to finish speaking before you answer, and don’t feel like you need to fill in brief silences with nervous chatter.Before your phone interview, do your homework on the company, the job, and the interviewer him- or herself, if possible. Put those Google stalking skills to good use so that you understand who’s on the other end of the phone. The beauty of the phone interview is that you can have notes right in front of you, without the interviewer knowing you’ve got a crib sheet of details about the company, or the talking points about your resume that you want to emphasize.And lastly, just before the interview, make sure you’re settled in a quiet spot where you can conduct your phone interv iew in peace, with no interruptions. This rules out busy public places, or home if things are chaotic with kids, pets, ambient noise, etc.The interview questionsNow that you’re prepped for the interview, what can you expect from the interview itself? We’ve put together some of the most common phone interview questions, and how to approach them.â€Å"Tell me about yourself.†This one is always tricky, no matter what the interview format is. And given that the phone interview is likely an introductory interview, you can probably expect this one to pop up. An open-ended question is difficult because it’s all on you. Don’t go too broad here- the interviewer isn’t interested in your third grade spelling bee victory or your favorite television show. Limit your answer to a few highlight points about your professional career, especially those relevant to the job for which you’re interviewing. An elevator pitch comes in very handy here, because it covers relevant high-level info that works nicely for a â€Å"tell me about yourself.†Example: â€Å"I recently graduated with my bachelor’s in accounting, and I’m ready to translate my internship with Prestigious Financial Firm and my strong accounting skills into the next steps of my career.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"What interested you about this job/company?†This is where your pre-interview research comes in handy here, because â€Å"your job listing on TheJobNetwork matched my keyword search† is not a great answer. Instead, talk about one of your goals that this job would help you achieve or mention something you really like about the company. And remember: whether this is your dream job or one of dozens for which you sent out your resume, make it clear that this job is an opportunity you didn’t want to miss. The more specific and authentic your answer sounds, the better.Example: â€Å"I’m ready for the next level in my career, so I was excited to find this opening in X Corp’s sales department. It’s an incredible opportunity, and I know my skills and experience would be a good fit.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Tell me about your current/most recent job.†Like the â€Å"tell me about yourself† question, don’t get sucked into the open-endedness of this question. The interviewer isn’t necessarily interested in every one of your daily tasks, thoughts, and opinions about the work. Instead, focus on the parts of your job that relate most directly to the job you want, and highlight the accomplishments.Example: â€Å"I work directly with clients to coordinate orders and shipments. For example, I recently onboarded a brand new client, and we were able to get them up and running with no interruption in sales.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Why are you leaving your job?†Part of the phone interview process is weeding out people who set off initial red flags, or aren’t a good fit for this particular job or c ompany. They want to know you’re not a flight risk or unable to work as a member of a team. So this question is pretty popular in interviews of all kinds- especially a preliminary phone interview. The answer shouldn’t focus too much on what dissatisfies you about your current job (like â€Å"my boss is a micromanager† or â€Å"my job is boring and I want to try something else†). Instead, emphasize your goals and this new job itself.And if you got fired or left under not-great circumstances, don’t panic. Also don’t lie, especially if the reason you were fired will come up in a background check or in a conversation with your references. Frame it as a learning experience. And definitely talk about your major takeaway from the experience, and how you’ve used that to overcome your challenges and become a better professional.Example: â€Å"I’ve learned a great deal in my current position, but I feel like there wasn’t enough r oom to grow and develop as much as I’d like. It helped me realign my goals and figure out that I want a job that is more focused on customer service.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Do you have any questions for me?†In a phone interview, this is your chance to do a little extra research, especially if you’re talking with someone other than the hiring manager (who would likely handle the next round interview). You’re not likely to get candid insights like, â€Å"I think this company does a lousy job at work-life balance,† but you can at least get some on-the-record opinions and information from someone closely related to the company. Think of it as a bit of professional snooping that can help you prepare for the next phase if you’re offered an in-person interview.Examples:â€Å"What qualities are you looking for in applicants for this position?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"What are the opportunities for advancement in this position?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"How does this company provide e mployee feedback?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Why is the person who last held this job leaving?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"What is the most challenging aspect of this particular job?†A phone interview may not be the main interview in your hiring process, but it’s such an important first step that it should be treated every bit as seriously as any other kind of interview. Making sure you’re prepared and understanding what your gameplan is will help you be more relaxed and ready to answer any question that comes your way.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

How the company seeks to deliver customer value Essay - 1

How the company seeks to deliver customer value - Essay Example Basically, the purpose of this report is to explicate different media through which a company attempts to deliver real customer value by using example of Walmart which is an American multinational retail corporation and famously runs a large chain of department stores around the world. The success of this renowned business corporation is such that it is consistently ranked by Forbes as one of the top businesses operating worldwide. As it is one of the world’s most prestigious companies, currently over two million employees are privately employed at Walmart. It is also the largest grocery retailer in the US. There are already 8500 stores operating in as many as 15 countries under different names and the head of Walmart has thrown light on more plans for growth on an international level. This company stands distinguished among a growing crowd of aspiring organizations because the managers vigorously and regularly collaborate with employees to meet dynamic public needs and gain m ore customers. Not only customer intimacy is considered an important standard at Walmart, but the ramifications of promotion, distribution, and pricing policies are also carefully scrutinized which substantially helps in improving the satisfaction rate and delivering quality service. Organizational Objectives: One of the principal objectives of Walmart as identified by Mike Duke who is the current CEO of the organization is related to speeding up its expansion process to reach out to all people scattered around the world. He claimed in one address that in order to prioritize customer value, a more customer-focused approach is the need of the time and to stay ahead of other reputable organizations in current business environment to further this objective, Walmart will have to speed up its growth process (Daniel 2012). This objective identifies a fierce desire to gain recognition by delivery customer value. Astute assessment of customer satisfaction is considered critically important because that eni gmatically assists in acknowledging what is valued by customers and that information can then be processed to gain a competitive edge over less knowledgeable rival organizations. Same has always been the tendency of Walmart marketers and managers and has consequently brought the company considerable success. Marketers can draw conclusions on what customers value only with the help of comprehensive knowledge in that context which can be gained by serving dynamic needs of a diverse line of customers as explicated by Duke (Daniel 2012). General consensus is that innovation is one of the key determinants of competitive advantage and this idea is fully respected at Walmart which invests extra efforts into integrating innovation in its organizational design or structure. Now, the idea of value can only be defined by the customers which is why integrating innovation in its products is infinitely stressed at Walmart to satisfy the target groups. It is repeatedly claimed that not only innova tion is an important source of business growth but it also executes a phenomenal influence on customer value which is the essence of all marketing operations carried out by Walmart corporation. Many marketing models have been

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

General Investment Discussion Posts Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

General Investment Discussion Posts - Assignment Example Wieland (2010) denotes that a passive investment strategy has a rate of return of 7% per annum. This, Wieland (2010) denotes that is the main disadvantage of a passive investment strategy. That is, an investor will not get a high return for his or her investments. Barnes (2009) denotes that an active strategy will incorporate a method in which an investor seeks to buy bonds or stocks expecting a high return. On this basis, its main advantage over passive strategy is that an investor can acquire unlimited return. However, this method is very expensive, and there is no guarantee of success. It is important to denote that approximately 80% of actively managed stocks usually underperform (Barnes, 2009). Those that perform well are not consistent over the years. On this basis, the best form of portfolio management is the hybrid system. This is because it is a combination of the passive and active investments strategies (Wieland, 2010). On this note, the hybrid system combines the advantages of these two investments strategies, as well as mitigating their disadvantages. Toporowski (2010) denotes that one major strength of a projected P/E is its ability to explain the degree of confidence upon which investors have on a company. Toporowski (2010) further denotes that a P/E which is low in value will imply that investors do not have confidence with the company. On the other hand, a P/E which is high will denote that investors have confidence with the company. Investors will therefore purchase the various securities and stocks of these companies. On this note, the projected P/E ratio provides a guideline in which investors will know a company that performs well or not. However, the P/E ration has limitations. This is because the P/E ratio uses earnings as its indicator. It is important to denote it is possible to manipulate the earnings of a company. On this note, it is therefore

