An Assignment on Ryan McDonald Founder of Ray Kroc - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1414 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Business Essay Type Narrative essay Did you like this example? IFY-BUSINESS BUSINESS ASSIGNMENT CQ-14-0002 Ryan McDonald founder Ray Kroc à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“If I had a brick for every time Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve repeated the phraseQuality, Service, Cleanliness and Value, I think Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d probably be able to bridge the Atlantic Ocean with them.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ Ray Kroc (McDonald, 2015). This is a saying from a legendary business man who enabled McDonald major leap forward in the fast food business. Some of his motivation methods are still used by plenty of companies. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "An Assignment on Ryan McDonald Founder of Ray Kroc" essay for you Create order Ray Kroc (1902-1984), the founder of McDonald who was born on October 5, 1902 inOak Park, nearChicago, to parents ofCzechorigin. As same as other famous entrepreneurs, Krocà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s business career was unsmooth and tough. According to his history written by the official website of McDonald (McDonald, 2015), in 1917, Kroc lied about his age and became an ambulance driver during The Second War. However, war ended before Kroc finished training, then due to lack of patience for school, he left there and began his career as early as other successful entrepreneurs. Before his 50th birthday, he had been working as a piano player, paper cup salesman and multi-mixer salesman. To be detailed, multi-mixer salesman was his most successful job before the age of 50, but actually was neither good nor bad. He spent a decade and a half crisscrossing the country peddling the multi-mixer to drugstore soda fountain and restaurant owners. During the early 1950s, many neighborhood soda founta ins were forced to close in terms of the loosing number of people that were leaving cities for the suburbs. This condition could be nightmare years for Kroc as a multi-mixer salesman, yet, that was his first time to meet with two brothers, Dick and Mac McDonald and the first step to guide him for success. An order which includes eight machines from a small restaurant in San Bernardino addressed Krocà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s attention. Kroc wonder what sort of small restaurant was able and needed to chum out 40 milk shakes at a time. Therefore, Kroc left for California to see that restaurant with curiosity. After arriving in California, Kroc was shocked by what he had ever seen in his life. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The McDonald brothers restaurant was unlike any Ray had ever seen. In contrast to the popular drive-in restaurants of the time, it was self-service, had no indoor seating, and the menu was limited to cheeseburgers, hamburgers, fries, drinks and milk shakes, all of which were produced in an assembly-line fashion that enabled customers to place their orders and receive their meals in less than a minuteà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . (Baron, 2015) Kroc suddenly negotiated with the brothers and got the exclusive rights to sell the McDonaldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s method. After acquiring exclusive rights, in the first year, He used the cautious clean and efficient restaurant as a showcase for selling McDonalds franchises to the rest of the country and he would collect 1.9 percent of gross sales from them. But Kroc was upset to see that, he was hardly making profits after expenses. Then Kroc met a financial genius called Harry Sonnenborne who gave him a bright idea that how to make money by selling real estate instead of selling hamburgers. Kroc eventually accepted the idea and started to finish his goal-opening 1,000 McDonaldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s from coast to coast. In this period, a serious penitential problem finally appeared. There was an argument between Kroc and the McDonald b rothers over their original formula. In order to solve this problem, Kroc decided to own McDonaldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s all to himself. He bought our McDonalds for $2.7 million. Although he thought the deal covered the original restaurant in San Bernardino, the brothers said it didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t which leaded to Krocà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s fury. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Without the rights to their own name, the McDonalds were forced to rename their restaurant The Big M. So Kroc opened a brand-new McDonalds one block away and put The Big M out of businessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Baron, 2015). In terms of the research, Kroc is true to the father of McDonaldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s name. Under his managing, McDonald is always the top of fast-food business. His leadership style is close to paternalistic leadership style which means a leadership style where the leader makes decisions, but takes into account the welfare of employees. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“He was one of the best listeners Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve ever known, and if someone, no matter who it was, had what he considered a good idea, heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d allow them to go with it. But he was strictly one-dimensional when it came to the restaurants. They had to be run rightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ no argumentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Carlino, 1996). To be more specific, he would accept reasonable suggestions from employees but still needed to run by him first. Kroc needed to make sure McDonald is run as he expected, and he would give order at any time and ant places, in this sense, employees can hardly affected Kroc decision making. Kroc motivated employees effectively and even the methods were still used until now. The first method is awarded every employee even the smallest of positions the title of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Management Traineeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . Not only in the resumes of employees but also on badge which employee worn every day. By carrying out this motivate method, employees are felt like a value member in management team, it improved McD onald productivity. Second one which is critical is that, Kroc also made a suggestion box for employees. It not only enable employees regarded themselves as a value member of management team, but also amended McDonald. Employees felt their opinions were heard also encourage them to give more good ideas to amend McDonald. Thirdly, in financial aspect, Kroc also proved employeesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ health insurance which makes them felt safe. In conclusion, this method matured McDonald and proved to be successful for both the workers and McDonald. The increasing popularity of McDonald in America, gradually raised the attention from many other aspects. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“New York MagazinesMimi Sheraton proclaimed ¼Ãƒâ€¦Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"McDonalds food is irredeemably horrible, with no saving graces whatever.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ Nor did the nutritionists take kindly to McDonalds offerings. As Dr. Jean Mayer, a Harvard professor, wrote: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"The typical McDonalds meal hamb urgers, french fries, and a malted doesnt give you much nutrition. Its typical of the diet that raises the cholesterol count and leads to heart disease.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (WILEY, 1996) Comparing with other entrepreneurs, Kroc actually acted more ethically than others. He committed to sustainable relationships with franchise owners. Kroc committed to having deep relationships with owners and directing and guiding them. In addition, he always focus on goal instead of profits. Kroc said, If you love what you do and put the customer first, success will be yoursà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (McDonald, 2015). He actually put his word on his behavior, like the motivated method I mentioned above, Kroc always struggle for making employees feel they are part of the team. Moreover, in 1961, Kroc launched Hamburger University which is a training program to give suggestion and instruction to franchisees and operators about how to run a successful McDonaldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s restaurant. Unt il now, there have been more than 80,000 people graduated from this program. In conclusion, Kroc is able to prevent the lure of money, and his justice ethics is admirable. Hamburger University could generate external benefit, people who graduated from this university would probably absorb the thought from Kroc which could benefit company and consumers as well, thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the reason I willing to work with him. Without the McDonald brothersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ distraction, Kroc was gradually on the right track. In 1965, he had opened more than 700 restaurants in 44 states. Apart from that, he eventually enable McDonald to become the first fast-food business for the public which made Kroc become a rich man. In 1970s, McDonaldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s even became the largest food supplier in USA and would remain approximately two decades. After ten months he died, McDonald had sold 50 billion burgers. Today, the current worth of McDonald is 96.249 billion (YAHOO, 2015), and ther e is no doubt that McDonald couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t be so successful without Ray Kroc. Reference Baron, B., 2015. Entreprenuer. [Online] . Available at: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/197544 [Accessed 12th March 2015]. Carlino, B., 1996. National Restaurant News. [Online] Available at: https://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_nSPEISS_v30/ai_18091889 [Accessed 22th March 2015]. McDonald , 2015. Getting to Know Us. [Online] Available at: https://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/our_company.html [Accessed 18th March 2015]. McDonald, 2015. The Ray Kroc Story. [Online] Available at: https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/our_story/our_history/the_ray_kroc_story.html [Accessed 17th March 2015]. prefixes suffixes , 2013. List of Prefixes. [Online] Available at: https://prefixes-suffixes.com/list-of-prefixes.html [Accessed 2nd Feburary 2015]. YAHOO, 2015. YAHOO FINANCE. [Online] Available at: https://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=MCD [Accessed 12th March 2015]. 1

Analysis Of Handedness And Brain Asymmetry - 1024 Words

Handedness and brain asymmetry are both very important aspects of humans and many other species. They are innate, complicated features that are distinct to everyone. Unfortunately, many people have made assumptions that exaggerate the importance and dominance of one side of the brain from the other. It is understood that the left-brain controls the right hand and specializes in language and logic. Alternatively, the right-brain controls the left hand and specializes in creativity, intuition, and emotion. In the essay written on January 21st, 2014 in the School of Psychology in the University of Auckland, â€Å"Left Brain, Right Brain: Facts and Fantasies,† Michael C. Corballis clears misconceptions and myths and explains the details of how†¦show more content†¦He explains that the brain is asymmetrical, not only to humans, but to many other species as well, which indicate an evolutionary development. He then explains that handedness and brain asymmetries are determine d through gene and are developed during the fetus stage. Corballis states the idea that handedness is of little importance when determining a person’s worth, as many left-handers (which are less dominant) succeed in life. He concludes that the appeal of having dominance in one brain side or handedness is due to the power of myths and not true evidence. (1-4) Corballis focuses on two main topics in his essay: handedness and cerebral asymmetry. These are two key terms to recognize in order to understand this paper. The author is aware of this and repetitively explains these phrases and how they relate to his claim. Corballis states that the two are â€Å"inborn and under partial genetic control, although the gene or genes responsible are not well established† (1). It is significant that Corballis portrays these terms in this way because the readers may have their own interpretation of them beforehand. But to clear any misunderstandings, Corballis explains that handedness and cerebral asymmetry start as an innate feature rather than a specialization. This shows Corballis’s exceptional ability as a writer because he defines the terms in a way that suits his claims and dismisses any misconceptions. Corballis also states that the two â€Å"are

Battleship Potemkin Free Essays

To many, Battleship Potemkin remains as powerful today as it was when it saw its initial release in 1915. A great deal of the power the film projects derives from its ability to draw on the emotional content of viewers who hold a dissatisfied feeling towards the government, a perennial feeling that never â€Å"goes out of style. † But does the film’s political statement undermine the credibility of the film as a work and sway it into the realm of propaganda? In a word, no as this is a highly skilled cinematic presentation that does not fall into the common trapping of propaganda cinema. We will write a custom essay sample on Battleship Potemkin or any similar topic only for you Order Now To say the Battleship Potemkin contains a political point of view is an accurate statement; but, to say that the film is a work of propaganda may not entirely be correct. The reason for this is that propaganda generally involves a dishonest attempt to present a point of view that plays to the viewer’s emotions. Yes, Battleship Potemkin does present its anti-tsarist point of view so as to stimulate the viewer’s emotions to align with anti-tsarist sentiment however; life under the tsar was hardly one that was popular with the â€Å"common person. † In fact, the entire Russian revolution would have been impossible if the population held the ruling class in high esteem. So, the film does not so much change a point of view as much as it reflects what had been a common point of view. How to cite Battleship Potemkin, Papers

