The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 36

Damon was the first to move, which didn't surprise Elena. His leather jacket scorched, long burns running across his face and arms, he staggered past the others through the fire and threw open the garage door. Outside, thunder rumbled overhead and a heavy rain was fal ing. Despite the rain, the garage was burning ferociously, flames licking their way up the sides of the smal building and across the roof. As they al stumbled outside, Meredith, coughing, turned her face up to the rain. Matt and Alaric supported Mrs. Flowers and placed her in the driver's seat of her car. Elena held her hands out, letting the driving rain wash away the soot and soothe her burns. The rest of her friends mil ed around not far from the burning garage, stil stunned. â€Å"Oh, Damon,† said Bonnie. She paused to cough and wheeze for a few seconds, then leaned careful y toward Damon, avoiding his injuries, and kissed him on the cheek. â€Å"I'm so happy you came back.† â€Å"Thank you, redbird,† Damon said, patting her on the back. â€Å"Excuse me for a second; I need to take care of something.† He stepped away and caught Elena by the hand. In the distance came the wail of sirens, signaling the advance of fire trucks and police cars drawn by the fire. Damon pul ed Elena toward the dark shadows under a tree near the house. â€Å"Come on,† he said. â€Å"You need blood now.† He felt his throat with charred fingers, then drew a fingernail against one of his veins. His leather jacket was practical y destroyed, just rags and ashes hanging from him, and the long burns on his face and body were stil red and raw-looking, but already better than they had been a few minutes before. â€Å"I could do that,† said Stefan, approaching them and leaning against the wal of the house. He looked tired and bedraggled, but his injuries, too, were already healing. â€Å"Elena's always welcome to my blood.† â€Å"You can definitely pitch in. But that's a bad injury she's got,† said Damon matter-of-factly, â€Å"and you don't have the Power to heal it right now.† Elena had been trying not to look at her right hand. Although she couldn't real y move it, it didn't hurt much anymore. Which was probably a bad sign, actual y. Did that mean the nerve endings were dead? A quick, anxious glance down at her hand made her stomach churn. Even that tiny glimpse showed her horribly blackened and reddened flesh and peeling skin and – God – she thought she'd seen a glimpse of bone beneath the flesh. She let out a low, involuntary whimper. â€Å"Drink,† said Damon impatiently. â€Å"Let me fix it before they come and drag you off to the burn unit.† Elena stil hesitated, and Damon sighed and turned to Stefan again. â€Å"Look,† he said, his voice softening, â€Å"it's not always about Power. Sometimes the blood is just about taking care of someone.† â€Å"I know that,† Stefan replied, blinking tiredly at him. â€Å"I just wasn't sure that you did.† Damon's mouth twisted in a wry smile. â€Å"I'm an old man, little brother,† he said. â€Å"I know a lot of things.† He turned back to Elena. â€Å"Drink now,† he insisted, and Stefan smiled reassuringly at her. Elena nodded at Stefan before pushing her mouth tightly against Damon's neck. The second she tasted his blood, Elena became wrapped in warmth and the pain in her hand stopped. She no longer felt the unpleasant cold drumming of the rain on her head and shoulders, the icy trickle of water down her body. She was cozy and safe and loved, and time had stopped just long enough for her to catch her breath. Damon? she thought, and reached out to his mind with hers. He answered her without words, but with a wave of affection and care, of undemanding love. Through the haze, Elena realized there was something new here†¦ When she and Damon had al owed their minds to touch in the past, she had often sensed that Damon had been holding back a part of himself. Or, on the rare occasions when she got past the inner barriers he'd thrown up against intruders, she'd found hurt and rage, a lost child chained to a rock. Now Elena sensed only love and peace as she and Damon melted into each other. When she pul ed back from him at last, it took her a moment to return to the real world. Stefan was no longer next to them. It was raining stil , cold water running through her hair, over her shoulders, down her neck and arms and body. Her hand ached and was stil badly burned, but it had healed to the point of needing ointment and a bandage rather than surgery. A couple of fire trucks and police cars pul ed into the drive, lights blazing, sirens screaming. Closer to the garage, she saw Meredith abruptly drop Stefan's arm, and Elena realized Meredith had been drinking from his wrist. She realized vaguely that she would have been shocked by this only a few hours ago – she would have assumed Meredith would shy away from touching the blood of any vampire, and Stefan had always reserved his blood for Elena as part of the connection only they shared – but she couldn't work up any real emotion about it now. It felt like al the barriers between their group had broken down. Whether this new state of things lasted or not, they were al one for now. They'd seen the worst of one another. They'd told the truth and come out the other side. And now, if Meredith needed to be healed, of course Stefan would give her his blood. It would be the same for any of them. The firemen jumped from their truck and unrol ed the hoses. As they turned their a ttention to putting out the fire, a couple of uniformed police officers and a man who must be the fire marshal walked purposeful y toward Mrs. Flowers, Matt, Alaric, Celia, and Bonnie, al of whom were now huddled in the car. Meredith and Stefan headed toward them, too. â€Å"Why didn't they help her into the house?† Elena wondered aloud suddenly, and Damon turned a blank gaze of surprise on her. â€Å"I have no idea,† he said slowly. â€Å"It never even occurred to me that we could go inside. I guess everyone felt like they should be out here to watch it burn. Make sure the phantom doesn't come out.† â€Å"It's like we were at the end of the world,† she said softly, thinking aloud. â€Å"Even the boardinghouse seemed so far away that it just wasn't part of the picture. Now that other people are here, the world is starting to turn again.† Damon hmmmed noncommittal y. â€Å"We'd better get over there,† he said. â€Å"I think they could use some help.† Mrs. Flowers's voice was raised indignantly, although Elena couldn't make out the words. As she trailed after Damon she smiled to herself: Since when had Damon cared whether anyone, except Elena herself, could use some help? As they got closer, Elena could see that Mrs. Flowers had gotten out of the car and assumed her best expression of dottiness and eccentricity, blue eyes wide, arms akimbo, as Alaric held an umbrel a over her head. â€Å"Young man!† she snapped at the fire marshal. â€Å"What are you trying to imply by asking why my car wasn't parked in the garage? Surely I have every right to distribute my possessions anywhere I like on my own property! What sort of world do we live in where I am penalized, where I am judged for not fol owing conventions? Do you dare to suggest that I might have had some advance knowledge of this fire?† â€Å"Wel , ma'am, it's been known to happen. I'm not suggesting anything, but the matter has to be investigated,† said the fire marshal stolidly. â€Å"What're al these kids doing here?† one of the police officers asked, shooting a glance around. His eyes lingered on Damon's burned leather jacket and the raw skinless patch on Stefan's cheek. â€Å"We're going to need to talk to al of you,† he said. â€Å"Let's start by getting your names and addresses.† Stefan stepped forward and held the officer's eyes with his. â€Å"I'm sure that won't be necessary,† he said softly, compel ingly. Elena could feel him using his Power. â€Å"The garage burned because it was struck by lightning in the storm. No one was here except the old lady in the house and a few of her guests. Everything's so straightforward and simple, there's no need to question anyone.† The officer looked puzzled and then nodded, his face clearing. â€Å"These storms can cause a lot of property damage,† he replied. The fire marshal snorted. â€Å"What are you talking about? Lightning didn't strike anywhere near here.† Stefan shifted his gaze to the fire marshal. â€Å"There's nothing to bother investigating†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But the spel was broken, and now al three men were looking at him with suspicion. Stefan's Power wasn't going to be strong enough to use on al three, Elena realized, and he wouldn't be able to convince even one of them if the men were al together, awakening one another's doubts. Stefan's face was drawn and tired. He had fought a long battle – more than one, actual y. And Stefan was never strong in Power, not when he didn't drink human blood. If he'd been worrying over her and preparing to fight the phantom, it had probably been days since he had had even more than a few swal ows of animal blood. Damon stepped forward. â€Å"Sir?† he said politely. The fire marshal looked at him. â€Å"If I could speak to you privately for a moment, I'm sure we can clear this up.† The marshal frowned but fol owed him to the back porch of the boardinghouse, the second police officer tagging along. Under the porch light, they faced Damon, at first suspicious. Gradual y, as he spoke to them, their shoulders relaxed and they began to nod and smile. Stefan spoke softly to the other officer again. He'd be able to handle influencing one person alone, Elena knew, even in his current state. Meredith and Bonnie had gotten into the backseat of Mrs. Flowers's ancient automobile – so old that Elena suspected it might predate Mrs. Flowers herself – and were deep in conversation, while Alaric and Celia continued to support Mrs. Flowers under the umbrel a as she listened to Stefan's conversation with the police officer, Matt hovering nearby. Elena walked quietly past them and slipped into the back of the car with Bonnie and Meredith. The door shut with a satisfyingly heavy clunk, and the black leather bench seat creaked and groaned under her. Bonnie's red curls were soaked straight, wet tendrils hanging down over her shoulders and sticking to her forehead. Her face was smudged with ash and her eyes were red, but she gave Elena a genuinely happy smile. â€Å"We won,† she said. â€Å"It's gone for good, isn't it? We did it.† Meredith was solemn yet exultant, her gray eyes shining. There was stil a smear of Stefan's blood on her lips, and Elena stifled the urge to wipe it away for her. â€Å"We did win,† Meredith affirmed. â€Å"You both did so amazingly. Bonnie, it was real y smart of you to start casting off jealousies as fast as you could. It kept the phantom off balance. And Elena†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She swal owed. â€Å"Plunging into the fire was so brave of you. How's your hand?† Elena held out her hand and flexed the fingers in front of them. â€Å"The incredible powers of vampire blood,† Elena said lightly. â€Å"Very useful for the aftermath of a battle, right, Meredith?† Meredith flushed at Elena's teasing, then smiled a little. â€Å"I don't know,† she said. â€Å"It seemed sil y not to use al our†¦ advantages. I feel better already.† â€Å"You were terrific, too, Meredith,† Bonnie said. â€Å"You fought like you were dancing. Graceful and strong and beautiful and so supertough, the way you used your stave.† Elena agreed. â€Å"I never could have gotten the rose if you hadn't cut the phantom.† â€Å"I guess we're al terrific,† said Meredith. â€Å"The first meeting of the Robert E. Lee High School Alumni Mutual Admiration Society is now cal ed to order.† â€Å"We'l have to get Matt in and tel him how wonderful he is,† Bonnie said. â€Å"And I guess Stefan also counts as an alum, right? I think now that the world's changed, he might have graduated with us.† She yawned, showing a smal pink tongue like a cat's. â€Å"I'm just worn out.† Elena realized she was, too. It had been a very long day. A very long year since the Salvatore brothers had come to Fel ‘s Church and life had changed forever. She slumped down in the seat and rested her head on Meredith's shoulder. â€Å"Thank you for saving the town again, both of you,† she said sleepily. It seemed important to say it. â€Å"Maybe tomorrow we can start working on normal again.† Meredith laughed a little and hugged them both. â€Å"Nothing can defeat our sisterhood,† she said. â€Å"We're too good for normal.† Her breath hitched. â€Å"When you were both taken by the phantom,† she said quietly, â€Å"I was afraid I had lost you forever. You're my sisters, real y, not just my friends, and I need you. I want you to know that.† â€Å"Absolutely,† Bonnie said, nodding feverishly. Elena reached out for both of them. The three friends squeezed one another tightly in a laughing, slightly tearful group hug. Tomorrow would come, and maybe normal – whatever that was at this point – would come, too. For now, Elena had her true friends. That was a lot. Whatever happened, that would be enough.

