Organization as a Metaphor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Organization as a Metaphor - Essay Example Openness of an organization to inquiry and also self-assessment inculcates this capability in the top management to take the organization to the next level by showing creativity and innovation. When an organization displays these qualities of a brain, it transforms into a learning system that can be self-organized. This is not only very convenient for the organizational personnel, but also one of the fundamental pre-requisites for the success and growth of organizations in the contemporary age where competition is very high and organizations need competitive advantage in order to earn the trust and confidence of the stakeholders and excel in the market. Using this metaphor as a lens and analyzing the current state of the organization through this lens, it becomes apparent that the strategies of the top management controlling the organization change rapidly, and this has an effect on everybody in the hierarchy of the organizational structure from top to bottom. This has mixed effects on the organizational culture. ... ise the level of motivation of the organizational personnel as least just as much as they invest their time and effort in identifying new ways in which the organization can be changed. It must be realized that organizational personnel fundamentally play the role of wheels upon which the vehicle of organization travels, so keeping them fully functional is no less important than fueling the organization with innovative ideas. Having such a detailed in-sight into my organization with the help of the developed metaphor suggested by Morgan, I have identified several potential strengths and drawbacks of my organization, as well as a way to eradicate the drawbacks and instead, change the risks into opportunities. Change is an integral element for an organization to qualify as â€Å"a brain† and there is a wide range of literature that reveals that change is something that is not much appreciated by the organizational personnel owing to the fact that it challenges their interests and may not let the circumstances remain favorable for the attainment of their individualistic interests. Change management requires sound leadership and management skills on the part of the top management. One way in which change can be managed effectively is by identifying the collective motivation factors for the organizational workforce as a whole and determining the individualistic motivational factors for the workers whose performance matters the most. Performance of the employees in an organization is fundamentally controlled by their level of motivation. The higher the level of motivation, the better the performance of the employees and vice versa. Various theories of motivation have been proposed to date to help the management identify the ways in which employees can be satisfied more. These

Inherit the Wind Essay Example for Free

Inherit the Wind Essay Inherit the Wind, a play written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, was first produced as regional theater in 1955. It is based on an actual trial held in Tennessee over 30 years earlier. The central theme of the play is not religion versus Darwinism. The character Henry Drummond tells the audience the theme when he says that the right to think is on trial. Religion is a metaphor and the motifs come to reveal how and why the right to think is being tried. Drummond makes his case convincingly in several ways. This paper will recount some of the arguments bolstering his thesis. The idea that religion has the right to quash any science which seems to contradict its teachings goes back well over a thousand years. Some of the greatest scientific minds ever known were arrested, prosecuted and murdered in the name of religion. The citizens of this country have not only freedom of religion, but also a tacit freedom from religion. This play examines whether it is constitutional to ban the teaching of science in opposition to biblical canon. In a broader perspective, however, the play, deviating from reality, is a metaphor for all forms of thought crime, such as was prevalent during the period when the play was first performed. The character of the prosecutor, Matthew Harrison Brady, a fundamentalist, relies primarily on the bible, calling it the revealed word. The entire prosecution is based on proving the defendant, Bertram Cates, is a non-believer. This argument is specious on so many levels that constraints of this paper do not permit full rebuttal. The defense argument runs that religion is little more than unproven superstition, calling it an old wives’ tale. The defense made its case more convincingly. Religion is about turning untested belief into absolute fact through the passage of time. American citizens should always have the right to think. To ban science for religion’s sake is ultimately ignorance. References Lawrence, J. and Lee, R. Inherit the Wind NAME OF THE BOOK IT’S IN Ed. (Name of editor) City where published: publisher, date published

What is Art by Clutton Brock :: Visual Arts Paintings Art

What is Art by Clutton Brock The essay â€Å"what is art† is taken form the volume â€Å"essays on life† by clutton brock and was first published in the form of an article in the ‘times literary’ supplement of january 1924. â€Å"everyone now is thinking or talking about the nature of art and aesthetic experience† .clutton-brock begins his essay by stating the popular subject of discussion. This subject ;the nature of art and of beauty is simultaneously confusing as well as thrilling .the problem about the nature of art and aesthetic sense is so confusing that it is hard to pin point what the actual problem really is. The only thing clear about it is that it is novel and new. Art, in the past was always considered inferior to what it reflected. Tolstoy in his book â€Å"what is art?† ,even though he himself saw the importance of art reduced art to an absurdity and valued it in terns of other things and not for it self. That art had not the right to exist for itself ,that it should be judged and valued not for itself but for other subsidary effects whether political ,social, or moral. Such a conception reduces art to nothing and this conception is the opposite of what art truly is. Shelly in his work â€Å"defense of poetry† considered art to be judged by the ethical and intellectual benefits it showered upon mankind. Jonson spoke uncompromisingly on the nature of art. Dr jonson regretted the loss of a proposed epic by dryden because it led to the deprivation of the social and moral edification of mankind .what jonson meant was that art’s function was to socially improve and morally rectify the viewer ,reader or observor of the work of art. Clutton brock opposes this view and says on the contrary if a pieceof art is lost today its loss would be mourned not for the values it could or would impart but rather it would be mourned for the loss of art itself. However jonson thought as he did of art because he already had pre conceived otions about art and had not examined art carefully to see the nature of it. If jonson had done so ,he would have seen that art in truth is never valued for moral or ethical or cultural values but for itself. For Jonson himself would not have read poetry for the stated objects . had he doen so then it would have no longer been poetry. Ever since art evolved man has valued art for itself ,without actually knowing it,for men still look for reasons as to why they should value

Cigarettes are Killing America :: Argumentative Persuasive Arguement

Cigarettes are Killing America This year alone cigarettes will kill over 420,000 Americans, and many more will suffer from cancers, and circulatory and respiratory system diseases1. These horrible illnesses were known to originate from cigarettes for years. Nicotine, the main chemical additive in cigarettes, was declared addictive by the Food and Drug Administration. This explains why smokers continue to use cigarettes even though smokers are aware of the constantly warned about health dangers in cigarettes. Although smokers constitute the majority of people who suffer from cigarettes, they are not the only ones ailing from cigarette smoke. As UC San Francisco scientist and author Stanton Glantz estimates in Shari Roan's article, the amount of second-hand smoke inhaled by the typical nonsmoker is equivalent to one cigarette smoked per day.1 Even that amount of cigarette smoke can damage a person's heart. Some researchers have also concluded that smoking by pregnant women causes the deaths of over 5,000 babies and 115,000 miscarriages.2 The only way to terminate the suffering and loss of life brought upon by cigarettes exists as a complete proscription on them. Opponents to the banning of cigarettes argue that it will create a profound negative impact on the economy. They do not realize that this nation places the health of its citizens above its financial status. Although many people continue to remain convinced that absolving our country of cigarettes does not merit some economical loss, this remains as a necessary step in eradicating our country of these virulent stiflers of life. For years cigarettes have been known to cause cancer, emphysema, and other horrible illnesses. The deaths of over 420,000 of Americans this year will be attributable to cigarettes. With all the other causes of preventable deaths, alcohol, illegal drugs, AIDS, suicide, transportation accidents, fires, and guns, cigarettes still account for more preventable deaths than those do combined, as stated by Lonnie Bristow M.D. of the American Medical Association at her speech to Indiana University.3 We can no longer stand aside and watch fellow Americans die because they smoke cigarettes. Thousands of smokers try to rid themselves of cigarettes but can't because of the physiological dependence they develop, chiefly imputable to its chemical additive nicotine.4 Nicotine was recently declared addictive by the Food and Drug Administration, which explains why many smokers continue to smoke despite the numerous health warnings on cigarette smoking. Although cigarettes do not offer as intense an ef fect as drugs like heroin and cocaine, they rank higher in the level of dependence it creates in the user.

Looking Back by Guy de Maupassant

[Enter Post Title Here] Second language acquisition Foreign language: Learning language that is not generally spoken in the surrounding community. Second language: Learning a language that is spoken in the surrounding community. Acquisition and learning: Activities associated with learning have traditionally been used in language teaching in schools and have a tendency when successful to result in more knowledge about language.Acquisition barriers: The optimum age for learning may be during the years from about ten to 16 when the flexibility of our inherent capacity for language has not been completely lost. Affective factors: If we are stressed, uncomfortable, self-conscious, or unmotivated we are unlikely to learn anything. Focus on method: Despite all these barriers, the need for instruction in other languages has led to a variety of educational approaches and methods aimed at fostering l2 learning.The grammer_translation method: Vocabulary lists and sets of grammar rules are used to define the target of learning , memorization is encouraged and written language rather that spoken language is emphasized. The audio lingual method: A systematic presentation of the structures of the l2 moving from the simple to the more complex in the form of drills that the student had to repeat.Communicative approaches: The reaction against the artificiality of pattern practice and also against the belief that consciously learning the grammar rules of a language will necessarily result in an ability to use the lang. Transfer: Using sounds, expression or structures from the L1 when performing in the L2. Interlanguage: Process that certainly contains aspects of the L1 and L2 but which is an inherently variable system with rules of its own. Communicative competence: The general ability to use language accurately appropriately and flexibly.

