Donor Babies Grace Of God Saviors Or Last Resort...

Donor Babies: Grace of God saviors or last resort recyclables â€Å"It made me wonder, thought, what would have happened if Kate had been healthy. Certainly, I would not be part of this family.† A quotation from the 2004 book My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult. (My Sister s Keeper) A book about a girl who was born as a donor baby to help her sister not die. In the book Anna wants the rights to her body and goes to court to get them. Why shouldn’t she, how horrible would it be to have to always give a part of your â€Å"unwanted† body and I don’t believe that donor babies, also known as savior siblings, are a good thing in the world. First, we will genetically choose the problems with donor babies. Then, we will dissect over the causes, and finally,†¦show more content†¦Robert Levine, an ethicist at Yale University s School of Medicine, in a 1991 article in the New York Times by Gina Kolata. Another problem is that we are trying to avoid so we look for another life to save another. As described in Jodi Picoult’s book, My Sister’s Keeper â€Å"A ‘designer baby’ not as Prada, or Coach, or Gucci, but more or less like a cafeteria style menu selection.† (My Sister s Keeper) â€Å"Most babies are born unwanted; Anna at least was a wanted child, but she is wanted as a product; as a medical treatment; as a donor.† (Lahl 117) There is also another side to the argument, according to Erin Nelson and Timothy Caulfield’s 2009 book, When it Comes to Savior Siblings, Let s Just Stick to the Facts. In that, they argue that everything should be based on facts. The umbilical can cure many types of blood disorders and is usually discarded at birth any way. There was a huge debate in England and the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) changed their rules due to it. You can now get umbilical cord blood easier. â€Å"Parents have kids for all sorts of reasons. Some are looking for a hockey star. Others need children to work in the fields or for long-term security. Still others have children by accident. Are these more ethically sound than the idea of a ‘savior sibling’?† (When it Comes to Savior Siblings, Let s Just Stick to

Building an Intelligent and Autonomous Robot Free Essays

tAbstract: Robotics 1. Obstacle Sense And Anti-Falling Robot. The objective is to design an intelligent and autonomous robot. We will write a custom essay sample on Building an Intelligent and Autonomous Robot or any similar topic only for you Order Now This work is a small scale prototype model which can be used with great versatility in other robotics applications. This obstacles sensing and anti falling sensor robot senses the edges and obstacles. A set of infrared sensors avoid it falling from heights and Ultrasonic sensor is interfaced with controller so that when it senses obstacle it will send signals to the controller so that appropriate action is taken by controller. Movements and directions are displayed on a local liquid crystal display (LCD) interfaced with 8-bit processor. 2. Dtmf Based Rescue Robot. The objective of the project is for Rescue operations. ROBOT is based on 8 bit controller. It is interfaced with GSM modem, DTMF decoder circuitry, LCD and DC motor Control to perform rescue operation. The user has to first make a call from his mobile to the GSM modem in the above system. This call is identified by the controller using GSM modem and it accepts this call by sending the appropriate command to the GSM modem. Once the call is answered by the system, the user can press appropriate keys on his mobile keypad to perform Rescue operation. When the user presses a key, the corresponding DTMF signals are received from GSM modem. This DTMF signal from GSM modem is given to DTMF decoding circuit which decodes it and finds out the key pressed and feeds it to the controller. Depending on this key, the controller wills Perform Specific Action 3. Automatic Color Sensing Robot. 4. Voice Controlled Intelligent Wheelchair. 5. The Design And Implementation Of An Autonomous Campus Patrol Robot. The main aim of this project is to develop a computer controlled hi-tech car with RF camera. We have a camera in our system through which we can see the video. A car, which will be having the camera. The police can keep track of the gangster’s movements by seeing the video, which is displayed in the computer. The computer is placed in Police Car so that they can control the device from a particular distance and keep track of their movements so that if the police come to know where they are, they can easily attack and catch them . The Car can be moved in all directions such as left, right, forward and reverse to get their positions properly. Using this car we can find the Bomb place also since human beings cannot go to find that bomb and also the explosion time is not known. 6. Line Follower Robot With Intelligence. The main aim of this project is develop a Robot vehicle which will find out its lane using proximity sensor. We can implement this robot where ever we want routine work for long time. The path is tracking by proximity sensor. According to sensor output signal the microcontroller controls the vehicle by using (forward/reverse/stop) DC motor which are placed in vehicle. If there is no path the microcontroller will stop the vehicle. The buzzer will indicate the status of the vehicle in the form of sound and the LCD will display the current moving direction (forward/reverse/stop) of the vehicle. #56, II Floor, Pushpagiri Complex, 17th Cross 8th Main, Opp Water Tank, Vijaynagar, Bangalore – 40. Ph : 080 – 23208045 / 23207367, 9886173099, mail ID : vinatha@citlindia. com Abstract: Robotics 7. Use Of A Cellular Phone In Mobile Robot Voice Control. Advanced Robotic Pick And Place Arm And Hand System. This is the most advance version of â€Å"Pick n Place Robot† using visual perception, perhaps and most popular and widely used in recent industries. A person from a remote place can comfortably control the motion of robotic arm without any wire connection. Again there are two systems one at the transmitter side in which a software program written in Embedded C generates control signals. These signals are encoded and transmitted by RF transmitter chip. At another end RF receiver chip will demodulate these signals and decoder will decode it finally Microcontroller will take desired controlling action on robotic arm. #56, II Floor, Pushpagiri Complex, 17th Cross 8th Main, Opp Water Tank, Vijaynagar, Bangalore – 40. Ph : 080 – 23208045 / 23207367, 9886173099, mail ID : vinatha@citlindia. com How to cite Building an Intelligent and Autonomous Robot, Essay examples

College is an Opportunity free essay sample

College is an opportunity not only to expand my understanding of familiar ideas, but also to gain knowledge and experience in areas less familiar. A well-rounded approach to education provides for numerous potential career paths and gives me the tools to approach different ideas and notions open-mindedly. I have always wanted to work in the field of science. I feel there is so much that has yet to be discovered, and so far that it can be taken. The opportunities to make a contribution, to do something good in this world and to help people are virtually limitless. Ultimately, I would like to go into optometry; I know that such a profession will allow me to combine all aspects that I look for when considering a career and educational path. Optometry will allow me to do something important in society, something that helps other people, and I know that helping others will lead to a feeling of contentment within myself as well. We will write a custom essay sample on College is an Opportunity or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It is also the perfect chance to become more involved what I believe to be the most effective learning method: applied science. Hands-on biology classes allow students to actually put a face to a name so to speak, which I believe is very important. It is my hope that the University of Puget Sound will offer exactly what I need. While Optometry is a goal of mine now, I also believe that it would be almost naive to lock myself into only one option with as few experiences as I have had at age seventeen. A childhood in Mayberry-like Moscow, Idaho, while providing for a safe and supportive environment, also lacked the diversity of ideas and experiences that I know a school like Puget Sound has to offer. I am most certain that an education at Puget Sound will provide me with the necessary challenges and opportunities to help me into the career of my dreams.