The Body Is a Temple

The body is a temple, a saying in the bible that most know even if they have never read the bible. It is a statement that most have taken into account though and lived by religiously; no pun intended. During interviews, an average, or generalized ideal body could be found within what each candidate had to say about themselves and others. This ideal body was identified to be a â€Å"fit† body, but the definitions of fit were somewhat construed. Most people interviewed saw their body as fit, but wanted more change to their body.Others were content with their bodies; they knew they could change for better, but the change was something that was not important because they were set with the bodies they had. What is most important is the fact that the definition of fit can be interchangeable and for different reasons. One definition was recognized as the disciplined lifestyle of becoming toned and exercised within a gym or some other environment; this body type was more ‘enhanc ed’ looking and more appealing to the majority of society.The other definition described a body that could get through a day without being uncomfortable and could handle most physical activity, but this body type was of those that did not go to the gym every day and did not exercise often. What could be concluded was the fact that both parties that represented each definition wanted change to their body regardless of how they looked. Over the last few weeks, observations were made of how people carried their bodies around on a daily basis.Women wear their makeup, flashy clothes, and seem to put how their bodies look on a pedestal. What this means is that the ideal body type for them is almost unobtainable. Men on the other hand though did not care as much about their outer appearance, but more on what their body shape looked like. One interviewee for example, whose name is William, had a toned body, but still did not see himself as looking good enough. Majority of people woul d agree in saying that his body type was ideal and that he was good looking enough, but to him, he saw that he needed more change. I like my body, but I do not like it enough, I need more muscle in order to be satisfied in how I look†, these were the words of William; they reflect a self-conscious side to his personality. Since he does not see what others see, he wishes to keep growing through his workouts until he has reached a peak where he can be happy. His wardrobe did not reflect this self-conscious side though; he tries to dress nicely, but does not mind what he wears everyday. In other words, he does not always dress to mpress, but rather wishes to impress with his body shape and physique. Other men interviewed, also agreed that the physique was the most important part to their overall image. Benjamin said, â€Å"I have always been a small guy and this has bugged me, I have always wondered if I was good enough for girls because I was not as ripped or as big as other gu ys out there. † Benjamin seems to be a confident guy, but this underlying worry did bother him enough to start working out every single day at the Recreational Center.His fashion consisted of jeans everyday and a sweatshirt; he has gauges in his ears and does not go clean-shaven most times. This observation seems to solidify that men do not care about their outer appearance, but more what is underneath. The Recreational Center seems to be a hot spot for men to be found because they want to tone their bodies over anything else in order to feel desirable. Fashion, makeup, and the outer facade that women put on seems to be the priority of a woman’s conscience, if these components are not pristine, then it seemed as if most women were not satisfied.The women interviewed unanimously agreed without hearing others’ opinions that fashion was important to their success in feeling comfortable with themselves, but because their bodies would ‘never’ fit the bill . Even if they had a good body type, there was still something that was not good enough about them, but the opposite gender would disagree. This is why fashion for women is key; the makeup they wear and their perfect outfits cover up the blemishes they feel they have underneath the outer-layers. When it comes to girls and how they dress on campus you can see a stereotypical set of fashion appear per season.When it comes to fall time, Yoga pants are a must. During interviews, most women asked said they wore Yoga pants because they were comfy, but it can be inferred that it also is because it outlines the woman’s body more and women want to show off when they can. Fall fashion also consists of different articles of clothing, but this seems to be the most worn article. Women want to attract men in whatever ways they can, and since the body is the first thing that is judged, the most bodacious of clothing is worn. Such was also seen on Halloween night, scandalous costumes were wo rn to make seen what types of bodies girls had.Even if girls were not in shape they still tried to look as ‘naughty’ as possible. This was confusing because it really scuffed the respect that women should receive for their hard work to achieve such fit bodies because they were lowering themselves to such a desperate level to impress the guys around campus. Seeing this behavior strikes up the point that women do feel that their bodies are important, but it seems random amongst women. Some like their bodies, but majority feel they have not achieved the perfect body when in fact they have.Discipline is seen in the women because of all the effort that is put into their outer appearance, their bodies are important, but compared to men it is not what matters most to them. â€Å"I spend almost an hour to two hours sometimes to prepare my makeup and hair before I go to class or go out on the weekends. † Words from Lex which were surprising to hear because it does not tak e much time at all for a man to get ready for the day. She also said, â€Å"My body is never good enough, I need to lose a lot of weight before I can feel good-looking enough for guys out there. This was also surprising to hear because Lex is a good-looking woman and does not look unfit at all. After hearing what each woman had to say it was obvious that being perfect was something they all strived for, but felt like they could never achieve it. There are too many ‘perfect’ people in the world that they look up to and it demeans their success when they really are perfect in many ways. Idolization is more than likely a major cause for people getting their bodies to look the way they do. Celebrities, models, gym junkies, and more all create an image that for some is impossible to reach.But one group that does not need these sorts of images is the people of the Nacirema. A bizarre bunch of men and females, but what they lack is what makes them succeed their own sort of pe rfect or ideal body. The Nacirema go through tortuous processes in order to achieve what they think is the ideal body. This society believes that the body is ugly and its natural tendency is to debility and decay (Horace Miner). Achieving an ideal body all starts with the shrines and charms they use for different parts of their body.Shrine walls are built within the houses and many charms and potions are kept in these shrines (Horace Miner). There are an abundance of charms and what can be inferred is that keeping these charms helps to reassure that they are still serving their purpose even after they are used up. The practice of using these charms is only a minor step in ridding the body of impurities; a temple where medicine men take members of society is the final step to purification. Bodies are put to the test as grueling activities such as drilling out teeth take place and are filled with random assortments of herbs that supposedly prevent decay.People that enter the temple ma y not come out because death is certainly possible. Each person’s body is pushed to the extreme, but it is only to prove that they hold the power to be perfect. Something this extreme is not needed in societies around the world, but for the Nacirema people it is necessity. They supersede other cultures because they do not idolize a certain body type and after the rituals have been performed, they know inside that they are worthy of the body they have and to be a part of the people in their society.If cultures such as the one seen at Washington State University could appreciate this sort of lifestyle and not hold celebrities and models at such a high status, then the world would see many more confident people with bodies that they would be proud of. It is part of life to try and obtain a body that majority sees as fit, but seeing how everyone interviewed needed something different to happen with their body in order to feel confident, it is almost as if this sort of peace of mi nd will never occur.Life today is filled with people battling self-confidence issues. The image of an ideal body is not obtainable because people do not want to see the beauty they behold already. Women wear a mask to cover what they think is ugly, and men hit the gym more than they need to just to achieve a rock hard body that is unnecessary. If more were to hold the values of the Nacirema on a lessened level and boost their self esteem through different acts, then society today could see a much different and possibly brighter mentality that would be shared amongst many.Fashion is an amazing thing and can be appreciated for its many artsy and beautiful additions to how the body looks, but when it becomes only a tool to cover up the inner beauty of the body because of false self-accusations, it cannot be looked at as something spectacular. The body is a temple, how one adorns it, treats it, and appreciates it, is completely up to the person that lives within the body; but when other s influence how one’s temple is treated and decorated, that temple can be considered desecrated. Every persons’ body should be respected and loved for what it is because only the thoughts that one creates are important.