Compare the Northern and Southern Colonies in Social, Political, and Economic Structure Essay Example

Compare the Northern and Southern Colonies in Social, Political, and Economic Structure Essay Example Compare the Northern and Southern Colonies in Social, Political, and Economic Structure Paper Compare the Northern and Southern Colonies in Social, Political, and Economic Structure Paper The Southern colonies were a very diverse and unique type of settlement. They had their own views and life styles that were like nothing ever seen before. The Southern colonies were dependant on their crops and invented and established many new ways to get the job done The Southern colonies were first established by adventures looking for gold. England sent these early settlers to America as their form of colonization. Many of the other world powers at the time had already established many colonies in different parts of the world. When the first settlers arrived in America they were disappointed by the lack of gold there was to be found. They first arrived in the South and all they saw was marshy wetlands. England was about to â€Å"pull the plug† on the Southern colonies but the colonies discovered the most profitable crop on the planet. This crop was tobacco and it was immediately called a â€Å"Cash Crop†. This crop quickly spread throughout Europe and because of its addictive nature the demand for this crop was ridiculously high. Since the only place tobacco could be grown were the Southern colonies the world looked to England and her colonies for this addictive crop. Tobacco was very easy to grow but required much labor. This led to the Southern colonies largest problem. The labor shortage. At first the south tried to use the head-right system. This system failed because once the employee had enough money they would quit and go get their own piece of land. Next the South gave indentured servitude a chance. Many people wanted to leave the overcrowded Britain and start fresh on a farm in America, but the price to come to America was too high for most of the middle to lower classes. So the plantation owners of Planter Class would pay for the voyage to America in turn for 7-10 years labor on their plantation. This was only a quick fix to the labor shortage and in the end it failed. Indentured servitude failed because most of the indentured servants were white, Christian males who eventually demanded rights. Among these rights were no labor on Sunday and the sale of the products they made on their own time. After their indentured servitude was over the servants would go try to get land. To acquire this land the freed servants would have to fight and run off the Native Americans. The plantation owners dominated politics and outlawed the attacks against Native Americans because the fur trade with the Native Americans was raking in huge profits. This angered the poor farmers and freed servants because not only were they denied any say in politics and were taxed more than the rich they, now they had to stop fighting the Native Americans and stop acquiring land of their own. A man by the name of Nathaniel Bacon heard the cries of these poor piedmont farmers and decided to lead them in a rebellion against the city/town of Jamestown. So Bacon and his army of rag-tag farmers stormed the capital of Virginia and overthrew the current government. They stayed in power for a few weeks before Bacon got sick and died. This uprising was the first rebellion in American history and it scared the Plantation owners. The Planter Class realized that another rebellion could happen at any time and decided that indentured servitude might not be the best solution for the labor shortage. The permanent solution to the labor shortage came in the form of slave labor. At first the Planter Class experimented with captured Native Americans as slaves but the Native Americans were not natural farmers, escaped easily, and were at high risk for European diseases. The perfect slave came in the form of Black Africans. They were used to farming in Africa and escape was virtually impossible. The Black slaves were used and immune to the European diseases. They were hard workers and eventually slave trade became a major factor in the growth of the South. The Black African slaves arrived in America by a trading passage that was often referred to as Triangle Trade. American merchants took fish and lumber to the West Indies and traded them for molasses. Molasses was a thick brown liquid made from sugar cane and used for the production of rum. From there the merchants took the molasses and traded it with the West Africans for slaves which were shipped back to the West Indies and America through the Middle Passage. The Middle Passage was the last leg of the trip by sea in which the African slaves rode in the cargo hold of the ship until it reached the West Indies or America. This trip could last up to 2-3 months. The slaves were kept in the cargo hold and were packed so tightly that there was no room to sit or stand. Many of the slaves died in the middle passage for one of three things. Many died of asphyxiation because of how hot the air was in the cargo hold. Some died of starvation, but most died of diseases. When the ship reached the Americas the slaves would be auctioned off never to see their families again. Slave labor made the Planter Class very rich but because of the dependency on the land and slaves there was a really small middle class. The social structure broke down like this the elite or Planter Class made up 5% of the population. This 5% dominated the politics. Because of the large plantations there were few cities in the Southern colonies which made the middle class very small. The middle class made up about 15% of the total population and had very little say in the politics. The large poor class of 80% had no say whatsoever in the politics and the southern class pyramid had a hidden base of slaves which was approximately double the total population. The 3 biggest families in the South were the Fitzhugh’s, the Lee’s and the Washington’s. The Fitzhugh family had its own private diary, ice house, orchard, and even their own horse racing track. 70% of the Southern Government was run by people who arrived before 1609. These were the first families to settle in the South and therefore got the best land which in turn made the most profit. The Southern colonies were very fragile economically because they relied only on the production of tobacco and slave trade. The South was very different in many ways but somehow they made it work. The Southern colonies were boasted some of the most profitable plantations ever and used inventive techniques to get there. The Northern colonies differed from the south in almost every way. They were more stable and used a variety of occupations to become the profitable colonies they eventually became. The North was founded but the Puritans. The Puritans left England in search of religious freedom. When the Puritans arrived in the Northern colonies they had planed on planting tobacco and earning a living that way but when they got here they found the soil was not good enough to support tobacco. The early northern colonists needed to find another way to make money so they branched out in many different ways. Some became merchants, fisherman, blacksmiths, clothing makers, or sailors. The North had many natural harbors and used them to its advantage. Because of all the harbors there were lots of cities which led to a large middle class. There were still 5% elite but the 65% middle class also held their weight in politics. There poor class was only 30% and as a whole the North was very cash rich. This led to the opening of banks and stock markets and more new jobs arose. Because of the large middle class and the variety of occupations the Northern colonies were very stable. The Northern colonies and the Southern colonies differed a lot in their views and lifestyles but both were profitable and both eventually learned how to work as a whole rather than two separate entities. These colonies were the roots of America and it was because of the actions of these colonies that we live in the kind of country we do today.

