Successful Electronic Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Successful Electronic Communication - Essay Example In the report I will acknowledge your contributions, and I will send you a copy of the completed report if you wish. I am writing you with the hope that you could provide me with information on the Glucoscan II blood glucose monitoring system. A representative at Lifescan informed me that your clinic is currently using this system. I became aware of this new device through an announcement discovered through an Internet source. The Boston Diabetes Center was listed as a test center for the Glucoscan II and you were listed as the contact. After discovering an advertisement from Lifescan in the January 19XX issue of Diabetes Forecast, I became interested in pursuing more information about the device for a report that I am writing for a technical writing class at Muskeegee University. I have written the company and received a great deal of useful information, however it was recommended to me that I write several current users of the system from whom I can obtain first hand knowledge of use of the system. I would be very grateful if you could answer the following questions for me: A representative from Lifescan has indicated that your clinic is one of the leaders in implementing new technology for diabetics and I am therefore eager to hear about your experiences with this device. In the report I would like your permission to acknowledge your contribution and I will forward a copy of the completed report if you wish. In the process of writing an e-mail, it is important to remember that the communication should still adhere to practices of good grammar and polished writing. The e-mail that has been used as an example was written with good form. The example message of this paper uses a good form for the basic structure of the communication. However, the message itself was not clear to the reader. The first impression of an e-mail is found in the subject line. The original subject line reads â€Å"Request for diabetes information†, which is not

Creative Art and Fine Art Essay Example for Free

Creative Art and Fine Art Essay By a broad definition of art,[9] artistic works have existed for almost as long as humankind: from early pre-historic art to contemporary art; however, some theories restrict the concept to modern Western societies. [10] The first and broadest sense of art is the one that has remained closest to the older Latin meaning, which roughly translates to skill or craft. A few examples where this meaning proves very broad include artifact, artificial, artifice, medical arts, and military arts. However, there are many other colloquial uses of the word, all with some relation to its etymology. The second and more recent sense of the word art is as an abbreviation for creative art or fine art and emerged in the early 17th century. [13] Fine art means that a skill is being used to express the artists creativity, or to engage the audiences aesthetic sensibilities, or to draw the audience towards consideration of the finer things. The word art can refer to several things: a study of creative skill, a process of using the creative skill, a product of the creative skill, or the audiences experience with the creative skill. The creative arts (art as discipline) are a collection of disciplines that produce artworks (art as objects) that are compelled by a personal drive (art as activity) and convey a message, mood, or symbolism for the viewer to interpret (art as experience). Art is something that stimulates an individuals thoughts, emotions, beliefs, or ideas through the senses. Artworks can be explicitly made for this purpose or interpreted on the basis of images or objects. Although the application of scientific knowledge to derive a new scientific theory involves skill and results in the creation of something new, this represents science only and is not categorized as art. Often, if the skill is being used in a common or practical way, people will consider it a craft instead of art. Likewise, if the skill is being used in a commercial or industrial way, it may be considered commercial art instead of fine art. On the other hand, crafts and design are sometimes considered applied art. Some art followers have argued that the difference between fine art and applied art has more to do with value judgments made about the art than any clear definitional difference. [14] However, even fine art often has goals beyond pure creativity and self-expression. The purpose of works of art may be to communicate ideas, such as in politically, spiritually, or philosophically motivated art; to create a sense of beauty (seeaesthetics); to explore the nature of perception; for pleasure; or to generate strong emotions. The purpose may also be seemingly nonexistent. Art is a diverse range of human activities and the products of those activities; this article focuses primarily on the visual arts, which includes the creation of images or objects in fields including painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, and other visual media. Architecture is often included as one of the visual arts; however, like the decorative arts, it involves the creation of objects where the practical considerations of use are essential—in a way that they are usually not for a painting, for example. Music, theatre, film, dance, and other performing arts, as well as literature, and other media such as interactive media are included in a broader definition of art or the arts. [1] Creative arts is a subject of study for a number of universities, including those that offer a degree of Bachelor of Creative Arts. [1] Areas of study include dramaturgy, music, graphic arts/cartooning, performing arts, film, publishing, galleries, museums, and the visual arts.

Commentary: Fitt IV Essay example -- English Literature

Commentary: Fitt IV The extract from Fitt IV describes the first intended blow of the Green Knight against Gawain. Many lines at the beginning of the extract are dedicated to creating the image of the Green Knight picking up his weapon and preparing himself to deal the deadly blow to Gawain. Much of the focus is on the Green Knight’s physical strength, for example ‘With alle the bur in his body’ and ‘Hade hit dryven adoun as drey as he atled, / Ther hade bend ded of his dynt that doghty was ever’. Moreover, the description of the weapon also provides a formidable presence for Gawain, ‘Gederes up hys [the Green Knigh’s] grymme tole, Gawayn to smyte’. However, instead of landing the fatal blow on Gawain’s neck, as discussed in the contract of the game, Gawain flinches away from the axe. The Green Knight is outraged and tells Gawain ‘Such cowardise of that knight cowthe I never here’ as Gawain recoiled in fear before encountering any pain. The Green Knight sees Gawain moving away from the blow of the axe as compromising his reputation as a knight at the court of Camelot. Throughout the first three fitts of the story Gawain can be seen as the epitome of chivalry, a virtue essential to an Arthurian knight. His behaviour when first accepting the challenge of the Green Knight demonstrates the chivalric asset of selfless loyalty towards his King, but also shows his humble attitude by the language he uses ‘And lest lur of my lyf, quo laytes the sothe / Bot for as much as ye ar myn em, I am only prayse; / No bounte bot your blod I in my bode knowe’. These chivalric qualities are further stressed by the Gawain-poet when describing Gawain’s armouring scene. Gawain’s shield, featuring the pentangle, is an iconic i... ...rld seems more virtuous than himself at that moment. The extract from Fitt IV is an essential moment of the story of ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’. It encompasses part of the climax of the story, depicting that which Gawain has been working up to all year. The section also acts as a moment of tension within the final beheading scene as it is expected that Gawain will endure the blow and lose his head. However, the act of Gawain flinching away from the axe works as an anticlimax, a pattern which is repeated for the next two attempts of beheading. It is also surprising from the readers’ perspective that Gawain should recoil from the blow as up until this point he has been characterised as knightly, loyal and truthful. This moment in the story is an interesting change in pace and foresees the sudden twist in the plot at the end of the beheading scene.

Quiz Chapter 15

Question 1: Suppose you walk across a room carrying a bucket of water in your right hand. To keep the water from sloshing out, you walk at constant speed, making sure the bucket is kept at the same height above the ground. Which statement is true? a) You exert a force on the bucket and do work on the bucket as you carry it. b) You exert a force on the bucket but do no work on the bucket. c) You don’t exert a force on the bucket and you do no work on it. Answers: b Question 2: TRUE or FALSE: If an object moves from one point in space to another, then work has been done on the object. a) TRUE b) FALSE Answers: bQuestion 3: Suppose you push on a heavy table and the table doesn’t move. The work that you do is a) positive. b) zero. c) negative. Answers: b Question 4: A hockey puck slides across the ice and eventually comes to a stop. Which statement is true? a) The work done by gravity is zero. b) The work done by gravity is equal to the gravitational force times the distanc e the puck slides. c) The work done by gravity cannot be calculated. Answers: A Question 5: You lift a book bag straight upwards off the floor. Which statement is correct? a) You do the same work whether you lift the book bag quickly or slowly. ) You exert the same power whether you lift the book bag quickly or slowly. c) The work you do is zero, making the power also zero. Answers: A Question 6: Any object that has kinetic energy must be a) moving. b) falling. c) high above the ground. d) at rest. Answers: A Question 7: A book is at rest on a tabletop. One student calculates the potential energy as 15 J. Another student calculates the potential energy as 20 J. Which statement is correct? a) One or both of the students must have calculated the potential energy incorrectly. b) Both answers could be correct. c) Both answers are wrong because they use the wrong units. Read also Quiz Week 4Answers: b Question 8: TRUE or FALSE: An object that moves faster has greater potential energy. a) TRUE b) FALSE Answers: b Question 9: A ball is thrown straight up into the air (with no air resistance). Where is the ball’s potential energy the greatest? a) When it is first released b) Half way up c) At its highest point Answers: c Question 10: A softball player hits a â€Å"pop up† (where the ball is hit high above the infield). As the ball rises, we know that a) the kinetic energy increases as the potential energy decreases. b) the kinetic energy decreases as the potential energy increases. ) the kinetic energy and potential energy both increase. d) the kinetic energy and potential energy both decrease. Answers: b Question 11: TRUE or FALSE: A small fly can have a bigger momentum than a large truck. a) TRUE b) FALSE Answers: a Question 12: You and a friend stand on ice skates facing each other in the middle of a frozen pond. If you throw a basketb all to your friend (who happens to weigh less than you do), what happens? a) You and your friend both move away from each other at the same speed. b) Your friend moves away from you at a faster speed than you have. ) Your friend moves away from you at a slower speed than you have. d) You don’t move but your friend moves away at a very fast speed. Answers: b Question 13: A tetherball is made by attaching one end of a rope to a ball and the other to a pole. After you hit the ball, the rope wraps around the pole as the ball circles it with a shorter radius each time it goes around. Which of the following statements is correct about the ball after it is hit? a) Both the angular momentum and the speed of the ball increase. b) Both the angular momentum and the speed of the ball decrease. ) The angular momentum of the ball stays constant while the speed of the ball increases. d) The angular momentum of the ball stays constant while the speed of the ball decreases. Answers: c Questio n 14: As a tornado becomes more narrow, the rotational speed a) decreases. b) increases. c) stays the same. Answers: b Question 15: You see a rocket fly by with a speed that you measure to be close to the speed of light. a) The person standing on the ground sees the rocket looking â€Å"compressed† along the direction of motion, while the person in the rocket sees the person on the ground looking â€Å"stretched. b) The person standing on the ground sees the rocket looking â€Å"compressed† along the direction of motion, and the person in the rocket sees the person on the ground also looking â€Å"compressed. † c) The person standing on the ground sees the rocket looking â€Å"stretched† along the direction of motion, while the person in the rocket sees the person on the ground looking â€Å"compressed. † d) The person standing on the ground sees the rocket looking â€Å"stretched† along the direction of motion, and the person in the rocket sees the person on the ground also looking â€Å"stretched. † Answers: b