The Body Shop International Case Study Essay Example For Students

The Body Shop International Case Study Essay The Body Shop International ( Body Shop ) is a transnational company which is chiefly bring forthing ecological tegument and hair products.The company offers over 1200 of course produced healthy and beauty merchandises by and large target at adult female. The merchandises focal point is shampoos, conditioners, bath merchandises, soaps and skin picks but besides includes aroma, watering place merchandises, and beauty-related accoutrements. Their merchandises are entirely based on natural ingredients and manufactured harmonizing to an ethical codification which is opposed to animal proving. The cosmetics franchise is considered to be one of the biggest around the Earth with a good established repute in 54 states. L’Oreal, the dominant company in the beauty industry, acquired Body store in 2006. Although Body Shop has become a subordinate of L’Oreal S.A it still acts harmonizing to its ain policy, values and ethical codification. The acquisition has solved Body Shop ‘s fiscal jobs and has provided the agencies for enlargement to a bigger market portion. We will write a custom essay on The Body Shop International Case Study specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The updations since the instance survey was written can be summarised as: In 2002 Anita Ruddick launched her ain web site â€Å" www.AnitaRoddick.com † in 2001 and an activism portal â€Å" www.TakeItPersonally.org † in 2004. At that clip figure of stores were were1500 Body store but nowit exceeded over 2500. During 2003 The Body Shop launched a planetary run to raise consciousness and financess to assist those affected by domestic force. The Stop Violence in the Home run physiques on about a decennary of runing on the issue in a figure of markets, including Canada, the USA, and West Malaysia. The run aims to foreground the issue, raise money to back up the work of groups. . In 2007 The Body Shop articulation forces with MTV in a new trade name partnership to raise financess and consciousness about HIV and AIDS amongst immature people, through the Spray to Change run. The money raised goes to the Staying Alive Foundation, a charity who fund with grass roots organisation s raising consciousness and educating immature and at-risk groups about HIV and AIDS. Undertaking 2 A brief reappraisal and treatment on company ‘s cardinal acheivements and important alterations over the last few old ages and how the company has adopted to emerging subjects like corporate societal duty, ethical selling, globalization, etc. 800 words Significant Changes: The first The Body Shop shop was opened by Anita Rodrick on 26th March 1976 in Brighton, on the south seashore of England. It was declared a public company in 1985 and shortly after that it created an Environmental Projects Department of its ain. The first Community Trade merchandise of The Body Shop was a Footsie Roller which was produced in 1986 by a provider in southern India. In 2006, as portion of the on-going Stop Violence in the Home and for carry oning the survey on domestic force against kids, The Body Shop created a partnership with UNICEF and the United Nations Secretary-General ‘s Study on Violence against Children. The Body Shop becomes portion of the L’Oreal Group and de-listed from the London Stock Exchange on July 12 2006. It operates independently within the L’Oreal Group and was led by the current direction squad of The Body Shop. Outline1 Cardinal acheivements2 Corporate A ; Social duty3 . Ethical Selling4 Globalization5 The Body Shop6 In shop7 Behind the scene8 At place9 Marketing Department including selling staff10 Production Department11 Strategic12 Department13 Techno Department14 Product / Graphic design section15 Warehouse Department16 Distribution Department17 Management Manners at Body Shop Cardinal acheivements The organic structure store was the first international cosmetics company to subscribe up to the Humane Cosmetics Standard, supported by taking international carnal protection groups. The Body Shop Values Reports are recognized ( 1995 A ; 1997 ) as trailblazing by United Nations Environmental Program and Sustainability, and ranked highest in their reappraisal of International Corporate Environmental Reports. The Body Shop is the first planetary retail merchant to fall in the Board of the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil, working with NGOs and plantations to protect tropical rain forests and better the human rights of workers and autochthonal people. The Body Shop is the victor of PETA ‘s Proggy ( advancement ) awards for its on-going committedness to avoid carnal testing. During 2005 The Body Shop was awarded for accomplishing higher criterions of animate being public assistance in the decorative class at the first one-year awards of the Royal Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in the UK Corporate A ; Social duty Corporate societal duty ( CSR ) or corporate citizenship entails companies acting in a socially responsible mode, and covering with other concern parties who do the same.It imlpies: An duty, beyond that required by the jurisprudence and economic sciences, for a house to prosecute long term ends that are good for society The go oning committedness by concern to act ethically and lend to economic development while bettering the quality of life of the work force and their households every bit good as that of the local community and society at big About how a company manages its concern procedure to bring forth an overall positive impact on society. The Body Shop is a maker and retail merchant of of course inspired, ethically produced beauty and cosmetics merchandises. Harmonizing to The Body Shop Corporate Social Responsibility website, â€Å" If concern comes with no moral understanding or honest codification of behaviours, so God assist us all. † is The Body Shop ‘s mantra. Let ‘s discourse few illustrations to see how does it is applied at Body Shop. a ) Sustainable Supply Chain Strategy The Body Shop works with its providers to advance socially responsible patterns in its supply concatenation as portion of its supply concatenation scheme. This is portion of its wider Framework for Corporate Social Responsibility. The Body Shop launched Community Trade. It is a targeted supply concatenation scheme to buy natural ingredients and accoutrements from socially or economically marginalized communities around the universe. It gives these manufacturers entree to a market that would otherwise be out of range and provides a just and dependable income, every bit good as a committedness to making a sustainable concern. For illustration, The Body Shop ‘s moisturizing socks produced by a Community Trade Supplier, Craft Aid in Mauritius, provides employment to 160 people, 40 % of which have disablements. B ) Prosecuting the Community through Community-based Undertakings One attack to prosecuting in corporate societal duty is through community-based development undertakings. An illustration The Body Shop ‘s launch of the 2008 Stop Violence in the Home run on the subject of friendly relationship. By supplying practical tools to authorise adult females to supply support to friends in demand, the run aimed to be a beginning of inspiration and support for 1000000s of adult females around the universe. The Stop Violence in the Home run besides raised ?1.9 million by 2008 and reached 56 markets. In each market, all the financess raised were donated to the chosen non-profit charity organisation, to assist fund critical undertakings of bar, support, and protection for adult females and kids. 4 ) Body Shop and Compaigns The run for UK-wide prohibition on carnal testing of decorative merchandises and ingredients started in November 1998, and the largest of all time request ( four million signatures ) being delivered to the European Commission in 1996. Homeless people: The Big issue paper for stateless people began as a The Body Shop Foundation undertaking establishing in 1991. Awareness of HIV and AIDS amongst immature people: In 2007 The Body Shop joined custodies with MTV to raise financess and consciousness about HIV and AIDS amongst immature people. . Ethical Selling As a decorative retail merchant, The Body Shop defied most recognized selling patterns. In an industry where 30 cents on every dollar of gross revenues was typically devoted to advertisement, the company had no selling or advertisement section. They operate harmonizing to standards, which places more accent on human values than on strictly commercial considerations.A Anita Roddick spends most of her clip making the selling activities such as runs and conferences. The Body Shop ne’er advertised in newspapers or magazines because this type of publicity would increase the cost of the merchandise. For The Body Shop, the most effectual and utile manner of advertisement is to utilize its stores and its staff, every bit good as utilizing issues awareness, such as â€Å" Activate Self-Esteem † . Example The Body Shop launched a run utilizing the â€Å" Ruby Doll † – a realistic looking doll to advance existent adult females. They used it in their shops, hosted arguments, funded research, and held conferences all related to self-esteem, all activities that point back to The Body Shop. Anita Roddick said about advertizement â€Å" There ‘s no illustration of anyone making what we ‘re making in America and doing it work † Globalization Globalization represents the increasing integrating of economic sciences, communications and civilization across national boundaries. In today ‘s society, corporations and endeavors are spread outing their concerns in the planetary markets. Globalization is necessary for success and endurance in the worldwide market ; nevertheless, planetary competition is non easy. For BodyShop the chances are in broad array non merely on the portion of embarking into parts with much income and net income to derive but besides an chance to portion and supply quality merchandises to fashion-conscious people with trend to manner lifestyle.Its successful and widely-known corporate civilization, its organizational construction, its directions manners and its well-controled and regulated franchise system efficaciously back up the planetary enlargement of Body Shop, under the decorative elephantine L’Oreal along with its strong trade name name, into more stray, under-deveolped and less developing counbtries in Africa and Asia. Task3 A critical rating of restriction and benefits of turning construct and popularity of ‘free market ‘ to organic structure store. A free market is market without economic intercession and intervention and ordinance by authorities except to implement ownership ( â€Å" belongings rights † ) and contracts. It is the antonym of a, controlled market where the authorities regulates how the agency of production, goods, and services are used, priced, or distributed. all markets within it are unregulated by any parties other than those participants in the market. A market economic system based on supply and demand with small or no authorities control. A wholly free market is an idealised signifier of a market economic system where purchasers and sells are allowed to transact freely ( i.e. buy/sell/trade ) based on a common understanding on monetary value without province intercession in the signifier of revenue enhancements, subsidies or ordinance. Free markets contrast aggressively with regulated markets, in which authoritiess straight or indirectly regulate monetary values or supplies, which harmonizing to free-market theory causes markets to be less efficient. Advantageous of free market economic system 1. market economic systems can set to alter easy ( If there is a demand for one thing, companies have the ability to alter what they produce alternatively of holding to travel through excessively much authorities protocol first ) 2. Rational ego involvement in market economic systems are besides encouraged ( allow freedom for people to make what they want, make what they want, and, sell what they want -to a certain extent- , this can besides be described as being able to make up one’s mind what is traveling to be produced, how it is traveling to be produced and for A whom it is traveling to be produced ) . the authorities tries to remain out of the manner of businesses- Although the authorities sets certain criterions concerns must follow- for the most portion concerns can make as they please. .ue72850b8f569c59e2f541715313867b4 , .ue72850b8f569c59e2f541715313867b4 .postImageUrl , .ue72850b8f569c59e2f541715313867b4 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ue72850b8f569c59e2f541715313867b4 , .ue72850b8f569c59e2f541715313867b4:hover , .ue72850b8f569c59e2f541715313867b4:visited , .ue72850b8f569c59e2f541715313867b4:active { border:0!important; } .ue72850b8f569c59e2f541715313867b4 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ue72850b8f569c59e2f541715313867b4 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ue72850b8f569c59e2f541715313867b4:active , .ue72850b8f569c59e2f541715313867b4:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ue72850b8f569c59e2f541715313867b4 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ue72850b8f569c59e2f541715313867b4 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ue72850b8f569c59e2f541715313867b4 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ue72850b8f569c59e2f541715313867b4 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ue72850b8f569c59e2f541715313867b4:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ue72850b8f569c59e2f541715313867b4 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ue72850b8f569c59e2f541715313867b4 .ue72850b8f569c59e2f541715313867b4-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ue72850b8f569c59e2f541715313867b4:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Response to Going to Meet the Man by James Baldwin Essay3. there is a great assortment of goods and services for consumers ( If there is a demand for a good or service, the demand will about ever be met in a market economic system ) . 