Sunday, November 17, 2019

European Political Change Essay Example for Free

European Political Change Essay The 15th century was beginning of Renaissance giving rise to many changes in the political and economic scene of Europe. Mattero Palmeiri wrote in 1430s, â€Å"now indeed may every thoughtful spirit thank god that it has been permitted to him to be born in a new age†. The Renaissance was inspired by study of Greek and Latin text and the admiration of Roman and Greek era. The classical examples of this age can be seen in the works of Leonardo da Vinci. On political scene ambition was the driving force of the age; which can be clearly observed in Machiavellis political writing The Prince. The influence of Protestants was growing due to the corruption of Church giving rise to many powerful kings and princes in Europe. Some of the famous political figures of the time include King Henry VIII. One of the important developments in the early 17th century was the pan-European sentiment. Emeric Cruce in 1623 proposed the idea of European council to end wars and create lasting peace. All European countries except Ottoman and Russian Empire did not agree to it. Both of them were considered outsiders in Europe; however the idea of unity remained shattered for many centuries to come. The next centuries (15th to 17th) saw many wars among European powers coupled with extensive conquest of colonies in Asia and Africa. Portugal led the way for colonial expansion followed by Spain and France to have colonies in Africa and Asia. The Britain took control of whole of Australia, New Zealand, India and parts of Africa and North America; while China was lost. Europe during this time was going through internal crisis and conflicts. Germany in the early 16th century was divided into small kingdoms and states under the framework of the Holy Roman Empire. Thus we can say at this time the whole of Europe was divided into small states and kingdoms. By late 18th century France was in disarray due to the lavish expenditure of the Royal House. The situation was worsened when people of Paris revolted and in the late 18 century (1792) monarchy was abolished in France. Reference: V. H. H. Green; Edward Arnold, Renaissance and Reformation: A Survey of European History between 1450 and 1660. London: 1952. Lectures on Early Modern European History.† The History Guide. 11 Dec 2006 http://www.historyguide.org/earlymod/earlymod.html. Oscar Halecki, A History of East Central Europe. 11 Dec 2006 http://historicaltextarchive.com/books.php?op=viewbookbookid=1.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Platos Views on the Technology of Writing Essay -- Expository History

Plato's Views on the Technology of Writing In the book Phaedrus Plato offers a lot of criticism for a writing technology that not many of us would ever think as writing technology, let alone criticize it. This writing technology is none other than writing itself. When people think of writing technology they mostly think of the printing press, the computer, the typewriter and such. Yet no one stops to think of writing. Writing has had such a major impact on society that who would ever think that the one of the greatest minds of all time opposed it. Plato was not just a crazy old man afraid of change; his criticism can still be applied today. For many people, writing has always been around. It’s hard to picture life without writing, books, reading, but at one point all there was was rhetoric. People would entertain themselves not by picking up a book by Jane Austen or Shakespeare. They would go to listen to people give speeches. This is what Plato was used to, and when writing came along he resisted the idea that this new invention, writing, could be good for people. First, Plato thought that writing would be bad for peoples’ memories. He thought writing would encourage forgetfulness and that people would rely too much on writing as a means of recollection. In Phaedrus Socrates points this out to Phaedrus by telling him a story about the Egyptian king Thamus and Theuth an inventor of many arts. â€Å" For this invention of yours will create forgetfulness in the learners’ souls, because they will not use their memories; they will trust to the external written characters and not remember of themselves† (Plato 87-88). Plato used the character of Thamus to express his own concerns a... ...ted to, Phaedrus could change his speech. Authors don’t really have that luxury. Once a book is in print, they can’t change their mind. For example, say a critic says that an author’s introduction was horrible and should be rewritten. The author doesn’t get the chance to rewrite the introduction. Chances are there are already multiple copies of the book in the bookstores or libraries. As it can be seen, even though Plato brought up these critiques along time ago they can still be applied to life today. As it turns out Plato was not crazy after all, but was able to see the flaws in writing that still plague it today. In addition, these critiques he brought up can also be applied to other forms of writing technology. Works Cited: LaRocque, Paula. â€Å"Language and Lost Credibility†. The Quill. Nov. 1999: 38 Plato. Phaedrus. New York: Dover, 1993.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

GE’s Talent Machine Essay

Leadership development is a heavy priority for GE. The company put a great emphasis on building leaders. Four successive CEO each made contributions to the development of management talent. The CEO Cordiner implemented a decentralization practice that broke the company into various departments. The new company structure was more manageable but required more delegation. As a result of the decentralized structure, GE put a great emphasis on developing organizational learning. GE spent a lot of money on management education to expand managers’ leadership ability and general management skills. Education is one of the three life and work experience that contribute to leadership development (P479). The first corporate university was built by Cordiner where provided programs on executive education and management training. Those learning programs focus on personal growth that help employees to improve themselves continuously in GE’s learning culture. GE had various programs for finding potential leaders and preventing brain drain. The Session C was a performance assessment process that implemented to promote â€Å"high potential† employees. It included the individual evaluations, the career forecasts, and the succession plans. Subordinates were placed on a six-point scale from â€Å"high potential† to â€Å"unsatisfactory†. This feedback-intensive program helped the potential leaders to understand their behavior patterns, and they were able to find more constructive ways of achieving their objectives (P488). Another GE’s leadership excellence named disciplined performance management analysis, also known as the â€Å"vitality curve† was added to Session C. The incentive ranking system help GE to seek the best talents and to sustain a high-performance workforce. In addition, the CEO Reg Jones initiated a more structured practice to strategic planning to make the review process more manageable- the strategic business unite (SUBs). All those programs help GE to build a results-driven workforce. That is why GE is a â€Å"CEO factory. The forced ranking system put much pressure on employees for improving performance and productivity. The system feed on favoritism, and managers as rankers may intentionally give the high assessment to the people who are close to them. My suggestion for the vitality curve is to add a peer  evaluation into the ranking system. However, fairness could also be questioned in this case, because some people end up at the bottom even thought their performance may be perfectly satisfactory when judged in isolation. Also, it is easy to present the blind competition because the success of one employee is a lost opportunity for others. Additionally, I suggest having the 20% highly progress reward from the highly valued 70%. Recognition and rewards for the top 20% should keep the same, but add more recognition to the average performers who improved a lot compared with last year. This practice will boost the confidence of average employees who think they will never be rewarded. On the flip side, it may be more complex and take longer time to evaluate the performance. Since GE conduct business all around the world, a more aggressive international approach is needed. I suggest GE to focus on global recruitment that can provide more opportunity to hunt talents. One thing GE could do is partnerships with universities overseas, and open training and developing programs in the universities to attract potential non-American young talents. GE could provide internships and jobs for high performers who enter the programs. The programs may require a lot investment, and the benefit is unknown. People may use the programs as stepping stones to their own career. Great leaders are great learners. Learning does not end when I get out of college. Learning is a life long process. As a potential future leader, I have to adopt continuous learning as my personal leadership priority. As I learned form the ITO (Individual, Team and Organization) class, knowledge could be classified into explicit knowledge and tactic knowledge. Explicit knowledge could be learned though training and books. It is beneficial for me to read more books to enrich the knowledge, and keep my knowledge updated to the current world. Also, I need to learn to be opportunistic, and take advantage of training programs. Tactic knowledge, in contrast, is what I can learn through experience. I could take advantage of networking, and meet new people to build week ties. Therefore, I could have more opportunities to experience different things though those week ties. Finding a good mentor in the organization is also good for my learning development. Also, ask for  feedback. Another thing I learned from GE is the goal orientation. The company set a clear objective of building leaders, and all the leadership development practice were build to fulfill that goal. I have to set both short term and long term goals that motivate me to achieve. Finally, be self-awareness. I need to take time to think about my strengths and weaknesses, and do self-evaluation regularly to summarize areas that I need to improve.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