Easyjet and the Recession

CONTENTS PAGE 1. – Introduction_________________________p. 3 2. – Application__________________________p. 4 2. 1. – Easy Jet profile__________________p. 4 2. 2. – PESTEL Analysis__________________p. 4 2. 3. – Porters Five Forces________________p. 5 2. 4. – SWOT__________________________p. 7 3. 0. – The Challenge_______________________p. 7 4. 0. – Recommendation____________________p. 8 5. 0. – References_________________________p. 8 1. – INTRODUCTIONAccording to Boddy (2008), management refers to the process of bringing together individuals with the sole intention of achieving desired objectives, aims and goal using available resources effectively. Composed of several vital tenets, this paper seeks to establish the relation between management and the Competing Values Framework (CVF), and how the model can effectively be implemented and their influences in an organization. Boddy settles that CVF is the most significa nt model used in determination of organizational culture with a deeper focus on a value dimension.These dimensions include the micro emphasis and organization structure, significant factors in organizational management. Management comprises of five major functions namely planning, organizing, leading and controlling and co-ordination. As such, the effective functioning of these major tenets forms essences of management with a greater concentration on long term and short term effects. One key factor of management is planning. Through planning, management is able to secure and allocate human resources, financial resources, technological resources as well as natural resources to support the predominant objectives (Stewart, 1963).On the other hand, organizing requires that managers establish a structure of working relationships to allow organizational members to interact and cooperate to achieve organizational goals. Tentatively, leading requires managers not only to articulate a clear vision for organizational members to follow but also energize and enable organizational members to appreciate and understand the part they play in achieving organizational goals. Controlling entails the process of evaluation of how well an organization is achieving its goals and taking action to maintain or improve performance.It is based on the fact that managing an activity effectively depends on periodically monitoring and evaluation. Separate activities inevitably need co-ordination and control lest they fail to achieve what is expected of them (Knights & Wilmott, 1999). Even then, it calls for managers to understand and apply the Competing Values Framework which basically empowers them to appreciate conflicting values and integrate them successfully, so that their organizations are open to collaboration and growth.Through the competing values framework, they are able to oversee teams that work towards opposite goals and integrating them at the right time, so that each value can be developed successfully. Burns (2004) clearly demonstrated the role management and ascertained that management typically involves working in a highly fragmented way. Managers play interpersonal roles, where they serve as organizational figure heads, leaders and liaison. Moreover, they play informational roles whereby they serve as informational monitors, disseminators of information and organizational spokespersons.In addition, they play decisional roles where they are organizational entrepreneurs, handle disciplinary cases, resource allocators and are organizational negotiators (Huczynski & Buchanan, 2001). To effectively play these roles, managers need the support of others and hence, they must not take that support for granted. This means, they must do things in a way that maintains an acceptable degree of internal and external support. 2. – APPLICATION 2. 1. – Easy Jet profile Easy Jet Airline Company is an excellent example of a no-frills airline based in Londo n. Stelios Haji-Ioannou founded the company in 1995.The carrier copies the Texas based low cost carrier. It has reduced its fare to almost one-third the amounts charged by State sponsored airlines like British Airways. The company mostly focuses on direct selling as a key part of controlling cost. It has the company’s URL painted on both sides of the Jets in its trademark orange. Easy Jet bases its idea on the principle that the determining factor in air transport is price elasticity. Initially, airlines operated on the assumption that the number of passengers grows in line with the economy and cutting of conveyance fees will result to reduced revenue.Easy Jet operates on 125 routes from 39 European airports. Its main airports are Luton, Liverpool, Geneva, and Amsterdam and were operating 72 aircrafts by November 2003 (Easy Jet Airline Company). The company’s mission statement is to provide customers with a safe, good value point-to-point air services. To ensure consis tent, reliable product and fares, appealing to leisure and business markets on a range of European Routes. Evidently, Easy Jet is in mass transport business. It focuses on leisure and business travellers offering them point to point air transport with safe, good value.Easy Jet as at 30 September 2009 had a staff of 8,000 people throughout Europe (Easy Jet Airline Company). 2. 2. – PESTEL Analysis PESTEL analyses are the factors that are likely to have an impact on the airline business and they need to be taken into consideration when formulating a working marketing plan for Easy Jet. Political Factor Due to the war going on in Iraq, Afghanistan and the rest of Middle East, the threat of airline attacks and air jacking is eminent. This is likely to reduce the numbers of routes to the Middle East, thereby reducing the evenue. The government does not consider air mile a taxable benefit this may give Easy Jet a level ground to compete against the State sponsored airline like Brit ish Airways. The possible East enlargement of European Union may provide viable new markets for the Easy Jet. The dynamic nature of the economy causes constant price fluctuation. This leads to increase in prices of fuel, which affects the net profit of a company, which in return reduces the amount Easy Jet, can commit to corporate social responsibility (Henry 2008). Economic FactorEasy Jet Airline is likely to be affected by increasing fuel costs, congestion, and other environmental restrictions such as noise and air pollution. In addition, there is a prospect of increased security and insurance costs to reflect the risk posted by terrorism. There is also recession, which is likely to last for a longer time this will cause business and leisure travellers to check on their travelling expenses. More business emerged for Easy Jet after the introduction of a single currency, which makes Europe, integrated (David 2001).Technological Factor Improvement in technology will have an effect on Easy Jet. This technological advancement is such as use of internet on booking of tickets, advertising, distribution, and cost synergies from industry consolidation (Henry 2008). The key issue to Easy Jet is whether these improved technologies are going to offset the upward pressure on prices and costs. For Easy Jet to gain competitive advantage they have to keep abreast with the advancement in the field of e-commerce and aircraft manufacture.Improvement in technology increasingly becomes cheaper reducing barriers to entry for competitors to join. This may result to a reduced level of profits for the Easy Jet. To counter this, research and development expenditure acts as an obstruction to deter potential entrants into the markets, this give Easy Jet a more competitive advantage over their rivals in the airline industry (David 2001). Social Factor Easy Jet values the safety of their customers, airline, and its staff. This mission statement motivates and attracts passengers to fly ag ain after assurance of safe and secure flights.Easy Jet must be heavy internet dependent for booking and checking of flights. Therefore, to satisfy customers, quick and easy service method needs to be adopted. Easy Jet maintains high, career standards, which lead to staffs to commit themselves on an excellent standard service (Henry 2008). 2. 3. – Porters Five Forces To get a better analysis of the airline industry, there is a need to use porter’s five forces. The concepts determine the competitive intensity and attractiveness of company to survive in a given market.The Threat of Substitute There is minimal competition from other alternative means of transport. The cost and time advantage of aircrafts outweighs the comfort of cars and train. Easy Jet has partly addressed this issue by providing low cost flight that has seen an increase in customer because it is first and convenient. Although, other means may be cheap but delays caused by breakdown and traffic makes cus tomers opt to travel on air (Porter 2008). The Threat of New Entrants Threats of new entrants are minimized by high capital requirements.Easy Jet started on a loan of 5 million Euros and had two aircrafts. The investment needed an initial sum of 50 Euros, which it raised to speed up expansion plan through debts. The company has purchased other airlines through acquisition and has made it have a competitive advantage over other players in the market. Easy Jet have to be aware of new entries that come with new innovate ways of doing business and incentives that will attract customers. The company should have strategies that will see it survive in this industry (David 2001).The Power of Suppliers Easy Jet Company has less power to alter the prices of fuel as prices of fuel relate directly to cost of fuel. Easy Jet operates a single type of aircraft until recently. This dependency on one manufacture could pose a serious threat in the future (David 2001). The expansion and the acquisitio ns the company has made the bargaining power on its suppliers has increased. The purchase of low cost carrier has helped the company to offer better services to its customer and retain them (Porter 2008). The Power of BuyersPower of buyers in the airline industry is much stronger because customers will window shop for better price. The customers usually exploit existence of price discrepancies; this means that the operator must regularly keep watch on the prices. Easy Jet needs to establish the customers’ loyalty because of low switching costs (Porter 2008). Rivalry among Existing Firms Easy Jet faces a lot of competition in UK. Among its key rivals is Ryan air, BMIbaby, MyTravelLite and Buzz. In its expansion plan, Virgin express, Hapag Lloyd Express and Air Berlin might become major competitors.British Airways is also a competitor though it targets other markets segments. Easy Jet focuses on offering convenient services for instance flex fare that allows free of charge chan ges to flight within a window. The company also gives its customer the option to transfer on to an earlier without extra charge. This has made the company enjoy a large market and remain competitive in the industry (Porter 2008). 2. 4. – SWOT Strengths †¢Strong e-business. †¢Innovative and flexible organization. Weaknesses †¢No customer retention policy. †¢Unappealing for business travellers. Opportunities †¢Reduced aircraft prices The recession: Favourable, as people are more con-conscientious. Threats †¢Difficulties to expand. †¢Saturated market. 3. 0. – THE CHALLENGE A recession refers to a period of economic decline or contraction in the Gross Domestic Product for six months or longer, but does not last longer than a year. It is characterized by high levels of unemployment, stagnant wage rates and decline in sales. Typically, recessions are considered a normal part of a capitalist economy and there has not been an obvious cause of a recession though most of the time, the blame falls on the federal leadership.As such, recessions portend negative and positive consequences (Handy, 1988). One of the positive effects is realized in cases of layoffs. This period provides employees an opportunity to evaluate and re-evaluate their career choices, work, skills and opportunity to secure other better jobs. As such it is a chance to invest in other potential business ventures. Many experts have termed a recession as a relaxed ambiance for starting a small business after which one can work their way to the top.Moreover, a recession presents an opportunity to save as people are hesitant to spend. Tentatively, recessions are characterized by low mortgage rates in the process providing an opportunity to invest in property. In addition, recessions lead to greater consumer and travel deals as stores offer discounts and encourage bargains to attract consumers and entice purchasing of their products (Collinson, 1992). Despite t he positive sides of recession, it presents detrimental negative consequences. It is important that to note that this process leads to lower conomic activity, falling stocks and slumping dividends and extensive retrenchment otherwise known as laying off employees. Because of this, the effect of recession in an organization cannot be underestimated. During this economic droop, there are reported cases of falling stocks, credit impairment and bankruptcy, employee layoffs and benefit reduction, cuts to quality goods and services and reduced customer access tale place (Mintzberg, 1979). This causes a discrepancy in the business operations and consequently negatively impacts its profitability. . 0. – RECOMMENDATION A business operating over a recession period, is subjected to a high risk environment, thus, the recommendable CVF model to adopt is the open systems model. The model has proved effective in steering many organizations through continuous adaptation and innovation (Pugh, 1990). The model not only encourages creative problem solving, innovation and management of change. This has lead to the acquisition and keeping of necessary external resources needed for organizational success and improved performance. . 0. – REFERENCES Boddy, D. 2008. Management: An Introduction (4th ed. ) London: FT Prentice Hall. Burnes, B. 2004. Managing Change: A Strategic Approach to Organizational Dynamics, 4thed. Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education. Collinson, D. 1992. Managing the Shop floor. Berlin: Walter De Gruyter. David, F, (2001), Strategic Management: Concepts & Cases, Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River. Easy Jet Airline, Available at < http://www. easyjet. com> [May 2012]. Handy, CB. 1988. Understanding Organizations. London: Penguin.Henry, A, (2008), Understanding Strategic Management, Oxford University Press Huczynski, A. & Buchanan, D. 2001. Organizational Behavior: An Introductory Text. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall. Knights, D. and Wilmott, H. 1999. Management Lives. London: Sage. Mintzberg, H. 1979. The Nature of Managerial Work. Englewood Cliffs. Prentice-Hall Porter, M, (2008), On Competition, Harvard Business School Pub: Boston. Pugh, DS. 1990. Organization Theory: Selected Readings. London. Penguin. Stewart, R. 1963. The Reality of Management. London. Heinemann.

