Pros and Cons of Outsourcing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Pros and Cons of Outsourcing - Research Paper Example oose to outsource to avoid the pain of manufacturing in-house and reduce the cost of business while the risks involved in outsourcing are mainly lack of coordination, and linguistic barriers. Right management is the secret of a successful business which uses outsourcing. Outsourcing particularly proves beneficial for small companies. One of the success stories for such a case has been the outsourcing of Finance and Accounting (F&A) by Rhapsody; the music-subscription service. Originally the company was functioning as a joint venture, but when the parent companies separated, the finance president Michael McGinn immediately needed a finance team, so he opted for outsourcing. McGinn hired the services of an Indian company who did all for the company ranging from making payrolls to account reconciliations. This benefited the Rhapsody in numerous ways; additional resources were produced within six months only, scaling back was achieved without penalties, and the five employees in the Indian company cost the Rhapsody as much as two US-based employees would get. Technology has made it very convenient for small companies to outsource the F&A work at cheap rate. As a result of the increased competition in the market, outsourcers have started to render their services at cheaper rates. There has been a six to eight per cent decline in the price of F&A outsourcing between 2009 and 2011. Over a period of six years starting from 2004, the outsourcing contract has declined in value from $30 million to $18 million not only because of â€Å"increased competitiveness and falling price points, but also [to] the increased number of engagements being signed with organizations in the $750 million to $3 billion revenue category† (Stuart). According to Ben Towbridge, the CEO of Alsbridge, an offshore finance employee costs a company anywhere from $18,000 to $28,000 annually, whereas a US finance worker charges the company up to $70,000 including benefits (2011). The core idea of starting

Woman in the Life of African Essay Example for Free

Woman in the Life of African Essay The life of nineteenth century African American women was marred by an unfortunate social practice called slavery. While such unjust living condition affected both men and women, the harmful impact was more on women. This is because in the context of slavery, it was the women who suffered worse and the ones who were subjected to more damaging treatment than men. Coupled with race-related burdens, it was slavery and all its harmful manifestations which forced women to perform roles inside their homes and within the society that definitely opposed their supposedly conventional roles in an ideal American community. Simply put, it is their being a woman that determined and played a more important role in their lives than being an African American. This is because it was their very gender which caused them to become slaves and to experience other sex-related injustices. Therefore, it is ironic that while being a woman was supposed to protect the African American women from slavery and to provide them with dignity, it was specifically their womanhood that made their lives miserable and painful — as explained and illustrated by Deborah Gray White in her book, â€Å"Ar’n’t I a Woman? : Female Slaves in the Plantation South. † In challenging the stereotypes concerning African-American women, the book creates a bigger and more in-depth representation of the real existence of women. That is, it was not only their race or their being African-American that made them as work and sex slaves, but it was more their being women that caused them to suffer. Through the exploration and analysis made by the author on the daily ways of life, jobs, as well as roles and relationships within the family and society of 19th century women, the book allows the readers to realize that being a woman has a great significance in the kind of life that they experienced. Female Slavery White, through the book, presents that it was being a woman that played a more relevant function in the life of 19th century African-American women. This is the premise explained and emphasized in the book as it effectively provides an analysis of the overdue existence of women slavery. In fact, the title itself is a clear reflection of the underlying meaning that the kind of living experienced by the female population in the Plantation South was rooted in the fact that they were female. The shortened statement â€Å"Arnt I a Woman? † actually signifies a kind of objection as to how and why women were subjected to slavery considering they are important members of a society which is supposed to take care of them, protect them, and assure them of their rights. With slavery however, it unfortunately turned out otherwise as it was their very sense of being a woman that was considered to be the reason why they were made into slaves. This is because their being a woman indicated their susceptibility to slavery and other forms of inhumane treatment, which thereby affected the manner in which they struggled and eventually survived. Most importantly, female slavery emerged because they were seen and regarded as one whose sexual and employment rights may be violated. This explanation is justified in the book when the author concludes that â€Å"Slave women were the only women in America who were sexually exploited with impunity, stripped and whipped with a lash, and worked like oxen† (White 162). Thus, they were made into slaves and were sexually abused not because they were African American, but because they were African American women. Not Protected While White’s book depicts a general representation of 19th century African American women in the light of their race and gender, personal experiences became the foundation of the concept that it was the reality of being a woman that created a stronger impact in their lives. This was due to the fact that female slaves, as illustrated by the characters of the sexually abused â€Å"Jezebel† and loyal slave â€Å"Mammy,† showed how their womanhood caused them to be utterly neglected and abused by the society, particularly by the men. As White stresses: â€Å" only slave women were so totally unprotected by men or by law women had their womanhood so totally denied† (162). Further, it was through the demeaning stereotyping of black women that the personalities in the book practically came alive. This is because they supposedly represented the apparent promiscuous persona and conduct of African-American women which, in turn, served as a justification for their slavery, discrimination, and sexual abuse in the hands of both black and white men and the community in general. The stereotyping or negative characterization of â€Å"Jezebel† and â€Å"Mammy† aggravated the already unguarded condition of being a woman. This is shown by how â€Å"Jezebel† supposedly manifested a natural sensuality and sexual drive that it became inevitable for slave owners to sexually abuse the â€Å"lustful† women slaves (White 36). Both characters affirmed that being a woman led one to be susceptible to slavery and sexual abuse. Such was the condition as their respective womanhood created a notion that black women were forced to domestic slavery and into becoming sex objects. Most of all, their being female did not protect them from any kind of violation because their gender or stature in the society made them as mere human properties particularly created for their masters’ desires such as sexual satisfaction and forced labor. Conclusion The blatant and unacceptable realities presented in the book â€Å"Arnt I a Woman† by Deborah Gray White only confirm the idea that it was the fact that they were female that brought much suffering and misfortunes into the lives of 19th century African American women. More than this however, â€Å"Arnt I a Woman† also presents an unlikely condition that being a woman during a period when slavery existed had its rewarding side. This is because despite the abuses, it was their optimistic sense of being a woman that enabled them to create strong personal relationships and female groups within the society. Work Cited White, Deborah Gray. Arnt I a Woman? : Female Slaves in the Plantation South. New York: W. W. Norton Company, Inc. , 1985.

The Young Offenders Act Essay examples -- Young Offenders Act Canada C

The Young Offenders Act The federal government of Canada fifteen years ago, in 1984, the Liberal party changed the Juvenile Delinquents Acts to the Youth Offenders Act to have a â€Å"More human approach to the rights of young people before the law†(Leschild and Jaffe, 8:1991). In the present such as Premier, Mike Harris, of Ontario wants the federal government of Canada to scrap the Young Offenders Act. In 1999, the same party that came up with the act is making majors changes to the act. This report will look at the young offenders act at the present time, look at why kids commit crime, what is being done to improve the act, what has the province done towards teenagers and also a look at the United Sates youth system. WHAT IS YOA The YOA the Young Offenders Act, which replaced the 75 years old Juvenile Delinquents Act in 1984, came into effect because since the courts where acting in the best interest of the children, little attention was paid to the rights of the children (Dickinson et al, 1996: 403). This had to be changed because of the new Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom which was passed in 1982 stated that in section 15 that â€Å"equality before the law without discrimination based on age †(Dickinson and others, 1996:744). The changes that were made to the YOA were that age that a child under the age of 11 could not be held criminal responsible. While between the age of 12-17 he or she could be held partial criminal responsible. Once you reached the age of 18, an adult you were full criminally responsible (Dickinson, 404:1996). If a young offender is sent to court the detail of the crime may be published, but the young person’s name or a young witness’ name could not be identified. The reason for this was for young people to have another chance in life if they screw up and also to protect a young person’s identity especially a witness (Justice Canada, 19:1988). WHY DO KIDS COMMIT CRIME: Why do kids commit crime, they are many answers but are there any correct answers to that question. Andree Ruffo is a youth court judge in Pointe-Claire, Quebec. She believes that kids commit crime and have to appear in court because of expressing themselves or trying to tell someone that their something wrong with their life, or their needs are not being met. She also feels that parents have a lot of problems on their own as she stated that â€Å"M... ...en cutting the number of new crimes committed by teenagers as much as 70%. The provincial government is now using this program. This program is known as MultiSystemic Therapy or MST, which is working the problem with the troubled kid. You are in the kids home almost every second day and Kelly McDonnell, a clinical supervisor for Peel area said, â€Å"You are in there. You are getting to the bottom of the problem†(Tyler, 1998: Internet). CONCLUSION: The Youth Offenders Act is a hot issue. On any given day you can not open up a newspaper or turn on a T.V and not find an article or a broadcast about the Young Offenders Act. The government has started to make changes, but could more changes be done or even faster? . The question will these changes make it better or turn it into a worst system then it is at the present, only the future will tell. Who is to blame for the youth offenders of this country could it be the parents who sometime do not have too much control of them or who do not care or known what their kids are doing are could we blame the media for influencing their minds. Let put a stop to youth crime and help these children before they get into trouble with the law.

My Best Life Trip

In 2007 our trip to Jordan was very exciting . I remember it as if it happened yesterday. It was a few years ago with my friends , and it was the best trip of my life. I remember flying to Jordan by Gulf Air . When we arrived Amman, the capital of Jordan at Queen Alia International Airport , the weather outside the airport was very nice and drizzling.We had already booked with the travel agency in Oman for a flat in a place in Amman called (Alrasheed suburb) one of the busiest tourist locations in Jordan during summer, perhaps even busier than the infamous (Dead sea beach resort) because the infrastructure there is new (new malls and theme parks ) and also from there you can go to Syria by car . In fact we are lucky because the flat we rented was near the Omani student club in Jordan. Amman hosts a huge cultural festival each year and fortunately at the time we arrived the next day the festival started.Jordan has a lot of historical locations attracting all kinds of people, whether t hey are children, adults, citizens, or foreigners. You wondered how a non-oil rich country like Jordan is so well organized . On the first day we took rest and made a schedule for out trip. The same day at night we went around in Amman malls , sitting in a traditional restaurants that present old folklore session with delicious variety of food and people there were so friendly and hospitable .In the morning we went to visit historical places like (Grash Theater ). When we reached there and saw that place we were surprised to see how old it was and we found there a lot of entertainment . Second day at night we went to the festival and attended the concerts of Arab singers who enjoy the crowd with their songs . After that we take around in the festival locations to see other activities and know Jordanian culture.Third day we decided to visit (Alpetra City) , so we rented a taxi and went there , far from Amman taking four hours . Its a beautiful historical place and we wondered how a h uman can build and carve a city in a mountain like that. We enjoyed our time there and took souvenirs with us . The day before we left we rented a car and went to see the Dead sea beach. The trip by car took around five hours but we enjoyed that because we learned how to use the GPS and that was our first time . We arrived and it’s a huge splendid resort .We ate our lunch on the warm sand and regardless that no one of us can swim but we swim in that sea because it's water salty and no one can drown there. The days passed like hours and our trip reached its end , but we gained a lot sightseeing and knowing the country's customs and traditions and mingle with different people ,besides that we learned how to depend on ourselves . Finally we departed from Jordan to Oman with big treasure of experience mixed with pleasure . It is a place one must visit at least once in their lifetime.