Classicism free essay sample

Aesthetic attitudes and rules based on the civilization, art and literature of ancient Greece and Rome, and characterized by accent on signifier, simpleness, proportion, and restrained emotion. Classicism and Neoclassicism, in the humanistic disciplines, historical tradition or aesthetic attitudes based on the art of Greece and Rome in antiquity. In the context of the tradition, Classicism refers either to the art produced in antiquity or to subsequently art inspired by that of antiquity ; Neoclassicism ever refers to the art produced subsequently but inspired by antiquity. Thus the footings Classicism and Neoclassicism are frequently used interchangeably. Term that, with the related words `classic and `Classical , is used in assorted ( and frequently confounding ) ways in the history and unfavorable judgment of the humanistic disciplines. In its broadest sense, Classicism is used as the antonym of Romanticism, qualifying art in which attachment to recognized aesthetic ideals is accorded greater importance that individualism of look. We will write a custom essay sample on Classicism or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The word frequently implies direct inspiration from antique art, but this is non a necessary portion of the construct, and harmonizing to context the word might be intended to convey little more than the thought of lucidity of look, or instead of conservativism. In the context of Greek art, the term `Classical has a more precise significance, mentioning to the period between the Archaic and Hellenistic periods, when Grecian civilization is thought to hold attained its greatest luster. The term `classic is used to mention to the best or most representative illustration of its sort in any field or period. This is what W # 246 ; lfflin meant when he gave the rubric Authoritative Art to his book on the Italian High Renaissance. Thus, in this sense, it would be legitimate, if willfully confounding, to mention to Delacroix as the authoritative Romantic creative person. The three footings `classic , `Classical and `Classicism are, so, frequently non used with favoritism or exactitude , the conflation of historical term and value opinion reflec ting the thought ( dominant for centuries ) that the art of the Greeks and Romans set a criterion for all future accomplishment. To unclutter up ( or possibly add to ) the confusion, the instead gawky word `classicistic has besides entered the lists it conveys the thought of addiction on ancient theoretical accounts but without any sense of qualitative opinion. 1825 ( oppos # 233 ; # 224 ; romantisme ) Doctrine des zealots exclusifs de la tradition classique dans la litt # 233 ; rature et dans lart. Il y a ici une recrudescence de classicisme, de si # 232 ; cle de Louis XIV, de go # 251 ; t pour Esther et de dilettantisme acad # 233 ; mique. SainteBeuve, Correspondance, t. II. Et Si lon a plutonium dire enfin que lupus erythematosus romantisme avait pris en tout lupus erythematosus contrepied du classicisme, la grande raison en est que lupus erythematosus classicisme avait fait de limpersonnalit # 233 ; de loeuvre dart lune des conditions de sa flawlessness. Bruneti # 232 ; rhenium, Manuel de lhistoire de la litt # 233 ; rature fran # 231 ; aise, III. Ensemble diethylstilbestrols caract # 232 ; RESs propres aux works litt # 233 ; raires et artistiques de lantiquit # 233 ; et du XVIIe si # 232 ; cle, telles quelles ont # 233 ; T # 233 ; vitamin D # 233 ; finies, jug # 233 ; es par lupus erythematosuss th # 233 ; oriciens de la fin du XVIIe si # 232 ; cle ( en France ) . Lunion # 171 ; du cart # 233 ; sianisme et de lart dans le classicisme # 187 ; ( Lanson ) . Cest par Ce rationalisme ( en litt # 233 ; rature ) que se vitamin D # 233 ; finit essentiellement, selon nous, le classicisme fran # 231 ; Army Intelligence. [ ] Dans la litt # 233 ; rature et lart lupus erythematosus classicisme, qui a donn # 233 ; Ses plus beaux fruits, se prolonge encore ( vers 1680 ) . V # 233 ; ritable # 171 ; P # 232 ; rhenium de cubic decimeter # 201 ; glise # 187 ; , Bossuet oppose aux ennemis du catholicisme La pure philosophy de la tradition. Racine fait jouer Esther ( 1689 ) et Athalie ( 1691 ) . La Fontaine publie boy XIIe livre de Fables ( 1694 ) . R. Jasinski, Histoire de la litt # 233 ; rature fran # 231 ; aise.

Examine the role and contribution of Chance Wayne Essays

Examine the role and contribution of Chance Wayne in the play. Chance Wayne is originally from St Cloud, Florida. When Chance was young, he was once the best-looking boy in town. His family was poor, as a child Chance befriended the offspring of St. Cloud's elite and had dreams of being a famous actor but, despite a small part in Oklahoma on Broadway, it hasn't worked out for him. The Korean War led Chance into the Navy, but he left after several years of service resulted in a mental breakdown. He now earns his living as a gigolo but still hopes to makes it in Hollywood. Chance returns to his hometown to rescue' his childhood sweetheart, Heavenly, and to prove to everyone that he is a success. Because Chance's lifestyle made it hard to find him, he does not know that his mother has died and that Heavenly has suffered a devastating loss because of a sexually transmitted disease that he gave her on one of his previous visits. Though Chance still loves Heavenly, he is clueless about the effects his actions have had on her and on the town. He considers himself faithful to Heavenly despite having slept with many other women and, although he has sympathy for the Princess, he is willing to use her to gain what he wants. Chance, like the Princess, fears ageing and becoming obsolete, so is determined to fight against it. Chance's semi-implausible good looks and shameless create a frail and compelling mask for the character's rapidly germinating fears, regrets and insecurities .Also, the use of symbolism in the play is found in Chance Wayne's name highlighting the fact that Chance's chances in life are indeed on the wane. Chance is used by Tennessee Williams in the play in a symbolic manner. His castration is a ritualistic death. To be important he had to be real and a character cannot be used as a dramatic symbol if he is important. Chance's real value is discovered in the end of the play. Nonetheless, for the audience Chance i s not just a symbol. He evokes a sense of empathy to the reader. We see ourselves and dreams through his struggle to become famous and his failure to achieve that success. He represents what is commonly referred to us as "The American Dream", he strives to rise above his poverty and by doing so compromises ethical and moral codes.However,the gigolo's failure in the play does not leave the audience with a moral lesson. In addition, Williams through Chance's character reveals that the American dream can turn individuals into monsters. This is emphasizes when Chance struggles to capture the trust and attention of the bar-room crowd in Act Two.Futhermore,Chance's inabil ity to care for Del Lago is emphasized through the scene where he suddenly faces her at the bar high on drugs and alcohol, looking for him so that they can both escape. She pleads, "Don't leave me. If you do I'll turn into the monster again" and he replies "Stuff, get the lady a wheel chair. She is having another attack."At this specific moment he is desperate to regain his youth and reputation. Consumed by a dream which has infected him like the disease he has put into Heavenly's body, rotting away his moral and ethics, turning him into a cruel and selfish monster who is ready to destroy those in his way. Chance is rather a complex character. He displays cruelty when desperate; however he is lovable and tender when he remembers his failures. He lets his guard down when he remembers with Aunt Nonnie his first stage appearance at a national contest, after he was trying to convince himself that they won the prize."We would have won it, but I blew my lines". When Aunt Nonnie replies "I loved you for that, son, and so did Heavenly too."These moments of weakness, vulnerability and honestly set Chance apart from the cruel inhabitants of St Cloud. William establishes to stir sympathy for Chance's character and transform this tainted man who lucks moral fibre into a hero of sorts. Despite his bad choices, selfishness and boldness among his other vices, Chance Wayne is wronged; the audience does not