The World’s Surprising Economic Superpower

The annual Fortune 500 rankings have become an iconic measure of corporate influence in the U. S. business world. But just as major league baseball's World Series stacks the deck in favor of U. S. baseball teams, the Fortune 500 is limited to U. S. companies. And just as the United States failed to end up at the top in this year's (genuinely global) World Baseball Classic, the relative position of U. S. companies changes once you step onto the global playing field. The United States still dominates the Fortune Global 500 with 140 U. S companies, its 30% share equaling roughly the United States' share of the global economy.That's twice as many as its nearest competitor, Japan, with 68 companies on the list. But U. S. dominance is clearly eroding. Most notably, a U. S. company is no longer at #1, with Royal Dutch Shell displacing U. S. -based Wal-Mart as the world's largest company with revenues of $458 billion. That's the first time a non-U. S. company has been at the head of the list since 1996. The 140 U. S. companies that did make the list combine for the lowest number since Fortune magazine began compiling the list in 1995. Recall that 2008 was particularly unkind to the United States.Within the span of a remarkable 12 months, household names like AIG, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Wachovia, and Washington Mutual all disappeared from the list. The Fortune Global 500: BRICs Rising? The inevitable rise of the BRIC economies — Brazil, Russia, India and China — is now taken as holy writ among the U. S. business press. With the BRIC countries now boasting more than a quarter of the world's land area and more than 40% of the world's population, it's now considered inevitable that, in terms of size, speed, and directional flow, the transfer of global wealth and economic power is shifting from West to East.While it's true that the BRICs offer some of the best investment opportunities, in terms of companies on the Fortune Global 500, the dominance of the BRICs is still far from today's reality. The BRICs account for 58 companies among the Fortune Global 500. China stands head and shoulders above its rivals, with 37 companies on the list — a gain of nine companies from only a year ago. India has seven companies on the list, while Brazil has six and Russia has eight among the top 500. As pundit David Rothkopf observed, â€Å"Without China, the BRICs are ust the BRI — a bland, soft cheese that is primarily known for the wine that goes with it. † That said, even the Chinese companies on the list are hardly world beaters. Most are state-owned behemoths — not known for savvy or innovation. China's second-biggest company is the creatively named â€Å"State Grid,† which ranks (a shocking) #15 in the world. And in 2009, you can still win bets at almost any U. S. bar by betting someone that she can't name a Chinese brand. Most of the Chinese companies on the list are like a 7†² 5†³ basketball player who can barely dribble the ball.Sure, it's hard to ignore that he is an intimidating presence on the basketball court. But that doesn't mean that you'd want to put him on your All-Star team. And it's hard not to notice that the largest BRIC companies outside of China are largely based on natural resources — that is, â€Å"trust fund† countries pumping wealth from the ground. Take away the oil and steel industries, and Russia, India and Brazil all suddenly rank alongside Denmark, Austria, Ireland and Finland, with two Fortune Global 500 companies each.In terms of heft, the BRICs are still distinctively minor league. Brazil has one company in the top 100, Russia has two, India has zero, and China has five, totaling eight companies from the BRIC countries in the top 100. By this measure, the combined BRICs beat Britain alone — but not France. The Fortune Global 500: The World's Surprising Economic Superpower? With all eyes looking toward the inev itable rise of the BRICs, it's easy to spurn â€Å"Old Europe† as a global economic force. I'm guilty of it and I've spent my entire adult life here.There may be a handful of contrarians willing to say that China may not be all that it's cracked up to be. But in over 15 years of active investment reading, I can recall only a single book that ever viewed Europe's prospects in a positive light. Taken together, Europe's economy is not only bigger than the U. S. economy, but its companies also rival the United States for corporate oomph. The economy of Germany, with a population of 80 million people, is the size of China's, and it both exports more and boasts more companies among the Fortune 500 than its Asian rival (39).Throw in France (40), the United Kingdom (26), Switzerland (15), the Netherlands (12), and Spain (12), and the top six European economies boast an impressive 155 companies among the Fortune Global 500. Not bad for a combined population of 266 million — sub stantially less than the United States. Include the Scandinavian countries of Sweden, Norway and Denmark (combined population 19 million) landing nine companies on the list, and you skew the list even further in Europe's favor. And unlike the BRICs, the European companies are distinctly top-heavy.Germany has 15 companies in the top 100, France, 10; Britain, six; Italy, five; Spain, three; and Netherlands, two, for a total of 41. That far outpaces the United States' collective 27 companies on the list of the world's 100 largest. The Fortune Global 500: A Welcome Correction Parsing the Fortune Global 500 rankings offers an important correction to what you hear in the mainstream business press. First, on a country level, U. S companies still dominate the global economy. And Japan, for all of its widely publicized problems, is still a powerful economic force.Second, China plays a much smaller role in the real world than it does in your email inbox. Third, and perhaps most surprisingly, taken together, the European companies outrank the United States — both in the top 100 and top 500 of the Fortune Global 500. Think of Europe as a single country and you suddenly realize that it trounced both the United States and China in the Beijing Olympics. And it wasn't even close. Yet, consider how likely it would be that you'd ever subscribe to an investment newsletter that focused solely on investment opportunities in Europe.The broader lesson is that distinctions on national lines are increasingly irrelevant. A good example is Arcelor Mittal, the world's largest steel-maker, which grew its revenues faster than Google did over the past five years. Arcelor Mittal is technically a Luxembourg-based company, run by an Indian, who lives in London. And I'd be surprised if you even knew (or cared) that the world's #1 company, Royal Dutch Shell, is actually based in the Netherlands. For true multinationals, country of origin is so yesterday. And that's the way it should be fo r you in looking at your investments.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Nucleotides essays

Nucleotides essays I. nucleotides: sub units  ³ DNA B. 5-carbon sugar molecule (deoxyribose) Chargaff  ³ base pairing rule: 1 = 3 and 2 = 4 II. Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Frankilin  ³ X-ray diffraction photos of DNA molecule - DNA molecules: tightly coiled helix and composed of two or three chains of nucleotides III. Chargaff builds a model of the double helix:  ¡a spiral staircase ¡ of 2 strands of nucleotides twisting around a central axis. A. alternating sugar and phosphate units B. purine and pyrimidines paired up - A can only form hydrogen bonds with T - C can only for  ¡  ¡ with G.  ³ 2 strands that are complementary to each other A. Replication: process of synthesizing a new strand of DNA. B. Helices: open up the double helix by breaking the hydrogen bonds that link the complementary bases. C. Two strands separated: additional enzymes and proteins attach to the individual strands and hold them apart  ³ twisting prevented D. Replication fork : where double helix separates 1. DNA polymerases: enzymes that move along each strand  ³ adding nucleotides to the exposed bases.  ³ one old and one new DNA strand - genes hold info specifying how to build particular proteins - affects the phenotype of an individual because of the activity of the protein that it specifies - DNA encoded info that specifies particular proteins; each gene is made of a specific sequence of nucleotides A. interruped by necleotides that have no coding info. 1. Introns:: noncoding sequences/ intervening 2. Exons :nucleotide segments that code for amino acids -stitched together once all introns are removed II. Multigene families: clusters of almost identical sequences; cells exist in mult ...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