Leadership exercise Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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The Great Mandela Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

The Great Mandela - Essay Example Many of the libraries and online resources that I sought had limited information which was too limited to be used. However, with intense research and accessing worldwide resource centers, I was able to get the information I needed. I had earlier written the guide to the information I needed so I had an easy time getting the important information and discarding the fluff. Being a famous leader in Africa and the world at large many scholars have written articles and journals on his rise and tribulations in the quest for freedom and equity in a country marred with racial prejudice during the apartheid period. Another problem I encountered is the authenticity of the information available over the search engines. Many people who post their information on the online forums do not intensive research and so they end up delivering information that is either compromised in quality or not true. I, therefore, had to compare information from various sources so as to come up with a final draft tha t was the best of all the ones that I sourced information from. This helped me a lot as I learned more about the African icon and so I had the choice to get the best for my work. This was time-consuming but worth it. Lastly, I had to be conversant with the rules of sourcing information so as to produce original work. Plagiarism is not allowed and so I had accredited all the people who contributed to the literature that I used for my work. At last, I had my work which covers the life of Nelson Mandela.

How Will Mitt Romney Fare In His Bid For The Republican Party Essay

How Will Mitt Romney Fare In His Bid For The Republican Party Nomination - Essay Example The demand for knowledge about how a political process will turn out has increased the concern for what factors go into making intelligent predictions and how they are quantified. In presidential politics, of course, these factors are so innately complex and difficult to quantify that predictions are nearly always prone to failure. However, by looking at history and looking at the present together, one can piece together an accurate picture of chances or odds in formulating a semblance of a prediction. According to BetAsia, former Governor Mitt Romney’s odds at becoming the Republican nominee stand at 8/11 as of October 12 (Howard). This margin indicates a relatively good chance that Romney will secure the Republican nomination, and it is based on a bookmaker’s financial evaluation of Romney’s chances. Currently, there is good reason to agree with the bookmaker in putting the former Governor’s chances at such a high margin. Indeed, Romney has many objectiv e factors riding in his direction, including being the supposed frontrunner in a field of candidates that have the Republican base restless (Esch). Having frontrunner status bodes well for a candidate in advance of the Iowa Caucus and Super Tuesday elections: events that have historically either made or broken candidates’ dreams of the White House. Barring any crucial setbacks to those dreams, former Governor Mitt Romney is poised, based on a multitude of those predictive elements, to seize the Republican nomination for President. Section I: A Brief History of Mitt Romney In order to understand Mitt Romney as a candidate for President, one must understand his motives and policy beliefs, as they are relevant to his political campaign. Romney was born in Detroit, Michigan to George and Lenore Romney in 1947.At the age of five, his family moved from Detroit to Bloomfield Hills, after which his father took over and rescued American Motors from bankruptcy as CEO. George Romney pre sided over the Detroit Stake of the Mormon Church, which Romney would identify with as his religious affiliation (Cohn). While in high school, Romney’s father was elected Governor of Michigan, for whom he worked as an intern in the Governor’s office. Taking on odds jobs, such as a security guard and an ice hockey team manager, Romney wished to assume his father’s role. Still in high school, Romney began dating his future wife Ann Davies, whom he decided to marry near the date of his graduation. After graduation, Romney attended Stanford University for one year, taking part in the campus’s conservative movement before going overseas as a Mormon missionary. After finishing his education at Brigham Young University with his wife, now Ann Romney, he pursued a joint J.D. /M.B.A. program at Harvard University. Romney remained in Massachusetts after graduating, working as a management consultant first independently and then for Bain & Company starting in 1977. R omney began a private equity investment firm with Bill Bain in 1984, called Bain Capital. In 1990, Romney returned to Bain & Company as CEO to restructure the firm facing collapse. In 1999, he took a position as CEO of the Salt Lake City Olympic Games Organizing Committee, leaving Bain Capital once again a tremendously successful company (DealBook). Romney’

Do Oil Prices influence Non-Oil Sector Stocks in Saudi Arabia Research Paper - 1

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The Impact of Apple Devices on Society Research Paper

The Impact of Apple Devices on Society - Research Paper Example From the discussion it is clear that Apple Inc is a renowned America-based multinational conglomerate operating in software as well as hardware industry. The head office of Apple is situated in Cupertino in the region of California. It was established in the year 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. It possesses in its assortment variety of products such as iPod, iTunes, iPhone, Apple TV, Mac accessories, and software to gratify customers’ desires. There are about 364 retail stores of Apple operating to present excellent products and /or services to its customers. In addition, the company employs approximately 60,400 employees across the globe to maintain its operations in an efficient way. As the paper highlights Apple has offered more attention to the facet of constant research and development to present various types of innovative products to the people. It facilitated Apple to expand its market share and profitability by a considerable extent. Moreover, it also improved the total sales of its products, thereby amplifying its supremacy in the market as portrayed in the figure below. The sales growth of the products of Apple is also shown in the below diagram, which reveals that the citizens across the globe highly prefer the products of Apple. In fact, the demand and the supremacy of the products of Apple amplified in recent years. Apple is recognized as one of the most successful brands in software market across the globe.

Localize Management in a foreignInvested company in China from the Essay

Localize Management in a foreignInvested company in China from the practical, cultural and strategical perspective - Essay Example This questionnaire is on your views regarding aspects pertaining to the "Localisation of Management", a research topic. The information collected will remain totally anonymous and confidential. Please fill in all the required details. Effort and time spent on completing it is greatly appreciated. .. ____________________________________________________________ 13. Do you think that internal programs for developing managers produce a better grade ofmanagement talent than other measures ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ 14. In terms of HR cost, is internal management development a more feasible means toacquire management talent ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ 15. Is the ability of a manager to understand the customs, tradition and communication stylesin working with employees important ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ 16. Does management in China require the understanding of the blending of Western stylepractices, where applicable, and Chinese principles ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ 17. Has converting the staff to think in more progressive terms with regard to performanceand operational style been a big hurdle ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ 18. It is the policy of our company to develop managers in the

