Collaborative Learning in E-learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Collaborative Learning in E-learning - Essay Example In order to ensure that collaborative learning is effective, asynchronous online discussions have been perceived as an efficient way for learners to participate in high quality discussion and intrinsic cognitive collaboration. This is because asynchronous online discussion gives learners enough time to reflect on their friend’s findings and contribution and reason about their own contributions before sending them off to their friends. Collaborative learning looks forward in fostering the argumentative quality discussions among learners in order to improve personal knowledge acquisition. In order to ensure efficiency of the collaborative learning, it is significant to apply additional instructional direction, which may assist learners to use the advantages of asynchronous communication or interaction for argumentative knowledge acquisition. For instance, knowledge construction via collaborative discussion is vital since collaboration methods sequence, define, and assign learnin g activities to distinct learners and can in turn facilitate activities such as construction of arguments during discussions. Collaborative learning in E-learning is rooted in constructivism. It intensively focuses on how productive peer collaboration can be stimulated and sustained in computer-mediated environments and how these collaborative activities facilitate learning. The use of Computers in learning will aid in providing sentence openers to ESL students, software-embedded collaboration scripts and representational guidance in order to improve the quality of online argumentation or moderation among students. In order to make collaborative learning effective, ESL students are encouraged to meet in groups. This increase explicitness due to persistence of textual messages on computer screen, more defined in expressing arguments due to lack of nonverbal communication

Red Ocean and Blue Ocean Approach

Red Ocean and Blue Ocean Approach Introduction â€Å"Blue Ocean Strategy† by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne is a strategy that challenges companies to distance itself away from fierce competition by establishing uncontested market space that makes existing competition irrelevant. One of the reasons why the authors have used the colours red and blue is to describe the market. Red ocean is the market space where industry boundaries are defined and known. The red ocean contains a massive conflict between companies where they are constantly trying to outperform each other to achieve a greater share or demand. Kim and Mauborgne explains in an interview that when market spaces become crowded with competitors, companies try out perform each other and profits and growth is greatly reduced due to cutthroat style competition which turns the red ocean bloody. In contrast, blue oceans is the unknown market space where it is unaffected by competition and demand is created rather than fought for. In blue oceans, competition is not relevant because the rules or barriers to the market space is not set yet and is often waiting to be set. The Authors uses the blue ocean analogy to describe the uncontested market space with no competitors and the opportunity to explore. The analogy of a blue ocean can be associated with profitability and growth being â€Å"vast†, â€Å"deep† and â€Å"powerful†. Traditional approaches to competitive strategies are highly influenced by Michael E. Porter. Kim and Mauborgne present to us in their book a fresh approach to make the competition irrelevant. In this paper I will discuss the differences between conventional red ocean strategies which are influenced by Porter and Kim and Mauborgnes blue ocean strategy. Furthermore, the paper will discuss the differences between the SWOT analysis and the four actions framework. Competing in existing market space versus Creating new market space The red ocean represents the existing market space where there is always a constant intensity of rivalry to fight for market share. To successfully operate in a red ocean, it is important for companies to conduct competitor analysis to allow them to stay updated on what their competitors are doing and what they are planning to do. Red ocean strategies represent approaches to protecting and stealing market share from competitors. According to DAveni, market share can be stolen by companies satisfying their competitors customers better. To compete in the existing market space, companies need to mould their services or products in line with the customers liking through refining existing products or creating new to the world products. However, the bloody cutthroat competition of the red ocean most often causes companies to develop similar or replications of products or services of the competitor that has done well. In the red ocean where competition is based on price and quality, being a first mover is an important advantage because by being flexible a company can adjust easily to external changes such as customer demands and trends. By being a first mover, the company gets benefits such as low costs and economies of scale. I think this is also the reason why the red ocean is so bloody because similar products and services have been refined and replicated over and over again with low cost, it has caused companies to be afraid to look into new options and therefore in a constant battle to fight for market share by cutting profit margins lower and lower. For the companies that succeed in gaining a competitive advantage by being a first mover, it is important for them to exploit the opportunity of that advantage as much as they can because very soon the competition will catch on to it. The tradition theory to competing in existing market space is focused on building your company through analysing competitors. In contrast, Blue Ocean refers to all the industries that are not in existent. In the opening chapter of the Blue Ocean Strategy book, Kim and Mauborgne suggest that the only way to beat the competition is to stop trying to beat the competition. This is a complete contrast to conventional red ocean strategies because instead of analysing competitors, and try out perform them, Blue Ocean Strategy encourage companies to differentiate or break away from the existing market space, hence making competition irrelevant. The authors suggest that there are many ways to create blue oceans. In few cases, companies can establish completely new industries. An example of this is what eBay did with online auctioning. Blue ocean strategy says a company can create a blue ocean market space by innovating a new product or service mainly focusing on new to the world services. However I believe developing new to the world services come with high risk and expenses but if done correctly can be very profita ble. Kim and Mauborgne argue that most companies tend to adapt to new trends rather than trying to shape new trends. What the authors mean by this is that companies make actions directed at keeping up with trends and dont look across time or look at the big picture. They argue that to create a untapped market space, companies need to find trends that are observable today and look at the big picture and see what happens to the value it will have in the future. A prime example of how a company successfully executed this strategy would be Apple. Apple studied and monitored the growing trend of music sharing over the internet during the last decade through software used illegally such as LimeWire and Kazaa. The trend of music sharing became clear to Apple and they took the opportunity and created the online iTunes music store in 2003 which distributed music legally. Red Ocean and Blue Ocean approach to industry boundaries Red ocean markets are large and the rate of product innovation is low. Therefore the market is usually heavily populated by competition and there are a set of rules that is known. In the hostile red ocean environment, companies strive to outperform each other in order to control market share and demand. As the market space gets crowded, growth and profits are greatly reduced and a price war is begun. Competition based strategies have been the main fundamentals of strategic thinking over the past decades and as a result, most companies benchmark themselves towards competition. In contrast, blue ocean strategy emphasises on finding and exploiting market space. The authors argue that companies must realise that in order to be successful long-term, they need to stop competing and benchmarking the competition. It is important for companies to view the competition from a broad perspective and consider industries that produce alternatives with the same functions and forms to satisfy the end customer. According to Kim and Mauborgne, most companies concentrate on improving the competitive position within a segment and focus on outperforming competition in the same segment. They argue that is it imperative to understand the actions of competitors in other segments not only the one your company is in. To be able to create a blue ocean environment, companies need to understand the factors that influence the customers decisions to change segments such as price and performance. Blue ocean strategy also focuses on looking across chain of buyers. By changing the industry tradition of which buyer group to target and looking across the chain of buyers, companies can get an insight on how to focus on overlooked groups of buyers. Kim and Mauborgne discuss the importance of considering the whole chain of buyers including purchasers, actual users and influencers. By focusing on all of these groups the company can break away form the competition and create a blue ocean environment and the competition would become irrelevant because the industry boundaries are waiting to be created. An example of an Australian organisation that has used this strategy is wine manufacturer Casella Wines. Casella Wines broke free from the boundaries of the domestic competition and moved towards the US market through implementing blue ocean strategy and targeting a segment which was not tainted yet which was the non-wine drinking population. Differentiation and Cost cutting The traditional red ocean view focuses on the importance of creating just one competitive advantage. Porter (1980) has developed recognised theories that describe the three types of competitive strategies as cost leadership, differentiation and focus. Porter emphasises the danger of a company being in the middle of the strategies and the importance of clearly selecting one strategy. If an organisation tries to operate with multiple strategies, it will supposably lose its competitive advantage and focus.

Cultures Essay -- essays research papers

A Christmas Season in Poland In today’s society, it is very important to have knowledge of the different cultures that surround us. Most individuals that are born and raised in America practice the beliefs and social life of Americans. Most Americans tend to forget there are other cultures that surround us in our everyday life. However being born and raised as Americans, it is easy to ignore our descendents and our ancestors’ cultural background. In my case, my ancestors were Polish and have a very different cultural background than I do as an American. For instance, the Christmas season, which one would believe is celebrated the same way throughout the world, is in fact celebrated in various different ways. In Poland, there is no Thanksgiving like in the USA. Therefore, there is not any special designated shopping day to start the Christmas season. The Polish Christmas season begins November 30th with a celebration called St. Andrew’s Day. There is a long tradition of fortune telling especially for non-married girls on the November 30th in Poland. Since November 30th is under a patronage of St. Andrew the habit of fortune telling is called St. Andrew’s Day. The main purpose of St. Andrew Day celebrations is to predict the future of unmarried girls, especially their prospects for a good marriage. St. Andrew’s Day is a night of magic for young girls (Urban-Klaehn, 2005). The next day of celebration during the Christmas season is St. Barbara's Day. One of the most celebrated days associated with workers group is St. Barbara's Day on December 4th. St. Barbara is a patron of coal miners. Miners' profession was always considered dangerous, but prestigious, therefore, this day called "Barbà ³rka" or Barburka" was celebrated for centuries in a spectacular way. The name of the feast originates from St. Barbara as a patron (Pace, 1996). On St. Barbara’s Day, miners are dressed in the special uniforms. The uniform consists of a black suit and hat with a feather. The color of the feather, white, red, or black, depends on the rank of the miner. Miners wear their decorative uniforms not only during Barborka, but also for weddings, funerals, and other important political or social ceremonies (Urban-Klaehn, 2005). Christmas and St. Nicolas Days are not celebrated at the same time in Poland, but th... ...n Christmas season. However some practices are close to the same, the actions and the beliefs of Poles vary tremendously from those of Americans. How can the same holiday be celebrated in so many different ways by so two different cultures? Although my ancestors are Polish, being born and raised in America, I practice the beliefs and practices of the American people. Is this a good thing or is it a bad thing? I do not have the answer to that question, but I know that it has to be a good thing to for every individual to have knowledge of his or her ancestors and cultural background. References Houston, S. (2004). Christmas in Poland - Christmas Eve (Wigilia). News and Observer, pp. E1. Retrieved May 31, 2005, from Proquest database. Urban-Klaehn, J. (2005). Christmas in Poland; St. Nicolaus Day (Dec. 6). Retrieved May 31, 2005, from http://www.bellaonline.com/about/polishculture Urban-Klaehn, J. (2005). Christmas in Poland - Christmas Eve (Wigilia). Retrieved May 31, 2005, from http://www.bellaonline.com/about/polishculture Pace R. (1996). Polish holidays are rich in old customs and tradition. Business America, 117 (12), 2-6. Retrieved May 31, 2005, from Proquest database.