My Home of Yesteryear - Descriptive Essay

My Home of Yesteryear - Descriptive Essay In this descriptive essay, student Mary White imaginatively recreates her childhood home in the country. My Home of Yesteryear by Mary White Situated on the bend of a horseshoe-shaped dirt road that intersects a back country highway is the place I called home as a child. Here my elderly father raised his two girls without the help or companionship of a wife. The house is set back about 200 feet from the road, and as we saunter up the narrow dirt pathway, lined with neat rows of flamboyant orange gladiolas on each side, the tidy appearance of the small, unpainted frame house entices us to enter. Up the steps and onto the porch, we cant help but notice a high-backed rocker on one side and a bench worn smooth by age on the other. Both remind us of the many vesper hours spent here in the absence of modern-day entertainment. Turning the door knob and entering the parlor is like taking a step back in time. There is no lock on the door and no curtains on the windows, only shades yellowed with age, to be pulled down at nightas if you needed privacy out here in the boondocks. Dads big over-stuffed armchair is set beside the well-stocked bookcase where he enjoys passing a hot afternoon with a good book. His bed, an old army cot, serves as a couch when company comes. One lone plaque with the words Home, Sweet Home adorns the wall over the mantelpiece. Just to the left is a doorway, minus a door, beckoning us to investigate the aroma drifting our way. As we step into the kitchen we are overtaken by the rich smell of freshly baked bread. Dad is removing the loaves from the belly of Old Bessie, our coal-burning cookstove. He leaves them to cool in neat rows on our homemade plank table. Turning toward the back door, we see an honest-to-goodness ice box, and yes, theres a genuine silver quarter for the ice man to take in exchange for 50 pounds of dripping ice. I can picture him now as he snatches the tongs tightly into the frozen block, causing tiny slivers of sparkling ice to fly everywhere. Swinging it down off the back of his chug-a-lug of a truck and instantly throwing his other arm up to keep his balance, he staggers with his load toward the back door. Hoisting the block of ice into place, he gives a long, loud sigh of relief and drops the shiny quarter into his pocket. Stepping outside the back door, we suddenly realize there is no running water in the kitchen, for here stands the only water pipe around. The galvanized tubs, set upside down by the steps, indicate that here is where most of the bathing occurs. A little footpath leads us to a hand pump, somewhat rusty but still providing a cool refreshing drinkif we can prime the pump. As Dad douses its rusty throat with water, it gurgles for a minute or two, then belches back a flood of sparkling clear spring water, free from the chemicals the law requires of modern water systems. But the pathway doesnt stop here. It winds on out behind a dilapidated shack. No imagination is needed to know where it ends. As dusk approaches we must slip around to the front porch and relax as we enjoy a country sunset. The sky is absolutely breathtaking with its soft ribbons of orange and violet. The sun, ablaze with beauty, casts our long shadows across the porch and onto the wall behind us. Everywhere nature is praising its Maker and singing its night songs. Off in the distance the whip-poor-wills are just starting their nightly lamentations. The crickets and frogs join in while bats dart overhead in search of a juicy tidbit for breakfast. Bats, you see, begin their day at sunset. The house itself joins in the chorus with its creaks and cracks of contraction as the coolness of the evening settles around us. Indeed, a visit to the old homeplace brings back many fond memories, almost making us wish we could turn back the clock to enjoy a few moments of peace and innocence. Â   For practice in re-creating the sentences in Marys essay, see Sentence Combining: My Home of Yesteryear.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Leadership Challenges and Practices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Leadership Challenges and Practices - Essay Example n is considered to be one of the most important factors and all most all the companies look for new methods to motivate the employees and to bring out the best out of them. This paper will focus upon the different leadership behaviors and the best leadership behavior which should be adopted to meet the company’s goals. Good leaders are very hard to find, good leaders know how to get the best out of others and good leaders are those who keep others motivated and focused at all times. These qualities are very hard to get in an individual but the most successful leaders are all well equipped with these great qualities. Leader effectiveness is determined by what people do, not by some inherent personal characteristic... Im not saying personal characteristics dont help; they certainly do. But leaders have to adapt their behavioral styles to fit the situations in which they find themselves" (p. 7).   Howell says the good news is most people can learn leader behaviors and learn to recognize situations in which certain behaviors are most important.   Howell and Costley (2001) argue for the match of leader behavior, leader traits and characteristics, follower characteristics, and the situation at hand.   And there are seven leader types, fit for various behavioral processes and situations in my read of their leader theory: And now we have left the obsession with one best style of leadership. There is no universal style. There is as I have suggested, a dimension of behaviors running between Transactional and Transformational. The behavior school to this point is fixated on the transactional. To find transformational we must sail to the Isle of Situation.† ( Howell and Costley). The same principles of Howell and Costley are elucidates in the paper. There are mainly five major behavior patterns namely, supportive behavior, directive behavior, participative behavior, reward and punishment behavior and charismatic behavior. Every behavior pattern has its own pros and

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Production And Perfect Competition - Market Activity Coursework

Production And Perfect Competition - Market Activity - Coursework Example 2: Losses to be incurred in Case B Fig. 3: Other Variances As can be observed with reference to the above illustrated calculations for both the cases A and B, the firm is projected to witness significant changes in terms of its losses incurred. Apparently, in both the cases, the firm will have to suffer huge losses. However, when comparing both the cases, i.e. when the TFC is $1,000,000 and when the TFC is increased to $3,000,000, the firm will have to suffer greater losses in Case B with the rise in its TFC. To be noted, with the TFC amounted to $1,000,000, the firm is projected to incur a loss of $400,000; whereas, with a TFC increment to $3,000,000, the firm will have to suffer a huge loss of $2,400,000. Considering the amount of calculated per unit and per work loss for the given cases, it can further be observed that the loss incurring risks will increase substantially if the firm decides to operate with a TFC of $3,000,000, which can further be deemed a unrecoverable without hu ge sums of additional investments. On the other hand, the losses incurred in case A can be deemed as recoverable for the firm, subjected to its strategic and managerial efficiencies (Schmitz Jr., 2005). Therefore, comparing and contrasting the changes in the cost variables which the firm might have to incur in both the cases A and B, it can be suggested that the firm should immediately shutdown when its TFC increases to $3,000,000, i.e. in case B. 2. For one of the cases, if the firm can operate at a loss in the short-run, how many employees need to be laid off in order for the company to break even? Break-even is commonly defined as the situation when the total revenue of a firm equals the total amount of costs incurred for a given quantity of output (Armstrong, 2006). In other words, when the firm will incur neither loss nor profit, it can be stated that the firm has reached its break-even. Considering the calculations in fig. 1 of the above section, it can be apparently observed that for case B, the firm will have to incur a huge loss of $2,400,000 and therefore should shutdown immediately. In contrast, when the TFC amounts to $1,000,000 in case A, the firm will have to incur a loss of $400,000. Hence, it can be affirmed that the company can operate at a loss in the short run when its TFC is $1,000,000 incurring lesser loss than that projected in case B. Furthermore, when the firm incurs $400,000 loss in case A, it shall have to lay off 5,000 employees, assuming all other variables to be fixed. To be specific, with the given daily wage rate of $80, the total wage for 45,000 workers (i.e. 50,000-5,000 workers) will amount to $400,000 which is again equivalent to the loss projected to be incurred by the firm with a TFC of $1,000,000. Therefore, by laying-off 5,000 employees, the firm will be able to reduce it variable cost by $400,000 and consequently, will not have to incur any loss. In such circumstance, the total cost to be incurred by the firm will be, TF C ($1,000,000) + TVC ($4,400,000 - $400,000) = $5,000,000; equivalent to the total output of the firm. Hence, it can be concluded that by laying-off 5,000 employees, the firm can reach its break-even when TFC equals to $1,000,000. 3. Given a Lower Number of Employees Now Working at The Company, What is the Change in Worker Productivity? In the above illustrated calculations, it was derived that