USPS †Postal Control Systems

USPS – Postal Control Systems Free Online Research Papers Postal Control Systems As A mail processing clerk for the U.S Postal Service, my success is measured by two indicators, the amount of mail volume left on hand at the end of each day and the number of dispatches that leave the building on time. If the dispatches to the stations leave on time and I have a limited amount of mail volume left on hand my day has been a success. Through this paper I will discuss the control systems used to ensure that success. At the end of the day there is only one indicator that determines organizational success or failure, a happy and satisfied customer. As stated in the text, organizational control is defined as the process used to monitor and regulate how efficiently and effectively an organization and its members are performing the activities necessary to achieve organizational goals (Jones-George:Essentials of Contemporary Management.pg.285). My plant is different from your typical organization in that my customers are actually the post office that you may use to mail letters. The mail is gathered from postal stations all over the city and filtered through my plant. We call this mail originating because it was originated locally. We also process mail that comes from all over the world. No matter where it comes from, the way it is processed is all the same. In the plant Feed forward Control is used more as an internal tool. For example, the clerk is given a target for expected output per hour for his machine. This allows the clerk to be responsible for his own time management. Managers, however, are able to monitor the pro ductivity of each machine in real time, giving them the ability to ensure the machines are operating at a pace that will allow them to reach their target. This is a part of Concurrent Control. If the machines are running to slow, maintenance may be called in to examine the machine to determine if there is a problem. This is the good thing about establishing target goals and evaluating performance in real time. Problems can be addressed immediately. There are times when A letter may become jammed in the machine or a belt may come off causing the machine to shut down. When this happens a red light will come on anywhere on the machine that has A problem. This allows you to immediately fix the problem. Not all control systems in my plant function the way they should. Organizational control as it pertains to motivating and rewarding employees to promote better job performance and boost morale is seldom practiced in my plant. There is no formal method of training. Any training provided for a new employee is pretty much done by the person they are assigned to work with. That only helps if that person is willing to train. To succeed in this plant you have to be pretty much self motivated. Our employers are of the opinion that your pay should be motivation enough. Unfortunately, rewards for high performance or outworking your job description are not given. On the contrary, a lot of employees are harassed, badgered, and even sometimes threatened by managers to get productivity out of them. To evaluate postal control systems, we use several technological criteria. One system is called DPS (Delivery Point Sequence). Each letter is fed through A Bar Code Sorting Machine that sprays a bar code on the front of the letter and an identification tag on the back. The letter is then sorted into the route that the carrier takes while making his deliveries. The mail is then recollected in order and fed through the machine a second time and sorted in order by each address the carrier will make a delivery to along his route. So when the carrier receives his mail at the station is already separated in order by address for every stop along his route. Another system used closely monitors the DPS process in the plant. It tracks the throughput per hour for each machine. Since everything in the plant centers around the time that mail is to be dispatched to each city, this allows managers and employees to ensure that dispatch times will be met. A maintenance team is readily available for each shift to address anything from letter jams in the machines to machine breakdowns. Another system that is used is called the Low Cost Tray Sorter (LCTS). This system is used to separate mail as it comes from the trucks into the cities and states they will be sent to after they are processed. For example, I currently process mail for Greenville, Texas. The LCTS separates all the mail that is to be processed for Greenville and placed in a container for me to pick up. After I have picked up all the mail for Greenville I will then run it through the barcode sorter so that it will be arranged in delivery sequence order. Finally, there is the dispatching process. Each city has a time that mail is to be dispatched to the dock, loaded on trucks, and taken to its final destination. Creativity is a very iatrical part of my job. Managers seldom listen to employees. Most of the processes we have in place are ineffective. Creativity is not openly promoted but it is vitally necessary. If you operate totally within your job description you will fail most of the time. Many of us have to skip lunch or breaks to make dispatch times. This could be due to machine problems, inexperienced workers, short staffing, or even too much mail volume for the day. One example of the creative approach taken when there is too much mail volume and not enough time to process it in order to make a deadline would be what we call splitting. A machine processes 30,000 letters per hour. You have a dispatch time of 6 a.m. You have 70,000 pieces of mail in your machine and its 4:15 a.m. By taking half the mail to another machine, or splitting it, you are able to finish both halves in time to make the dispatch. Once the mail reaches the station it can be put back together and then del ivered. One problem with splitting is that some stations are understaffed and the carriers may be late beginning their routes if they have to spend too much time putting the mail back together. The Postal Service was very creative in using benchmarking as a management technique. When the explosion of texting, e-mailing, and on-line bill pay came about the Postal Service was devastated. Not only because of these new ways of communicating but also because at the same time the government made us responsible for our own debt. This along with souring fuel prices hit us pretty hard. So because of new technology impeding the low of first class mail we decided to focus on parcels. By monitoring companies like Fed-Ex and UPS we were able to come up with a cheaper flat-rate method of delivering parcels and made ourselves a formidable competitor in this arena. Another way benchmarking was applied was through organizational restructuring done like companies such as IBM had done. Since lay-offs was not an option, postal facilities were clo0sed all over the country and their operations were moved to major plants like the one I work in. This move created revenue because it negated the operating costs of all of those facilities. The employees were given the opportunity to retire early or moved to a facility where they could be better utilized. Unfortunately relocation was a part of this process and everyone was not able to do it. The final part of the process was to eliminate unnecessary overtime. This was huge because most employees had been doubling their salary in overtime for years. In essence, this was like taking a 50% pay cut. It was good for the company, but a lot of people lost their homes and jobs. There has been a major impact on my life because of the organizational control systems within my plant. Most of it has been physical. The floor in the plant is an extremely hard surface. A lot of the people who work there have pain in their legs, ankles, feet, and backs. I have flat feet and recently I was told by my physician that the joints in my ankles are starting to deteriorate. Because of the constant bending and lifting I am always sore. Starting an exercise routine outside of work and losing a little weight has helped some. The dust created from the mail going through the machines is also an issue. Some clerks combat this issue by wearing masks. Each machine takes 2 people to operate. Because we are understaffed, we sometimes have to work alone. This creates an instance of one person doing the work of two. After about an hour you begin to feel the physical effects. Cramping, dehydration, and stiffness are the things we combat the most. The professional impact has been far greater than the physical in my case. After spending two years in management I began to see the postal service from many different angles. From the management side I have a better understanding of postal operations and mail flow. I have a deeper respect for my co workers. This has given me managerial experience and also helped me to develop as far as human relations are concerned. As a supervisor I made it a point to listen to my employees and to move expediently to solve their problems. What I discovered was that most of the time they just needed someone to listen, Not only to their complaints but also to their ideas. As a supervisor my first duty would be to make sure that I was adequately staffed. This was hardly ever the case. So I would roll up my sleeves and work side by side with those people that didn’t have a partner. This eventually gave us a mutual respect for each other. As I stated before, my plant does not give incentives for job performance or positive feedback, so, I was asked by a fellow class mate how I am able to work for a company like that. My answer was simple. Pride of ownership and an understanding that I do not work for my managers. Instead I work for the citizens, the customers in the cities that I process mail for, at the end of the day there is only one way to determine organizational success or failure. a happy and a satisfied customer. Research Papers on USPS - Postal Control SystemsBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfThe Project Managment Office SystemIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalOpen Architechture a white paperDefinition of Export QuotasResearch Process Part OneThe Hockey GameTwilight of the UAWThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into Asia

Personal Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Personal Ethics - Essay Example It is beneficial if a nurse who is not a native speaker communicate in English as their second language. This makes it very easy for the nurse to communicate with the patients since most of them speak English. One’s culture impacts on their belief that a warm environment is crucial to maintaining optimal health. In the Filipino culture, formal greetings are usually welcomed with handshakes. Furthermore, a nurse may ask the patients how they feel and nod their heads as a sign of agreement. However, a Filipino nurse may not understand since in their culture head nodding does not always mean agreement. They are also very close to the patients since they believe that kinship goes beyond biological connections. A nurse needs to use an indirect approach when discussing terminal illness for the first time. This has enables effective passage of information without creating the feeling of anxiety. As cited by Ludwick and Silva (2012), nurses need to encourage the patients with chronic illness to have strong faith and they will survive. It is believed that if a person has a strong faith he or she will actually survive. Nurses need to have personal values, such as, managing time. This ensures that they provide care in a timely manner. Studies have demonstrated that nurses are self-less and determined people and always ensure that they take care of the patients as well as clients who deserve suitable and safe care. In some instances, they also apply religious values both in times of happiness and despair. According to Yeo & Moorhouse (2010), ethics in nursing practice entails seeking the best way to take care of the patients together with the best nursing action. Â  It has been found out that ethical values form the basis for collection of codes of ethics. Nurses often act based on the morals and values they have chosen (Mahmoodi, Alhani, Ahmadi, & Kazemnejad, 2008). As cited by Carr and Steutel (2009), morals define a personal character.

The Origin of the Mexican Drug Cartels Weapons Is Not the US Thesis

The Origin of the Mexican Drug Cartels Weapons Is Not the US - Thesis Example †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.20 Racial Profiling†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..22 Straw" Purchases†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...23 Guns from China†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...25 Guns from Columbia†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦26 Accusations against the USA†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦..28 Trials for Fast and Furious Operation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 33 Reasons for Suspicion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.36 Surprise Night Shootouts†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦38 US and Mexico Border relationship†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦39 Immigration Patterns in Mexico†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.41 Mexico and Central America Border†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦43 Contributions of Cold war to The Spread of firearms†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...44 Bloody Murders by the Los Zetas†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.45 Strategies by Mexican Presidents†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢ € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..46 US Congress Evaluation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦48 Sources of Military Grenade†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..49 US... The special focus of this study is to measure the intensity or the contribution of other countries apart from the United States. Through studies, any country that is found to have participated in the exchange of fire either arms directly or indirectly, confirms the claims and the validity of our conclusive remarks. For example, if we discover that Israel through any military operation passed on the ownership of a certain amount of military fire arms to their Mexican counterparts, whether it was directly or indirectly, we will conclude that indeed, the sources of the weapons supplied to the Mexican Drug Cartel are other countries, not the US. On the contrary, if our study fails to establish any other reasonable source, then our thesis statement automatically fails the test. Of course, from the inherent view of the matter, the Direct Commercial Sales was an open and legitimate agreement between USA and Mexico. The qualifier question for all the hypothetical notions is whether the USA i nitiated any other process beyond the Direct Commercial Sales that could probably have raised ethical and legal issues. Background The topic arises from controversial blames of the United States government for being the leading force behind the supply of firearms to the Drug Cartels in the Mexican territories. The magnitude of the supply of weapons to the drug cartels in Mexico is felt in the operation of notorious gang groupings in the Mexican drug areas. A serious example is the Los Zetas, which are popularly known to possess high quality military firearms. USA it attempt to clear its position in the list has however pointed out a number of times that its participation in the deal was a legitimate process.

Public administration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Public administration - Essay Example If the public administration regimes are amicably resolved, then there would be more value for one and all and less issues for all concerned. As public administrators, it is merely a facilitation process which is being undertaken by these individuals who aim to give their best come what may. However, this is a Herculean task to begin with since not everybody can be satisfied at the same time. Hence the norms and routines of public administration are made smoother so that success can be envisaged in a proper and easy way (Schultz & Kennedy, 2010). This will guarantee that the public receives attention and is given significance as far as performance of tasks for its betterment is concerned. The public administrators therefore must look at resolving conflicts, making the pathways easier and resolving the issues as and when these arise. All of these tasks are meant to be for the public and there must not be any two opinions about the same. How public interest achieves significance is measured by the extent of empathy the public administrators have for the public. If they believe that the public can be let off easily, they are in the wrong because the public is comprised of many individuals and not just a handful of like-minded souls. The public interest therefore needs to be given adequate attention to receive the maximum benefits. This will mean a great deal of harmony within the ranks of the public and they will also think of the government in a sound way. Public interest comes about from the top because it is much needed and has a direct link with the masses (Henry, 2009). A truly democratic process cannot begin if the public interest is not seen as a pivotal point. If this interest is ensured, then there would be immense benefits for the people and the public administrators would also see merry days ahead. Sadly, this does not always seem to be the