Commentary on the opening of Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Alexander von Ramm Essay

The opening of Margaret Atwood’s â€Å"The Handmaid’s Tale† deals with a woman who lives in a gym which has been converted to a kind of camp. By describing the gym she has a lot of flashbacks. In the build up to the story Margaret Atwood uses a lot of literary devices in order to achieve specific goals. The setting, the narrative voice, the structure of the opening passage and her style raise a lot of questions and . Furthermore the opening passage expresses a lot of ideas which might be central to the plot. Achieves a range of effects. Using a detailed setting the author manages to highlight that a lot of things in today’s society changed. The first person narrator describes the gym where she lives by elaborating on the former use of the single objects. (â€Å"a balcony ran around the room, for the spectators,†¦). The description all takes place in a imaginative episode of the past. By describing the perfume, the jewellery and the clothing of the girls she highlights the personal freedom in the former society. (†¦ I could smell, faintly chewing gum from the watching girls, †¦). Furthermore Margaret Atwood states that the blankets still say U.S. This is the last evidence for the big change in the society (and army-issue blankets, old ones that still said U.S.) The description of the former use of the object emphasizes the big change in the society very well. In the former US- society the gym was a place of fun. The games which have been played here express energy and the willingness to play. This play changed into a prison-like place. The reader is immediately pulled into the plot which takes place in a society which is totally different to the one we know. This makes the reader excited to read the complete book. Margaret Atwood employs a special narrative voice in order to express some central ideas of the plot. The whole opening passage is written in first person plural. This shows the shared perspective of the society group the first person narrator (â€Å"WE yearned for the future.†). Furthermore this expresses the sense of solidarity among the women. By describing the past in a sad voice the first person narrator is not happy with her actual life situation. In addition to that the fact that the whole opening section does not have any plot at all and that she concentrates her telling on the past before the big changes in the society expresses her feeling of being trapped. The employed narrative voice gives the reader a first view on the main ideas of the novel. In addition to that there a question raised. For example the first person voice raises the question: † What lead to the shared perspective of the women in the gymnasium?† Furthermore the author works with a well chosen structure again in order to highlight the changes in the society. By employing a binary structure she emphasizes the positive things of the past. She starts by describing the former use of the former use of the gymnasium in the whole first paragraph. The intensity and the positive voice in the first paragraph express her positive opinion about it. In addition to that her sentence in the first two paragraphs which deal with the past are good connected while her sentence in the other paragraphs where she deals with the present are not connected at all. These 3 paragraphs reflect her actual thoughts about her life and the society she lives in. Margaret Atwood expresses via her structure her first person narrators opinion about present and past. Furthermore she again highlights the changes in the society. By using good stylistic elements the author manages to emphasize her points even more. The employed positive imagery is always from the past. That highlights again the positive facts of the past. In addition to that her long and complex sentence structure expresses the first person narrators intelligence- Even though she might be part of the lowest stand in the society she is not stupid. All her stylistic elements are employed in order to emphasize her two points, the change in the society and that the pasts society was so much better than the society of today. By emphasizing her first person narrators intelligence she adds reliability to her story. Margaret Atwoods literary devices express a lot of ideas which might be part of the plot. Regarding her merging of tenses and the content of her opening passage it is quite apparent that the novel will be dealing with a patriarchal society. Furthermore, freedom and control will be part of the plot. In addition to that language and imagination as a tool for independence will be part of the plot as well. These topics were quite important in the realisatione of the book.

Doing Gender Essay

One of the most seemingly overlooked topics in the society is the question on sex and gender. In most cases, sex and gender are being taken as related, if not synonymous, insights in the course of sociological context. However, it is aimed in this paper to point out that there are indeed differences between the two concepts, and these differences are significant in contextualizing sex and gender among individuals in the society. Hence, to point out clearly, sex and gender differences are essential in â€Å"doing gender† and assessing it. First and foremost, to do gender is perceived as to act or behave based on what had been the presupposed actions of an individual, depending mostly on his or her sex/gender assignment. There are two main types of the correlative notions of sex and/or gender: to be male or to be female. Following so, it had been long established in most societies that a male individual should do according to the standards of what a male must do. These are behaviors that commonly relate to physical attributions such as strength or power, and are manifested in ordinary actions and preferences like being sports-minded, taking engineering or mathematical courses, and the likes. On the other hand, females are taken in a less important light, that is, by identifying her to be of weaker and of subtler tendencies, such as doing the housework, following what her father says regardless of reason, and so on. It is â€Å"well recognized that the [†¦] household is constituted by a division of labor that defines certain kinds of work as domestic, unpaid, and usually women’s, and other kinds as public, paid, and usually men’s† (Connel, 1987, p. 122). According to West and Zimmerman (1987), â€Å"Sex [†¦] was what was ascribed by biology: anatomy, hormones, and physiology [while] gender [†¦] was an achieved status: that which is constructed through psychological, cultural, and social means† (p. 125). This could be a very simplified difference between sex and gender: It is with how the concepts are distributed in the different fields or aspects. However, it must be understood that the difference is merely that sex is a biological concept and gender is a social concept; â€Å"sex is a determination made through the application of socially agreed upon biological criteria for classifying persons as females or males† (West & Zimmerman, 1987, p. 127). In this sense, sex may also be taken in a social context, in that it applies several sociological determinants in order to prove or identify it. The categorization of an individual’s sex is determined rather by a common-sensical manner most of the time, in which the observant deduces the sex category to the sex itself of the individual in question, in absence of the more vivid biological justifications of a person’s sex. It is common understanding that there had already been established social norms that contribute to the categorization of a person. The process of categorizing males and females as indigenous identities uses this test: â€Å"if people can be seen as members of relevant categories, then categorize them that way† (West & Zimmerman, 1987, p. 133). Naturally, people take the identity of a person at face value, unless there is a strong ground that makes them apply certain criteria that will try to test further that person’s sex. Gender, quite relatively, moves on with what the society implores on one’s identity. A male person must be masculine; a female must be feminine. We would like to digress then, that the acceptance of sex and gender merely as concepts does not totally stop here. Gender, in some cases, goes beyond adherence to what is socially acceptable. To do gender is â€Å"not always to live up to normative conceptions of femininity or masculinity; it is to engage in behavior at the risk of gender assessment† (West & Zimmerman, 1987, p. 136). Therefore, we are taking into consideration the ways in which people could see further than what had merely been established by the society. Doing gender is not just accepting or agreeing to what the society tells us to; it is â€Å"creating differences between girls and boys and women and men, differences that are not natural, essential, or biological† (West & Zimmerman, 1987, p. 137). The differences that we would like to see revolves not only on shallow aspects but also on how we could integrate these differences into going further down the line and probably initiating actions that will give a new light to the concepts of sex and gender. As what West and Zimmerman (1987) says, â€Å"social change, then, must be pursued both at the institutional and cultural level of sex category and at the interactional level of gender† (p. 147). We can illustrate doing gender in these following scenarios: In a typical neighborhood, the wife was able to get home from work earlier than her husband. She was wearing an old rose blouse, a matching old rose slacks, and high heeled shoes. She went straight home after her classes from the town high school. She has just been recently married with her husband, and they do not have children yet. She then proceeded to do the cooking for their dinner, while at the same time, she quietly took note of her students’ exam papers she still had to check later. When her (engineer) husband came, he greeted his wife and went to the kitchen where they ate their dinner. They talked about work and later agreed that the husband will wash the dishes afterwards. This routine has been in effect since the time that they got married and lived together. In this scenario, it is very clear that there is an â€Å"engendered† division of labor especially inside the household. The productive side is not merely given to the husband since the wife also earns through being a teacher. In a similar manner, the reproductive side is not solely attributed to the wife because they have agreed to share on doing the household chores. The gender roles are not purely associated with what is feminine or what is masculine. Even if washing the dishes may construe the feminine side, the husband still agreed on doing it. At least in this case, the couple was able to manage â€Å"contradictions between relational identification and gender differentiation† (Dryden, 1999, p. 87) in the sense that they both realize not only the essence of marriage as a relationship but also as a matter of gender difference that they could compromise about. Similarly, in the same neighborhood, a little girl points at a blue balloon. She wanted her mother to buy it for her. The old male vendor was looking intently at the girl, commenting that because she is a girl, she should take the pink balloon instead. The little girl shook her head and pointed at the blue balloon. Her mother was able to resolve the situation by buying the blue balloon. Simplistic in nature, this scenario may pose as a very ordinary activity, but a lot of people always see things like the way the vendor did. There are always assignments among boys and girls – that boys should choose blue things and girls should choose pink things. It is almost linearly righteous to take these preferences as normal things, but it must be understood that the identity between a girl and a boy does not merely punctuate from their color or toy preferences. We cannot just assume that just because the girl was a girl, she should have a pink balloon. To do gender is to go outside the confinements of the socially-accepted norms. To do gender means not to reinforce the social norms since these could block the freedom of a person to prefer or to choose what he or she really likes. To be a boy or to be a girl does not follow with how the society must shape him or her. In this case, it is fortunate that the girl’s mother completely understands how to â€Å"engender† her child by not just adhering to the accepted norms in the society. Learning about doing gender is an important part of capacitating oneself in the sense that it makes people understand day-to-day activities of people, male or female alike. Doing gender is vital in assessing the identities of individuals. It not only supersedes from the power of gaining knowledge, but it is more of reinventing how we deal with ourselves and other people in terms of sex and gender. The gender differences may prove to be worthwhile as basis for re-contextualizing and reconstructing the concept of gender.As in West’s book â€Å"Doing Gender, Doing Difference† (2002) gender is â€Å"always a doing† (p. 193). References Connel, R. W. (1987). Gender and Power: Society, the Person, and Sexual Politics. Stanford: Stanford University Press. Dryden, C. (1999). Being Married, Doing Gender: A Critical Analysis of Gender Relationships in Marriage. U. K. : Routledge. West, C. (2002). Doing gender, doing difference: inequality, power, and institutional change. U. K. : Routledge. West, C. & Zimmerman, D. H. (1987). Doing gender. Gender and Society, 1, 125-148.