Need for More Artful and Realistic Porn Essay

1. Introduction For a long time, pornography has been viewed as something exclusively for men. In the 1980’s, pornography was a feminist issue in which feminists claimed that pornography was a form of violence against women (Sun et al., 2008). Often enough, it has been claimed that women do not have any interest in explicit representations of sex. However, in the past years, women have increasingly started to become interested in pornography. But most pornographic materials are made for and by men. However, there are even some pornography magazines aimed at women readers (Smith, 2007). Not only the consumption of porn, but also the production and direction of pornography seem to be activities where women are involved in more than ever before. Pornography has been a subject of philosophy for a number of philosophers. Some of them, including Larry May, believe pornography harms groups of people. In contrast to Larry May, Sallie Tisdale argues that pornography can be of help to individuals. THESIS: There should be different kinds of porn (more artistic/realistic/made by womenmore artistic) so that porn has no negative effects / to enlarge the positive effects of porn / abolish / diminish the negative effects. 2. Exposition -How porn can help Tisdale argues that porn can help in many different ways. First of all, she emphasizes that porn is part of our sexuality. The first advantage Tisdale discusses is that porn can help to see how many different things sex can mean. Secondly, being able to expose your true self makes it easier to expose yourself to others. Thirdly, being exposed to pornography helps letting go judgments about yourself, which, in turn, makes you let go of judgments against the desires and acts of others. Also, porn clarifies your interests (only aware of it after exposure to it) and might create new interests. It reveals aspects of yourself that you were unaware of until then. The last advantage of porn Tisdale discusses is that it can lead to the realization that none of your thoughts are bad, that anything goes. -How negative affects/emotions can get in the way of porn’s helpfulness Even though Tisdale argues that porn can help individuals, she is still sometimes surprised, or even shocked, by her own reaction to pornography. Shame Disgust of own response to porn ‘Disliked my own response’ ‘I felt a heady mix of disgust and excitement’ (p. 423) Body versus mind. Depressed Nausea Why does she even have these reactions? 3. Furthering Tisdale’s project Tisdale wishes for a more craft, a more artful packaging of pornography. (p 426) Furthering Tisdale’s project by establishing how porn could be less negative by being more artful or more artistic. Richard Summer’s ‘Local Porn Project’. Summer desires more realistic porn. He wants people to be able to identify themselves and recognize what is happening in porn. He argues that right now, porn is detached from reality. This is a problem, because sex is actually a very real thing with real benefits, experiences and consequences. Porn right now, does not express sexuality in the right way. Summer’s Local Porn project aims to make thoughtful and genuine porn. Will more artful/realistic porn help to prevent these negative emotions? Tisdale wishes for more artful pornography. There are two ways in which this can be realized: either by making more realistic porn or by having more female directors and producers. As aforementioned, Women are now making films for women viewers. Sun et al. (2008) investigated how the context of pornography made by female and men directors differ. Their results show that, indeed, the content of pornography produced by women differs significantly on several aspects from pornography made produced by men. Pornography produced by women more frequently contained objects designed for genital stimulation. It presented women performing oral sex on men and ejaculation on the face and mouth less frequently. Also, pornography made by women more frequently has a female as main character and more frequently show only women. Pornography produced by men hardly ever contained women only. Female directed porn and male directed porn did not differ in the number of aggressive acts. However, male directed pornography show twice as many men perpetrating. Overall, one can say that pornography produces by  women and men differ significantly.

Courtly Love Essay Example

Courtly Love Essay Example Courtly Love Paper Courtly Love Paper It would not come as a surprise to find that love is one of the most debated subjects of all time. Some people might think that love is too paramount to actually have an exact definition. It is tantamount to having a discussion of God or the Higher Being. In fact the concept of love could also be tied up with such spiritual and religious pursuit. I would admit that my own concepts of love could be evaluated by others as juvenile but I could not blame them. It is in my belief that when it comes to the conception of love, there could be no ultimate justification for it nor would the so-called degrees that love would have. It is in this paper however that a medieval kind of love would be discussed. The book, ‘The Art of Courtly Love,’ written by Andreas Capellanus had provided this perspective on love. It would then be the aim of this particular paper to scrutinize a certain theme of Medieval Romance that Capellanus had discussed. Courtly love would then take its roots on the basic medieval scene between the opposite sexes with noble birth. It then stemmed out to a more romanticized view that some contemporary medieval writers are adopting. The sexual implication then could easily read by exalting that of a woman’s desirable qualities as well as the erotic implication that it has. Andreas Capellanus had written the treatise for Countess Marie of Troyes. His role then sprung when he had written certain ‘rules’ or ‘norms’ regarding the art of courtly love for the said maiden (Blacksmith). It was reviewed that this book presents conflicting or contradictory ideas as well as an insinuation that the author had started out the book as a pleasurable written past time (Blacksmith). There were 31 rules that a man must follow in order to embark on the so-called courtly love and taken as a whole, this would be the main reason why some things could be conflicting as well as it had become a battle that some or most men would not likely succeed. This certain vibes, it would seem that some feminist might feast upon especially when speculations and implications could speak numerous perceptions. As part of this essay then, one of the major themes that could be found in some Medieval Romances could easily be rooted from Capellanus’ work, his rules of love in general (Capellanus). In this particular area, the thirty-one rules of love are deductions that could be drawn out from other discussions that he made in his book. It would be difficult to take it holistically but I would discuss a few snippets of the rules. The 10th rule, â€Å"Love is always a stranger in the home of avarice. (Capellanus)† could easily be spotted in romance novels, even in contemporary ones, and sometimes it could be spotted in reality. A discussion on the effect of love on a person was also included in the book. It seems that a man who loves would not be moved by greed. Maybe love may be the main concern of this greed but greediness from love would not mean any harmful effect. A love that is usual among relationships could be tainted with greed through jealousy but this greed is not directed to other women but it is usually directed towards the beloved. It could be deduced then that a man in love could feel certain jealousy but too much greediness of this kind could actually destroy the relationship. Some themes that romance novels would usually depict a man’s or woman’s jealousy as a turning point where a relationship would crumble. But usually, love endures and realizations would be made by both partners. The discussion concerning this topic is a compelling essay that would actually pertain to a love that could be patterned from an unconditional love. This part could be said to be my own assertion taken from the certain implications from the book. The pureness of love could be connoted by the part where greed should not reign between the lover and beloved. It would seem that love of this kind would last since there would be no extremes that could deteriorate the love between partners. In reality, this could also be applied albeit not faithfully but the basic gist of this rule could be applied. Having a partner and being in a relationship, usually connotes a give-and-take situation that would not actually waver given that the partners have the same ideas or opinions. I have a certain personal experience regarding this kind of scene. Respecting the decision and/or choices of a partner is something that I think of highly and if the partner would truly understand and accept this kind of mind set would create a harmonious relationship. In this case, a good dose of compromise could also be realized. A man and woman could both decide and choose for the course of action that they might have for the relationship. These views may be modern and contemporary but taking into consideration what was written in the book, it could be seen that this is the basic gist that I had realized or noticed. Another aspect of the rules that could be fascinating in the book is the 30th rule, â€Å"A true lover is constantly and without intermission possessed by the thought of his beloved (Capellanus). † This certain rule could be connected from what was discussed above. This line is what I had in mind when talking about greed. The though of a beloved may not be greed in a worldly sense but it is greed nonetheless. The lover’s desire to dwell upon the thoughts of a beloved is usually a major appendage that a person could realize in a love relationship. Other poetic revelations could reveal that a lover usually attributes a certain possession that a beloved has on him/her. As could also be seen, this realization could also extend to what is happening right now. From what were discussed above, it could be inferred that the book that Capellanus had provided us are what constitutes the modern notion of love. Some subjects in the book may be sources of issues but it could not helped that the book was written on times where women’s full role had not been realized as well as a society open to different gender preferences. What could be noted then is that the rules of love could actually summarize the basic notions of love provided in the book as well as the interwoven meaning that could justify or clash with the ideas provided. It would also be justified to further assert that medieval romance is not completely different from modern notions of love. Blacksmith, Lady Eden. A Little Bit of Love in the Middle Ages. 2000. September 18 2007. florilegium. org/files/PERIOD-THOUGHT/Love-in-th-MA-art. html. Capellanus, Andreas. The Art of Courtly Love. Records of Civilization. Ed. John Jay Parry. New York: Columbia University Press, 1990.

