Monday, December 30, 2019

During The Civil War, Our Country Was Split Into Two Parts,

During the Civil War, our country was split into two parts, the North and South, each having their separate strengths and weaknesses. The economy, military strategies, and attitudes were all factors that played in the result of the American Civil War. The country was torn between the views of the Union and the Confederacy, each fighting for what they believed to be right. It is considered a very important historical event that will always be marked in the nation’s history. The economy during the war was by far the most important role. The South’s departure from Congress allowed the North an opportunity to establish and dominate America’s industrial and economic future (Arrington). Production of goods such as coal, iron and steel, shoes,†¦show more content†¦The Confederacy had great wealth, but most were caught up in the slave economy (Arrington). A major problem was transportation of soldiers and civilians which was extremely difficult (â€Å"Strengths and Weaknesses†). They received support from European countries who supplied them with several warships, but Northerners convinced them to not recognize the Confederacy (Guelzo). The North had a great military advantage over the South. The commanding general Ulysses S. Grant used new steamships to keep a constant flow of soldiers, supplies, weapons, and materials against the South’s unprepared army (Arrington). The North controlled the Navy, and a blockade could easily suffocate the South (â€Å"Strengths and Weaknesses†). As a result, the Confederacy was undoubtedly unable to compete with the Union at sea. The North, however, had to conquer the unfamiliar landscape of the South. Civilians often directed armies along obscure roads not visible on maps (Davidson and Stoff 487). The South had a limited authority of central government making it very difficult to accomplish anything (Davidson and Stoff 488). They tried bringing political power to a single authority, but their attempt was unsuccessful. Many found it difficult to cooperate with officials of both the Confederacy and their own states and cities (Guelzo). The leaders of the armies also had a big impact on the war. Abraham LincolnShow MoreRelatedAmerican Identity And American Identity1350 Words   |  6 PagesEver since our ancestors began to migrate to this country, we have been in conflict with each other. Facing off against each other through slavery, the civil war, and even against the Harlem Renaissance. Although our country has gone through this turmoil and faced ethnic issues, our true identity shines through with our fight for freedom, the ability to create our own-and americas- path through american ingenuity even in times of great distress. Through the workings of Jackson Pollock, showingRead MoreThe Legacy Of The Civil War1508 Words   |  7 Pages620,000 Union and Confederate soldiers were massacred. In only four years America annihilated the number of American soldier s killed in all other wars combined. America experienced her first full scale house division. The people were in such confusion, Reconstruction Acts had to be used to bring the country back together. Civil War introduced a split country, breaks of states from the union, the South denying rights to emancipated slaves, improving the lifestyle for African Americans, death, and reconstructionRead MoreThe Assassination of Abraham Lincoln Essay913 Words   |  4 PagesAbraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States of America. He was elected into presidency on November 6, 1860. Many of the southern states were unsupportive of Lincoln becoming president because he had run on an anti-slavery platform. Lincoln being elected into presidency caused states such as South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas to split from the Union. In his inaugural address Lincoln proclaimed it was his duty to maintain the Union; a month laterRead MoreEssay On The Ca uses Of The Civil War936 Words   |  4 PagesThe Civil War, a groundbreaking war, between the Union and Confederacy was a war of uncompromising disagreements. The Civil War was a war fought in various places throughout the United States from 1861 to 1865. Over 237- named battles were fought and a couple famous ones being the â€Å"Battle of Fort Sumter†, and â€Å"Battle of Palmito Ranch†. The victory was for the Union, however there was a point in the Civil War where the Confederacy was winning which left the people astonished. The Civil war was causedRead MoreFrederick Douglass And President Lincoln1524 Words   |  7 Pagespersonality and political judgment would help him free slaves across the country. Realizing each other’s strengths, both men were able to be effective through the use strong actions and powerful words of one another; their relationship played a key role in changing the nations views on slavery and race. I. Introduction a. Frederick Douglass and President Abraham Lincoln were the two most influential men during the Civil War. Both had their struggles in life; Lincoln born into a poor white familyRead MoreThe History of the Fall of Rome: Is the United States Also Destined to Fall?1511 Words   |  7 Pagestime of the Roman Empire, was the center of the civilized world. As years went by Rome fell. Many people link Rome and the United States together. Rome rose from nothing into a great world power, however, they reached their peak and then fell, much the same, as the United States is today. Rome and the United States are similar in many ways. Rome, at one point, was an advanced civilization that was ruled by a democracy. Also, in the beginning the great Roman Empire was not even a great power, justRead MoreThe United States And The Civil War1333 Words   |  6 PagesThe United States have been in many wars over 100 years. It has changed our country in many different ways. The United States have been successful in all the wars we have been in. I’m gone talk about my favorite wars. The first war I’m gone discuss is the Civil War. This was as they call it the bloodiest clash. The civil War began April 12, 1861 and lasted up until May 9, 1865. It was located in the Southern, Northern and the Western part of the United States. Seven southern laves states declaredRead MoreTaking a Look at the Cold War1243 Words   |  5 Pages The Cold war The cold war began in 1945 and last till 1990.It involved many nation but the two main opponents were the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The cold war was a conventional power struggle between the two greatest military powers of the age . However; the Cold War was a struggle for world influence between two ways of life. The conflict in ideologies between capitalism and communism resulted in one of the greatest conflicts of the twentieth century ². The ideologyRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of John F. Kennedys Call To Action936 Words   |  4 PagesThe 1960’s was a period of America enriched of political and social tension that included issues regarding the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement the Vietnam War, race, gender, the Vietnam war, and sexual orientation. During this era, the Baby Boomer generation sought out to challenge the status quo of the current government policy by protesting against these issues. From hippies to teddy boys, they oppos ed the existing conditions in the United States that have emerged as contentious reasons toRead MoreThe Link between Violent Video Games and Behavior1230 Words   |  5 PagesGet ready for another week of the Info Channel. Our topic for today, is South Asia. This is the channel that teaches you about the history, people, and fun facts of the world. We’ll be right back, after the commercial. Have you ever pondered about the unfairness in India? Have you ever heard of the caste system? The caste system is the categorization of social groups in India. The first cast is the Brahmin, consisting of people that have a job relating to religion such as priests. The next cast

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Organizational Behavior Mind Map Essay - 2511 Words

Organizational Behavior Mind Map In our Organization Behavior class we were asked to create a mind map incorporating all the important and relevant topics we have covered during the course, and how they relate with the other topics and fit in the bigger picture of organizational behavior as a subject. Whilst drawing my mind map, I realized that most of the relevant topics of OB really fall under 4 main branches – Organizational psychology, development, theory and human resources. I believe that these are the 4 most important aspects of OB simply because business is about people. All organizations comprise people; and the organization’s success (or lack of it) really depends on the interactions of the people within the organization, and†¦show more content†¦The social, political, technological, and economic environment around it and the community to which it belongs and affects also impact the organizational culture. These frames set the foundation for which the organization develops its own culture on. For a harmonious and smooth functioning organization, there needs to be congruence within this culture that is created. Hence, the values and beliefs, formal and informal systems, strategies, outcomes and thinking and characteristics of the organization need t o be aligned, and to fit with each other to create any form of congruence. What I have come to realize during this OB course is that congruence is an absolute necessity in any type of team or organization. Congruence enables consistency in what the beliefs of the organization are and the resulting actions taken by the organization, enabling the members to understand what to expect from the organization and the people working in it and also what is expected of them. The second main branch in my mind map is of organizational development. This branch has been included as every organization in today’s age looks to be what is known as a â€Å"learning organization†. A learning organization constantly looks for ways and means to improve itself. For improvement, very often change is necessary. A requirement for change can stem from fear, miscommunication, a lack of creativity or out-of-the-box thinking and a non-conducive work culture. However, a need for change canShow MoreRelatedTeam Culture And Scale. Introduction . In The Global Business1519 Words   |  7 Pagesorganizations have no other alternative to this. When any workforce is blended with people of various cultures naturally the difference of their dispositions, actions, mind-sets, pattern of dialogue etc. becomes visible. In this situation without minimizing difference among co-workers healthy working environment cannot be ensured. In this essay it will be discussed what expe ctations of a multicultural team’s members to met for working together. Hypothetical team Here the discussion will focus on a hypotheticalRead MoreThe Importance Of Self Concept And Cultural Intelligence1215 Words   |  5 Pagesstrengths, weaknesses, status, etc.; self-image. (1) Cultural Intelligence, noun, is a set of capabilities and skills that facilitate adaptation to diverse cultural situations and allow us to interpret unfamiliar behaviors and situations. (2) The question I will be reflecting upon in this essay is, â€Å"What roles do self-concept and cultural intelligence play in the effective management of conflicts?† Thesis Self-concept and cultural intelligence both have a very important role in managing conflicts.Read MoreThe Importance of Counseling Essay example1582 Words   |  7 Pagesthat their leader appreciates their efforts. Praising subordinates is a simple act that takes little time but will provide many benefits. With a few positive, encouraging words and a pat on the back, the leader can recognize and reinforce desired behavior and performance. A soldier who feels that their best efforts are valued by their leader is likely to continue in those efforts. It is important that the soldier know they are viewed as a valuable member of the unit. With praise a leader can createRead MoreCreative Thinking Skills For Professional Marketing Managers1625 Words   |  7 Pagesuniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2016). The aim of this essay is to present the necessaries and the importance of creative thinking skill and how to improve creative thinking skill in area of marketing manager position. The world has changed rapidly as a result creative thinking skill is not only relevant to who work for art, music or design but who work for business management also. A manager is a person who placed in management level on an organizational chart and takes responsibilities for combinationRead MoreContemporary Applications of Schools in Psychology8487 Words   |  34 Pagesï » ¿INTRODUCTION Psychology evolved out of both philosophy and biology. Throughout psychologys history, a number of different  schools of thought  have formed to explain human thought and behavior. These schools of thought often rise to dominance for a period of time. While these schools of thought are sometimes perceived as competing forces, each  perspective  has contributed to our understanding of psychology. Some of the major schools of thought in psychology are Structuralism, Functionalism, GestaltRead MoreA Description Of The Approach2265 Words   |  10 PagesDIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION Section A. critical essay 1. A description of the approach Differentiation is a way of teaching; it asks teachers to know their students well enough that they are able to provide each one of them with experiences that will improve their learning development. As Carol Ann Tomlinson has said, differentiation means giving students multiple options for taking in information (1999). At its most rudimentary level, differentiating instruction means that you, as a teacher, observeRead MoreLeadership Experience2128 Words   |  9 Pagesprocess in the smooth running and operation of a company or organization. It is in the management level that a clear vision and mission of a company is set (Holan amp; Phillips, 2002). Leadership and management are therefore essential in achieving organizational goals and objectives. The Riverside Pediatric Associates case is common in companies and entities that fail to fit into the dynamics of an expanding work place. Human population is constantly increasing and so are clients of a once best ratedRead MoreReflectiv e Essay on Pass2337 Words   |  10 Pageslifelong process.† Keeping all these in mind, the PASS module has arranged its courses accordingly and thus gave us the opportunity to go through various outdoor tasks in Buxton Residential, with the help of which we can analyze and assess our personality to work accordingly in an organization. Also, the indoor task of Poster Peer Assessment did the needful in understanding what team work is in an organizational background. The purpose of writing this essay is thus what we learn from this module andRead MoreStrategic Management16778 Words   |  68 Pagesand environments, thereby maximizing its potential for flowing with the environmental changes. This makes it possible to adjust accordingly as circumstances in the environment change. Swayne, Duncan and Ginter (2008) simply affirm that it is a road map that defines an organization’s direction and how to get where it is intended to go, and even provide the bearings of how tro get there with no hassles. History of Strategic Planning Swayne, Duncan and Ginter (2008) trace the concept ofRead MoreFuther5361 Words   |  22 Pagessettings. Decision making, strategic management, organizational performance, communication, and provider comparisons. Introduction This course is designed to be the capstone course for the Master of Health Services Administration degree. It assumes that the student is in the final semester of graduate work and has successfully completed course work in health issues and policy, health economics, financial management, organizational behavior, quantitative analysis, and health law. The title

Friday, December 20, 2019

Nationalism and Transnationalism in the Context of the...