Business Ethics Role of the Board

Business Ethics Role of the Board The Role of the Board The directors are individuals who represent the interest of the shareholders in the overall running of the company. Once the shareholders money is taken, the directors receive high level information relating to the running of the company at board meetings which occur periodically-at this meeting, the CEO reports to the board indicating what the status us. Directors are appointed on a number of platforms. The board approve stock grants, they might approve/disapprove acquisitions etc.-high end decisions relating to strategic direction rather than operational matters. Some are independent subject matter experts bought in to advise. It is the CEOs decision how this is acted upon. Holstein (2006) described an event at a Tiffany board meeting during which a special interest group had been instigated with a view to examination of conflict diamonds. The findings were brought to the board meeting and the CEO instantly took action ceasing all transactions concerning conflict diamonds in order to prevent an ethical debate that could ultimately affect sales of a firm wiling to deal in such a commodity. If the board disapprove of actions, the board has one key ability namely the removal of the CEO. On this basis it is often prudent to follow the advice of the board. The board can be an asset in that they can support the CEO and assist in the running and strategic direction however conversely they can equally make poor decisions and therefore be a hindrance to the company and lead to its destruction. In order to form and manage a board of directors, there are a number of protocols/recommendations designed to increase the rate of success. Allio (2004) wrote that root cause analysis of corporate oversight is commonly attributed to a lack of attention to the methods by which the board is intended to deal with its responsibilities. Forming and managing a board of directors requires consideration -one thing that people need to be aware of is when seeking venture capital and doing due diligence on the plan and individuals, Due diligence should be done on the venture capitalist as a prospective board member. Kelly and Gennard (1996) discussed the merits of appointing personnel directors as members of board of directors highlighting a number of firms in which this was found to be beneficial in shaping the formation and implementation of business strategy. Cantor (2003) wrote describing how contemporary directors are frequently chosen for such skills as judgement, leadership and business integrity however more significantly is not how to act as opposed to when to act and this can only be gained with a comprehensive understanding of the risks of the company. Cantor stressed that a more suitable process regarding the selection involved questioning relative to the extant risks, whether there was a knowledge gap in the existing board membership and if the candidate could plug that knowledge gap. This was echoed by Hutcheson (2002) who wrote that a board of directors can be an asset if shareholders are clear as to the purpose of the board explaining that board membership should be designed to fill the knowledge and skills gaps in the extant management. Ideally, board member selection must be objective, honest and isolated from the CEO on non-business and financial platforms, facilitating transparency. Davies et al, (2002) described board debates focussing on their presumed responsibilities highlighting that there appeared to be little forethought as to the importance and significance of the contents of these responsibilities. This suggested that boards tended to have a passive stance in which decisions were pushed through by dominant CEOs or managers and that the existence of the board was merely lip-service rather than a pro-active asset. Furthermore, boards needed to develop greater leadership and decision-making skills. Heffes (2009) wrote that boards should cease the opportunity to scrutinise the business plan of the company for the following year, and additionally called for greater more effective communication in order to relay their findings on the current state of the business and optimum strategic direction and its repercussions on the status quo. Consideration needed to be given as to what needs to be relayed to all stakeholders. References: Allio, R., (2004), Whats the boards role in strategy development?: Why you need to redesign your board of directors an interview with Jay Lorsch. Strategy Leadership; Chicago32.5 (2004): 34-37. Cantor, P., (2003). Getting the board of directors on board.ÂÂ   Ivey Business Journal Online; London (Jan/Feb 2003): 1. Davies, A., Joyce, P., Beaver, G., Woods, A., (2002).ÂÂ   Leadership boards of directors. Strategic Change; Chichester11.4(Jun/Jul 2002): 225. Heffes, E. (2009). Boards of directors: directors roles in assessing strategy. Financial Executive; Morristown25.2 (Mar 2009): 10. Holstein, W., (2006). CEOs Under Fire. Chief Executive; New York 215 (Jan/Feb 2006): 50-52. Hutcheson, J., (2002). Board Silly: A bad board of directors can be worse than no board at all. Heres how to make sure your small-business clients get the help they need. Financial Planning; New York (Apr 1, 2002): 81-82. Kelly, J., Gennard, J. (1996). The role of personnel directors on the board of directors. Personnel Review; Farnborough25.1 (1996): 7-24.

Evolution vs. Creationism Essay -- essays research papers

Evolution vs. Creationism The Evolution vs. Creationism controversy goes all the way back to the Publishing of Origin of Species in 1859 by Darwin laying the foundation for the evolution of life to be understood. Scientists are continuously finding more evidence to support Darwin’s conclusion; that organisms descended from a common ancestor modified by the mechanism of natural selection resulting in the evolution of species adapting to their environment. The following are the main geological topics concerning creationism: radiometric dating, transitional forms and the Cambrian explosion. Creationism is nothing more than a child’s fairytale that lacks any scientific proof. The aspect of radiometric dating is controversial to most creationists on the grounds that it is unreliable and has error factors. One creationist points out: â€Å"a living mollusk was once shown by carbon-14 dating to be dead for 3,000 years† (Geology). There are several things wrong with this idea. Creationists who determined this value used carbon 14 dating which is useful for determining the age of organism 50,000 years old. It is not suitable to be used for such a young organism, so the creationists make it seem as if there is something incorrect with the technique which leads to incorrect dates. Even the biggest errors, found in Carbon 14 dating, do not correspond to the 6000 year old earth that the Bible suggests. It’s almost as if they are trying to ‘create’ problems on the purpose so they can prove...

Nutrition and food science: energy balance

Nutrition in general is a concern for adolescents, who are entering a stressful, confusing, and sometimes frightening time of social, emotional, and physical development. Healthy diet and regular physical activity help children and adults feel better, learn and work more effectively, and avoid developing a variety of risk factors for disease. The key to weight control or weight management is keeping energy intake (food) and energy output (physical activity) in balance; that is energy balance. Read also: Domestic Activities and Chemicals When you consume only as many calories as your body needs, your weight will usually remain constant. If you take in more calories than your body needs, you will put on excess fat. If you expend more energy than you take in you will burn excess fat. The relationship of energy balance to body weight can be summarized by the following equations: Energy Intake = Energy Output = Weight Maintenance Energy Intake > Energy Output = Weight Gain Energy Intake < Energy Output = Weight Loss Weight management means keeping your body weight at a healthy level. Regular exercise and a healthy diet are a must when it comes to controlling your weight. A weight management plan depends on whether you are overweight or underweight. Many people mistakenly believe that they only â€Å"burn calories† when they exercise. In fact, your body is burning calories all of the time (yes, even when sleeping!). Calories are used to keep basic body functions going, to metabolize the foods you eat, and to do any form of physical activity. Exactly how many calories people need varies, depending on such factors as gender, current body size, activity level and body weight goals a wise choice to achieve a healthy weight. A safe, tried-and-true method for long-term weight loss is to reduce calories by decreasing portion sizes when people tend to eat. When trying to lose weight or hold steady at a desired one, there’s no need to turn to the latest â€Å"diet† or outcast your favorite foods. Small changes to your diet and exercise routine can make a big difference. A healthful eating plan can include all your favorite foods if they are in reasonable amounts and balanced out with daily physical activity. Aerobic physical activity, if no health prohibitions, will assist in increasing muscle tissue and also in burning calories. However, care should be taken not to exercise more frequently and more intensely that is required for good health or to compete well. Physical activity should be balanced with diet to maintain a desired weight. Experts have come to believe that this approach of weight management is reasonable and promising. No proven side effects, however, success of weight efforts should be evaluated according to improvements in chronic disease risk factors or symptoms and by the adoption of healthy lifestyle habits, not just by the number of pounds lost/gain. But if you are over 40, have been inactive for some time, suffer from shortness of breath or weakness that interferes with daily activities, or suffer from a chronic condition, you should consult a physician before you begin any effort to reduce your weight or increase your activity level. Education may be necessary for an understanding of energy balance and basic nutrition principles. REFERENCE Atkins, R. (1981). Dr.Atkins: Nutrition breakthrough. New York, U.S.A: Bantom Books.            

Free Essays on The Unfortunate Redemption

The Unfortunate Redemption At first I found O’Connor’s piece, â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find,† grotesque and unappealing; however, after rereading, it was fascinating. The story is about a vacation, a grandmother, her son Bailey and his family go on that ends in misfortune. Bailey and his wife have a young baby and two unruly children: John Wesley and June Star. The grandmother is a cantankerous either knowingly or not leads them to their deaths. O’Connor meticulously intertwines foreshadowing throughout the story that hint to the eventful end, where the grandmother has an epiphany. The story begins with foreshadowing when the grandmother tries to persuade her son Bailey to visit Tennessee instead of Florida. O’Connor explains the grandma does not want to go to Florida because a felon called â€Å"The Misfit† has just escaped from jail and is heading towards Florida on a killing spree (302). The grandma’s story is about the man is ironic because he ends up being the family’s killer. Not winning the debate, the grandmother and family head off destined to Florida. She brings her cat, Pitty Sing, and hides him in a basket because she knows Bailey would not want him to go; she is afraid the cat will be lonely and might accidentally kill himself if left alone (303). It is ironic that she feels the cat would die at home, when the cat is the one who causes the car accident later on in the story. Destined to Florida, the grandmother dresses in distinguishable clothes so if there is an accident, people would identify her as a lady is she is dead (303). This is a foreshadowing of the fateful end the grandmother will come to. Even more, the nice clothes she is wearing seem similar to clothes worn by the dead for coffin viewings. O’Connor describes the grandmother of wearing a blue hat with flowers and a blue printed dress with the cuffs â€Å"white organdy trimmed with lace and at her neckline she had pinned ... Free Essays on The Unfortunate Redemption Free Essays on The Unfortunate Redemption The Unfortunate Redemption At first I found O’Connor’s piece, â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find,† grotesque and unappealing; however, after rereading, it was fascinating. The story is about a vacation, a grandmother, her son Bailey and his family go on that ends in misfortune. Bailey and his wife have a young baby and two unruly children: John Wesley and June Star. The grandmother is a cantankerous either knowingly or not leads them to their deaths. O’Connor meticulously intertwines foreshadowing throughout the story that hint to the eventful end, where the grandmother has an epiphany. The story begins with foreshadowing when the grandmother tries to persuade her son Bailey to visit Tennessee instead of Florida. O’Connor explains the grandma does not want to go to Florida because a felon called â€Å"The Misfit† has just escaped from jail and is heading towards Florida on a killing spree (302). The grandma’s story is about the man is ironic because he ends up being the family’s killer. Not winning the debate, the grandmother and family head off destined to Florida. She brings her cat, Pitty Sing, and hides him in a basket because she knows Bailey would not want him to go; she is afraid the cat will be lonely and might accidentally kill himself if left alone (303). It is ironic that she feels the cat would die at home, when the cat is the one who causes the car accident later on in the story. Destined to Florida, the grandmother dresses in distinguishable clothes so if there is an accident, people would identify her as a lady is she is dead (303). This is a foreshadowing of the fateful end the grandmother will come to. Even more, the nice clothes she is wearing seem similar to clothes worn by the dead for coffin viewings. O’Connor describes the grandmother of wearing a blue hat with flowers and a blue printed dress with the cuffs â€Å"white organdy trimmed with lace and at her neckline she had pinned ...