Seven Facts About the Lincoln-Douglas Debates

Seven Facts About the Lincoln-Douglas Debates The Lincoln-Douglas Debates,  a series of seven public confrontations between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, took place in the summer and fall of 1858. They became legendary, and the popular conception of what happened tends to veer toward the mythical. In the modern political commentary, pundits often express a wish that current candidates could do Lincoln-Douglas Debates. Those meetings between candidates 160 years ago somehow represent the pinnacle of civility and an elevated example of lofty political thought. The reality of the Lincoln-Douglas debates was different than what most people believe. And here are seven factual things you should know about them: 1. They Were Not Really Debates Its true that the Lincoln-Douglas Debates are always cited as classic examples of, well, debates. Yet they were not debates in the way we think of the political debate in modern times. In the format Stephen Douglas demanded, and Lincoln agreed to, one man would speak for an hour. Then the other would speak in rebuttal for an hour and a half, and then the first man would have a half-hour to respond to the rebuttal. In other words, the audience was treated to lengthy monologues, with the entire presentation stretching out to three hours. There was no moderator asking questions, and no give-and-take or fast reactions like weve come to expect in modern political debates. True, it wasnt gotcha politics, but it also wasnt something that would work in todays world. 2. They Got Crude, With Personal Insults and Racial Slurs Though the Lincoln-Douglas Debates are often cited as a high point of civility in politics, the actual content was often pretty rough. In part, this was because the debates were rooted in the frontier tradition of the stump speech. Candidates, sometimes literally standing on a stump, would engage in freewheeling and entertaining speeches that would often contain jokes and insults. Its worth noting that some of the content of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates would likely be considered too offensive for a network television audience today. Besides both men insulting each other and employing extreme sarcasm, Stephen Douglas often resorted to crude race-baiting. Douglas made a point of repeatedly calling Lincolns political party the black Republicans and was not above using crude racial slurs, including the n-word. Even Lincoln, albeit uncharacteristically, used the n-word twice in the first debate, according to a transcript published in 1994 by Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer. Some versions of the debate transcripts, created at the debates by stenographers hired by two Chicago newspapers, have been sanitized over the years. 3. The Two Men Were Not Running for President Because the debates between Lincoln and Douglas are so often mentioned, and because the men did oppose each other in the election of 1860, its often assumed the debates were part of a run for the White House. They were actually running for the U.S. Senate seat already held by Stephen Douglas. The debates, because they were reported nationwide (thanks to the aforementioned newspaper stenographers) did elevate Lincolns stature. Lincoln, however, probably did not think seriously about running for president until after his speech at Cooper Union in early 1860. 4. The Debates Were Not About Ending Slavery Most of the subject matter at the debates concerned slavery in America. But the talk was not about ending it, it was about whether to prevent slavery from spreading to new states and new territories. That alone was a very contentious issue. The feeling in the North, as well as in some of the South, was that slavery would die out in time. But it was assumed it wouldnt fade away anytime soon if it kept spreading into new parts of the country. Lincoln, since the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, had been speaking out against the spread of slavery. Douglas, in the debates, exaggerated Lincolns position and portrayed him as a radical abolitionist, which he was not. The abolitionists were considered to be at the very extreme of American politics, and Lincolns anti-slavery views were more moderate. 5. Lincoln Was the Upstart, Douglas the Political Powerhouse Lincoln, who had been offended by Douglass position on slavery and its spread into western territories, began dogging the powerful senator from Illinois in the mid-1850s. When Douglas would speak in public, Lincoln would often appear on the scene and offer a rebuttal speech. When Lincoln received the Republican nomination to run for the Illinois senate seat in the spring of 1858, he realized that showing up at Douglas speeches and challenging him would probably not work well as a political strategy. Lincoln challenged Douglas to the series of debates, and Douglas accepted the challenge. In return, Douglas dictated the format, and Lincoln agreed to it. Douglas, a political star, traveled the state of Illinois in grand style in a private railroad car. Lincolns travel arrangements were much more modest. He rode in passenger cars with other travelers. 6. Huge Crowds Viewed the Debates In the 19th century, political events often had a circus-like atmosphere and the Lincoln-Douglas debates certainly had a festival air about them. Huge crowds, up to 15,000 or more spectators, gathered for some of the debates. However, while the seven debates drew crowds, the two candidates also traveled the state of Illinois for months, giving speeches on courthouse steps, in parks, and in other public venues. So its likely that more voters saw Douglas and Lincoln at their separate speaking stops than would have seen them engaging in the famous debates. As the Lincoln-Douglas Debates received so much coverage in newspapers in major cities in the East, its possible the debates had the greatest influence on public opinion outside of Illinois. 7. Lincoln Lost Its often assumed that Lincoln became president after beating Douglas in their series of debates. But in the election depending on their series of debates, Lincoln lost. In a complicated twist, the large and attentive audiences watching the debates were not even voting on the candidates, at least not directly.   At that time, U.S. Senators were not chosen by direct election, but in elections held by state legislatures. This situation would not change until the ratification of the 17th Amendment to the Constitution in 1913. So the election in Illinois wasnt really for Lincoln or for Douglas. Voters were voting on candidates for the statehouse who, in turn, would then vote for the man who would represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate. The voters went to the polls in Illinois on November 2, 1858. When the votes were tallied, the news was bad for Lincoln. The new legislature would be controlled by the party of Douglas. The Democrats ended the day with 54 seats in the statehouse, the Republicans (Lincolns party), 46. Stephen Douglas was thus reelected to the Senate. But two years later, in the election of 1860, the two men would face each other again, along with two other candidates. And Lincoln, of course, would win the presidency. The two men appeared on the same stage again, at Lincolns first inauguration on March 4, 1861. As a prominent senator, Douglas was on the inaugural platform. When Lincoln rose to take the oath of office and deliver his inaugural address, he held his hat and awkwardly looked about for a place to put it. As a gentlemanly gesture, Stephen Douglas reached out and took Lincolns hat and held it during the speech. Three months later, Douglas, who had taken ill and may have suffered a stroke, died. While the career of Stephen Douglas overshadowed that of Lincoln during most of his lifetime, he is best remembered today for the seven debates against his perennial rival in the summer and fall of 1858. Source Holzer, Harold (Editor). The Lincoln-Douglas Debates: The First Complete, Unexpurgated Text. 1st Editon, Fordham University Press, March 23, 2004.

5 top jobs in human resources guaranteed to pay big bucks

5 top jobs in human resources guaranteed to pay big bucks Jobs at the top in the HR department often require master’s degrees, years of experience, and more specialized knowledge – but they also come with higher salaries. If you’re in the human resources field (or are looking to enter it and climb the ranks), possess strong interpersonal skills, and want to set your sights higher, cultivating another area of expertise within the field may help. Here are 5 jobs to aspire to on your career journey.Human Resources ManagerOf course, one of the top jobs has to be the top spot in a human resources department. This requires years of experience and most often an MBA, as well as interpersonal skills and the talent and experience to be a manager. The human resources manager oversees the hiring process of new employees from recruitment to interviews to offers; they also are involved with strategic planning and connect upper management to employees. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the top-grossing industry for Hu man Resources Managers is Monetary Authorities and Banking Industries, with an annual mean salary of $182,800. The annual median salary for the position is $110,120.Compensation and Benefits ManagerAlso in a key managerial role, the compensation and benefits manager oversees your salary- and comes with its own nice salary too. Oftentimes this role is about reducing costs while ensuring employees receive appropriate benefits, so this type of manager evaluates new strategies like â€Å"pay-for-performance.† Hiring trends for this type of position look good, as organizations will always need this job type to assess benefits policies and design compensation packages. On the other hand, some duties of this role may increasingly be outsourced to human resources consulting firms. Even so, it is likely to remain a competitive job in the field. The annual median pay for this job is $119,120, according to BLS.hbspt.cta.load(2785852, '9e52c197-5b5b-45e6-af34-d56403f973c5', {});Executive RecruiterPeople in this position, also known as â€Å"head hunters,† are responsible for finding top talent and matching talent to organizational needs. The recruiter is the prime â€Å"people person† position in HR, and the executive recruiter fills the top positions for a company- like the CEO. This role requires the expertise to network and find the top talent for the very top of a company. It’s hard to pin down a median salary for this job- it often gets paid on retainer because it is so lucrative.Human Resources SpecialistAccording to the BLS, the annual median pay for this job is $60,350. However this figure can be deceptive because â€Å"human resources specialist† is such a broad category. Let’s look at two types of specialists that are likely to be paid higher and be in high demand.HR Analytics SpecialistBy developing and implementing HR analytics, these specialists perform statistical analysis of data and create and communicate reports, identifying trends to improve the overall hiring process. In this role, you help identify areas of strength and weakness to help keep a company competitive. This position generally requires a background in statistics, but the outlook for this job depends on the changing technology for this area of specialization. Anyone with a statistical background in HR should also keep up with changing tech trends, as data analytic tools may soon become the domain of machine learning and AI- but so long as we need a person to communicate the data, this role will likely still be a vital part of HR strategy.HR IT SpecialistThis position will be in high demand as HR departments adapt to changing technology. For those in human resources who are extremely tech-savvy and also have a background in IT, this can be a lucrative and in-demand role. Expertise in the latest software will be vital. Tech can already aid recruitment, candidate engagement, targeted marketing, and management of job campaigns- expe rts in this position will help HR departments stay competitive and make them vital to an organization.HR StrategistWhile the HR manager might be the big fish in a small pond, the HR strategist is in a much bigger pond. It’s tough to nail down a median salary for this position, as it varies from industry to industry, but it’s high up in the chain. This position is usually involved in very large organizations or government positions, where strategic planning for hiring requires a strategy team rather than an individual HR manager or top-level executive. The HR strategist is a problem-solver, a planner, and a communicator who coordinates people across departments and all levels of an organization, helping to design and implement long-term HR strategic plans.

How to Style Numbers as Physical Dimensions

How to Style Numbers as Physical Dimensions How to Style Numbers as Physical Dimensions How to Style Numbers as Physical Dimensions By Mark Nichol How to treat numbers in writing in general is a complicated issue dealt with in this DailyWritingTips post and others. The current post focuses on a subcategory of number style: numbers that refer to physical dimensions an object’s size or the proportion thereof or to nonphysical scientific measurement. Occasional, casual references to dimensions are usually best treated by spelling them out (â€Å"The footbridge is fifty-four feet long†; â€Å"The temperature dropped overnight to twenty-three degrees†). However, numbers in content (generally nonfiction) that frequently details measurements, especially in a technical context, are better displayed in numeral form (â€Å"The respective mile-per-gallon performance for the three models is 67, 84, and 53†). In such a case, earlier or subsequent references to the units in question and, ideally, all measurements should be styled consistently, even if they otherwise appear in isolation. Simple fractions (those describing less than a whole, such as one-third) and short mixed fractions (â€Å"one and three-eights,† for example) are easily read in word form, but a concentration of fractions is best styled with numerals (â€Å"The table is 34 1/2 inches high, 24 inches wide, and 42 1/4 inches long†); again, the form should be consistent throughout a particular piece of content and preferably in a recurring print or online publication. Abbreviations and symbols for units of measure are always accompanied by numerals and never appear in association with spelled-out numbers; the shorthand is often but not always separated from the numeral by a letter space (consult a style guide about the distinctions). Also, when unit terms are spelled out with numerals, a dimension used as a phrasal adjective is usually hyphenated before the noun but never after (â€Å"a 24-inch waist†; â€Å"her waist is 24 inches†), but hyphens are omitted when abbreviations or symbols appear (â€Å"a 10 km race†; â€Å"a 120 V system†). Note, too, that terms of units of measurement should be abbreviated only when associated with a numeral (â€Å"The lightbulbs differed in actual wattage,† not â€Å"The lightbulbs differed in W.†) Number ranges can be indicated by the word to or an en dash (here, as on many Web sites, represented by a hyphen). To is suitable for numerals and spelled-out numbers alike (â€Å"The temperature range is 45 to 60 degrees† or â€Å"The temperature range is forty-five to sixty degrees†), but the en dash is appropriate only with numerals (â€Å"The temperature range is 45-60 degrees†). Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How Many Tenses in English?Excited ABOUT, not "for" 35 Synonyms for Rain and Snow

Family Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 6

Family Law - Essay Example However, still the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 remains a key legal rule for resolving the disputes developed when having to divide the property on marital breakdown.2 The validity of MCA 1973 could be doubted. Reference should be made to the fact that in 1996, through the introduction of the Family Law Act, the Family Law in Britain was reformed. As a result, the pre-existed legal rules had been absorbed by the above Act in terms that any other similar law would not have power. However, it seems that in practice the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 is still valid. This fact is highlighted in the study of Burton (2003) who notes that ‘for the time being the existing law, now largely contained in the MCA 1973, continuous in force’.3 Moreover, Lord Chancellor noted that the Family Law Act of 1996 is not appropriately customized to current social and judicial needs and for this reason the MCA 1973 should continue in force.4 Regarding specifically the section 25 of the MCA 1973, it should be noted that the above section actually sets the criteria used by the Court for the division of assets in the context of relationship breakdown. The above section is of high importance mentioning indicative the facts on which the Court should be based when having to rule in relevant cases. In accordance with the section 25 of MCA 1973, the decision of the Court in regard to the division of assets in the relationship breakdown can be based on one of the following acts: a) the financial and the physical status of each party/ spouse, b) the role that each spouse had in the accumulation of wealth and c) the age of each spouse. In fact, the age of each spouse indicates his potential to allocate the funds and the means for his/ her survival. It should be mentioned that the criteria set in section 25 of MCA 1973 regarding the division of assets among the

The Jewish museum by Daniel Libeskind Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Jewish museum by Daniel Libeskind - Essay Example Architecture has developed and grown throughout history and in the last few decades some very exciting things have been happening. One of the most renowned architects in the 20th and 21st centuries is Daniel Libeskind. Many of his projects have been the reason for Libeskind to be accepted as one of the most creative architects of our generation. His buildings will exemplify distinctive characteristics for someone who admires them. A person sees these works and realises that only a master architect is behind all these attractive buildings. Daniel Libeskind was born in 12th of May, 1946, in Lodz, Poland. He was born at a difficult historic period for his country but also for the entire world, because he was born in a post-war period. Daniel was the second child of Nacham and Dora Libeskind. Both of his parents were Polish Jews who had survived the Holocaust. From a very early age, Libeskind showed that he was inclined towards Arts. At the age of eleven, he and his family immigrated to Tel Aviv, Israel. In Israel he began learning piano, on the America – Israel Cultural Foundation Scholarship. Due to his musical studies he learned how to perform on a stage without making mistakes. This was a significant influence for him for his later way of working. In 1959, Daniel won an America – Israel Cultural Foundation scholarship, after which he and his family, decided to move on to the United States. That was the beginning of his engagement with architecture.