Nationalism and Transnationalism In the context of the European Union (†¦) History says, ‘Don t hope On this side of the grave.’ But then, once in a lifetime The longed-for tidal wave Of justice can rise up, And hope and history rhyme. So hope for a great sea-change On the far side of revenge. Believe that a further shore Is reachable from here. Believe in miracles And cures and healing wells.... If there s fire on the mountain Or lightning and storm And a god speaks from the sky That means someone is hearing The outcry and the†¦show more content†¦Aims and objectives During the First and the Second World Wars Europe had to witness nationalist rivalries, which led the continent to the catastrophe. For many, those wars meant the beginning of the end of the European civilization. Others, a minority, drew from that the conclusion that the European capability to overcome aggressive nationalism which caused those tragedies, is achievable by adopting the idea of the united and peaceful continent as a common project.[6] That inspiration was to be insured by a share of common, European distinctiveness. However, this process implies the necessity to consider the impact of nationalism and the role of national states in a growing trend for a united Europe. As Anthony D. Smith predicts: The Europe of the future, if it should ever emerge, will be one of the mass identification and loyalty to the European ideal, alongside or even in place of national allegiances and identities, such that large numbers of the inhabitants of the European continent will not only consider themselves to be first and foremost ‘Europeans’ but will be prepared to make sacrifices for that ideal. [7] We can assume that a common European identity should construct a parallel between the Union’s institutions and the citizens, making them feel that the economic and administrative regulations of the Union are something that have to do with their rights and duties, with their identity. As theShow MoreRelatedOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pageswhat we choose to call centuries are almost invariably years of little significance. But there is little agreement over when the twentieth century c.e. arrived, and there were several points both before the year 2000 (the collapse of the Soviet Union, the reunification of Germany, the surge of globalization from the mid-1990s) and afterward (9/11, or the global recession of 2008) when one could quite plausibly argue that a new era had begun. A compelling case can be made for viewing the decades

Friday, December 13, 2019

American Revolution †Essay 12 Free Essays

Carly Zeravica American Revolution Essay Period 3 9/20/11 When did the American Revolution start? Some historians say that it began after the French and Indian War ended in 1763 and others say that it began when the colonists first came to North America in 1607. Regardless, the colonists achieved separation from the changeless ways in Britain and created new ideas for the â€Å"new world. † After years of ignorance from Britain, the colonies began to form their own identity as a whole. We will write a custom essay sample on American Revolution – Essay 12 or any similar topic only for you Order Now They now had a vision of their future, but were restrained in numerous ways by the British. However, the colonists refused to tolerate British limitations. The American Revolution was a product of colonial rejection to Britain’s attempts at taxation, legislation, and economic control. Britain’s triumph in the Seven Years’ War came with a price. Britain acquired a large amount of land from the defeated empires of France and Spain, accompanied by a large amount of debt. About half of this debt was a result of defending the American colonies. Therefore, the British government began taxing the colonies in order to pay off their substantial monetary obligation. Americans became infuriated, especially with officials such as Prime Minister George Grenville, who imposed The Sugar Act. This placed a tax on foreign sugar imported from the West Indies. The British viewed taxation as colonial compensation for protection. The Sugar Act excitement settled after the duty was lowered, but it was soon followed by more taxing. Charles Townshend, a British politician, influenced Parliament to pass the Townshend Acts. These acts placed an import tax on items such as glass, paper, and tea. Colonists rebelled once again, creating nonimportation agreements against the Townshend Acts. Although colonists were primarily angry with the tax on tea, they ignored the duties and began smuggling. Ultimately, taxation was a British effort to abuse the rights of the Americans. Taxes, along with Parliamentary legislations and economy, eventually built up, intensified, and led to the American Revolution. Throughout the seventeenth century, the American colonies argued with Britain about the level of freedom they deserved. Britain believed that the colonists had too much freedom, while they claimed there wasn’t enough. Britain took action by passing a series of laws and acts, restricting the thirteen colonies further. London government started their restrictions by issuing the Proclamation of 1763. This document stated that the colonists could not settle land beyond the Appalachian Mountains. The Proclamation was viewed as an â€Å"oppression† by Americans, particularly land speculators. They felt that their right to progress west was being taken from them, and were thoroughly angered at this. However, British government wouldn’t stop here. Until 1763, Navigation Laws were faintly enforced, allowing products to be shipped to the colonies without going through British vessels or the country itself. Then, Prime Minister George Grenville demanded that the British navy strictly impose the laws. The Americans wanted to have control of their â€Å"new world†, and saw no logic in confinement to British rule. Nonetheless, more policies were issued, including the infamous Intolerable Acts. These rules were placed on Massachusetts, Boston specifically, taking away the rights of the colonists living there. As a part of the Intolerable Acts, the Quebec Act was passed, expanding the Quebec borders to the Ohio River and granting French Canadians exclusive rights. Bitterness continued to brew in the colonies because these acts proved inequality within America. There was no colonial government whatsoever, and the British policies were strongly enforced. All that was left in the hands of the colonists was the growth of their economy, or so they thought. Wealth was power in the eyes of mercantilists, and wealth was determined by the amount of gold or silver a country possessed. The thirteen colonies were used essentially as a factory by London government, producing what was necessary to fulfill their mercantilist goals. They were solely meant to generate goods for Britain, who saw their aspiration to have an independent economy as a unrealistic. All gold and silver was going straight to Britain, and the Americans soon ran out of funds. Consequently, they were required to print and utilize paper currency. Parliament banned this, shutting down this step towards economic self-sufficiency. Colonial production was only beneficial to the mother country and when Americans grasped this, it was the inal straw of toleration. Upon departure from Britain in 1607, settlers were guaranteed the â€Å"rights of Englishmen†. Following their arrival, these promised rights were rapidly being taken away from Americans. As the colonies tried to stand on their own, Britain strived to maintain power. Restrictions and regulations began to infest the colonies, and quickly be came unbearable to the liberated Americans. Taking action against British smothering, the colonists revolted. The American Revolution was a product of colonial rejection to Britain’s attempts at taxation, legislation, and economic control. How to cite American Revolution – Essay 12, Essays

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Hamlets procrastination and co Essay Example For Students

Hamlets procrastination and co Essay Hamlets Procrastination and CowardiceIn William Shakespeares play Hamlet, Hamlet is a loyal prince who vows to avenge his fathers murder. When Hamlet discovers the painful truth about his fathers death, he is left with feelings of hatred and resentment in his heart towards the murderer, Claudius. Although Hamlet is a very noble and sophisticated man, he struggles with the issue of avenging his fathers death. He swears his revenge will be quick, however, this is not the case. Since Hamlet is more into philosophizing than action, he thinks about his intention to kill Claudius. The more he thinks about his intention, the less he is able to execute it. The tragic flaw that Hamlet possesses is his inability to act. He vows that he is going to kill Claudius but backs out of it several times before the deed is actually done. Hamlets first sign of procrastination and lack of action begins to show through his character at the very beginning of the play. The ghost informs him about Claudius evil doings. Hamlet is prompt by replying: Haste me to knowt; that I, with wings as swift As meditation or the thoughts of love, May sweep to my revenge. (Shakespeare, p. 67) This passage shows how Hamlet decides to avenge his fathers death. In fact, he declares that he will be committed to nothing else but the revenge against Claudius: Ill wipe away all trivial fond records, All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past, That youth and observation copied there; And thy commandment all alone shall live Within the book and volume of my brain, Unmixd with baser matter: yes, by heaven! (Shakespeare, p. 69). At this point, there is no doubt present in Hamlets mind; he is determined to kill the King. His attitude soon changes when he realizes that he is plotting to commit treason and the enormous burden that comes along with that. He is scared. The reason for his first delay of action, according to Hamlet, is that he is doubting the existence of the ghost and whether it really was the spirit of his late father or just an evil spirit. Hamlets excuse for doubting the ghost is displayed in his actions; Be thou a spirit of health or goblin damnd, Bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell, Be thy intents wicked or charitable, Thou comst in such a questionable shape (Shakespeare, p. 59). Because Hamlet doubts the ghost, he cannot and does not kill the King at this point in the play. Time continues to pass by as Hamlet is indecisive. The conviction and determined attitude that Hamlet possessed earlier has now been lost and his procrastination becomes quite evident. He engages in meaningless activities, such as conducting small talk with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. He starts to argue points to ridiculous lengths by saying things such as, Then are our beggars bodies, and our monarchs and outstretched heroes the beggars shadows (Shakespeare, p. 109). He is asking meaningless and absurd questions. Hamlet realizes his lack of action and knows that Claudius should already be dead. Again, he swears he will kill the King: I should have fatted all the region kites With this slaves offal. Bloody, bawdy villain! Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless, villain! O vengeance! (Shakespeare, p. 125) However, this determined attitude fades and he begins to think about the murder some more. Hamlet now feels that he needs more substantial proof of the Kings guilt before he can take action. He puts on a play which delays any action from happening. When Claudius storms off during the play, Hamlet is reassured of the Kings guilt. Capital Punishment Essay Introduction Hamlet becomes enraged because he knows the truth now. The days turn into weeks since Hamlet first learned of his fathers murder. Hamlet gets the perfect opportunity to kill the King, yet he still does not take it. Because of Hamlets new proof of Claudiuss guilt and his now blood-thirsty mood, he acts as though he is ready to kill Claudius and will take any chance he gets to do so. The king is kneeling down to pray. Hamlet draws his sword but feels that this is still not the right .