The Contribution of Etablishment Death and Births to Employment Growth essays

The Contribution of Etablishment Death and Births to Employment Growth essays The relatively recent development of longitudinal establishment datasets has generated quite a bit of excitement in both the academic and the statistical communities. From this literature, we have learned that there is a large amount of volatility at the individual establishment level that underlies the smooth time series of aggregate employment growth. The descriptive statistics coming out of this literature have not only stimulated the review and updating of existing labor market theories, but have also stimulated the U.S. statistical agencies to develop their administrative datasets in such a way so as to produce longitudinal job flow statistics. The purpose of this paper is to use a new longitudinal database from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in order to examine how establishment births and deaths contribute to job creation, job destruction, and net employment growth at different frequencies of measurement. Despite all that we have learned about the labor market from the existing job flows literature, the conclusions that can be drawn from these studies are somewhat limited. First, almost all of the existing work using U.S. data has been restricted to the manufacturing sector. Recent work by several authors has illustrated how job creation and job destruction in manufacturing may not be representative of the entire U.S. economy. A second limitation is that most of the existing empirical work on job flows, either by choice or by necessity, is based upon data that excludes the Since most establishment births and deaths are quite small, at least in the short run, we are thus unsure how these births and deaths influence employment growth. While data that focuses on large establishments will cover most employment, an analysis of job flows depends on the magnitude of employment flows at continuing establishments relative to the ...

Critique of self-determination theory Assignment

Critique of self-determination theory - Assignment Example reatest strength of the self-determination theory in education is concentric upon the means by which it serves to help educators understand the concept of motivation within their stakeholders (Brophy, 2010). Though one may be tempted to view the self-determination theory of education as something of a hands off approach, the truth of the matter is that the theory itself encourages educator involvement in the form of integrating understandings of the value of risk within the students. Even though the series by its very nature places the most responsibility within the hands of the student/stakeholder, a proper understanding of motivation by the educator is sufficient to ensure that a given degree of self-determination will ultimately be realized. Likewise, with regards to the greatest weakness, the reader can readily understand that due to the great differentials and personality type that exists within the student body, not all individuals will fully integrate with a self deterministic approach to education. As with any theory, the weakness of the self-determination theory in education hinges upon the fact that although it helps to adequately explain a majority of educator/student involvement, it is ultimately not 100% effective in explaining all educator/student involvement. With regards to the work of Edwards Deci and Richard Ryan, the self determination theory is understood in a slightly different way. Accordingly, these authors note that the self-determination theory, though effective, ultimately seeks to reward those that most actively integrate with the process of education (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Even though this is not a bad thing, it necessarily implies that those students that do not seek to actively participate or motivate themselves will be at a significant disadvantage if this theory is applied universally within education. The authors note that the application of this theory can be seen as something of a reward mechanism whereby the students that

Management must strive for efficiency & effectiveness throughout Essay - 2

Management must strive for efficiency & effectiveness throughout organisation. Discuss, relating to strategic and operational theories and concepts covered within the lecture notes of this course - Essay Example re the intrinsic management attributes that are linked with efficiency and effectiveness that is rampant in any organization in the time and age of today. The same are discussed in line with the strategic and operational theories and concepts that have been studied thus far. Strategic basis of the management regimes indicate that an organization is more than willing to think long term, and hence devise ways and means through which success would be envisioned for the sake of the business concern. The operational theories and concepts are also important to discern and later on comprehend because embody the basis of success for an organization in the long run. The manner in which the external environment plays a definitive role as well as the building up of the strategic. Similarly managing the marketing mix is pivotal towards resolving the management related problems on a proactive basis. The same is necessary because it helps solve quite a few issues which basically mar the basis of an organization in the long run (Sims 2002). Efficiency and effectiveness within an organization is achieved through hard work and consistency that is related with the different processes, activities and tasks. The strategy development process could either be an intended one within an organization or it could comprise of an emergent form. Both have challenges and implications which are related with the strategic drift, the learning organizational basis, the uncertain and complex conditions and the overall management of the strategy development processes. The strategic management is therefore a combination of the external environment and the strategic capability that holds the strategic choices like business level strategies, the corporate and international level strategies and the development directions and methodologies (Ruhli 1993). The external environment similarly is related with the building up of the strategic capabilities. This means that the internal level analysis holds

Marketing Strategy for Hyatt Regency Birmingham Research Paper

Marketing Strategy for Hyatt Regency Birmingham - Research Paper Example There is always a need to understand customers, but luxury hotels need to adapt their brand strategy in order to attract these more cost-conscious customers and look at â€Å"establishing ways of making the same brand more accessible† (Brownsell, 2009). Strategic direction is a challenge faced by all organizations whether there is a recession or not, especially when there exist opportunities or to help overcome major problems (Johnson, 2009: 2).  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Uncertainty is inherent in strategy because nobody can be sure about the future.† (Johnson, 2009: 6) But a strategic direction helps to focus on a course of action and follow an integrated approach based on clear objectives and informed knowledge of the operating environment. This, of course, can affect the organization’s operational decisions, involve a reconsideration of the relationships and networks, and can be complex reorientation requiring considerable change.  Strategic directions at a competitive or bu siness level deal with issues of pricing, competitive advantage, competition, collaboration, game theory etc. Innovation or differentiation, for example, can be done through bettering the quality or an implementing a distinctive distribution channel.  Strategic directions at a corporate level deal with market penetration, consolidation, product development, market development, diversification etc. This includes cost leadership, differentiation, and specialization based on Porter’s generic strategies. It also includes e.g. geographical coverage, diversity of products/services, allocation of resources within the organization, expectations of owners i.e. Shareholders. Portfolio matrices viz. BCG (also known as growth/share), directional policies and other tools were used in the analysis prior to this report.

Challenging environment Essay Example for Free

Challenging environment Essay Mrs. Dae is a 28 year old Caucasian female. She presents clean and well dressed. She is approximately 5’ 6†, 145 lbs. She appears healthy and in shape. No visible physical deformities. She has normal gate. She is open and cooperative. She has a normal rate of speech and makes appropriate eye contact. Mrs. Dae expresses herself appropriately. In discussing family history, Mrs. Dae has little trouble recalling events. She is unaware of some family history on her father’s side. Mrs. Dae is orientated x 4. She has logical thought process. Mrs. Dae is alert, however, states she has been busy lately and is tired today. She reports getting approximately 6-8 hours of sleep nightly. Mrs. Dae is able to count backward from 100 by 7’s. She displays logical thought processes. No report of hallucinations or delusions. Mrs. Dae appears to have good judgment and insight. She is of high intelligence and is able to appropriately explain the meaning of a common proverb. (â€Å"A rolling stone gathers no moss†) (â€Å"How to†). Mrs. Dae appears happy and confident, with appropriate affect. During the interview Mrs. Dae was relaxed and participated in spontaneous conversation. She denies any suicidal or homicidal ideation. Strengths/ Weaknesses: Mrs. Dae is highly educated. She appears confidant with high self esteem. She reports she enjoys caring for others. She has good insight and appears to have good coping skills. Mrs. Dae has a supportive family. In terms of weaknesses, Mrs. Dae admits to taking on too many activities at once and at times she feels â€Å"burned out†. Family History: Mrs. Dae is the second of three children and grew up in a typical middle class American home. She has an older brother and a younger sister. Mrs. Dae’s parents were divorced when she was 7 years old. Ms. Dae and her siblings lived with their mother. Mrs. Dae reports her father was verbally and physically abusive toward her mother. This was the reason for the divorce. She does not recall being the victim of such abuse herself. However, she reports that her mother tells her that her father was â€Å"mean to all of us† (referring to Ms. Dae, her siblings and mother). Mrs. Dae denies any sexual abuse. Shortly after the divorce, Mrs. Dae reports all three children stopped seeing their father. She currently has no relationship with her father, however she reports speaking to him on the phone occasionally. Aside from these events, Mrs. Dae reports a normal childhood. She reports discipline as a child in the form of â€Å"grounding, which rarely occurred†. Mrs. Dae is currently married. She has been married for the past 8 years. She denies any previous marriages. Ms. Dae describes her marriage as â€Å"good†. She states she and her husband attended marriage counseling for approximately 3 months earlier in their marriage. Mrs. Dae reports that her husband has a well paying job. She denies any current financial hardship. The couple recently bought their first home. She reported some stress during the process. However, she did not think it was â€Å"more then would be expected when buying a home†. Mrs. Dae and her husband have one child, a 5 year old girl. Education and Work: Mrs. Dae graduated high school in the top 10% of her class and went on to college. She majored in psychology and graduated Cum Laude. She continued to earn her Master of Science degree. Mrs. Dae currently works with at risk youth in the prevention and advocacy department of a non-profit company. She has been with her current employer for one year. She reports being satisfied with her job. She states she makes â€Å"good† money and the work she does is rewarding. Mrs. Dae stated she plans on returning to school in the near future for her PhD in Psychology. Her long term goal is to go into private practice serving youth. Mental/ Physical Health: There is no known history of mental illness on her mother’s side of the family. Mrs. Dae reported there may be depression on her father’s side. Mrs. Dae denies any form of depression aside from â€Å"the blues† every now and then. Mrs. Dae reports history of cancer on both sides of her family. Mrs. Dae participates in annual physical examinations. According to her last physical she is in good health. Mrs. Dae denies substance use. She stated she will drink a glass of wine â€Å"once in a while†. Mrs. Dae denies tobacco use. Legal History: Mrs. Dae denies any significant legal history, aside from a few traffic tickets. Social: Mrs. Dae reports she has a group of friends, other married couples, that she and her husband spend time with. She is also a member of her church and participates in social events at the church. As her child recently started attending elementary school, Mrs. Dae stated she has joined the school’s Parent-Teacher Association. Spiritual: Mrs. Dae reports growing up Catholic but she did not go to church often as a child. She states that she no longer practices Catholicism, however, she does go to a non denominational Christian church. She goes to church on a regular basis. She feels strongly about her beliefs. Mrs. Dae reports that she prays on a daily basis and stated â€Å"this keeps me grounded†. Hobbies/Activities: Mrs. Day states she enjoys reading, yoga, and going to the spa with friends. She admits she has little time to spend on these activities. However, she reports that she and her husband give each other time with their friends, time together, and family time on a regular basis. References How to do a Mental Status Exam. Retrieved on November 9, 2007 from http://www.psychpage.com/learning/library/assess/mse.htm