4. market economic system encourage competitory environment, ( competition does promote invention, and the free market economic system has produced good over a century of dizzying proficient advancement. At the same clip productiveness has besides increased at a phenomenal rate. A competition is one of the basic grounds why there are by and large so many different assortments A of goods A for consumers to take from. Besides Free economic system promotes economic invention in several ways: By spurring merchandise competition among companies in the same line of concern By exposing domestic houses to the best new thoughts around the universe Enabling local houses to import high-technology capital equipment and know-how, so that they can fabricate merchandises and present services at lower costs Examples Market economic system has come to be accepted as a norm across the universe with many developing states like Africa, India and China traveling towards a full-market orientated economic system and we have seen the Body Shop, based on strong ethical and corporate civilization, widely benefits from the availablity of free market without compromising its ethical criterions and organizational values. Limitations of Free Market As the authorities meddles and efforts to command the economic system, it causes economic discord. A states involvements are n’t taken attention of, in a free market you vote with your dollars. If there is a Russian speech production client base, you learn to talk Russian. Does n’t work good for services such as wellness attention. No goverment involved means some merchandises could be harmful to people It is non as disciplined and secured as regular market. Sometimes this works, but as 2008 is demoing, sometimes it doesn’t. Especially in a market-based economic system, where people want to do a net income, some unscrupulous folks may heighten their ain net income border at the disbursal of others, such as the consumer. The inclination toward net income may weaken the self-policing facets, and the consumer may non have the best trade. Scheme for Body Shop Although Free market economic systems have been successful in developed economic systems, will non be so in developing states and the lone resort for them is the theoretical account of the assorted economic system or societal market economic system. The welfare function of the province is retained in a societal market economic system which cares for the hapless. In instances where the hapless states are endeavoring towards a free market economic system, there should be certain sections controlled by the province but with prevalence of free endeavor such that efficiency is restored and the state moves towards economic prosperity. Free market economic system under centralised political control is the most effectual manner for these states. In a assorted type economic system, both the private ownership every bit good as the province takes portion in the agencies of production, distribution and other types of economic activities.both free-market and regulative forces are at work.A A Some see these forces as being at odds with each other ; others feel that the economic system works at its extremum when both forces are working together.A A Whatever you believe, many states, including the United States, have both systems at work at the same time, and the balance between the two dictates how the economic system, overall, will tendency. In world, all economic systems are assorted, though there are broad fluctuations in the sum of mix and the balance between public and private sectors. For illustration, in Cuba the authorities allocates the huge bulk of resources, while in Europe most economic systems have an even mix between markets and planning. Economic systems can be evaluated in footings of how efficient they are in accomplishing economic aims. ( 5 ) Free market available on hypertext transfer protocol: //www.economicsonline.co.uk/Competitive_markets/Economic_systems.html hypertext transfer protocol: //www.economywatch.com/market-economy/advantages-market-economy.html hypertext transfer protocol: //www.economywatch.com/world_economy/world-economic-indicators/mixed-economy.htm hypertext transfer protocol: //www.blurtit.com/q917361.html cubic decimeter ( accessed on 12june 2010 ) As it has really strong corporate civilization, supply concatenation direction, community engagements across Earth, effectual compaign against poorness and ethical issues, it has the possible to suit itself to demands of varing economic systems, whether free or regulated, or assorted economic system, and sucessfully remain competitory. Undertaking 4 Examination and Evaluation of organisational design and construction of Body store and cardinal direction patterns: In 2006, The Body Shop becomes portion of the L’Oreal Group. It retains its alone individuality and Values and continues to be based in the United Kingdom. It operates independently within the L’Oreal Group and is led by the current direction squad of The Body Shop describing straight to the CEO of L’Oreal, Jean-Paul Agon. The organisational structureof Body Shop has five basic elements as per Henry Mintzberg ‘s definition of administration. The Operating Core: Employees who perform the basic work related to the production of merchandises and services. In The Body Shop the operating nucleus is merchandise design and in writing design and production section. The Strategic Core: Top degree Management who are charged with the overall duty for the organisation. In the instance of The Body Shop its CEO and Top Line directors are its strategic nucleus devising policies and ordinance for the direction, executing and control. way of the organisation maintaining in head the factors of organisation ‘s repute, being, enlargement and growing. The Middle Line: Directors, who contact the operating nucleus to the strategic vertex. The Techno construction: Analyst who have the duty for impacting the certain signifiers of standardisation in the organisation e.g. In the instance of Body Shop the techno squad consists of its IT section, comptroller, work scheduler, long scope contriver. The Support Staff: Peoples who fill the staff unit, who provide indirect support services for the organisation. In the Body shop the undermentioned sections are fundamentally chief back uping section e.g. Public relation ; selling section including in shop staff, warehouse section and distribution section, paysheet section ( 6 ) 6 ) Organizational Design of the Body Shop: As per the web site of organisation, the basic design of the Body store includes the followers: The Body Shop In shop Behind the scene At place Marketing Department including selling staff Production Department Strategic Department Techno Department Product / Graphic design section Warehouse Department Distribution Department beginning ( 7 ) Organization values â€Å" Business organisation are non merely for the net income -their resources can be used to advance wider intents.the inspiration and the set of values associated guide the trading rules of organic structure store direction, which are: They aim to guarantee that human and civil rights, as set out in the cosmopolitan declaration of human rights, are respected throughout their concern activities. They will back up ling term, sustainable relationship with communities in demand. They will utilize environmentally sustainable resources wherever technically and economically feasible They will advance carnal protection throughout their concern activities and in many ways The overall corporate civilization and selling stategies of Body Shop support these ethical values. Body Shop organisational construction and planetary enlargement The Body Shop operates within a regional divisional construction. Centralized caput offices in the United Kingdom ( London and Littlehampton ) maintain planetary corporate and support maps. The company is so divided into four parts: UK and the Republic of Ireland ( ROI ) , the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and South Africa, and Asia Pacific. Within each part are both company-owned shops and franchises as outlined. The divisional nature of the construction allows regional directors to â€Å" concentrate attempts on bettering operations in the ( parts ) for which they are responsible and the corporate officers can give their clip to overall strategic issues for the full corporation † ( Dess G. , 2006, p. 297 ) . This construction helps to suit rapid enlargement. Within the divisional construction and critical to TBS ‘s international enlargement scheme is master franchising, â€Å" whereby the franchisor ( TBS ) grants the maestro franchisee ( the regional division ) the right to franchise the franchisor ‘s construct to others within an sole district, making a three-party understanding. † ( Doherty, 1999 ) â€Å" By naming a caput franchisee in each major national market, Roddick was able to concentrate on the development of new productlines and the company ‘s planetary vision, instead than worry about the complexnesss of disposal or forces direction † ( HBR p. 4 ). Under this construction, there is a free-flow of information between central offices and parts, nevertheless the regional divisions become responsible for supplying information and supervising the sub-franchisees. It besides allows Body Shop caput office to concentrate on corporate strategic issues. Stakeholder civilization Its stakeholder civilization is its core competency. This civilization includes everything from committedness to the community, to the environment and to the protection of animate beings. The usage of stakeholder audience in combination with public coverage is a great manner to guarantee that that organisation is keeping their committedness of presenting value to the stakeholders. Undertaking 5 Discuss entrepreneurship and leading manner of laminitis, Anita Roderick. 500 Wordss Anita roddick- enterpriser An enterpriser is one who organizes, manages, and assumes the hazards of a concern or endeavor. Entrepreneurs live in the hereafter. They have originative personalities, are advanced, and thrive on alteration. Anita Roddick is surely a great enterpriser. Everything that embodies her exploits involves instruction and alteration. ( ) — — definition. Entrepreneurs have a vision of something new and they want to see how far it can travel. Entrepreneurs find the best manner of forcing thoughts along. Entrepreneurs use money to oil the wheels of success. Entrepreneurship has three parts, the individual, the thought and the resources For illustration her â€Å" trade non assistance † has priceless effects for states and people around the universe. But that is what entrepreneurs do! Entrepreneurs make alteration. Lashkar-e-taibas discuss few qualities of Anita as an enterpriser. Control Factor She prefered environments where they have maximal authorization and duty and make non work good in traditionally structured organisations. Like Entrepreneurs she had a demand to make and accomplish by holding control over events.it is of import as it helps show the self-government of an administration, which helps find a higher rate of enterpriser activity. Hazard Taking Entrepreneurs are determined to prosecute in hazardous actions in order to come up with new prospects.Likewise she has the bravery and the continuity to prosecute in her venture, even without the confidence of succeeding.. It may look like she is taking high hazards, but in actuality she had assessed the hazards exhaustively. Entrepreneur ‘s value system The 3rd personal factor is the enterpriser ‘s value system, which entails scrutiny, apprehension of one ‘s topographic point in the society, and the person ‘s thought about individuals and things. They have a ceaseless sense of urgency to make something. This corresponds with a high energy level.This includes the perceptual experience and the achievement motives of the enterpriser, for their values find their attitude towards their dedication with their work. Entrepreneur ‘s job resolution manner Invention and job resolution capablenesss are expected to be the nucleus of the entrepreneurial capableness of an enterpriser, for they are faced with a figure of challenges as they try to implement new thoughts and work out jobs, so their innovativeness counts. This helps entrepreneurs identify relationships in complex state of affairss. Chaos does non trouble oneself them because they can gestate order. Problems are rapidly identified and solutions offered. Employees/Environment †Most concerns focus all the clip on net incomes, net incomes, profitsaˆÂ ¦I have to state I think that is profoundly boring.I want to make an electricity and passion that bonds people to the company † . ( Anita Roddick ) .uef87e28b999fd9eb2c6a18a6234a38d6 , .uef87e28b999fd9eb2c6a18a6234a38d6 .postImageUrl , .uef87e28b999fd9eb2c6a18a6234a38d6 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uef87e28b999fd9eb2c6a18a6234a38d6 , .uef87e28b999fd9eb2c6a18a6234a38d6:hover , .uef87e28b999fd9eb2c6a18a6234a38d6:visited , .uef87e28b999fd9eb2c6a18a6234a38d6:active { border:0!important; } .uef87e28b999fd9eb2c6a18a6234a38d6 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uef87e28b999fd9eb2c6a18a6234a38d6 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uef87e28b999fd9eb2c6a18a6234a38d6:active , .uef87e28b999fd9eb2c6a18a6234a38d6:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uef87e28b999fd9eb2c6a18a6234a38d6 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uef87e28b999fd9eb2c6a18a6234a38d6 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uef87e28b999fd9eb2c6a18a6234a38d6 