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Leading Organizational Change Change Agents

Questions: 1. Develop at least four (4) realistic assumptions that you can add to the issues and problems expressed. These might typically be related to management, change processes, managerial information systems, technology, competitors, Customers and so on. Use at least two (2) sentences to describe each assumption.2. In reference to the classic article by Larry Greiner (Reading 10), explain what is happening between growth and change at WMC. Compare this with what Malhotra and Hinings (Reading 9) indicate about continuity and change.3. How does the problem statement for WMC resemble what Gersick (Reading 6) indicates about a systems deep structure (see also Hayes (2014) Chapter 3)? What consistencies exist between the facts in WMC and the descriptions of deep structure by Gersick? 4. In reference to the article by Dailey and Browning (Reading 4; see also Module 1), explain why narratives and storytelling were useful to the company.5. Refer to Hayes (2014), Chapter 6, under the heading Colla borative Modes of Intervening, which two or more of these modes might change agents in WMC use and why? Who are the change agents in WMC if change occurs? 6. Given the Typology of Organisational Change (see Hayes (2014), Chapter 3), which typology may best describe the approach that WMC might adopt? Answers: Relationship Between Change Readiness and Change Agents This particular case study has provided an in-depth understanding on how WMC has made innumerable changes within the organizational business for rendering the success in the current market. From the case scenario, it has been observed that the attrition rate of the organization is rising rapidly. Due to the increased rate of competition, the business organization is facing innumerable difficulties for maintaining their market share. In order to regain the trust of customers and crate market demand, WMC has decided to implement change management at the workplace with the help of which the performance level of the employees can be improved. The aspects change managements enables the business organization like WMC innovative business strategies and policies as well for improving the entire operational practices. After implementing change management with the process of business, the organization like WMC is able to implement advanced technology for reducing the product cost. The importan ce of advanced technology is undeniable as this particular process enables the business organization to provide more products and services in limited time range. Rafferty et al. (2013)) opined that change readiness is the appreciation or beliefs that employees intend to perceive when organization decides to implement change management process at the workplace. Before, implementing change management at the workplace, the impact of employee readiness may be positive or negative. Before implementing the change process at the workplace, employees tend to show their confused attitudes. The changes that are going to be occurred at the workplace may not be in favor of the employees. As a result, the employees may have to suffer immensely after the implementation of new business strategy. On the other hand, change initiation is the systematic procedure with the help of which employees tend to show their intense initiative for implementing change management at the workplace. Therefore, both the overarching concept change readiness and change management are inseparably related to each other. Change readiness would be effective only when the employees w ould show their interest on change initiation. In a word, if change readiness can be considered as the cause, change initiation is the effect (Mcfillen et al., 2013). Employees would show their interest in change initiation only when the change readiness is completely effective for the employees. In case of WMC, the result is quite negative. The organization being large fails to create a positive impact on the organization. After the implementation of change management, a large number of employees have decided to leave the organization. As a result, the rate of employee turnover has been raised innumerably. Cumming and Worley (2014) stated that WMC was not successful identifying the positive impact of change readiness. Before, implementing change management within the business process the business experts of WMC could make an effective interaction with the employees in order to know the perception in which the employees belong. Implementation Readiness In order to implement change management within the process of business organization has to maintain appropriate leadership style along with proper direction. As a result, the employees would like to share their opinion on whether they are flexible with the change management or not. WMC is facing innumerable difficulties from the low cost products. As a result, the organization needs to implement new business strategy and policy in order to regain the trust of people. In this kind of situation, change management would help the organization for drawing the attention of customers. Without following a proper leadership style, the business experts would never be able to make an effective communication with the employees in order to collect their feedback. Figure 1: Implementing Change for WMC (Source: Hayes, 2014) Change implementation is highly depend on some of the major factors that include internal resources of the organization, employee behavior, availability of organizational system and control, the availability of technology, the financial ability of the organization and so many. Based on the organizational resources, the business experts can decided whether they would be able to bear the cost of change management (Hayesc, 2014). On the other hand, it is undeniable that success of a business organization is highly dependent on the performance of employees. Therefore, before implementing new business strategy and policy, the business experts have to make a collective decision on how the employees are flexible with change readiness process. Based on the employee feedback and behavior, the organization should decide whether the change management should be implemented or not. In addition, the organization should have the financial stability as well based on which the organization would be able to bear the cost of new business strategies and policies. At the same time, risk management control analysis is equally important for implementing any new business strategy at the workplace. With the help of risk control program, the business exerts have the chance to implement alternative strategy and policy if the change management procedure fails to draw the attention of customers as well as employees both. WMC should focus on appropriate implementation scheme and development with the help of which the business experts can give equal priority and response on several factors such as resources, technologies, psychology and behavior. Implementation readiness is ensured only when it has the ability to manage four primary factors that include culture and resources, effective process, policies and operation system. Without the existence of effective cultures and resources, the organization would never be able to implement change management at the workplace. WMC is the brightest example of it. This particular company fails to manage change at the workplace. The business experts of this particular organization have not received supportive behavior from the employees. WMC is large and wide where several numbers of employees from various geographical boundaries like to work within the business organization (Pieterse, Canie and Homan, 2012). Large number of barriers takes place at the workplace among which communication barriers, cultural barriers, psychological barriers, religious barriers are one of the most prominent. In this kind of situation, employees from numerous backgrounds failed to show their co-operation at t he workplace. As a result, the primary aim of change management process became failed. Open System Diagram Open System diagram for WMC has been provided below. With the help of this particular diagram, an effective analysis has been evaluated on three consecutive factors that include inputs, transform and output. Figure 2: Open System Diagram (Source: Hayes, 2014) Input: People: Input implies the efforts that the business managers can provide towards the employees for receiving effective service process on behalf of the employees. Motivational factors are highly important for getting good performance from the employees. Implementation of effective leadership style is one of the most appropriate factors with the help of which employees show their interest for performing well (Rafferty et al. 2013). The employees of WMC need that motivational factors with the help of which the employees can perform well in order to reach the business goal. Motivation and Training: In order to receive good performance from the employees, organization like WMC can provide an effective professional training to the employees in order to make them more skillful and competent. On the other hand, competency brings confidence and motivation towards the performance. Funding: Before implementing change management with the help of advanced technology, the organization such as WMC has to raise sufficient funds, based on which the company becomes successful to bear the cost. Transformation: Organizations Structure: Organizational structure implies the infrastructure, external and internal resources based on which the success of business is highly dependent. Before, implementing new business strategy and policy, the company like WMC has to be concerned about the structure so that the business experts can provide necessary equipments for improving the process of management. Organizational Culture: After implementing the change management, WMC should change the organizational cultures and values at the same time. Based on the current trends of market the managers have to implement business strategy. Therefore, organizational culture should also be amended as per the implementation of business strategy. Processes: The entire process of business should be changed after the implementation of change management. The employees would like to maintain different organizational culture and behavior after the entrance of new business policy. At the same time, the process of communication mode should be changed as well after the implementation of change management process (Schiavone and Smolla, 2013). WMC should follow these aspects within their business process as well in order to gain the trust of people. Therefore, this particular aspect is a serious matter of consideration based on which companies can build organizational image and reputation. Output: The cause of effective inputs and the systematic transformation is the ultimate cause of an appropriate output. If employees become motivate from the guidance of an eminent leader, the employees would be able to provide quality products as well as services (Barratt, 2004). WMC is not exceptional to that. In addition, employees would like to accept innovative culture at the same time. Based on the output provided by the employees, the organization gets effective feedback from the customers. The primary vision of every business organization like WMC is to satisfy the needs and demands of customers. Kotters Integrative Model of Organizational Dynamics As per the integrative model of Kotters change is constituted with six primary components that include employees and tangible assets, organizations structure and operating systems, goals and strategies, external environment, technology; techniques and methods used, and social factors; culture. Figure 3: Kotters Integrative model of organizational dynamics (Source: Hayes, 2014) While fulfilling all the elements of Kotters companies have to go through some of the necessary organizational processes that include communication style, decision-making style, effective leadership style, producing effective products and service and so many (Ali and Lai, 2016). Following this particular model, it has been observed that when WMC started implementing innovative business strategies and policies, some of the major competitors equally want to change their strategies as well in order to become a serious market threat. Before, implementing an effective business strategy and policy WMC can maintain a market research in order to know the competitors new strategies and policies. For an example, in order to become a serious market threat for the competitors WMC can reduce the cost of product in order to draw the attention of low cost customers (Pugh, 2016). As a result, the range of target market would be high automatically. As it is a new market, WMC must utilize its resource s effectively for ensuring least fall at the initial stages. For instance, by reducing the production, changing the target customers and reducing the prices and adopting the pull production the market demand can be raised demand as expected by the Mira and Ryan. The medium term has provided an in-depth overview on how the ability of the company is decided to maintain integrity inside and outside the business organization. As per the point of view of this particular model it has been observed that company should implement organizational strategy and policy as per the company resources and financial growth. For an example, due to the lack of fund the company like WMC fails to implement trained and competent human resource managers who would be able to make an effective communication with the employees for resolving the issues. At the same time, it is also undeniable that without the implementation of advanced technology the company would never be able to keep a constant record over the entire process of business. In long-term process, it is evident that the company after implementing innovative equipment within the business process has to think about the external factors. For en example, implementation of advanced technology is not the ultimate responsibility of business experts such as WMC. The human resource managers have to hire professional candidates who are flexible enough with the changing process of technology. On the other hand, in case of customer service department, the customers service executives have to be very much efficient in communication skill with the help of which the customers do not have to face any kind of linguistic barriers for communicating with the service providers (Lozano, Ceulemans and Seatter, 2015). At the same time, it is undeniable that the executives should be flexible with both verbal and non-verbal communication so that people from various cultures and backgrounds can show their interest for using the products and services of WMC. Reference List: Ali, N. and Lai, R., 2016. A method of requirements change management for global software development.Information and Software Technology,70, pp.49-67. Barratt, M., 2004. Understanding the meaning of collaboration in the supply chain.Supply Chain Management: an international journal,9(1), pp.30-42. Cumming, T G Worley, C G 2014, Organization Development and Change, Cengage Learning, Stamford. Hayes, J 2014, The Theory and Practice of Change Management, Palgrave Macmillan, New York. Lozano, R., Ceulemans, K. and Seatter, C.S., 2015. Teaching organisational change management for sustainability: designing and delivering a course at the University of Leeds to better prepare future sustainability change agents.Journal of Cleaner Production,106, pp.205-215. Mcfillen, JM, O'Neil, DA, Balzer, WK Varney, GH 2013, 'Organizational Diagnosis: An Evidence-based Approach', Journal of Change Management, vol. 13, no. 2 , pp.223246. Pieterse, J H, Caniels, MC Homan, T 2012, 'Professional discourses and resistance to change', Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 25, no. 6 , pp. 798-818. Pugh, L., 2016.Change management in information services. Routledge. Rafferty, AE, Jimmieson, NL Armenakis, AA 2013, 'Change Readiness: A Multilevel Review', Journal of Management, vol. 39, no. 1 , pp.110-135. Schiavone, F Smolla, RK 2013, 'Trust in change managers: the role of affect', Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 26, no. 4 , pp. 725-747.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Neuroscience and Neuromarketing