Understanding the Bush Doctrine

Understanding the Bush Doctrine The term Bush Doctrine applies to the foreign policy approach that President  George W. Bush practiced during this two terms, January 2001 to January 2009. It was the basis for the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. Neoconservative Framework The Bush Doctrine grew out of  neoconservative dissatisfaction with President Bill Clintons handling of the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein in the 1990s. The U.S. had beaten Iraq in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. That wars goals, however, were limited to forcing Iraq to abandon its occupation of Kuwait and did not include toppling Saddam. Many neoconservatives  voiced concern that the U.S. did not depose Saddam. Post-war peace terms also dictated that Saddam  allow United Nations inspectors to periodically search Iraq for evidence of programs to build weapons of mass destruction, which could include chemical or nuclear weapons. Saddam repeatedly angered neo-cons as he stalled or prohibited U.N. inspections. Neoconservatives Letter to Clinton In January 1998, a group of neoconservative hawks, who advocated warfare, if necessary, to achieve their goals, sent a letter to Clinton calling for the removal of Saddam. They said that Saddams interference with U.N. weapons inspectors made it impossible to gain any concrete intelligence about Iraqi weapons. For the neo-cons, Saddams firing of SCUD missiles at Israel during the Gulf War and his use of chemical weapons against Iran in the 1980s erased any doubt about whether he would use any WMD he obtained. The group stressed its view that containment of Saddams Iraq had failed. As the main point of their letter, they said: Given the magnitude of the threat, the current policy, which depends for its success upon the steadfastness of our coalition partners and upon the cooperation of Saddam Hussein, is dangerously inadequate. The only acceptable strategy is one that eliminates the possibility that Iraq will be able to use or threaten to use weapons of mass destruction. In the near term, this means a willingness to undertake military action as diplomacy is clearly failing. In the long term, it means removing Saddam Hussein and his regime from power. That now needs to become the aim of American foreign policy. Signers of the letter included Donald Rumsfeld, who would become Bushs first secretary of defense, and Paul Wolfowitz, who would become undersecretary of defense. America First Unilateralism The Bush Doctrine has an element of America first unilateralism that revealed itself well before the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States, the so-called War on Terror or the Iraq War. That revelation came in March 2001, just two months into Bushs presidency, when he withdrew the United States from the U.N.s Kyoto Protocol  to reduce worldwide greenhouse gasses. Bush reasoned that transitioning American industry from coal to cleaner electricity or natural gas would drive up energy costs and force rebuilding of manufacturing infrastructures. The decision made the United States one of two developed nations not subscribing to the Kyoto Protocol. The other was Australia, which has since made plans to join protocol nations. As of January 2017, the U.S. still had not ratified the Kyoto Protocol. With Us or With the Terrorists After the al-Qaida terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, the Bush Doctrine took on a new dimension. That night, Bush told Americans that, in fighting terrorism, the U.S. would not distinguish between terrorists and nations that harbor terrorists. Bush expanded on that when he addressed a joint session of Congress on Sept. 20, 2001. He said: We will pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to terrorism. Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime. In October 2001, U.S. and allied troops invaded Afghanistan, where intelligence indicated the Taliban-held government was harboring al-Qaida. Preventive War In January 2002, Bushs foreign policy headed toward one of preventive war. Bush described Iraq, Iran and North Korea as an axis of evil that supported terrorism and sought weapons of mass destruction. Well be deliberate, yet time is not on our side. I will not wait on events while dangers gather. I will not stand by as peril draws closer and closer. The United States of America will not permit the worlds most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the worlds most destructive weapons, Bush said. As Washington Post columnist Dan Froomkin commented, Bush was putting a new spin on traditional war policy. Pre-emption has in fact been a staple of our foreign policy for ages and other countries as well, Froomkin wrote. The twist Bush put on it was embracing preventive war: Taking action well before an attack was imminent invading a country that was simply perceived as threatening. By the end of 2002, the Bush administration was talking openly about the possibility of Iraq possessing WMD and reiterating that it harbored and supported terrorists. That rhetoric indicated that the hawks who had written Clinton in 1998 now held sway in the Bush Cabinet. A U.S.-led coalition invaded Iraq in March 2003, quickly toppling Saddams regime in a shock and awe campaign. Legacy A bloody insurgency against the  American occupation of Iraq and the U.S. inability to quickly prop up a working democratic government damaged the credibility of the Bush Doctrine. Most damaging was the absence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Any preventive war doctrine relies on the support of good intelligence, but the absence of WMD highlighted a problem of faulty intelligence. The Bush Doctrine essentially died in 2006. By then the military force in Iraq was focusing on damage repair and pacification, and the militarys preoccupation with and focus on Iraq had enabled the Taliban in Afghanistan to reverse American successes there. In November 2006, public dissatisfaction with the wars enabled Democrats to reclaim control of Congress. It also forced Bush to usher the hawk most notably Rumsfeld out of his Cabinet.

How Dogs are Helping Cheetahs

How Dogs are Helping Cheetahs Dogs have long been considered mans best friend, but their characteristics of loyalty and protectiveness have also earned them the lesser known title of cheetahs best friend. Thats right; dogs are being used more and more frequently to assist in conservation efforts to preserve the endangered cheetah both in captivity and in the wild. Dogs at the Zoo Since the 1980s, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park has assigned companion dogs to cheetahs that are involved in the zoos captive breeding program. Janet Rose-Hinostroza, animal training supervisor at the Park, explains: A dominant dog is very helpful because cheetahs are quite shy instinctively, and you cant breed that out of them. When you pair them, the cheetah looks to the dog for cues and learns to model their behavior. Its about getting them to read that calm, happy-go-lucky vibe from the dog. The primary goal of comforting cheetahs through this unusual partnership is to make them at ease in their captive environment so that they will be able to breed with other cheetahs. Shyness and anxiety dont bode well for a breeding program, so the inter-species friendships that the cheetahs are able to form with dogs can actually benefit the long-term survival of this rare cat. The dogs enlisted by the Park are typically rescued from shelters, giving these homeless canines a new purpose in life. My favorite dog is Hopper because we found him at a kill shelter and hes just 40 pounds, but he lives with Amara, whos our toughest cheetah by far. Its not about strength or overpowering. Its about developing a positive relationship where the cheetah takes her cues from the dog. Cheetah cubs are paired with canine companions at about 3 or 4 months of age. They first meet on opposite sides of a fence with a keeper walking the dog on a leash. If all goes well, the two animals are able to meet for their first play date, although both are kept on leashes initially for safety. Were very protective of our cheetahs, so the introduction is a painfully slow process but a lot of fun. There are lots of toys and distractions, and theyre like two cute little kids who desperately want to play. But cheetahs are instinctively hardwired to feel uneasy so you have to wait and let the cat make the first move. Once the cheetah and dog establish a bond and prove to play well without leashes, they are moved into a shared living space where they spend almost every moment together, except feeding time, when the zoos dogs get to gather, play, and eat together. The dog is the dominant in the relationship, so if we didnt separate them, the dog would eat all the cheetahs food and wed have a really skinny cheetah and a really chubby dog. Among the zoos crew of companion mutts is one purebred Anatolian shepherd known as Yeti. Yeti was recruited to help cheetahs and also to act as a sort of mascot, representing her cousins in Africa who have revolutionized predator management and saved many cheetahs from being killed in defense of livestock. Dogs in the Wild The Cheetah Conservation Funds Livestock Guarding Dog Program is a successful, innovative program that has been helping to save wild cheetahs in Namibia since 1994. While Anatolian shepherds in Namibia do not work in cooperation with cheetahs, they still contribute to the wild cats survival. Before the dogs were employed as conservation tools, cheetahs were shot and trapped by ranchers who were trying to protect their goat herds. Dr. Laurie Marker, founder of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, began training Anatolian shepherds to protect the herds as a non-lethal predator management strategy, and since then, wild cheetah populations have been on the rise.

THE SITUATION OF WOMAN ( THE HOUSE OF SPIRITS) BY ISABEL ALLENDE Essay

THE SITUATION OF WOMAN ( THE HOUSE OF SPIRITS) BY ISABEL ALLENDE - Essay Example On the contrary, the women are passive, subservient and puppet-like in the hand of their male counterparts. It is not that they do not long for freedom of action and choice; indeed, they long for it and attempt to exert stealthily. But when their ambition are revealed, they have been mercilessly silenced down by the men around them. All of the protagonists in Allende’s novel are, more or less, vulnerable to male violence and brutality. They are powerless in the face of the men’s superiority and macho possessiveness. Despite their powerlessness, they challenge the patriarchal authority by feminine mode of protests such assuming reclaiming maiden name, resort to silence, self-withdrawal, etc. After all, the women’s status, as portrayed in the novel, is more like an addendum to their men than a self-dependent individual. Like any patriarchal society, the fate of Allende’s women is determined greatly shaped and determined by the men around them. They are the objects of male lust like other properties which belong to a man. Obviously, these women belong to a society which is run by rigid patriarchal ideologies. In the novel, Esteban’s character seems to personify all those patriarchal ideologies. He believes that marriage is the best protection of a woman who is unable to ensure their own safety because of their psychophysical inferiority. So, he sent â€Å"Jaime and Nicolà ¡s were sent to a Victorian English boarding school† (Allende 78). The father in Esteban believes that Blanca’s destiny was â€Å"marriage and a brilliant life in society, where the ability to converse with the dead, if kept on a frivolous level, could be an asset† (Allende 78). Indeed, Allende’s women are imprisoned in a rigidly defined social gender-role. He believes that since women are both physically and mentally immature, their activities should remain confined to childrearing, cooking, etc within the four-walls of

Submit a critique of an ealy years research paper from a uk scholarly Essay

Submit a critique of an ealy years research paper from a uk scholarly journal - Essay Example child care costs, barriers to access, and feelings about child care of parents of preschool- and school-aged children specifically in the area under study which is the United Kingdom in 2007 (Kazimirski, Smith, Butt, Ireland and Lloyd, 2008, p.1). The analysis is undertaken through the focus on the different areas in the study presented such as the focus of the study, the methods used in data gathering, the results and organization of data and the analysis and conclusion. The study is based on the aim to determine the effectiveness of the childcare program in England since 1990 including the 1998 National Childcare Strategy. The results had been gathered through the 2007 Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents. These results can be summarized in different points (p.1) One of the points gathered is that there is a high percentage of family belonging to the population under study that undertaken childcare or early years provision (84%). Of the said percentage 65% had informal care which is relatively more common than the 54% which can be classified as formal care provision. Although there is an expected increase in the interest for take-up of formal and informal childcare, the result showed that it had failed to increase specifically on the people belonging to low income families, the lone parents and the ethnic minority groups (p.1). Other trends include childcare cost specifically the services of nannies and day nurseries which had been classified to be the most expensive in London and South East on the per hour basis. Although this is the case, the services of childcare providers are still sought specifically during school holidays and outside standard hours or days. The affordability became an increasing trend through the years as well as availability of providers (p.1). The results of the study had been achieved through survey research which can be considered as one of the important methods to gather first hand data. A total population of 7200

ISMG Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

ISMG - Essay Example ody but it has its own way of ensuring development of the organization and this way is by putting in place good management policies to control the crisis. There are several forms of organizational crisis but with the case of ABS Canada, the kind of organizational crisis being experienced could be said to be organizational conflict because it involves a lot of agitations among the rank and file of the organization. A critical study of the case at hand at ABS Canada would be related to the Mind Frame Consulting (2000) explanation of why organizational conflicts arise as they note that organizational conflicts often result because â€Å"divisions and departments often have different objectives. If their members cannot find common values and goals, they will not cooperate.† Lack of cooperation would also worsen any form of organizational conflict. Identifying the causes and giving out appropriate solutions may however become the best remedy at hand. To this effect, a lot is tasked on Mr. Roberge to look into the causes of the conflict and appropriately devise workable solutions that will be welcomed by all stakeholders in the organization. There are three major parties that could be linked to the cause of the present organizational conflict and for that matter organizational crisis at ABS Canada. These parties are the recruiters of the project manager, out of whom Mr. Roberge may be singled out, the project manager himself and finally, the departmental leaders who team members who should have worked with the project manager. Clearly before the coming of the project manager, there was perfect peace and harmony in the organization. By organizational standards, the organization accepted to run the affairs and future of the company in a more collaborative means that involved all departments and sectors of the organization. This was evident in the meeting that agreed on the long term strategic plan for the company. Indeed, to have started implementing the strategic plan,