Total Quality Management Case Essay Example for Free

Total Quality Management Case Essay Total Quality Management (TQM), is a management philosophy that gained its momentum in the 1980s. W. Edwards Deming, Joseph Juran, and Kaoru Ishikawa are the founders who set forth the fundamentals of total quality management. In a matter of a decades time total quality management turned into a social movement and gained a significant level of acceptance in the U.S management community (J. Richard Hackman, Ruth Wageman, 1995). The primary authorities of the total quality management movement are of the opinion that being in business is the main objective of any organization. This in turn helps in the stability of the community and provides a platform for the growth and satisfaction of the organization members (J. Richard Hackman, Ruth Wageman, 1995). Hence we can say that total quality management refers to a management process that involves everyone and all the activities in an organization to ensure that the customer requirements are met at the same time the goals of the organization are satisfied and helps in the self-improvement of employees. Total quality management has radically changed the way in which traditionally quality was handled. A comparison and contrast of the two approaches highlights the advantages of total quality management over the traditional style. Traditionally quality was defined internally in an organization. Products or services were assumed to be of good quality if the organization thought so. But according to total quality management customer satisfaction is the primary criteria to define quality. It was believed that poor quality was a resultant of poor and inefficient work exhibited by the workers but total quality management attributes the quality assurance to the management and not the workers alone. Apart from team building total quality management stresses on the principle that the efficiency of cross-functional teams increases quality. This is in contrast with the traditional thought of building teams and concentrating on high amount of efficient teamwork. Inspection was a common method used earlier to maintain quality but total quality management stresses more on assuring quality by enforcing certain processes. (TQM Vs Traditional management style. Retrieved on 04/27/2007, from http://www.leanmanufacturingconcepts.com/TQMVsTraditionalManagementStyle.htm) For a long period of time quality was localized to the organization where it was determined but in the recent times globalization is the buzzword. Economic globalization refers to the integration of the various markets across the world to promote their respective business. It is the exchange of capital, products and services at a global level. When we look at the impact that globalization has caused on quality the most striking feature is that quality must be demonstrated at a global comparison level. Globalization has led to the development of international trade and new opportunities for any business to grow and expand to become competitive in an international market. To survive in the international market there is a need for constant improvement in quality and other management practices. Globalization has brought with it high levels of competition and progress in technology and innovation that it becomes mandatory to adhere to international standards for quality assurance. The certification of the quality by an international body is one method to achieve it. Businesses involved in international trade rely on the government for developing national quality policies, which shows the nations quality consciousness that in turn, will be reflected in the international scenario. While applying total quality management in any organization, best practices must be developed and followed across the organization to realize the philosophy of total quality management. Some of the most commonly used techniques are described below. â€Å"Formation of short-term problem-solving teams with the overall objective of simplifying and streamlining work practices.† (J. Richard Hackman, Ruth Wageman, 1995) the problems addressed by these teams include issues in cross-functional involvement and with-in unit workflow problems (J. Richard Hackman, Ruth Wageman, 1995). While implementing total quality management in an organization there is a need for investing time and money in training the employees of the organization. â€Å"Top-Down implementation† is a very important practice that focuses on the philosophy that quality is the responsibility of top management (J. Richard Hackman, Ruth Wageman, 1995).   The top management is first introduced to the quality practices that are then passed on to the lower levels in the hierarchy. To know what are the customer preferences greatly helps in satisfying the customer hence it is necessary to device mechanisms to obtain customer data. Methods that can be used to obtain customer data include â€Å"toll-free complaint lines, market research firms and customer focus groups† (J. Richard Hackman, Ruth Wageman, 1995). â€Å"Competitive benchmarking and employee involvement† are features that are in the most recent times being used in implementing total quality management. Benchmarking is useful to understand customer requirements, In order to meet customer requirements it is some times essential to opt for alternatives in work processes and determining the goals that have to be achieved in terms of quality (J. Richard Hackman, Ruth Wageman, 1995). To aspire the employees of the organization to become more and more quality conscious it’s a good idea to introduce methods by which the employee can be involved in quality. Some of the well-known methods are celebration of quality related events and use of quality days or weeks to stress upon quality improvement. At the same time programs must be developed to ensure employee satisfaction by providing proper appraisals based on performance. Ultimately the implementation of total quality management in an organization should be in-sync with the fundamental philosophy of â€Å"†¦perpetual improvement in everything we do.† (Dexter A. Hansen) References Richard Hackman.J, Ruth Wageman (1995). Total Quality Management: Empirical, conceptual, and Practical Issues. Journal article Administrative Science Quarterly, 40 Total Quality Management Vs Traditional Style, retrieved date 04/27/2007 http://www.leanmanufacturingconcepts.com/TQMVsTraditionalManagementStyle.htm United nations economic commission of Europe, Best Practice in the Creation of Quality Systems for Enhancing Competitiveness of SMEs, retrieved on, http://www.unece.org/indust/sme/quality.html

The Nature of Evil Essay Example for Free

The Nature of Evil Essay 1: That which is morally bad or wrong, or that which causes harm, pain, or misery. 2: A force that is believed to cause wicked or bad things to happen. 3 A very unpleasant or harmful situation or activity. The existence of evil has been puzzling philosophers and leaders of all major religions for hundreds of years. The problem of evil is particularly challenging because Christianity was committed to the existence of a God that controls everything but at the same time acknowledged the real existence of evil. Some religions have tried to deal with the problem of evil by saying that it doesnt exist. In Hindu teaching evil is said to have no real existence instead being dismissed as phenomena. William Golding wrote The Lord of the Flies just after the Second World War, having witnessed the evil of this war he lost the belief that humans have an innocent nature; even children he learned are essentially evil. The Lord of the Flies challenges readers to attempt to develop their own views about the existence of evil in the human race. I found this quite challenging and after much deliberation it is my opinion that evil is within every human being because we all have the potential to be evil and that it is only laws and the threat of punishment that keeps people from behaving in an evil manner. This I why Roger in The Lord of the Flies acts the way he does. My theory that evil is within every human is also expressed in The Lord of the Flies through symbolism. I think that The Beast symbolises the evil that resides within man. I think that the children on the island were all aware that there is a beast on the island, but they thought that it was an actual living thing and didnt realise that it lies within them and that it is in their soul and mind leading them to chaos because of a society with no adults. Only Simon understands what the beast really is, but he is killed when he tries to tell the boys about the beast. Many people believe that Simon from The Lord of the Flies was mad and it is very hard to determine the difference between madness and evil. I dont think that Simon is mad at all; in fact he seems to me the most sane and logical of all the boys on the island. He is the one who tries to show the boys that there is no beast on the island and that the beast is actually the boys themselves. The theme of madness is explored in William Poes novel The Tell Tale Heart. The Tell Tale Heart is a story of domestic violence and it is hard to understand why it ends in the killing of a man. I think that it may have been caused by the narrators fear of the old mans eye; the narrator describes this eye as being pale blue with a film over it, and resembling that of a vulture. Because it is a short story we do not know why the narrator is so scared of the eye, but it is my belief that he is not actually fearful of the eye, and that he has pretended that he is frightened of it to justify the killing. I think this because the syntax suggests that the narrator has only just thought of the eye as a justification for the killing of the old man. for it was not the old man who vexed me, but his evil eye I think that the killing of the old man was evil but the narrator himself is not evil. I dont think that the narrator is evil because although to me and many people it is implausible that a man would kill another man just because of the way his eye looks but to other people this may seem quite plausible. What may drive one person to kill is very different to what will drive another person to kill. I think that Roger from The Lord of the Flies is a sadist who enjoys in hurting and causing pain. This is obvious from very early on in the novel where he knocks over the littluns sand castles and throws stones at them. Even before this I was quite weary of Roger after Goldings description of him. a slight, furtive boy whom no one knew, who kept to himself with an inner intensity of avoidance and secrecy the shock of black hair, down his nape and low on his forehead, seemed to suit his gloomy face and made what had seemed at first an unsociable remoteness into something forbidding. In the end it is Roger who pushes the boulder that kills Piggy. He joins Jacks anarchist group and becomes Jacks right-hand man. In The Lord of the Flies I believe that Jack is the leader of anarchy on the island. From the start of the novel he does not like abiding by rules of any kind. He simply wants to hunt and have a good time. Not seeming to care about being rescued, Jack and his tribe are examples of how without order and discipline we would all turn into savages. However Jacks form of anarchism is at odds with how anarchism is defined in the dictionary where it is said to be the political theory that is opposed to all forms of government. Anarchists believe that the highest attainment of humanity is the freedom of individuals to express themselves, unhindered by any form of repression or control from without. They hold that the perfection of humanity will not be attained until all government is abolished and each individual is left absolutely free. Jack is an anarchist in the sense that he tries to abolish Ralphs form of government, but he then tries to control how other people think and behave by setting up his own tribe. In many ways Jacks tribe is a lot like Adolf Hitlers fascist government in Germany. The way Jack persuaded the boys on the island to join him are very similar to the way that Hitler got people to join the Nazi Party. Like Hitler, Jack was an alternative to democratic policy (Ralphs government) and promised the boys a fun time. Also one of the main appeals of the Nazi Party was their organised appearance with their marches and uniforms. I think that this was also one of Jacks appeals, for example, when Jack and his tribe applied war paint the other boys were in awe of them and wanted to join them. By making these comparisons I think that William Golding was showing how extreme political views such as fascism may work in the short term and may be fun but that it is democracy that achieves the greatest results. In the beginning of the novel Jack, still conditioned by the previous society he had been a part of; could not bear to kill a pig. As the plot progresses he becomes less and less attached to what goes on in the civilised world and he subsequently becomes more extreme. Near the end, he feels no shame about the deaths of Simon and Piggy, or his attempt to kill Ralph and he gets his wish as his anarchy defeats Ralphs order. I think that the novel shows the reader how easy it is to revert back to the evil nature that is within every man when not living in a civilised environment with rules and discipline.