Asian Americans as Model Minorities essays

Asian Americans as Model Minorities essays For 20 years, Asian Americans have been portrayed by the press and the media as a successful minority. Asian Americans are believed to benefit from astounding achievements in education, rising occupational statuses, increasing income, and are problem-fee in mental health and crime. The idea of Asian Americans as a model minority has become the central theme in media portrayal of Asian Americans since the middle 1960s. The term model minority is given to a minority group that exhibits middle class characteristics, and attains some measure of success on its own without special programs or welfare. Asian Americans are seen as a model minority because even though they have faced prejudice and discrimination by other racial groups, they have succeeded socially, economically, and educationally without resorting to political or violent disagreements with the majority race. The success of the minority is offered as proof that the American dream of equal opportunity is capable to those who conform and who are willing to work hard. Therefore, the term model minority really is a means (1) to control minority groups in society, (2) to validate and reinforce the values of the white majority, and (3) to inform other minority groups that they too could achieve success if they conform to the values and norms of the middle class. Statistics that support this model minority theory can be found in many areas, the first being education. Fifty percent of Asian Americans 25 and older hold a bachelors degree compared to twenty-nine percent of the white population. Many studies have used standardized tests and school records, such as SAT, GPA, and other measures to compare the academic performance of Asian American students with non-Asian American students. Several studies have indicated that the outstanding academic performance of Asian students might be attributed to their cultural ...

William C. Quantrill and the Lawrence Massacre

William C. Quantrill and the Lawrence Massacre William Clarke Quantrill was a Confederate captain during the American Civil War and was responsible for the Lawrence massacre, which was one of the worst and bloodiest events in the war. Quantrill was born in Ohio in 1837. He decided to become a schoolteacher as a young man and started his profession. However, he decided to leave Ohio to try and make more money for himself and his family. At this time, Kansas was deeply embroiled in violence between pro-slavery and free-soil proponents. He had grown up in a Unionist family, and he himself espoused Free Soil beliefs. He found it hard to make money in Kansas and, after returning home for a time, decided to quit his profession and sign up as a teamster from Fort Leavenworth. His mission in Leavenworth was to resupply the Federal Army embroiled in a fight against the Mormons in Utah. During this mission, he met numerous pro-slavery Southerners who deeply affected his beliefs. By the time he returned from his mission, he had become a staunch Southern supporter. He also found that he could make much more money through thievery. Thus, Quantrill began a much less legitimate career. When the Civil War began, he gathered a small band of men and began making profitable hit-and-run attacks against the Federal troops. Quantrill's Deeds Quantrill and his men staged numerous raids into Kansas during the early part of the Civil War. He was quickly labeled an outlaw by the Union for his attacks on pro-Union forces. He was involved in several skirmishes with Jayhawkers (pro-Union guerilla bands) and eventually was made a Captain in the Confederate Army. His attitude towards his role in the Civil War drastically changed in 1862 when the Commander of the Department of Missouri, Major General Henry W. Halleck ordered that guerrillas such as Quantrill and his men would be treated as robbers and murderers, not normal prisoners of war. Before this proclamation, Quantrill acted as if he were a normal soldier adhering to principals of accepting enemy surrender. After this, he gave an order to give no quarter. In 1863, Quantrill set his sights on Lawrence, Kansas which he said was full of Union sympathizers. Before the attack occurred, many female relatives of Quantrills Raiders were killed when a prison collapsed in Kansas City. The Union Commander was given the blame and this fanned the already fearsome flames of the Raiders. On August 21, 1863, Quantrill led his band of about 450 men into Lawrence, Kansas. They attacked this pro-Union stronghold killing over 150 men, few of them offering resistance. In addition, Quantrills Raiders burned and looted the town. In the North, this event became known as the Lawrence Massacre and was vilified as one of the worst events of the Civil War. The Motive Quantrill was either a Confederate patriot punishing northern sympathizers or a profiteer taking advantage of the war for his own and his mens benefit. The fact that his band did not kill any women or children would seem to point to the first explanation. However, the group did wantonly kill men who were most likely simple farmers many without any real connection to the Union. They also burned numerous buildings to the ground. The looting further suggests that Quantrill did not have purely ideological motives for attacking Lawrence. However, in response to this, many of the Raiders are said to have ridden through the streets of Lawrence yelling Osceola. This referred to an event in Osceola, Missouri where Federal Officer, James Henry Lane, had his men burn and loot both Loyal and Confederate sympathizers indiscriminately. Quantrill's Legacy as an Outlaw Quantrill was killed in 1865 during a raid in Kentucky. However, he quickly became a celebrated figure of the Civil War from the southern perspective. He was a hero to his supporters in Missouri, and his fame actually helped several other outlaw figures of the Old West. The James Brothers and the Youngers used the experienced they gained riding with Quantrill to help them rob banks and trains. Members of his Raiders gathered from 1888 to 1929 to recount their war efforts. Today there is a William Clarke Quantrill Society dedicated to the study of the Quantrill, his men and the border wars.