Db5 team and leadership Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Db5 team and leadership - Research Paper Example Other factors that might contribute to the teamwork failure include lack of open-mindedness and progressive thinking among team members (McCallin & Mike, 2009). However, this is opposed to another experience I had with another team that was very successful from the start to end. Among the main factors that contributed to the success of the team was commitment to the goals of the project, good interpersonal skills and interdependence among team members. According to Tarricone & Luca (2002), interpersonal skills such as open discussions among team members, honesty, trust and respect are some of the most important factors that can enhance effective teamwork among members. However, the most crucial factor that helped the team become successful was communication among members. Open communication and positive feedback among the team members are important attributes for a successful team (Tarricone & Luca, 2002). All members of a particular team need to learn teamwork and be committed to targets, timelines and responsibilities set for the project. Such effectiveness can only be achieved through proper communication among team

Local School District Policies -- Students and Staff Research Paper

Local School District Policies -- Students and Staff - Research Paper Example The ways through which the policies are executed and monitored have been included in the paper. The paper also covers about the influence of community values on policies and the impact of the policies on the operations of the school. It has also been mentioned about the impact of policy on the culture of the school. The strength of these policies is included along with assurance of implementation of these policies. Certain modifications that are required in the policies have been included in the study. 2.0 How Policies are Communicated The policy of sexual harassment in the school is communicated to parents, students and faculty members by making clear written statement as memoranda which is easily understood by them. It can be shared by means of publishing in local newspaper and school newspaper or magazines (Doty & Strauss, 1996). The policy of personal assessment of teachers is communicated at the time of parents-teachers meet conducted by the school. In such occasions, the perfor mances of the teachers along with the students are highlighted (Churchill Community Foundation School, 2003). The policy of Student Assignment under ‘No Child Left Behind Act’ (NCLB) identifies that if there is proper communication between school and the home then there will be high standard of academic achievement of the students. The school authority may conduct conference among them so that there is a valuable communication between parents as well as teachers and students (Public Education Network, 2004). Then policy of ‘bullying and harassment’ is essential to be communicated to teachers and parents along with students. Proper way of communication is needed to aware each groups regarding the matter. A written document will help to distribute the information regarding the policy to each of them. The policy regarding internet and technology access is communicated so that each one may understand the rules of using such technology in school. The students an d teachers are generally informed in schools with written notice and parents are primarily communicated by providing documents in either school newspaper or special letter for parents (Wallsend Campus, 2011). 3.0 Implementation and Monitoring of Policy The policies of these issues are implemented as well as monitored in a systematic manner. The policy is implemented by higher authority of the schools due to the development of certain issues in schools. The policies are implemented after examining the accurate problems that has taken place and the specific policies that may reduce such issues. The personnel from the upper level of hierarchy of the school have the right to implement the policies because they need to think about the welfare of the school, students and faculties (California State University, n.d.). Policy monitoring generally relates to the maintenance of policies after it has been applied. It also refers to the way through which the policy is functioning effectively. T he higher authorities monitor carefully whether the executed policies are in a proper way and whether the teachers, students and parents are abiding by the set

Db5 team and leadership Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Db5 team and leadership - Research Paper Example Other factors that might contribute to the teamwork failure include lack of open-mindedness and progressive thinking among team members (McCallin & Mike, 2009). However, this is opposed to another experience I had with another team that was very successful from the start to end. Among the main factors that contributed to the success of the team was commitment to the goals of the project, good interpersonal skills and interdependence among team members. According to Tarricone & Luca (2002), interpersonal skills such as open discussions among team members, honesty, trust and respect are some of the most important factors that can enhance effective teamwork among members. However, the most crucial factor that helped the team become successful was communication among members. Open communication and positive feedback among the team members are important attributes for a successful team (Tarricone & Luca, 2002). All members of a particular team need to learn teamwork and be committed to targets, timelines and responsibilities set for the project. Such effectiveness can only be achieved through proper communication among team

Reducing No Show rate in a tertiary care Hospitals Research Paper

Reducing No Show rate in a tertiary care Hospitals - Research Paper Example The research was undertaken by the use of a telephone interview, and found the reasons for no-shows among patients in different hospitals namely specialized women and children’s’ hospitals and the main hospitals The purpose of this research work is to come up with ways of reducing the rates at which patients fail to show up at hospitals for booked appointments with physicians. This paper shall look into the reasons why no-show rates are high. In addition to that, this paper shall investigate the methods of managing and reducing the no-show figures, so that the rate at which patients fail to show up for appointments can be kept low. This will be done with the aim of improving the quality of medical services provided and increasing the satisfaction of patients. The method preferred for the research work is the Six Sigma method. This method seeks to achieve an improvement in process output quality by pinpointing and getting rid of the factors that cause defects. In addition to that, the Six Sigma helps minimize viability in the processes of business. The no-show rate was calculated using the following formula: The statistics collected over the month of December 2012 indicated that the average percentage of outpatients who did not show up for consultation in hospitals was at 31%. When segmented, the rate of no-shows stood at 19.58% in the women- specialized hospital, 35.71% for the rehabilitation hospital, 30.7 % for the children-specialized hospital and 37.15 for the outpatients at the main hospital. The rates of no-shows in hospitals are very high, especially in the main and rehabilitation hospitals. The effects of no-shows on a hospital will continue to be felt for as long as there are no measures put in place to curb the rate at which patients fail to present themselves at the hospitals for their pre-booked appointments (Johnson, Mold &

False Advertising Essay Example for Free

False Advertising Essay What they regret to inform you in the big print is that the only way to acquire these results is with diet and exercise, therefore they are misleading you. Recently, the Federal Trade Commission fined certain weight loss products for false advertising. These companies claimed that their product ranged from rapid weight loss to reducing the risk of cancer. Although these products were not pulled off shelves, they were advised to stop making false claims or prove their claims with scientific research proving that these products undoubtedly carry out the actions they claim to do. That’s just to show you that you can’t and shouldn’t believe everything you see. False advertising is also found widely in the food industry. There are many food companies that advertise their products on TV via commercials, such as Burger King, Quiznos, McDonald’s, and even supermarkets. These companies want you to visit their establishment by pulling you in with advertisements of their delicious products such as juicy burgers or bright red strawberries. The products look so good on TV, but when you arrive at the establishment and place your order, you receive something that doesn’t look as good as it did on TV. These companies falsely advertise what their products look like to draw you in so they can make money. If you have ever seen a Quiznos commercial, their sandwiches are advertised with an abundant amount of meat and vegetables, but when you go to purchase one, they are nothing close to what was advertised. The foods in the advertisements you see are not exactly edible. The agencies that are hired to create these products use cosmetic chemicals to enhance colors so the products appear to be fresh. They do this so they can boost its virtual appeal, concluding the point of not everything you see in advertising is necessarily true. Consumers are greatly affected by these deceptions. People who purchase a product and later realize that they did not receive what they thought they were paying for are dissatisfied. Dissatisfaction will eventually lead consumers to never purchase that product again, which will cause sales to drop for that company. By word of mouth, internet, and other means of communication these companies’ profits will plunge due to consumer discontent. Also, if companies are falsely advertising and fail to mention a certain aspect of their product to consumers and that consumer happens to be allergic to that certain aspect of the product, it may lead to a potential lawsuit. For example, the food label known as Spikes all purpose food seasoning declared their product had â€Å"no MSG added. † Further reading of the ingredients in this product, it contained hydrolyzed protein. This protein contains MSG; therefore this food label was false and misleading. Anyone who is allergic to MSG that consumes this product will get violently ill. Due to the lack of information the company failed to mention on the label, there is no way a consumer would have known the product contained MSG. To avoid situations like these, companies must be clear in stating every ingredient in their product. Not only in food products, but companies must also be sure to include every feature of their merchandise, so no one is being mislead.