Marketing Strategies Of Insurance Sector Commerce Essay

Marketing Strategies Of Insurance Sector Commerce Essay The new detarotted pricing regime requires an altogether different underwriting model. None exists now. A new model has to be put in place with no prior experience. Underwriting, that was done by the tariff book till now, needs the application of a sharp human mind, professional expertise, keen knowledge of a particular risk, a sensitive analysis of risk factors and their evaluation, a reflection of the insurers own past claim experience in respect to similar risks accepted to predict the future loss potential of the risk assumed and a cultivated ability to build a rate model that provides a margin to the insurer. With no past experience to guide their efforts, how will the insurers now pick-up these underwriting skills, expertise and knowledge base in a short time? How can the employee mindset, that looked to tariffs for the premium rates be persuaded to look at and collect the vast data that is required to price risks to fit the perceived risk factors? What are insurers doing to make their specialized underwriters acquire these levels of skills, expertise and knowledge? It takes time to build expertise and experience but a beginning has to be made. An insurer is also forced now to redefine his identity either as a low-cost insurer and cut premium rates to stay in business or consciously build price differentiators, because he provides and delivers superior customer-perceived value. Such delivered value may not be financial, but it is highly efficient effective and convenient to an insured, due to the insurers specialized expertise, his particularized. PLACE OR DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS Distribution refers to the arrangements by which the product after manufacturing is moved till it reaches the customer. There are various intermediaries in every business like wholesalers, retailers, etc. In the service business, agents and brokers are intermediaries in the transaction. Insurance business is sold through agents as intermediaries. In India, the regulation provide that an insurance agent can represent only on life and one non-life insurer. An agent has to obtain a licence from the IRDA. Brokers also act as insurance intermediaries. But they are different from agents in the sense that they are independent businessmen either working alone or in partnership. Brokers may be found in the non-life insurance business helping customers whose insurance requirements are complex. They handle big risks and need superior financial and analytical skills. Intermediaries play a very significant role when the claim has to be settled. They have to see that the legitimate claim is duly paid without delays. The other intermediaries at the stage of the claim are: In the case of general insurance, surveyors and loss assessors, who are independent professionals, who are called upon to inspect the damages and losses claimed against. Motor accident claims tribunal to adjudicate on the quantum of compensation that should be paid to the victims of motor accidents. Lok Adalats consisting of judges, to enable expeditious summary disposal of long-pending disputes regarding claims. Review committees (in the LIC) at different levels, the top most being headed by a high court judge, to review claims which have been repudiated on grounds of misrepresentation of fraud. Other organizations like hospitals (for healthcare and medical insurances) or garages (for motor repairs) who facilitate the claims settlements. Direct Marketing Marketing of insurance products can also be done directly. The media used for direct marketing are: Direct mail. Letters sent to consumers on the basis of addresses available from sources like telephone directory, membership lists of clubs and professional associations, stock exchange brokers or registrars to companies. Telephone contacts Television programmes of relatively longer duration Advertisements and loose insertion in main line as well as professional and trade journals. Displays in conferences, services for specialized products linked to the themes of the seminars. Direct contact from the Insurers salaried staff. Stalls in exhibitions and sole exhibitions in remote areas. Call centres or Service centres Kiosks with touch technology Over the counter in big stores. In India, direct marketing is done by the LIC for its group gratuity and superannuation business. In non-life insurance business, almost the entire business from corporate bodies had been done through direct marketing. This business was solicited by the officers of the insurers and not through agents. The internet has opened up new possibilities in direct marketing. Insurance is being used for the following purposes. To provide basic information about available plans to prospects. To provide answers to frequently asked questions about insurance. To provide details of nearest location of insureds representative To provide quotations for premium and for loans To provide information to policyholders about policy status, pending requirements, etc. For premium collection To sell simple policies like personal accident, medical householders pure endowment, annuities, etc. Work Site Marketing This area needs to be tapped, as in any country one of the biggest markets is through the work site. With changes in human resources management policies and compensation packages, group products or work site products do have a definite market that cannot be ignored. Here the advantages would be: Captive customer base Potential to sell individual insurance and group insurance High trust factor High hit ratio for the intermediaries The challenges would be the cost effectiveness, product customization and efficient post-sales servicing, which would determine continued business. Technology has a key role to play in work site marketing to ensure cost benefits. Banks and financial institutions have been successfully marketing credit cards and other financial products using this channel. If not an identical model a similar approach can be used for selling insurance. Internet Through India is joining the fast growing breed of net users, using net for transactions has not yet caught up. Though a few banks provide online banking the usage is still a small fragment. The insecurity associated with transactions over the net is still an inhibiting factor. At present, most of the insurance companies have product information and/or illustrative tools on the Web. We do not see the web evolving into a means for direct selling of insurance in the current scenario. In the Indian market, where insurance is sold after considerable persuasion even after face-to-face selling, the selling over the net, which must be initiated by the client, would take some more time. While the technology capability is there, improvements in bandwidth and infrastructure are needed. Also needed are simpler products where auto-underwriting is possible. Automobile insurance, one of the segments of insurance purchased off the shelf in India, would be the ideal segment to start with. On the life side, term assurance for standard lives with simplified underwriting is a possibility. These channels by themselves will not be able to overcome the mindset of the people, but rather can only be enablers for the human channels. Invisible Insurer In this model, the insurance company or its representative is not the entity marketing the products. The insurance cover is sold by an automobile/credit card company as an add-on product leveraging the brand of the retailer. The risk is carried by the insurance company, which underwrites it. Products like creditor insurance, automobile insurance, and credit card related insurance could be distributed using this channel. This model can be adopted in all market segments for the lines of business mentioned. It is already prevalent in some areas like credit card insurance and crop insurance for agriculture loans. The new players are also attempting this model. The venture of Maruti9 into insurance by setting up two subsidiaries MIDS10 and MIBL11 to sell automobile insurance is a case in point. These firms will largely arrange insurance cover for Marutis captive base. MIDS has been registered as a corporate agent with an exclusive arrangement with Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, while MIBL has linked up with state-owned National Insurance Company Limited. What makes these arrangements attractive is the low distribution cost and captive customer base. However, repeat business or renewal business cannot be assured. In the life segment, group creditor insurance may be the most suitable product for this channel. The postal department started selling life insurance policies way back in 1884 to people working in public sector undertakings and government departments. In 1995, postal department was allowed to sell policies to the general public living in rural areas. The postal life insurance ranks second only to LIC in transacting life insurance business. Last year, business of postal department was higher than of all private life insurers put together. On an all India basis, they sold 27 lakh policies and earned a premium income of Rs. 650 crores. USP is a lower premium and higher bonus, but what is unique is that they dont have any insurance agents selling postal life insurance policies. The business is promoted by a few designated staff and is managed by a separate directorate. PROMOTION The purpose of promotion is to communicate with the market. Promotion tries to influence attitudes and receptivity to eliminate misconceptions and thus to more sales. The IRDA has issued guidelines about advertisements by insurers and the agents or brokers in newspapers, magazines, sales talks, bill boards, hoardings, panels, radio, television, websites, e-mail, portals, leaflets, literature, circulars, sales and flyers, telephone solicitation, business cards, videos, faxes or other communication with a prospect or policyholder urging him to purchase, renew, increase or modify a policy of insurance. The main requirements are: The advertisement programme has to be overseen by an officer responsible for compliance with the regulations. A copy of every advertisement should be filled with the IRDA. Advertisements should disclose the full particulars of the insurer, as well as the form number and type of coverage of the policy referred to. Display the registration/licence numbers on their websites. No third party, other than insurer or authorized intermediary can distribute information or recommended purchase of specific insurance products. Advertisements should not be unfair or misleading. Along with the advertisements, publicity is also an equally strong medium of promotion. In the case of services, the most effective form of publicity is the word of mouth. But both advertisements and publicity can create awareness and also arouse curiosity or interest. These are not powerful enough to generate desire or to provoke action. Thus public relations become important. Public relations refer to separate, planned and sustained efforts made with a view to establish and maintain mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and its prospective customers. PR tools include; all the tools of publicity, lobbying, journals/newsletters, sponsorship of sports and other activities, special drives, entertainment, lunches and dinners, etc. PEOPLE People are the most critical resource in any organization. Without people, no other resource can perform. An employee, who is dissatisfied or worried, may not apply himself fully at work. At the same of interaction with the customer, the employee is alone. The insurance service is judiciary in nature. Thus credibility or trustworthiness, in the perception of the customer, is crucial. The employee can strengthen or erode this. Critical Success Factors for Insurance Change in the Attitude of the Population. There is need for a change in the attitude of the people towards insurance. Insurance is taken just as a tool for tax-saving. But insurance can be taken as shield around their families and business for any unknown calamity and also now-a-days insurance provides good investment opportunity. Thus people have to be made aware about the risk coverage and investment part of the insurance. Open and Transparent Environment created under the IRDA. Insurance as a sector requires players who are financially strong and are willing to wait for returns. Their confidence can only be boosted only if there are open and transparent policy guidelines. This will also help the consumers feel stage that the regulatory is an active one and cares to do everything possible to keep things under control and help the insurance environment grow maturely. Well-established Distribution Network. Bancassurance is becoming more and more popular. Public sector banks like SBI, PNB, etc. have huge network because of their long existence. Therefore they can be successful. Trained Professionals. Initially only insurance agents were considered to be the best salesmen for insurance products. But now with Privatisation and Globalisation more and more professionalism is required in sales efforts. Private players have professional qualified sales force. Rationale Approach to the Investment Criteria. IRDA has guidelines for the investment pattern of the insurance companies to meet its social obligations. But the players feel this compulsion to be unjust and it affects their return on investments. The more the people insured, better the revenue, better the security and ultimately better the morale and productivity. Stringent Accounting Practice to Prevent Failures amongst the Insurers. Insurer has the hard-earned money of the masses. Failure of any of the insurer for any reason can have disastrous effects. To prevent such possibility, a stringent accounting practice is imperative. Level Playing Field for all Insurers. Government should provide unbiased environment to all the insurance players, so that everybody has equal opportunities. With coming of private players, LIC is also focusing on advertising and has become one of the biggest advertisers of its products via using wide range of products, i.e., print and electronic media, sponsoring events, road shows, etc. LIC is focusing both on mass marketing and segmentation strategy. Main focus of promotion activities is one tax benefit and returns from insurance. LIC is focusing on CRM. Challenges for Public and Private Sector Companies Public Sector Companies Private Sector Companies Identity is well established, but the perception of poor service providers is a stigma. Products are not attractive and flexible enough but expensive. To retain their creamy layer clientele who are the most likely to be wooed by the new companies Retain and attract good intermediaries. Match the aura created by the new companies in the urban market. Have to build their identity in a market where the public does not distinguish them. Remove the perception that anything that looks good as expensive. Work against the peoples mindset that they are not here for the long term. Attract intermediaries especially agents with the requisite qualifications and attributes who can market the company and the product. Run the risk of tapping an already insured market for repeat insurance instead of tapping new virgin pockets in the market. MARKETING STRATEGIES OF INSURANCE PLAYERS IN INDIA Introduction of innovative products and services focusing on targeted customer segment. Use the concept of CRM and develop relationship with customers to retain the existing customer and make new customers. Availing the products and services at low cost and with short times. Insurance players have to focus on employees by focusing on their skills and motivating them for continuous improvements in process capabilities, quality and response times. Taking the help of information technology, database and systems in an optimum manner. Punch Line of Some Players Life Insurance corporation of India ICICI Prudential ING Vyasa Birla Sun Life HDFC Standard OM Kotak Mahindra Tata AIG Max New York Bajaj Allianz AMP Sanmar Life is Beautiful. Zindegi ke sath bhi, Zindegi ke bad bhi. We cover you at every step in life. Adding life to insurance Your dreams, our commitment Making life easier for you Jeene ki Azaadi With you always Your Partner for Life We cover almost everything Creating better futures Marketing Strategies of Prominent Insurance Players Life Insurance Corporation of India : LIC is the leader in the insurance sector with around 83% market share. LIC has tied up with corporation bank and Vijaya Bank for distribution of its product. LIC has computerized and linked all 2,048 branches. LIC was the first to introduce online premium payment facilities. LIC is focusing on rural market because of its established brand name. ICICI Pru Life. ICICI Pru is the major competitor of LIC. It has the maximum market share among private players. Companies using tools like workstation marketing, corporate marketing, road shows and stall in trade fair, loading, etc. Its strategy is to achieve scale in premium income and distribution force in shortest time. Focus is more on direct selling apart from communication and building personal relations. Company is marketing at worksite and for corporate customers ha adopted a multichannel distribution model. Company is selling its products as long-term investment plans. Max New York Life (MNYL). Max New York Life is operating with 2,500 agents spread in activities in India. It is using individual agents as its primary source of distribution. It offers flexible products with many options, and riders. The company is using various methods like media advertising, event sponsorship, etc. and tools like direct marketing relationship building to generate awareness and build customer base. The company focuses on the quality of its first sales personnel, i.e., agents. MetLife. MetLife is a global leader in the financial services and it has tied up with Geojet Infolin technologies for marketing and distribution of its products in India. It has followed the strategy of phase-wise introduction of products in the market. It has Bundle method of offering products which includes investment options ranging from insurance, equities, derivatives, mutual funds and TPOs. The market segment on which MetLife is focusing is South India and JK. Tata AIG. The company is following mass marketing to cover as many as lives as possible in the initial years of its operation. It has expertise in assessing the risk covered. Bajaj-Allianz. It is giving competition to public sector general insurance companies. Its main focus is on automobile. Its advertisements are appearing in local newspapers, television and hoarding. Birla-Sun Life. It is focusing mainly on high net worth people so that higher sum assured can be taken up. SBI Standard Life Its products are simple. It is doing branch-wise segmentation. Average size of the policies is smaller. HDFC Standard Life. HDFC is the leader in housing finance in India and Standard Life is the UK market leader. The company is using direct marketing tactics to build HDFC brand and convincing the customers insurance as a protection tool. The insurance sector has gained momentum with the entry of private players. Rather than taking away the market share of existing players, the new players have actually helped expand the insurance market. Their ability to offer innovative products aggressive marketing, as well as the general uptrend in economic growth, have given a boost to the industry. In fact, more players, with public sector banks and leading industrialists jumping into the fray. We take a look at the two major segments life and general to see how the major players are faring.