Collusive Oligopoly Essay Example

Collusive Oligopoly Essay Example Collusive Oligopoly Paper Collusive Oligopoly Paper 1. 0Introduction In a perfectly competitive market it is assumed that owing to presence of manybuyers and many sellers selling homogeneous products,the actions of any singlebuyer or seller has a negligible impact on the market price of product. However in reality this situation is seldom realized. Most of the time individual sellershave some degree of control over the price of their outputs. This condition is referredas imperfect competition. Barriers to entry are the factors that make it difficult for new firms to enter an industry, which lead to imperfect competition. Mostly commonly known barriers of entry areeconomies of scale, legal restrictions, high cost of entry and advertising and productdifferentiation. Imperfect competitive markets can be classified into three categories 1. Monopoly where single seller has control over the industry and no other firmexists producing a close substitute. True monopolies are rare in the present situation. 2. Monopolistic competition where a large number of sellers exist sellingdifferentiated products 3. Oligopoly is an intermediate form of imperfect competition in which only afew sellers exist in the market with each offering a product similar or identicalto the others. Oligopoly usually exhibits the following features: 1. Entry barriers: Significant entry barriers prevail in the markets that thwart thedilution of competition in the long run. This helps dominant firms to maintainsupernormal profits. Though many smaller firms can operate on the periphery of anoligopolistic market, but none of them is large enough to have any considerable effecton market prices and output. 2. Interdependent decisions of non-price competition suchas free deliveries and installation, longer opening hours (e. g. supermarkets and petrolstations),branding of products and heavy spending on advertising and marketing. If firms operate in cooperative mode to minimize the competitions betweenthemselves this behavior is called as Collusion. When two or more firms agree to settheir outputs or prices to divide the market among themselves, it is called as collusive oligopoly. 2. 0 Collusive oligopoly: There are two types of collusive oligopoly A. Price leadership – tacit collusion This occurs when one firm has a clear dominant position in the market and thefirms with lower market shares follow the pricing changes driven by the dominant firm. B. Overt collusion:This occurs when firms openly agree on price, output, and other decisions aimed at achieving high profits. Firms who coordinate their activities throughovert collusion and by forming collusive coordinating mechanisms, such a group ofindependent firms working in unison is called as cartel. When this happens the existing firms decide to engage in price fixing greements orcartels. The aim of this is to maximize joint profits and act as if the market was apure monopoly. 2. 1 Price fixing in collusive oligopoly Collusion is often explained as a product of motive to achieve joint-profitmaximization within a market or circumvent price and revenue instability in anindustry. Price fixing can be deemed as an attempt by suppliers to control supply andfix price at a level close to the level expected from a monopoly. However in order to fix prices, the producers in the market must be able to exertcontrol over market supply. The figure 1 below depicts a producer cartel fixes the cartel price at output Qm andprice Pm decided by the fact where marginal revenue of the cartel MR is equal tomarginal cost MC of the cartel. The distribution of the cartel output among the cartelmembers could be decided on the basis of an output quota system or through mutualagreement. Although the cartel as a whole is maximizing profits, the individual firm’soutput quota is unlikely to be at their profit maximizing point. For any one firm, within the cartel, expanding output and selling at a price thatslightly undercuts the cartel price can achieve extra profits. Unfortunately if one firmindulges in this, the other firms will probably same path same. If all firms break theterms of their cartel agreement, the result will be an excess supply in the market and asharp fall in the price. Under these circumstances, a cartel agreement might breakdown. Fig. Price fixation by cartel and effect on partner of the firm 3. 0 Conditions conducive for formation of cartels 1. Only a small number of firms exist in the industry and barriers prevail to entryprotect the monopoly power of existing firms in the long run. 2. Market demand is not too variable i. e. it is reasonably predictable and not subject toerratic fluctuations which may result to excess demand or excess suppl y. 3. Demand is fairly inelastic with respect to price so that a higher cartel price fetchesincreased total revenue to suppliers in the market. 4. It is easier to monitor each firm’s output. This enables the cartel more easily toregulate total supply and identify firms, cheating on output quotas. 4. 0 Reasons for possible breakdowns of cartels Most cartel arrangements experience difficulties and tensions and some producercartels collapse completely. Several factors can create problems within a collusiveagreement between suppliers: 1. Enforcement problems: The primary objective of the cartel is to restrict totalproduction to maximize total profits of members. But in reality each individualmember of the cartel finds it profitable to raise its own production. Thus theenforcement of output quota becomes difficult for the cartel leading disputes about sharing of the profits. Non-members of the cartel may opt to take a free ride byproducing close to but just under the cartel price. 2. Falling market demand during a recession creates excess capacity in the industryand exerts pressure on individual firms to reduce prices to maintain their revenue. E. g. collapse of the coffee export cartel. 3. The successful foray of non-cartel firms into the industry undermines a cartel’scontrol of the market – e. g. he emergence of online retailers in the book industry in the mid 1990s. 4. The exposure of illegal price fixing by market regulators Governments appoint market regulators to monitor the markets and identify the firmsindulging in collusion. Collusion is undesirable from the standpoint of society as awhole, because inefficient allocation of resources at high prices. In order bringallocation of resources closer to the social optimum, p olicymakers try to induce firmsin an oligopoly to compete rather than cooperate through instrument of antitrust laws. Regulatory bring legal suits to enforce the antitrust laws for example to preventmergers leading to excessive market power prevent. 5. 0 OPEC case study: Most successful cartel Organization of petroleum Exporting countries (OPEC) was formed in 1960. Initiallyit contained only 5 members, the membership of cartel however expanded to 13 by1973. During period 1960-73, OPEC could not be reckoned as a successful cartel. Infact world oil prices declined slightly over the 1960-1970 decade. However the situation underwent a dramatic change in 1973 with the Arab-Israel war. During the war the Arab members of OPEC temporarily cut off oil exports. Theoutcome was ominous: Oil prices more that tripled in a matter of months. Theestimated price of a barrel of oil on the world market was $2. 91 in 1973 but jumped to $10. 77 in 1974. This demonstrated that output restriction could wreak havoc afterresuming exports OPEC continued to hold down output. Subsequently, oil pricesremained relatively stable. However another jolt was inflicted in 1978 whenrevolution took place in Iran. Iranian exports at that time accounted for 20 percent ofall OPEC ex-ports, fell almost to zero. Prices escalated once again and the newgovernment in Iran continued to limit exports, maintaining prices at high levels. The Iran-Iraq War, which started in 1980, resulted in the extensive destruction of oilproducing facilities in both counties and brought down oil exports further. The relative success of OPEC can be attributed to the following advantages it hasenjoyed relative to other cartels. 1. The price elasticity of demand for oil, especially in the short run, is quitelow, implying that moderate output restrictions will produce large priceincreases- a favorable environment for a cartel. In 1973 OPEC outputcontributed to two-thirds of the total world oil production. 2. In 1975 OPEC countries held 70 percent of the world’s proven oilresources that imparted it a substantial market power. 3. OPEC contains a few members, many of the internal problems thatusually trouble a cartel are reduced e. g. reaching agreements, monitoringthe output and coordinating price policies of individual members, issimpler with a few members involved. In fact, since just four countries(Saudi, Arabia, Kuwait, Iran and Venezuela) regulate ? of OPEC’s oilreserves, the effectiveness of cartel is further enhanced. . The biggest danger to a cartel comes from the increased production bynon-members. However exploration, production and building new supplies are time consuming hence this gives OPEC significant short-run power. 5. OPEC has also been benefited by policies of oil importing nations. E. g. Inthe United states for example, price controls on oil and gas kept the pricereceived by domestic oil producer’s artificially low and discouragedproduction and exploration. In addition, tough environmental restrictionson the mining and use of coal slowed the transition to coal as anotherenergy alternative. On one hand domestic consumption was encouragedand production was discouraged resulted in additional demand for oil fromOPEC and the United States inevitably became more dependent onimported oil during the 1970s. But the situation had changed dramatically by early 1982. In March 1982 the pricefor Saudi Arabian light crude oil was $29 a barrel, down in real terms more that 30percent from a year earlier. So also the fraction of oil production had fallen to 40percent by 1984. This ultimately resulted in erosion of power of OPEC. In September 1960 four Persian Gulf nations (Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia) and Venezuela formed OPEC, the purpose of which was to obtain higher prices for crude oil. By 1973 eight other nations (Qatar, Indonesia, Libya, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Nigeria, Ecuador, and Gabon) had joined OPEC. Ecuador withdrew on the last day of 1992. OPEC was unsuccessful in its first decade. Real (that is, inflation-adjusted) world prices for crude oil continued to fall until 1971. In 1958 the real price was $10. 85 per barrel (in 1990 dollars). By 1971 it had fallen to $7. 46 per barrel. However, real prices began to rise slowly beginning in 1971, and then jumped dramatically in late 1973 and 1974 from roughly $8 per barrel to over $27 per barrel in the wake of the Arab-Israeli (Yom Kippur) War. Contrary to what many non-economists believe, the 1973 price increase was not caused by the oil embargo (refusal to sell) directed at the United States and the Netherlands that year by the Arab members of OPEC. Instead, OPEC reduced its production of crude oil, thus raising world oil prices substantially. The embargo against the United States and the Netherlands had no effect whatever: both nations were able to obtain oil at the same prices as all other nations. The failure of this selective embargo was predictable. Oil is a fungible commodity that can easily be resold among buyers. Therefore, sellers who try to deny oil to buyer A will find other buyers purchasing more oil, some of which will be resold by them to buyer A. Nor, as is commonly believed, was OPEC the cause of oil shortages and gasoline lines in the United States. Instead, the shortages were caused by price and allocation controls on crude oil and refined products, originally imposed in 1971 by President Nixon as part of the Economic Stabilization Program. By preventing prices from rising sufficiently, the price controls stimulated desired consumption above the quantities available at the legal maximum prices. Shortages were the inevitable result. Countries that avoided price controls, such as West Germany and Switzerland, also avoided shortages, queues, and the other perverse effects of the controls. OPEC is a cartel- a group of producers that attempts to restrict output in order to keep prices higher than the competitive level. The heart of OPEC is the Conference, which comprises national delegations, usually at the level of oil minister. The Conference meets twice each year to assign output quotas, which are upper limits on the amount of oil each member is allowed to produce. The Conference may also meet in special sessions when deemed necessary, particularly when downward pressure on prices becomes acute. OPEC faces the classic problem of all cartels: overproduction and cheating by members. At the higher cartel price, less oil is demanded. That is why OPEC assigns output quotas. Each member of the OPEC cartel has an incentive to produce more than its quota and shave (cut) this price because the cost of producing an additional barrel of crude is typically well below the cartel price. The methods available to shave official OPEC prices are numerous. Credit can be extended to buyers for periods longer than the standard thirty days. Higher grades (or blends) of oil can be sold for prices applicable to lower grades. Transportation credits can be given. Buyers can be offered side payments or rebates. This tendency for individual producers to cheat on the cartel agreement is a long-standing feature of OPEC behavior. Individual producers usually have exceeded their production quotas, and so official prices have been unstable. But OPEC is an unusual cartel in that one producer- Saudi Arabia- is much larger than the others. That is why the Saudis are the swing producer. When prices start downward, they cut their production to keep prices up. One reason the Saudis have behaved that way is that departures from the official prices impose larger total losses on them than on other OPEC members in the short run. Because other producers have huge incentives to produce in excess of their quotas, the Saudis, in order to defend the official OPEC price, have had to reduce their sales dramatically at times. This erosion of Saudi production and sales has tended to reduce their revenues and profits substantially. In 1983 and 1984, for example, the Saudis found themselves producing only about 3. 5 million barrels per day, despite their (then) production capacity almost three times that level. How successful has OPEC been since the early seventies? Not as successful as many people perceive. Except in the wake of the 1979 Iranian revolution, and in anticipation of possible destruction of substantial reserves in the 1990-91 Persian Gulf conflict, real (inflation-adjusted) prices of crude oil have fallen since 1973. Prices began dropping very rapidly in the early eighties after the Saudis concluded that lower prices and higher production were in their best interests. Official prices fell from $34 (for the benchmark crude oil, Arabian light) to $29 in 1983, $24 in 1984, and about $18 in 1986 to 1988. Indeed, even prices unadjusted for inflation often have fallen. For example, prices fell from $35. 10 per barrel ($49. 10 in 1990 dollars) in 1981 to $16. 69 ($18. 69 in 1990 dollars) in 1987. (Price data are shown in table 1, and current reserves, production capacity, and production levels are shown in table 2. ) TABLE 1 ________________________________________ World Crude Oil Prices (U. S. dollars per barrel) ________________________________________ Year Nominal Price In 1990 Dollars Year Nominal Price In 1990 Dollars 1955 2. 25 10. 88 1973 3. 27 8. 69 1956 2. 36 11. 04 1974 11. 17 27. 20 1957 2. 73 12. 34 1975 11. 7 25. 66 1958 2. 45 10. 85 1976 12. 41 25. 86 1959 2. 27 9. 82 1977 13. 33 26. 05 1960 2. 23 9. 49 1978 13. 43 24. 46 1961 2. 27 9. 57 1979 20. 19 33. 78 1962 2. 26 9. 32 1980 32. 27 49. 52 1963 2. 25 9. 13 1981 35. 10 49. 10 1964 2. 23 8. 91 1982 32. 11 42. 22 1965 2. 22 8. 64 1983 27. 73 35. 10 1966 2. 24 8. 42 1984 27. 44 33. 50 1967 2. 27 8. 31 1985 25. 83 30. 63 1968 2. 24 7. 81 1986 12. 52 14. 47 1969 2. 27 7. 50 1987 16. 69 18 . 69 1970 2. 35 7. 36 1988 13. 25 14. 36 1971 2. 52 7. 46 1989 16. 89 17. 59 1972 2. 64 7. 47 1990 20. 42 20. 42 SOURCE: U. S. Departments of Energy, Commerce, and Labor. ________________________________________ TABLE 2 ________________________________________ OPEC Reserves, Production Capacity, and Production Levels ________________________________________ Nation ReservesaCapacitybProductionc Algeria 9,200 800 750 Ecuador 1,514 330 280 Gabon 733 200 260 Indonesia 8,200 1,300 1,200 Iran 92,860 3,000 3,100 Iraq 100,000 3,500 3,100 Kuwait* 97,125 2,200 1,800 Libya 22,800 1,600 1,250 Neutral Zone NA600 300 Nigeria 16,000 1,700 1,700 Qatar 4,500 600 365 Saudi Arabia* 257,559 7,000 5,300 Un. Arab Em. 4,105 2,210 2,060 Venezuela 58,504 2,400 2,000 OPEC Total 763,100 27,440d23,465 World Total 1,001,572 63,740d60,320 aMillions of barrels on January 1, 1990. bMaximum sustainable as of August 1990, thousands of barrels per day. cThousands of barrels per day as of May 1990, excluding natural gas liquids. dNon-OPEC capacity for first quarter 1991, from internal Department of Energy/Energy Information Administration esti mate. * Includes one-half of the Neutral Zone. n. a. - not available. SOURCE: U. S. Department of Energy, Central Intelligence Agency. ________________________________________ This downward trend has increased tensions between two rival groups within OPEC. The price hawks, usually nations with smaller crude oil reserves relative to population, argue for lower oil output and higher prices. The principal hawks within OPEC are Iran and Iraq. The price doves, usually nations with larger reserves relative to population, argue for higher output and lower prices to preserve, over the longer term, their oil markets and thus the economic value of their oil resources. The principal doves within OPEC are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. Such relatively lower prices serve the interests of the doves because oil consumers have used less oil in response to prior price increases. For example, U. S. energy use per dollar of GNP (adjusted for inflation) was 27. 49 thousand BTUs in 1970. By 1988, after the price increases of 1973 and 1979, it had decreased to 19. 93 thousand BTUs. Thus, the price doves, led by Saudi Arabia, generally have resisted pressures for higher prices. Over the long run, real prices of natural resources and commodities usually fall, largely because of technological advances. Crude oil is no exception. Technological advances in seismic exploration have dramatically reduced the cost of finding new reserves, thus increasing oil reserves greatly. Horizontal drilling and other new techniques have reduced the cost of recovering known reserves. Also, improvements in technology provide both substitutes for oil and ways to use less oil to achieve given ends. Moreover, advances in technology will reduce prices for such substitute fuels as natural gas, thus exerting continuing downward pressure on crude oil prices. And increasing willingness to devote resources toward environmental improvement suggests that the market for crude oil will decline relative to those for such cleaner energy sources as natural gas and nuclear technology, unless other technical advances yield substantial improvement in the ability to use oil cleanly. Thus, the demand for crude oil is likely over the long term to decline relative to the demand for competing fuels. This has been the experience of mankind, as wood gradually gave way to coal, which in turn declined as the use of oil expanded. These facts suggest that the economic power of OPEC inexorably will erode. . 0 Conclusion Collusive oligopolies are more like a monopoly. However it is very fragile since self-interest to earn maximum profit of member can tip off the balance and can lead toprice war. The success of collusive oligopoly is quite dependent on the number offirms in involved and their level of cooperation. It can be observed that it is difficultto maintai n cartels in the long run with an exception of OPEC. Policymakers regulate the behavior of oligopolies through the antitrust laws. The proper scope of these laws is the subject of ongoing controversy.