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uef87e28b999fd9eb2c6a18a6234a38d6 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uef87e28b999fd9eb2c6a18a6234a38d6:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uef87e28b999fd9eb2c6a18a6234a38d6 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uef87e28b999fd9eb2c6a18a6234a38d6 .uef87e28b999fd9eb2c6a18a6234a38d6-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uef87e28b999fd9eb2c6a18a6234a38d6:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Bookseller of Kabul Essayshe ever strived difficult to supply and keep healthy civilizations, where employees felt the belief that they are portion of an exciting future.They come to work with a fire inside them, a consequence of clearly stated leading and concern patterns that everyone explicitly understands.Every individual in the company knows how to separately lend to its future.As an great entrpreneur Anita Selected Staff that Support the Vision of the Corporation. Corporate Governance-Anita ‘s Decision -making As portion of the efficient qualities of Roddick entrepreneurship, the Body Shop is really sing the construct of effectual corporate administration as their competitory advantage.Anita Roddick, as caput of the decision-making organic structure of the company, created a good system non merely in selling their merchandises but besides in keeping expressive relationship to their overall stakeholders. The Board of Body Shop has been able to achieve complete control of all affairs sing the company. Their self-perseverance and duty to their responsibilities and eventually, their obeisance to the company Torahs all contribute to the development of the corporation. The Board ‘s authorization is clearly recognised within the company. And because of this, it is able to hold a solid clasp on the corporation ‘s existent operations, stakeholders and its fiscal concerns. Clearly, these facts prove the strength of the company ‘s corporate administration construction which is really contemplation of enterpriser accomplishments of Anita Roddick. External factors civilization, function theoretical accounts, work experience, instruction, and environment besides contribute to do great enterpriser. .Anita Roddick ‘s educational and professional calling is all right case in this respect. These factors determine the success in concern ventures by its interaction and interrelatedness, which brings good effects to the company. Continous Strategic growing and strong trade name name of organic structure store is clear illustration of Anita ‘s accomplishments as an enterpriser. ( 10 ) Decision Dame Anita Roddick deserves the congratulationss for her model public presentation as an enterpriser. She has become successful because of the clear ends that she wants her Body Shop to hold and achieve. In her instance, hazard project, creativeness and being advanced, and beliefs, are the factors that made her a successful enterpriser. The first measure is non to win in the market place, but to come in the market place with a strong individuality. The Body Shop is merely person ‘s organic structure store. Now, it is everybody else ‘s â€Å" organic structure store. † â€Å" From merchandise development to human resource direction, The Body Shop has been described as â€Å" advanced, † â€Å" dare, † and even â€Å" extremist † . But there is no inquiry it was successful. † ( HBR p. 4 ) Task6 A treatment on Body store ‘s place in modern-day era- ( discuss in relation to globalization, emerging direction theories, important internal alterations and emerging functions of free market. 800 words. Body Shop has assorted rivals in decorative industry such as Proctor and Gamble, Unilever, Shiseido, L’Oreal, Avon, Revlon Boots, Nectar, Bath A ; Body Works, Origins, and Aveda etc. Let ‘s utilize follwing competitory concern theoretical account to analyze Body Shop ‘s competitory environment as general position. Please see Appendex for Porter ‘s Five Forces Industry Competitive Analysis 6.1 ) SWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis helps to place major factors in the internal and external environment of a company. A SWOT analysis of Body Shop identifies countries on which the company needs to concentrate on in order to better company public presentation, so that we analysis and see the assorted phases of the SWOT analysis. Strengths Brand Loyalty – Body Shop is greatly dependent on its trade name repute which is a critical factor in gross revenues. Due to its alone merchandises, it has come out to be seen as one of the most environmentally friendly retail merchants. L’Oreal ‘s support – L’Oreal ‘s experience in advertizement, planetary trade name development, investing capital and selling can hike overall gross revenues. Community Trade -TBS beginnings low-priced natural stuff from deprived communities worldwide. As committedness to this plan addition, the company will be able to capitalise on these cost nest eggs and value making activities. Global Position -TBS is located in 55 states worldwide, cut downing its exposure to market hazards in one part. Due to this company in a good place and take advantages of growing chances in and around these part while increased planetary consciousness of the company. Niche selling – Body Shop targets a niche market. By saying that it is non proving its merchandises on animate beings and by looking to hold an ecological profile, it has appealed to clients with ethical issues. Bing the lone store in the shopping Centre that sells ecological merchandises, has given it advantage in the local market. Charity support – Body Shop provides fiscal assistance in charities by giving little sum of money. Management-it has really focussed direction and staff due to effectual corporate civilization. Failings Operation Cost- A diminution in profitableness was experienced in 2006, due to inefficient stock list supply direction and increasing operating costs as a consequence of reorganisation and franchise. Given the growing of the organisation and its recent restructuring, it is critical for The Body Shop to concentrate on bettering operational efficiency.A Reducing stock list retentions and bettering efficiencies within the supply concatenation are a great topographic point to get down in the context. Untrust on L’Oreal- Body Shop, unlike L’Oreal, has really rigorous policy on no carnal proving for decorative merchandises whci create possible environment of misgiving about new policy of L’Oreal after its geting of Body Shop. This indicated a loss of market portion within this strategic parts. this diminution is likely to be the recoil of TBS’loyal consumers to the alteration in ownership. That is the failing in future.Body Shop has to do certain it values and environmental policies should be observed along with L’Oreal. Opportunities Expanding market – Emerging market in developing states with the addition in consumers passing in developing states, big markets with high population are emerging in the Russian and Jordanian markets and can now concentrate on other turning markets in states such as Pakistan, China and India. The growing potency of these markets is what is driving the growing of full industry. Male Segmentation- with the turning figure of work forces interested in wellness and beauty productsthere is spread outing inclination for Male training merchandises. For illustration In 2006 the entire market for male training merchandises reached to $ 3 billion.This section has a great possible if the tendencies continue. They increase merchandises entree to clients, increasing consciousness, sales.and net incomes. Internet Channel- As consumers become more occupied on the cyberspace and with direct gross revenues, L’Oreal has the chance to spread out these channels to their fullest capacity through presenting them in new and emerging markets. Menaces L’Oreal different values-As a top performing artist in C A ; T industry, L’Oreal is known to back up assorted activities that are non in-line with TBS ‘s values, such as utilizing ingredients tested on animate beings. The coup d’etat of TBS by L’Oreal has do some protagonists to experience that TBS ‘s values no longer represents their ain and they will therefore non back up the company any longer. This causes a recoil and resulted in declined gross revenues and net income. Price- Market may go monetary value sensitive.if monetary value is major driving factor for consumer purchasing behavior so Body Shop has to revise its pricing scheme to remain in competition because its merchandise monetary values are comaparatively higher. More Competition-Market section growing could pull major competion.the wider competition is in the market is ever menace to Body Shop both domestically and internationally.so it has to remain one measure in front of its rivals in footings of merchandise design and client satisfaction. Management Manners at Body Shop Staff Motivation â€Å" Most concerns focus all the clip on net incomes, net incomes, profitsaˆÂ ¦I have to state I think that is profoundly deadening. I want to make an electricity and passion that bonds people to the company † Anita Roddick ( HBR p. 6 ) The Body Shop has healthy civilization, its employees are n’t kept in the dark ; instead they are supported in the belief that they are portion of an exciting hereafter. They come to work with a fire inside them, a consequence of clearly stated leading and concern patterns that everyone explicitly understands. Every individual in the company knows how to separately lend to its hereafter. It has the environment where direction promote staff to inquire inquiries to happen better working methods, promote argument. It is ever supportive of new thoughts which th keeps people interested and advanced. Such civilization involve staff in determination devising and it make heroes of employees who personify what company wants to see. It encourages to advance 2 manner appraisals staff to directors and directors to staff. And it helps to guarantee staff that they are non a solitary voice. Let them to turn. Hiring Staff The Body Shop choice Staff that Support the Vision of the Corporation.It looks for people who have energy and wonder. They should be able to take information and tally with it. It ever aims to use â€Å" large † people with large thought and large thoughts. Employ people that will suit in. General environment at Body Shop Steering people to the beginning of their ain power. Making a committedness to common ends and shared values. Weaving societal and environmental dimensions into the cloth of the company. There is a touchable sense of euphory. There is a sense of existent energy about the topographic point. There is a sense of joyful amateurism and merriment. There is a sense of lovingness, household and community. ( 12 ) Such direction manners and healthy corporate civilization transform and actuate employees to bring forth best single consequences which contibute to organizational growing and success.they are no more ordinary staff and people ; they are passionate and extremely bear down team-members lending organizational sucess, both locally and globally.So, we see from a individual store gap in Brighton in 1976 has sprung 100s of franchises throughout the universe. Anita sees the duty of concern as being supportive to the community both locally and globally. Mentions 4 ) Corporate duty available on, hypertext transfer protocol: //social-corporate-responsibility.suite101.com/article.cfm/corporate-social-responsibility-at- the-body-shop ( accessed on 8th June 2010 ) ( 5 ) Free market available on hypertext transfer protocol: //www.economicsonline.co.uk/Competitive_markets/Economic_systems.html hypertext transfer protocol: //www.economywatch.com/market-economy/advantages-market-economy.html hypertext transfer protocol: //www.economywatch.com/world_economy/world-economic-indicators/mixed- economy.htm hypertext transfer protocol: //www.blurtit.com/q917361.html ( accessed on 8th June 2010 ) ( 6 ) Organisational construction on, hypertext transfer protocol: //www.provenmodels.com/22 ( ( accessed on 18th June 2010 ) 10 ) Entrepreneur ‘s Hall of Fame: Anita Roddick, hypertext transfer protocol: //www.ltbn.com/hall_of_fame/Roddick.html hypertext transfer protocol: //www.mission-coach.co.uk/pages/belief_model_leadership_anita_roddick.asp Roddick, Anita. Interview. The Entrepreneurial Mindset. 04 Sept. 2007 lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.cwerty.com/members.asp gt ; . ( accessed on 6th June 2010 ) 12 ) Leadership manners available on, hypertext transfer protocol: //www.mission-coach.co.uk/pages/belief_model_leadership_anita_roddick.asp Hamm, John. â€Å" The Five Messages Leaders Must Manage. † Harvard Business Review ( 2006 ) : 1-9. ( accessed on 26th May 2010 ) Beginning: Henry Mintzberg, Structure in Five: Planing effectual organisation, Page 279 ; Book Organizational Theory ( Third edition ) Stephen P. Robbins â€Å" Anita Roddick. † Business the Ultimate Resource. Cambridge: Perseus, 2002. 1134-1135. Bateman, Thomas S. , and Scott Snell. Management Leading and Collaborating in a Competitive World. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2007. Roddick, Anita. Business as Unusual. Chichester: Anita Roddick Books, 2005. Roddick, Anita. Interview. The Power of the Story. 04 Sept. 2007 lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.cwerty.com/members.asp gt ; . hypertext transfer protocol: //news.bbc.co.uk/l/hi/business/4815776.stm hypertext transfer protocol: //www.ltbn.com/hall_of_fame/Roddick.html hypertext transfer protocol: //www.thebodyshop.com/companycasestudy/naomaarron hypertext transfer protocol: //ivythesis.typepad.com/term_paper_topics/the_body_shop/ hypertext transfer protocol: //www.bodyshop.com/global/index.aspA hypertext transfer protocol: //social-corporate-responsibility.suite101.com/article.cfm/corporate-social-responsibility-at-the-body-shop