Question: Reflect on the contribution you think that neuroscience can make to help us understand advertising. Is it just an expensive new toy or does it help us get inside how people's minds work? If you were the advertising manager of Metro Trains Melbourne, would you consider the report a good investment? Why or why not? Answer: Neuroscience and neuromarketing and its impact on the people Neuroscience is a scientific study of the nervous system, whereas the term neuromarketing is a field of marketing research which has been newly developed. Neuromarketing is still in the initial stages and needs further investigation (Kolar, 2015). It is different from the consumer neuroscience as it includes the scientific happenings of the research approaches. The goal of the consumer neuroscience is that it is related to the understanding of the consumer behavior. Neuromarketing in association with the traditional marketing research theories can add essential insights in the decision making process of the human beings (Schaik, 2015). For this reason, neuroscience can support the businesses in their decisions regarding the placement of the products and their contributions in optimizing the classical marketing-mix instruments like the product, price, promotion, and place of distribution policies, and also the brand research. Plato understood that the feeling and the emotions of the human beings should be seen as two separate phenomena. In reality neuromarketing tries to give details about the impact that a stimulus will make in consumers brain and a lot of researchers define neuromarketing to be a way to find the buy button in the humans brain. If I were the advertising manager of Metro Trains Melbourne then I would have definitely considered that the project was a good investment (Safety Risk, 2013). It is so because the amusing and a fun way to warn the people about the ways people can get hurt and even die. These are some of ways, the people will never think of dying. Thus the song starts as dumb ways to die. After watching the advertisement the people were more aware of the situations and were alert while stepping out on the road (TheAustralian, 2015). The success of the advertisement was that the ad was successful in creating an impact on the minds of the people and the short-term effect was that the accidents were reduced by 21 per cent. The second impact was a behavioral change campaign which aimed to change the attitude of the people and these campaigns need years to develop. References Kolar, E. (2015).Neuromarketing and Marketing Management: Contributions of Neuroscience for the traditional Marketing Mix(1st ed.). Retrieved from https://essay.utwente.nl/65319/1/Kolar_BA_MB.pdf Safety Risk,. (2013).Dumb Ways To Die and A Strange Sense of Success Safety Risk. Retrieved 7 March 2015, from https://www.safetyrisk.net/dumb-ways-to-die-and-a-strange-sense-of-success/ Schaik, K. (2015).How neuroscience contributes to neuromarketing(1st ed.). Retrieved from https://essay.utwente.nl/65341/1/vanschaik_BA_MB.pdf TheAustralian,. (2015).Dumb Ways to Die 'has reduced accidents'. Retrieved 7 March 2015, from https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/dumb-ways-to-die-has-reduced-accidents/story-e6frg996-1226666677010

Thursday, November 28, 2019

7 Best Practices for Improving Website Usability

Effective websites are usable websites. The ease of use and efficiency with which your website communicates with readers will make or break your online venture. If your web content is inaccessible, hard to read, or difficult to navigate, your visitors will quickly bounce. Seventy-nine percent of mobile users, for example, will search for another site if the first one they visit is not optimized for mobile. What you communicate is important. So is the way in which you do so. Here are 7 ways to improve your online content’s usability. 1. When it comes to choices, sometimes less is more While it may be tempting to provide your customers with a plethora of choices, sometimes less is more. Too many choices can overwhelm, confuse and turn readers away. A good rule of thumb is to provide 5 +/- 2 options at most. People tend to feel much more comfortable and confident with their decision when presented with fewer choices. For example: Only feature a select number of pieces in your newsletters and blog homepage at a time Limit your primary navigation bar to no more than seven links where possible Limit the number of social media sharing buttons in your content Avoid providing too many purchasing options for your customers Limit too many visual options. Numerous tests indicate that static imagery outperform sliders with respect to conversion rates. 2. Make Your Content Skimmable Readers are on a webpage for a reason. They’re looking for something. If they don’t immediately get a sense that they will find what they’re looking for due to your use of giant blocks of text, they will likely bounce. So, ensure that your content is skimmable to improve the user experience so they can more easily hone in on what they want to know. In an eye-tracking study done by Nielson Norman Group, users have a reading pattern that is similar to the shape of an F. They tend to read headings and then skim the first few words of each paragraph. Another study claims that most users only read about 20% of the words on a webpage. To ensure users are getting the most out of your content, make sure it’s easily skimmable/scannable with: Big headings One idea per paragraph Concise bullet points No walls of text Lots of white space 3. Ensure your Audience Can Find You Having excellent content is one thing. But if your prospects can’t find your site in the first place, or the content that’s relevant to them if they do, then they can’t read or get value from it, and neither can you. Make sure your content is findable by optimizing your website in full, from site speed to navigation, from your URL structuring, to your sitemaps, and more. You can further improve your visibility investing wisely in paid acquisition. 4. Produce High-Quality Content A lot of time and effort goes into creating high-quality content. Therefore, it is important to remember to COPE – create once, publish everywhere to maximize your reach. You’ll find that each of these components of usability best practice supports one or more of the others. In this case, high quality, original content supports findabliity (including accessibility), and skimmability as already discussed fulfills two of the top ten best practices for creating meaningful content; the other eight are as follows: Speaking to your users pain point and needs Speaking about benefits first, features later Using the jargon and language common to your target market to better identify with them Create hierarchically relevant navigation with clear anchor text Be intentional with the content that you create, if it doesn’t serve a purpose other than fluffing your word count, cut it out Be current. Be factual. Be transparent Be consistent.Following style guides, both for language and design, helps people understand and learn what you are trying to communicate Do your homework, content should drive site design, nit the other way around, and content should be created to meet your users core needs and objectives 5. Design for Emotion People are emotional. And they love a good story. Naturally, storytelling is a highly effective way to engage with your readers, to better connect with them, to appeal to their emotions, to engender loyalty. Growth in the number of brands embracing emotional storytelling has spiked recently as more of the big players are recognizing the importance of associating their brand with positive emotions. Storytelling is key to this shift. People relate to life stories, much more so than promotional or feature-stuffed content. When it comes to a video advertisement, which people have a choice to view, or skip, they would rather be told a story they can relate to than have products pushed at them. This is a great example from the giant that is Google. Consider this Google Chrome advertisement from 2009: Smart, no doubt. Informative? For sure! But†¦ a little dry perhaps? Not exactly a fuzzy moment †¦ Now what about this one, â€Å"Dear Sophie†, created a few years later†¦ This one was tear jerker, in a good way. It became a viral sensation and has nearly 11 million view to date, that’s almost 10x more than its predecessor. Who said emotions were a bad thing? The biggest way to appeal to emotions is visually. We are emotional creatures. We are also visual creatures. Check it out†¦ In a nutshell, use emotive, connotative images to engage, compel and funnel to and through your cart. 6. Create a MVE: Minimum Viable Experience Users want to find information quickly. In addition to optimizing your content, part of full optimization includes design, and you do this by reducing noise and clutter. Take out anything that doesn’t serve a purpose. If it doesn’t help the user to get to where they’re going the quickest possible way, get rid of it. This is especially important for mobile users. Slow loading pages, interstitials and pop-up ads will distract and frustrate users. If you think ‘mobile-first’ you’re well on the way to achieving an effective MVE for your users. 7. Social Integration Make it as easy as possible for your site visitors to follow and share your content by providing easily accessible social media buttons. Doing this will not only increase your visibility, but it would also improve the user experience. If the content is relevant to your readers, it will likely be relevant to their social circles. A study done by the New York Times revealed the following as motivations for why consumers are sharing online content: To bring value and entertainment to others To define themselves and others To nourish relationships To be relevant and involved To spread information on causes or brands Make quotes, images, reviews, descriptions – everything that might be shared – make it incrementally sharable so that your users can engage with your brand, get feedback on their choices, and reaffirm their decisions with their peer networks – it all adds up to user confidence and satisfaction – all part of the usability universe. Quality Content is Meant to Be Seen A significant amount of time and resources go into producing great content, but without an audience, that effort is wasted. It is therefore essential that your user e2e experience is optimized, seamless and contiguous. Following these tips will help you make the most of your amazing content.

The Note free essay sample

One choice. One book. One sentence. That’s all it took for me to decide what I wanted to do with my life. Impossible? I’ll leave that up to you to decide. It was a flawless autumn day, the type of day when the bright sun and the baby blue sky fill you with a certain unexplainable nostalgia. The birds sang fearlessly, like the innocent laugher of young children playing on a summer night. The scene was deceptive. It looked pleasant, but the air had a definite briskness to it, making a jacket an unfortunate necessity. I, regrettably, was inside, at my local library, browsing the multitude of stacks for the â€Å"perfect† book. It was a task that, after a certain amount of time, became quite overwhelming, due to the great number of titles that lined the shelves. Eventually, though, I picked. I wish I could recall which book I selected from the myriad, and what it was that drew me to it, perhaps an attractive cover or an intriguing title. We will write a custom essay sample on The Note or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Whatever it was, I pulled it out and started to walk towards the librarian’s desk to check out. As I did, a small, folded piece of paper fell out of the book and fluttered to the ground. I reached down and picked it up, figuring it was just a bit of aimless doodling and began to walk towards the trash can. However, after a few steps, curiosity got the better of me, and I gave into my desire to unfold it and see what it was. There, scrawled in an untidy hand and blue pen were these words: â€Å"I may not make a million dollars but I will make a million smiles.† Those words broke my determined stride, and I stopped and inspected the scrap. Then I shrugged, shoved it into my jeans pocket and resumed my original expedition to the librarian’s desk. When I got home that evening, I opened the book and began to read, only to find my thoughts repeatedly returning to the piece of paper in my pocket. I pulled it out again and examined it, thinking to myself, â€Å"What kind of person leaves a note like this in a library book?† My mind churned through the possibilities. Maybe it had been a bookmark? But then, why not use a tissue, or something simple? Why this piece of paper? After a few minutes of intense contemplation I came to the conclusion that whoever put the scrap there wanted someone else to find it and take the words to heart. I then resumed my reading, no longer perplexed, but encouraged that someone would be motivated to do such a thing. I kept that paper, and those words written on my heart. As I think of that creased scrap, sitting even now on top of my dresser in my bedroom, I realize how much of an impact that paper had on me, and how my reaction to those fourteen little words caught me off guard. It touched me deeply and resulted in a more thorough comprehension of myself and who I want to be. I didn’t change in a huge way. If you asked my family and friends, they would probably say that I’ve always been a genuinely kind, caring person, and I didn’t undergo any drastic metamorphosis. However, life is a series of choices, and making the right ones is sometimes easier said than done. I might not feel like helping my friend study for an important French test or getting up early on Saturday mornings to go and volunteer at St. John’s Soup Kitchen, but those fourteen little words reinforced my determination to do the right thing, even when it’s the last thing I feel like doing. And when my friend gets an A on that test, or I see a smile on the face of someone who might have gone hungry that day without the assistance of the soup kitchen, I know that it’s worth it. Life challenges us to be benevolent and emancipate ourselves from apathy, and I will face this challenge wholeheartedly. Although it’s sometimes difficult to remain motivated to do good in a world that at times seems as though it’s just brimming with people with no morals or no compassion, I do it anyway. I have the privilege of knowing many spectacular people, who have touched me greatly, unknowingly encouraging me to be the best person I can be and reach my full potential. Just like that paper, I get creased and crumbled, but I will never give up, and I will never stop being true to myself. That piece of paper changed my life in an irrevocable way. One choice. One book. One sentence.