Executive Summary Research Paper Example

Executive Summary Research Paper Example Executive Summary Paper Executive Summary Paper The report started with the introductory remarks, and then subsequently summarizes the operations of Cordial Design Ltd, theoretical aspects, analysis ND findings of industrial relation, major findings and the closing part consists of conclusion and recommendations. The introduction of this report is emphasized the background, objective, purpose, scope, data analysis and reporting, methodology and the limitations of the report. Data have been collected through structured interview, conversation and from company profiles. The second part of the report summarizes the operations of Cordial Design Ltd includes many significant components. This chapter covers the historical overview, mission/vision, objectives, services, major product, marketing network, price of the product, and SOOT analysis of Cordial Design Ltd. The theoretical aspect of this report is mentioned regarding definition of industrial relation, related terms of industrial relation, objectives and actors in industrial relation, importance and theories of industrial relation. Next part focused on the analysis and findings of overall industrial relation scenario in of Cordial Design Ltd, depiction of organism, manpower, and activities of HER department of Cordial Design Ltd. In this part we have done a survey with some define questionnaire and based on that findings we illustrate overall industrial relation, main constraints behind sound industrial relation, procedure of recruiting and selecting of new employees, techniques to use assess training needs, approaches to apply setting disputes, employee performance, procedure of employee termination, solving techniques of internal conflict, available compensation package, preferred compensation package, types availability of on-the-job and off he-job training, expected outcomes from training, further assessment of promotion criteria career proceed in Cordial Design Ltd. Next part covers the major finding of the overall industrial relation in Cordial Design Ltd. We found complex functional structure and unrealistic goal setting is the main constraints behind sound industrial relation in Cordial Design Ltd. Not only that there are some internal, external as well as legal factors involved at the time of recruitment in Cordial Design Ltd. Also this part covers the employee termination approach in Cordial Design Ltd. Then the conclusion of this report encompasses the overall industrial relation along with all the negative and positive edges in Cordial Design Ltd. This organization not only contributes in national economy but also helps the poor and associated communities with regular supplementary income. Thus industrial relation of that organization should be in a standard so that it not only satisfied its staffs but also gives the best comfort to its internal staffs as ell by ensuring best practicing industrial relation standards. The recommendation part measures to improve the present industrial relation in Cordial Design Ltd. We recommend redesigning the attractiveness of the job and trying to shrinkage government influence. Also practiced some structured training for their employees including both on-the-job and off-the- job training. Payment structure is another recommended area where Cordial Design Ltd. Can focus if they want to establish a good industrial relation.

Mentorship in Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Mentorship in Nursing - Essay Example One element shall be highlighted – infection control – in order to gain depth of analysis required at the academic level. Reflection on the infection control for these students will be evaluated in terms of policy, professional literature, and theoretical concepts that relate to my role as an assessor. I would also identify what I have learned as a result of this process and make the recommendations for my future practice as a mentor. Gibbs Reflection Description As an assessor I had the opportunity to observe other students and even myself in terms of how infection control measures were being undertaken and fulfilled. During my observation, I have discovered that many students were not complying with infection control measures. Some were not washing their hands before and after each nursing intervention, and some were not practicing aseptic techniques during the implementation of interventions. As such, the risk of transferring bacteria from one patient to another incr eased. At one point, I observed a student I was mentoring (student A) coming from a patient with pneumonia and as she was about to administer medication to another patient without washing her hands, I called her attention. At which point, she went to wash her hands. As an assessor, I noted the infection control techniques being carried out (or not being carried out) by the students, and the common errors in infection control practices. At some point, I had to call the student’s attention, reminding her of her hand washing as well as infection control strategies. After which, the student became more aware and vigilant of her actions. I also assessed some of the student’s hand washing techniques and found out that some of them did not practice hand washing correctly. I then called their attention on proper techniques in hand washing. Feelings I felt that in making my assessment of infection control practices that nurses need to be more aware of their actions, and I felt that with lesser experience as is often the case for students, infection control can be simply forgotten. I felt however that with a greater awareness and with continued practice and experience, it is possible for students to eventually hone their skills in infection control and to eventually make it an unconscious part of their clinical practice. I felt anxious about my mentee’s actions because I was concerned about her causing more harm than good to her patients, especially when she comes from a patient with a contagious disease. I felt that it would not be healthy and fair to the patient to experience hospital-acquired infection because of her incompetence, lack of vigilance and awareness, or because of her limited knowledge and skills. In calling the student’s attention on proper hand washing techniques, I felt nervous about correcting her and I also did not feel very confident in reminding her of the proper techniques in hand washing. However, I felt more confiden t in carrying out this responsibility when I was armed with the appropriate knowledge on infection control. At times, my mentee was not too receptive to the criticism and correction but she eventually understood the importance of the correction. I felt good about how the event turned out and how I was able to provide guidance to my mentee and I felt more confident as a future mentor after I carried out the task. Evaluation In assessing the incident, I found out that

Merchants of Cool-Movie Review Movie Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Merchants of Cool- - Movie Review Example This is indeed a very conservative approach. Quite often, the product being promoted is not in the best interest of the children or the society at large, but Merchants of Cool indicates, â€Å"in order to remain cool, you have to keep ahead of the curve† (Sine, 2008, p. 85). The Merchants of Cool portrays both media and corporations negatively. This is so because it reveals a disturbing scenario, depicting how many corporations see teenagers, not as persons with real life, issues and problems, but as talking and walking dollar signs and as possible marketers of their products. There are many other tormenting issues in the movie if not somewhat unreasonable ideas. For example, the idea that individuals are made to look trendy are just ‘plants’ by corporations to influence peers to have a sensation that they should buy something for them to look like the person is extremely disturbing. This is because they can be found anywhere. This aspect does not perpetuate a sen se of unity among the youth who should feel with each other rather a very strong sense of jealousy and suspicion. It is undoubtedly evident from the documentary film that it is attempting to portray corporations and media negatively so as to reveal the truths (Sine, 2008). However, the most disturbing question that one may ask is, â€Å"How truthful is this?† Just like the anthropologists, the cool hunters search for teenage cultures and employ the early teen trendsetters to design new products and develop new marketing strategies, to hook the teenagers (Sine, 2008). These teenage cultural studies are seen through interviews held with some marking gurus drawn from big corporations, and MTV. The first encounter is with Todd Cunningham of MTV who narrates how MTV engages in research so as to be able to understand teens, including their sources of Gold studies and Ethnography. The other is Sharon Lee and Dee Dee Gordon, the co-founders of Look-Look, which is a research corporati on that specializes in youth culture. They outline how their company is searching out teen trendsetters searching for what is cool, how the corporations use the information they gather and challenges in their guest. Sine (2008) notes that increasingly, the merchants of cool find new stealth technique to persuade and encircle the teenagers. He notes that they use acquaintances, friends, buzz, sleepovers, and at times youth groups to show example of the latest glam fashions, technologies and cosmetics. It is then that they pay cool teenagers to persuade their friends to become cool insiders by buying the cool products. The documentary reveals that marketers at times resort to using rebellion and anarchy to sell their products. By watching the ad, one can clearly notice that the merchants of cool not only market the opportunity to be an insider, but they also communicate that the youths can find their sense of self-worth, identity, life purpose and spirituality by living in the fiction al stories that the company storytellers of cool create for them (Sine, 2008). The movie also depicts the popular media culture of trying to use issues that they feel the audience like most to sell their agenda. For instance, marketers know very well that â€Å"sex sells.†

Divorce Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Divorce - Research Paper Example If marriage has legal and religious dimensions, staying together has no such attributes so that the partners in such relationships can break their relationship at any time. â€Å"A divorce can feel like a big storm. Before the storm, the air may be filled with tension† (Winchester & Beyer, 2001, p.30). It should be noted that problems may arise in family life from various corners. It may be because of the different views kept by the partners about their life. For example, it is quite possible that a husband take shelter in alcoholism, drug addiction or extra marital affairs to enjoy his life. On the hand, his wife may not accept these behaviours. She could be a highly religious person who has faith and belief in God. So their family life may not continue in a good manner. Different life philosophies of these persons may fight with each other and these fights may ultimately end up in a divorce. â€Å"According to the 2007 statistics, divorce rate in America is 54.8%, second on ly to Sweden. In countries like India divorce rate is as low as 1.1% only† (Divorce Rates of the World, 2007). During the 1980s, the divorce rate in the US reached its peak. 50% of the marriages terminated in divorce. The reasons cited for this upheaval are: Increase in the earning potential of women; the concept of divorce found more acceptances; an enhancement in the pursuit of joy, i.e. the possibility to locate a better partner and the presence of no fault laws (History of Divorce in America, n. d.). It is difficult to cite a single reason for increasing divorce rates in America. Plenty of reasons were cited for the increased rates of divorce in America. This paper analyses the major reasons for divorce and its consequences. Effect of divorce upon family and children With more than 30 years of research, we now know divorce seldom leads to a better life. Consider that: Life expectancies for divorced men and women are significantly lower than for married people (who have the longest life expectancies). A recent study found those who were unhappy but stay married were more likely to be happy five years later than those who divorced. The health consequences of divorce are so severe that a Yale researcher concluded that â€Å"being divorced and a non-smoker is [only] slightly less dangerous than smoking a pack a day and staying married.† After a diagnosis of cancer, married people are most likely to recover, while the divorced are least likely to recover, indicating that the emotional trauma of divorce has a long-term impact on the physical health of the body. Men and women both suffer a decline in mental health following divorce, but researchers have found that women are more greatly affected. Some of the mental health indicators affected by divorce include depression, hostility, self-acceptance, personal growth and positive relations with others (Desai, 2009). Divorce puts people, both the husband and the wife, under a lot of stress† (McGre gor, 2001, p.87). Many people have the false belief that a divorce may be the only solution to come out from a strained relationship. They may think that the life after divorce could be better than that before divorce. But in many cases, it is not true. The new partner may often present more horrible experiences and the person may face lot of emotional problems in that life also. The

Social Enterprise And Increasing The Overall Well-being Research Paper

Social Enterprise And Increasing The Overall Well-being - Research Paper Example From the point of view of asset management, a social enterprise can increase the overall diversification of the portfolio while at the same time add more ethical trading and investing philosophy into the overall portfolio management also. It is generally believed that portfolio managers may have to only invest in the commercial entities to generate more value for their clients. Overall risk diversification and return strategies are therefore often tailored according to the dynamics of how a for-profit business actually operates and generate more value for the portfolio managers. Non-Profit wealth creation through social enterprise is viable and sustainable activity and can increase the overall well-being of the society while at the same time allowing asset managers to actually diversify their risks and also add more ethical investing and portfolio management orientation to the whole process of asset management. (Field, 2014) This paper will be focusing on understanding the impact of non-profit wealth creation on the overall portfolio risk and return. This paper will further add on to whether the non-profit wealth creation will actually add more ethical orientation to the portfolio management or not. The overall concept and idea of a social enterprise existed for long, however, it has recently gained more momentum with large organizations such as Dannon entering into joint ventures to form social enterprises. A social enterprise’s focus is on the use of commercial strategies and tactics to achieve more value and improvement in the human and environmental well-being. A social enterprise’s main objective, therefore, is not the maximization of the shareholders’ value or wealth but to help improve the environment and the human life.