My Successful Friend Idiom Story for ESL Students

My Successful Friend Idiom Story for ESL Students Here is a story about a successful friend who has had a fantastic career. Try reading the story one time to  understand the gist  without using the idiom definitions. On your second reading, use the definitions to help you understand the text while learning new idioms. Finally, youll find idiom definitions and a short quiz on some of the expressions at the end of the story.  Ã‚   My Successful Friend My friend Doug has really done well for himself in life. Im very proud of him and all of his achievements! We get together every year or so for a two or three-day hike in Oregon. Its a great time to reflect on how life is going, talk about old times and have new adventures. Let me tell you a little bit about Doug. It was clear from the very beginning that he was going places. He did very well in school, and everyone knew he was a smart cookie. Not only were his grades good, but he was also an outstanding athlete, as well as keeping his nose clean. Some accused him of being squeaky clean, but that didnt bother him. He wasnt going to let anyone rain on his parade!   After he graduated from college, he decided to go to New York. As the song goes: If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere! Back in those days, New York was a hotbed of innovation. Doug was a product design specialist and had some great designs on tap. Unfortunately, he didnt immediately succeed. Things werent easy in the beginning, and it took him a while to learn the ins and outs of the Big Apple. In any case, it soon became to clear to him that he needed to make some brownie points with his director. He decided he would volunteer to create the presentation for a new product at the companys yearly dog and pony show.   The boss wasnt so sure, but the decision about who would make the presentation wasnt carved in stone. In the end, the manager decided that Doug would do a good job. Doug gladly accepted the challenge and decided to make quite an impression. He wasnt exactly going to reinvent the wheel, but he knew he could improve on past presentations. He felt that giving a great presentation would improve his standing in the company. The day of the presentation arrived, and, no surprise, Doug did an outstanding job. His presentation was informative, and he didnt blow any smoke. Where there were problems, he pointed them out and made suggestions as to how to improve the situation. Long story short, because of his excellent presentation the director realized that he was the genuine article. Doug started taking more and more responsibility at the company. Within three years, he had sealed the deal on the development of two of his best ideas. As they say, the rest is history.   Idioms Used in the Story be on a roll to have one success after another have a string of successes  Big Apple New York New Yorkblow smoke to fake or provide false information in order to gain somethingbrownie points extra good will  carved in stone not changeable  dog and pony show a presentation during which a companys best products are showngenuine article real true not fakego places to become successfulhotbed of something an area that is famous for a certain type of industry or successins and outs the details and inside information about a place or situation  keep ones nose clean to not make any illegal or unethical mistakeson tap readyrain on someones parade to criticize the success of someonereinvent the wheel to remake or invent something that already exists  seal the deal to make an agreement sign a contractsmart cookie very intelligent personsqueaky clean without fault not having problems or mistakes Quiz I think were ___________. All of our products are selling very well.This bag looks like its ______________. It doesnt look fake.We ________________ with our partners and start the project in May.The contract isnt ________________. We can still negotiate the details.Work with Anna and shell show you the ____________ of the company.I dont want to _________ your _________, but there are still a few problems.I think shell ______________. Shes very intelligent AND competitive.  I wouldnt believe that. Hes known for ______________.   Quiz Answers on a rollgenuine article  sealed the dealcarved in stoneins and outsrain on your paradego placesblowing smoke More Idioms and Expressions in Context Stories Learn more expressions using stories with one or more of these further  idioms in context stories with quizzes. Its important to learn and use idioms in context. Of course, idioms are not always easy to understand. There are  idiom and expression resources  that can help with definitions, but reading them in short stories can also provide context that makes them come more alive.

Everything You Need to Know about the Stone Barrington Books

Everything You Need to Know about the Stone Barrington Books The 36th Stone Barrington novel by Stuart Woods, Scandalous Behavior, debuted at #1 on the bestseller lists, as usual. Thirty-six novels featuring one character is a lot, although it’s not a record- there are examples of books series that span hundreds of books, although most of those feature a mixture of authors. Still, when a series featuring a single character gets to be that long, the author is obviously doing something right, and that kind of success naturally makes a book-hungry person wonder if it could be a rich vein for them to mine when their usual supply of novels runs dry- but on the other hand, thirty-six novels (with the thirty-seventh due out later this year) can be a bit intimidating. So here’s what you need to know about the Stone Barrington novels. Character Sketch So, is Stone Barrington a guy you want to spend a lot of time with? Here’s what you need to know: His parents were both born to wealthy families, but were both disinherited because they refused to conform to familial expectations, a strain of rebelliousness that Stone himself inherited. He grew up in New York and attended public schools and graduated with a law degree, but after a ride-along in a police car decided to join the NYPD. In New York Dead he’s at the tail-end of his career as a Lt. Detective, rehabbing an injury and at odds with his superiors; in the middle of that story he’s forced out of the force and takes the Bar Exam to become a lawyer, and is hired by a tony law firm to be â€Å"of counsel.† Basically, the firm uses Stone to handle cases they don’t want sullying their reputation, and the work slowly makes Barrington a pretty wealthy guy- which is good, because he already had some very expensive tastes. You can’t help but see Woods in Barrington; much of Barrington’s jet-setting lifestyle seems like a slightly exaggerated version of Woods’ own life, from the pilot’s license to the knowledge of wines and food (Woods once wrote a very successful guide to restaurants and hotels in England and Ireland). Barrington travels the world, can handle himself in almost any situation, has a very active love life, and is a lot of fun to spend time with. His dislike of authority and his sense of humor are ideal for a character who is always sticking his intelligent nose where it’s not wanted. By the way, if you think Stone Barrington is a pretty silly name, you’re not alone: Woods’ editors reportedly tried very hard to convince him to change it. In Order The Stone Barrington books include, in publication order: New York Dead (1991)Dirt (1996)Dead in the Water (1997)Swimming to Catalina (1998)Worst Fears Realized (1999)L.A. Dead (2000)Cold Paradise (2001)The Short Forever (2002)Dirty Work (2003)Reckless Abandon (2004)Two Dollar Bill (2005)Dark Harbor (2006)Fresh Disasters (2007)Shoot Him If He Runs (2007)Hot Mahogany (2008)Loitering With Intent (2009)Kisser (2010)Lucid Intervals (2010)Strategic Moves (2011)Bel-Air Dead (2011)Son of Stone (2011)D.C. Dead (2011)Unnatural Acts (2012)Severe Clear (2012)Collateral Damage (2013)Unintended Consequences (2013)Doing Hard Time (2013)Standup Guy (2014)Carnal Curiosity (2014)Cut and Thrust (2014)Paris Match (2014)Insatiable Appetites (2015)Hot Pursuit (2015)Naked Greed (2015)Foreign Affairs (2015)Scandalous Behavior (2016)Family Jewels (T/K 2016) A few quick take-aways here: Through 2010 Woods had written 18 Stone Barrington Novels in 13 years, which is a brisk but not unusual pace; beginning in 2011 he published 19 more in just six years, with as many as four new Barrington novels hitting the shelves in a single year. According to interviews with Woods, he’s not only writing all of these books himself (unlike certain other ‛prolific’ best-sellers), he’s writing so many Barrington novels because his publisher requested that he do so. Key Barrington The series does follow a very loose chronology in the sense that past events and characters do occasionally pop into new stories (and some of Woods’ other characters from other series show up from time to time, as well. That said, this is a series you can read in any order, really, with only the occasional mystery reference to past events. Barrington is one of those characters whose charm is their consistency. The two caveats are: One, read New York Dead first. It’s not only the first-published, it’s the book that sets up Barrington’s back-story, so it’s really the one essential starting point; Two: 2004’s Reckless Abandon is a continuation of a story begun in Woods’ Holly Barker novel Blood Orchid, so you might want to read that one first. So, whether you dig up New York Dead and start at the beginning, pick up the first Barrington book you find, or seek out Scandalous Behavior right now, you’re going to have a pretty good time getting to know one of the thriller world’s best characters.

Public and Private Goods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Public and Private Goods - Essay Example Examples of public goods include street lighting, roads, television broadcasts, fresh air and clean water. Street lighting is referred to as a public good. This is because the there is a unison demand of the product. The demand and supply of the good is the same to all consumers. The service s offered by street lights cannot be depleted by one individual. Additionally, the ownership of street lights cannot be dictated one person. The elasticity of the good cannot change any form since the demand does not change. Television broadcast as a good is public good. Broadcasting has indirect demand thus the elasticity of its price does not change. It is categorized as public good since there are no rights for ownership for individuals. The demand of another person does not affect the supply of another (Guess, 2003). Roads are the most common public goods. They are used by every individual regardless of the use. They cannot be owned by an individual and the price elasticity of roads cannot change since its maintenance funds do not affect the consumers directly. Fresh air and clean water are the most available public goods (Meyer, 2010). They occur naturally hence cannot be owned by an individual. There is equal demand on the commodity and the supply to an individual does not affect the supply to another person. These are goods that have financial benefits to individuals (Guess, 2003). They are excludable and the owners can exercise the right to ownership. They are scarce and have competition. They have a varying elasticity of demand depending on the demand and quality. They include food, clothing, electronics, cars and furniture. Food as a private good has competition. The demand of food is usually much higher than the supply of food. There is competition for the commodity. Owners of the good have the right to own the goods and dictate the pricing of the

Argumentative on Prison Overcrowding in the United States Research Paper

Argumentative on Prison Overcrowding in the United States - Research Paper Example As a result of this, prison overcrowding is a cause of major inefficiency in correctional facilities in the USA and the world over. This paper will be an argumentative essay on prison overcrowding in the United States. Over the last forty years, the United States increasingly tough response to crime and punishment has resulted in an overwhelming rate of incarceration within its states, thus overcrowding its correctional facilities. This is due to the criminal justice policies that the United States has adopted. Between 1972 and 2008, the number of men, women and children locked up in the United States has grown by 705 percent (Johnson & Johnson 4). Harris County is one of the most affected, despite the fact that they tried to increase the number of these facilities, the problem has not been solved as more and more people got arrested for misdemeanor crimes including minor drug offenses, filling the new facilities. As a result of this detainees are not provided with adequate medical c are, mental health care, protection from serious physical harm and protection from life safety hazards (Johnson & Johnson 5). The idea of mandatory minimum sentences is another factor for prison overcrowding. These laws were enacted in 1986 and are fixed sentences to individuals convicted of crimes regardless of proof whether they were guilty or not. The mandatory minimums were set with the objective of capturing the leaders in drug distribution networks. Thus low level drug sellers are the ones that are being held in most federal prisons in the United States. Room has to be made for the non-violent crimes yet the violent crimes are released on parole (Pollock 62). The three strikes law is another factor for prison overcrowding in the United States. This is a law that was created to control the rate at which offenders were received in courts. The law states that after a third major felony, an offender is eligible for 25 years of life in prison (Moore 1). Many of the offenders sent i n prison under this rule are the non-violent offenders especially those held because of petty theft. Thus people that have committed violent crimes tend to spend less time in prison than those who commit the less violent crimes. The offenders that commit petty crimes are many than the ones who commit the violent crimes, thus prisons end up being filled up due to the large number of petty offenders that are locked up (Moore 1). When prisons are filled up, it means that many law breakers are being punished; hence a peaceful and more secure society. This is the reason why the federal government is not disturbed with the idea of having to accommodate more inmates in gymnasiums. It is an indication that the society is rid of the people that hamper its peaceful coexistence. Therefore, it is in order for the prison department to lock up all the people that commit crimes so that they can serve as an example to potential and other wrongdoers as well as have a secure society. This is also an opportunity for the prisoners to change and integrate back to the society as proper persons when their terms end. Prison overcrowding puts the state on toes. It gets aware of the citizens that it harbors and this way, the state and the society as a whole knows that it has a lot of obligation to ensure that its citizens are well behaved. The overcrowding serves as a challenge to the society to know that the obligation of ensuring that the obligati