WG 5 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

WG 5 - Coursework Example I also agree with the statement that women’s deadliest disease is poverty. It is for this reason that the United States government has put in place measures and policies aimed at alleviating poverty amongst women. Other nations have followed suit as well. I must say I am proud to be a lady. I feel whole in a woman’s body and sometimes I feel like I would not be equally contented with life if I were a man. There are no specific illustrations for this thought but I still like I am better off as a lady as opposed to as a man. The fact that I am able to wear makeup and be obsessed about my good looks makes me feel good about my body. When I fall sick, I immediately feel fatigue and nausea inconsiderate of the illness. However, when I am healthy, I am always enthusiastic about virtually everything. The health issue that is most prevalent in women in my community is cancer, especially breast cancer. This is mostly seen in older women though. For younger women, body weight is a serious issue in my locality. Most ladies always want to lose weight as compared to those who want to lose some

Social Justice Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social Justice - Research Paper Example From a broad point of view, the concept of social justice advocates the equality among the individuals who comprise the society. The above mentioned equality might be perceived from different points of view. For example, socially, it means that all the citizens will be able to enjoy the same kind of treatment. In terms of economic status, they all will have access to financial resources that are irreplaceable for the well being. The most important point here is that the people who have excessive financial funds will be urged to distribute the extra among the needy. Speaking of the political aspect, one might point out that the interests of all the classes will be equally represented in the political process. It would not be an exaggeration to point out that a considerable number of different institutions promotes the notion of social justice, but the United Nations Organization is the one which adopted the most modern version of it. It envisions its application through the specific laws that will be adopted in all the countries all over the world. It would be quite interesting to analyze the benefits as well negative aspects of implementation of the above mentioned notion in various areas. Thus, from the social point of view social justice will ease the tension between the strata. However, it will also contribute to the dissatisfaction of the upper classes that would feel that their portion in the contribution to the overall welfare is exaggerated. As for the economic aspect of the notion with regard to current issues, one might point out that it is likely to fight one of the biggest global problems, namely poverty which is the basis for other issues, such as hunger. However, keeping in mind the weak economic of different states which rely heavily on the loans from different political institutions, one would have to point out that the achievement of it is not possible in the foreseeable future. Finally, there is also the political aspect that

Research Planning of the Travel Lodge Hotel in the UK Assignment

Research Planning of the Travel Lodge Hotel in the UK - Assignment Example However, in the present scenario, the hotel chain is under private ownership and do not have merged operations with the Travelodge located in the United States. The company was founded in the year1985 by Lord Forte who had bought the brand of Travelodge that was in the United States and established it in the United Kingdom. From 1985 to the present scenario the company has been able to sustain in the market because of its good quality bedrooms and dining facilities and the cost-effective approach that it incorporates in the business operations. Â  There is a great need for the company to conduct the research so as to know the exact reasons behind the low performance in relation to other competitors in the industry. The research would even reveal as to what are the measures in term of digital communication and social media that needs to be considered by the company so that it is able to interact more effectively with its existing customer base. The research to be conducted in this field is also very essential as it would help the company to survive the competition and even know the areas the customers feel that the company should improve upon in terms of digital communication and social media so that a more effective communication platform is established between the customers and the organization. Â  The research criteria of the company are based on understanding how it can improve the usage of social media so that there is more of interaction with the existing customers. The goal of the research is to compare the social media and digital communication platform that is used by other players in the hotel industry with that of Travel Lodge Hotel of UK (Armstrong, Kotler, Harker and Brennan, 2009).

ACC403, Principles of Accounting Mod 4 Case Assignment Essay

ACC403, Principles of Accounting Mod 4 Case Assignment - Essay Example The existing cost allocation uses factors which identify the portion of costs for each multi-purpose facility that are specific to individual purposes (separable factors) and the proportional allocation of remaining joint costs among multiple purposes (joint factors). c. COE-Transferred Facilities – These include facilities that were constructed by the COE and transferred to Reclamation for operational and financial integration with the CVP. They appear in Schedule No.1 of the CVP financial statement. d. Non - Reimbursable Costs – The plant-in facilities include components directly set aside to a non-reimbursable category pursuant to Congressional legislation. In the CVP allocation these component costs are directly assigned to the appropriate category and are removed from the allocation base. f. State Share of San Luis Unit - In the allocation of CVP costs, the State share of the construction costs of joint-use facilities is directly assigned to the State and removed from the allocation base. The above said approach seems to be good. This is because the costs are identified and allocated separately. After completing the adjustments the remaining costs represent the total capital investment to be allocated among the authorized project purposes of the CVP. For single-purpose facilities, costs are allocated in total to the purpose served. Cost allocations can be made both within and across time periods. If two or more cost objects share a common facility or program, the cost pool of the shared unit is a common cost to the users and must be divided or allocated to them. Bases of allocation typically are based on one of the following criteria: cause-and-effect, benefits derived, fairness, or ability to bear. The selection of a criterion can affect the selection of a basis (Answers.com). Some cost information is reported to external users such as shareholders and creditors in

Research Planning of the Travel Lodge Hotel in the UK Assignment

Research Planning of the Travel Lodge Hotel in the UK - Assignment Example However, in the present scenario, the hotel chain is under private ownership and do not have merged operations with the Travelodge located in the United States. The company was founded in the year1985 by Lord Forte who had bought the brand of Travelodge that was in the United States and established it in the United Kingdom. From 1985 to the present scenario the company has been able to sustain in the market because of its good quality bedrooms and dining facilities and the cost-effective approach that it incorporates in the business operations. Â  There is a great need for the company to conduct the research so as to know the exact reasons behind the low performance in relation to other competitors in the industry. The research would even reveal as to what are the measures in term of digital communication and social media that needs to be considered by the company so that it is able to interact more effectively with its existing customer base. The research to be conducted in this field is also very essential as it would help the company to survive the competition and even know the areas the customers feel that the company should improve upon in terms of digital communication and social media so that a more effective communication platform is established between the customers and the organization. Â  The research criteria of the company are based on understanding how it can improve the usage of social media so that there is more of interaction with the existing customers. The goal of the research is to compare the social media and digital communication platform that is used by other players in the hotel industry with that of Travel Lodge Hotel of UK (Armstrong, Kotler, Harker and Brennan, 2009).

Ozone Depletion Causes Global Warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ozone Depletion Causes Global Warming - Essay Example When it is formed near the surface of the earth, it is toxic and may cause asthma while it is a blanket of protection from solar radiation once it is located in the atmosphere. The region of the ozone in the atmosphere is known as the ozone layer which has an altitude of 10 to 35 kilometers. The oxygen in the atmosphere once exposed to ultraviolet rays from the sun is converted to ozone and the harmful UV radiation is absorbed. It is very important to have ozone since the higher the concentration of ozone, the less UV radiation can reach the surface of the earth and the same applies the other way around. Sunburn, skin cancers and eye cataracts are the consequences once ozone layer is thin and more UV rays can penetrate the atmosphere (Shanklin 84). To understand the ozone in the atmosphere better, it would be help if the exact location is identified and further reactions that may cause the depletion of it. Ozone layer is part of the stratosphere and the ozone gas is scattered over 15 kilometers above sea level. Ozone may not be as much as the concentration of oxygen and nitrogen in the air, it is still very important because of its ability to absorb the radiation. In 1970, a study was made by Crutzen regarding nitrogen oxides which are produced from the decay of nitrous oxide through the action of microorganisms in the soil. The study showed how nitrogen oxides react quickly with ozone leading to the concentration reduction of available ozone. Such a study opened the research on  "global biogeo-chemical cycles" and the nitrogen oxides released by airplanes as they travel on the stratosphere (Lipkin 262). Ozone layer depletion increased the harmful radiation at the surface of the planet. The change may have both beneficial and harmful effects to living things especially to human beings. More people became aware of the consequences of radiation exposure in the past 60 years. According to some recent reports, the eye and the skin are the most prawn to damages an d diseases once exposed to UV radiation. Cataract is the usual effect of UV radiation to the eyes while skin cancer is the common result on skin (Norval et. al. 199). The other term that must be defined is global warming. The average surface temperature of earth increases as the years passed and possibly it would continue in the future is said to be global warming. It is caused by the greenhouse effect which is the increase in the concentration carbon dioxide and other gases like water vapor, methane, chlorofluorocarbons and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere that envelop the surface of the earth and prevents the UV radiation to escape to the outer space. Human activities hasten the increase in concentration of the green house gases that increase the temperature of the earth. Climate models predicted that surface temperature of the earth increases by 1.1-6.4oC within the year 1990 and 2100. If greenhouse effect had been regulated, the temperature of planet earth would have been 30oC lo wer at least (Rajeshwari 337). Global warming is really affected by the green house gases that are responsible for the green house effect. Experts say manmade carbon dioxide emissions are the primary reason for the increase in temperature. Other people may claim that the occurrence is just normal although the temperature increase nowadays is beyond the normal threshold. The findings were not able to find any alarming carbon dioxide