M26 Pershing Tank in World War II

M26 Pershing Tank in World War II The M26 Pershing was a heavy tank developed for the U.S. Army during World War II. Conceived as a replacement for the iconic M4 Sherman, the M26 suffered from an extended design and development process as well as political infighting among the U.S. Armys leadership. The M26 arrived in the final months of the conflict and proved effective against the latest German tanks. Retained after the war, it was upgraded and evolved. Deployed during the Korean War, the M26 proved superior to the tanks used by Communist forces but struggled at times with the difficult terrain and suffered from various issues with its systems. The M26 was later replaced by the Patton series of tank in the U.S. Army. Development Development of the M26 began in 1942 as production was beginning on the M4 Sherman medium tank. Initially intended to be a follow-on for the M4, the project was designated T20 and was to serve as a test bed for experimenting with new types of guns, suspensions, and transmissions. T20 series prototypes employed a new torqmatic transmission, the Ford GAN V-8 engine, and the new 76 mm M1A1 gun. As testing moved forward, problems emerged with the new transmission system and a parallel program was established, designated T22, which utilized the same mechanical transmission as the M4. A third program, the T23, was also created to test a new electric transmission which had been developed by General Electric. This system quickly proved to have performance advantages in rough terrain as it could adjust to rapid changes in torque requirements. Pleased with the new transmission, the Ordnance Department pushed the design forward. Possessing a cast turret mounting the 76 mm gun, the T23 was produced in limited numbers during 1943, but did not see combat. Instead, its legacy proved to be its turret which was later utilized in 76 mm gun-equipped Shermans. Panther Tank. Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-300-1876-02A A New Heavy Tank With the emergence of the new German Panther and Tiger tanks, efforts began within the Ordnance Department to develop a heavier tank to compete with them. This resulted in the T25 and T26 series which built upon the earlier T23. Devised in 1943, the T26 saw the addition of a 90 mm gun and substantially heavier armor. Though these greatly increased the tanks weight, the engine was not upgraded and the vehicle proved underpowered. Despite this, the Ordnance Department was pleased with the new tank and worked to move it towards production. The first production model, T26E3, possessed a cast turret mounting a 90 mm gun and required a crew of four. Powered by the Ford GAF V-8, it utilized a torsion bar suspension and torqmatic transmission. Construction of the hull consisted of a combination of castings and rolled plate. Entering service, the tank was designated M26 Pershing heavy tank. The name was selected to honor General John J. Pershing who had founded the U.S. Armys Tank Corps during World War I. M26 Pershing DimensionsLength: 28 ft. 4.5 in.Width: 11 ft. 6 in.Height: 9 ft. 1.5 in.Weight: 41.7 tonsArmor ArmamentPrimary Gun: M3 90 mmSecondary Armament: 2 Ãâ€" Browning .30-06 cal. machine guns, 1 Ãâ€" Browning .50 cal. machine gunArmor: 1-4.33 in.PerformanceEngine: Ford GAF, 8-cylinder, 450–500 hpSpeed: 25 mphRange: 100 milesSuspension: Torsion BarCrew: 5 Production Delays As design of the M26 came to completion, its production was delayed by an ongoing debate in the U.S. Army regarding the need for a heavy tank. While Lieutenant General Jacob Devers, the head of U.S. Army forces in Europe advocated for the new tank, he was opposed by Lieutenant General Lesley McNair, commander Army Ground Forces. This was further complicated by Armored Commands desire to press on the M4 and concerns that a heavy tank would not be able to use the Army Corps of Engineers bridges. With the backing of General George Marshall, the project remained alive and production moved forward in November 1944. While some claim that Lieutenant General George S. Patton played a key role in delaying the M26, these assertions are not well supported. Ten M26s were built in November 1943, with production escalating at the Fisher Tank Arsenal. Production also commenced at the Detroit Tank Arsenal in March 1945. By the end of 1945, over 2,000 M26s had been built. In January 1945, experiments began on the Super Pershing which mounted the improved T15E1 90mm gun. This variant was only produced in small numbers. Another variant was the M45 close support vehicle which mounted a 105 mm howitzer. An M26 Pershing of A Company, 14th Tank Battalion, is transported aboard a pontoon ferry across the Rhine on March 12, 1945. National Archives and Records Administration World War II Following American losses to German tanks in the Battle of the Bulge the need for the M26 became clear. The first shipment of twenty Pershings arrived in Antwerp in January 1945. These were split between the 3rd and 9th Armored Divisions and were the first of 310 M26s to reach Europe before the end of the war. Of these, around 20 saw combat. The M26s first action occurred with the 3rd Armored on February 25 near the Roer River. Four M26s were also involved in the 9th Armoreds capture of the Bridge at Remagen on March 7-8. In encounters with Tigers and Panthers, the M26 performed well. In the Pacific, a shipment of twelve M26s departed on May 31 for use in the Battle of Okinawa. Due to a variety of delays, they did not arrive until after the fighting had ended. Korea Retained after the war, the M26 was re-designated as a medium tank. Assessing the M26, it was decided to rectify the issues of its under-powered engine and problematic transmission. Beginning in January 1948, 800 M26s received new Continental AV1790-3 engines and Allison CD-850-1 cross-drive transmissions. Along with a new gun and host of other modifications, these altered M26s were redesignated as the M46 Patton. USMC M26 Pershing tank advancing in Korea, September 4, 1950. National Archives and Records Administration With the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, the first medium tanks to reach Korea were a provisional platoon of M26s dispatched from Japan. Additional M26s reached the peninsula later that year where they fought alongside M4s and M46s. Though performing well in combat, the M26 was withdrawn from Korea in 1951 due to reliability issues associated with its systems. The type was retained by U.S. forces in Europe until the arrival of new M47 Pattons in 1952-1953. As the Pershing was phased out of American service, it was provided to NATO allies such as Belgium, France, and Italy. The Italians used the type until 1963.

The Electronic Appliance Maker And Marketer (Samsung) Essay

The Electronic Appliance Maker And Marketer (Samsung) - Essay Example No company is a unique entity independent of its external environment. These factors influence how a business operates and compiling a pest analysis generates valuable information to analyze a company’s business environment as a whole (Johnson, 2008). Political Despite the political situation being conducive in the majority of the countries where it operates, Samsung faces serious, political threats in its countries of operation. The political climate in South Korea has recently become a perturbing for Samsung, and the company faces similar political instability in North Korea (Michell, 2010). The situation is not as grave  as that in some of the countries where it operates. In African and South East Asian countries, Samsung is experiencing a discrete limitation due to the harsh business environment. The company enjoys favorable political conditions in countries like china and India, allowing it to build a better focus and concentrate on the markets. South Korea's relations with China have improved recently, creating a favorable business environment for Samsung. Taxes in China are also low, and the Chinese tariffs are on a declining trend (Michell, 2010). Economic Since entering the China market, Samsung posted its first profit in 1911 and 23 of its local manufacturing companies achieved a cumulative surplus in 2000. The company started to formulate a new business strategy for undertaking its business in china at the group level after the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States (Luo, 2001). The attacks highlighted how the company’s reliance on the US market left it vulnerable. Samsung reconstructed its global strategies around china in order to overcome the... This paper approves that Samsung is an established comprehensive manufacturer of electronic components and parts, therefore playing a significant role in the electronic industry. Its competitive strategy, vision and mission have focused on differentiation and cost leadership. Samsung statements have included continuous development leadership and competitive production costs with high quality being one of its major strategic items. The company has been investing on strengthening its cost competitiveness and restructuring its production mix. It is constantly improving its innovation, quality, and customer service to stay competitive. Strong innovation is a key priority for product differentiation and Samsungs manufacturing system focuses on flexibility, quality, and retaining balance to attain the core of problems faster. This strategy is critical in the company’s effort to attain international recognition as being a leader in the industry. The company also stresses on securing the latest level of technology and quality assurance at the highest standard possible in attempts to continue improving reliability. This report makes a conclusion that the company has developed a strong structural integration which includes production, procurement, marketing, and research and development. Through this everyone in the company shares information and logistics on a real-time basis to support organizational downsizing, management renovation and engineering concurrently. Samsung has insisted on sticking to its purchasing policy in obtaining superior quality.