Awesome Ball Girl and Perception Essay Example for Free

Awesome Ball Girl and Perception Essay In the short video of â€Å"Awesome Ball Girl†, there is a young ball girl working in the field that makes such a great catch, most professionals would not have been able to make. At the start of the video you would think that you are about to see a home run after a great hit, but my eyes were drawn elsewhere; just like the crowd and two teams. This shows the first stage in the perception process: selection. Selection occurs when one or more of your senses are stimulated, where your mind and body help you choose what stimuli to attend to (Floyd 109). Of my five senses, this video affected my vision and my hearing since I was watching a screen; more senses would have been affected if I would have been in the crowd. We do not necessarily make conscious decisions about which stimuli to notice and which to ignore. Research indicates that there are three characteristics that make a particular stimulus more likely to be selected for attention. (Floyd 109) The first characteristic is that something unusual or unexpected will make a stimulus stand out. Second, that repetition or how frequently you have been exposed to something will make it stand out. Third, the intensity of a stimulus will affect how much you take notice to it. From the video â€Å"Awesome Ball Girl†, two of the characteristics that stood out the most for me were repetition and intensity. I do not watch baseball often so since I am not exposed to that sport often, it stood out to me. In addition to not watching that sport often, the intensity of the crowd made me more interested because I knew something big was happening due to hearing the cheering and gasping. By the end of the video, all of my attention was focused on the young ball girl who just made an amazing catch. Once you have noticed a particular stimulus the next step of the perception process is to classify it by organization, the second stage of the perception process. Organization is the process of categorizing information that has been selected for attention – the mind will apply a perceptual schema to it for a mental framework for organizing information (Floyd 109). Perceptual schemas help us organize sensory information in some meaningful way so that we can move forward with the process of perception. There are four types of schema that help to classify the information we notice about people: physical constructs, role constructs, interaction constructs and psychological constructs. (Floyd 110) Physical constructs emphasize appearances and objective characteristics (height, age, ethnicity, body shape) as well as subjective characteristics (attractiveness). Role constructs emphasize social or professional position (teacher, accountant, father, community leader). Interaction constructs emphasize behavior (outgoing, shy, aggressive, sarcastic, considerate). Psychological constructs emphasize thoughts and feelings (angry, insecure, jealous, worried). (Floyd 110) Looking back on watching this video, I feel like I could apply all of these constructs to the young ball girl. She was a younger white female; her appearance was average height for a woman, not tall and not short with an athletic build – which is known to be attractive. The announcer for the game calls her the ball girl as well as the title of the video which gave the role construct. The interaction I could see was that she was a â€Å"go-getter† and that she was not shy about going after the ball that the professional player missed. After the catch, she was walking back to her seat; she seemed insecure and or worried like she was thinking maybe it was a bad idea to catch the ball now that all attention is on her. Stage one, selection, helped me with stage two, organization because I knew what caught my attention. Seeing a girl running down the side of the field, hearing the crowd cheering and the announcer going crazy made me realize that something spectacular was happening even though I don’t watch baseball often. Once my attention was focused on the ball girl, I was able to use the types of schemas to classify the information that my mind noticed. The third and final stage of the perception process is interpretation. Interpretation in the perception process is assigning all of the information from selection and organization and forming a personal meaning. Three factors: experience, knowledge and closeness can all affect how you interpret something that you perceive (Floyd 111). Every person’s interpretations will most likely differ. For me, experience plays the biggest role since I used to play softball. I know how hard it can be to catch a ball at the rear of the outfield, let alone trying to scale a wall before catching the ball; which proves to me that this young ball girl has a lot of talent. To some people that may be avid baseball fans that attend a lot of games, this could be an event they will never forget, but for me, it is just a very impressive video that I will probably potentially forget about due to my lack of interest in baseball. I do not have doubts that this video is not real or accurate. Crazier things happen every day! After going step by step through the perception process, I see a very talented young girl that has the potential to be a great player on a ball team.

Three Day Blow Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Essay: â€Å"The Three-Day Blow†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Drinking is one of people’s main problems. Drinking distorts self-perception and actions. There are many reasons for drinking: depression, happiness, a social event. These incentives are developed in â€Å"The Three-Day Blow† by Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway uses drinking as a form of expression through his character Nick and his inner conflict.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This short story is about two friends that decide to spend the day together, forget about their problems and just drink until they realize that drinking has no meaning. It just changes things for a few hours, without r...

Hotel and Theme Park

Earlier this year, my mum and dad decided that we would be going to Benidorm for a week at the beginning of the summer holidays. My sister, Tara and I were so excited for the holiday that we immediately started counting down the days even though it was April and we wouldn't be going until the end of June/start of July. The months leading up to the holiday was a whirlwind of planning what we were taking and what we were going to do while we were there. Finally the day came and we were getting up at 3 am so we could get ready and catch the 6 o’clock plane from Edinburgh airport to Alicante airport.I remember bouncing in my seat in excitement while we were landing and letting out a squeal of happiness when we were safely on the ground and free to leave exit the plane. The first thing I felt when I departed the plane was the complete relaxation that the searing sun on my face brought to me. All too soon we were sitting in an overcrowded bus that would take us all to our different hotels. Our hotel was one of the first few stops as we were relatively close to the beach.On first look, the hotel (which I cannot for the life of me remember the name of) looked pretty standard. It wasn’t horrible looking however it didn't look like the Ritz. However, once I got inside I was taken aback by how classy the reception area was. I couldn't help but wonder if our room would be just as classy and lovely as the reception area. My answer to that particular question was no. The room was nice enough considering we wouldn't be spending much time in there but I couldn’t help but be disappointed by the size of our room.The thing I enjoyed the most about our room was surprisingly the bathroom, the lighting in there was absolute perfection for getting ready in the morning and evening and the shower was to die for! I could just feel all the tension in my shoulders wash away while in that shower. Our first day in Benidorm wasn’t all that eventful, Tara and I spe nt most of our day out by the pool swimming (Tara) and soaking up some vitamin D (me).Eventually we had to leave the pool at about 8 o’clock for dinner which  would be starting soon. The dinner the hotel served was extraordinary! It was as if they had taken a dish from every country in the world and put it into a buffet where we could just take whatever tickled our fancy! Day two of our holiday of found us spending the day sunbathing at the beach and swimming in the sea. The water was a beautiful clear blue colour and the sand was golden. The highlight of day two for me though were the peaches that my dad bought at a fruit stall while we were walking down to the beach.They were the largest and juiciest peaches I had ever had and kept my stomach content until dinner time. On the third and fourth days of our time in Benidorm were spent in the theme park â€Å"Terra Mitica† which translates to ‘mythical land’. The theme park was split into 5 different parts : Egypt, Greece, Iberia, the Islands and Rome. Each area had their own rides and shows. Personally my favourite part was of the theme park was the boat ride around the park as it was decorated magically. Day five found us exploring the old and new town and the shops that they offered.We found a boat ride that would take us to Benidorm Island and while there we walked all the way to the top of the hill and down again which in the blistering heat was a very difficult feat to accomplish. The next day was spent at a secluded beach that we found while exploring the town. This beach was a little bit different to the main beach though, as there were fish swimming in the water with us. Our last day in Benidorm was spent at a marine animal park, â€Å"Mundomar† where we watched a bird, sea lion and dolphin show, looked at turtles/tortoises, lemurs, monkeys and seals and had our pictures taken with dolphins.It was the perfect ending to the holiday that had undoubtedly been the best hol iday of my life. With our glowing tans, souvenirs and pictures that needed to be uploaded onto Facebook, we boarded the plane that would take us back to Edinburgh, I couldn't help but feel disheartened by the fact that we were leaving this incredible, stunning and warm place and going back home to dreary Scotland! But as they say, all good things must come to an end.