Sales Strategies, Corporate Objectives and Recruitment

Sales Strategies, Corporate Objectives and Recruitment These are the statement of intent that basically provides a firm direction for the activities an organization performs in the pursuit of its mission. Usually in organizations there is confusion and overlapping between the terms, objectives and the company goals. This confusion is easy to solve only if the company tends to think of the objectives as a statement of intents and the goals as the quantifiable targets. Sales Strategies Sales strategy can be defined as the planned approach to the account management policy formation, prospect identification and qualification, sales presentation, and order generation aimed at achieving a firms sales quotas or targets. Sales Strategy Objectives: Helps in improving client loyalty Increases the closeting ratio by knowing clients hot buttons Helps in shorting the sales cycle with outside recommendations. Proper sales strategy helps in offering best solutions to outsell the competitors Helps in targeting and penetrating the most promising and profitable sectors and markets Helps in refining and maximizing the competitive advantage and product differentiation to increase the market margin and share. Helps in establishing a specific plan to strengthen and enhance the lead generation Reference: www.businessdictionary.com P-9: Devise appropriate recruitment and selection procedures. RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION A. Overview of Process Assess the need for the job and ensure adequate funding Review the job description to ensure that it meets the present and future requirements Design the selection process ( utilize search committee process if applicable) Draft the advertisement and select the advertising media Short list using the person specification only Interview and test short-listed candidates Validate references, qualifications and background checks Make appointment Supervisors and Department Directors hold the responsibility for ensuring this framework is followed. Human resources and Employee Development is available for advice and will assist in general administration of the recruitment process. B. Review the Job and the Need for It. Upon the resignation, transfer, retirement, or the authorization of a new position, the search and selection procedure begins. This is an opportunity to review position responsibilities and the way in which the position contributes and promotes unit, department, division and university objectives. Supervisors need to consider the following issues: Is the job still necessary? What value does it add to the team and to the delivery of service? How will the Post be funded? Does the job description need updating? If so, the grade for the job and the person specification may need to be re-evaluated. The Human Resources and Employee Development Team is available to provide advice on constructing both job descriptions and person specifications and advising on grading issues. What type of employment could be offered? Full-time, part-time? Is job-sharing an option? Permanent or fixed term contract? Uses of fixed term contracts are most appropriate for covering a particular task/project/item of work or an interim appointment. They should not normally be used to fill permanent posts. If the decision is to hire for the position, it is the responsibility of the Supervisor/Director to ensure that the Position Management Form is completed and sent to Human Resources and Employee Development as soon as possible. C. Search Committee Not all interviews for permanent positions must be conducted by a Committee. The Department Director is responsible for determining the positions that require a committee to interview and select. If the position is a possible promotion for one or more, then a committee should be used to ensure there is no appearance of bias or favoritism. All open positions titled, Assistant Director and above must use of a search committee. 3. REQUEST FOR PERSONNEL ACTION A. Vacant Position When an employee gives notice of intention to leave University employment, the immediate supervisor should notify the Human Resources Employee development so that necessary interviews for re-staffing might be arranged. The job classification, description and qualifications desired of replacement personnel should be provided by the department head at that time. Examples of such information might include: Education or technical training required. ADA requirements, lifting, vehicle operation, physical demands, etc. Hours of work; including Saturday or Sunday. Officials to whom applicants are to be referred. Recommendations of any known applicants. Additional information felt useful in preliminary screening. The beginning salary for classified personnel shall be determined by the job classification of the vacant position and the associated pay grade. Employing departments should consult the Human Resources Employee Development on classification issues and salary issues before posting the position. Most importantly the dept should consult with Human Resources Employee Development before making any salary commitments. 4. ADVERTISING A. Job Posting. When advised of a vacancy, the Human Resources Employee Development will review the existing job description, making the necessary corrections, post a vacancy announcement for a minimum of five days on the Human Resources bulletin board, and on the Human Resources web site. Postings will be forwarded to the Georgia Department of Labor for their reference and applicant referral. It is hoped that this procedure will create an awareness of positions available to insure upward mobility in careers within the University and to encourage applicant referral from numerous sources. Other advertising arrangements can be made. Consult with the Assistant Director for Employment Administration for advice on advertising and related costs. B. Employee Priority Posting All open positions must be posted for a minimum of five days, however the employing unit may initially designate that a position be posted with an employee priority designation or be posted on the general public website. Positions designated for employee priority posting will be posted for a minimum of five business days on the employee priority website and only applications from current qualified Valdosta State University employees will be referred to that position. Positions not designated for employee priority posting will immediately be posted on the general public posting website. If the employing unit identifies a successful candidate from this pool, no additional recruiting is required. If after five business days no Valdosta State University applicant has been selected, the position will be reopened and posted for recruiting on the general public website for a minimum of five additional business days. Valdosta State University employees may still apply during this open period. Those employees classified as casual laborer/temporary workers; do not qualify for employee priority positions. As in the past, they may apply for positions on the general public posting site. 5. SELECTION PROCESS A. Screening Applicants Read all applications submitted. The selection of the top candidates for interviewing must be based on the Job Description and specifications. New criteria cannot be introduced to assess the candidates at this stage as it would be unfair. It is the responsibility of the persons conducting the interviews to complete the short-listing and to ensure the process remains free of unlawful discrimination. If a committee is used, the entire committee should agree on the short list. If a committee is not used, it is desirable that a second person also participate in the short-listing process. The criteria used to select the top candidates and all appropriate notes must be returned to Human Resources and Employee Development for filing and are retained for a period of 6 months. It is good practice that all employees that apply for a position within their department be interviewed. Former employees who have been dismissed for misconduct cannot be considered for appointment. Former employees who have since retired must meet certain qualifications due to their retirement status. If there is a question about whether an applicant can or cannot be considered contact Human Resources and Employee Development. B. Arranging the Interview The persons responsible for the interviews is responsible for scheduling dates and times for interviews directly with the short listed candidates and notifying the candidates of any selection tests that will be used. Federal law prohibits certain questions in an employment interview and the application for employment has been developed to comply with Federal guidelines. Examples of such illegal questions might refer to the applicants age, disability, religion, ages of children, etc. Interviewing guidelines are provided to the employing department upon referral of applications. To assure consistent treatment of each applicant, a patterned interview might be developed by the department. Such might include specific questions of job related functions, skills required, and how the applicants educational background, previous experience, etc. might be useful in the position if selected for employment. C. The Interview The purpose of interviewing is to appoint the best person for the job based solely on merit and suitability. The Valdosta State University recruitment and selection process achieves this using methods that are systematic, thorough, fair, unbiased and based on rational, objective, job related criteria. At the interview, each candidate should be treated consistently. To achieve this the panel should: Ask the same initial questions of each candidate Supplement their understanding of the candidates responses by following up questions as appropriate Be consistent in allowing access to presentation material, notes and so on Not allow any discriminatory questions, harassment, or any other conduct which breaches the equal opportunities policy or code of conduct Ensure that in the case of disabled candidates, the necessity for any reasonable adjustments that would be required on the job are explored in a positive manner. Assessment of disabled candidates should be based on their expected performance in the job, given that any reasonable adjustment required was provided. Keep in mind that information obtained throughout the selection process is treated as confidential and is known only to parties involved in the selection process Keep records of interviews and the reasons for decisions each question should receive a grade, and a grade for overall impression. The candidates will be ranked from highest to lowest based on the scores given and the position negotiated or offered to the highest ranking candidate. The scoring sheets and all documentation of the interviews must be given to Human Resources and Employee Development for filing Panel members must be aware that it is their responsibility to ensure recruitment/interview documentation is stored securely and confidentially whilst in their possession. D. Selection Tests Where selection tests are a valid method of assessing a candidate (i.e. effectively measures the job criteria, is relevant, reliable, fair and unbiased also considering the predictive capacities of tests), they are an extremely useful tool and are recommended for use. Supervisors should seek advice from Human Resources and Employee Development on the use of such tests. E. Hiring Decision In selecting the successful candidate, the panel must make a decision based on the merit and eligibility of the candidates as judged by: Content of application and qualifications Performance at Interview Outcome of any selection tests F. Reference Checks As part of assessing the merit of each candidate, persons selecting candidates must satisfy themselves that the information the candidate gives is authentic, consistent and honest. This includes being satisfied about information regarding the candidates: application work history qualifications (where a qualification is a requirement, supporting evidence or certification must be obtained from the candidate and recorded) evidence presented at interview Reference checks; references must be called and information recorded for the file a) Identify yourself immediately, explain your position within the organization and tell the person why you are calling about the applicant. b) Ensure confidentiality c) Ask if he or she is free to discuss the situation d) Try to establish rapport e) Tell the person the position the candidate is being considered for f) Let the person talk feely g) Ask the references the same questions for each of your candidates h) Always end the call with: would you rehire this person? Should any of these not meet the required standards, Human Resources and Employee Development must discuss the issue with the Supervisor/Director. Use the Employment Reference Check and Education Verification form located in Appendix 10 and Appendix 11. G. Criminal Background Checks. In an effort to provide a safe and secure workplace, to comply with Board of Regents Policy and to minimize the potential litigation associated with negligent hiring processes, Valdosta State University will require background checks on the top two candidates for the position. Employment shall be conditioned upon the execution of a consent form for criminal record disclosure and upon consideration of ones criminal history. The Valdosta State University Police Department, upon receipt of the Consent to Criminal History Release Form, shall conduct the background check and report results to the Department of Human Resources. The department will notify the applicants whose criminal history report prevents their employment. The applicant can be referred to Human Resources and Employee Development if they have questions on the process The applicant is allowed seven calendar days to initiate corrective action of any inaccurate report. Proof of an error in reporting shall not disqualify the applicant and the position will not be filled until this time period has expired. If no action is initiated, and if the report is factual, the hiring department may resume the employment process. Disqualification of Applicants. An applicant will be disqualified for employment for any of the following reasons: He or she is addicted to the use of alcohol or use of illegal drugs. Discovery of any false statement or omission of material facts from the formal application. He or she has been a member of an organization advocating the violent overthrow of the government of the United States. He or she has been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude, unless pardon has been granted. He or she has been convicted of a felony, unless first offender treatment was granted by the court. J. Employment Offer Having completed the interviewing process, an offer of employment may be extended by the employing department. However, the dept head must advise the candidate that the offer is conditional pending the results of a criminal background check. When a department head believes he/she has a candidate who because of exceptional training or experience is deserving of more than the posted minimum for the classification, they may offer the candidate up to 10% over the minimum. However the department head must either have the money already in his/her budget or through the dean or vice president can have it transferred to their budget. This change in policy is not intended to permit the department head or authority to offer more than 10% over the minimum and in no case is the offer to be made without sufficient departmental funds to meet requirements of the hire. K. Post Interview Human Resources and Employee Development is responsible for providing all candidates with written notification of the outcome of their application (letter of rejection). However some departments prefer to write their own letter. These letters must be attached to the compliance reports. If feedback is requested from an unsuccessful short-listed candidate, the manager should provide a valid reason to the candidate for rejection together with constructive feedback. Written feedback will not normally be provided. P-10: Evaluate the role of motivation, remuneration and training in enhancing sales performance. Role of Motivation in sales performance Whether you are a sales person or someone in a position who manages sales people, you need to know the importance of motivation. Although many it would be great to just hire self motivated people who dont need any help from you to take action and make sales, you need to realize that sales is a tough job and that there are people who can really become great at it with some encouragement. Being in sales can either pay you very well or can make you go broke. The better you are at sales, the more money you will make. So where does motivation come into play? Well, the main reason that most people dont like sales is because of having to deal with rejection. No one likes to be rejected but if youre in a sale, thats all part of the game. The more rejections you get, the closer to a sale you will be. Now just because you expect your sales people or yourself to go out there and make those sales calls like a machine, it doesnt mean motivation should be neglected. If you are a sales person, take the time to read and listen to motivation material. By doing this, you will constantly be feeding your mind with positive and encouraging thoughts that will help you get through those days where everyone prospect seems to be in a bad mood. For sales managers, providing your team with motivation is critical. Just look in the world of sports. Those athletes are the best in the world at what they do yet when they are losing and feeling discouraged, a simple pep talk from their coach can fire them up to the point to turn the game around. This same thing can be used on your sales people to help them see more of themselves instead of beating themselves up mentality for not making as many sales. Motivation is important because it causes people to take action. Without action, nothing happens. The key to achieve any goal is to take action. The more action you take, the closer to your goals you will be. In order to continually take action, you will need to come up with ways to motivate yourself to do what you need to do everyday in order to reach those goals. So whether you need to motivate yourself or your team, motivation plays an extremely important role in building success. Role of Remuneration in Sales Performance Remuneration is wages or salary, typically money that is paid for services rendered as an employee. How do you decide what remuneration packages to adopt? How do you ensure that your Remuneration packages incentives and motivate the right people? How do you make sure that the amount of pay helps your staff with their lifestyle requirements? These questions are vital ones to anybody trying to run a sales team or customer service team, when you have a look at how you can actually reward personal effort as well as maintain service. In looking at any remuneration package, its worthwhile to consider a set of scales. In any job description, there is an opportunity to analyze the work required into service aspects whereby these things have to be done to maintain the client, or maintain the client relationship, such as receiving orders, implementing orders, handling queries, general items of customer service, and also perhaps even merchandising or helping with displays, as well as ensuring that stock levels are adequate, these can be called service areas or service responsibilities. On the other hand, a sales person or customer service representative could influence the value of the sale through their personal sales skills, personality, and training, to either make the sale happen, add value to the sale, or sell some specific items that are on special or on bonus, at the point of communication, either by phone, by web, or face-to-face. This particular activity is known as personal contribution. A relatively easy formula to follow is by adopting the scales of remuneration, you can then analyze the input from the people involved. If there is high service requirements and service levels in the performance of the job, and little opportunity to add personal influence, then a wages or base salary system will be the most cost efficient to make the results work. If there is a high personal input, whereby the sales person can strongly influence the amount of the sale or the profitability of the sale, then you can reward that personal effort by special commissions, share of profits, special incentives, and special rewards, for the sales as they occur after th e event, and lessen the base salary or wages that need to be paid by increasing the risk factor, which of course the personal touch will overcome. Role of Training in Sales Performance The term training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides the backbone of content at institutes of technology (also known as technical colleges or polytechnics). In addition to the basic training required for a trade, occupation or profession, observers of the labor-market recognize today [update] the need to continue training beyond initial qualifications: to maintain, upgrade and update skills throughout working life. People within many professions and occupations may refer to this sort of training as professional development. P-11: Describe two techniques used to co-ordinate and control sales output. Sales out put control Outputs can be triggered manually or automatically in  the sales document. Automatic determination requires maintenance of output  condition record. Print programs and layout sets control content which should be displayed in the output. controls output determination using condition Technique. Output determination procedure is determined on the basis of sales document type (sales order type,delivery type, billing type). Standard output determination procedure for sales order (OR), Delivery (LF) and Billing (F2) is V100000. Output procedure contains output types,which can be processed when that sales document is created. One document can have Output types like Delivery note and Packing list in delivery. Output controls Medium (Like Print, Fax, EDI) Time of sending the output -e.g.immediately or in a batch Which partner function of Business partner it can be sent Language Criteria for which output condition record can be maintained for automatic output determination It offers flexibility of changing the key controls in the Sales documents. Example If order confirmation for a customer is scheduled to be printed in a batch but the customer wants it immediately then time of dispatch control can be changed in the sales order. P-12: Use given information to recommend appropriate organization structures and procedures. Team One of the newest organizational structures developed in the 20th century is team. In small businesses, the team structure can define the entire organization.Teams can be both horizontal and vertical. While an organization is constituted as a set of people who synergize individual competencies to achieve newer dimensions, the quality of organizational structure revolves around the competencies of teams in totality. For example, every one of the Whole Foods Market stores, the largest natural-foods grocer in the US developing a focused strategy, is an autonomous profit centre composed of an average of 10 self-managed teams, while team leaders in each store and each region are also a team. Larger bureaucratic organizations can benefit from the flexibility of teams as well. Functional structure Employees within the functional divisions of an organization tend to perform a specialized set of tasks, for instance the engineering department would be staffed only with software engineers. This leads to operational efficiencies within that group. However it could also lead to a lack of communication between the functional groups within an organization, making the organization slow and inflexible. As a whole, a functional organization is best suited as a producer of standardized goods and services at large volume and low cost. Coordination and specialization of tasks are centralized in a functional structure, which makes producing a limited amount of products or services efficient and predictable. Moreover, efficiencies can further be realized as functional organizations integrate their activities vertically so that products are sold and distributed quickly and at low cost .For instance, a small business could start making the components it requires for production of its products instead of procuring it from an external organization. But not only beneficial for organization but also for employees faiths. Burns, T. and G. Stalker. (1961) The Management of Innovation. London: Tavistock. P-13: Identify and give three examples of the differences in the nature of sales tasks and skills in a variety of context. Sales Skills Qualifying Fast to Avoid Wasting Sales Time Do you chase after your prospects until they tell you yes or no? Do you ever tell your prospects No, as in No, I am not going to sell to you? There are many things in selling that you do not and will not be able to control. The one thing that you do have control over is your time and how you choose to use it. To qualify fast you must have a set of criteria describing who you will and will not sell to. You want to sell to the prospects likely to buy your products, and drop the prospects unlikely to buy (so that you can find more good prospects). Sounds simple, but too many salespeople let sludge buildup in their pipeline, constricting the total revenue that flows out. Motivating Prospects Qualifying goes beyond budget, authority, and need. You want to sell to prospects who *want* to buy from you. Finding prospects that need our products usually is not difficult. Finding those who really want our products though can be very hard if we wait for them to come to us. Products sold by professional salespeople are more complex and offer more value than commodity products offered through stores, catalogs and brokers. Prospects generally do not know they need such products, until they first discover that they have a problem. This process can take seconds or years depending on the nature of the problem (and the prospect!). Prospects get motivated to work with you when you help them to discover that you solve their problem better than anyone doeselse. Selling to People Outside Your Comfort Zone Most salespeople, who are people persons, already think that they are good at this. Let me ask you a question. When you last lost a sale, how was your rapport with the key person who decided against you? You cant afford to look away and ignore people that you dont have natural rapport with. The good news is that people like people like themselves. All you have to do to gain rapport is stretch your behavior outside or your comfort zone until you become like another person. Reaching Decision-Makers Through Voicemail Theres two ways to make more sales. One is to close more of the prospects you do contact. The other is to get more prospects into the pipeline. When prospecting, you can look at voicemail as either your friend or your enemy. With 70% of your prospecting calls going to voicemail, it is time to make friends with it. Although you will never get even close to getting every voicemail returned, you can get a significant number of your messages returned when treat them as a one-on-one commercials. Delivering I Gotta Have That Presentations Lets face it; a lot of business presentations are really boring. Salespeople talk about why their product is great, why their company is great, and the history of their company. Prospects dont relate to this. Thats why they look so bored. Great presentations get the prospects imagination involved. The best way to involve the imagination is through storytelling. Stories rich in descriptive detail get the prospect picturing them using your product and evoke that I Gotta Have That reaction. Gaining Commitments Instead of Closing Eliminate Closing Cheese from Your Vocabulary. You know what I am talking about: Would you like that in gray or in black? or If I can show you how this will help you will you buy today?. Lines like these are why salespeople are down on the bottom of societys respect list somewhere near lawyers. Learn the power of asking for incremental commitments from the beginning of your sales cycle. It is not an easy shift to make. First you got to get the prospect to show you what they most want (Hint: See Skill #2 above). Then you can negotiate incremental commitments in return for more of your time, information or resources. Have More Fun Sales is fun when you are in control and closing deals. Selling is miserable when you are under pressure to close business. Take the pressure off yourself to close and instead focus on qualifying and motivating your prospects. Sales Task Specified amount of sales that a management sets for achieving or exceeding within a specified timeframe, and allocates required resources. Sales targets are apportioned among different sales-units such as salespersons, franchisees, distributors, agents, etc. Three Types of Sales Task Personal Sales Task Team Sales Task Organizational Sales Task P-14: Explain the role of sales staff operating in an international environment. Greater complexities involved with distribution, transportation, payment and insurance. Goods in the international market are subject to the customs control and the payment of import duties where they are applicable. Exchange rates and in some cases the regulations of exchange control are applicable. International market exposes the company to a wider and intensive competition which might not be the case with the domestic market. Customer profile in the international market is different from local market in areas of religion, language, ideology, fashion and living standard. Different cultural, legal, economical, political and social systems may be encountered in the international market. Complexity of international marketing and the addition of new environment make the business management far more difficult. More use of e-mail and

An Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorder Essay -- Diseases/Disorder

Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorder Autism spectrum disorder has become the most common neurological and developmental disorder diagnosed in children today. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2012) estimate that 1 out of every 88 American children have been properly diagnosed. There is no known cure for autism, and the inconsistencies of the symptoms of autism in each case make it difficult to target a particular set of effective treatments. However some behavior management therapies, specifically physical therapy, may help to significantly control the unwanted symptoms in young children with autism spectrum disorder. Symptoms. Children begin showing symptoms of autism as early as twelve months of life, making two to three years old the typical age of diagnosis. The symptoms of autism are truly of a spectrum, hence the name, meaning no child is affected by the disorder in quite the same way. However, symptoms of autism are generally categorized into three basic areas of impairment, the first of these being sociability. Most children with autism have trouble comprehending basic social situations. A child with autism likely makes little eye contact, fails respond to other people in their environment, and reacts inappropriately when others show extreme emotion. It is common for children with autism to misread emotional cues because they focus on a person’s mouth while speaking instead of their eyes as would an unaffected person. Likewise, people may have difficulties understanding the emotions of an autistic child. Many times their body language or tone of voice will not match the emoti on that they are trying to express. The second area of impairment is communication. Children with autism ... ...#pub12 Nicholson, H., Kehle, TJ., Bray, MA., & Heest, J. (2011). The Effects of Antecedent Physical Activity on the Academic Engagement of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Psychology in the Schools, 48(2), 198-213. Ospina, MB., Krebs, SJ., Clark, B., Karkhaneh, M., Hartling, L., et al. (2008). Behavioural and Developmental Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Clinical Systematic Review. PLoS ONE, 3(11). Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19015734 Petrus, C., Adamson, SR., Block, L., Einarson, SJ., Sharifnejad, M., & Harris, SR. (2008) Effects of Exercise Interventions on Stereotypic Behaviours in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Physiotherapy Canada, 60(2), 134-145. United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2012) Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html