Kuhn Theory of Scientific Revolution

Kuhn Theory of Scientific Revolution

physics of soccer Essay -- essays research papers fc

Physics of Soccer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eleven men take the field on a warm sunny day in South Korea. Thousands of anxious soccer fans await the blow of the referee’s whistle to commence the culmination of the world’s greatest sporting event, The World Cup. Thirty-two once stood now only two remain .The pitch is fair and the competition is fierce, four time defending champ Brazil looks confident as it glares across at its nemesis for the duration of ninety minutes, Germany. The entire world is spell bound by the natural creativity that ensues from a high level soccer match, but do they know the necessary physical laws that make the game possible? The answer is no, the average soccer fan has no idea the physical restrictions and factors involved in moving a ball one hundred meters, the standard length of an international playing field.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Once in Yokohama stadium the able athletes stretch their finely tuned musculature in order to get ready for today’s athletic competition. Roberto Carlos the star left back, for the acclaimed Brazilian national team has the important job of defending the goal and preventing the ball from crossing the threshold of the goal line at any cost. A good defender can boot the ball weighing approximately one pound the length of the field at any given time. Carlos is not good, he is great, solid legs and a supple foot he is quite capable of accomplishing this feat. His leg is so strong he his able to strike the b...

Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings Chapter 21~22

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE I Lick the Body Electric The Maui sunset had set the sky on fire and everything in the bungalow had taken on the glowing pink tone of paradise – or hell, depending on where you were standing. Clay dismembered the bird and put the severed pieces on a platter to transport them to the grill. â€Å"You'll need something to bring those in on,† Clair said. Her dress was a purple hibiscus-flower print, and the orchid she wore in her hair looked like lavender dragonflies humping. She was dicing pickles into the macaroni salad. â€Å"What's wrong with this?† Clay held up the plate with the raw chicken. â€Å"You can't use the same plate. You'll get salmonella.† â€Å"Fine, fuck it,† Clay said, tossing the plate into the yard. The chicken parts bounced nicely, breading themselves with a light coating of sand, ants, and dried grass. â€Å"When did chicken become like plutonium anyway, for Christ's sake? You can't let it touch you or it's certain fucking death. And eggs and hamburgers kill you unless you cook them to the consistency of limestone! And if you turn on your fucking cell phone, the plane is going to plunge out of the sky in a ball of flames? And kids can't take a dump anymore but they have to have a helmet and pads on make them look like the Road Warrior. Right? Right? What the fuck happened to the world? When did everything get so goddamn deadly? Huh? I've been going to sea for thirty damned years, and nothing's killed me. I've swum with everything that can bite, sting, or eat you, and I've done every stupid thing at depth that any human can – and I'm still alive. Fuck, Clair, I was unconscious for an hour underwa ter less than a week ago, and it didn't kill me. Now you're going to tell me that I'm going to get whacked by a fucking chicken leg? Well, just fuck it then!† He didn't know where to go, so he came back in and slammed the screen door behind him, then opened it and slammed it again. â€Å"Goddamn it!† And he stood there, breathing hard. Not really looking at anything. Clair put down her knife and pickle, then wiped her hands. As she came toward Clay she pulled a large bobby pin from the back of her hair, and her long, thick locks cascaded down her back. She took Clay's right hand and kissed each of his fingertips, licked his thumb, then took his index finger in her mouth and made a show of removing it slowly and with maximum moisture. Clay looked at the floor, shaking. â€Å"Baby,† she said as she placed the bobby pin firmly between Clay's wet thumb and index finger, â€Å"I need you to go over to that wall and take this bobby pin and insert it ever so firmly into that electrical outlet over there.† Clay looked up at her at last. â€Å"Because,† she continued, â€Å"I know that you aren't mad at me and that you're just grieving for your friends, but I think you need to be reminded that you aren't invulnerable and that you can hurt even more than you do now. And I think it would be better if you did it yourself, because otherwise I'll have to brain you with your own iron skillet.† â€Å"That would be wrong,† Clay said. â€Å"It is a cruel world, baby.† Clay took her in his arms and buried his face in her hair and just stood there in the doorway for a long time. Amy had been missing for thirty-two hours. That morning a fisherman had found her kayak washing against some rocks on Molokai and had called the rental company in Maui. A life jacket was still strapped on the front of the boat, he said. The Coast Guard had stopped looking already. â€Å"Now, let me go,† Clair said. â€Å"I have to get that chicken out of the yard and rinse it off.† â€Å"I don't think we should eat that.† â€Å"Please. I'm going to cook it up for Kona. You're taking me out.† â€Å"I am?† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"After I stick this in the outlet, right?† â€Å"You can grieve, Clay – that's as it should be – but you can't feel guilty for being alive.† â€Å"So, I don't have to stick this in the outlet?† â€Å"You used foul language at me, baby. I don't see any way around it.† â€Å"Oh, well, that's true. You go get Kona's chicken out of the yard. I'll do this.† On the second morning after Amy was lost at sea, Clay walked to the seaside, a rocky beach between some condos north of Lahaina – too short for morning runners, too shallow for a bathing crowd. He stood on an outcropping of rocks with the waves crashing around him and tried to let pure hatred run out of his heart. Clay Demodocus was a guy who liked things, and among the things he had liked the most was the sea, but this morning he held nothing but disdain for his old friend. The sapphire blue was indifferent, the waves elitist. She'd kill you without even learning your name. â€Å"You bitch,† Clay said, loud enough for the sea to hear. He spit into her face and walked back home. That old trickster Maui had been sitting on a rock nearby watching, and he laughed at Clay's hubris. Maui admired a man with more balls than brains, even a haole. He cast a small blessing at the photographer – just a trinket for the laugh, a trifling little mango of magic – and then he headed off to the great banyan tree to fog the film of Japanese tourists. Back in what was now only his office, Clay dug Amy's resume out of his files and made the call. He braced himself, trying to figure out how, exactly, he was going to tell these strangers that their daughter was missing and assumed to have drowned. He felt sad and alone, and his elbow hurt from the jolt of electricity he'd taken the night before. He didn't want to do this. He reached for the phone, then stopped and closed his eyes, as if he could make the whole thing go away, but on the back of his eyelids he saw the face of his mother as he had last seen her, looking up at him out of her barrel of brine, â€Å"Make the call, you pussy. If anyone knows how not to get bad news, it's you. Part of loyalty is following up, you sniveling coward. Don't be like your brothers.† Ah, sweet Mama, Clay thought. He dialed the phone – a number with a 716 area code, Tonawanda, New York. It rang three times, and the recorded operator came on, saying that the number he'd reached was not in service at this time. He checked it, then dialed the next number down, which also turned out not to be working. He called Tonawanda information for Amy's parents, and the operator told him there was no such listing. At a loss, he called Woods Hole Oceanographic Center, where Amy had gotten her master's. Clay knew one of her advisers, Marcus Loughten, an irascible Brit who had worked at Woods Hole for twenty years and was famous in the field for his work in underwater acoustics. Loughten answered on the third ring. â€Å"Loughten,† Loughten said.: â€Å"Marcus, this is Clay Demodocus. We worked together on –  » â€Å"Yes, Clay, I bloody know who you are. Calling from Hawaii, are you?† â€Å"Well, yes, I – ; â€Å"Probably, what, seventy-eight degrees with a breeze? It's seven below zero Fahrenheit here. I'm out installing bloody sound buoys in a monthlong blizzard to keep right whales from getting run over by supertankers.† â€Å"Right, the sound buoys. How are those working out?† â€Å"They're not.† â€Å"No? Why not?† â€Å"Well, right whales are stupid as shit, aren't they? It's not like a supertanker is quiet. If sound was going to deter them, then they'd be bloody well deterred by the engine noise, wouldn't they? They don't make the connection. Stupid shits.† â€Å"Oh, sorry to hear that. Uh, why keep doing it then?† â€Å"We have funding.† â€Å"Right. Look, Marcus, I need some information on one of your students who came out here to work with us. Amy Earhart? Would have been with you guys until fall of last year.† â€Å"No, I don't know that name.† â€Å"Sure you do, five-five, thin, pale, dark hair with kind of unnatural blue highlights, smart as a whip.† â€Å"Sorry, Clay. That doesn't fit any of my students.† Clay took a deep breath and trudged on. Biologists were notorious for treating their grad students as subhuman, but Clay was surprised that Loughten didn't remember Amy. She was cute, and if Clay could judge from a night of drinking he'd done with Loughten at a marine mammal conference in France, the Brit was more than a bit of a horndog. â€Å"Great ass, Marcus. You'd remember.† â€Å"I'm sure I would, but I don't.† Clay studied the resume. â€Å"What about Peter? Would he –  » â€Å"No, Clay, I know all of Peter's grad students as well. Did you call to confirm her references when you took her on?† â€Å"Well, no.† â€Å"Good work, then. Abscond with your Nikons, did she?† â€Å"No, she's missing at sea. I'm trying to contact her family.† â€Å"Sorry. Wish I could be of help. I'll check the records, just to be sure – in case I've had a ministroke that killed the part of the brain that remembers fine bottoms.† â€Å"Thanks.† â€Å"Good luck, Clay. My best to Quinn.† Clay cringed. It turned out he really wasn't up for bearing bad news. â€Å"Will do, Marcus. Good-bye.