Workers Compensation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Workers Compensation - Research Paper Example The history of worker’s compensation has been gradually transformed and improved in management policies of different countries. Currently, American employers provide their employees with insurances funded by them Medical and rehabilitation costs should be covered by employers as well. There is an evident improvement in the sphere of worker’s compensation in the world in comparison with the ancient times. Historical overview of worker’s compensation During the ancient times, it was suggested to compensate a worker’s bodily injury in case he got a trauma at work. The code of Hammurabi approved in 1750 B.C. describes different ways of compensation of bodily injury. Basically, the principle of equality and just was the main trigger of this Code (Lencsis, 1998). For example, if a man slave lost his bodily part of was injured he should receive monetary compensation. There was no exact definition of impairment or disability, but the roots of further development of worker’s compensation have been already seen. Further on, the worker’s compensation has been developed, amended and improved. A concept of a nobleness of a lord, who cares for his injured slave, has been widely propagated during the Medieval Ages. The roots of American worker’s compensation should be found in the Prussian system. The main principles was that injures at work were equal to life situations and an employer had to compensate bodily injures to his workers.

Gillette&#8364;&#8482;s Energy Drain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gilletteâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Energy Drain - Essay Example Gillette can also use its goodwill in the market to increase brand saliency. It can also show the bigness of the brand by telling people that it is a part of Gillette Family.. It should inform people that the raw-materials used by Duracell are better than those used by competitors. Using the VRIO framework, the firm can exploit its brand to help with the brand positioning. However, since competition threat is high, due to lack of barriers to entry, more competition is going enter the industry and will threat Duracell’s position in the market. This will further drain the resources. However, looking from the SCP model, the firm cannot change much about the structure, it can improve its own conduct and start acting like a market leader. It can also improve the product’s appeal to make it look better than competing brands of batteries. Duracell can also join hands with one of its competitor to share knowledge and technology to operate in the market as a bigger brand. This would also help the new bigger firm to exploit all the benefits of economies of scale and to lower its costs to compete with the cheaper brands of batteries. It will really helpful in improve the financial statements of the company and to tackle declining stock prices and deteriorating income statement. The company should try not to divest the brand as it would decrease the product line and hence the firm will then have all eggs in one basket. It will be harmful for the company because any volatility in the razor’s division is going to have a bad effect on the overall liquidity position of the firm. Hence, the firm should consider merging with another firm in order to increase market share and reduce the intensity of competition in the

Business Research Methods Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Research Methods - Term Paper Example From the paper the most obvious weakness of the questionnaire is the lack to give a brief description of the purpose of the research, there is need to include a brief description to the respondents on what the research is aimed at finding out. The other problem with the questionnaire is that the questions are not logically set, there is a need to set the questions in a logical manner and opt to mix them up. This is achieved by grouping questions that tend to get some information together and arranging the questions from simple questions to the more complex question. The format of the questions in the questionnaire is mixed up and does not follow this rule. The other crucial information missing from this questionnaire is the information on confidentiality, there is need to add a note on the extent to which ethical issues on confidentiality will be observed, this will ensure that the respondents don't give biased information as a result of fear of exposure of information. Therefore there is a need to give a statement that tells the respondent about the level of confidentiality. Descriptions on where to return the complete questionnaire are also missing, there is need to clearly explain where to return the form and also advice the respondent to completely fill out all the questions because a questionnaire that is not fully filled is always discarded. The other drawback with the questionnaire is that there are two questions in one question, this is evident from the use of the word "and" in the questions, a research question in a questionnaire should not contain two question and thi9s is avoided by not using and in the question, this is evident from question 15 and 7, the problem with the two questions is that the respondent is not sure which question to answer and this leads to biases in responses given.  Ã‚  

The Ethics of Teaching Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Ethics of Teaching - Essay Example The case 16 -1: 'Out of Step' in the book The Ethics of Teaching: A Casebook by Spiegel, Whitley, and Balogh is a perfect situation which needs to be opposed. The sexist humor of Professor Anachronistic in the case is a perfect example of discrimination and only strong opposition to such behaviors can serve the good purpose of teaching. Sexist discrimination by learned people cannot be tolerated at any rate and teachers with such attitudes can devalue the status of this noble profession. There are also views which support the attitude of Professor Anachronistic who enjoys a sexist humor approach to making his point. They claim that such comments are not too condemnable, but need to be taken in a lighter spirit. According to this view, teachers need to enjoy such humorous sense in keeping the interest of the students. However, according to my personal opinion, the attitude and the comments by Professor Anachronistic must be regarded as an incursion into private and sexual freedom. "Sex is now clearly an issue in public policy" and strong actions must be made on such individuals who cause sexual discrimination. (David, 1983, p 141). Spiegel, Patricia Keith., Whitley, Bernard E., and Balogh, Deborah Ware. (2002). The Ethics of Teaching: A Casebook. Taylor & Francis. p 181.

Business Research Methods Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Research Methods - Term Paper Example From the paper the most obvious weakness of the questionnaire is the lack to give a brief description of the purpose of the research, there is need to include a brief description to the respondents on what the research is aimed at finding out. The other problem with the questionnaire is that the questions are not logically set, there is a need to set the questions in a logical manner and opt to mix them up. This is achieved by grouping questions that tend to get some information together and arranging the questions from simple questions to the more complex question. The format of the questions in the questionnaire is mixed up and does not follow this rule. The other crucial information missing from this questionnaire is the information on confidentiality, there is need to add a note on the extent to which ethical issues on confidentiality will be observed, this will ensure that the respondents don't give biased information as a result of fear of exposure of information. Therefore there is a need to give a statement that tells the respondent about the level of confidentiality. Descriptions on where to return the complete questionnaire are also missing, there is need to clearly explain where to return the form and also advice the respondent to completely fill out all the questions because a questionnaire that is not fully filled is always discarded. The other drawback with the questionnaire is that there are two questions in one question, this is evident from the use of the word "and" in the questions, a research question in a questionnaire should not contain two question and thi9s is avoided by not using and in the question, this is evident from question 15 and 7, the problem with the two questions is that the respondent is not sure which question to answer and this leads to biases in responses given.  Ã‚  

A Sense of Environmental Consideration Research Paper

A Sense of Environmental Consideration - Research Paper Example Ecological deterioration results from several sources. However, these sources can fall under two categories namely natural and anthropogenic causes. Anthropogenic causes of environmental degradation include industrial activities, mining, agriculture and developmental infrastructure. The success of all these activities revolves around the modification of the environment in several ways. The constructions of industries require space. As such, vegetations are cleared to create space for such constructions. This renders the soil void of vegetation, thus, exposes it to threats of soil erosion (Nemeth, 2012). This leads to environmental degradation through loss of soil fertility, thus reducing the agricultural potentials. This culminates to food crises. The loss of vegetation through environmental degradation is critical n causing the issues of global warming. This follows that there will be little or no vegetation to absorb the temperature as well as the light from the sun. In addition, t he loss of vegetation means little incidences of surface albedo (Nemeth, 2012). Therefore, the surface reflectivity of the sun’s rays will be hampered. This means that more heat will be absorbed by the surface of the soil and will be released gradually to the atmosphere. This causes global warming. The increased temperatures in the atmosphere may affect the ozone layer, causing its depletion. This may be responsible for changing the weather patterns thereby affecting several activities on the global perspective. Environmental degradation may also follow the activities of several industries.

Theories of Ageing and Their Impact on Health and Social Care Essay Example for Free