Monday, November 25, 2019

The Clan of onebreasted women essays

The Clan of onebreasted women essays The Clan of One-Breasted Women Terry Tempest Williams, the author of the The Clan of One-Breasted Women, criticizes the United States government for being deceitful about the causes and effects nuclear testing has on humans. Williams is a Mormon belonging to a clan of one-breasted women. Her mother, grandmother, and six aunts suffered from mastectomies. Seven are dead and only two survived due to the completion of chemotherapy and radiation. For years as long as she could remember, Williams had a dream about seeing a bright light in the night at the desert. When talking to her dad one day, she was told that she really saw the light and it wasnt a dream. The light was in fact the result of an atomic testing in Nevada on September 7, 1957. It was at this point that Williams had realized why so many of her family members and people living in Utah, were diagnosed with cancer. Many women filed law suites and protested, trying to stop nuclear testing; but every attempt was unsuccessful and failed. When confronted about the situation, the United States government assured the American public that nuclear testing was not the cause of cancer in this region of the country. One of the law suits filed was on August 30, 1979, Irene Allen v. The United States of America. Irene claimed that her first husband had watched the nuclear tests from the roof of his high school and died of leukemia and her second husband died of pancreatic cancer. The federal court had determined that nuclear tests had been the cause of cancer in this case. In April 1987 the verdict was overturned. Williams states, It was the first time a federal court had determined that nuclear tests had been the cause of cancers... it was considered a landmark ruling. It was not to remain so for long. In April 1987, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Judge Jenkinss ruling on the ground that t...

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Existence Of God Essays - Arguments For The Existence Of God

Existence Of God Essays - Arguments For The Existence Of God Existence Of God In David Humes Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, Cleanthes argument from design is successful in supporting the idea that the universe has an ordered arrangement and pattern. This argument is not sound in its ability to prove the existence of the Christian God. However, Cleanthes does present a sound case for order in the universe, which can be seen as an aspect of ones faith in a Supreme Creator. In the argument from design, Cleanthes is attempting to discover and defend the basic foundations of religion by using the same methods applied in scientific thought. Paramount in the process of scientific thought is reliance on previous observation and experience of certain causes resulting in specific effects. If a scientist experiences a million times that when chemical A is directly exposed to fire, an enormous explosion takes place, it is logical that the scientist is wholly expecting the same effect the next time the experiment is run. It appears through this line of reasoning that the argument from design relies heavily on the relative probability of an event occurring over a specified period of time. This idea corresponds to human interpretation of the Universe in that perception without the aid of experience is not sufficient in the realization process of a particular phenomenon. If a human were left only to their own perceptions of the universe without prior experiences, th ey would be able to make several value judgements, but without experience with these judgements it would be impossible to determine which were genuine. (p.61, par.2) Even if one believes that truth is relative, they must agree that there is an experience that has occurred in the past causing this person to label a particular outcome as being true or false. If I have no prior experience or knowledge of the qualities of a tree, I would be left to hypothesize on these qualities only from what I could perceive by looking at the tree. I may come up with several theories, one of which may happen to be the correct one, but with no prior experience on which to base these guesses, I would have no way of knowing which theory was correct. Philo objects to the use of only human intelligence as the benchmark by which to measure the order of the universe. Nature is also an example of a great wealth of order and arrangement that coexists with the human mind in the universe. He believes that by comparing the order that is present in the universe, being the whole, to the order that appears in the parts, being the human mind and nature, one makes too presumptuous an inference concerning the characteristics of both the whole and its parts. (p. 65) However, it is logical to presume that the qualities of any whole are reflected, at least in part, in the workings of the whole. The use of the watch to analyze the design of the universe originates in the belief that the universe would dictate the qualities of the watch, and would therefore bestow upon the watch characteristics similar to its own. It is indeed arbitrary to select human intelligence as the means by which to analyze whatever order may exist in the universe, but it se ems as logical an example as any. Surely, nature, the cosmos, and other examples of order exist in the universe, but human intelligence is by far the most know entity to humans of any of these examples. It should appear logical to analyze such a monumental task such as the arrangement of the universe using the most know example of design that human beings can comprehend. The next important aspect in Clenthes argument is the implementation of the theory of cause and effect as it applies in the case of perceiving means to an end and presuming that effects follow from a previous, related cause. As mentioned above in regards to the scientist, events that have similar effects are assumed to have similar causes. Cleanthes argues that the universe is nothing but one great machine, subdivided into an infinite number of lesser machines. (p.59, par.4) From human experience with machines, it is believed to be true that they involve a complex system

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Can The Mediterranean Diet Reduce Heart Disease Research Paper

Can The Mediterranean Diet Reduce Heart Disease - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that among the different types of diets that have become popular to help people lose weight, the Mediterranean diet is one that has been able to maintain its fame when it was first introduced until at present. Nonetheless, this type of diet has been studied by medical researchers and its association with some very common diseases in the society. Consisting of highly available products in the market, the Mediterranean diet is one that is rich in fish, nuts, vegetables, and fruits. Additionally, the consumption of olive oil, non-refined bread, and cereals, as well as a low intake of dairy products, fresh and processed meats, sweets, and wine are included. Although it may seem just as any food being consumed by everyone, the key components of Mediterranean diets is basically a healthy eating habit consisting at least two of these attributes inconsistency – a high ratio of monounsaturated to saturated fat, low to moderate red wine consum ption, high legume consumption, significant grain and cereal consumption, significant consumption of fruits and vegetables, high fish consumption along with low consumption of meats and meat products, and moderate consumption of milk and dairy products. The most recent study conducted regarding this diet was its role in reducing the risk of obtaining heart disease. In 2003, the PREDIMED or Prevencià ³n Con Dieta Mediterrà ¡nea study was first conducted in Spain over a seven-year period, which aims to prevent cases of cardiovascular diseases.

Smart Phone, Small Planet Identity and Community in the Digital Age Essay

Smart Phone, Small Planet Identity and Community in the Digital Age - Essay Example The smart technology has improved healthcare and healthcare management. Digital innovations are making new health products. According to Levy and Wong (p.9), smart technology is enabling an upgrade from a reactive focus on curatives towards a proactive view of health management. New preventive medicines are being discovered in order to enable prevention of diseases rather than waiting to cure them. This includes vaccine drugs administered to children. Levy and Wong (p.9) assert that digital technology advancement in the health sector has enabled the use of digital hearing aids. Moreover, improved pacemaker devices and datasets that analyze the efficiency of treatments have been realized thanks to the adoption of smart technology in the health sector. Levy and Wong (p.9) note that the new sources of information are improving the methods of diagnosis used by doctors making the process very effective. Smart technology has enabled effective monitoring of people’s health through ti mely detection of illness and the knowledge of nature and the causes of these diseases. X-ray scans are just an example of massive technology innovations that continue to significantly revolutionize our health sector positively. Therefore people’s lives in the community are better with this improvement in their health care. Smart technology innovations have brought about new and highly developed cities. Smart systems have advanced the ways of engagement of people in urban environments. According to Levy and Wong (p.9), through innovations, there are buildings which control pollution. Honestly, as Levy and Wong (p.9) foresee, the future is promising great opportunities in this urban housing sector.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Secondary research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Secondary - Research Paper Example In the conventional sense and wisdom, a worker or a person is considered to be a part time worker if he or she work for less than the stipulated thirty five hours in a week (Connolly & Gregory, 2008). In principle, in the recent past, the number of students in the United Kingdom who have taken up part time jobs has increased. To begin with, the students who are inclined towards taking the part time jobs are skewed differently in terms of their demographics and other social inclinations or information. Students who come from relatively poor backgrounds are most likely to take jobs part time so as to cover for the economic and financial difficulties. For instance, the students who depend on government loans and aid to cover their tuition fees are most likely to take up jobs so as to balance and afford their social costs and livelihoods. In this instance and line of thought, the students from poorer backgrounds such as Africa and Asia have been prone and skewed towards applying for jobs as part timers (Bennett, Williams, Page, Hood & Woollard, 2004). In the same respect and line of thought, people of relatively lesser status in the societal hegemony and hierarchy structure also take up part time jobs. It is conventional knowledge and common truth that people of â€Å"notable class and stature,† are more economically endowed and empowered in their lives as compared to others. For instance, the child of a president in one country as a University student in the United Kingdom would have a social more reputable name to be considered and revered in the society. Thus, it is very unlikely that such a student or person would take a part time job as an office assistant, or bar attendant while doing his or her studies. It could be because the son or daughter of the president would not perceive or view such a job to be of his or her equal measure. Thus,

Deviance and social controls Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Deviance and social controls - Essay Example The goal of sociologists is to identify the common characteristics of deviance. This approach is not concerned with the classification of deviant behavior. This research paper will seek to analyze and assess the phenomenon of social deviance. Deviance is considered to be aberrant behaviors that are contrary to established cultural norms and values. However defining the term is more complex given the sheer assortment of actions that are categorized as aberrant by society. The goal of sociology is to identify the common characteristics of various forms of deviance. The normative definition argues that any behavioral pattern that infringes upon the established rules of society is tantamount to deviance (Ben Yahuda, 1990). This definition is perhaps the oldest one regarding the phenomenon of deviance. Contemporary sociologists have attempted to formulate a relativistic definition in order to ensure computability with modern sociological theories. Thus the relativistic definition considers deviance as actions which are perceived to be aberrant according to social agents. Deviance helps to establish social morals and standards that provide guidance to society. The function of society is to create parameters that divide behaviors on the basis of acceptability. Any action that is outside such parameters will be categorized as deviant by society. Human beings are able to make decisions based upon the classification of deviant behaviors (Downes, 2003). These decisions are implemented within the moral boundaries in order to ensure acceptability from fellow human beings. An important function of deviance is to rally and mobilize the social classes against the outcasts of society. This helps to develop a consensus among the general public that deviant acts will not be tolerated in society. For instance there is a universal stance against pedophilia which is deemed to be a

Monday, November 18, 2019

Impact of the Risk on Tiger Golfs Efficiency and Product Quality Case Study

Impact of the Risk on Tiger Golfs Efficiency and Product Quality - Case Study Example This paper illustrates that in addition to the probability and impact of each risk, Magness should determine the risk proximity for each identified risk. This approach would enable Magness and his team to avoid certain risks whose timing may be predicted or anticipated with a reasonable degree of accuracy. Supplier 1 poses some unique risks for Tiger Golf. These risks relate to both product quality and timeliness. The new product line represents the proprietary and intellectual capital of the company. However, as Supplier 1 produces successful knock-offs of golf clubs, there is a risk of lost revenue if the supplier produces replicas of the Tiger Golf line of golf clubs. Secondly, delivery is made FOB Origin and Port Kelang after which the cost and risk during transit would be borne by Tiger Golf. This would expose the company to the risk of damage in transit and delay. Risk of delay further increases because of the transit through the congested Malacca Straits. Moreover, there is a moderate risk of piracy in waters near Indonesia. Supplier 2 presents the risk of product loss and damage because of the lengthy overland distribution route. Disruption at any point in the distribution chain could lead to delays in product delivery causing the company to fail to launch the product at the PGA merchandise show due in six months. Trucks and rails transporting the goods could break down resulting in equipment malfunction and further delays. Supplier 3 poses the risk of supply chain interruption due to a capacity shortage. A delivery delay may also arise due to port congestion. Nonetheless, they promise to meet deadlines.