† Clay hung up and resumed staring at the phone. Well, he thought, I knew absolutely nothing about this woman that I thought I knew. Libby Quinn had already called (sobbing) to say that they should have some kind of joint service at the sanctuary for Nate and Amy, and that Clay should speak. What was he going to say about Amy? Dearly beloved, I think we all knew Amy as scientist, a colleague, a friend, a woman who showed up out of nowhere with a completely manufactured history, but I think, because she saved my life, that I came to know her better than anyone here, and I can tell you unequivocally, she was a smart aleck with a cute butt. Yeah, he'd need to work on that. Damn it, he missed them both. Clay decided to kill the day by editing video: time-eating busywork that supplied at least an imaginary escape from the real world. The afternoon found him going through the rebreather footage he'd taken on the day the whale had conked him, for the first time going past the point where he was unconscious, just to see if the camera picked up anything usable. Clay let the video run: minutes of blue water, the camera tossing around at the end of the wrist lanyard, then Amy's leg as she comes down to stop his descent. He cranked the audio. Hiss of ambient noise, then the bubbles from Amy's regulator, the slow hiss of his own breathing through the rebreather. As Amy starts to swim to the surface, the camera catches his fins hanging limply against a field of blue, then Amy's fins kicking in and out of the frame. Both their breathing is steady on the audio track. Clay looked at the time signature of the video. Fifteen minutes when the motion stops. Amy making her first decompression stop. On the audio he hears the chorus of distant singing humpbacks, a boat motor not too far off, and Amy's steady bubbles. Then the bubbles stop. The camera settles against his thigh and drifts, the lens up, catches light from the surface, then Amy's hand holding on to his buoyancy vest, reading the data off his dive computer. Her regulator is out of her mouth. On the audio there's only his breathing. The camera swings away. Ten minutes more pass. Clay listens for Amy's breathing to resume. The motion from her hooking into the rescue tank on the rebreather should move the camera, but there's just the same gentle drift. They move up. Clay guesses maybe to seventy-five feet. Amy is doing another decompression stop, doing it by the book, despite the emergency. Except he still can hear only one person breathing. She pulls him to more shallow depth. The frame lightens up, and the camera swings around, the wide angle showing Clay's unconscious form and Amy kicking, the regulator out of her mouth, looking at the surface. She hasn't used the bail-out tank on Clay's rebreather, and she hasn't taken a breath for, as far as Clay can tell, forty minutes. This can't be right. He listens, watching until the time signature shows sixty and the tape ends – the entire thing having been dubbed to the hard drive. He rewinds it on-screen, slowing down when the camera shows anything but blue, listening again. â€Å"No fucking way.† Clay backed away from the monitor, watching as the video ran out again and froze on the image of Amy holding him steady at twenty or so feet down, no regulator in her mouth. He ran out the door, calling, â€Å"Kona! Kona!† The surfer came shuffling out of his bungalow in a cloud of smoke. â€Å"Just tracking down navy spies, boss.† â€Å"Where did you guys put the rebreather? The day they took me to the hospital?† â€Å"She's in the storage shed.† Clay made a beeline for the bungalow they used to store dive and boat equipment. He waved Kona after him. â€Å"Come.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Did you guys refill the oxygen or the bail-out tanks?† â€Å"We just rinsed it and put it in the case.† Clay pulled the big Pelican case off a stack of scuba tanks and popped the latches. The rebreather was snug in the foam padding. Clay wrenched it out onto the wooden floor and turned on the computer that was an integral part of it. He hit buttons on the display console and watched the gray liquid-crystal display cycle through the numbers. The last dive: Downtime had been seventy-five minutes, forty-three seconds. The oxygen cylinder was nearly full. The bail-out air supply was full. Full. It hadn't been touched. Somehow Amy had stayed underwater for an hour without an air supply. Clay turned to the surfer. â€Å"Do you remember anything that Nate showed you about what he was working on? I need details – I know in general.† Clay wasn't sure what he was looking for, but this had to mean something, and all he had to fall back on was Nate's research. The surfer scratched the dreadless side of his head. â€Å"Something about the whales singing binary.† â€Å"Come show me.† Clay stormed through the door and back to the office. â€Å"What you looking for?† â€Å"I don't know. Clues. Mysteries. Meaning.† â€Å"You gone lolo, you know?† CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO Deep Below, Bernard Stirs About the time that Nathan Quinn had started to master his nausea in the whale ship's constant motion (four days on board), another force started working on his body. He felt an uneasiness come over him in waves, and for twenty or so seconds he would feel as if he needed to crawl out of his skin. Then it would pass and leave him feeling a little numb for a few seconds, only to start up again. Poynter and Poe were moving around the small cabin looking at different gobs and bumps of bioluminescence as if they were gleaning some meaning from them, but, try as he might, Nate couldn't figure out what they were monitoring. It would have helped to be able to get out of the seat and take a closer look, but Poynter had ordered him strapped in after he made his first break for the back orifice. He'd nearly made it, too. Had dived at it just like he'd seen the whaley boys do, except that only one arm had gone through, and he ended up stuck to the floor of the whale, his face against the rubbery skin, his hand trailing out in the cold ocean. â€Å"Well, that was phenomenally stupid,† said Poynter. â€Å"I think I've dislocated my shoulder,† Nate said. â€Å"I should leave you there. Maybe a remora or two will latch on to your hand and teach you a lesson.† â€Å"Or a cookie-cutter shark,† said Poe. â€Å"Nasty bastards.† The whaley boys turned in their seats and snickered, bobbing their heads and blowing the occasional raspberry, which could inflict considerable moisture off a four-inch-wide tongue. Evidently Quinn was a cetacean laugh riot. He'd always suspected that, actually. Poynter got down on his hands and knees and looked Nate in the eye. â€Å"While you're down there, I'd like you to think on what might have happened if you'd been successful at launching yourself through that orifice. First, we're at – Skippy, what's the depth?† Skippy chirped and clicked a number of times. â€Å"A hundred and fifty feet. Beyond the fact that you'd probably have blown out your eardrums almost immediately, you might think on how you were going to get to the surface on one breath of air. And should you have gotten to the surface, what were you going to do then? We're five hundred miles from the nearest land.† â€Å"I hadn't worked out the whole plan,† Nate said. â€Å"So, actually, I might be looking at success, right? You just wanted to test the outside water temperature?† â€Å"Sure,† said Nate, thinking it might be best to stay agreeable. â€Å"Can you feel your hand?† â€Å"It's a little chilly, but, yes.† â€Å"Oh, good.† And so they'd left him there a couple of hours, his hand and about six inches of his arm hanging out in the open sea as the whale ship swam along, and when they finally pulled him up, they put him in his seat and kept him restrained except to eat and go to the bathroom. He'd tried to relax and observe – learn what he could – but then a few minutes ago these waves of uneasiness had started hitting him. â€Å"He's got the sonic willies,† said Poe. Poynter looked away from Skippy's console. â€Å"It's the subsonics, Doc. You're feeling the sound waves even though you can't hear them. We've been communicating with the blue for about ten minutes now.† â€Å"You might have said something.† â€Å"I just did.† â€Å"Couple of hours you'll be in the blue, Doc. You can stand up again, walk around a little. Have some privacy.† â€Å"So you're communicating with it in low-frequency sound?† â€Å"Yep. Just like you thought, Doc, there was meaning in the call.† â€Å"Yeah, but I didn't think this, that there were guys, and guylike things, riding about inside whales. How in the hell can this be happening? How can I not know about this?† â€Å"So you're giving up on the being-dead strategy?† asked Poe. â€Å"What is it? Space aliens?† Poynter unbuttoned his shirt and showed some chest hair. â€Å"Do I look like a space alien?† â€Å"Well, no, but them.† Nate nodded toward the whaley boys. They looked at each other and snickered, a sort of wheezing laughter coming from their blowholes, paused, looked back at Nate, then snickered some more. â€Å"Maybe on their planet sentient life evolved from whales rather than apes,† Quinn continued. â€Å"I can see how they might have landed here, deployed these whale ships, and kept under the radar of human detection while they looked around. I mean, man obviously isn't the most peaceful of creatures.† â€Å"That work for you, Doc?† asked Poynter. â€Å"On their planet they developed an organically based technology, rather than one based on combustion and manipulation of minerals like ours.† â€Å"Oh, that is good,† said Poe. â€Å"He's on a roll,† said Poynter. â€Å"Unraveling the mystery, he is.† Skippy and Scooter nodded to each other and grinned. â€Å"So that's it? This ship is extraterrestrial?† Quinn felt the small victory rush that one gets from proving a hypothesis – even one as bizarre as space aliens riding in whale ships. â€Å"Sure,† said Poe, â€Å"that works for me. You, Cap?† â€Å"Yeah, moon men, that's what you guys are,† Poynter said to the whaley boys. â€Å"Meep,† said Scooter. And in a high, squeaky, little-girl voice, Skippy croaked, â€Å"Phone home.† The whaley boys gave each other a high four and collapsed into fits of hysterical wheezing. â€Å"What did he say?† Nate nearly snapped his neck trying to turn around against the restraints. â€Å"They can talk?† â€Å"Well, I guess, if you call that talking,† Poe said. He exchanged high fives with Poynter at the expense of the whaley boys, who paused in their own laughter to roll the whale ship in three quick spirals, which tossed the unsecured Poe and Poynter around the soft cabin like a couple of rag dolls. Poynter came up with a bloody lip from connecting with his own knee. Poe had barked his shin on one of the whaley boys' heads as he went over. Strapped in, Nate concentrated on not watching a rerun of his lunch of raw tuna and water. â€Å"Bastards!† said Poe. â€Å"That what you expected in your race of super-intelligent, space-faring extraterrestrials, Nate?† Poynter wiped blood from his lower lip and flung it at Scooter. Carl Linnaeus, an eighteenth-century Swedish doctor who specialized in the treatment of syphilis, is credited with inventing the modern system that is used for classifying plants and animals. Linnaeus is responsible for naming the humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae, or â€Å"big wings of New England,† and later naming the blue whale Balaenoptera musculus, or â€Å"little mouse†: at 110 feet long, over a hundred tons, an animal whose tongue alone is larger than a full-grown African elephant – the largest animal to ever live on the planet. â€Å"Little mouse†? Some speculated that this ironic misnomer was perpetrated entirely to confuse Linnaeus's lab assistants, as in Run out and bring me back a â€Å"little mouse,† Sven. Others think that the pox had gone to Carl's head. Quinn was crouched over the back orifice, Skippy and Scooter holding him by either arm, Poynter and Poe crouched before him, saluting. He could feel the texture of the opening under his bare feet, like wet tire tread. â€Å"It's been a pleasure, Doc,† Poynter said. â€Å"Have a great trip.