Theories of Ageing and Their Impact on Health and Social Care Essay Theories of ageing and their impact on Health and Social Care Provision (D2) During life span and development, we learned about each of the stages of life. In this report I am going to focus on the final stage which is elderly. In today’s society the population of elderly people is rising. As the population of elderly people is rising, it means the need for health and social care services is rising too. As health care services have improved so much over the last number of years, it also means that elderly people will be able to live longer because of improved services and more awareness about health. 10 million people in the UK are over 65 years old. The latest projections are for 5? million more elderly people in 20 years’ time and the number will have nearly doubled to around 19 million by 2050’ – parliament UK As people start to age, most retire around the age of 65/70. For many this is a positive thing as it means more free time and also many elderly people deserve to retire as they have worked hard during their life. When a person retires they may use the time to travel or to get more involved with their community. Some may also move abroad to get more experiences and make the most of the free time they have. Many people continue life-long learning after retirement and may take up a new hobby, sport or language to fill up their free time. However, not everyone’s retirement or becoming elderly is positive. Many elderly people who are not as active may develop an illness or become very lonely. If an elderly person was to develop an illness, it may make them less mobile, depending on the severity of the illness and may end up making them become disengaged from everyone. Dependency is another aspect that elderly people have to face at some point towards the end of their life or even at the start of ageing if they do develop an illness. Many elderly people that go into care homes sometimes feel neglected and a burden. They then may not have as positive end of life as others. The government plays an important role in providing care and other services for elderly people. There are many services that are already in place for people who are 65+. Some examples are: * Free bus passes * Dental care * Eye care * Heating allowances * Free TV licences Free hearing aids * Home helps * Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy treatment free of charge These are just some examples of what is available for people aged 65+. There are many other measures being put in place all the time for elderly people. The government also constantly make positive changes to health care services. E. G. there are more care homes and domiciliary carers now than there would have been 20 years ago. A number of years ago, many elderly people would have been put in hospital and left there till they died however this is not the case anymore. Elderly people now have a choice whether they want to stay at home or go into a type of care setting. There are many ways in which the government have put measures in place to work around the service user and not to go by what the organisation wants. E. G. an elderly person has the choice of having a carer in each day to help them or whether or not they would rather go into care home. This is a positive change because it means not as many elderly people will have to worry about being put into a home without their consent. The government also have in place a pension. This can help an elderly person to live once they retire or run out of savings. Some elderly people may sell their house to cover the cost of living in a care home. This can then cause problems for families as they do not get anything. During my work placement I got talking to an elderly lady who was telling me about her 40 grandchildren that she has and how she would have to give them all money at Christmas. She said she shouldn’t really have given them all money because she can’t afford it but that it was something she always did. There are many reasons in today’s society why there are elderly people living in poverty. There are many cut backs being made that affects everyone although more so than others E. G. an elderly person. If an elderly person doesn’t have any savings and are just relying on benefits then they may start to struggle. A lot of elderly people go into residential care simply because they cannot afford to live alone and provide food and heat for themselves. For unfortunate elderly people who become ill, then they may face barriers too because they may be on a waiting list for something that they urgently need. Many elderly people do not have family to help and support them either and so some end up isolated and having to face problems on their own. In some cases, there are problems with domiciliary carers coming into an elderly person’s house. The statistics for levels of abuse states that the highest number of cases of abuse takes place in someone’s own home. This is a problem because an elderly person is vulnerable, especially if they are ill or have a mental health problem. However, there are many measures put in place now to try and prevent abuse happening E. G. eople who apply for a caring job have to be vetted and police checked, inspections are done in care homes more frequently and elderly people have advocates to speak up for them. Finally, elderly people should look at ageing as a positive aspect of their life because there are so many ways in which they can have a happy end of life and many other reasons why they shouldn’t become disengaged to everyone. Also , elderly people still have many opportunities to learn new skills and can also gain more experiences which should be enjoyed and treasured E. G. having grandchildren and watching their family grow.