Development in ICT and strategic opportunities offered for competitive Essay

Development in ICT and strategic opportunities offered for competitive advantage in organisations - Essay Example Founded in 1984 by Leonard Bosack and sandy Lemer, a husband and wife team of academics from Stanford University, as a means of sending data between computers. Cisco has grown to be the company that, according to David Stauffer in Business the Cisco Way, is the company that makes the Internet. Cisco's networking products are designed to connect people, computing devices and computer networks, allowing access or information transfer regardless of differences in time, place or type of computer system. Cisco provides end-to-end networking solutions that customers use to build their own unified information infrastructure or to connect to and outside network. And end-to-end networking solution is defined as one that provides a common architecture that delivers consistent network services to all users. The broader the range of network services, the more capabilities a network can provide to users connected to it and thus the more effective it is. Large organisations with complex networking needs, spanning multiple locations and with many types of computer systems. Such customers include major corporations, government agencies, pan-governmental organisations, public utilities and educational institutions. Cisco operates in over 115 countries using a direct sales force, distributors, value-added resellers and system integrators. The company is headquartered in San Jose, CA. With major operations in Research Triangle Park, NC, and Chelmsford, MA; as well more than 225 sales and support offices in 75 countries. As a company that is in tune with the individual needs of its customers Cisco does not take a rigid, product-led approach that favours one particular solution regardless of the fit with customer requirements. Cisco's philosophy is to listen to customer needs and then develop solutions for discussion to ensure that those needs are met- a customer driven approach. Cisco's strategy: This high-tech company has the strategy of being a one-stop shopping provider of networking equipment. Operating models include a well-honed model for acquiring

Social Enterprise And Increasing The Overall Well-being Research Paper

Social Enterprise And Increasing The Overall Well-being - Research Paper Example From the point of view of asset management, a social enterprise can increase the overall diversification of the portfolio while at the same time add more ethical trading and investing philosophy into the overall portfolio management also. It is generally believed that portfolio managers may have to only invest in the commercial entities to generate more value for their clients. Overall risk diversification and return strategies are therefore often tailored according to the dynamics of how a for-profit business actually operates and generate more value for the portfolio managers. Non-Profit wealth creation through social enterprise is viable and sustainable activity and can increase the overall well-being of the society while at the same time allowing asset managers to actually diversify their risks and also add more ethical investing and portfolio management orientation to the whole process of asset management. (Field, 2014) This paper will be focusing on understanding the impact of non-profit wealth creation on the overall portfolio risk and return. This paper will further add on to whether the non-profit wealth creation will actually add more ethical orientation to the portfolio management or not. The overall concept and idea of a social enterprise existed for long, however, it has recently gained more momentum with large organizations such as Dannon entering into joint ventures to form social enterprises. A social enterprise’s focus is on the use of commercial strategies and tactics to achieve more value and improvement in the human and environmental well-being. A social enterprise’s main objective, therefore, is not the maximization of the shareholders’ value or wealth but to help improve the environment and the human life.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi - Essay Example The author’s transformation leads to the growth of her inquisitive nature as she gets to question some of the various issues that surround her life. It is through this rebellious streak that the reader gets to appreciate the author’s transformation. This is especially because the time, in which these private changes were taking place, the region was facing tumultuous and incredibly dangerous disruptions (Satrapi, 2004). This paper will examine the novel, and help bring out aspects of the book that might make a difference in the lives of people. The author indicates in the novel that she happened to be the granddaughter of an emperor in Iran. As she tries to comprehend the extent of such novelty, she grows up trying to also understand the complexities of the life she lives. The author works on divulging information about rebellion in the lives of people around her, and the societies in which she lived. It is in the book that the reader gets to comprehend the nature of th e region, and some of the upheavals it was going through as it transitioned through the boundaries individuals created for themselves and others (Satrapi, 2004). Persepolis tries to delve into some of the issues that affect societies in modern times. It is through the book that people are made aware of their natures, and how to get about life minding others. The book tries to bring to reality the major themes that occurred in the region back then, but that may still be affecting society in present times. However, this is for the reader to conclude after completing the novel. The book sheds some light on the differences that exist between the lives that people lead on the outside, while living contradictory lives privately. The case of the author’s parents could be the perfect example. They talk of how evil the regime was, and they try to express their rebellion in their home. This is done by drinking wine and supplying their daughter with posters from famous people that were not from their world (westerners) (Satrapi, 2004). The upheaval saw changes take place that may not have necessarily been welcome in the region by people who were content with what they had, that is; safety and comfort in their beliefs and customs. Also, the different reasons behind rebellion can be found in the book as the author tries to claim that the presence of knowledge or even fear could be motivators for people to rebel. The revolution in Iran came about as a result of the difference in social class. There were tremendous gaps between the rich and the poor, which the author insinuates that she often felt ashamed of, especially when she was in her father’s Cadillac. The author tries to bring to the reader the diverse points of view that were held by different people present in her life, for instance; her grandmother, her parents, and outside society. This is done in an effort to bring forth all the sides of the story, and not just placing judgments on certain groups of people, or try to decide who might have had it better or worse. The historical perspective is the aspect that is brought out by the author (Satrapi, 2004), whose humor and alternating tone assists in bringing out the seriousness of the issue that rocked the region in the twentieth century. Violence, religious persecution, corruption, and even torture are themes which are recurring in the novel. They are themes that are seen through the eyes of a child (younger Marjane), while the humor she displays tries to create the sanity that is

The Death of a Salesman Essay Example for Free

The Death of a Salesman Essay The Death of a Salesman is one of Arthur Millers earlier plays and was written in 1949. The play is based in Yonkers, New York in 1940. Millers Father was in a substantial financial crisis as there was a recession which led the family business to be put in jeopardy. Due to the recession and the Miller financial crisis, Arthur had to pay for his own tuition to study journalism and play writing in the University of Michigan. All of Arthurs plays were based on his life and all of the experiences he had encountered. Miller wrote his plays this way as he would have a first hand account of the events. The Death of a Salesman is a disguise of Arthur Millers past time of his family businesss bankruptcy and financial crisis. In The Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman is in a crisis. Hes about to lose his job, he cant pay his bills, and his sons Biff and Happy dont respect him and cant seem to live up to their potential. He wonders what went wrong and how he can make things up to his family. Willy Loman is a small, old man who believes he is of no significance. He just hopes for his children to do the best and be happy with what they achieve in life. Willy elaborates with images from the past and convinces himself that all is ok. It isnt. His role idolises a great salesman of his time, now to be just of an old age that sells his personality and doesnt publicly display his withering mind and aggression. Linda Loman is Willys loyal wife and a loving heart to his hopes and ideas. She suffers as his mind deteriorates because she knows his mind is beyond help. She has always had faith in Willy and in all his respects. All she wants is to be happy with what she has but the family feuds are preventing her from doing so. Biff Loman is a 34 year old son of Willy who has been searching for himself while working on farms in the west to the dismay of his father. Happy Loman is the younger brother of Biff who tries in all he can to please his father and attempts to continue his fathers dream after the climax in the book. In the duration of this investigation, I am trying to find out To what extent does Miller uses relationships in Death of a Salesman to expose Willys weakening grasp on reality in act one? Linda and Willy have a very insecure relationship. They never discuss their thoughts and opinions in a one to one conversation and bottle up all of their emotions. Linda trys to help Willy as she knows he is under a lot of emotional troubles. The relationship is very one sided because Linda never finds the courage to stand up to him and lets him boss her around, loosing all senses of free will. Linda is a reserved individual and doesnt like to share her thoughts and opinions because she is intimidated by Willy as he will find bad ways of dealing with the anger and stress this may cause upon his relationship with Linda. Willy and Lindas relationship shows Willys weakening grasp on reality as he isnt able to admit defeat on anything and is unable to tell Linda of his incapabilities and weaknesses. As he is losing the plot and his mental capability, he thinks it is time to go. He decides for the extreme option of suicide, he isnt aware that he is leaving obvious clues and evidence of this mind turning attitude. Linda says during a conversation with her husband Willy dear youre the handsomest man in the world. This quote tells me that Linda is an admirer of Willy and doesnt want to put him down. She is trying many psychological techniques to stop him from losing himself, one of which is reassurance which would make him feel loved and cared for, to make him feel his purpose. Lindas reassurance seems to fail to please Willy as she just finds more evidence of attempts of suicide. All of Millers language corresponds with the characters predicted attitude as this is a generalisation speech of a person of this kind of attitude, for example; Willy being a socially insecure individual, the comments of the people around him reassure his thoughts and have made him become arrogant. Miller continuously puts a negative concept on the American Dream bring references to the negative factors. Another relationship which shows Willys weakening grasp on reality is the one shared by Ben and Willy, they both participate in an awkward relationship as Willy is jealous of Ben. Ben is a very self absorbed individual but despite he is idolised over, he is successful but an idiotic character. The man knew what he wanted then he went out and got it! This phrase tells us the he is an arrogant character who has achieved his own concept of the American Dream but is the gluttonous approach. Willy believes that Ben is some kind of hero but to everybody else, he is a bit short of a hero. As Willy is jealous of Ben, he feels he needs to live up to his brothers influences and he then lies to Linda about his achievements. Eventually, Linda discovers what Willy is doing and he then contradicts himself. These factors show that he is losing his grasp on reality because he isnt able to admit defeat and failure. This relationship is unstable because they are constantly trying to out-do each other and be better that the other. However this usually ends in family feuds or leading the lower person to become depressed. This causes tension between the two as well, making several situations awkward. Ben thinks that he is better that Willy and he thinks that Willy is of a lower social class to him. Willy knows Bens opinions and thoughts of these situations se he tries to do the opposite to Bens thoughts. Willy says to Ben, Oh sure theres snakes and rabbits out here and thats why I moved out here, why, Biff can fool any of these trees in no time! Willy says this to Ben because Ben doesnt understand why Willy moved to the City. Willy furthermore tries to make out that he likes living in the city and isnt just there for a job. Willy wants to try and make Ben see the real Willy Loman and not all the pain and disappointment beyond his smug grin. This contributes to Willys loosing grip on reality, as he always feels like he has to be better and sometimes he feels as though he has failed as a businessman. The reader can see this as Willy says to Linda, The man knew what he wanted and went out and got it! Walked into a jungle and comes out, the age of twenty one, and hes rich. He is talking about Ben, and Willy is implying that all his life he has worked as a businessman and never achieved; whereas Ben had achieved greatly and at such a young age also. He feels as though he isnt good enough and that he has to lie to Linda as he doesnt want her to think that he is useless, incompetent and that Ben in much better than him. The final relationship which Miller uses to show Willys weakening grip on reality is with Willys eldest son, Biff. When Biff and Happy were boys, they respected Willy as if he was a man of high importance. Linda told the boys, Few men are idolised by their boys the way you are. This quotation shows that Willy and the boys were close at one point but now Biff and Willy are constantly arguing with each other and Willy does this because biff isnt being the best he can be and fulfilling his true potential. Biff isnt successful in Willys eyes and I know this because Willy quoted Biff is a lazy bum. This quote shows that Willy thinks that Biff is worthless but then, when Willy contradicts himself by saying, If theres one thing about Biff, he is not lazy, this show a loss of grip on reality because he is constantly changing his mind. Arthur Miller uses several forms of dramatic techniques in the duration on the play, many of which reveal Willy Lomans weakening grasp on reality in unexpected forms. In the set, the walls are all just frames; therefore you can walk through them as if they werent actually there. This effect gives the viewer the feeling that Willy has lost his mind and isnt able to see the obvious and therefore dismays peoples perspectives on him, that he is a fool, idiotic and worthless. The laugh in the background is the laugh of a woman from Willys past, a woman Willy had an affair with. The woman is laughing at the deceitful lies Willy is telling Linda about his days earnings because he is keeping money aside for her and is leaving less money to support the family. Willy is under a financial crisis as he is putting his money towards the welfare of two women. The laugh symbolises society laughing at his because he is a fool and everybody knows it. Society mock Willy because he has to borrow money from his son in able to make his wife believe that he has more earnings than he does after he splits them two ways, also that his tricks are obvious and manipulative upon Linda.. All of the dramatic devices are effective because they show societys opinion of Willy Loman, just a depressed elderly man in marriage and financial troubles. To conclude, the relationships in this family are all messed up and have come undone. The relationships are a straight jacket on the familys communication and chains are weighing Willy and Linda down, to the point, suicide is an option. The boys, Biff and Happy are being unsociable towards Willy and he isnt able to cope with all of the dilemmas that he is putting up with at that point. (I dont know what else to write in the conclusion, I have followed the guidelines but I dont know how to conclude about the relationships.)