Sample: Summary Mini-Lesson

Dr. R: Let’s talk about summary. Based on the APA homework and the diagnostic rough drafts, it's pretty clear some folks are still having difficulties discerning between summary and paraphrase. The distinction between these two is incredibly important to grasp, as your summary in your Essay 1 must be clear and concise. Note that you should be able to summarize the main argument claims of your chosen article in a single paragraph. OK, so what is a summary?When we talk about summaries, we are usually talking about the summary of the main ideas of an entire work (although, if we’re focusing on a specific chapter or article in a larger work, we’d then be summarizing that one major component. For instance, most of us are summarizing individual articles, not the entire issue of a magazine or journal). Summary is used to â€Å"state the major ideas of an entire source or part of a source [see above] in your own words† (Faigley, 2010, p. 20). Note that the summari es are significantly shorter than the source.Most academic guides recommend that a summary be no longer than ? the length of the original source. In other words, if you have a four page article and your summary is two pages long, that’s not an effective summary. Faigley even mentions that summaries are often â€Å"a paragraph or perhaps even a sentence† (emphasis mine] (2010, p. 631). Note the key ideas in the section above—summaries are short and they are in your own words. They only focus on the â€Å"main points, not most of the examples or supporting materials† (Faigley, 2010, p. 20).To put this in layman’s terms for you as you check your summary work, note that this means that words like â€Å"uses examples† or â€Å"uses statistics† or â€Å"Smith discusses a man in Ireland who† are not summary appropriate—those are areas where you are actually paraphrasing supporting data/details, not summarizing the authorâ€℠¢s main ideas. How are paraphrase and summary different? First, we tend to paraphrase specific examples or sentences. A paraphrase of a statement is often used to help clarify the ideas in that one statement, rather than to give an overview of an entire work.We most often use paraphrase after we’ve quoted a work—you use that paraphrasing to help situate and show connection between the quoted material and your own ideas, for instance. As Faigley notes, â€Å"[w]hen you paraphrase, you represent the idea of the source in your own words at about the same length as the original† (emphasis mine] (Faigley, 2010, p. 631). Note that the main distinctions between summary and paraphrase are the length and the purpose of the tasks. Paraphrase is all about explaining a specific single idea at about the same length while summary is an overview of the entire piece that is much shorter.What are some strategies for effective summary? One tip is to look at the overall document. Are there headings in the source? If so, those headings should directly relate to the main ideas—they are like little summary bullet points for the article, which means the author did some of the work for you! If there are not clearly marked sections of the source (which there often are not), you’re going to have to create some notes to work from. Read the article from start to finish, just reading. Then, on a second reading, read one paragraph at a time.Once you read the paragraph over, write in the margins what the main point of that paragraph is. ( A print out of the article is great for this, but if you are paperless, you can copy the article into Word and type in your paragraph notes in a different color font or use the insert comment feature to annotate the source). Once you have created that list of notes—one phrase or sentence per paragraph—you can then take those and read through them. What main ideas are repeated that you can group together? Wha t paragraphs seem to just list supporting examples and should be therefore excluded from your summary?Use those notes to actually develop a single paragraph of summary—your summary should have no more sentences in it than the source has paragraphs (and in most cases, should have fewer). Common Summary Errors 1. Including supporting details or discussing data and examples from the source. 2. Adding evaluation or commentary to the summary from your own point of view. 3. Writing the summary by focusing on retelling the entire source—this is paraphrasing and can often be identified by the keywords in the long section that include things like â€Å"he begins† and â€Å"he goes on to discuss† and† having covered X, he moves on to Y. Those are phrases that indicate you’re including minor details an retelling everything, not summarizing. 4. Including quotations. 5. Incorporating additional sources (other than the thing you are summarizing). 6. Lackin g signal phrasing that indicates key points. Your summary should set up the thesis/position of what is being summarized and follow with the main ideas or claims. Using signal phrasing like â€Å"Smith’s main argument is† and â€Å"one reason Smith argues X is† will help you make smoother transitions and remind the reader you are summarizing the main points only. Resources Columbia University School of Social Work (n. . ). Writing summaries. Writing Center Handouts. Retrieved from http://www. columbia. edu/cu/ssw/write/handouts/summary. html Faigley, L. (2010). Writing: A guide for college and beyond. New York: Longman. Student Development Centre (2009). Writing resources: Summary Writing. The University of Western Ontario. Retrieved from http://www. sdc. uwo. ca/writing/index. html? handouts [direct link: www. sdc. uwo. ca/writing/handouts/Summary%20Writing. pdf ] The Write Place (1997). Process for writing a summary. LEO: Literacy Education Online. Retrieved fr om http://leo. stcloudstate. edu/acadwrite/summary. html

Unit 48 P3

P3– Produce an Action plan for self- development and achievement of own personal goals Short-term goals Goals| How I will achieve these goals? | How long I think this will take to achieve? | Pass AS Level PE. | Do a large amount of revision and get the course work handed in by the end of term. | 2 weeks (course work)3 months (exam)| Pass AS Level Sociology. | Do revision and learn the key sociologists for each topic. | 3 months (exams)| Pass the 3 units of BTEC Level 3 Health and Social care. | Create a timetable and make deadlines for myself to get my work. | 3-4 months (coursework)| Pass my driving test. Get my coursework finished and save money to pay for lessons. | 4 months – 1 year (theory and driving test)4 months (provisional license) | Get a part time job. | Apply online for jobs and look at job vacancy boards in shopping precincts. | Waiting for a response. | Long-term goals Goals| How I will achieve this? | How long I think this will take to achieve? | Pass AS and A2. | Do a lot of studying and revision for exams. | 1 year and 3 months (exams and course work)| Get into university. | Concentrate on coursework during AS and A2 and apply for a number of universities. 2 years (depending on my grades at A-Level)| Get a degree in sport science. | Go to lectures and get work done on time. | 3-4 years (to complete Sixth form and go to university)| Get a decent paid job after university. | Graduate from university and apply for jobs such as PE teacher, Handball coach. | 4-5 years (to complete Sixth form, university and 1 year of work experience) | Have a nice house. | Save up a large amount of money and buy or rent a house or flat. | 10 years (to complete Sixth form, university, 1 year of work experience and get a job in teaching/coaching)|