The Chocolate Market Industry Economics Essay

The Chocolate Market Industry Economics Essay The chocolate market industry has been around in the UK since the 19th century. Since then, many different firms have developed and established themselves in the market, resulting in a competitive market. Therefore, this project will focus on how the UK chocolate market structure has changed and evolved over the years and the causes of this. Our project will be mainly based on analysing the chocolate company Cadbury and their trend in sales, along with other factors which has caused the takeover of Cadbury by Kraft Foods. From this, we will be able to determine the factors which caused the change of market shares original Cadbury has. Outline the trend in sales by the major chocolate manufacturers in the UK over the last 10 years, and analyse the structure of the UK chocolate industry. Western Europe is the largest chocolate market in the world (Haymarket Network Ltd. June 2012) and Britain has the biggest confectionary market among the European Union(Barnett 2006). Moreover the UK has the seventh highest consumption of chocolate in the world. The average Brit consumes 17.49lbs of chocolate per year (The World Atlas of Chocolate 2000). Since the last ten years the chocolate confectionary sells has grown significantly. During the period of 2000-2005 the compound annual growth rate for chocolate sales in percent was approximately 2.5% Euro. The estimated value of the sales for 2005 was à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬6,214m (Euromonitor International 2005). Additionally, according to Mintel UK market research firm, the chocolate market in the country reached  £3,976 billion in 2011, a 21% increase over a five-year period and 7.5% growth since 2010. As the people seem to continue purchasing chocolate, even more than before, this is certain premise for involving huge chocolate players in strive for bigger market share in the country. In the last ten years the chocolate market in United Kingdom was dominated by several companies. Since 2010, when Kraft took over Cadbury, three companies dominated the market with control over 83 percent in 2011 Nestlà ©, Mars and Cadbury/Kraft. Figure 1. Percentage of market share in the UK chocolate industry (Trading Visions 2011) Other big companies involved in the UK market are Hershey, Thorntons, Ferrero, Lindt, Divine chocolate and others. The Mintel released table in 2012th explains more detail the changes in the market chocolate share during the last couple of years. 2009 2010 2011 (est) % change  £m %  £m %  £m % 2009-11 Kraft Foods (Cadbury) 1,187 33 1,252 33 1,297 33 9.3 Mars 953 27 1,005 27 1,073 27 12.6 Nestlà © 585 16 606 16 646 16 10.4 Ferrero 130 4 126 3 129 3 -0.8 Thorntons 68 2 75 2 74 2 8.8 LindtSprà ¼ngli 49 1 60 2 63 2 28.6 Total of the above 2,972 83 3,124 83 3,282 83 10.4 Others 375 10 404 11 423 10 12.8 Own-label 228 6 244 6 271 7 18.9 Total 3,575 100 3,772 100 3,976 100 11.2 Figure 2. Percentage change in market shares in the UK chocolate market, by value, 2009-11 (Mintel 2012) The fragmentation between few large companies in the chocolate confectionary industry is a sign for oligopolistic structure of the market. During last 10 years, the situation changed several times. Brand owned by Cadbury, Daily Milk, grew 11,7% from  £374m to  £418m in 2010 while Kraft brandsMilkà Ã‚ ° sales increased from  £8,7m to  £21,3m according to Miggiano (category vice-president for chocolate in the UK). Normally an oligopoly exists when the top five or less firms in the market account for more than 60% of total market demand/sales (Econ 100 n.d.). Therefore it can be concluded that the situation of the market structure is certainly an oligopoly. A typical characteristic for oligopolistic competition is the big amounts spent for advertising. The leading company Cadbury spends millions for advertising every year, for example for their new chocolate bar Crispello they have prepared 7 million £ from their budget (Mail online 2012). In the UK chocolate industry there are known to be several barriers to entry, contributing to the structure of the market. The huge capital needed for starting business in the market is the main obstacle for new firms. Advertising and marketing could also be classed as a major barrier to entry, where concerning the oligopolistic confectionary firms. This is because some companies may have the financial power to win over consumer loyalty with their expensive branding. Therefore, the contestability of the market can be questioned as market firms with well- established, branded products make it rather difficult and more expensive for new firms to enter into the market successfully. However there are a lot of chocolate firms in the industry, with small profits and share. An example is the Divine Chocolate company, which is well known for its fair trade policy. Explain why Kraft Foods wanted to take over Cadbury. To what extent do you think the arguments against this takeover were valid? Cadbury is known to be one of the largest confectionary companies in the world. The British owned company was founded in 1824 and has been in existence since. However, in February 2010, Kraft Foods Group a reputable company within their own rights took over the multi-billion pound business, which caused significant outrage. The unprecedented event meant that Cadbury did not expect other firms to bid for the company, especially when it was not for sale. However, Kraft Foods had other intentions stating that The British confectioner offers Kraft greater access to sharp growth in emerging markets as well as some of the worlds leading chocolate (Ruddick 2010). It is therefore, evident that Kraft wanted to takeover Cadbury purely for economic gain, and to raise the companys profile and reputation amongst other respectable markets. Kraft Foods felt this was the perfect opportunity to do so and as a result, forcefully imposed a deal on Cadbury which they felt was sufficient enough for Cadbu ry to transfer/ give up their assets (company). This is also evident in this statement which mentions that Not only was Cadbury not for sale, but it actively resisted the Kraft takeover (Moeller 2012). Additionally, recent information suggests it is also debatable whether arguments in opposition of the takeover were valid, particularly due to Cadburys profits increasing in recent years. Telegraph staff and agencies (The Telegraph 2012)indicates that the purchase of Cadbury by Kraft allowed for Cadbury to be reinstated into the global market where consumerism remains at large. Kraft has reported strong sales and profit increases in the first full quarter since it took over Cadbury. Sales rose 25% to $12.3bn ( £7.75bn) in the three months to 30 June, and Cadbury accounted for 90% of the gains. Net profits were up 13.3% to $937m ( £590.1m), compared with $827m ( £521m) in 2009 (Barker 2010). Thus, allowing for Cadbury to expand and increase its profitability. It can therefore be said, that although some felt apprehensive towards the move of Cadburys ownership, it seems to have been for the better. With MP Steve McCabe even stating I think the investment is whats crucial to the l ong term future, and pointed out that Kraft had also expanded the research and development section. On the other hand, Now, nearly two years on since the hostile takeover in February 2010, the firm has announced a further 200 job cuts, the company has given no specific assurances over the future of 4,500 UK jobs (BBC 2011). Therefore, suggesting that those against the transfer of the company did undoubtedly have reasons to be concerned. An additional article even goes further to suggest Kraft already has a track record of cutting production and moving production abroad. Theres no guarantee that theyll keep production in the UK in the long run (BBC 2010). This indicates that there were implications of giving permission to Kraft to handle the company. Yet, this risk was still taken instilling fear in workers who were already apprehensive of this transition. This suggests arguments against the takeover were indeed valid. Overall, it can be argued in this section that although Kraft, being a well-established company with a strong portfolio to build upon, it caused much controversy in its takeover of Cadbury. The addition of Cadbury to the firm means that Kraft is able to emerge in markets successfully that they were restricted from before. Many argued that the takeover allowed for Cadbury to develop further into global markets rather than remaining in the UK. The company became increasingly profitable and as a result, a popular one in which many are interested in investing. However, with the good comes the bad and in a situation as such, it meant that the UK staff of Cadbury were at risk of losing their jobs. This would occur if Kraft moved the Cadbury business abroad, which has partially occurred since. Kraft has produced good results for Cadbury but not without causing implications in the UK (where Cadbury originates from). It can be stated from the research evidence that the intentions behind Kraft s takeover of Cadbury are quite clear and the opposition arguments of the UK Cadbury staff and the UK government are most certainly valid as displayed throughout this section. On a chart show what has happened to the UK pound (sterling) against the dollar between December 2007 and September 2012 Source: Bank of England Using a supply and demand diagram, explain this change in the sterling exchange rate against the US dollar. The exchange rate is the rate at which one currency trades for another on the foreign exchange market. On the open market prices of goods, commodities and value of nations currency (under a floating exchange rate) are subordinated to the control of two forces- supply and demand (Sloman:360). Generally, the exchange rate is determined by the fundamental law of the market forming an equilibrium rate (price) by equating demand and supply of the currency. One of the primary laws of supply and demand indicates that high supply causes low prices and high demand results in high prices. This fact implies that when there is a rich supply of a particular good then the price should fall and vice versa. The price increases when there is a scarcity of the product. Consequently, an increase in the demand of a commodity would cause it to appreciate in value, whereas an increase in supply would cause it to depreciate (Capital Market Services 2012). The change in the exchange rate of UK pound sterlin g to US dollar can be explained using a basic supply and demand diagram.1.jpg Figure 1 Figure 1 shows a normal downward slopping demand curve. A decrease in the price of the pound in relation to dollars from $2 to $1 will cause British exports in the USA to become much cheaper than the domestic product. The demand for British export will rise in the USA, and in a result, the demand for British currency to buy these goods will increase, as the Americans will have to exchange their money for British pounds. Thus, at lower prices (lower exchange rate) more pounds will be demanded, and vice versa. Movements up the vertical axis represent an increase in price of the pound, which is equivalent to a fall in the price of the dollar. Similarly, movements down the vertical axis represent a decrease in the price of the pound (Capital Market Services 2012). 2.jpg Figure 2 Figure 2 describes the supply side of the determination of the exchange rate. When UK importers wish to buy goods from USA, they will supply pounds on the foreign exchange market in order to obtain dollars. The higher the exchange rate, the more dollars they will get for their pounds (Sloman 2009:360). If the price of pound in relation to dollar rises from $1.50 to $2, price of imports from the USA will fall. Assuming the price elasticity of demand for the American imports is greater than one, the amount of pounds that UK consumers will need to supply in order to obtain the dollars to buy the goods- will rise. The supply curve slopes up because British firms and consumers are willing to buy a greater quantity of American goods as the dollar becomes cheaper (i.e. they receive more dollars per pound). Thus, the higher the exchange rate, the more pounds will be supplied (Sloman 2009:360). 3.jpg Figure 3 Based on Sloman 2008:162 Suppliers and consumers meet at a particular quantity and price at which they are both satisfied, known as the equilibrium price pictured by Figure 3. At any higher price there would be an excess supply of British pounds that would drive price down. A lower price would cause a shortage of pounds driving the price up. In practice, the process of reaching equilibrium is instantaneous. The foreign exchange dealers working for the banks are incessantly adjusting the rate as new customers make new demands for currencies (Sloman 2009:361). 4.jpg Figure 4 Based on Sloman 2008: 161 A change in the exchange rate is caused by any shift in the supply and demand curves. When the demand and supply curves shift from D1 and S1to D2 and S2 respectively the exchange rate will fall from $1.60 to $1.40. A decrease in the free-market exchange rate is called depreciation, an increase is an appreciation. Explain the impact of this change in the value of sterling against the US dollar on a UK chocolate manufacturer who buys cocoa beans which are priced in dollars Appreciation of pound against dollar is most beneficial for importers, like given UK chocolate manufacturer who buys cocoa beans priced in dollars. They are advantages as they need to find fewer pounds to buy their imported goods. Depreciation of home currency makes foreign buyers disadvantages as they need to find more money to pay for their imports (tutor2u). Therefore, in this example the best time for foreign investments was between December 2007 and June 2008 when the pound exchange rate was the highest. Outline the causes of the current recession in the UK. Using relevant economic theory show how recession affected the UK economy. Economist and experts still disagree on the definition of recession. However, technically speaking, the economy of a country would slide into recession when it experiences two continual quarters of negative economic growth. This happens when the GDP would have to contract on a quarter by quarter basis for a total period of six months. GDP (gross domestic product) is the total amount of goods and services produced by a country in a given period of time. The credit crunch that began in August 2007 brought recession in Britain and other countries across the world. Soon everything worsened dramatically and turned into global financial crisis in the autumn of 2008. The recession started in America where mortgage companies got into massive debt by giving out many subprime mortgages. They then bundled this debt on to other countries such as the UK by borrowing from abroad to finance this risky lending.The central problem of UK was Britains banks, which had invested their reserves in those bundles or effects that turned out to be unsafe, illiquid or even worthless. As UK banks began to struggle, the government allowed them to lend to each other to promote liquidity. They did not know that this would result in even more debt and tension between the banks. Consumer confidence dropped dramatically down. Along with the overvalued housing market finally failing, consumption began to fall.The British economy was officially declared to be in a re cession in January 2009, when the Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced that the estimate of gross domestic product (GDP) showed a fall of 1.5 per cent in the last three months of 2008 after a 0.6 per cent drop in the previous quarter. This was the biggest quarter-on-quarter decline since 1980 and the first time the economy had been in recession since 1991. ONS figures show that GDP fell by 2.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2009 compared with the last quarter of 2008. GDP fell by a further 0.7 per cent in the second quarter of 2009, leaving the level of GDP 5.5 per cent lower than in the second quarter of 2008, the largest annual fall on record (ONS 2009). It was the deepest recession since the war. The Manufacturing output was down 7% by end 2008. It has affected many sectors including banks and investment firms. Many well-known and established businesses went bankrupt. Britain has struggled to come out of the latest recession, with much speculation of a double dip recession during the 2010s. Output fell by 0.5% in the 4th quarter of 2010. The unemployment rate rose to 8.1% (2.57m people) in August 2011, the highest level since 1994. As of January 2012[update], after 15 quarters, GDP is still 4% down from peak at start of recession. And now end of 2012 there are also speculation of a triple dip recession. Explain the statement about cocoa, referring to the relevant types of elasticity. Supply conditions play a big role in terming the price of chocolates. Since Cocoa is a farm product it is subject to fast-developing changes in growing conditions. Ivory Coast is the biggest and Ghana the second biggest producer of cacao therefore if any viruses, like the stunted shoot disease, or any bad weather conditions affect their harvest will have consequences on the chocolate prices. On the other side good weather conditions will boost supply and drop the prices. Unpredictability of prices is increase by the fact that chocolate demand is very inelastic. In the US, short-term elasticity of demand has been estimated at about -0.2, and is even lower in some big European consumer countries (Henri Jason 1994). When demand is inelastic, even a small shift in the supply curve can produce a big change in the market price. IEoD = (% Change in Quantity Demanded)/(% Change in Income) Another factor that determines the prices of chocolate is the strong income elasticity of demand. For example in the United States, a 10% increase in income has been estimated to increase per capita chocolate consumption by 9.2% (Henri Jason 1994). Income elasticity is not lot different in other countries. The recession makes people believe they should spend less and most of the cases people do earn less money or they have recently lost their job because of the financial crisis. Therefore they have less to spend. This will affect their choice between normal goods and luxury goods. If chocolate becomes too expensive they might become luxury good for some people, at the moment it is a normal good for most people. undefined Source: tutor2u As a part of your conclusion, assess the future of the major chocolate companies inthe UK. Do you foresee future growth, stagnation or decline? Overall, it is evident that many factors influence the chocolate market in todays world. In recent years the best market decision by various chocolate companies was offering a variety of products to the consumer market. This strategy led to big profits for the biggest players in the industry, as they could afford the expensive advertising for their products. However, the trend for chocolate purchases has not slowed down regardless of the economic situation. In fact opposite to logic, people seem to have taken advantage from chocolate products in the recession, as they have spent more time staying home during the hard times of the British economic stagnation. On holidays such as Easter and Christmas, purchases for some specific products has doubled, tripled or even more compared to the rest of the year. According to professional investigators of the chocolate trends, like Mintel, the future of the chocolate market in UK will face a growth in the next several years. However, as a group we believe based on the evidence from this project, that the UK chocolate industry could potentially be dominated by foreign companies, resulting in stagnation for British chocolate companies.