Traditional Versus Lean Project Management Techniques Information Technology Essay

Traditional Versus Lean Project Management Techniques Information Technology Essay Project management is a structured approach towards managing projects. It is defined as The application of knowledge skills, tools and the techniques to project activities in order to meet stakeholders needs and expectations from a project (Burke, 2003). The project management team is responsible for finding methods of meeting the control budgets and schedule rather than justifications for not meeting them (Ballard and Howell, 1997). Developing a fully integrated information and control system to plan, instruct, monitor and control large data amounts, quickly and accurately for problem solving and decision making will determine the success of the manager. Projects are temporary production systems. Production is defined as designing and making things. Designing and making something for the first time is done through a project, which is arguably the fundamental form of production system. Three fundamental goals of production systems are (Ballard and Howell, 2003) Deliver the product Maximize value Minimize waste Lean Project Management Performance improvement for competitive advantage is a general characteristic of practitioners in most industries (Porter, 1985). In project management for satisfactory performance the consideration of time, cost and quality is not adequate. Performance is described in terms of attaining value effectively and efficiently where effectiveness is maximising value of output whereas, efficiency refers to minimising or elimination non value-adding items in production. Beside a stream, dont waste water, even in a forest, dont waste firewood. Chinese Proverb The systems those are structured to deliver the product while maximizing value and minimizing waste, are said to be lean projects (Ballard and Howell, 2003). Lean is the term originally coined in 1990 by Womack, Jones and Roos to describe the Toyota Production System (Reeves, 2007). A production system which was capable of producing more and better vehicles in less time, less space and using fewer labour hours was given the name Lean. Organizations can reduce project timelines and costs by eliminating waste and focusing on value creation for the customer. The bottom line with lean is: if the action does not provide value to the end customer then it is waste. Lean refers to a general way of thinking and specific practices that emphasize less of everything fewer people, less time, lower costs (Reeves, 2007). Lean project management has been constructed by drawing together two approaches: management of projects and lean production. For project management performance improvement, the management of project focuses on meeting customer needs effectively while lean production aims at meeting customer needs efficiently utilised in lean project management. The justification of lean production with management of project is done at the methodological level (Horman and Kenley). Lean Project Management Methodology Management of Projects Methodology Lean Production Methodology Figure 1: Generation of Lean Project Management Methodology Fig. 1: Generation of Lean Project Management Methodology Lean product development helps improve a companys competitive advantage. Its application in the automobile industry has brought significance performance improvement. But this does not mean that lean production is applicable to only automobile industry. Many non manufacturing companies like the one those are involved in product development, transportation, accounting, hospital, sales, administration, vehicle repair and many others are making use of the lean principles. There are five traditional lean principles that are applicable outside the automobile industry (Womack and Jones, 2003) value to the customer value stream to provide the product or service that the customer values seamless flow of the product or service pull mode- provide the customer with the product or service in a timely fashion perfection for continuous improvement Traditional versus Lean Project Management Techniques Lean project management differs from traditional project management in the goals it pursues, the structure of its phases, the relationship between phases and the participants in each phase. The traditional production methodology manages conversion of an input to an output. Lean production is managing the production process by converting input to output, by minimising the input flow waste and maximising the value of the output efficiently. Thus the lean production methodology has flow management and management of value in addition to the input, conversion and output of the conventional project management technique. The traditional approach focuses on efficiency rather than value, whereas in lean production the focus is on minimising waste (efficiency) and maximising value of output (effectiveness). Under lean production with the introduction of the notion of value, effectiveness is expanded. In the traditional approach, value is not given much importance. Customers requirements are compromised which extends barely further than market requirements and lowering costs. Lean production emphasises on maximising the value of output by satisfying the customers specific requirements. The change in the production management from conventional to lean production management is because: Inappropriate control mechanisms and performance improvement efforts are used in conventional methodology. Poorly understood and addressed quality under traditional method. These show poor efficiency and effectiveness in the production process which roots from inadequate understanding of the production process. The change in production method from traditional to lean was to add to the existing approach and make it more appropriate for contemporary and complex production systems. Lean Product Development Lean product development encompasses numerous inter-related techniques. The first technique is supplier involvement. Instead of being involved for detailed design specification, suppliers are involved from the beginning of a new product. Since it is the responsibility of the suppliers to develop complete modules for the product, often without detailed specifications, black box engineering is used. Second technique is simultaneous engineering which means performing different activities parallely in the development effort. Parallel development helps reduce time. Another technique is the use of cross-functional teams which consists of members from different functional areas in the company, to facilitate the development of products that are easy to manufacture and assemble. This technique aims at integrating rather than coordinating all the functional aspects in the product from the beginning. When individuals work together to develop a new product, the physical proximity that arises results in the team being integrated. To improve communication, create stronger commitment towards the project and bringing focus for cross-functional problem solving, one should use the heavyweight team structure where the project manager has direct access to and is responsible for the work of all those involved. Instead of detailed specifications because of visions and objectives the whole project is straegically managed. Even though a company implements these techniques, it does not achieve lean product development in a simple way, for successful lean product development the company has to approach these interrelated techniques as a whole. Techniques other than Lean Product Development Lean is a continuous process improvement technique that can be used to evaluate, analyze and improve how a company delivers values to its customers. However this is only one of the several approaches, some other techniques are six sigma and theory of constraints (TOC). Lean focuses on the flow of value to a companys customers whereas six sigma focuses on individual problems, which shows the companys ability to satisfy the customers needs and TOC focuses on the constraints and how to minimize those to improve the volume of throughput within a system. Another technique is lean six sigma which combines the analytical tools of six sigma with the speed and customer value focus of lean to optimize the improvement process. For companies undertaking continuous improvement initiative, it is important for them to first determine the goal, and then apply the appropriate method to achieve the goal. Lean Project Delivery System Theoretical and practical investigations led to the emergence of the Lean Project Delivery System emerged in 2000. It is in the process of on-going development through experimentation. The job of the project delivery system is not only fulfilling the customer needs, but also help the customer decide their needs. It is necessary to understand the customers purpose and constraints, exposure of customer to alternative means for accomplishing their purposes and help them understand the end results of their desires. The lean project delivery system model consists of four phases: Project Definiton, Lean Design, Lean Supply and Lean Assembly. The four phases are a set of interconnecting triads, where some downstream activity takes place from the subsequent phase in each triad. Alteration Decommissioning Commissioning Fabrication Logistics Product Design Design Concepts Purposes Detailed Engineering Design Criteria Operation Maintenance Installation Process Design Use Lean Assembly Lean Supply Project Definition Lean Design Work Structuring Production Control Learning Loops Fig. 2: Lean Project Delivery System. Project Definition Project definition is the first phase in project delivery system which consists of determining the purposes (customer and stakeholder purposes and values), design criteria for translating those purposes for both product and process, and design concepts against which purposes and criteria can be tested and developed. The movement through these three need not follow any specific sequence, although the logical starting point seems to be the purpose. To reveal to stakeholders the consequences of their needs and different value generation possibilities, the cycle through these three modules is necessary. The involvement of stakeholders is a must for the best outcome from the project definition phase. Typical stakeholders can be the client (holds the contract), users of the facility, governing agencies, designers, installers, operators, fabricators, etc. The Lean Design phase should be launched only after bringing the three modules of project definition into alignment. (Project Definition Process: Appendix 1) Lean Design The alignment of values, concepts and criteria is the gate between Project Definition and Lean Design. At the functional systems level, developing and aligning product and process design can lead towards Lean Design. If at all the search for value reveals opportunities that are consistent with customer and stakeholder constraints, the project may go back to Project Definition stage. In order to allow more time for developing and exploring alternatives, the decisions are deferred systematically until the last responsible moment. This differentiates the Lean Design from the traditional practice of selecting options and executing design tasks as soon as possible causing rework and disruption because of conflicts in decisions made by specialists. Lean Supply Lean Supply consists of detailed engineering, fabrication, and delivery. To know what to detail and fabricate, and when to deliver the components, the system requires prerequisite product and process design. Also Lean Supply helps reduce the lead time for information and materials. Lean Assembly Lean Assembly begins with the delivery of materials and the relevant information for their installation. When the client has beneficial use of the facility, which typically occurs after commissioning and start-up the assembly completes. Comparison of Lean and Non-Lean Project Delivery System Lean Non-Lean Focuses on production system Focuses on transactions and contracts Transformation, flow and value goals Transformation goal Downstream players involved in upstream decisions Sequential decisions by specialists thrown over the wall Product and process designed together Process design begins after product design is complete Considers all product life cycle stages in design Not all product life cycle stages are considered Activities performed at last moment Activities performed as soon as possible Systematic efforts to reduce supply-chain lead times Separate organizations link together through the market and take what the market offers Incorporates learning into project, firm and supply-chain management Learning occurs periodically Stakeholders interests aligned Stakeholders interests not aligned Sized buffers located to perform their function of absorbing system variability Sized buffers located for local optimization -(Ballard and Howell, 2003) The Difficult Path to Lean Product Development Lean product development is not an easy thing to do. Several factors can hinder attempts to achieve lean product development. The different factors are: Cross-functional team is a technique that helps an organization in lean product development. They might be having a positive impact on the development effort, but creating cross-functional teams is a difficult task. Even today development is regarded to be a task for the Research and Development department, this shows lack of cross-funtional focus in the organization which ultimately leads to difficulty in creating cross-funtional integration. Simultaneous engineering is another technique towards lean product development, but working with concurrent activities and thus overlapping phases in the development effort is a very complicated task. It is impsossible for the individual engineers to perform simultaneous activities. Coordination of the lean product development effort is not an easy task. For coordination, regular meetings with the whole group needs to be held which is a time consuming activity. If the size of the group is large it resulted in longer meetings with repeated discussions and it may also happen that individuals from one department may find it difficult to understand discussions on issues on other department than the one he is from. Organizations face difficulty in coordinating a visionary-led development project, where visions also create problems. Requesting for detailed design specifications disturb the visionary-led projects. For any project, the suppliers must be involved from the beginning of he project, which results in difficulties for the suppliers to give detailed estimate of costs demanded by the top management. The desire to have the flexibility of black box engineering and known cost of the detailed estimate approach, obstructs a lean process. Hindering factors are more easily identified. Other than the hindering factors in the process of implementing lean product development, there are some supporting factors, which helps in the implementation of lean product development (Appendix 2) Benefits Despite lean being originated in manufacturing, it is now applied in many other business areas including product development, administration, accounting, project management and many others, because of its generic approach of eliminating waste to create more value for customer. A variety of lean product development techniques when applied to project management can reduce project timelines, increase customer value and reduce costs. Some other benefits of lean project management are, it helps increase the productivity, higher quality products, reduction in order processing errors, etc. Conclusion An alternative method to project management is lean project management. The lean approach to project management has worked successfully in potentially difficult and complex areas. The approach contributes to project management performance by focusing on the effectiveness and efficiency of delivering value that is satisfying client needs. Its implementation offers the potential for faster product development with fewer engineering hours, improved manufacturability of products, higher quality products, fewer production start-up problems, and faster time to market. Lean implementations have also yielded improvements in the value generated for clients, users and producers, and also a reduction in waste, including waiting time for resources, process cycle times, inventories, defects and errors, and accidents. It also led to a high level of commitment and motivation from the team, and to the satisfaction of the client organization. Lean thinking when paired with an appropriate agile development methodology can provide significant benefits to an organization. It has the advantage of reducing risk to the client, with the right balance of quality, performance and value for money. Lean product development is the beginning of the journey of continuous improvement. Lean techniques are not simply management tools but rather they embody a culture that needs to be enforced from the top leadership down throughout the company. Systematic implementation of lean in all areas of project management will yield benefits that other improvement methods cannot.