The Political Theory of Machiavelli Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 5

The Political Theory of Machiavelli - Essay Example It makes sense to ask a question about whether it is possible to justify his political concept and see its validity. Following the logic of Abramson, one can find two main arguments in favor of the validity of Machiavelli’s theory. The first argument assumes that Machiavelli considered his theory as useful for those rulers who tried to avoid evil because he was aware that political activity is always associated with a certain kind of cruelty and violence (location 2085). In turn, the second argument is that the philosopher developed his political concept based on the use of pagan rather than Christian morality (locations 2094 and 2101). As he saw it, in contrast to Christian ethics, pagan morality gave much more opportunities to solve an extremely important political task, namely the unification of Italy (location 2101). In general, the validity of his concept stems from the fact that it was aimed at strengthening the political power in Italy and its unification into a single country able to demonstrate a high economic and social potential. Thus, the aim of the paper is to provide two main arguments in favor of the political theory of Machiavelli. As previously noted, the negative attitude towards the political philosophy of Machiavelli is due to the fact that the philosopher justified the use of violence, abuse, lies, and deceit to gain the authority of the governor. In his famous work titled The Prince, Machiavelli suggested political leadership based on a number of principles, in particular, pursuing the aim to eliminate political opponents. One can identify a few basic principles proposed by Machiavelli in this work. Firstly, the philosopher said that the desire to seize power using violence and cruelty is rather natural.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Conclusion and Recommendation for Dhaka Bank Study

Conclusion and Recommendation for Dhaka Bank Study The objective of this study was to explore and analyse the social banking by Dhaka Bank through its banking marketing mix and the CSR policies. The findings of an investigation of these organisational processes in a Bangladeshi Banking system and the contribution to its customers as well as the society prove the banks the bank position in a positive manner. The banks customer service policies started operating with the aim of achieving the customer satisfaction by offering the razor sharp service through accuracy, trustworthiness, on time delivery, innovative technology, and tailored solution for business needs. Beside this bank tries to reach in Global trade and commerce and high yield on customers investments-the sum of which is, in their words, Excellence in Banking. This is the mandatory aim for a service oriented organization by which they can contribute their social bonding. The first contribution of the study is stated that the marketing mix of the bank and the customer satisfaction on the service marketing linked to the adoption of organisational culture and commitment to the customer in a single organisation. Although researchers have called for scholars to adopt a wider range of perspectives in analysing the culture of organisations (Martin 1992, 2002; Harris and Ogbonna 1998), some other researchers have given emphasize on the social value of the organizations. The sense of this approach to organisational analysis is plagiaristic through the deliberation that companys members are entrenched in practices which are constituted in social norms and which are characterised by numerous, sometimes incompatible meanings (Casey 1999; Alvesson 2002). This attitude helps the banks reputation to the wide range of the customer. Environmental value à £Ã†â€™Ã‚ »awareness building on global warming à £Ã†â€™Ã‚ »Resource recycling à £Ã†â€™Ã‚ »Preservation of water resources à £Ã†â€™Ã‚ »Preservation of natural environment Employees value à £Ã†â€™Ã‚ »Equal opportunity, non-discrimination à £Ã†â€™Ã‚ »TD, continuity of employment à £Ã†â€™Ã‚ »Compatibility of work family life à £Ã†â€™Ã‚ »Support for employment of women à £Ã†â€™Ã‚ »Work safety hygiene Market value à £Ã†â€™Ã‚ »Fair trade competition à £Ã†â€™Ã‚ »Consumer rights à £Ã†â€™Ã‚ »Supply chain management à £Ã†â€™Ã‚ »Growing profitability à £Ã†â€™Ã‚ »Growing shareholder value Social value à £Ã†â€™Ã‚ »Dialogue partnership with community à £Ã†â€™Ã‚ »Ensure safety of community à £Ã†â€™Ã‚ »Contribution investment in community à £Ã†â€™Ã‚ »Relation with politics public administration à £Ã†â€™Ã‚ »Cooperation collaboration w/ intl bodies Management integrity à £Ã†â€™Ã‚ »Commitment of top management à £Ã†â€™Ã‚ »Corporate governance (3rd party perspective) à £Ã†â€™Ã‚ »Ethical legal compliance à £Ã†â€™Ã‚ »Disclosure accountability à £Ã†â€™Ã‚ »Risk management Management integrity and the corporate values of the Dhaka Bank Beside the mainstream business services, they also have the responsible corporate citizenship among the private sector organizations of Bangladesh. So far the bank has a standing on a quite sound financial base, and is operated by a team of seasoned bankers. It has been reviled from the study that the bank has attractive liability products for all divisions of the society, and tries to fulfill the financing needs of large corporations to SMEs to the personal in need of consumer finance. The banks growth trend tells us that it would become a major player in the banking arena of Bangladesh if the quality of service is duly maintained (Dhaka Bank 2009). Most of the big companies commitment and job satisfaction of their employees depends on the perceptions of managers use of power and procedural justice and that can play an important role among the companys internal satisfaction. This is another tool of varying the CSR of a company. In Dhaka Bank the researcher has found the manager are dealing their internal matter by discussing with the higher authority and Marketing Mix Dhaka Bank Ltd Customer satisfaction Product Wide verities of deposit and loan Products Satisfied Price The interest rate and service charge for loan product is comparatively higher than the state owned commercial banks. On the other hand the interest given for the deposit scheme is comparatively higher. Moderate Place This bank has comparatively more branches in urban area. 40% of their branches in Dhaka city. The ATM booths are also in the central area. Satisfied (They have only urban customer) Promotion This bank uses following promotional activities on a large scale, like; personal selling, public relation, Advertisement, publicity and sales promotions. Satisfied Physical Evidence This bank has lucrative branches with central air conditioner. Their branches have good sitting arrangement and nice outlook. Satisfied Process This bank has shortcut and easy process in opening account, sanctioning loan and remittance transfer Satisfied People This bank has comparatively smart employee with cordial approach to customers Satisfied Though managers legitimate and reward power bases were unrelated to employees organizational commitment and job satisfaction, in contrast, managers referent and expert powers were strongly related to employees organizational commitment and job satisfaction. This implies that, managers may most effectively build employees loyalty and support through development of power bases. Similar results were also found in case of the DBL. These findings suggested that employees felt comfortable and enthusiastic working under managers with high expertise. It could also be related to cultural issues. In Bangladeshi culture, higher level authority is expected to be more aged, educated, and experienced. The higher rank employees are expected to provide guidance for the lower rank employees. Following this guidance the lower rank employees will grow within the organization. When the managers are not able to provide guidance, employees feel low in confidence and usually perform the jobs in their own i ndividual way. Perceived Quality Customer loyalty Perceived Value Over all Customer satisfaction Customer Expectations Customer complaints + + + + + + + American customer satisfaction model (Fornell et.al. 1996). The research also revealed that employees need to see effective use of power and procedural justice. This will create a sense of belonging to the organization for the employees and should enhance organizational outcomes. The reward system would help to motivate managers to serve the organization better. In the competitive business world, a firm needs to respond to its customers and employees faster than its competitors By the time we are discussing about the DBL, we have found some important lackings those they might not be aware of. But these obstacles are very serious and might be huge in future. These are: Lake of flexibilities to cope with the recent and dynamic changes in the banking environment. There are not enough branches of DBL across the country. Thats why they are failing to capture a huge market In spite of being one of the best commercial bank of this country, DBL is not having a proper market research team and product development team. 13.0 Recommendations Any organization has to operate within its environment, and its success or failure is decided through the interplay of strategy, competition, stakeholders priorities and macro economic environment. They also have to stay within their limitations to solve their problems. Here some recommendations are given below: To cope with the changes in the macro operating environment, DBL should perform its SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threat) analysis and make prudent adjustments to be in the competition. Among other things, the bank must increase its reach by opening new branches across the country, and thereby developing a large core deposit base. Many new products are being introduced by banks and non-banking financial institutions (NBFIs) every now and then. That is why DBL must have a market research team and product development team to identify the underlying market trends and catch them up for the best interest of the banks stakeholders. The bank must give proper attention to maintaining the quality of service it has already attained-because customer satisfaction is the key of profitability in this age of tough competition on a small turf. These are all the recommendations that we can provide on behalf of DBL. They should be very careful about solving their problems. Because they are one of the top commercial bank in the country and they do have their reputations. They need to solve their problems at the same time need to keep their goodwill. There are competitors as well, who are on their toes to get benefited against their little faults.

Examining The Social Structure Theories In The Economy Criminology Essay

Examining The Social Structure Theories In The Economy Criminology Essay Social structure theories assert that the disadvantaged economic class position is a primary cause of crime.   The theories state that neighborhoods which are lower class force of strain, frustration and disorganization that create crime (Shanali-Justicia). Social Disorganization, Strain Theory and Culture Deviance are a few of the social structure criminology theories that are used to explain crime. Other social theories that fall into this category are Culture of Poverty and the truly disadvantage theory. The theory of social disorganization is that crime and delinquency is caused when communities fail. There is a breakdown of families, church, schools and government in the community. Social disorganization theorizes that these relationships reinforce positive behavior, a sense of community responsibility and concern for the social network within a close area (Hardy, 2010). When these relationships breakdown or do not exist the communities and its inhabitants lose its sense of structure and this is believed to be the causation of crime and delinquent behavior. The cycle of Social Disorganization is thought to start with poverty, where there is lack of opportunities and racial discrimination. The lack of opportunities breaks down the social institutions and organizations and this leads to the erosion of traditional values. This breakdown leads juveniles to seek the acceptance from peers and a sense of belonging from gangs. Once these gangs form there is a loss of social control or it b ecomes less effective. When this control is lost neighborhoods become more prone to crime and this detracts from investors which reduces opportunities in the community. Eventually this becomes the norm and this way of life is passed onto the next generation. The formation of criminal careers if formed and the cycle continues for some while others grow out of their delinquent phase. Populace in these disorganized areas can feel neglected, frustrated and ostracized from the economic mainstream, they develop feelings of hopelessness and anger which sociologist state are signs of strain (Siegel Welsch, 2008, p. 89). This strain develops and theorist state it leads people to commit criminal offenses, because they lack the opportunities for success. The opportunity for a better life seems to be beyond their reach, so people turn to deviant behavior to achieve their goals because they feel that society has let them down. Cultural Deviance Theory is a combination of both the effects of social disorganization and strain. It is thought that the lower socio-economic populaces create an independent subculture where they have their own rules and values. Juveniles in lower class neighborhoods adapt to their environment, they become cynical and have no respect for authority. Conventional values make little sense to a youth whose role models may include gun runner, drug deale rs and pimps (Siegel Welsch, 2008, p. 91). Teachers and other authority figures become secondary citizens to these juveniles and they cannot conform to the rules as other members of society do. These juveniles experience a form of culture conflict as a result they never achieve their goals and eventually get caught up in the life of gangs and deviant behavior. The populace of this poverty culture is marked by frustration of their environment. There is a lack of trust of police and government and this mistrust stalls people from this environment from seeking other advantageous opportunities or ones that are available to them. The results of this environment are depression and possibly psychological issues. Inner-cities that suffer from economic changes have an increase of crime; they become ingrained in a cycle of poverty, unemployment and crime. These people are considered the truly disadvantage living in communities with poorly organized social networks, alienated populations and high crime (Siegel Welsch, 2008, p. 85) Theorists such as Clifford Shaw, Henry McKay, and Robert Merton have similar views on social structure theories. While Elijah Anderson believed that juveniles committed crimes because of their socio-economic living conditions there were rendered incapable of achieving success (Siegel Welsch, 2008, p. 92). A juvenile turned to crime because it was their only way of achieving success. They feel that their only option is to join gangs and engage in behavior that is deviant. Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay believe that delinquency is mainly the consequence of a collapse of institutional, community-based controls (Wong, 2009). Shaw and McKay believed that people that lived in situations such as these responded to the disorganization of their environment. They believe that delinquent behavior was a result of social disorganization, because the neighborhoods they lived in were transitional neighborhoods. This was an area where there was a shift in population; the middle class neighborhood would transition to a mixture of lower class people. When this transition would occur the family would become rooted in the neighborhood and the values that they developed such as belonging to gangs and criminal behavior would be passed onto the next generation. Similar to Shaw and McKay, Robert Merton believe that society was the cause of deviant behavior, because society put pressure on people to achieve the American dream. Merton believed that society expected an individual to conform or either work within its structure. When a person cannot conform they become members of a deviant subculture. Merton argued that upper class children are less likely to commit delinquent acts because they have the means and ability to obtain an education and stable employment. While lower class juveniles do not have the same means they feel the social and psychological strain or anomie. Merton believed this condition caused juveniles to commit criminal acts to achieve their goals and even if they were offered the means to achieve these goals legally, they would reject those acceptable means of deviant ones (Siegel Welsch, 2008, p. 89). The theory that I most associate with my belief that juveniles commit crimes is the based Cultural Deviance theory. I think that juveniles conform to their environment and as a result have a lower set of goals and values than those of society. Juveniles that grow up in lower economic levels become hardened in their environment and develop an outer shell that shows no fear and have accepted because they play hard they will probably die young. These juveniles do not hesitate to use violence to get the message across nor do they consider the consequences of their actions. The goals that these juveniles set for themselves are reaching the top level in their gangs and increasing their drug sales. These juveniles cannot understand the concept of hard work and setting realistic goals like other members of society and because they fail to achieve success in life they are quick to blame the man for their failures.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Theodicy and Dostoevskys The Brothers Karamazov Essay -- The Brothers