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

SPSS for analyzing data with one IV and more than one DV & one-way Essay

SPSS for analyzing data with one IV and more than one DV & one-way between subjects MANOVA - Essay Example at the multivariate test results, all the four multivariate tests reveal significant results and hence it is okay to conclude that group membership effects on the psychological aspects evaluated, even after the test effects of item difficulties are controlled on performance of people in the three areas. Statistics for univariate comparisons of means are designs with only one dependent variable (DV). By comparison, statistics for multivariate comparisons of means have more than one dependent variable. The MANOVA may be either one-way (one IV) or factorial (more than one IV). For these analyses, there is more than one DV. The different DVs, which are at least moderately correlated, are combined into a composite variable called a variate. The combined DVs serve to predict the between-group differences of the scores for the conditions of the IV. A challenge arises in a research design that features only one IV with only 2 conditions. If a researcher desires to analyze two or more moderately correlated DVs rather than using a t-test with one DV, the multivariate Hotellings T2 can be used instead of separate t-tests for this situation.   Instead of the null hypothesis for a t-test (M1 = M2), the null hypothesis for the Hotellings T2 is that the vectors of means for group A are the same as the vectors of means for group B. The value of Hotellings T2 can be transformed into four F-values: Wilks lambda, Pillais trace, Hotellings trace, and Roys largest root. When these F-values are significant at the alpha level determioned for the study (e.g., ï  ¡ = .05), the researcher can reject the null hypothesis.   Usually the finding of significant multivariate effects is followed by analyses where the relationship between the IV(s) and each of the DVs is analyzed separately, using a univariate method to compare means (e.g., a t-test, a one-way ANOVA, a factorial ANOVA). Because there are multiple tests for multiple DVs, every test distorts the actual alpha level. That is, the

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Writing An Essay At Tertiary Level

Writing An Essay At Tertiary Level Academic writing, like all forms of communication, is an act of identity: it not only conveys disciplinary content but also carries a representation of the writer. The notion of identity has only surfaced in writing research relatively recently, but it is increasingly seen as less a phenomenon of private experience than a desire for affiliation and recognition. Cave men could do it, why cant I? Communication in the written form has been around for millions of years, be it on a cave wall, or the best university in the land. Mans attempt to get across a message has truly been a constant in our lives for so very long. Essay writing to many people is a difficult concept to grasp. Plenty of time is taken up preparing the makeup of the essay. There are no shortcuts in a well written essay, only time and research can bring about the results the university requires. The plan, Where to begin! The age old question when it comes to essay writing. How do you put that first word, then sentence and finally paragraph together? Well according to most of the sources that I have come across, a basic structure keeps coming up. The importance of an introduction, as well as the body and conclusion are all key areas of an essay. Then just as you embark on your writing task, more problems are faced. Outlined below are 4 key areas I believe let students down time over time. The Introduction To identify the main issue(s), explain and justify the methods(s) of analysis to be use, and assess the quality of the evidence available. Sounds straight forward enough when you start out, but without the correct introduction, the reader or audience will be lost to you. Trying to find balance between the correct amount of information, to draw the reader in, without sounding to boring or waffling on. A quote or hook is one way to draw the reader in, and have them wondering if the rest is as good or have they used up their best material. Do you agree with the question or disagree? Put together an argument that can both show your knowledge of the subject material, and putting it into an argumentative context. Avoiding Plagiarism DEFINITION OF PLAGIARISM Oxford English Dictionary (Vol XI, pg 947) 1989: 1. The action or practice of plagiarizing; the wrongful appropriation or purloining, and publication of ones own, of the ideas, or the expression of the ideas (literary, artistic, musical, mechanical, etc.( of another. 2. A purloined idea, design, passage, or work. Plagiarius in Latin means kidnapper, seducer, plunderer, a literary thief according to the Roman poet, Martial. Plagiarism is not simply understood. Students may deliberately choose to plagiarize their work, but others may through other means, reach the same desired goals. Students from many backgrounds may not understand the reasoning behind plagiarism, which can lead to significant problems within education. Students tend to plagiarize because they do not understand how they can write in their own voice, as it can be such a daunting task. . Others may not have developed the skills to accurately document their information. Still others may be struggling to learn English. (Thompson) Planning and research So we have been asked to write an essay 2000 words long, ideally the best thing we can do is to always start with a plan. Planning an essay makes things much easier. It gives you the chance to organize your time so you can meet your deadlines accordingly. It helps you distribute the information in a clear way. Planning provides you with a true sense of safety, since you are already half way done even before writing the first paragraph of the paper. With this particular essay I find that I am in agreement with the question. It is an extremely complex issue, as I have outlined above, to organise and write. A problem faced by so many is the ideas and information that is floating around inside their mind, but do not have the natural ability to get said material onto paper. To form an argument: introduce the concept, talking about obvious instances first, such as size and style, talk about what they tend to involve, and answer what this provides. Give the positive and negative aspects. Then assess the perfect environment, and contrast this with a good or bad situation (Northedge, 1990, pp. 110-155) BODY where the evidence is presented, examined, arguments put forward and supported or refuted. This is where you should develop your argument or themes. Taking each of your main points and support them with examples and illustrations. Start breaking your materials down into paragraphs, one paragraph for each aspect of the topic. Essay Structure The following is the basic essay structure or discernible pattern, which should help you plan your essay and organize your material, expanding the three elements that constitute any essay. MAIN BODY where the evidence is presented, examined, arguments put forward and supported or refuted. CONCLUSION where you sum up and draw the threads together. 1. Introduction Your introduction should: (a) Comment on the title or topic of the essay (b) Define or explain any difficult or ambiguous terms in the title; plus keywords (c) Direct the reader by stating which aspects off the topic you intend to cover and why The introduction should be roughly 5% of the total length of your essay, generally one paragraph. 2. Body The main body of the essay should develop your argument or theme. Take each of your main points and support them with examples and illustrations. Break your materials down into paragraphs; one paragraph for each aspect of the topic. A paragraph may: (a) raise a particular issue, or (b) develop a particular issue. Often the first sentence is the topic sentence that is, it explains what the paragraph is about. As you develop your argument, you must move from point to point and from paragraph to paragraph. This involves transitions to smooth the way for the reader. It is important to remind the reader where you have been and where you are going. Linking words are used as signposts to help the reader make the transition from one paragraph to the next. The linking words you use will depend on the way you are developing your argument. The following are ways to develop your essay from one paragraph to the next, and common linking words for each. 1. Cause and Effect: You can discuss the cause in one paragraph and the effect in the next one, or the other way round. In this case you are expressing a relationship or drawing a conclusion. (Linking words: as a result, thus, therefore, consequently, thus, for this reason, because of.) 2. Positive and Negative Aspects: You can contrast the positive and negative aspects of something. You might discuss the positive aspects in one paragraph and the negative in the next. (Linking words: but, however, on the other hand, although.) 3. Sequence of Events, i.e. before and after: You can show the next step or the previous step to the event you are discussing. (Linking words: then, after that, finally, ultimately, following, before, first, previously, firstly, secondly , thirdly.) 4. Illustration: You can illustrate or give an example of what you have been talking about. (Linking words: for example, for instance, such as, that is.) 5. Extension: You can extend an idea, add weight to your argument, give further examples. (Linking words: similarly, moreover, furthermore, in addition, not only.) 3. Conclusion Your conclusion should: Summarize your main ideas. Answer any specific questions which were asked, through your answer may be tentative. Draw a general conclusion from your argument. In your conclusion you may also, discuss the wider implications. You should not introduce any new arguments or information. The conclusion should make up about 7-8% of the total length of your essay. It is useful to check the essay for basic errors a day or two after writing it, if you have allowed time for this and you are not then tempted to start re-writing bits of it! http://www.intranet.hereford.ac.uk/Services/Study%20Skills/Essay%20Structure.htm Thompson, Celia. Discourses on Plagiarism: To Discipline and Punish or to Teach and Learn?, http://www.bond.edu.au/hss/communication/ANZCA/papers/CThompsonPaper.pdf. The purpose of the essay is the natural aim or plan of the essay itself. As the writer, it is your sole responsibility to judge just what exactly you wish to accomplish with your essay once youre done with it. A common misconception among students is that the essays purpose is to simply impress their high school teachers or professors whove requested them to write an informative or persuasive essay. This is not just harmful, but frowned upon, as professors are genuinely disappointed in such efforts by their students who dont see the wider perspective of the essay (i.e. the actual target audience). Your essay must include the following: Selection of at least four (4) key points from the Readings and/or other academic sources Presentation of ideas in an essay structure Correct referencing throughout (in-text and in the Reference List) Presentation of ideas that are related to student learning Demonstration of your understanding of the issues and concepts Demonstration of your ability to reflect on own context and present relevant argument Good Study Guide by Andrew Northedge) Norton, B. (1997). Language, identity, and the ownership of English. TESOL Quarterly, 31, 409-429. Essay Structure diagram