Sexual Orientation and Body Image Dysmorphia :: Sexuality Homosexuality Essays

Sexual Orientation and Body Image Dysmorphia Recent research has concluded that sexual orientation, in both men and women, may play a significant role in the feelings of dissatisfaction of one’s physical appearance and the development and onset of disordered eating habits. Numerous studies have found that homosexual men have a higher likelihood of being more dissatisfied with their overall physical appearance. It is not so clear for homosexual women. In this paper I will review a number of published research article and try to more clearly explain the contrasting results about homosexual women. ADOLESCENT SEXUAL ORIENTATION Although most of the studies look at an adult population, a study by French, Story, Remafedi, and Resnik, examined the effects of sexual orientation on an adolescent population. In their study they looked at a population based sample of about 35,000 students between the grades of seven and twelve. Each of these students completed a survey that asked questions about sexual orientation, body satisfaction, and different weight control measures. The final report included the findings from 212 heterosexual males and 182 heterosexual females for comparison with 81 self- identifying homosexual males and 38 self- identifying homosexual females, and 131 bisexual males and 144 bisexual females. They discovered that homosexual males were much more likely than heterosexual males to report having a poor body image (27.8% to 12%) and admit to frequent dieting (8.9% to 5.5%), binge eating (25.0% to 10.6%), or purging (11.7% to 4.4%). On the other side, homosexual females were more likely than heterosexual females to report that they were happy with the way that they looked (42.1% to 20.5%). Interestingly though, homosexual and heterosexual females were about equally as likely to diet, participate in binge eating, and partake in purging. PROBLEMS WITH STUDY Although the study seems to be appropriate, one must be wary about looking at a study, which was conducted through the use of surveys. This is particularly true when you are asking adolescents questions that deal with sexuality. It is possible that an adolescent’s embarrassment could be a factor in the answering of the questions. Social stereotypes could easily influence a heterosexual male to answer positively to questions about his body image because body angst is usually associated as a female behavior. This study is important to research on this topic because it shows that from the beginning of sexual orientation decisions, eating habits are a priority to some. Finicky and disordered eating problems are not something that develops later in life.

The Joy Luck Club :: essays research papers

The Joy Luck Club   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Joy luck club was a book written by Amy Tan. The story is set here in America and in China and is set in the 1940's and also takes place now. The book is about four Asian women who fled china and their Americanized daughters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are eight main characters four of which were mothers and four of which were daughters. They were Suyuan Woo, Ying-yang St. Clair, An-mei Hsu, and Lindo Jong, who were the mothers, and the daughters Jing-mei Woo, Rose Hsu Jordan, Waverly Jong, Lena St. Clair. In the book it tells the story of each of the mothers and what they went through from the eyes of their daughters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The book mostly focuses on Jing-mei Woo, who takes the place of her mother in the Joy Luck Club meetings after the death of her mother. In the meetings with the other mothers she reminisced about her mother and heard new stories about her mother she had never heard before. She hears stories of how it was her mother came to America and what she left behind in China.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The book starts off in China with a woman imagining what life in America raising a daughter would be like. Hoping that she would be an American but still have her Chinese heritage. But in the end her daughter turns out to be as Americanized as they come not realizing her Chinese heritage. This makes it so that they don't communicate very well and makes it so they don't know very much about each other.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This book shows that now days the traditions of the older generations are slowly being filtered out by the younger generations. An example in the book is when one of the mothers had her marriage pre-arranged by her parents and a friend of the family and the fact that she accepted the marriage.

Salem Witch Trials

What Caused the Salem Witch Trial Hysteria? 1692 was a year packed with excitement and terror for the citizens of Salem, Massachusetts. Belief and accusations of people being witches/warlocks under the possession of the Devil swept across the town and wreaked havoc among its settlers. There are many possible ways to justify this madness. However, the 3 most valid and evidential reasons are: attention-seeking, jealousy (of one another and the amount of land owned), and lack of acceptance towards each other’s physical flaws and behaviors.Attention-seeking is bound to become an issue in a town such as Salem, merely due to the daily, mundane activities one must pursue in order to live properly. Document G states, â€Å"It was perhaps their original design to gratify a love of notoriety or of mischief by creating†¦ excitement in their neighborhood. † This quote is relating to the behaviors that people were displaying which made them a suspect.Document H revolves around the idea that maybe these young girls were acting out and faking the â€Å"convulsive attacks† that were believed to be evidence in order to give the public what they expected, or wanted. These young girls created an issue much larger than they’d planned to. They most likely were just trying to make themselves known and didn’t understand the impact that their actions would have on the vulnerable minds of their town. Although attention-seeking seems to play the most obvious role in the hysteria, jealousy was also a major contributor.Land ownership was a big deal in this time period (15th century), and the division between the farmers’ and the residents’ amount of property became a cause for vengeance (Document J). Documents K & L are perfect examples of people feeling the need for revenge. The Putnams must have believed that Rebecca Nurse did them terribly wrong when her family took over some of their land, so (as one of the wealthiest families in S alem); they used their word against hers by accusing her to be witch.They probably wouldn’t have done so if they did not genuinely believe she had something more than they had or she did something to personally attack them. This kind of resentment towards one another must’ve became a common issue in Salem, for it seems that many accusations came from people being jealous of each other. Along with jealousy, unacceptance and judgment of people’s features and behaviors became a leading cause for someone to be called a witch. Document E uses statistics to show that a majority of the accused were middle-aged, married women.This document’s information alone gives clues related to sexism and discrimination of age and marital status. In Document M, Linda Caporael suggests that Ergotism, an illness caused by a parasitic fungus called â€Å"ergot,† caused people to hallucinate, become delirious, and go through manic episodes. Perhaps these symptoms were misj udged to be evidence that someone was possessed. Or perhaps the people who ate and retracted the sickness from the food contaminated with ergot were the accusers, and they simply weren’t in their â€Å"right mind. In any event, there was a massive amount of judgment and lack of acceptance to one another, and this played a key role in the chaos of the Witch Trials. Accusations of witchcraft and possession put a scare and a drive to defeat into the citizens of Salem, Massachusetts that year. 20 people were killed, and more than 100 people were accused. There’s a multitude of different explanations as to why. All in all, though, the whole thing could have been avoided if it weren’t for people’s desire for attention, envy, and judgmental mindsets.