Buenos Aries Essays -- essays research papers fc

The capital of the country, Buenos Aires is also Argentina's leading city in population, commerce, and industry. It is located near the Atlantic Ocean coast, on the broad Rà ­o de la Plata, an estuary at the mouth of the Paranà ¡ and Paraguay rivers. The early Spanish colonists named the city for the "good winds" that brought them to the port. Today about 10 million people live in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area, one of the largest in the world. The city proper makes up a federal district, and its mayor is appointed by the nation's president. The city is not a part of Buenos Aires province, which surrounds it. The City--Its People and CommerceGreater Buenos Aires is made up of many settlements that grew together. The oldest European center lay in the neighborhood of the present Plaza de Mayo, a large plaza in the downtown area. Streets in the city were laid out according to a grid pattern described in the Cà ³digo de las Indias, a legal document followed by the Spaniards in settling the Western Hemisphere. The original grid is today surrounded by Balcarce, 25 de Mayo, Viamonte, Libertad, Salta, and Estados Unidos streets. Growth of the city first followed the high elevations, along which ox- and horse-drawn two-wheeled carretas carried freight and which the modern main avenues and the rail lines also follow. The most recent developments in the city are the industrial sectors that extend from the old center southward, such as Dock Sud, La Boca, Barracas, Pinero, and Lanà ºs. The Paranà ¡ River plays an important role in the life of Buenos Aires. Oranges, grapefruit, cherries, plums, and vegetables are raised in its delta area. Vacation housing is widespread, and on weekends thousands of people fill the area to engage in recreational activities. The Paranà ¡ not only provides recreation, but also links the hinterlands with Buenos Aires and supplies water to the population. The central business district has high-rise office buildings and retail stores. Automobiles are not allowed on the Calle Florida, and shoppers roam its elegant stores, coffee houses, and hotels. The nearby Calle Reconquista is the financial center. Outside the central business district much of the surrounding city has attractive cobblestone streets bordered by large, elegant houses and small shops. Many parks and local shopping districts blend in with the residential areas. Various... ...ce of hostile Indians. It was not until 1580 that Juan de Garay, a colonist from Asuncià ³n, established what became the first permanent community at Buenos Aires. The city did not really begin to develop, however, until the late 1700s. In response to British and Portuguese expansion in the area and increased smuggling, Buenos Aires was made the seat of a Spanish viceroyalty in 1776. In the early 19th century Buenos Aires was a major center for the movement to free the country from Spain. The city leaders had foreseen great economic advantages from the free trade that independence would bring. After independence the city grew rapidly as the center of Argentine political power. In 1880 it was made the permanent capital of the republic. Through World War I the city benefited from a stable economy and substantial foreign immigration. During and after World War II heavy industrial growth contributed to the city's expansion and reinforced its political and economic dominance of the country. Population (1986 estimate), federal district, 2,924,000. BibliographyComptons Encylcopedia Online - Aol Keyword: ComptonsThe Learning Company - Aol.Keyword: LearnMagellan Maps - Yahoo.com: maps

Chaucer and the Catholic Church :: essays papers

Chaucer and the Catholic Church The Catholic Church, which governed England, Ireland, and the entire Continent of Europe, had become extremely wealthy by the late fourteenth century. The cathedrals that grew up around shrines to saint’s relics were incredibly expensive to build. The amount of gold that went into decorating them surpassed the riches in the noble’s chest. Moreover the boxes used to hold the relics were more jewel-encrusted than the kings crown. In a Century of disease, plague, and scarce labor, the sight of a Church ornamented with unused gold seemed unfair to the people. Considering the Churches great display of material wealth, it suddenly seemed hypocritical for them to preach against greed. There is a two way process where the Church has an influence on the society and the society influences the Church. This is because it is the people from the society who make up the Church. Those same people became the characters the Geoffrey Chaucer used in The Canterbury Tales. In the general prologue, various pilgrims are introduced, a Nun, a Munk, and a Friar, all remarkable figures of the Church. They represent distinct areas of Christianity, with some holding to strict worship of Christ and others clearly disobeying the laws. As the prologue continues, more characters are introduced, a Summoner and a Pardoner who represent the corruption of the Church. The Summoner is unlawful, unfaithful to the Church and engages in un-christian like behaviors, such as having sexual relations with prostitutes. While the Pardoner is a dishonest person who shows no doubts about passing off false items as the relics of saints. Basically conning people of their money by making them believe that they have sinned and need to buy pardons.