Friday, October 25, 2019

Frank O’Hara as Modernist for the People Essay -- Frank

  Ã‚  Ã‚   The poetry of Frank O'Hara is intimately connected to New York City.   He explores the role of the individual subject in the city and the mechanics of the city itself; yet because he engages the urban landscape in an urbane manner many readers of Frank O'Hara view him as the prankish patron of the New York art scene who occasionally took pen to paper.   Take this review by Herbert Leibowitz as an example:    A fascinating amalgam of fan, connoisseur, and propagandist, he was considered by his friends, in an excess of enthusiasm, as the Apollinaire of his generation, an aesthetic courtier who had taste and impudence and prodigious energy . . . From the start O'Hara exhibits a precocious air of command and a throwaway charm, as if to the verbal manner born . . . and indeed his world is full of events - parties, thoughtful acts, homosexual encounters, a painting or film to be commented on - that he supports with a sophisticated naà ¯ve wonder and generous emotion. [1]    Leibowitz's remarks occasion the publication of The Collected Poems of Frank O'Hara and decorate the back cover of the paperback version.   I find it a little strange that a publisher reprinted a portion of this particular review of O'Hara's poetry.   Leibowitz basically pans the book and dismisses O'Hara as a poet of minor importance.   He views Frank O'Hara as "a Pan piping on city streets".   This is a backhanded compliment at best but it does solder a connection between lyric poetry and the cityscape.   Consider that O'Hara is following in the footsteps of another lyric poet of the urban landscape, Charles Baudelaire.   Baudelaire attempts to embrace modernity, as he sees it, and to write the poetry of the city and the crowd.   Although his intentions... ...r. [7] Neal Bowers.   "The City Limits: Frank O'Hara's Poetry".   Frank O'Hara: To Be True to a City, ed. Jim Elledge, University of Michigan Press, 1990 (321). [8] This section is very problematic.   I don't want to make reductive generalizations and assertions about Modernism.   At the same time, I do not want to explore the work of any one writer in too much detail.   I'm going to allude mainly to Eliot and Pound, for simplicity's sake. [9] Frank O'Hara.   "The Day Lady Died".   The Collected Poems of Frank O'Hara, ed. Donald Allen.   University of California Press, 1995 (325).   Hereafter cited parenthetically by title of poem and line number. [10] Kevin Stein.   "Everything the Opposite: A Literary Basis for the Anti-Literary in Frank O'Hara's Lunch Poems"   Frank O'Hara: To Be True to a City, ed. Jim Elledge.   University of Michigan Press, 1990 (358).    Frank O’Hara as Modernist for the People Essay -- Frank   Ã‚  Ã‚   The poetry of Frank O'Hara is intimately connected to New York City.   He explores the role of the individual subject in the city and the mechanics of the city itself; yet because he engages the urban landscape in an urbane manner many readers of Frank O'Hara view him as the prankish patron of the New York art scene who occasionally took pen to paper.   Take this review by Herbert Leibowitz as an example:    A fascinating amalgam of fan, connoisseur, and propagandist, he was considered by his friends, in an excess of enthusiasm, as the Apollinaire of his generation, an aesthetic courtier who had taste and impudence and prodigious energy . . . From the start O'Hara exhibits a precocious air of command and a throwaway charm, as if to the verbal manner born . . . and indeed his world is full of events - parties, thoughtful acts, homosexual encounters, a painting or film to be commented on - that he supports with a sophisticated naà ¯ve wonder and generous emotion. [1]    Leibowitz's remarks occasion the publication of The Collected Poems of Frank O'Hara and decorate the back cover of the paperback version.   I find it a little strange that a publisher reprinted a portion of this particular review of O'Hara's poetry.   Leibowitz basically pans the book and dismisses O'Hara as a poet of minor importance.   He views Frank O'Hara as "a Pan piping on city streets".   This is a backhanded compliment at best but it does solder a connection between lyric poetry and the cityscape.   Consider that O'Hara is following in the footsteps of another lyric poet of the urban landscape, Charles Baudelaire.   Baudelaire attempts to embrace modernity, as he sees it, and to write the poetry of the city and the crowd.   Although his intentions... ...r. [7] Neal Bowers.   "The City Limits: Frank O'Hara's Poetry".   Frank O'Hara: To Be True to a City, ed. Jim Elledge, University of Michigan Press, 1990 (321). [8] This section is very problematic.   I don't want to make reductive generalizations and assertions about Modernism.   At the same time, I do not want to explore the work of any one writer in too much detail.   I'm going to allude mainly to Eliot and Pound, for simplicity's sake. [9] Frank O'Hara.   "The Day Lady Died".   The Collected Poems of Frank O'Hara, ed. Donald Allen.   University of California Press, 1995 (325).   Hereafter cited parenthetically by title of poem and line number. [10] Kevin Stein.   "Everything the Opposite: A Literary Basis for the Anti-Literary in Frank O'Hara's Lunch Poems"   Frank O'Hara: To Be True to a City, ed. Jim Elledge.   University of Michigan Press, 1990 (358).   

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Night World : Secret Vampire Chapter 9