Theodicy and Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov The problem of reconciling an omnipotent, perfectly just, perfectly benevolent god with a world full of evil and suffering has plagued believers since the beginning of religious thought. Atheists often site this paradox in order to demonstrate that such a god cannot exist and, therefore, that theism is an invalid position. Theodicy is a branch of philosophy that seeks to defend religion by reconciling the supposed existence of an omnipotent, perfectly just God with the presence of evil and suffering in the world. In fact, the word â€Å"theodicy† consists of the Greek words â€Å"theos,† or God, and â€Å"dike,† or justice (Knox 1981, 1). Thus, theodicy seeks to find a sense of divine justice in a world filled with suffering. Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky was among those philosophical thinkers who grappled with the task of explaining why evil exists in a world created by a perfect god. Despite the powerful influence of Christianity in his early childhood and throughout his life, Dostoevsky encountered difficulties in answering this question, which he described, â€Å"Nature, the soul, God, love – all this is understood by the heart, not by the mind† (Gibson 1973, 9). Nevertheless, Dostoevsky not only felt obligated to discover a solution to the problem, but also â€Å"responsible to his fellow believers for its success or failure† (Gibson 1973, 169). This quest for a solution to the problem of theodicy ultimately led Dostoevsky to write The Brothers Karamazov, a novel that attempts to explain the need for evil in the world. In posing his solution to this problem, Dostoevsky explains the necessity of suffering for the realization of human redemption, as well as the role of Chris t’s atoneme... ... Christ and for his role in overcoming evil and suffering, and with the idea that the negative effects of suffering can be countered by compassionate love of others. Works Cited Bakhtin, Mikhail. Problyemi tvorchestva Dostoevskogo. Kiev: Next, 1994. Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. The Brothers Karamazov. Trans. Constance Garnett. New York: Signet Classic, 1986. Gibson, A. Boyce. The Religion of Dostoevsky. London: SCM Press Ltd, 1973. Hansen, Bruce. â€Å"Dostoevsky’s Theodicy.† Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University, 1996. At . accessed 18 November 2001. Knox, John. â€Å"The Problem of Evil and Suffering.† At . 18 November 2001. Kraeger, Linda, and Joe Barnhart. 1992. Dostoevsky on Evil and Atonement. Lampeter, Dyfed, Wales: The Edwin Mellen Press, Ltd.

Mental Health Counseling Essay -- essays research papers

Mental health counselors work with individuals, families, and groups to address and treat mental and emotional disorders and to promote mental health. They are trained to address a wide range of issues, including depression, addiction and substance abuse, suicidal impulses, stress management, problems with self-esteem, issues associated with aging, job and career concerns, educational decisions, issues related to mental and emotional health, and family, parenting, and marital or other relationship problems. Mental health counselors often work closely with other mental health specialists, such as psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, psychiatric nurses, and school counselors. (US Department of Labor)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To be a licensed mental health counselor a person must have a Masters Degree in counseling or other related field. The program must consist of 60 semester hours and 1000 hours of university sponsored clinical or internship experience. The degree program should be certified by CACREP. A CACREP certified program insures that the program meets examination requirements for licensure. Once completed, one must have two years of supervision and pass national or state examinations to obtain licensure.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Licensed mental health counselors have many ethical and legal issues dealing with interacting with clients in a way that leaves them in a better place. It is crucial that counselors act within the b...