Lvmh Case Study

The key question in this case is can LVMH continue to successfully manages of its different brands while making sure they are all profitable. I like the focus that the company puts on its â€Å"star brands†. Focusing on the brands that continue to grow and bring in profits will help the company stay profitable. While focusing on the star brands is a good strategy it is far from all that LVMH needs to do to be a successful conglomerate. It appears that in the fashion world human resources are the most valuable asset that a company can have, and LVMH needs to do a much better job treasuring these assets.The conglomerate damages its image and its profitability by mistreating its creative talent. The conglomerate’s image is damaged because key creative personnel, which in a sense are the face of the different brands, leave and publicize why they left which tarnishes the conglomerate’s image thus making it harder to attract the best talent in the market. The conglomer ate’s profitability is jeopardized because they lose the designers that make the products that make the companies profitable.LVMH could strengthen their relationships with the smaller companies by creating incentive programs that not only compensate based on volume of sales but incentive programs that compensate based on sales growth and maintained profitability. With this new incentive program the company would have more opportunity to recognize the Michael Kors of the company. LVMH should focus more on economies of scope. In some cases like advertising it appears the conglomerate uses its size and power to reduce the cost to the individual companies; however I feel that the conglomerate could do much more to reduce costs and increase profits for the firms.They could be using their negotiating power to force suppliers into lower prices. They should encourage the individual companies to work together and provide ideas for each other this way they can strengthen relationships among the companies and create a more unified feel for the conglomerate. Finally LVMH should make sure that they are avoiding managerialism. They need to make sure the companies that are acquired are actually valuable to the conglomerate as a whole and that they are not cannibalizing profits from one or more of the current companies.

Summer Romance (Anti-Gravity Love Song)

Jazz is a style of music that integrates with strong, convoluted rythms. Jazz is traces its origins from the basic principles of Blues music. It is solely based on a pattern of succession of two or more distinct sounds, wherein the a sound of a particular instrument is complemented by the other in perfect harmony. Jazz also highly involves emotion in playing. This may vary according to the mood, experience, and interactions with other people. In this sense jazz's key components may be augmented when played.The piece, Summer Romance (Anti-Gravity Love Song) is a Jazz piece performed by the band Incubus. The musical piece, though performed by contemporary musicians, arranged the piece with respect to the conventional elements of Jazz. The song is a harmony of string instruments accompanied by drums and percussion plus a saxophone to add more emotion. The piece, according to Sara Shaw insinuates a lively feel similar to the implications of Disco Music during the 1970sSummer Romance (Ant i-Gravity Love Song) is a song that brings out a â€Å"Jazzy† feel. Its tempo is is not as fast to cause an adrenalin rush, however, the beat of the drums and the percussion compliments are enthusiastic to provoke a listener to dance into the song. The song Summer Romance (Anti-Gravity Love Song) applies the musical concept of an ensemble, particularly of a quintet. The string instruments, percussions and brass instruments are accompanied by vocals that complete the musical piece.However, as far as texture is concerned an additional string instrument such as a jazz guitar could provide more rhythm to add more ebullience to the piece. The tempo is just moderate enough for the piece and the saxophone solo is the icing to the cake. The lack of rhythm did not hinder the piece to express its feel nor the idea that it suggests. Works Cited Shaw Sara. â€Å"Music For Once That Has Meaning† 8 July 2001. Amazon. co. uk. 28 November 2007 http://www. dooyoo. co. uk/music-records/ s-c-i-e-n-c-e-incubus/296431/

Life and Cemetery Essay

The cemetery that I visited was the Benedictine University Cemetery. It is a cemetery on campus where all of the reverends, pastors, and important religious idols affiliated with the school, are buried. The cemetery has a path that runs through the middle of it and it leads up to a statue of Jesus Christ on the cross. This is not a grave, but more a religious centerpiece that the eyes can focus on. Around the centerpiece are many rows of crosses. In front of those crosses are head stones in the ground of the deceased. I wondered if the people who had crosses were more important religiously than those who do not have crosses. To really take in everything the cemetery has to offer though, I used all five of my senses. One of the best ways to really understand what something is is to investigate it using all of your five senses. This is exactly what I did. I looked at all of my surroundings, smelled, tasted the air (more imaginative), touch, and hear what my environment has to offer. What do you see when you walk into a cemetery? Do the images that you see help you perceive and feel something specific? As I walked into the cemetery, I saw rows upon rows of crosses. Jesus Christ is the center piece of the cemetery. When I walked in, I walked underneath a row of coniferous pine trees. I actually found this very interesting; because if you think about it, coniferous pine trees, in a sense â€Å"don’t die†. They live throughout the winter and the summer; an all year round. Can this be a symbol of the human soul living past the point of the body dying? That was the only type of shrubbery that I saw in the cemetery, besides the fake flowers, which also live longer than normal flowers. A cemetery is a place of deep thought and transition. It was interesting to see the birds swoop in and out of the trees without a care in the world while death surrounds them in every which way. Then my mind started to drift off again. Why do humans bury their dead? I know it is to commemorate the dead, but can’t that be done in a manner that doesn’t in a sense, ‘waste less land’? Now I am not trying to be disrespectful in any sense at all, but once the body is dead, why keep it? If you think about it, cemeteries use so much land for the dead. I feel like we are celebrating death, even though the whole meaning behind a cemetery is for remembrance. Honestly, when I drive by a cemetery, I am filled with grief. When in a cemetery, death is upon us. Even in the light, a dark stage inhabits a bright time. I think the most discrete way to investigate a cemetery is the stop and smell your surroundings. What does your nose take in? When I visited, I took in the smell of fresh pine, from the coniferous pines. I took a deep breath and felt very relaxed. Am I supposed to be feeling so relaxed in a cemetery? Doesn’t relaxation go against everything that a cemetery stands for? Wouldn’t one think that you would smell death? Well this is what I thought. But I guess I was wrong. I think that the ‘smell of death’ is more something that you get from horror movies. Plus, it all might just be in our minds when someone states, ‘that smells like death’. What would death taste like? The question should be more like, who would want to taste death? I’m pretty sure that everyone would have to agree with that statement. Others would say it might taste like something rotten, or moldy. I think I am going to have to agree with the statement saying that no one wants to taste death. Most everyone has heard the saying, â€Å"the touch of death†. Well, what does it feel like to touch death? Is it physically touching the deceased, or having death touch you in a sense? Having touched the deceased is indeed touching death, but does it have a meaning behind it? I believe that just being in the presence of death is overwhelming. It takes you to a place that you don’t normally go. You start to worry about family members and ultimately, changing the way that you live your day to day life. You start thinking about not seeing loved ones again, and you treat people with more respect. I think that people realize their selfish behavior when death touches them. I know that this is what happened to me when I went to a funeral; and it wasn’t even for one of my family members. The weird thing is that these are the feelings that I had when I was in the cemetery. Being in the cemetery I felt very relaxed and had I questions and feelings that completely contradicted everything that I felt at the funeral. Sound is a strong sense. Not that they aren’t all, but sound influences reactions in a shocking manner. It can scare you, startle you, or even soothe you. The birds swooping in and out of the trees, chirping, were very relaxing sounds. The swoosh of the wind blowing the trees back and fourth clams you. Other than the birds and the sound of the wind, the cemetery was motionless, and soundless. It was calming and eerie at the same exact time. The most impressive thing about the Benedictine University Cemetery was the massive statue of Jesus Christ that was the centerpiece of the area. The statue towered over the cemetery. The overwhelming size of the statue made you think that there were things out there that were more important than you, or your life. Maybe, I thought, the idea of the statue is to make people stop and take a moment out of their lives to think about the lives of others. It is impressive to think that an intimate object could make you stop your busy life to think about the deceased. I walked up to the statue and just stared. I was in awe. I looked at what surrounded it and saw numerous head stones. I read the head stone and saw that they were for pastors and fathers from the school. The names on the head stones were names that I have seen before. They were the names that the dormitories were named after. These people must have done something very amazing to still be recognized many years later. That notion in itself is very impressive indeed. This can be related to what we are learning in class with Aquinas. He asks the question, â€Å"If we are not just pure spirits, what are we after death? † (Aquinas). Well, the soul retains its identity when it separated from the body. It is the relationship to the body that individualizes the soul. The soul has a transcendental relationship to the body. This means that the relationship goes beyond time and space. I think that this relationship, the transcendental relationship between the soul and the body begins when the body ends. This relationship continues and is celebrated in a cemetery. The soul continues on after the body has passed away. Another question that Aquinas answers is the ever important, â€Å"Is the human soul incorruptible? † (Aquinas). Yes, the human soul is immortal, and incorruptible. It will live forever, past the life of the body. Man has a natural desire for immortality; and though it may not happen with the matter or body, it will happen with the soul. The soul is not composed of matter it is a pure act, without matter. I think that a cemetery is a way to get people who visit to think about these things. A cemetery is supposed to be a reassurance about a loved one that is lost. They are still alive, just not in body form. When I think about this now, I wonder why I never thought about this before. Now that I think about it, it makes me think about why a cemetery is actually a relaxing place to be. When you put the pieces of the puzzle together, it all makes sense. After my visit to the cemetery, it opened my eyes to a new way to view the way life is lived. This experience was very uplifting. At first, I wasn’t so sure why a visit to the cemetery would give me any benefit. I guess that I was wrong. I have contradicting thoughts about the cemetery, for example, I feel that it is a waste of a large amount of land and I also think that it is a relaxing place to go. The weird thing is that both of these statements are true. We could build a place that is relaxing, that maybe isn’t so large that still serves the same function that a cemetery does. If one were to make a pros and cons list, a cemetery will serve more pros then cons. The only way that I realized this is with this assignment. But with the assignment, I understand what I am supposed to get out of life better than what I did before my visit. Before my visit to the cemetery I believed that you were just supposed to live a long happy life, and that was about it. Be happy everyday, and enjoy life as it is handed to you. I didn’t really think twice about what was going to happen after my life is over. But, after my visit to the cemetery, my thoughts staggered in a whole new direction. I started to think long term, and how I would feel when my time came to ‘go’. Sure, you are supposed to live your life to the fullest, but is that the only thing you are supposed to think about? What about your soul? What about that connection? These are the questions that ran through my mind after my visit to the cemetery. From this experience I think that I can honestly say that I have delved deeper into the meaning of life. When looking around the cemetery, I started to think about all the people that have come and gone through and that all that are still here, the deceased. What can death tell us about the individual? Is it just what is written on the head stones? Or is it something more? I think death gives us a glance upon the individual as a whole. Although it is hard to know all of the accomplishments that someone has achieved if you didn’t know them or one of their family members. I think that it is interesting that the people that are buried in the Benedictine University cemetery are people of stature. But eventually it won’t matter what or who you were, because all of our bodies are going to end up the same way. Our souls do not have a hierarchy, but it seems that our bodies do. This is another point that death helped me recognize. Overall, what does the meaning of life mean? Is it just a cycle that happens to everyone? Born then gone again? I’m sure society doesn’t see it like that. Birth is viewed as a beautiful thing, a miracle. But death is horrible. Something that is tragic. But I think that death is thought of as horrible because of the many misconceptions that surround it. The soul is immortal, so the only thing that is dying is the house that connects the soul and the body. We still live on past our body expiration date, but I don’t think that everyone realizes this. It is important that we shed light on these ideas about death so that it isn’t seen as such a horrible thing. It is sad yes, but horrible in every sense? No, not at all. Life is important, but the opposite end, death, is just as important. I think that we must understand death to understand life. Both go hand in hand and everyone in this world experiences both life and death, whether they are positive or negative. There are pros and cons for everything and both must be looked at in order to maintain a healthy state of mind when experiencing either one.