Night World : Dark Angel Chapter 2

Everything was freezing confusion. Her head was under water and she was being tumbled over and over. She couldn't see, couldn't breathe, and she was completely disoriented. Then her head popped up. She automatically sucked in a huge gasp of air. Her arms were flailing but they seemed tangled in her backpack. The creek was wide here and the current was very strong. She was being swept downstream, and every other second her mouth seemed to be full of water. Reality was just one desperate, choking attempt to get enough air for the next breath. And everything was so cold. A cold that was pain, not just temperature. I'm going to die. Her mind realized this with a sort of numb certainty, but her body was stubborn. It fought almost as if it had a separate brain of its own. It struggled out of her backpack, so that the natural buoyancy of her ski jacket helped keep her head above water. It made her legs kick, trying to stand firm on the bottom. No good. The creek was only five feet deep in the center, but that was still an inch higher than Gillian's head. She was too small, too weak, and she couldn't get any kind of control over where she was going. And the cold was sapping her strength frighteningly fast. With every second her chances of surviving dropped. It was as if the creek were a monster that hated her and would never let her go. It slammed her into rocks and swept her on before her hands could get hold of the cold, smooth surfaces. And in a few minutes she was going to be too weak to keep her face above water. I have to grab something. Her body was telling her that. It was her only chance. There. Up ahead, on the left bank, a projecting spit with tree roots. She had to get to it. Kick. Kick. She hit and was almost spun past it. But somehow, she was holding on. The roots were thicker than her arms, a huge tangle like slick, icy snakes. Gillian thrust an arm through a natural loop of the roots, anchoring herself. Oh-yes; she could breathe now. But her body was still in the creek, being sucked away by the water. She had to get out-but that was impossible. She just barely had the strength to hold on; her weakened, numb muscles could never pull her up the bank. At that moment, she was filled with hatred- not for the creek, but for herself. Because she was little and weak and childish and it was going to kill her. She was going to die, and it was all happening right now, and it was real. She could never really remember what happened next. Her mind let go and there was nothing but anger and the burning need to get higher. Her legs kicked and scrambled and some dim part of her knew that each impact against the rocks and roots should have hurt. But all that mattered was the desperation that was somehow, inch by inch, getting her numb, waterlogged body out of the creek. And then she was out. She was lying on roots and snow. Her vision was dim; she was gasping, open-mouthed, for breath, but she was alive. Gillian lay there for a long time, not really aware of the cold, her entire body echoing with relief. I made it! I'll be okay now. It was only when she tried to get up that she realized how wrong she was. When she tried to stand, her legs almost folded under her. Her muscles felt like jelly. And †¦ it was cold. She was already exhausted and nearly frozen, and her soaking clothes felt as heavy as medieval armor. Her gloves were gone, lost in the creek. Her cap was gone. With every breath, she seemed to get colder, and suddenly she was racked with waves of violent shivers. Find the road †¦ I have to get to the road. But which way is it? She'd landed somewhere downstream-but where? How far away was the road now? Doesn't matter†¦ just walk away from the creek, Gillian thought slowly. It was difficult to think at all. She felt stiff and clumsy and the shivering made it hard to climb over fallen trees and branches. Her red, swollen fingers couldn't close to get handholds. I'm so cold-why can't I stop shivering? Dimly, she knew that she was in serious trouble. If she didn't get to the road-soon-she wasn't going to survive. But it was more and more difficult to call up a sense of alarm. A strange sort of apathy was coming over her. The gnarled forest seemed like something from a fairy tale. Stumbling†¦ staggering. She had no idea where she was going. Just straight ahead. That was all she could see anyway, the next dark rock protruding from the snow, the next fallen branch to get over or around. And then suddenly she was on her face. She'd fallen. It seemed to take immense effort to get up again. It's these clothes†¦ they're too heavy. I should take them off. Again, dimly, she knew that this was wrong. Her brain was being affected; she was dazed with hypothermia. But the part of her that knew this was far away, separate from her. She fought to make her numbed ringers unzip her ski jacket. Okay†¦ it's off. I can walk better now†¦ She couldn't walk better. She kept falling. She had been doing this forever, stumbling, falling, getting up. And every time it was a little harder. Her cords felt like slabs of ice on her legs. She looked at them with distant annoyance and saw that they were covered with adhering snow. Okay-maybe take those off, too? She couldn't remember how to work a zipper. She couldn't think at all anymore. The violent waves of shivering were interspersed with pauses now, and the pauses were getting longer. I guess †¦ that's good. I must not be so cold—– I just need a little rest. While the faraway part of her brain screamed uselessly in protest, Gillian sat down in the snow. She was in a small clearing. It seemed deserted-not even the footprints of a ground mouse marked the smooth white carpet around her. Above, overhanging branches formed a snowy canopy. It was a very peaceful place to die. Gillian's shivering had stopped. Which meant it was all over now. Her body couldn't warm itself by shivering any longer, and was giving up the fight. Instead, it was trying to move into hibernation. Shutting itself down, reducing breathing and heart rate, conserving the little warmth that was left. Trying to survive until help could come. Except that no help was coming. No one knew where she was. It would be hours before her dad got home or her mother was†¦ awake. And even then they wouldn't be alarmed that Gillian wasn't there. They'd assume she was with Amy. By the time anyone thought of looking for her it would be far too late. The faraway part of Gillian's mind knew all this, but it didn't matter. She had reached her physical limits-she couldn't save herself now even if she could have thought of a plan. Her hands weren't red anymore. They were blue-white. Her muscles were becoming rigid. At least she no longer felt cold. There was only a vast sense of relief at not having to move. She was so tired†¦ Her body had begun the process of dying. White mist filled her mind. She had no sense of time passing. Her metabolism was slowing to a stop. She was becoming a creature of ice, no different from any stump or rock in the frozen wilderness. I'm in trouble†¦ somebody†¦ somebody please†¦ Mom †¦ Her last thought was, it's just like going to sleep. And then, all at once, there was no rigidity, no discomfort. She felt light and calm and free-and she was floating up near the canopy of snowy boughs. How wonderful to be warm again! Really warm, as if she were filled with sunshine. Gillian laughed in pleasure. But where am I? Didn't something just happen-something bad? On the ground below her there was a huddled figure. Gillian looked at it curiously. A small girl. Almost hidden by her long pale hair, the strands already covered in fine ice. The girl's face was delicate. Pretty bone structure. But the skin was a terrible flat white-dead looking. The eyes were shut, the lashes frosty. Underneath, Gillian knew somehow, the eyes were deep violet. I get it. I remember. That's me. The realization didn't bother her. Gillian felt no connection to the huddled thing in the snow. She didn't belong to it anymore. With a mental shrug, she turned away- -and she was in a tunnel. A huge dark place, with the feeling of being vastly complicated somehow. As if space here were folded or twisted-and maybe time, too. She was rushing through it, flying. Points of light were whizzing by-who could tell how far away in the darkness? Oh, God, Gillian thought. It's the tunnel. This is happening. Right now. To me. I'm really dead. And going at warp speed. Weirder than being dead was being dead with a sense of humor. Contradictions†¦ this felt so real, more real than anything that had ever happened while she was alive. But at the same time, she had a strange sense of unreality. The edges of her self were blurred, as if somehow she were a part of the tunnel and the lights and the motion. She didn't have a distinct body anymore. Could this all be happening in my head? With that, for the first time, she felt frightened. Things in her head†¦ could be scary. What if she ran into her nightmares, the very things that her subconscious knew terrified her most? That was when she realized she had no control over where she was going. And the tunnel had changed. There was a bright light up ahead. It wasn't blue-white, as she would have expected from movies. It was pale gold, blurred as if she were seeing it through frosty glass, but still unbelievably brilliant. Isn't it supposed to feel like love or something? What it felt like-what it made her feel-was awe. The light was so big, so powerful†¦ and so Just Plain Bright. It was like looking at the beginning of the universe. And she was rushing toward it so fast-it was filling her vision. She was in it. The light encompassed her, surrounded her. Seemed to shine through her. She was flying upward through radiance like a swimmer surfacing. Then the feeling of motion faded. The light was getting less bright-or maybe her eyes were adapting to it. Shapes solidified around her. She was in a meadow. The grass was amazing- not just green, but a sort of impossible ultra green. As if lit up from inside. The sky was the same kind of impossible blue. She was wearing a thin summer dress that billowed around her. The false color made it seem like a dream. Not to mention the white columns rising at intervals from the grass, supporting nothing. So this is what happens when you die. And now†¦ now, somebody should come meet me. Grandpa Trevor? I'd like to see him walking again. But no one came. The landscape was beautiful, peaceful, unearthly-and utterly deserted. Gillian felt anxiety twisting again inside her. Wait, what if this place wasn't-the good place? After all, she hadn't been particularly good in her life. What if this were actually hell? Or †¦ limbo? Like the place all those spirits who talked to mediums must be from. Creatures from heaven wouldn't say such silly things. What if she were left here, alone, forever? As soon as she finished the thought, she wished she hadn't. This seemed to be the kind of place where thoughts-or fears-could influence reality. Wasn't that something rancid she smelled? And-weren't those voices? Fragments of sentences that seemed to come from the air around her? The kind of nonsense said by people in dreams. â€Å"So white you can't see†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"A time and a half†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"If only I could, girl†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Gillian turned around and around, trying to catch more. Trying to figure out whether or not she was really hearing the words. She had the sudden gut-trembling feeling that the beauty around her could easily come apart at the seams. Oh, God, let me think good thoughts. Please. I wish I hadn't watched so many horror movies. I don't want to see anything terrible-like the ground splitting and hands reaching for me. And I don't want anyone to meet me-looking like something rotting with bones exposed-after all. She was in trouble. Even thinking about not thinking brought up pictures. And now fear was galloping inside her, and in her mind the bright meadow was turning into a nightmare of darkness and stink and pressure and gibbering mindless things. She was terrified that at any moment she might see a change- And then she did see one. Something unmistakable. A few feet away from her, above the grass, was a sort of mist of light. It hadn't been there a moment ago. But now it seemed to get brighter as she watched, and to stretch from very far away. And there was a shape in it, coming toward her.