Theories of Culture in Organisations

Theories of Culture in Organisations In this chapter the researcher will provide review theories relevant to the stated research questions. The culture is the important subject that can be explained and defined in many ways. The Hall (1976) explains the culture as a mans medium that forms the human life of an individual. Accordingly there is not one phase of human life that is not influenced by culture. This means personality, how people behaves to others and express themselves, how they move and solve the issues, how their critics are planned and put forward, as well as how government and economic systems are put together and function. According to Hofstade, (1997) culture is the collective programming of the mind based on values. Stark (2001), suggested that diversity not only includes race and gender, but also goals, values, role expectations and thoughts. Thus there is an infinite range of individuals characteristics and experiences that can be labelled diverse. They can include elements such as age, sexual orientation, religion, physical disability, life style, physical appearance, economic status, education, family type and geographic orientation Thomas (1991) credits the emergence of diversity, as an issue, to three factors: the global market which makes doing business intensely competitive, the changing composition of the workforce (Toosi, 2002), and the increase in individuals celebrating their differences instead of contesting what makes them unique. A broader definition and the emergence of diversity as an important issue, helps set the stage for diversity being recognized as a potential source for competitive advantage Perry and Mankin (2004) identified the importance of perception in influencing trust in management. They identified that staff perception of management turnover increases difficulty in attaining employee trust as it instils feelings of insecurity. Lee and Brand (2005) found a positive correlation between perceived personal control over the physical environment and self-reported job satisfaction. They also found that perceived personal control was positively related to workplace satisfaction. The perception of management support will positively impact upon trust. Research has found (Stokols et al., 2002) that greater perceived support for creativity at work is associated with lower stress and greater job satisfaction Cultural diversity has an important place in the communicational problems in multinational or global business. Informing incompletely about cultural structure and properties of an employee group causes wrong estimations in the period of performance evaluation, measurement and, in general, the decision making of management (Akova, 2000; Deniz, 2000); in most multinational or global businesses difficulties are encountered in the performance evaluations of employees because of cultural needs of showing diversity. For instance, Americans prefer the announcement of their performance results directly to themselves, whereas Asians generally indirect ways. Thus, development of a standard performance evaluation system applicable in all departments of most multinational or global businesses would not be realistic (Arslan, 2001). From an employee perspective, research has shown that individuals who perceive that diversity is supported and encouraged in their workplace are likely to hold positiv e attitudes towards their organization, their job and their career (Hicks-Clarke and Iles, 2000). Such workplaces are characterized as having a positive atmosphere or climate for diversity, where this term is conceived of as the extent to which human resource diversity is valued and in which employees from diverse backgrounds feel welcomed and included (Hicks-Clarke and Iles, 2000, p. 324). Conversely, other studies have found that employees who do not feel valued because of their race and ethnicity consider that this negatively affects their job and career satisfaction and job involvement (Cox, 1993) and their ability to interact with others (Kossek and Zonia, 1993). West and Mayor (1997) in their study concluded that characteristics of top management team members affect the organisations capability to seek out and concentrate to compelling information about future conditions and competitive environments. 2.2 Different approach in managing the culturally diverse organization: The basic concept of managing diversity accepts that the work force consists of a diverse population of people. By realising the difference between the employees and if it is properly managed this will become a great asset for the organisation and work to be done will be more efficient and effective. Race, culture, ethnicity, gender, age and disability are examples of diversity factors. (Bartz, Hillman Lehrer, 1990:321) There are many definitions diversity management, but the essence of the concept contents that; Diversity management is founded on the premise that harnessing the differences of a diverse population of people, will create a productive environment in which everyone feels valued, where their talents are being fully utilised and in which organisational goals are met (Kandola Fullerton, 2000:8) Social scientists have been trying for long to identify the relationship between culture and behavior of the people in different regions. In many ways culture is no longer a terminology but it is interpreted as the set of guidelines for a society to live in (Venken 2002). On reflecting on this view the organizations can be viewed as the minor social institution. In general, culture is a vague concept and many scientists have tried to define it in many ways and measurement of this concept related to the definition (Perks and Sanderson 2000). Human resource management have tried to put forward the importance of the cultural diversity in business while the research exists only in the areas of human resource management such as recruitment, organizational socialization and in service training, it is widely viewed that there is a deep study needed in the field of cultural issues.(McGuire et al, 2002). The diversity movement is hailed by many as a positive change, in which organizations voluntarily engage in a process of systemic cultural transformation designed to eliminate any further forms of exclusion. This development coincides with a general change in the political climate seeking to reverse many of the legal mandates of the previous decades, most notably affirmative action. To reinforce the desired state of managing diversity at the organizational level, revised recruiting, appraisal, development, and reward systems, as well as an enforceable diversity policy need to be implemented (Allen and Montgomery, 2001; Hemphill and Haines, 1998; Miller, 1998). Ingley and Van der Walt (2003) have developed the two different frameworks to describe the diversity related to decision outcomes in firms. The decision outcomes can be related to the performance outcome of the firm because all decisions affect how a firm can use its resources to reach its performance goals. Thus, the frameworks can be useful to understand the connection between diversity and firm performance. The first framework in figure 1 shows how the outcomes of the decision process in boards are mediated by varying amounts of diversity. If the board is diverse then the outcome, according to this framework, can be unintended which may lead to the outcome that was originally intended. Moreover, the framework shows how diversity on the other hand can lead to an unintended but a more creative outcome than was intended, or lead to a situation where an agreement cannot be reached because of irresolvable conflicts (Ingley and van der Walt, 2003). The framework has the title Intended, unintended, and realized outcomes of diversity and board dynamics and is illustrated in figure The second framework is displayed in figure 3.2 and it shows diversity related to the strategic context and the quality of the decision process of the board. The framework shows that in a stable and safe business environment, more diverse boards may produce low quality decisions in contrast to more homogeneous boards. The literature points out that diversity in boards suits firms which operate in a more turbulent and changing environment where the strategic complexity is high (Ingley and van der Walt, 2003). The framework can be helpful in explaining differences between industries. The framework is called Diversity, strategic context, and board decision quality and is illustrated in figure 3.2. There are numerous studies that implicate that diversity in firms is a positive and maybe even necessary aspect to consider when the members of the BoD and TMT of a firm are appointed. Five arguments for diversity are presented by Wang and Clift (2009). First, the market is becoming more diverse. Thus, the firms could benefit from adapting to the customers different needs, and from creating a deeper understanding for the market and the customers. Second, an individuals beliefs, attributes and cognitive functioning are varying with variables such as age, gender, and race; this implicates that creativity and innovation is enhanced by diversity. Third, the variety of perspectives that emerge from diversity could lead to a wider range of alternatives for the decision makers to evaluate, which enables them to get a more effective problem solving process. Forth, diversity may lead to an improved understanding of the surrounding environment. Finally, diversity may enhance business in a global marketplace due to the cultural and ethnical dimensions of diversity, thus, enhancing the understanding of different cultures (Wang and Clift, 2009). Furthermore, Martell and Caroll (1995) say that creativity and innovation are closely related to a diverse group of people, which in turn makes it easier for the TMT to be flexible in a changing and dynamic business environment (Carson et al., 2004). 2.3 EFFECTIVENESS OF DIVERSITY MANAGEMEMNT: It has been in the discussion among the researchers about the effectiveness of the diversity management in the organization or business. The researchers and management gurus have argues various benefits of the diversity management of the different organizations that have increased the diversity measures of their organization. But the important parameter to be found is under what condition the diversity measure of the organization at its maximum. According the Haas (2008) the diversity measurement is methodologically complicated. And due to the variety of factors and situational outcomes of different studies are not able to complete. Hass distinguishes three main theories focusing on the role of gender, ethnicity and age factors to find out the firms performance. He used social identity theory based on Festingers work(1954) to study the individuals comparing themselves with the others in the organization. this comparison causes the team members to reflect on their performance level and it will lead to positive or negative level of self image to belong the other group. This will cause to increase the overall performance of the group. This comparison can be of individual level or on group level to increase the performance. The group comparison will make the group strong and it will ease the communication among the group members. Another perspective of the Hass is the similarity-attraction theory (Byrne, 1971). Based on the demographic characteristics the individuals perceive that they belong to similar groups and which nurture the trust, mutual cooperation and interaction among the group. It will lead to the formation of the subgroups thus causing the less functioning of the team at large. The third perspective distinguished by the Haas is information processing and decision making theories (Gruenfeld et al 1996). According to this view the heterogeneity within a group causes the improvement in information exchange and it enables the decision making. Normally the different group members have great variety of resources using more diverse networks than the homogeneous networks would do. It is to be noted that the this perspective pertains with the positive outcome of the diversity where as the other is more looking to the negative outcome of the group structures and processes. In Haass study of diversity and team performance linkage the first two perspective are much more supported by the results of the empirical studies reviewed than the third one. Most of the studies conducted by others gave negative results of the diverse groups and structures. So it can be conclude here that the elegance of the information processing and knowledge diversity perspective is defined by the messy reality and of the interpersonal and group process in the organizations. In other words the power of diversity is meets the reality of diversity of power and interest (Klein and Harrison, 2007). The context of the diversity and the effectiveness is addressed by the Lopez Fernandez and Sanchez Gardey. For this the diversity is defined in the multidimensional point of view associating the democratic diversity and human capital diversity. In the theoretical framework the Lopez and Gardy stress that the diversity doesnt influence the organizational or group performance directly but it is more influenced by the process like decision making process. Also the different configuration of human resource practices may affect the organizational dynamics differently, and at the end the group may have different affects on workgroup performance and sustainable competitive advantages. So in order to extract the benefits from the diverse work force the companies need to strategically place the human resource operations and systems. Lopez and Gardy found three different HRM orientations. The Individualistic control orientation The group development orientation The group control orientation The individualistic control orientation is referring to an orientation which is characterized by the Focus on individuals rather than on the work groups. Rigid control mechanism and little self control within the work groups Strong market orientation for achieving human capital rather than emphasizing the intra organizational development of human capital The group development orientation is characterized by the A strong focus on the work force rather than on individuals A system of open and flexible Human resource practice which allow self control within the work groups A focus on the intra organizational development of human capital The group control organization is characterized by the A strong emphasis on groups Rigid external control mechanism and a little self control Preference for external markets to recruit employees and no stress on intra organizational development of human capital According to the study conducted by the Hardy and Lopez it is found that the individual pattern hinders the decision making process in the diversified groups. The study also conclude that the to foster the cognitive benefits of the diversity, a collective and interactive HRM orientation suffices to benefits from the work group diversity. 2.4 ADVANTAGES OF DIVERSITY IN WORKPLACE: In many ways the culturally diverse organization is considered as the asset and resources. The diverse workforce is increasingly helpful when the organization is practicing new ideas or expanding the business plans, if the organizations are able to recognize the diverse potential on the work force then the greater advantage can be obtained (Iles 1995). There are a plethora of literatures claiming the performance advantages of the diverse work force over the homogeneous work structures (Cox, Lobel and MacLeod, 1991; Cox and Blake, 1991). one of the advantage is the redundant options for the multi cultural organizations in attracting and retaining the best talent. the capabilities and skills of the minorities and women offer a wide labor pool. The organizations that are able to attract and retain the minorities and offer the gradual career advancement treatment in the formal way gain competitive advantage and high quality human resource individuals. Researchers suggest that diversity provides benefits to organizations, including: the capability to attract and keep the best talent available; reduced costs due to lower turnover and fewer lawsuits; enhanced market understanding and marketing ability; greater creativity and innovations; better problem solving; greater organizational flexibility, better decision making; and better overall performance (Cox, 1993; Cox andBlake, 1991; Cox, 1991; Robinson and Dechant, 1997; Carlozzi, 1999; Griscombe and Mattis, 2002; McAllister, 1997; Watson et al., 1993). These benefits have the potential to influence organizational performance and the bottom-line. Also the diverse work force is more important to meet the demands and skills for competing and to satisfy the clientele in the extremely competing global marketplace. Such diverse organizations have a strong understanding of the requirements of the legal, political, social, economic and cultural environments of foreign nations (Adler, 1991). Second in hi-tech industries the wide range of talents generated by the ethnic and gender diverse organization becomes a huge advantage (Morgan 1989). The diverse organization are seems to be brilliant in the problem solving and have better ability to extract the meanings this will help to reflect the multitude of meaning regardless the group thinking. The diverse organizations tend to possess more organizational flexibility, and are better able to adapt to changes. Women, for instance, are said to have higher tolerance for ambiguity than men (Rotter and OConnell, 1982). 2.5 DISADVANTAGES OF DIVERSITY AT WORK PLACE: As in the many system the diverse organization has also its disadvantages over its moderate advantages. In problem solving situations the extraordinary cost in the financial and time resources may nullify the benefits of the diversity and it can lead to the dysfunctional conflicts. Diversity is not suited for the situations in the uncertainty and complexity which may lead to the frustration and confusion. Some time diversity can make difficulties to come to a decision on a particular course of action and it may result in developing the negative synergy and cultural clashes in within the team or organization. Traditionally the cultural conflicts within the organization between the minority and majority groups are solved in the favor of the majority groups this will cause the delivering full performance by the minority members in the critical situations. OReilly (1992) found diversity to be associated with lower level of psychological identification with group members which would tend to detract from overall performance and result in adverse effects on organizational measures of productivity, absenteeism and turnover. Homogenous groups have been found to outperform culturally diverse groups particularly where there are serious communications issues which make it more difficult for everybody to make optimal contributions to the group effort (Sheridan, 1994).The absenteeism and higher turnover are the two main problems identified in the multicultural organizations. Several researches shows that since 1960s the absenteeism among the minorities and woman is consistently higher on absenteeism and turnover than their majority counterparts OReilly(1992). There are also downsides with diversity. Ingley and Van der Walt refer to a study conducted by Milliken and Martins (1999) where some of the findings are pointing on the negative aspects of diversity. First, there could be problems with integration. Second, the turnover of members is higher in more diverse groups. Third, diversity could lead to affective costs (Ingley and van der Walt, 2003). Another issue regarding the negative effects of diversity is communication and coordination between members in a group as heterogeneity could inhibit the effective use of skills and knowledge (Van der Walt et al., 2006). Groups that are more diverse have a lower level of member satisfaction although this effect diminishes when the group stays together for a longer time (Ingley and van der Walt, 2003). 2.6 CHALLENGES WHILE PURSUING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ORGANIZATIONAL DIVERSITY Nonetheless the success of some organizations when deciding to manage their diversity, there are also some that have failed while attempting the same. There are several reason to be linked for the failure of in the initiatives of the diversity initiatives. One of the reasons is the lack of top management involvement. The long term effectiveness of the organizational culture is limited in these organizations where the lack of top management initiation mainly predominant (Konal, Prasad, Pringle, 2006). Some organizations are still viewing the diversity in the legal and compliance aspects only and are not addressing the important management/leadership qualities needed for the implementation at the hand. According to Susan Meisinger (2008) many organization concentrates their diversification completely on the issues around representation and compliance. If the organization include the diverse workforce and they use hiring policies that are in strict compliance with the law they believe t hat their diversity strategy is a success. Mullins(2008) also states that the diversity strategies in order to be successful must also focus on achieving strategic business results and look for ways to leverage diverse groups of workers to create new opportunities for success. Others are avoiding to address the specific cultural definitions that are present in each countrys specific needs and develop a diversity strategy around those needs to ensure that the organizational goals will be fulfilled. Another view is the pay for performance developed by the Trompenaars(1994), according to him many managers around the world are in favor of this principle but they translate differently the terms pay and performance. The culture is a time depended term and it will undergo changes due to the economic trends or migratory trends among the others. This will affect the organization and as in like the culture. The cultural values changes as the countrys value changes. This phenomenon will cause the new challenges for managers that needed to adapt their management styles in order to meet the organizational goals. It is to be noted that the all changes in the employees cant be addressed by the management in the same manner. (Cross,2000) While developing the successful diversity initiatives managers may come across different barriers and challenges. Superficial or not properly implemented diversity initiatives will cause the negative affects causing the harm to the organization structure. Mutton and Hernandez (2004) brought some of these barriers after conducting a deep study on a variety of industries and they conducted series of conversations with the participants that shows the barriers to these initiatives. Organizational culture: while trying to amplify diversity issues to all parts of the organization, diversity managers need to carefully explore the organizations culture in order to be able to frame and communicate the issues of workplace diversity in an effective manner. For example, taking a subjective approach while explaining diversity issues to an analytical and linear type of culture, might become a barrier when trying to get the desired point across Middle management and employee buy-in: Lower levels of management and the general employee population do not know what it is they are dealing with when addressing these diversity initiatives, thus resulting in lower levels of buy-in. Kreitz (2008) identifies three elements that are vital when implementing diversity initiatives, but have proven to be challenges for some organizations: Top management commitment The skilled training and breadth of organizational knowledge HR possesses Shared understanding that managing diversity is not an isolated problem to be solved but an ongoing and lengthy process Stockdale and Crosby (2004) provide a list of mistakes to avoid while implementing diversity initiatives. This list is the result of what various authors call, Common diversity traps: assuming that short-term training will be enough failing to relate diversity to the organizational mission and key products waiting to collect all possible data and ignoring employee perceptions as data for taking action waiting for everyone important to be thoroughly behind the effort not paying attention to the impact of resistance people in important positions isolating the effort in one department (such as human resources) or under one person not differentiating between good intentions, usually contained in verbal expressions of support of diversity, and the impact of specific institutional actions that go against diversity not building coalitions and support with different stakeholders who may fear that the diversity effort will not include them assuming that managing diversity is just good common sense and people skills measuring success by the quantity and magnitude if diversity activities and events, rather that the impact on the work and people Tjoswold and Leung (2003) identifies decision making to be negative impacted because of problems with communication in a cultural diverse organization. Since the spoken word is interpreted differently conflict could arise from differences in values and norms. Even written communication is interpreted differently depending on your values and norms. One very interesting finding is from the article Managing Functional diversity, risk taking, incentives for teams to achieve radical innovations from Cabrales, Medina, Lavado, Cabrera (2008) where they have found that the multifunctional teams has some disadvantages in reaching consensus due to the diversity of perspectives 2.7 HOW TO ACHIEVE SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF DIVERSITY IN ORGANIZATIONS Some researchers as well as experts have mentioned different ways that can help organizations success in their diversification methods. Out of the many in the plethora of literatures the researcher found a few that come in line with the research domain. Below the researcher present a few of them which are divided in different categories for the easier understandings. Clear definition of what diversity means to the organization: by this definition itself we understood that the need of clear picture and reason in the diversification process. Each organisation should have their clear rationale in doing the diversity initiatives. As Schmidt(2004) mentioned, organizations should separate between diversification that are based in facing the legal implications and of policy character between those that are really invested into achieving the recruitment of people and talents that they identify as beneficial to the initiatives. Also according to the Helms, Dye and Mills (2009) there should be clear understandings between the management of diversification and the notion of equal employment opportunities initiatives. Stockdale and Crosby (2004) suggest the need of integrated human management systems at the corporate strategy level for the diversification process. Top management support: an effective diversification process has 100% supports from the top management (Schmidt 2004). Basically it is to be understood that there should be strong vision of diversification goals and the ways in which it attains the goals. The goal should be organised to monitor through the top level of management and this support should be consistent in the diversification process and should address the importance of the initiatives. Stockdale and Crosby (2004) All around employee involvement is necessary: apart from having the top leadership support it is to be noted that the support from the employees at all levels of organisation is important in the diversity initiatives. Mutton and Hernandez (2004) suggest that having a strong diversity/compliance professional help in delivering the high level of commitment to the rest of the organisation. One of the other method in ensuring the employee commitment is developing the performance measures, accountability initiatives and evaluation initiatives. Creation of the work groups is important where the discussion about the diversity is carried out and a group leader will be needed to report the employee concern to the top management periodically. This method of employee initiation will help to develop the diversity in to the core culture of the organisation. Assign a reasonable growth period: the diversification cannot be taken from a quick point of view, they should be viewed as the long transformational process instead. The organisation and management need to understand diversification process need time before reaping the benefits can be appreciated. As in any system the integration of new methods and process to the organisation culture will take time. With diversity initiatives the organisation must considered a trial and error period until the stated benefits of the diversification can be found. So this is the reason why the organisation do not give too early in the process of diversification process. Stockdale and Crosby(2004) suggest to pilot and experiment the situations and encourage an environment of learning from experience where errorless implementation is not expected. In general, clear and integrated management practices also can be observed during the implementation of the diversity initiatives. All managers should put their maximum efforts to achieve the vast meaning of what it means diversity. Both the structural and cultural changes are needed to implement the successful diversity strategies. Managers of the organization must execute and follow certain number of processes to reap the benefits of the diversity. Some of the management practice includes target recruitment, education and training program intended for the underrepresented individuals or groups, career development, flexible work arrangement, mentoring, workshop among the others (Helms 2009). Helms also mentioned the other success factor that must be present at the moment of an organization decides to execute diversity. 2.8 Managing Diversity in the work place The term diversity management have emerged in the recent time as a voluntarily corporative initiative directed at the systematic recruitment and retainment of employees belonging to the diverse social identity groups.(Prasad,Pringle and Konrad, 2006). The voluntary organizational actions are intended to develop the greater inclusion of the employees from various domains into the formal or informal organizational structure through special policies and programs. Further to this notion some view the diversity management and their contribution will add competitive advantages to the organizations thus improving its business performance. The managers of the organization need to develop different skill sets to achieve the success of their organization and their own benefits. These developments causing many initiatives can cause the ideal environment that works naturally for the total diversity within the organization.(Thomas 1992). A good practice for the organizations that aim to manage the diversity would be to investigate what are the practices required for a good diverse workplace environment. Taylor Cox (1993) suggests that organizations need to undergo the transformation to accept the multiculturalism within the organizations. According to Taylor the objective of managing the diversity is to absorb the all socio cultural backgrounds to the organizational core culture to amplify the organization