Analysis of Robert Graves Warning to Children :: essays research papers

The poet George Santayana once said, â€Å"The subject matter of art is life, life as it actually is, but the function of art is to make life better.† Robert Grave’s poem â€Å"Warning to Children† proves every aspect of Santayana’s quote. â€Å"Warning to Children† speaks of the wondrous, diverse aspects of our lives and our temptations prevents us from experiencing these aspects. Finally, the poem gives readers a warning towards these temptations, and with it, implicit instructions as to how to avoid them and to ultimately lead a better life. Throughout Grave’s poem, â€Å"Warning to Children,† a recurring theme can be observed – that life is full of diversity. This diversity is represented in the poem with the usage of colour, â€Å"†¦blocks of slate enclosing dappled red and green, enclosing tawny yellow nets, enclosing white and black acres of dominoes, where a neat brown paper parcel†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This thematic material is repeated several times throughout the poem, and creates an image of a never-ending cycle of colourful, wondrous things. The theme and the image that goes with it creates an allusion of the life that everyone wishes that they have – one that is forever full of different things to see and do. In this sense, this poem reflects upon part of Santayana’s quote: â€Å"The subject matter of art is life.† The image of the perfect, diverse life that is described in â€Å"Warning to Children† does not translate into the reality of life, however. This is realized in the poem when the narrator begins talking about the brown paper parcel, â€Å"tempt[ing] you to untie the string.† With these lines, Grave introduces an aspect of greed to the poem. The poem then goes on to discuss the consequences of being greedy by describing what would happen if one wishes to greedily pursue the never-ending diversity that life has to offer: â€Å"Children, leave the string alone! For who dares undo the parcel finds himself at once inside it, on the island, in the fruit†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This time, however, the word â€Å"enclosed† is used to describe the fact that whomever should dare to undo the parcel will become literally trapped inside all of the colour things without the ability of actually doing anything with them. The message being conveyed here is that despite the colourful aspec ts of life, greed will always be there to prevent one from experiencing them. With this, the poem fulfills the second part of Santayana’s quote: â€Å"life as it actually is.

Comets Essay -- Astronomy Essays Space Outer

Comets   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Have you ever looked up in the sky and seen a little ball creeping by? If so, did you wonder what it was? That little ball is called a comet. Comets are small, fragile, and irregularly shaped. Most are composed of frozen gas. However, some are composed of frozen gas and non-volatile grains. They usually follow very strict paths around the sun. Comets become most visible when they cross the sun. This also applies to people who view comets with telescopes. When a comet gets near the sun it becomes very visible because the sun's radiation starts to sublime its volatile gases, which, in turn, blow away small bits of the little solid material the comet has.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another feature of a comet is a long tail. This is caused by materials breaking off and expanding. They expand into an enormous escaping atmosphere called the coma. This becomes at least the size of our planet. With the comet going so fast, these materials are forced behind the comet, forming a long tail of dust and gas.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Comets are cold bodies. We see them only because the gases they are composed of glow in the sunlight. All comets are regular family members of the solar system family. They are bound by gravity to a strict path around the solar system. Scientists believe that all comets were formed of material, originally in the outer part of the solar system, which did not become incorporated into planets. This material is from when the planets just started forming. This makes comets an extremely interesting topic to scientists who are studying the history of the solar system.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In comparison to planets, comets are very small. They can be anywhere from 750 meters (or less) to 20 kilometers in diameter. However, lately, scientists have been finding proof that there are comets 300 kilometers in diameter or greater.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Comets are still compared to the planets, though. Planets usually follow the shape of a sphere. Most planets are fat at the equator. Comets come in all different shapes and sizes. Most evidence that science has revealed says that comets are extremely fragile. A comet is so poorly structured that it is like a loose snowball--it can be pulled apart with one's own bare hands.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Comets have very awkward rotation periods. They are very oblong. When comets reach their aphelion they are usually near Jupiter or even sometimes Ne... ... is expected to reach its closed point to the sun. At this time it will also be most visible because the sun reflects off the tail of the comet.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It will come .914 astronomical units from the sun. This is not all that close to the sun considering the fact that some comets have run into the sun and others have skimmed the surface of it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although the comet will be closest to the sun on April 1, it will be closest to the earth on March 23, 1997. Some people have been saying that the comet will hit earth and cause human extinction, just like the dinosaurs. The fact is, however, THE COMET WILL NOT HIT EARTH. The closest it will come is 120 million miles away from the earth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some people are saying that the comet is going to Be huge, and others say it will be small. We will never know though because we can not see the nucleus of a comet. The part of the comet we see is the tail. The tail of a comet can be over 10,000 kilometers long.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In all, comets, the history of comets, and comets waiting to be discovered is very interesting. I think that one day we will get to see the nucleus of a comet, and be able to watch comets form in the Oort Cloud.

Shell Case Study

The Case Study on â€Å"Organizational change at Royal Dutch/Shell† This case study on â€Å"Organizational Change at Royal Dutch/Shell† deals with the organizational change that the world’s largest non-state-owned oil company made to respond its operating environmental changes in 1990s (Hill, C 2005, pp. 476-477) While there are a few different structures of global organizations such as worldwide area structure, worldwide product divisional structure and global matrix structure, the Anglo-Dutch company Royal Dutch/Shell (hereinafter Shell) decided to be structured with a matrix structure from the 1950s until 1994.Under the matrix structure, the head of each operating company reported to two bosses; one boss was responsible for the geographical region or country and the other was responsible for the business activity worldwide (Shell’s business activities included oil exploration and production, oil products, chemicals, gas and coal). There were two major benefits that Shell enjoyed from this matrix structure for about 40 years. First, their decision making process was based on the consensus building between the two bosses. Because of its side effects such as slow and cumbersome process, it might be not proper for some organizations.However as the nature of Shell’s business environment is that most big decisions are long-term ones that involve huge capital expenditures and as a result they could review thoroughly all the big decisions, this decision making process was beneficial to the company. Second, this slow decision making process caused substantial decentralization by default to the heads of the individual operating companies. Thanks to this decentralization, Shell could respond to local differences in government regulations, competitive conditions and consumer tastes.Even though there were drawbacks such as slow and cumbersome process, the matrix structure fit the environment of the global oil and chemical industries in the 1980s. In the 1980s, Shell sought to grow through acquisition. It bought out the remaining 30% shareholding in Shell Oil in 1985 to consolidate its American operations. While the oil price plummeted in the winter of 1986 when the price fell from $31 per barrel to $10, Shell managed its budget by half: the company had to work much harder to develop new projects more cheaply. As a esult, Shell could make huge improvements in drilling techniques such as slim-hole drilling and directional drilling. The use of 3D seismic became widespread. (from Shell’s official homepage; 1980s to the new millennium). All of these activities worked well under the matrix structure of Shell until the end of 1980s. There was a huge environmental change in 1990. It’s the Gulf War. The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, partly prompted by the low price of oil, led to uncertainty about production and prices spiked. Iraq wanted to gain control of the world's third largest oil producer to give it more control over the world market.Following the Gulf war to liberate Kuwait, crude oil prices entered a period of steady decline, reaching their lowest level in 1994 for 21 years (BBC, Why the oil price keeps rising, June 2008). As the oil prices declined, naturally there was pressure on Shell’s profit margins. Although it had traditionally been among the most profitable oil companies in the world, its relative performance began to slip in the early 1990s as its competitors adapted rapidly to the environment changes. As a result, this suggested that the Shell senior management team review its strategy and the fit between strategy and organizational structure.In 1995, Shell abandoned its 40 year old matrix structure and adopted divisional line structure based on its new strategy to lower the operating costs just as its competitors did. Under the new divisional line structure, Shell now operates with five global product divisions- exploration and production, oil products, chemical, gas and coal. The difference between the organization after 1995 and that before 1994 is that the power of the each global division will increase and the responsibilities of the country (or regional) chefs are reduced.The Shell’s change led to enhanced fit between operating environment, strategy and organizational architecture. As mentioned earlier, Shell's operating environment changed in the early of 1990s with continuing slack demand for oil and weak oil price which caused pressure on profit margins. In order to overcome the challenges, Shell changed its strategy to lowering operating costs by a sharp reduction in head office overhead and the elimination of unnecessary duplication of facilities across countries.This new strategy could be achieved via the change of its reorganization in 1995 from matrix organization to divisional lines structure. As a result of the change, Shell could reduce the need for a large head office bureaucracy and eliminated unnecessary duplicatio n of facilities across countries. Eventually, production may be consolidated in lager facilities that serve an entire region, rather than a single country, with which it could enjoy the greater scale economies. In summary, Shell’s organizational structure change in 1995 could contribute its business strategy changes which were driven by the operating environment changes.