Monday, November 11, 2019

Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN Down to the Harbor Down to the harbor they went – past the condos, the cane fields, the golf course, the Burger King, the Buddhist cemetery with its great green Buddha blissed out by the sea, past the steak houses, the tourist traps, the old guy riding down Front Street on a girl's bike with a macaw perched on his head – down to the harbor they went. They waved to the researchers at the fuel dock, nodded to the haglets at the charter booths, shakaed the divemasters and the captains, and schlepped science stuff down the dock to start their day. Tako Man stood in the back of his boat eating a breakfast of rice and octopus as the Maui Whale crew – Clay, Quinn, Kona, and Amy – passed by. He was a strong, compact Malaysian with long hair and a stringy soul-patch beard that, along with the bone fishhooks he wore in his ears, gave him the distinct aspect of a pirate. He was one of the black-coral divers who lived in the harbor, and this morning, as always, he wore his wet suit. â€Å"Hey, Tako,† Clay said. The diver glanced up from his bowl. His eyes looked as if someone had poured shots of blood into them. Kona noticed that the small octopus in the diver's bowl was still moving, and he scampered down the dock feeling a case of the creeps fluttering to life in his spinal cord. â€Å"Nightwalkers, gray ones, on your boat last night. I seen them,† said Tako Man. â€Å"Not the first time.† â€Å"Good to know,† said Clay, patronizing the diver and moving down the dock. You had to keep peace with anyone who lived in the harbor, especially the black-coral divers, who lived far over the edge of what most people would consider normal life. They shot heroin, drank heavily, spent all day doing bounce dives to two hundred feet looking for the gemstone-valuable black coral, then spent their money on weeklong parties that had, more than once, ended with one of them dead on the dock. They lived on their boats and ate rice and whatever they could pull out of the sea. Tako Man had gotten his name because on any given afternoon, after the divers came in for the day, you'd see the grizzled Malaysian carrying a net bag full of tako (octopus) that he had speared on the reef for their supper. â€Å"Hi,† Amy said sheepishly to Tako Man as they passed. He glared at her through his bloody haze, and his head bobbed as he almost nodded out into his breakfast. Amy quickened her pace and ran a Pelican case she was carrying into the back of Quinn's thigh. â€Å"Jeez, Amy,† Quinn said, having almost lost his footing. â€Å"Do those guys dive in that condition?† Amy whispered, still sticking to Quinn like a shadow. â€Å"Worse than that. Would you back up a little?† â€Å"He's scary. You're supposed to protect me, ya mook. How do they keep from getting into trouble?† â€Å"They lose one or two a year. Ironically, it's usually an overdose that gets them.† â€Å"Tough job.† â€Å"They're tough guys.† Tako Man shouted, â€Å"Fuck you, whale people! You'll see. Fucking nightwalker fuckers. Fucking fuck you, haole motherfuckers!† He tossed the remains of his breakfast at them. It landed overboard, and tiny fish broke the water fighting for the scraps. â€Å"Rum,† said Kona. â€Å"Too much hostility in dat buzz. Rum come from da cane, and cane come from slavin' the people, and dat oppression all distilled in de bottle and come out a man mean as cat shit on a day.† â€Å"Yeah,† said Clay to Quinn. â€Å"Didn't you know that about rum?† â€Å"Where's your boat?† asked Quinn. â€Å"My boat?† â€Å"Your boat, Clay,† said Amy. â€Å"No,† said Clay. He stopped and dropped two cases of camera equipment on the dock. The Always Confused, the spiny and powerful twenty-two-foot Grady White center-console fisherman, Clay's pride and joy, was gone. A life jacket, a water bottle, and various other familiar flotsam bobbed gently in a rainbow slick of gasoline where the boat had once been. Everyone thought someone else should say something, but for a full minute no one did. They just stood there, staring at what should have been Clay's boat but instead was a big, boatless gob of tropical air. â€Å"Poop,† Amy finally said, saying it for all of them. â€Å"We should check with the harbormaster,† said Nate. â€Å"My boat,† said Clay, who stood over the empty slip as if it were his recently run-over boyhood dog. He would have nuzzled it and stroked its little dead doggy ears if he could have, but instead he fished the oily life jacket out of the water and sat on the dock rocking it. â€Å"He really liked that boat,† Amy said. â€Å"Can I get a duh for the sistah?† exclaimed the dreaded blond kid. â€Å"I paid the insurance,† Nate said as he moved away, headed for the harbormaster. Tako Man had come down the dock from his own boat to stare at the empty water. Somber now. Amy backed up into Kona for protection, but Kona had backed up into the next person behind him, which turned out to be Captain Tarwater, resplendent in his navy whites and newly Kona-scuffed shoes. â€Å"Irie, ice cream man.† â€Å"You're on my shoes.† â€Å"What happened?† asked Cliff Hyland, coming down the dock behind the captain. â€Å"Clay's boat's gone,† said Amy. Cliff moved up and put his hand on Clay's shoulder. â€Å"Maybe someone just borrowed it.† Clay nodded, acknowledging that Cliff was trying to comfort him, but comfort fell like sandwiches on the recently bombed. By the time Quinn returned from the harbormaster's office with a Maui cop in tow, there were a half dozen biologists, three black-coral divers, and a couple from Minnesota who were taking pictures of the whole thing, thinking that this would be something they would want to remember if they ever found out what was happening. As the cop approached, the black-coral divers faded to the edges of the crowd and away. Jon Thomas Fuller, the scientist/entrepreneur who was accompanied by three of his cute female naturalists, stepped up beside Quinn. â€Å"This is just horrible, Nate. Just horrible. That boat represented a major capital investment for you guys, I'm sure.† â€Å"Yeah, but mainly we liked to think of it as something that floated and moved us around on the water.† Nate actually had a great capacity for sarcasm, but he usually reserved it for those things and people he found truly irritating. Jon Thomas Fuller was truly irritating. â€Å"Going to be tough to replace it.† â€Å"We'll manage. It was insured.† â€Å"You might want to get something bigger this time. I know there's a measure of safety working off of these sixty-five-footers we have, but also with the cabin you can set up computers, bow cameras, a lot of things that aren't really possible on little speedboats. A good-size boat would add a lot of legitimacy to your operation.† â€Å"We sort of decided to go with the legitimacy we get from doing credible research, Jon Thomas.† â€Å"We didn't make those figures up.† Fuller caught himself raising his voice. The cop interviewing Clay looked over his shoulder, and Fuller lowered his tone. â€Å"That was just professional jealousy on the part of our detractors.† â€Å"Your detractors were the facts. What did you expect when your paper concluded that humpbacks actually enjoyed being struck by Jet Skis?† â€Å"Some do.† Fuller pushed back his pith helmet and ventured a smile of sincerity, which collapsed under its own weight. â€Å"What's your angle, Jon Thomas?† â€Å"Nate, I can get you a boat like ours, with all the trimmings, and an operating budget, and you'd just have to do one little project for me. One season of work, maximum. And your operation can keep the boat, sell it, do whatever you want.† Unless Fuller was about to ask him to shove him off the dock into the oily water, Quinn pretty much knew he was going to turn down the offer, but he had to ask. Those were really nice boats. â€Å"Make your proposal.† â€Å"I need you to put your name on a study that says that human-dolphin interaction facilities are not harmful to the animals, and do a study that says that building one at La Perouse Bay wouldn't have a negative impact on the environment. Then I'd need you to stand up at the appropriate meetings and make the case.† â€Å"I'm not your guy, Jon Thomas. First, I'm not a dolphin guy, and you know that.† Nate avoided adding what he wanted to say, which was Second, you are a feckless weasel out to make a buck without any consideration for science or the animals you study. Instead he said, â€Å"There are dozens of people doing studies on captive dolphins. Why don't you go to them?† â€Å"I have the animal study. You don't have to do the study. I just want your name on it.† â€Å"Won't the people who actually did the study have some objection to that?† â€Å"No. They'll be fine with it. I need your name and your presence, Nate.† â€Å"I don't think so. I can't see myself testifying before impact committees and county planning boards.† â€Å"Okay, fair enough. Clay or Amy can do the stand-ups. Just put your name on the paper and do the environmental impact study. I need the credibility of your name.† â€Å"Which I won't have as soon as I let you use me. I'm sorry, but my name is all I really have to show for twenty-five years of work. I can't sell it out, even for a really nice boat.† â€Å"Oh, right, the nobility of starvation. Fuck that, Nate, and fuck your high ideals. I'm doing more for these animals by exposing the public to them than you'll do in a lifetime of graphing out songs and recording behavior. And before you retire to your ivory tower on the ethical high ground, you'd better take a good look at your people. That kid is a common thief, and no one has ever heard of your precious new assistant.† Fuller turned and signaled to his chorus line of whalettes that they were going to their boat. Quinn looked for Amy, saw her on the other side of the cop who was talking to Clay, helping him fill in details. He ran up behind Fuller, grabbed the smaller man's arm, and spun him around. â€Å"What are you talking about? Amy studied at Woods Hole, with Tyack and Loughten.† â€Å"That right? Well, maybe you'd better give them a call and ask them. Because they've never heard of her. Despite what you think, I do my research, Nate. Do you? Now, get back to your one-boat operation, would you.† â€Å"If I find out you had anything to do with this†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Fuller wrenched his arm out of Quinn's grip and grinned. â€Å"Right, you'll what? Become more irrelevant? Screw you, Nate.† â€Å"What did you say?† But Fuller ignored him and boarded his million-dollar research vessel, while Quinn skulked back down the dock to his friends. Oily flotsam seemed to be losing its allure, however, and the crowd had dispersed somewhat, leaving only Amy, Clay, the cop, and the couple from Minnesota. â€Å"You. You're somebody aren't you?† asked the woman as Nate walked up. â€Å"Honey, this guy is someone. I remember seeing him on the Discovery Channel. Get my picture with him.† â€Å"Who is he?† said  «honey » as his wife took Nate by the arm and posed like he'd just handed her a check. â€Å"I don't know, one of those ocean guys,† she said through a grin, acting as if she were posing with one of the carved statues that decorated doorways around Lahaina. â€Å"Just take the picture.† â€Å"Are you one of those Cousteau fellas?† â€Å"Oui,† said Nate. â€Å"Now I muss speak with my good fren' Sylvia Earle,† he continued in his French-by-way-of-British-Columbia-and-Northern-California fake accent as he went over to Amy. â€Å"I need to talk to you.† â€Å"Sylvia Earle! She's a National Geographic person. Get their picture together, honey.† â€Å"He's lying, Nathan,† Amy said. â€Å"You can check if you want. It was all on the resume I gave to Clay.† She didn't appear angry, just hurt, betrayed perhaps. Her eyes were huge and teary, and she was starting to look vaguely like one of those creepy Keane sad-eyed-kid pictures. Quinn felt like he'd just smacked a bag of kittens against a truck bumper. â€Å"I know,† he said. â€Å"I'm sorry. I just†¦ well, Jon Thomas is an asshole. I let him get to me.† â€Å"It's okay,† Amy sniffed. â€Å"It's just†¦ just†¦ I've worked so hard.† â€Å"I don't need to check, Amy. You do good work. My fault for doubting you. Let's get Clay squared away and get to work.† He tentatively put his arm around her and walked her back to where Clay was finishing up his interview with the cop. Clay saw the tear tracks down Amy's face and immediately took her in his arms and pressed her head to his shoulder. â€Å"I know, honey. I know. It was a great boat, but it was just a boat. We'll get another one.† â€Å"Where's Kona?† Nate asked. â€Å"He was around here a second ago,† said Clay. Just then Nate's cell phone rang. He worked it out of his shirt pocket and answered it. â€Å"Nathan, it's me,† said the Old Broad. Nate covered the mouthpiece. â€Å"It's the Old Broad,† Nate said to Clay. â€Å"Amy, you go round up Kona while I finish up with the officer, okay?† Clay said. Amy nodded and was off down the dock. Clay turned back to the officer. The Old Broad went on, â€Å"Nathan, I spoke to that big male again today, and he definitely wants you to take a hot pastrami on rye with you when you go out. He said it's very important.† â€Å"I'm sure it is, Elizabeth, but I'm not sure we're even going out today. Something's happened to Clay's boat. It's gone.† â€Å"Oh, my, he must be distraught. I'll come down and look after him, but you have to get out in the channel today. I just feel it's very important.† â€Å"I don't think you'll need to come down, Elizabeth. Clay will manage.† â€Å"Well, if you say so, but you have to promise me you'll go out today.† â€Å"I promise.† â€Å"And you'll take a pastrami on rye for that big male.† â€Å"I'll try, Elizabeth. I have to go now, Clay needs me for something.† â€Å"With Swiss cheese and hot mustard!† the Old Broad said as Nate disconnected. Clay thanked the policeman, who nodded to Quinn as he walked off. Even the couple from Minnesota had moved on, and only Clay and Quinn were left on the dock. â€Å"Where are the kids?† asked Nate, cringing at the whole idea: he and Clay, the middle-aged couple being responsible and boring while the kids went off to play and have adventures. â€Å"I asked Amy to find Kona. They could be anywhere.† â€Å"Clay, I need to ask you something before they get back.† â€Å"Shoot.† â€Å"Did you check any of Amy's references before you hired her? I mean, did you call anyone? Woods Hole? Her undergrad school – what was it?† â€Å"Cornell. Nope. She was smart, she was cute, she seemed to know what she was talking about, and she said she'd work for free. The bona fides looked good on paper. Gift horse, Nate.† â€Å"Jon Thomas Fuller said that he checked and that no one at Woods Hole has heard of her.† â€Å"Fuller's an asshole. Look, I don't really care if she finished high school. The kid has proven herself. She's got balls.† â€Å"Still, maybe I should call Tyack. Just in case.† â€Å"If you need to. Call him this afternoon when you get back in.† â€Å"I'm sure Fuller was just yanking my chain. He tried to offer us a boat like his if we backed his dolphin-park project.† â€Å"And you turned him down?† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"But those are really nice boats. Our armada has been reduced by fifty percent. Our nautical resources have declined by more than one-half. Our boatage is deficient by point five.† â€Å"What's up?† Amy said. She'd come back down the dock and seemed to have shaken off her earlier melancholy. â€Å"Clay's being scientific. Fuller offered us a sixty-foot research vessel like his, with operating budget, if we back his dolphin project.† â€Å"Do I have to sleep with him?† â€Å"We haven't put that on the table,† Clay said, â€Å"but I'll bet we could get a sonar array if you're enthusiastic.† â€Å"Hell, Nate, take it,† Amy said. â€Å"It would mean selling out my credibility,† said Quinn, appalled at what total whores his colleagues had become. â€Å"We'd be going over to the dark side.† Amy shrugged. â€Å"Those are really nice boats.† The corner of her mouth twitched as if she was trying not to grin, and Nate realized that she was probably goofing on him. â€Å"Yeah,† said Clay. â€Å"Nice.† Clay was goofing, too. He'd be all right. Nate shook his head, looking as if he were fighting disbelief, but actually he was trying to shake the memory of his dream of driving a big cabin cruiser through the streets of Seattle with Amy displayed as the bikinied figurehead. â€Å"If you're okay, Clay, we really should get out before the wind comes up.† â€Å"Go,† Clay said. â€Å"I'll get the police report for the insurance company.† To Amy he said, â€Å"You find Kona?† â€Å"He's down there with that Tako guy.† â€Å"What's he doing down there?† â€Å"It looked like he was building a saxophone. I didn't go close.† Quinn strode down the dock and looked to where Kona was talking with Tako Man. â€Å"No, that's his bong. It breaks down for easy portage.† â€Å"What's a bong?† â€Å"Cute, Amy. Help me get the equipment in the boat.† Suddenly Kona started shouting and running down the dock toward them. â€Å"Bwanas! I found the boat!† Clay perked up. â€Å"Where?† â€Å"Right there. Tako Man says it's right there. He dove down there this morning.† Kona was pointing to a patch of murky jade green water in the center of the harbor. Jade green because of all the waste flushed from the live-aboards, as well as the bait, fish guts, seasickness, and bird poop that went into the water faster than the scavengers could clean it out, and so it caused a perpetual algae bloom. â€Å"My boat,† said Clay, looking forlornly at the empty water. Amy stepped up and put her arm around Clay's shoulders to resume stage-two comfort. â€Å"He dove in that water?† â€Å"The nightwalkers sank it, Bwana Clay. Tako Man saw them. Skinny blue-gray guys. He called them nightwalkers. I think aliens.† â€Å"Aliens are always gray, aren't they?† inquired Quinn. â€Å"That's what I say to him,† said Kona. â€Å"But he say no, not with the lightbulb head. He say they tall and froggy.† â€Å"You're high,† said Clay. â€Å"Tako Man got dank mystical buds, brah. Was a spiritual duty.† â€Å"He's not criticizing you, Kona,† Quinn explained. â€Å"We just assume that you're high. Clay's just doubting the credibility of your story.† â€Å"You don't believe I? Give a man a mask, I'll dive down and get a ting off da boat for proof.† â€Å"Hepatitis, that's what you'll bring up,† said Amy. â€Å"I'm going to work,† said Nate. â€Å"My boat,† said Clay. Nate decided that perhaps he should offer a measure of solace. â€Å"Look at the bright side, Clay. At least whales are big.† â€Å"How is that the bright side?† â€Å"We could be studying viruses. You have any idea what it costs to replace a scanning electron microscope?† â€Å"My boat,† said Clay.