The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening Chapter Seven

Bonnie was on the dance floor, eyes shut, letting the music flow through her. When she opened her eyes for an instant, Meredith was beckoning from the sidelines. Bonnie thrust her chin out mutinously, but as the gestures became more insistent she rolled her eyes up at Raymond and obeyed. Raymond followed. Matt and Ed were behind Meredith. Matt was scowling. Ed was looking uncomfortable. â€Å"Elena just left,† said Meredith. â€Å"It's a free country,† said Bonnie. â€Å"She went with Tyler Smallwood,† said Meredith. â€Å"Matt, are you sure you didn't hear where they were going?† Matt shook his head. â€Å"I'd say she deserves whatever happens-but it's my fault, too, in a way,† he said bleakly. â€Å"I guess we ought to go after her.† â€Å"Leave thedance ?† Bonnie said. She looked at Meredith, who mouthed the wordsyou promised . â€Å"I don't believe this,† she muttered savagely. â€Å"I don't know how we'll find her,† said Meredith, â€Å"but we've got to try.† Then she added, in a strangely hesitant voice, â€Å"Bonnie,you don't happen to know where she is, do you?† â€Å"What? No, of course not; I've been dancing. You've heard of that, haven't you: what you go to a dance for?† â€Å"You and Ray stay here,† Matt said to Ed. â€Å"If she comes back, tell her we're out looking.† â€Å"And if we're going, we'd better go now,† Bonnie put in ungraciously. She turned and promptly ran into a dark blazer. â€Å"Well, excuse me,† she snapped, looking up and seeing Stefan Salvatore. He said nothing as she and Meredith and Matt headed for the door, leaving an unhappy-looking Raymond and Ed behind. The stars were distant and ice-bright in the cloudless sky. Elena felt just like them. Part of her was laughing and shouting with Dick and Vickie and Tyler over the roar of the wind, but part of her was watching from far away. Tyler parked halfway up the hill to the ruined church, leaving his headlights on as they all got out. Although there had been several cars behind them when they left the school, they appeared to be the only ones who'd made it all the way to the cemetery. Tyler opened the trunk and pulled out a six-pack. â€Å"All the more for us.† He offered a beer to Elena, who shook her head, trying to ignore the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She felt all wrong being here-but there was no way she was going to admit that now. They climbed the flagstone path, the girls staggering in their high heels and leaning on the boys. When they reached the top, Elena gasped and Vickie gave a little scream. Something huge and red was hovering just above the horizon. It took Elena a moment to realize it was actually the moon. It was as large and unrealistic as a prop in a science-fiction movie, and its bloated mass glowed dully with an unwholesome light. â€Å"Like a big rotten pumpkin,† said Tyler, and lobbed a stone at it. Elena made herself smile brilliantly up at him. â€Å"Why don't we go inside?† Vickie said, pointing a white hand at the empty hole of the church doorway. Most of the roof had fallen in, although the belfry was still intact, a tower stretching up high above them. Three of the walls were standing; the fourth was only knee-high. There were piles of rubble everywhere. A light flared by Elena's cheek, and she turned, startled, to see Tyler holding a lighter. He grinned, showing strong white teeth, and said, â€Å"Want to flick my Bic?† Elena's laughter was the loudest, to cover her uneasiness. She took the lighter, using it to illuminate the tomb in the side of the church. It was like no other tomb in the cemetery, although her father said he'd seen similar things in England. It looked like a large stone box, big enough for two people, with two marble statues lying in repose on the lid. â€Å"Thomas Keeping Fell and Honoria Fell,† said Tyler with a grand gesture, as if introducing them. â€Å"Old Thomas allegedly founded Fell's Church. Although actually the Smallwoods were also there at the time. My great-grandfather's great-great-grandfather lived in the valley by Drowning Creek-† â€Å"-until he got eaten by wolves,† said Dick, and he threw back his head in a wolf imitation. Then he belched. Vickie giggled. Annoyance crossed Tyler's handsome features, but he forced a smile. â€Å"Thomas and Honoria are looking kind of pale,† said Vickie, still giggling. â€Å"I think what they need is a little color.† She produced a lipstick from her purse and began to coat the white marble mouth of the woman's statue with waxy scarlet. Elena felt another sick twinge. As a child, she'd always been awed by the pale lady and the grave man who lay with their eyes closed, hands folded on their breasts. And, after her parents died, she'd thought of them as lying side by side like this down in the cemetery. But she held the lighter while the other girl put a lipstick mustache and clown's nose on Thomas Fell. Tyler was watching them. â€Å"Hey, they're all dressed up with no place to go.† He put his hands on the edge of the stone lid and leaned on it, trying to shift it sideways. â€Å"What do you say, Dick-want to give them a night out on the town? Like maybe right in the center of town?† No, thought Elena, appalled, as Dick guffawed and Vickie shrieked with laughter. But Dick was already beside Tyler, getting braced and ready, the heels of his hands on the stone lid. â€Å"On three,† said Tyler, and counted, â€Å"One, two,three .† Elena's eyes were fixed on the horrible clown-like face of Thomas Fell as the boys strained forward and grunted, muscles bunching under cloth. They couldn't budge the lid an inch. â€Å"Damn thing must be attached somehow,† said Tyler angrily, turning away. Elena felt weak with relief. Trying to seem casual, she leaned against the stone lid of the tomb for support-and that was when it happened. She heard the grinding of stone and felt the lid shift under her left hand all at once. It was moving away from her, making her lose her balance. The lighter went flying, and she screamed and screamed again, trying to keep her feet. She was falling into the open tomb, and an icy wind roared all around her. Screams rang in her ears. And then she was outside and the moonlight was bright enough that she could see the others. Tyler had hold of her. She stared around her wildly. â€Å"Are you crazy? What happened?† Tyler was shaking her. â€Å"It moved! The lid moved! It slid open and-I don't know-I almost fell in. It was cold†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The boys were laughing. â€Å"Poor baby's got the jitters,† Tyler said. â€Å"C'mon, Dicky-boy, we'll check it out.† â€Å"Tyler, no-â€Å" But they went inside anyway. Vickie hung in the doorway, watching, while Elena shivered. Presently, Tyler beckoned her from the door. â€Å"Look,† he said when she reluctantly stepped back inside. He'd retrieved the lighter, and he held it above Thomas Fell's marble chest. â€Å"It still fits, snug as a bug in a rug. See?† Elena stared down at the perfect alignment of lid and tomb. â€Å"It did move. I nearly fell into it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Sure, whatever you say, baby.† Tyler wound his arms around her, clasping her to him backwards. She looked over to see Dick and Vickie in much the same position, except that Vickie, eyes shut, was looking as if she enjoyed it. Tyler rubbed a strong chin over her hair. â€Å"I'd like to go back to the dance now,† she said flatly. There was a pause in the rubbing. Then Tyler sighed and said, â€Å"Sure, baby.† He looked at Dick and Vickie. â€Å"What about you two?† Dick grinned. â€Å"We'll just stay here a while.† Vickie giggled, her eyes still shut. â€Å"Okay.† Elena wondered how they were going to get back, but she allowed Tyler to lead her out. Once outside, however, he paused. â€Å"I can't let you go without one look at my grandfather's headstone,† he said. â€Å"Aw, c'mon, Elena,† he said as she started to protest, â€Å"don't hurt my feelings. You've got to see it; it's the family pride and joy.† Elena made herself smile, although her stomach felt like ice. Maybe if she humored him, he would get her out of here. â€Å"All right,† she said, and started toward the cemetery. â€Å"Not that way. This way.† And the next moment, he was leading her down toward the old graveyard. â€Å"It's okay, honest, it's not far off the path. Look, there, you see?† He pointed to something that shone in the moonlight. Elena gasped, muscles tightening around her heart. It looked like a person standing there, a giant with a round hairless head. And she didn't like being here at all, among the worn and leaning granite stones of centuries past. The bright moonlight cast strange shadows, and there were pools of impenetrable darkness everywhere. â€Å"It's just the ball on top. Nothing to be scared of,† said Tyler, pulling her with him off the path and up to the shining headstone. It was made of red marble, and the huge ball that surmounted it reminded her of the bloated moon on the horizon. Now that same moon shone down on them, as white as Thomas Fell's white hands. Elena couldn't contain her shivering. â€Å"Poor baby, she's cold. Got to get her warned up,† said Tyler. Elena tried to push him away, but he was too strong, wrapping her in his arms, pulling her against him. â€Å"Tyler, I want to go; I want to go rightnow . †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Sure, baby, we'll go,† he said. â€Å"But we've got to get you warm first. Gosh, you're cold.† † Tyler, stop,† she said. His arms around her had merely been annoying, restricting, but now with a sense of shock she felt his hands on her body, groping for bare skin. Never in her life had Elena been in a situation like this, far away from any help. She aimed a spiked heel for his patent-leather instep, but he evaded her. â€Å"Tyler,take your hands off me .† â€Å"C'mon, Elena, don't be like that, I just want to warm you up all over†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Tyler, let go,† she choked out. She tried to wrench herself away from him. Tyler stumbled, and then his full weight was on her, crushing her into the tangle of ivy and weeds on the ground. Elena spoke desperately. â€Å"I'll kill you, Tyler. I mean it.Get off me .† Tyler tried to roll off, giggling suddenly, his limbs heavy and uncoordinated, almost useless. â€Å"Aw, c'mon, Elena, don' be mad. I was jus' warmin' you up. Elena the Ice Princess, warmin' up†¦ You're gettin' warm now, aren' you?† Then Elena felt his mouth hot andwet on her face. She was still pinned beneath him, and his sloppy kisses were moving down her throat. She heard cloth tear. â€Å"Oops,† Tyler mumbled. â€Å"Sorry 'bout that.† Elena twisted her head, and her mouth met Tyler's hand, clumsily caressing her cheek. She bit it, sinking her teeth into the fleshy palm. She bithard , tasting blood, hearing Tyler's agonized yowl. The hand jerked away. â€Å"Hey! I said I was sorry!† Tyler looked aggrievedly at his maimed hand. Then his face darkened, as, still staring at it, he clenched the hand into a fist. This is it, Elena thought with nightmare calmness. He's either going to knock me out or kill me. She braced herself for the blow. Stefan had resisted coming into the cemetery; everything within him had cried out against it. The last time he'd been here had been the night of the old man. Horror shifted through his gut again at the memory. He would have sworn that he had not drained the man under the bridge, that he had not taken enough blood to do harm. But everything that night after the surge of Power was muddled, confused. If therehad been a surge of Power at all. Perhaps that had been his own imagination, or even his own doing. Strange things could happen when the need got out of control. He shut his eyes. When he'd heard that the old man was hospitalized, near death, his shock had been beyond words. Howcould he have let himself get so far out of hand? To kill, almost, when he had not killed since†¦ He wouldn't let himself think about that. Now, standing in front of the cemetery gate in the midnight darkness, he wanted nothing so much as to turn around and go away. Go back to the dance where he'd left Caroline, that supple, sun-bronzed creature who was absolutely safe because she meant absolutely nothing to him. But he couldn't go back, because Elena was in the cemetery. He could sense her, and sense her rising distress. Elena was in the cemetery and in trouble, and he had to find her. He was halfway up the hill when the dizziness hit. It sent him reeling, struggling on toward the church because it was the only thing he could keep in focus. Gray waves of fog swept through his brain, and he fought to keep moving. Weak, he felt so weak. And helpless against the sheer power of this vertigo. He needed†¦ to go to Elena. But he was weak. He couldn't be†¦ weak†¦ if he were to help Elena. He needed†¦ to†¦ The church door yawned before him. Elena saw the moon over Tyler's left shoulder. It was strangely fitting that it would be the last thing she ever saw, she thought. The scream had caught in her throat, choked off by fear. And then something picked Tyler up and threw him against his grandfather's headstone. That was what it looked like to Elena. She rolled to the side, gasping, one hand clutching her torn dress, the other groping for a weapon. She didn't need one. Something moved in the darkness, and she saw the person who had plucked Tyler off her. Stefan Salvatore. But it was a Stefan she had never seen before: that fine-featured face was white and cold with fury, and there was a killing light in those green eyes. Without even moving, Stefan emanated such anger and menace that Elena found herself more frightened of him than she had been of Tyler. â€Å"When I first met you, I knew you'd never learned any manners,† said Stefan. His voice was soft and cold and light, and somehow it made Elena dizzy. She couldn't take her eyes off him as he moved toward Tyler, who was shaking his head dazedly and starting to get up. Stefan moved like a dancer, every movement easy and precisely controlled. â€Å"But I had no idea that your character was quite so underdeveloped.† He hit Tyler. The larger boy had been reaching out one beefy hand, and Stefan hit him almost negligently on the side of the face, before the hand made contact. Tyler flew against another headstone. He scrambled up and stood panting, his eyes showing white. Elena saw a trickle of blood from his nose. Then he charged. â€Å"A gentleman doesn't force his company on anyone,† said Stefan, and knocked him aside. Tyler went sprawling again, facedown in the weeds and briars. This time he was slower in getting up, and blood flowed from both nostrils and from his mouth. He was blowing like a frightened horse as he threw himself at Stefan. Stefan grabbed the front of Tyler's jacket, whirling them both around and absorbing the impact of the murderous rush. He shook Tyler twice, hard, while those big beefy fists windmilled around him, unable to connect. Then he let Tyler drop. â€Å"He doesn't insult a woman,† he said. Tyler's face was contorted, his eyes rolling, but he grabbed for Stefan's leg. Stefan jerked him to his feet and shook him again, and Tyler went limp as a rag doll, his eyes rolling up. Stefan went on speaking, holding the heavy body upright and punctuating every word with a bone-wrenching shake. â€Å"And, above all, he doesnot hurt her†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Stefan!† Elena cried. Tyler's head was snapping back and forth with every shake. She was frightened of what she was seeing; frightened of what Stefan might do. And frightened above all else of Stefan's voice, that cold voice that was like a rapier dancing, beautiful and deadly and utterly merciless. â€Å"Stefan,stop .† His head jerked toward her, startled, as if he had forgotten her presence. For a moment he looked at her without recognition, his eyes black in the moonlight, and she thought of some predator, some great bird or sleek carnivore incapable of human emotion. Then understanding came to his face and some of the darkness faded from his gaze. He looked down at Tyler's lolling head, then set him gently against the red marble tombstone. Tyler's knees buckled and he slid down the face of it, but to Elena's relief his eyes opened-or at least the left one did. The right was swelling to a slit. â€Å"He'll be all right,† said Stefan emptily. As her fear ebbed, Elena felt empty herself. Shock, she thought. I'm in shock. I'll probably start screaming hysterically any minute now. â€Å"Is there someone to take you home?† said Stefan, still in that chillingly deadened voice. Elena thought of Dick and Vickie, doing God knew what beside Thomas Fell's statue. â€Å"No,† she said. Her mind was beginning to work again, to take notice of things around her. The violet dress was ripped all the way down the front; it was ruined. Mechanically, she pulled it together over her slip. â€Å"I'll drive you,† said Stefan. Even through the numbness, Elena felt a quick thrill of fear. She looked at him, a strangely elegant figure among the tombstones, his face pale in the moonlight. He had never looked so†¦ sobeautiful to her before, but that beauty was almost alien. Not just foreign, but inhuman, because no human could project that aura of power, or of distance. â€Å"Thank you. That would be very kind,† she said slowly. There was nothing else to do. They left Tyler painfully getting to his feet by his ancestor's headstone. Elena felt another chill as they reached the path and Stefan turned toward Wickery Bridge. â€Å"I left my car at the boarding house,† he said. â€Å"This is the fastest way for us to get back.† â€Å"Is this the way you came?† â€Å"No. I didn't cross the bridge. But it'll be safe.† Elena believed him. Pale and silent, he walked beside her without touching, except when he took off his blazer to put it around her bare shoulders. She felt oddly sure he would kill anything that tried to get at her. Wickery Bridge was white in the moonlight, and under it the icy waters swirled over ancient rocks. The whole world was still and beautiful and cold as they walked through the oak trees to the narrow country road. They passed fenced pastures and dark fields until they reached a long winding drive. The boarding house was a vast building of rust-red brick made from the native clay, and it was flanked with age-old cedars and maples. All but one of the windows were dark. Stefan unlocked one of the double doors and they stepped into a small hallway, with a flight of stairs directly in front of them. The banister, like the doors, was natural light oak so polished that it seemed to glow. They went up the stairs to a second-story landing that was poorly lit. To Elena's surprise, Stefan led her into one of the bedrooms and opened what looked like a closet door. Through it she could see a very steep, very narrow stairway. What a strange place, she thought. This hidden stairway buried deep in the heart of the house, where no sound from outside could penetrate. She reached the top of the stairs and stepped out into a large room that made up the whole third story of the house. It was almost as dimly lit as the stairway, but Elena could see the stained wood floor and the exposed beams in the slanting ceiling. There were tall windows on all sides, and many trunks scattered among a few pieces of massive furniture. She realized he was watching her. â€Å"Is there a bathroom where I-?† He nodded toward a door. She took off the blazer, held it toward him without looking at him, and went inside.