Poppy shifted on her bed. She was unhappy. It was a hot, restless unhappiness that seemed to swarm underneath her skin.Coming from her body instead of from her mind. Ifshe hadn't been so weak, she would have gotten upand tried to run the feeling off. But she had spaghetti for muscles now and she wasn't running anywhere. Her mind was simply cloudy. She didn't try tothink much anymore. She was happiest when shewas asleep. But tonight she couldn't sleep. She could still taste the wild cherry Popsicle in the corners of her mouth.She would have tried to wash the taste away, but the thought of water made her feel vaguely nauseated. Water's no good. Not what I need. Poppy turned over and pressed her face into the pillow. She didn't know what she needed, but sheknew she wasn't getting it. A soft sound came from the hallway. Footsteps. The footsteps of at least two people. It didn't soundlike her mother and Cliff, and anyway they'd goneto bed. There was the lightest of knocks at her door, thena fan of light opened on the floor as the door cracked.Phil whispered, â€Å"Poppy, you asleep? Can I come in?† To Poppy's slowly rising indignation, he was coming in, without waiting for an answer. And someone was with him. Not just someone.Theone. The one who had hurtPoppy worst of all. The betrayer. James. Anger gave Poppy the strength to sit up. â€Å"Go away!I'll hurt you!† The most primitive and basic ofwarning-off messages. An animal reaction. â€Å"Poppy, please let me talk to you,† James said. Andthen something amazing happened. Even Poppy, in herbefuddled state, recognized that it was amazing. Phil said, â€Å"Please do it, Poppy. Just listen to him.† Phil siding with James? Poppy was too confused to protest as James cameand knelt by her bedside. â€Å"Poppy, I know you're upset. And it's my fault; I made a mistake. I didn't want Phil to know whatwas really going on, and I told him I was just pretending to care for you. But it wasn't true.† Poppy frowned. â€Å"If you search your feelings, you'llknowit's nottrue. You're turning into a telepath, and I think youalready have enough power to read me.† Behind James, Phil stirred as if uneasy at the mention of telepathy. â€Å"I can tell you it's not true,† he said,causing both Poppy and James to look at him in surprise.†That's one thing I found out from talking to you,† headded, speaking to James without looking at him. â€Å"Youmay be some kind of monster, but you really do care about Poppy. You're not trying to hurt her.† â€Å"Nowyou finally get it? After causing all this-?†James broke off and shook his head, turning back toPoppy. â€Å"Poppy, concentrate. Feel what I'm feeling. Find the truth for yourself.† I won't and you can't make me, Poppy thought.But the part of her that wanted to find out the truthwas stronger than the irrational, angry part. Tentatively shereachedfor James-not with her hand, but with her mind. She couldn't have described to anyone how she did it. She just did it. And she found James's mind, diamond-bright andburning with intensity. It wasn't the same as beingone with him, the way she had been when theyshared blood. It was like looking at him from theoutside, sensing his emotions from a distance. But it was enough. The warmth and longing and protectiveness he had for her were all dear. So was theanguish: the pain he felt to know that she was hurting-,and that she hated him. Poppy's eyes filled. â€Å"You really do care,† she whispered. James's gray eyes met hers, and there was a lookin them Poppy couldn't remember seeing before.†There are two cardinal rules in the Night World,† he said steadily. â€Å"One is not to tell humans that it exists. The other is not to fall in love with a human. I've broken both of them.† Poppy was aware, vaguely, that Phillip was walkingout of the room. The fan of light contracted as hehalf-shut the door behind him. James's face waspartly in shadow. â€Å"I could never tell you how I felt about you,†James said. â€Å"I couldn't even admit it to myself. Because it puts you in terrible danger. You can't imagine what kind of danger.† â€Å"And you, too,† Poppy said. It was the first time she'd really thought about this. Now the ideaemerged from her muddled consciousness like a bubble in a pot of stew. â€Å"I mean,† she said slowly, puzzling it out, â€Å"if it'sagainstthe rules to tell a human or love a human, and you break the rules, then theremust be some punishment foryou†¦ .†Even as shesaid it, she sensed what the punishment was. More of James's face went into shadow. â€Å"Don't you worry about that,† he said in his old voice, hiscool-guy voice. Poppy never took advice, not even from James. Asurge of irritation and anger swept through her-ananimal surge, like the feverish restlessness. She could feel her eyes narrow and her fingers claw. â€Å"Don't you tell me what to worry about!† He frowned. â€Å"Don't you tell me not to tell you-â€Å"he began, and then broke off. â€Å"What am I doing? You're still sick with the change and I'm just sittinghere.† He rolled up a sleeve of his windbreaker and drew a fingernail along his wrist. Where the nail cut,blood welled up. It looked black in the darkness. But Poppy found her eyes fixing on its liquid beading in fascination.Her lips parted and her breath came faster. â€Å"Come on,† James said, and held his wrist in frontof her. The next second Poppy had pounced and fixed her mouth on it as if she were trying to savehim from a snakebite. It was so natural, so easy.Thisis what she'd neededwhen she was dispatching Phil to get Popsicles andcranberry juice. This sweet, heady stuff was the realthing and nothing else was like it. Poppy suckedavidly. It was all good: the closeness, therich,dark-red taste; the strength and vitality that flooded through her, warming her to her fingertips. But best, better than any mere sensation, was the touch of James'smind. It made her giddy with pleasure. How could she ever have mistrusted him?Itseemed ridiculous now that she couldfeel, directly, how he felt about her. She would never know anyone the way she knew James. I'm sorry, she thought to him, and felt her thoughtaccepted, forgiven, cherished. Held gently by the cradling of James's mind. It wasn't your fault,he told her. Poppy's mind seemed to be clearing with every second that went by. It was like waking up out of a deep and uncomfortable sleep.Idon't ever want thisto end,she thought, not really directing it at James, just thinking it. But she felt a reaction in him-and then felt himbury the reaction quickly. Not quickly enough. Poppyhad sensed it. Vampires don't do this to each other. Poppy was shocked. They would never have thisglory again after she changed? She wouldn't believethat; she refused. There must be away†¦. Again, she felt the beginning of a reaction inJames, but just as she was chasing it, he gently pulledhis wrist back. â€Å"You'd better not take any more tonight,† he said, and his real-world voice soundedstrange to Poppy's ears. It wasn't as muchJames ashis mental voice, and now she couldn't really feelhim properly. They were two separate beings. The isolation was awful. How could she survive if she could never touch hismind again? If she had to use words,which suddenlyseemed as clumsy as smoke signals for communication? If she could never feel him fully, his whole being open to her? It was cruel and unfair and all vampires must beidiots if they settled for anything less. Before she could open her mouth to begin theclumsy process of verbally explaining this to James, the door moved. Phillip looked around it. â€Å"Come on in,† James said. â€Å"We've got a lot totalk about.† Phil was staring at Poppy. â€Å"Are you. . .†Hestopped and swallowed before finishing in a husky whisper. â€Å"Better?† It didn't take telepathy to sense his disgust. Heglanced at her mouth, and then quickly away. Poppyrealized what he must be seeing. A stain as if she'dbeen eating berries. She rubbed at her lips with theback of her hand. What she wanted to say was, it isn't disgusting. It'spart of Nature. It's a way of giving life, pure life. It's secret and beautiful. It's all right. What she said was, â€Å"Don't knock it till you'vetried it.† Phillip's face convulsed in horror. And the weirdthing was that on this subject James was in perfectagreement with him. Poppy could sense it-Jamesthought sharing blood was dark and evil, too. He wasfilled with guilt. Poppy heaved a long, exasperated sigh, and added,†Boys. â€Å" â€Å"You're better,† Phil said, cracking a faint smile. â€Å"I guess I was pretty bizarre before,† Poppy said.†Sorry.† â€Å"Prettyis not the word.,, ‘qt wasn't her fault,† James said shortly to Phil.†She was dying-and hallucinating, sort of. Notenough blood to the brain.† Poppy shook her head. â€Å"I don't get it. You didn'ttake that much blood from me the last time. Howcould I not have enough blood to the brain?† â€Å"It's not that,† James said. â€Å"The two kinds of bloodreact against each other-they fight each other. Look,if you want a scientific explanation, it's somethinglike this. Vampire blood destroys the hemoglobinthe red cells-in human blood. Once it destroys enough of the red cells, you stop getting the oxygenyou need to think straight. And when it destroysmore, you don't have the oxygen you need to live.† â€Å"So vampire blood is like poison,† Phil said, in thetones of someone who knew it all along. James shrugged. He wasn't looking at either Poppyor Phil. â€Å"In some ways. But in other ways it's like auniversal cure. It makes wounds heal fast, makesflesh regenerate. Vampires can live on very little oxygen because their cells are so resilient. Vampire blooddoes everything-except carry oxygen.† A light went on in Poppy's brain. Dawning revelation-the mystery of Count Dracula explained. â€Å"Waita minute,† she said. â€Å"Is that why you need human blood?