Coyote Blue Chapter 10~11

CHAPTER 10 Over Easy, Politically Correct Santa Barbara Sam spent most of the night cleaning up the debris from Josh Spagnola's shooting exhibition. Exhausted from the overall strangeness of his day, he went to bed early, but lay awake until well after midnight, first worrying, then trying to understand what was happening to him, and finally fantasizing about the girl. Amid the misery he retained hope, although he could not logically figure out why. She was, after all, just a girl – the goofiest girl he had ever met. Still, the thought of seeing her again made him smile, and he was able to escape into dreamless sleep. When he awoke the next morning, the world seemed a much kinder place, as if during the night the calamities of the previous day had become distant and harmless. Order had returned. At one time he might have met such a day by looking to the rising sun and thanking the Great Spirit for returning his harmony with the world, as Pokey had taught him. He would have looked for rain clouds, felt the promise of the day's winds, smelled the dew and the sage, listened for the call of an eagle, the best of good-luck signs, and in that short time he would have confirmed that he and the world were of one spirit, balanced. Today he missed the rising sun by three hours. He met his day in the shower, washing his hair with shampoo that was guaranteed to have never been put in a bunny's eyes and from which ten percent of the profits went to save the whales. He lathered his face with shaving cream free of chlorofluorocarbons, thereby saving the ozone layer. He breakfasted on fertile eggs laid by sexually satisfied chickens that were allowed to range while listening to Brahms, and muffins made with pesticide-free grain, so no eagle-egg shells were weakened by his thoughtless consumption. He scrambled the eggs in margarine free of tropical oils, thus preserving the rain forest, and he added milk from a carton made of recycled paper and shipped from a small family farm. By the time he finished his second cup of coffee, which would presumably help to educate the children of a poor peasant farmer named Juan Valdez, Sam was on the verge of congratulating himself for single-handedly saving the planet just by getti ng up in the morning. He would have been surprised, however, if someone had told him that it had been two years since he had set foot on unpaved ground. He was writing a note to himself to put a new subliminal message on his computer, SAVE THE WORLD, BUY THIS POLICY, when Josh Spagnola called. â€Å"Sam, did you hear what happened at the association meeting last night?† â€Å"No, Josh, I've been cleaning up my place.† â€Å"The place, Sam. I think this will be an easier transition if you start referring to it as the place.† â€Å"You mean they voted to buy me out? Without even asking me? I can't believe it.† â€Å"I was actually very surprised myself. People seem to dislike you in the extreme, Sam. I think the dog was just their excuse for a general fuck-over.† â€Å"You told them it wasn't my dog, didn't you?† â€Å"I told them, but it didn't matter. They hate you, Sam. The doctors and lawyers hate you because you make enough money to live here. The married guys hate you because you're single. The married women hate you because you remind their husbands that they aren't single. The old people hate you because you're young, and the rest just hate you because you aren't Japanese. Oh, yeah, one bald guy hates you because you have hair. For a guy that maintains a low profile, you've built quite a little snowball of resentment.† Sam had never given his neighbors a second thought, never even spoken to most of them, so now the realization that they hated him enough to take away his home was a shock. â€Å"I've never done anything to hurt anybody in this complex.† â€Å"I wouldn't take it personally, Sam. Nothing brings people together like hate for profit. You didn't have a chance against the clay tennis courts.† â€Å"What does that mean? We don't have clay tennis courts.† â€Å"No, but when they buy your townhouse for what you paid for it, then sell it to someone more suitable at the market rate, the association will have enough profit to build clay tennis courts. We'll be the only complex in Santa Barbara with clay courts. Should raise the value of the property at least ten percent. Sorry, Sam.† â€Å"Isn't there anything I can do? Can't I bring legal action or something?† â€Å"This isn't an official call, Sam. I am calling as your friend and not on behalf of the association, so let me give you my best advice on taking legal action: it's suicide. Half the guys that voted you out are lawyers. In six months you'd be broke and they'd be drinking your blood over backgammon. The time for legal advice was eight years ago when you signed that agreement.† â€Å"Great. Where were you then?† â€Å"I was stealing your Rolex.† â€Å"You stole my Rolex? That was you? My gold Rolex? You dick!† â€Å"I didn't know you then, Sam. It was a professional thing. Besides, the statute of limitations has run out. It's time to forgive and forget.† â€Å"Fuck you, Josh. You'll get a bill for the damage you caused.† â€Å"Sam, do you know how concerned I am about your bill? I don't give a decaying damn, I don't-â€Å" Sam hung up on the security guard. The phone immediately rang and Sam stared at it for a minute. Should he let Josh get the satisfaction of the last word? He looked at the shattered remains of his television, picked up the phone, and shouted, â€Å"Look, you wormy little fuck, you're lucky I don't come down there and pop your head like a pimple!† â€Å"Sam, this is Julia, down at the office. I have Aaron on the line for you.† â€Å"Sorry, Julia, I was expecting someone else. Hang on a second.† He sat down on the couch and held the receiver to his chest while he tried to regain his composure. Too much change, too fast. He couldn't let Aaron catch him with his guard down. His good friend Aaron, his partner, his mentor. And Josh Spagnola was supposed to be his friend, too. What was the deal with Josh? He'd turned on Sam overnight. Why? Sam lit a cigarette and took a long drag, then blew the smoke out in a slow stream before speaking into the phone. â€Å"Julia, you caught me in the shower. Tell Aaron I'll be in the office in an hour. We'll talk then.† He hung up before she could respond. He dialed the number of the Cliffs' security office. Josh Spagnola answered. â€Å"Josh, this is Sam Hunter.† â€Å"Very rude, Sam. Hanging up when I am telling you how little I care is very rude.† â€Å"That's why I'm calling, Josh. I've heard your little speeches before. I want to know what you've got on me.† â€Å"Then you haven't seen the paper this morning?† â€Å"I told you before, I've been patching holes all fucking morning. What goes?† â€Å"Seems that Jim Cable, the diving mogul, was attacked by an Indian outside of his office and had a heart attack. They said he had just finished an appointment with an insurance agent.† â€Å"So, what's your point, Josh?† â€Å"The point is, Sam, that after I ran out of your place yesterday, I went through the apartment next door and ran out on the deck. I thought I could come in from behind the dog and get a shot at it. But when I got there I saw an Indian vaulting over the rail of your deck. The Indian was wearing black, just like the one they described in the paper. Interesting coincidence, huh?† Sam didn't know what to say. Spagnola had half the complex under his thumb for one reason or another, but Sam didn't know how the burglar used his information other than as a license to be rude. Sam didn't want to bring up blackmail when Spagnola might just be in this to watch him squirm. Sam had watched a thousand clients squirm under his own manipulation, but he wasn't sure how to go about it himself. He decided to take a direct approach. â€Å"Okay, Josh,† he said. â€Å"I'm squirming. Now what?† â€Å"Sammy, I love you, kid. You and I are like peas in a pod. You, me, and that Aaron guy at your office.† â€Å"You know Aaron?† â€Å"Just spoke to him this morning when I called your office. Your secretary said that you were no longer with the firm and Mr. Aaron was taking all your calls from now on. Aaron and I had a long talk.† â€Å"Did you tell him about the Indian?† â€Å"No, he told me. Strange thing, Sam, he seems to want you out of the business pretty badly, but not just for the profit. I think he's afraid of the attention you're going to get if it turns out that you're associated with the Indian who attacked Cable. Who do you think has more to lose: you or Aaron?† â€Å"Neither of us is losing anything, Josh. This whole thing is a mistake. I don't care what you saw, I don't know anything about any Indian, and I resent the veiled threat.† â€Å"No threat, Sam. Just information. It's the cleanest commodity, you know? No fingerprints, no fibers, no serial numbers. It's kind of ethereal – religious in a way. People will pay for something that they can't smell, or taste, or touch. It's fucking glorious, isn't it? I should have been a spy.† Sam listened to Spagnola sigh, then to the breathing over the line. Here it was again, the standoff. How many times had he backed down over the years? How many times had fear of discovery caused him to lie low and play the role of the victim? Too damn many. He always seemed to be running from the past and avoiding the future, but the future came anyway. Very softly, barely speaking over a whisper, Sam said, â€Å"Josh, before you become too enraptured, remember the information you don't have.† â€Å"What's that, old buddy?† â€Å"You have no idea who I am or what I'm capable of.† There was a silence on the line, as if Spagnola was considering what Sam had said. â€Å"Good-bye, Josh,† Sam whispered. He hung up the phone, grabbed his car keys, and headed out the door to the Mercedes. As he disarmed the alarm and climbed in the car he realized that he also had no idea who he was or what he was capable of, and for the first time in his life it didn't frighten him. In fact, it felt good. Coyote Gets His Powers One day, a long time ago, before there were any men or televisions, and only animal people walked the Earth, Great Spirit, the first worker, decided that he would give everyone a new name. He told the animal people to come to his lodge at sunrise and he would give each one a new name with all the powers that went with it. â€Å"To be fair,† Great Spirit said, â€Å"names will be given on a first-come, first-served basis.† The Earth was a pretty fair place in those days as long as you showed up on time. Coyote had a problem with this method, however. He liked to sleep until lunchtime and lie around thinking up tricks until late afternoon, so getting up at sunrise was a problem, but he really wanted to get a good name. â€Å"Eagle would be good,† he thought. â€Å"I would be swift and strong. Or if I take the name of Bear I will never be defeated by my enemies. Yep, I got to get me a good name even if I have to stay up all night.† When the sun went down Coyote looked all over for a good espresso bar, but even in those days they were full of pretentious pseudointellectual animal people who sat around in open-toed moccasins and whined about how unfair the world was, which it wasn't. â€Å"I don't have the stomach for that,† said Coyote. â€Å"I think I'll just score some magic wake-up powder and stay wired that way.† Coyote went to see Raven. It was well known among the animal people that Raven had a connection with a green bird from South America and was always good for some wake-up powder. â€Å"I'm sorry Coyote, my friend, but I cannot extend you any credit. I'll need three prairie dogs, up front, if you want the product. And remember, I like my prairie dogs squashed real flat.† Raven was a greasy little prick who thought he was cool because he wore sunglasses all the time, even at night. Who was he to act so high and mighty? Coyote was insulted. â€Å"Look, man, I'll have a new name tomorrow. I'm going to go for Eagle. Just advance me the gram now and I'll give you six prairie dogs in the morning.† Raven shook his head. Coyote slunk away. â€Å"I can stay awake without magic,† Coyote said. â€Å"I just have to concentrate.† Coyote tried to stay awake, but by the time the moon was high in the sky he started to doze off. â€Å"This isn't working,† he said. â€Å"I can't keep my eyes open.† Talking to himself often gave Coyote ideas, which was a good thing, because hardly anyone else would talk to him. He broke a couple of thorns from a cactus and used them to prop his eyes open. â€Å"I'm a genius,† he said. Then he fell asleep anyway. When Coyote finally awoke the sun was directly overhead. He rushed to Great Spirit's lodge and burst through the door flap. â€Å"Eagle! I want Eagle,† he said. His eyes were dry and cracked from being propped open and his fur was matted with blood where the thorns had pierced his eyelids. â€Å"Eagle was the first to go,† Great Spirit said. â€Å"What happened to you? You look like hammered shit.† â€Å"Bad night,† Coyote said. â€Å"What's left? Bear? Bear would be good.† â€Å"There's only one name left,† Great Spirit said. â€Å"Nobody wanted it.† â€Å"What is it?† â€Å"Coyote.† â€Å"You're shitting me.† â€Å"Great Spirit is not a shitter.† Coyote ran outside where the other animal people were laughing and talking about their new names and powers. He tried to get them to trade names, but even Dung Beetle told him to get lost. Great Spirit watched Coyote from his lodge and felt sorry for him. â€Å"Come here, kid,† Great Spirit said. â€Å"Look, you're stuck with a lousy name, but maybe I can make up for it. You have to keep the name, but from now on you are Chief of the Without Fires. And from now on you can take on any shape that you choose and wear it as long as you wish.† Coyote thought about it for a minute. It was a pretty good gift; maybe he should work this pity angle more often. â€Å"So that means that everyone has to do what I say?† â€Å"Sometimes,† Great Spirit said. â€Å"Sometimes?† Coyote asked. Great Spirit nodded and Coyote figured he'd better leave before Great Spirit changed his mind. â€Å"Thanks, G.S., I'm outta here. Got to see someone about some sunglasses.