Night World : Huntress Chapter 6

Me? Hugh nodded. â€Å"I'm supposed to stop the end of the world? How?† â€Å"First, I ought to tell you that it's not just me that believes all this about the millennium. It's not even Circle Daybreak that believes it. It's the Night World Council, Jez.† â€Å"The joint Council? Witches and vampires?† Hugh nodded again. â€Å"They had a big meeting about it this summer. And they dug up some old prophecies about what's going to happen this time.† â€Å"Like?† Hugh looked slightly self-conscious. â€Å"Here's one. It used to rhyme in the original, I think, but this is the translation.† He took a breath and quoted slowly: ‘In blue fire, the final darkness is banished. In blood, the final price is paid.† Great, Jez thought. Whose blood? But Hugh was going on. â€Å"Four to stand between the light and the shadow, Four of blue fire, power in their blood. Born in the year of the blind Maiden's vision; Four less one and darkness triumphs.† Jez blinked slowly. â€Å"What's blue fire?† â€Å"Nobody knows.† â€Å"‘Four to stand between the light and the shadow†¦' Meaning to hold off the end of the world?† â€Å"That's what the Council thinks. They think it means that four people have been born, four Wild Powers who're going to be instrumental in whatever's coming, whatever battle or disaster that's going to destroy us. Those four can stop the end of the world-but only if all of them fight together.† â€Å"‘Four less one and darkness triumphs,† Jez said. â€Å"Right. And that's where you come in.† â€Å"Sorry, I don't think I'm one of them.† Hugh smiled. â€Å"That's not what I meant. The fact is, somebody around here has already reported finding a Wild Power. Circle Daybreak intercepted a message from him to the Council saying that hell hand the Wild Power over to them if they make it worth his while. Otherwise hell just sit tight until they're desperate enough to agree to his terms.† Jez had a sinking feeling. She said one word. â€Å"Who?† Hugh's expression was knowing and regretful. It's one of your old gang, Jez. Morgead Blackthorn.† Jez shut her eyes. Yeah, that sounded like Morgead, trying to shake down the Night World Council. Only he was crazy and nervy enough to do that. He was stubborn, too-perfectly capable of letting disaster come if he didn't get his way. But of all the people in the world, why did it have to be him? And how had he found a Wild Power, anyway? Hugh was speaking again softly. â€Å"You can see why we need you. Somebody has to get to him and find out who the Wild Power is-and you're the only one who stands a chance of doing that.† Jez pushed hair off her face and breathed slowly, trying to think. â€Å"I don't need to tell you how dangerous it is,† Hugh said, looking into the distance again. â€Å"And I don't want to ask you to do it. In fact, if you're smart, you'll tell me to get lost right now.† Jez couldn't tell him to get lost â€Å"What I don't understand is why we can't just let the Council take care of it. They'll want the Wild Powers bad, and they have a lot more resources.† Hugh glanced back at her, startled. His gray eyes were wide with an expression that Jez had never seen before. Then he smiled, and it was an incredibly sad smile. â€Å"That's just what we can't do. You're right, the Council wants the Wild Powers. But not so they can fight the end of the world. Jez†¦ they only want them so they can kill them.† That was when Jez realized what his expression was. It was gentle regret for innocence-her innocence. She couldn't believe how stupid she had been. â€Å"Oh, Goddess,† she said slowly. Hugh nodded. â€Å"They want it to happen. At least the vampires do. If the human world ends-well, that's their chance, isn't it? For thousands of years the Night People have had to hide, to live in the shadows while the humans spread all over the world. But the Council wants that to change.† The reason Jez had been so slow was that it was hard for her to imagine anybody actually wanting to bring on the Apocalypse. But of course it made sense. â€Å"They're willing to risk being destroyed themselves,† she whispered. â€Å"They figure that whatever happens, it'll be worse on the humans, since the humans don't know it's coming. Hell, some of the Night People think they're what's coming. Hunter Redfern is saying that vampires are going to wipe out and enslave the humans and that after that the Night World is going to reign.† Jez felt a new chill. Hunter Redfern. Her ancestor, who was over five hundred years old but looked about thirty. He was bad, and he practically ran the Council. â€Å"Great,† she muttered. â€Å"So my family's going to destroy the world.† Hugh gave her a bleak smile. â€Å"Hunter says the Old Powers are rising to make vampires stronger so they can take over. And the scary thing is, he's right. Like I said before, the Night People are getting stronger, developing more powers. Nobody knows why. But most of the vampires on the Council seem to believe Hunter.† â€Å"So we don't have much time,† Jez said. â€Å"We have to get the Wild Power before Morgead makes a deal with the Night World.† â€Å"Right. Circle Daybreak is fixing up a safe place to keep the Wild Powers until we get all four. And the Council knows we're doing it-that's probably why that ghoul was following me. They're watching us. I'm just sorry I led it here,† he added absently, with a worried look around the room. â€Å"Doesn't matter. He's not telling anybody anything.† â€Å"No. Thanks to you. But we'll meet someplace different next time. I can't endanger your family.† He looked back at her. â€Å"Jez, if the Night World manages to kill even one of the Wild Powers-well, if you believe the prophecy, it's all over.† Jez understood now. She still had questions, but they could wait. One thing was clear in her mind. â€Å"I'll do it. I have to.† Hugh said very quietly, â€Å"Are you sure?† â€Å"Well, somebody has to. And you were right; I'm the only one who can handle Morgead.† The truth was that she thought nobody could handle Morgead-but she certainly had a better chance than any Circle Daybreaker. Of course, she wouldn't survive the assignment Even if she managed to steal the Wild Power out from under Morgead's nose, he'd hunt her down and kill her for it That was irrelevant â€Å"He hates me, and I hate him, but at least I know him,† she said out loud. There was a silence and she realized that Hugh was looking at her oddly. â€Å"You think he hates you?† â€Å"Of course. All we ever did was fight† Hugh smiled very faintly-an Old Soul look. I see.† â€Å"What's that supposed to mean?† ‘It means-I don't think he hates you, Jez. Maybe he has strong emotions for you, but from what I've heard I don't think hate is one of them.† Jez shook her head. â€Å"You don't understand. He was always gunning for me. And if he found out I'm half human-well, that would be the end. He hates humans worse than anything. But I think I can fool him for as long as it takes to get the Wild Power.† Hugh nodded, but he didn't look happy. His eyes were bruised and tired. If you can pull it off, you'll save a lot of lives.† He knows, too, Jez thought. That I'll die doing this. It was some comfort that he cared-and more comfort that he didn't understand why she was doing it. Sure, she wanted to save lives. But there was something else. The Council had tried to mess with Hugh. They'd sent a stinking ghoul after him. They would probably send something different tomorrow-certainly, they'd keep trying to kill him. And for that, Jez was going to wipe the floor with them. Hugh wasn't any kind of fighter. He couldn't defend himself. He shouldn't be a target. She realized that Hugh was still looking at her, with pain in his eyes. She smiled to show him that she wasn't afraid of dying. â€Å"It's a family affair,† she told him-and that was true, too. â€Å"Hunter's my great-great-great-great-great-grandfather. It's only right that I stop him. And if anything happens to me-well, one Redfern less is probably a blessing to the world.† And that was the last part of the truth. She came from a tainted family. No matter what she did, who she saved, or how hard she tried, there would always be vampire blood running in her veins. She was a potential danger to humanity by her very existence. But Hugh was looking horrified. â€Å"Don't you ever say that† He stared at her for another moment and then took her by the shoulders, squeezing. â€Å"Jez, you're one of the best people I know. What you did before last year is-â€Å" â€Å"Is part of me,† Jez said. She was trying not to feel his warm grip through her T-shirt, trying not to show that his little squeeze sent a shock through her entire body. â€Å"And nothing can change that. I know what I am.† Hugh shook her slightly. â€Å"Jez-â€Å" â€Å"And right now, I have to get rid of that ghoul. And you'd better be getting home.† For a moment she thought he was going to shake her again; then he slowly let go of her. ‘You're officially accepting the assignment?† The way he said it sounded as if he were giving her one last chance not to. â€Å"Yes.† He nodded. He didn't ask how she planned on getting back into a gang that she'd abandoned, or getting information from Morgead, who hated her. Jez knew why. He simply trusted that she could do it â€Å"When you know something, call this number.† He dug in a different pocket and handed her a square of paper like a business card. â€Å"I'll give you a location where I can meet you-someplace away from here. We shouldn't talk about anything on the phone.† Jez took the card. â€Å"Thanks.† â€Å"Please be careful, Jez.† â€Å"Yes. Can I keep the articles?† He snorted. â€Å"Sure.† Then he gave her one of those sad Old-Soul smiles. â€Å"You probably don't need them, though. Just look around. Watch the news. You can see it all happening out there.† â€Å"We're going to stop it,† Jez said. She reconsidered. â€Å"We're going to try.† Jez had a problem the next morning. The problem was Claire. They were supposed to drive to school together, to ensure that Jez didn't cut school. But Jez had to cut school to go find Morgead. She didn't want to imagine the kind of trouble that was going to get her in with Uncle Jim and Aunt Nanami-but it was crucial to get to Morgead as soon as possible. She couldn't afford to waste time. At the first major stoplight-and there weren't a lot of them in Clayton-she smacked her forehead with her palm. â€Å"I forgot my chemistry book!† She unfastened her seat belt and slid out of the Audi just as the light turned green. â€Å"You go ahead!† she shouted to Claire, slamming the door and leaning in the open window. â€Å"Ill catch up to you.† Claire's expression showed her temperature was reaching the boiling point. â€Å"Are you crazy? Get in; I'll drive back† â€Å"You'll be late. Go on without me.† She made a little fluttery encouraging motion with her fingers. One of the three cars behind Claire honked. Claire opened her mouth and shut it again. Her eyes were shooting sparks. â€Å"You did this on purpose! I know you're up to something, Jez, and I'm going to find out-â€Å" Honk. Honk. Jez stepped back and waved goodbye. And Claire drove off, as Jez had known she would. Claire couldn't stand the peer pressure of cars telling her to get moving. Jez turned and began to jog for home, in a smooth, steady, ground-eating lope. When she got there, she wasn't even breathing hard. She opened the garage and picked up a long, slim bundle that had been concealed in a corner. Then she turned to her bike. Besides Hugh, it was the love of her life. A Harley. An 883 Sportster hugger. Just twenty-seven inches tall and eighty-seven inches long, a lean, light, mean machine. She loved its classic simplicity, its cold clean lines, its spare body. She thought of it as her steel and chrome thoroughbred. Now she strapped the long bundle diagonally on her back, where it balanced nicely despite its odd size. She put on a dark full-face helmet and swung a leg over the motorcycle. A moment later she was roaring away, heading out of Clayton toward San Francisco. She enjoyed the ride, even though she knew it might be her last one. Maybe because of that. It was a dazzling end-of-summer day, with a sky of September blue and a pure-white sun. The air that parted for Jez was warm. How can people ride in cages? she thought, twisting the throttle to shoot past a station wagon. What good are cars? You're completely isolated from your surroundings. You can't hear or smell anything outside; you can't feel wind or Power or a slight change in the temperature. You can't jump out to fight at an instant's notice. You certainly can't stake somebody at high speed while leaning out of a car window. You could do it from a bike, though. If you were fast enough, you could skewer somebody as you roared by, like a knight with a lance. She and Morgead had fought that way once. And maybe will again, she thought, and flashed a grim smile into the wind. The sky remained blue as she continued west, instead of clouding up as she approached the ocean. It was so clear that from Oakland she could see the entire bay and the skyline of San Francisco. The tall buildings looked startlingly close. She was leaving her own world and entering Morgead's. It was something she didn't do often. San Francisco was an hour and fifteen minutes away from Clayton-assuming there was no traffic. It might as well have been in another state. Clayton was a tiny rural town, mostly cows, with a few decent houses and one pumpkin farm. As far as Jez knew, the Night World didn't know it existed. It wasn't the kind of place Night People cared about. Which was why she'd managed to hide there for so long. But now she was heading straight for the heart of the fire. As she crossed the Bay Bridge and reached the city, she was acutely aware of how vulnerable she was. A year ago Jez had broken the laws of the gang by disappearing. If any gang member saw her, they had the right to kill her. Idiot. Nobody can recognize you. That's why you wear the full-face helmet. That's why you keep your hair up. That's why you don't custom-paint the bike. She was still hyper-alert as she cruised the streets heading for one of the city's most unsavory districts. There. She felt a jolt at the sight of a familiar building. Tan, blocky, and unlovely, it rose to three stories plus an irregular roof. Jez squinted up at the roof without taking off her helmet. Then she went and stood casually against the rough concrete wall, near the rusty metal intercom. She waited until a couple of girls dressed like artists came up and got buzzed in by one of the tenants. Then she detached herself from the wall and calmly followed them. She couldn't let Morgead know she was coming. He'd kill her without waiting to ask questions if he got the jump on her. Her only chance was to jump him first, and then make him listen. The building was even uglier inside than it was outside, with empty echoing stairwells and faceless industrial-sized hallways. But Jez found her heart beating faster and something like longing twisting in her chest. This place might be hideous, but it was also freedom. Each one of the giant rooms behind the metal doors was rented by somebody who didn't care about carpets and windows, but wanted a big empty space where they could be alone and do exactly what they wanted. It was mostly starving artists here, people who needed large studios. Some of the doors were painted in gemlike colors and rough textures. Most had industrial-sized locks on them. I don't miss it, Jez told herself. But every corner brought a shock of memory. Morgead had lived here for years, ever since his mother ran off with some vampire from Europe. And Jez had practically lived here, too, because it had been gang headquarters. We had some good times†¦. No. She shook her head slightly to break off the thought and continued on her way, slipping silently through the corridors, going deeper and deeper into the building. At last she got to a place where there was no sound except the humming of the naked fluorescent lights on the ceiling. The walls were closer together here. There was a sense of isolation, of being far from the rest of the world. And one narrow staircase going up. Jez paused, listened a moment, then, keeping her eyes on the staircase, removed the long bundle from her back. She unwrapped it carefully, revealing a stick that was a work of art. It was just over four feet long and an inch in diameter. The wood was deep glossy red with irregular black markings that looked a little like tiger stripes or hieroglyphics. Snakewood. One of the hardest woods in the world, dense and strong, but with just the right amount of resilience for a fighting stick. It made a striking and individual weapon. There was one other unusual thing about it. Fighting sticks were usually blunt at either end, to allow the person holding it to get a grip. This one had one blunt end and one that tapered to an angled, narrow tip. Like a spear. The point was hard as iron and extremely sharp. It could punch right through clothing to penetrate a vampire heart. Jez held the stick in both hands for a moment, looking down at it. Then she straightened, and, holding it in a light grip ready for action, she began up the stairs. â€Å"Ready or not, Morgead, here I come.†