† â€Å"That's one of the reasons,† James said. â€Å"There aresome†¦some more mystical things human blooddoes for us, but keeping us alive is the most basicone. We take a little and that carries oxygen throughour system until our own blood destroys it. Then wetake a little more.† Poppy settled back. â€Å"So that's it. And it isnatural†¦.† â€Å"Nothing about this is natural,† Phil said, his disgust surfacing again. â€Å"Yes, it is; it's like whatdoyouca!lit, from biologylass. Symbiosis-â€Å" â€Å"It doesn'tmatterwhat it's like,† James said. â€Å"Wecan't sit here and talk about it. We've got to makeplans.† There was an abrupt silence as Poppy realized whatkind of plans he was talking about. She could tellPhil was realizing it, too. â€Å"You're not out of danger yet,† James said softly,his eyes holding Poppy's. â€Å"It's going to take one more exchangeof blood, and you should have it as soon as possible. Otherwise, you might relapse again. Butwe're going to have to plan the next exchangecarefully-â€Å" â€Å"Why?† Phil said, at his most deliberatelyobstructive. â€Å"Because it's going to kill me,† Poppy said flatly before James could answer. And when Phil flinched she went on ruthlessly, â€Å"That's what this is allabout,Phil. It's not some little game James and I are playing. We have to deal with the reality, and the reality isthat one way or another I'm going to die soon. And I'd rather die and wake up a vampire- than die andnot wake up at all.† There was another silence, during which James puthis hand on hers. It was only then that Poppy realized she was shaking. Phil looked up. Poppy could see that his face wasdrawn, his eyes dark. â€Å"We're twins. So how'd youget so much older than me?† he said in a mutedvoice. A little hush, and then James said, â€Å"I think tomorrow night would be a good time to do it. It's Friday-do you think you can get your mom and Cliff out ofthe house for the night?† Phil blinked. â€Å"I guess-if Poppy seems better, theymight go out for a little while. If I said I'd staywith her.† â€Å"Convince them they need a break. I don't want them around.† â€Å"Can't you just make them not notice anything? Like you did with that nurse at the hospital?†Poppy asked. â€Å"Not if I'm going to be concentrating onyou,†James said. â€Å"And there are certain people who can'tbe influenced by mind control at all-your brother,here, is one of them. Your mom could be another.† â€Å"All right; I'll get them to go out,† Phillip said. Hegulped, obviously uncomfortable and trying to hideit. â€Å"And once they're gone†¦then what?† James looked at him inscrutably. â€Å"Then Poppy andI do what we have to do. And then you and Iwatch TV.† â€Å"Watch TV,† Phil repeated, sounding numb. â€Å"I've got to be here when the doctor comes-andthe people from the funeral home.† Phil looked utterly horrified at the mention of thefuneral home. For that matter, Poppy didn't feel toocheerful about it herself. If it weren't for the rich,strange blood coursing inside her, calming her †¦ â€Å"Why?†Phillip was demanding of James. James shook his head, very slightly. His face wasexpressionless. â€Å"I just do,† he said. â€Å"You'll understand later. For now, just trust me.† Poppy derided not to pursue it. â€Å"So you guys are going to have to make up tomorrow,† she said. â€Å"In front of Mom and Cliff. Otherwiseit'll be too weird for you to hang out together.† â€Å"It'll be too weird no matter what,† Phil said underhis breath. â€Å"All right. Come over tomorrow afternoon and we'll make up. And I'll get them to leave us with Poppy.† James nodded. â€Å"I'd better go now.† He stood. Philstepped back to let him out the door, but James hesitated by Poppy. â€Å"You gonna be all right?† he asked in a low voice. Poppy nodded staunchly. â€Å"Tomorrow, then.† He touched her cheek with hisfingertips. The briefest contact, but it made Poppy'sheart leap and it turned her words into the truth.Shewouldbe all right. They looked at each other a moment, then Jamesturned away. Tomorrow, Poppy thought, watching the doorclose behind him. Tomorrow is the day I die. One thing about it, Poppy thought-not many people were privileged toknow exactly when they weregoing to die. So not many people had the chance tosay goodbye the way she planned to. It didn't matter that she wasn't reallydying. Whena caterpillar changes into a butterfly it loses its caterpillar life. No more shinnying up twigs, no moreeating leaves. No more El Camino High School, Poppy thought.No more sleeping in this bed. She was going to have to leave it all behind. Herfamily,her hometown. Her entire human life. Shewas starting out into a strange new future with noidea of what was ahead. All she could do was trustJames-and trust her own ability to adapt. It was like looking at a pale and curving roadstretching in front of her, and not being able to seewhere it went as it disappeared into the darkness. No more Rollerblading down the boardwalk atVenice Beach, Poppy thought. No more slap of wetfeet on concrete at the Tamashaw public pool. Nomore shopping at the Village. To say goodbye, she looked at every corner of herroom. Goodbye white-painted dresser. Goodbye deskwhere she had sat writing hundreds of letters-asproven by the stains where she'd dropped sealing wax on the wood. Goodbye bed, goodbye misty white bed curtains that had made her feel like anArabian princess in a fairy tale. Goodbye stereo. ouch,she thought. My stereo. And my CDs.I can'tleave them; I can't†¦. But of course she could. She would have to. It was probably just as well that she had to dealwith the stereo before she walked out of her room.It built her up to start dealing with the loss ofpeople. â€Å"Hi, Mom,† she said shakily, in the kitchen. â€Å"Poppy! I didn't know you were up.† She hugged her mother hard, in that one momentaware of so many little sensations: the kitchen tileunder her bare feet, the faint coconut smell thatdung to her mother's hair from her shampoo. Hermother's arms around her, and the warmth of hermother's body. â€Å"Are you hungry, sweetie? You look so much better.† Poppy couldn't stand to look into her mother'sanxiously hopeful face, and the thought of food madeher nauseated. She burrowed back into her mother's shoulder. â€Å"Just hold me a minute,† she said. It came to her, then, that she wasn't going to beable to say goodbye to everything after all. She couldn't tie up all the loose ends of her life in one afternoon. She might be privileged to know that this was her last day here, but she was going out just likeeveryone else-unprepared. â€Å"Just remember I love you,† she muttered into hermother's shoulder, blinking back tears. She let her mother put her back to bed, then. Shespent the rest of the day making phone calls. Trying to learna little bit about the life she was about toexit, the people she was supposed to know. Trying to appreciate it all, fast,before she had to leave it. â€Å"So, Elaine, I miss you,† she said into the mouthpiece, her eyes fixed on the sunlight coming in her window. â€Å"So, Brady, how's it going?† â€Å"So, Laura,thanks for the flowers.† â€Å"Poppy, are youokay?†they all said. â€Å"When arewe going tosee you again?† Poppy couldn't answer. She wished she could callher dad, but nobody knew where he was. She also wished she had actuallyreadthe play OurTownwhen she'd been assigned it last year, instead of using Cliff Notes and quick thinking to fake it. All shecould remember now was that it was about a dead girlwho got the chance to look at one ordinary day in herlife and really appreciate it. It might have helped hersort out her own feelings now-but it was too late. I wasted a lot of high school, Poppy realized. I usedmy brains to outsmart the teachers-and that reallywasn't very smart at all. She discovered in herself a new respect for Phil,who actually used his brain to learn things. Maybeher brother wasn't just a pitiful straitlaced grind afterall. Maybe-oh,God-he'dbeen right all along. I'm changing so much, Poppy thought, and sheshivered. Whether it was the strange alien blood in her orthe cancer itself or just part of growing up, she didn'tknow. But she was changing. The doorbell rang. Poppy knew who it was withoutleaving the room. She could sense James. He's here to start the play, Poppy thought, and looked at her dock. Incredible. It was almost four o'clock already. Time literally seemed to be flying by. Don't panic. You have hours yet, she told herself,and picked up the phone again. But it seemed onlyminutes later that her mother came knocking on thebedroom door. â€Å"Sweetie,Phil thinks we shouldgoout–andJames has come over-but I told him I don't thinkyou want to see him-and I don't really want to leave you at night†¦.† Her mother was uncharacteristically flustered. â€Å"No, I'm happy to see James. Really. And I thinkyoushould take a break. Really. â€Å"Well–I'm glad you and James have made up. ButI still don't know†¦.† It took time to convince her, to persuade her that Poppy was so much better, that Poppy had weeks or months ahead of her to live. That there was no reason to stick around on this particular Friday night. But at last Poppy's mother kissed her and agreed. And then there was nothing to do but say goodbyeto Cliff. Poppy got a hug from him and finally forgavehim for not being her dad. You did your best, she thought as she disengagedfrom his crisp dark suit and looked at his boyishlysquare jaw. And you're going to be the one to take care of Mom-afterward. So I forgive you. You're all right, really. And then Cliff and her mom were walking out,and it was the last time, the very last time to saygoodbye. Poppy called it after them and they both turned and smiled. When they were gone, James and Phil came into Poppy's room. Poppy looked at James. His gray eyeswere opaque, revealing nothing of his feelings. â€Å"Now?† she said, and her voice trembled slightly. â€Å"Now.†