† Coyote loped off. CHAPTER 11 The God, the Bad, and the Ugly Santa Barbara During the short drive to his office Sam decided that if Gabriella gave him the least little bit of shit he would fire her on the spot. If his life was going to fall apart before his eyes there was no reason to suffer the slings and arrows of ungrateful employees. There were also twenty younger agents who worked under him, and as long as he held partnership in the agency he held the power to hire and fire. Let one of them mouth off, he thought. Let one of them look sideways at me and they're going to be a distant memory, taillights on the horizon, gone, out, shit-canned, pink-slipped, instantly unemployed. He walked into his office with his temper locked, loaded, and ready to fire, but was immediately disarmed when he saw Gabriella tilted back in her chair, skirt thrown up around her waist, her legs spread wide and high heels alternately pumping in the air and digging into the back of the naked Indian, who was on his knees in front of her, wheeling her chair back and forth, thrusting into her with greedy abandon and yipping with each stroke as counterpoint to the monkey noises that escaped Gabriella in rhythmic bursts. â€Å"Hey!† Sam shouted. Gabriella looked over the Indian's shoulder at Sam and held one finger in the air as if marking a point, then pointed to the message pad on the desk. â€Å"One call,† she gasped. The Indian pulled her to him in a particularly violent thrust and Gabriella grabbed his shoulder with both hands, popping her press-on nails off and across the room like tiddlywinks. Sam shook off his shock, ran forward, and caught the Indian around the neck in a choke hold. The Indian pumped wildly in the air as Sam dragged him off Gabriella and across the outer office. He fell over backward into his office with the Indian still squirming in his grasp and it occurred to him that unless things turned quickly to his advantage he was in serious danger of being humped. He rolled the Indian over on the carpet and pinned him, facedown, while he looked around for a weapon. The only thing in reach was the big multi-line phone on his desk. Sam released the choke hold and lunged for the phone, catching it by the cord. He swung around with it just in time to hit the Indian in the face as he was rising to his hands and knees. The phone exploded into a spray of electronic shrapnel and the Indian fell forward onto his face, unconscious but twitching against the carpet in petit-mal afterhumps. Sam looked at the broom of colored wires at the end of the cord where the phone used to be, then dropped it and staggered to his feet. Gabriella was standing by the door, smoothing her skirt down. Her lipstick was smeared across her face and her hair was spiked into a fright wig of hair spray and sweat. She started to speak, then noticed that one of her breasts was still peeking out of her dress. â€Å"Excuse me.† She turned and tucked herself in, then turned back to Sam. â€Å"I'll hold your calls,† she said officiously, then she pulled the door closed, leaving Sam alone in the office with the unconscious, naked Indian. â€Å"You're fired,† Sam whispered to the closed door. He looked down at the Indian and saw a bloodstain spreading around his head on the carpet. He didn't seem to be breathing. Sam fell to his knees and felt the Indian's neck for a pulse. Nothing. â€Å"Fuck, not again!† Sam paced around the desk four times before he fell back in his leather executive chair and clamped his hands on his temples as if trying to squeeze out a solution. Instead he thought of police and prison and felt hope running through his fingers like liquid light, leaving him dark with despair. A growling noise from the floor. Sam looked over the desk to see the body of the Indian moving. He started to breathe a sigh of relief when he realized that the body wasn't moving at all, it was changing. His eyes went wide with terror as the arms and legs shortened and grew fur, the face grew into a whiskered muzzle, and the spinal column lengthened and grew into a bushy tail. Before Sam could catch his breath again he was looking at the body of a huge black coyote. The coyote got to its feet and shook its head as if clearing its ears of water, then it leapt on the desk and growled at Sam, who rolled his chair back until it hit the wall behind his desk. Sam pushed himself up by the chair arms until he was almost standing against the wall, desperately trying to put even a millimeter more between himself and the snarling muzzle of the coyote. The coyote crawled forward on the desk until its face was only inches from Sam's. Sam could feel the coyote's moist breath on his face. It smelled of something familiar, something burnt. He wanted to turn his head away and close his eyes until the horror went away, but his gaze remained locked on the coyote's golden eyes. He wanted to scream but there was no breath for it and he found his jaw was moving but no sound was coming out. The coyote backed away and sat on the desk, then raised its lowered ears and tilted its head to the side as if perplexed. Sam felt himself take a breath and the strange urge to say â€Å"Good doggie† came over him, but he remained rigid and quiet. The coyote began to shake and Sam thought it would attack, but instead it threw back its head as if to howl. The skin on the coyote's neck began to undulate and surge and took on the shape of a human face. The fur receded from the face, then away from the front legs, which became arms, then down the back legs, which lengthened into crouching human legs. As the fur peeled it lost its black color, turning the burnt tan of a normal coyote. It was as if a human was literally crawling out of a cocoon of coyote skin, the black color becoming black buckskins trimmed with red feathers. A minute passed in what seemed a year as the transformation took place. When it was finished the Indian was crouched on Sam's desk wearing a coyote-skin headd ress that had once been his own skin. â€Å"Fuck,† Sam said, falling back into the chair, his eyes trained now on the golden eyes of the Indian. â€Å"Woof,† the Indian said with a grin. Sam shook his head, trying to get the image to go away. His mind was still rattling around in chaos trying to put this into some sort of meaningful context, but all he could do was wish that he would pass out and that his kneecaps would stop jumping with adrenaline. â€Å"Woof,† the Indian repeated. He jumped from the desk, adjusted the headdress that moments ago had been his skin, then sat in the chair opposite Sam. â€Å"Got a smoke?† he said. Sam felt his mind lock on to the request. Yes, he understood that. Yes, he could do that. A smoke. He reached into his shirt pocket for his cigarettes and lighter and fumbled them out, lost his grip, and sent them skittering across the desk. He was scrambling for them when the Indian reached out and patted his hand. Sam screamed, the high-pitched wail of a little girl, and jumped back into his chair, which rolled back until his head snapped against the wall. The Indian turned his head to the side quizzically, the same way the coyote had, then took the cigarettes from the desk and lit two with the lighter. He held one out to Sam, who remained pushed back in the chair. The Indian nodded for Sam to take the cigarette, then waited while Sam inched forward, snatched it out of his hand, and quickly retreated to his position by the back wall. The Indian took a deep drag on the cigarette, then turned his head and blew the smoke out in rings that crept across the desk like ghosts. Sam had curled into the fetal position in his chair and looked up only to cast a sideways glance at the Indian when he took a drag from his own cigarette. It occurred to him that he should feel silly, but he didn't. He was still too frightened to feel silly. When his cigarette was half gone he started to calm down. His fear was draining away, being replaced with indignant anger. The Indian sat calmly, smoking and looking around the office. Sam put his feet on the floor, scooted the chair back under the desk, and set what he hoped was a hard gaze on the Indian. â€Å"Who are you?† he asked. The Indian smiled and his eyes lit up like an excited child's. â€Å"I am the stink in your shoe, the buzz in your ear, the wind through the trees. I am the-â€Å" â€Å"Who are you?† Sam interrupted. â€Å"What is your name?† The Indian continued to grin while smoke trickled between his teeth. He said, â€Å"The Cheyenne call me Wihio, the Sioux, Iktome. The Blackfeet call me Napi Old Man. The Cree call me Saultaux, the Micmac, Glooscap. I am the Great Hare on the East Coast and Raven on the West. You know me, Samson Hunts Alone, I am your spirit helper.† Sam gulped. â€Å"Coyote?† â€Å"Yep.† â€Å"You're a myth.† â€Å"A legend,† the Indian said. â€Å"You are just a bunch of stories to teach children.† â€Å"True stories.† â€Å"No, just stories. Old Man Coyote is just a fairy tale.† â€Å"Should I change shapes again? You liked that.† â€Å"No! No, don't do that.† Sam had guessed the Indian's identity the day before when he'd opened the medicine bundle, but he had hoped it would all go away and he would find himself the victim of a childhood superstition. Religion was supposed to be a matter of faith. Gods were not supposed to jump on your desk and snarl at you. They weren't supposed to sit in your office smoking cigarettes. Gods didn't do anything. They were supposed to ignore you and let you suffer and die having never known whether your religion was a waste of time. Faith. Sure, the gods were a badly behaving lot in stories – jealous, impatient, selfish, vengeful, smiting whole races of people, raping virgins, sending plagues and pestilence – and even as gods went, Coyote was a particularly bad example, but they were supposed to stay in the damn stories, not show up and hump your homely secretary until she made monkey noises. â€Å"What are you doing here?† Sam asked. â€Å"I'm here to help you.† â€Å"Help? You ruined my business and got me kicked out of my home.† â€Å"You wanted to scare the diver so I scared him. You wanted the girl so I gave her to you.† â€Å"Well what about all the cats at my condo complex? What about my secretary? How did that help me?† â€Å"If I was not meant to have ugly women and cats they would not be so easy to catch.† It was the kind of backward, perverse logic that had irritated Sam as a child. Pokey Medicine Wing had been a master at it. It seemed to Sam at times as if the entire Crow Nation was trying to define a silicon-chip world with a Stone Age worldview. Sam thought he had escaped it. â€Å"Why me? Why not someone who believes?† â€Å"This is more fun.† Sam resisted the urge to leap over the desk and choke the Indian. It was still â€Å"the Indian† in his head. He hadn't yet accepted that he was talking to Coyote, Chief of the Without Fires. Even with the overwhelming evidence of the supernatural, he searched for a natural explanation for what was happening. A lifetime of disbelief is not easily shed. He tried to find some parallel experience that would put things in order, something he'd read or seen on PBS. Nothing was forthcoming, so he speculated. How would Aaron react if faced with this situation? Aaron didn't acknowledge his Irish heritage any more than Sam admitted his own Crow roots. What if a leprechaun suddenly appeared on Aaron's desk? He'd affect a brogue and try to talk the little fucker into putting his pot o' gold into tax-deferred annuities. No, Aaron was not the person to think of in a spiritual emergency. Coyote smiled as if he had read Sam's thoughts. â€Å"What do you want, Samson Hunts Alone?† Sam didn't even hesitate to think. â€Å"I want my old life back to the way it was before you fucked it up.† â€Å"Why?† Now Sam was forced to think. Why indeed? Every time Sam hired a new agent he glorified his and Aaron's lifestyles. He would take a bright, hungry young man for a ride in the Mercedes, buy him lunch at the Biltmore or another of Santa Barbara's finer restaurants, flash cash and gold cards and expensive suits – plant the seed of greed, as Aaron called it – then give the kid a means to pursue his germinating dream of material bliss while Sam collected ten percent on everything he sold. It was part of the show, one of the many roles he played, and the car, the clothes, the condo, and the clout were merely props. Without the props the show could not go on. â€Å"Why do you want your life back?† Coyote asked, as if Sam had forgotten the question. â€Å"It's safe,† Sam blurted out. â€Å"So safe,† Coyote said, â€Å"that you can lose it in a day? To be safe is to be afraid. Is that what you want: to be afraid?† â€Å"I'm not afraid.† â€Å"Then why do you lie? You want the girl.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"I will help you get her.† â€Å"I don't need your help. I need you gone.† â€Å"I am very good with women.† â€Å"Like you're good with cats and couches?† â€Å"Great heroes have great horniness. You should feel what it is like to pleasure a falcon. You lock talons with her in the sky and do it while you both are falling like meteors. You would like it; they never complain if you come too fast.† â€Å"Get out of here.† â€Å"I will go, but I will be with you.† Coyote rose and walked to the door. As he opened it he said, â€Å"Don't be afraid.† He stepped out of his office and closed the door. Suddenly, Sam leapt to his feet and headed after him. â€Å"Stay off my secretary!† he shouted. He ripped open the door and looked into the outer office where Gabriella, her composure regained, was typing up a claim form. Coyote was gone. Gabriella looked up and raised a disapproving eyebrow. â€Å"Is there a problem, Mr. Hunter?† â€Å"No,† Sam said. â€Å"No problem.† â€Å"You sounded frightened.† â€Å"I'm not frightened, goddammit!† Sam slammed the door and went to the desk for a cigarette. His cigarettes and lighter were gone. He stood there for a moment, feeling a flush of anger rise in him until he thought he would scream, then he fell back into his chair and smiled as he remembered something Pokey Medicine Wing had once told him: â€Å"Anger is the spirits telling you that you are alive.†