Abbey policy holders Essay

But the massive loss suffered by Abbey in 2003 has affected shareholders. At a time where other banks are making record profits (Royal Bank of Scotland recorded 6.2 billion profit before tax9), the Abbey shareholders may not even receive any spare capital that has came from the sale of assets in the wholesale bank. As Abbey sold off over 80 per cent of the assets of the wholesale bank, analysts were hoping that Abbey could return between 1.2bn and 1.5bn to investors via a special dividend or share buy back. However, the chief executive of Abbey, Luqman Arnold was said to be â€Å"increasingly cautious† about the amount of cash that would be released due to regulatory changes. Whether or not this will affect the position of the shareholders is still unknown. Customers are an important group of stakeholders for Abbey. They are outside stakeholders. Communicating with them is a vital part of Abbey’s strategic plan. They do this by advertising on various mediums, (television, radio, etc). This has proved successful in the past, as Abbey have won various awards for their â€Å"Plain English† approach. This strategy of not using banking terminology was very successful. However, should customers not be satisfied, there is also a customer relations unit available to help solve disputes. But a recent development regarding profits has upset many customers. For the second year in a row, those customers with a â€Å"with-profits† policy will not receive their annual bonus. There will also be higher exit penalties for those who choose to leave the with-profit policy, which could reach up to 10 per cent. This affects nearly 400.000 of Abbey policy holders.  According to Abbey’s employee report â€Å"Employee involvement and effective communication remain vital to {our} success.† 10 There are various means of communication, from an intranet site, to a quarterly magazine (abbeyview). There are a growing amount of concerns among the staff in Abbey however, in the amount of job losses that are occurring within the organisation. As part of their return to traditional banking, Abbey has been cutting a vast number of jobs, many in the fund management sector. Many jobs have gone abroad to India. This has caused conflict not only amongst employees, but among the general public also, who are outside stakeholders of Abbey also. They see it as downsizing and taking jobs away from Britain. Recently, eight executive directors of Abbey have been paid à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.8 million made up of cash bonuses and shares between them, at a time when the company has suffered massive losses. The bank’s staff got an average of about six percent of their salary as a bonus last year, which was a rise of two percent from a year earlier. A member of the ANGU, (Abbey National General Union) said â€Å"Staff were very pleased with the bonus that was paid out in a difficult year. However, in light of what management received it wasn’t very much†. This could lead to further problems in the future. Conclusion Abbey are still in the middle of a three year turnaround, so are asking their stakeholders to bear with them. But with the massive losses, and the seeming disregard for employees, shareholders and customers alike, they may find that it will take longer than three years to have their strategy.

Decision Making Models Essay

Managers have the responsibility of making decisions within that guide and provide direction to their organizations. Although decisions may be made by individuals, groups, or teams, it is the manager who coordinates the process of decision making. Managers make use of various decision making models to effectively steer the organizations. It is worth to noting that there is no one model or style that is always right or perfect in decision making. This is so because different people are successful and satisfied using different styles. There are two major broad models of decision making. These are the deterministic and probalistic models. The deterministic models result in good decisions with good outcomes. The manager using this model is able to get what he/she expects i. e. the out come is risk free. In probabilistic decision models, the expected results are uncertain and thus making good decision may not necessarily lead to good outcomes. The probabilistic decision making model is characterized by more concern with both the outcome value and the amount of risk each decision carries. All other effective decision making models can be classified as either deterministic or probabilistic model. The other subcategories of decision making models are mechanical, mental/verbal, analytical, and simulation. These models are classified based on such characteristics such as types, evolution in time, and availability of information (McCall M. , and Kaplan, R. (2001). ). Mechanical models take physical appearance of the object. They are used to display or test the design of items ranging from new buildings to new products. Mental/verbal models are also important and can be used to verbalize decision strategies for more complicated decision making models. The other model is analytical model which is a mathematical model and aimed at simplification, abstraction of real systems to give insight and understanding to some interested aspect of reality (Klein G. , et al. , (Ed. ) (1993). The analytical models are applicable to the deterministic systems. A simulation model is the last model that I am going to address. Simulation models are the computerized duplications of real systems and are seen to be more realistic, especially when modeling dynamic/probabilistic systems e. g. as used in aviation industry. Current Application Decision making models have assisted managers a lot in making viable decisions within the organization. The models discussed above have been implemented by individuals within organizations to come up with good decisions. For instance, the mental/verbal model has been used to aid in problem identification, in the development phase as well as the selection phase of decision making. Decision support system (DSS) has found usage in air-line management. Decision support systems and the models have been used to make decision both under risk, certainty, and even conflict in organizations. Other applications of the decision making models include the DSS for fiber optic Network Architecture Design and application of technology to cardiovascular diagnosis. Decision making models have also been used in forecasting with examples such as regression models and Box-Jenkins models. In brief, the use of effective decision making models by mangers has helped organizations to improve their businesses as a result of quality decision. The various effective decision making models used by mangers have both benefits and drawbacks or challenges associated with them. Mechanical decision making models have the advantage of being usable for experimentation. Mechanical models are credited for clearly describing the problem of system under study and thus results in innovative designs alternatives for decision making. Mechanical models also have some challenges in that they do not contain explicit relationships between the decision alternatives and dependant variables or objectives Mental/verbal models make the manager unable to experiment with them and cannot be used to show how outcomes or measures of effectiveness change with decision alternatives. It is also not possible to show how the relationships change with the decision alternatives. These models have the advantage of being easy to understand. They are also based on many years of managerial experience (Klein G. , et al. , (Ed. ) (1993). The advantages of analytical models include that they aim at simplification and bring understanding to some interested aspect of reality. They can also help to test the effects of different decision alternatives, constants and parameter values more easily than with any other type of model. They can also analyze complex problems efficiently and concisely, and in many cases provide the cheapest way to analyze these problems. Although they are the most prevalent models in use today they may not be easily accepted by managers who lack training, experience and time to use them. Simulation models have a high degree of abstraction and as such many managers do not want to work with them. The reason of this could be lack of enough training in and exposure to those models. The other reason is that trained managers may lack sufficient time to pay attention to model. Despite these drawbacks the models are beneficial in the sense that in comparison to the mechanical model they can facilitate experimentation because both the independent variables, dependent variables, constants and parameters are explicitly related by language of mathematics.