The impact of information system on the success of Small and medium enterprises The WritePass Journal

The impact of information system on the success of Small and medium enterprises 1.Introduction The impact of information system on the success of Small and medium enterprises 1.Introduction2.Literature Review2.1WHY DO WE NEED INFORMATION SYSTEMS2.2 INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES2.3 OUTCOME OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN BUSINESS ENTERPRISES3. Research Objectives and Research Questions4. Research Design5. Data collection and analysis6. Time ScaleReferencesRelated 1.Introduction This project intends to investigate the impact of information system on the success of Small and medium enterprises. Almost all the successful big enterprises have embraced information system in their various businesses. It is generally believed, that information technology enables a firm to access information needed to make decisions, to make an efficient use of resources by reducing labour and manufacturing costs, to seize opportunities in its markets and to position itself effectively in relation to its contenders (Dirks, 1994).Unfortunately, it is the same environment both big and SME’s operate and there is a need for the small enterprises to survive in this environment. We live in a very competitive world with the competition becoming fiercer. It has become so volatile that it takes more than success to stay alive. The threat posed to SME by the big enterprises is such that they can be swallowed at anytime. One of the ways by which SME’s can achieve a competitive advantage in the era of globalization is through the implementation of IS in their organizations. Implementation and practice of IS comes at a cost and its increasing high cost is a concern to management, especially in SMEs sector. With lack of sufficient funds to acquire such skills smaller organizations often implement IS in a less than optimal way, thereby attaining fewer benefits than larger organizations (Delone, 1988). The decision to invest the few available funds on information technology need to be worth it as SME’s don’t have the luxury of fund big enterprises have. Traditionally, the success of Information Systems (IS) has been studied in the context of large organisations, most businesses, however, are small and medium Enterprises (SMEs) and they have increasingly adopted packaged application software to meet their information processing requirements. Small- and medium-sized enterprises exert a strong influence on the economies of all countries, particularly in the fast-changing and increasingly competitive global market (Anaroni 1994; Drilhon and Estime 1993). They have been a major engine of economic growth and technological progress (Mulhern, 1995; Thornburg 1993). Carrier (1994) said that SMEs are often more fertile than larger firms in terms of innovation. Most IS research focuses on large firms, yet the majority of firms in most economies are SMEs. It is amazing how SME’s form the bedrock of every country’s economy yet they always find it hard to survive not to talk of competing in an environment where the big enterprises have enormous edge. Though these SME’s can’t match the financial investment of the big enterprises, they need to find a way of balancing their investment to keep abreast of what is happening in their environment. Some SME’s have decided to overlook the cost of investing in IS as they 2.Literature Review Given the dominance of worldwide competition and high rate of technological change, there will be some challenges, which most SMEs are likely to have in common (Marri et al., 2000). Blili and Raymonds (1997) identified the need and usefulness of information systems strategies (ISS) in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). In the transformational role, IS helps to Fundamentally redefine and alter the business processes and business relationships. These benefits could range from simple cost reduction to creation of new businesses or enhanced organizational capabilities (King and Teo, 1996; Feeny and Willcocks, 1998). Palvia and Palvia (1999) stressed on key areas of IT dissatisfactions that are: training and education, software maintenance, documentation and vendor support. According to them software Vendors and consultants can appropriately address these deficiencies. These issues can be addressed well by having a proper IS management in place in an organization. Poon and Swatman (1999) reported on internet use in small business sector as a part of IS management and found that although use of e-mail was very popular for business communication and documents transfer, there was almost no integration between the Internet and internal applications. 2.1WHY DO WE NEED INFORMATION SYSTEMS Information has become very important to the modern business organization that it is seen as its lifeblood. Information systems help an organization manage and make efficient use of its data to achieve utmost success. There has been more information produced in the last 30 years than during the previous 5,000. The information supply available to us doubles every five years. Information system enables companies to react, respond, cater, store, retrieve, disseminate, and control their new valuable asset that is information. In the years to come, a good information system within a company will be no longer an option; it will become a compulsory in determining success. The term IT is defined in broad sense as ‘‘technologies dedicated to information storage, processing and communication’’ (Ang and Koh, 1997). This notion of IT focuses on a combination of hardware, software, telecommunications and office equipments that transform raw data into useful information for speedy retrieval (Seyal et al., 2000). Blili and Raymonds (1997) identified the need and Usefulness of information systems strategies (ISS) in small and medium sized enterprises (SME’s). 2.2 INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES Many smaller firms now utilize computer-based information systems (IS). Top managers in these small firms have a crucial role to play in the development of IS, but the nature of this role differs sharply from that usually undertaken by the senior manager of the larger firm (Martin,J   1989) There is little doubt that advanced information and communication technologies (IT) are changing the way businesses operate and conduct commerce. As the advent of a more secure Internet and new transmission standards makes it easier and cheaper for businesses to conduct inter-organizational commerce.( Khazanchi,D 2005) 2.3 OUTCOME OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN BUSINESS ENTERPRISES IT investments had a positive relation with the IS management practices. Increasing investments in IT and strategic role played by information systems (IS) make IT Implementation as an important research issue within the MIS discipline (Bostrom and Heinen,   1977). Schein (1992) and Zuboff (1988) outlined three major roles   that IS could play in an organization: (1) Automate; (2) Informate; and (3) Transformate. The automate role refers to mere replacement of labour processes by technology. In the Informate     role, IS provides data and information that empowers different levels of Management   and   Ã‚  organizational employees. In the transformational role, IS helps to Fundamentally redefine and alter the business processes and business relationships. These Benefits could range from simple cost reduction to creation of new businesses or enhanced Organizational capabilities   (King and Teo, 1996; Feeny and Willcocks, 1998). Palvia and Palvia (1999) stressed on key areas of IT dissatisfactions that are: training and education, Software maintenance, documentation and vendor support. According to them software Vendors and consultants can appropriately address these deficiencies. These issues can be Addressed well by having a proper IS management in place in an organization. 3. Research Objectives and Research Questions The general objective of the study is to ascertain the need for information systems in modern day small and medium business enterprise. How much are they loosing out as a result of their unwillingness to invest in information system or is the price being paid for the competitive edge provided by information system too expensive? It looks at the benefit accrued to the small and medium enterprises that have embraced information systems.I wish to create a relationship between the cost of investment in information systems and the gains accrue to small and medium organizations that have embraced it. I also intend to look at how small and medium entrepreneurs feel about the need for information systems in their business. It will also be interesting to know how much they are willing to invest in information systems even if they feel it is needed. 4. Research Design Research methodology involves qualitative method due to the nature of the work. It will be ideal to get detailed information about the operations of the small and medium enterprises because they have different challenges; these challenges affect the running of the organizations in different ways. I intend to carry out a series of one on one interview with a number of small and medium entrepreneurs. There are two categories of entrepreneurs that I wish to interview, those that have embrace information systems and those that are yet to. 5. Data collection and analysis Both primary and secondary data will be collected for this project. Primary data will be collected from SME’s especially through interview and It is intended to retrieve the required secondary data from available financial sources to measure the performance of enterprises that use IS and those that don’t use it, only data from regulated bodies will be processed 6. Time Scale Working to meet the project submission deadline, there will be critical reading of relevant materials, regular meeting with the supervisor and also to conduct interviews with some SME business owners. References    Ang, J. and Koh, S. (1997), ‘‘Exploring the relationships between user information satisfaction’’, International Journal of Information Management, Vol. 17 No. 3, pp. 169-77. Blili, S. and Raymonds, L. 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(1992), ‘‘the role of the CEO in the management of change: the case of information Technology’’, in Kochan, T.A. and Useem, M. (Eds), Transforming Organizations, Oxford University Press,     Oxford. Seyal, A., Rahim, M. and Rahim, N. (2000), ‘‘an empirical investigation of the use of information Technology among small and medium business organizations: a Bruneian scenario’’, The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, Vol. 2 No. 7, pp. 1-17. Zuboff, S. (1988), In the Age of Smart Machine: The Future of Work and Power, Basic Books, New York, NY.