† â€Å"We'll see you back at base,† said Poe. â€Å"Now, just relax. You're barely going to contact water. Hold your nose and blow.† Quinn did. Poynter counted, â€Å"One, two –  » â€Å"Meep.† Nate was sucked out the orifice, felt a brief chill and some pressure pushing back against his ears, and found himself in a chamber only a little taller than that in the humpback, with a fairly amused woman. â€Å"You can stop blowing now,† she said. â€Å"Yet another phrase I didn't think I'd be hearing in this lifetime,† Nate said. He let go of his nostrils and took a deep breath. The air seemed fresher than in the humpback. â€Å"Welcome to my blue, Dr. Quinn, I'm Cielle Nu;ez. How do you feel?† â€Å"Pooped.† Quinn grinned. She was about his age, Hispanic with short dark hair peppered gray and wide brown eyes that caught the bioluminescence off the walls and reflected what looked like laughter. She was barefoot and wearing generic khakis like Poynter and Poe. He shook her hand. â€Å"Cute,† she said. â€Å"Come forward with me, Doctor. I'm sure it's been a while since you were able to stand up straight.† She led him down the corridor, which reminded Nate of when, as kids, he and his buddies had explored storm drains in Vancouver. It was tall enough to walk in, but not tall enough to stand in comfortably. â€Å"Actually, Cielle, I'm not a doctor. I have a Ph.D., but the doctor thing –  » â€Å"I understand. I'm captain of this rig, but if you call me ‘Captain, I'll ignore you.† â€Å"I wanted to hear the humpback sing before I left. You know, from the inside.† â€Å"You will. There'll be time.† The corridor started to widen as they moved forward, and Nate was actually able to walk normally, or as normally as one can walk when barefoot on whaleskin. This skin had a mottled appearance, whereas on the humpback it had been nearly solid gray. He noticed that on this ship there were wide veins of bioluminescence on the floor, casting a yellow light up upward that gave everything a sinister green glow. Nuà ±ez paused by what appeared to be portals on either side of them. â€Å"This is as good a place as any,† she said. â€Å"Now, turn sideways and take my hand.† Quinn did as he was asked. Her hand felt warm but dry. She was a small woman, but powerfully built, he could feel the strength in her grip. â€Å"Now, we're just going to walk as the ship moves. Don't stop until I say, or you'll fall on your ass.† â€Å"WHAT?† â€Å"Okay, Scooter, roll it.† â€Å"Scooter?† â€Å"All pilots are called Scooter or Skippy. They didn't tell you?† â€Å"They weren't very forthcoming with information.† â€Å"Humpback crews are a bunch of yahoos.† Nuà ±ez smiled. â€Å"You know the type, like navy fighter pilots topside? All ego and testosterone.† â€Å"I got more cretin than yahoo,† Nate said. â€Å"Well, with that particular bunch, yes.† The whole corridor started to move. â€Å"Here we go, step, step, step, that's good.† They were walking across the walls as the ship rolled. When they were standing on the ceiling, the roll stopped. â€Å"Nice, Scooter,† Nuà ±ez said, obviously communicating through some sort of hidden intercom. Then, to Nate, â€Å"He's so good.† â€Å"We were upside down to make the transfer?† â€Å"Exactly. You're a smart guy. Look, these are cabins. She touched a lighted node on the wall, and a skin portal folded back on itself. Again Nate was put in mind of the blowhole of a toothed whale, but it was so big, nearly four feet across, it was just†¦ unnatural. Lines of light pumped to life past the portal to reveal a small cabin, a bed – apparently made of the same skin as the rest of the interior – but also a table and a chair. Nate couldn't make out what material they might be made of, but it looked like plastic. â€Å"Bone,† Nu;ez said, noticing him noticing. â€Å"They're as much a part of the ship as the walls. All living tissue. There are shelves and cubbyholes for your stuff in the bulkheads, closed now. Obviously everything has to be stowed for little maneuvers like the one we just performed. The motion isn't as bad as on the humpbacks. You'll find you'll get used to it, and then you can move about just as if you were on land.† â€Å"You're right. I didn't even notice we were moving.† â€Å"That would be because we're not,† said Nu;ez. The sound of whaley-boy snickering wheezed down the corridor toward them. â€Å"You guys are supposed to be working,† Nu;ez said to the air. â€Å"Prepare to get under way.† She turned to Quinn. â€Å"Can I buy you a cup of joe? Maybe answer some of your questions?† â€Å"You're offering?† Quinn felt his heart jump with excitement. Information, without Poynter and Poe's goofing obfuscation? He was thrilled. â€Å"That would be fantastic.† â€Å"Don't pee all over yourself, Quinn. It's just coffee.† The corridor opened up into a large bridge. The head of the blue was huge compared to the humpback's. On either side of the entry a whaley boy stood grinning at them as they passed. They were both taller than Quinn, and unlike the Scooter and Skippy of the humpback, their skin was mottled and lighter in color. Nate paused and grinned back at them. â€Å"Let me guess – Skippy and Scooter?† â€Å"Actually, Bernard and Emily 7,† said Nu;ez. â€Å"You said they all were –  » â€Å"I said all pilots were named Skippy and Scooter.† She gestured to the front of the bridge, where two whaley boys sitting at control consoles were turning in their seats and grinning. Maybe, thought Nate, they always appeared to be grinning, much like dolphins. He'd made an amateur mistake, assuming that their facial expressions were the analog of human expressions. People often did that with dolphins, even though the animals had no facial muscles to facilitate expression. Even sad dolphins appeared to be smiling. â€Å"What are you two grinning at?† asked Nuà ±ez. â€Å"Let's get on the way.† The pilots frowned and turned back to their consoles. â€Å"Well, crap,† Nate said. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Nothing, just another theory shot in the ass.† â€Å"Yeah, this operation does that, doesn't it?† Nate felt something stirring in his back pocket and spun around to see a thin, fourteen-inch-long pink penis that was protruding from Bernard's genital slit. It waved at him. â€Å"Holy moly!† â€Å"Bernard!† Nuà ±ez snapped. â€Å"Put that away. That is not procedure.† Bernard's unit drooped noticeably from the scolding. He looked at it and chirped contritely. â€Å"Away!† Nuà ±ez barked. Bernard's willy snapped back up into his genital slit. â€Å"Sorry about that,† Nuà ±ez said to Nate. â€Å"I've never gotten used to that. It's really disconcerting when you're working with one of them and you ask them to hand you a screwdriver or something and his hands are already full. Coffee?† She led him to a small white table around which four bone chairs protruded from the floor. They looked like old-style Greek saddle chairs – no backs, organic curves, and the high gloss of living bone – but more Gaudi than Flintstone. Quinn sat while Nuà ±ez touched a node on the wall that opened a meter-wide portal that had concealed a sink, several canisters, and what looked like a percolator. Nate wondered about the electricity but forced himself to wait before asking. While Nuà ±ez prepared the coffee, Quinn looked around. The bridge was easily four times the size of the entire cabin in the humpback. Instead of riding in a minivan, it was like being in a good-size motor home – a very curvy, dimly lit motor home, but about that size. Blue light filtered in through the eyes, illuminating the pilots' faces, which shone like patent leather. Nate was starting to realize that even though everything was organic, living, the whale ship had the same sort of efficiency found on any nautical vessel: every spaced used, everything stowed against movement, everything functional. â€Å"If you need to use the head, it's back down the corridor, fourth hatch on the right.† Emily 7 clicked and squealed, and Nu;ez laughed. She had a warm laugh, not forced; it just rolled out of her smooth and easy. â€Å"Emily says it seems as if it would be more logical for the head to be in the head, but there goes logic.† â€Å"I gave up logic a few days ago.† â€Å"You don't have to give it up, just adjust. Anyway, facilities in the head are like everything on the ship – living – but I think you'll figure out the analogs pretty quickly. It's less complicated than an airliner bathroom.† Scooter chirped, and the great ship started to move, first in a fairly radical wave of motion, then smoothing out to a gentle roll. It was like being on a large sailing ship in medium seas. â€Å"Hey, a little more warning, Scooter, huh?† said Nu;ez. â€Å"I nearly dumped Nathan's coffee. Okay if I call you Nathan?† â€Å"Nate's good.† Moving with the roll of the ship, she made it back to the table and put down the two steaming mugs of coffee, then went back for a sugar bowl, spoons, and a can of condensed milk. Nate picked up the can and studied it. â€Å"This is the first thing from the outside that I've seen.† â€Å"Yeah, well, that's special request. You don't want to try whale milk in your coffee. It's like krill-flavored spray cheese.† â€Å"Yuck.† â€Å"That's what I'm saying.† â€Å"Cielle, if you don't mind my saying, you don't seem very military.† â€Å"Me? No, I wasn't. My husband and I had a sixty-foot sailboat. We got caught in a hurricane off of Costa Rica and sank. That's when they took me. My husband didn't make it.† â€Å"I'm sorry.† â€Å"It's okay. It was a long time ago. But, no, I've never been in the military.† â€Å"But the way you order the whaley boys around –  » â€Å"First, we need to clear up a misconception that you are obviously forming, Nate. I – we, the human beings on these ships – are not in charge. We're just – I don't know, like ambassadors or something. We sound like commanders because these guys would just goof off all day without someone telling them what to do, but we have no real authority. The Colonel gives the orders, and the whaley boys run the show.† Scooter and Skippy snickered like their counterparts on the humpback ship, Bernard and Emily 7 joined them – Bernard extending his prehensile willy like a party horn. â€Å"And whaley girls?† Nate nodded toward Emily 7, who grinned – it was a very big, very toothy grin, but a little coquettish in the way one might expect from, say, an ingenue with a bite that could sever an arm. â€Å"Just whaley boys. It's like the term ‘mankind, you know – alienate the female part of the race at all costs. It's the same here. Old-timers gave them the name.† â€Å"Who's the Colonel?† â€Å"He's in charge. We don't see him.† â€Å"Human, though?† â€Å"I'm told.† â€Å"You said you'd been here a long time. How long?† â€Å"Let me get you another cup, and I'll tell you what I can.† She turned. â€Å"Bernard, get that thing out of the coffeepot!†