The Scaffold Scenes in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter Essay

The Scaffold Scenes in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter In Nathaniel Hawthorne?s The Scarlet Letter, the Puritans constantly look down upon sinners like Hester Prynne, both literally and symbolically. The use of the three scaffold scenes throughout the course of the novel proved to be an effective method in proving this theory and showing how Puritan society differs from that of today?s. In the first scaffold scene, Hester is being led from the prison where she has spent the last few months, towards the scaffold clutching her newborn baby to her bosom, covering the scarlet letter-the two symbols representing truth and her lost innocence. She stands on the scaffold, with the magistrates and ministers standing above her on the pulpit, symbolizing that they will always be closer to God than she will ever be, however, the reader is unaware that Hester?s minister, Arthur Dimmesdale, who also stands above her on the pulpit, which is a bit of dramatic irony, considering the fact that he is the father of the infant, and her accomplice in her sin. Also during this scene, the man the reader comes to know as Roger Chillingworth hides in the shadows, looking up at Hester, the evil already swelling within him, blackening his soul. The events leading up to the next scaffold scene, some years later, are some of the most significant scenes in the entire novel. The treatment of Dimmesdale by Chillingworth, who Dimmesdale had taken in as his physician, plays a key role, due to the fact that Chillingworth?s intentions are less than pure. Chillingworth is bent on revenge, and is willing to do anything necessary, even destroy another man?s life in order to soothe the savage beast within. However, deep inside Chillingworth?s... ...t and withdrawn, as if all the life and faith he had in the world had been drained out of him. It is in this scene that Dimmesdale finally recognizes Hester and Pearl publicly, he takes them up upon the scaffold with him, and announces to the world what he has done, and through this he feels that he has suffered enough and that his conscience is clear, and with this he dies and goes to Heaven, a soul that has been forgiven, leaving Hester and Pearl alone once again with their grief, and their sin. These three scaffold scenes display the rise of conflict, the climax, and the conclusion. All three tie together to show a common theme, truth. The scaffold and those who stood upon it stood for truth, while those above them judged and those below gawked. It serves as an important symbol throughout the novel setting apart the sinners and those who would judge them.

Prelude to Foundation Chapter 6 Rescue

LEGGEN, JENARR-†¦ His contributions to meteorology, however, although considerable, pale before what has ever since been known as the Leggen Controversy. That his actions helped to place Hari Seldon in jeopardy is undisputable, but argument rages-and has always raged-as to whether those actions were the result of unintentional circumstance or part of a deliberate conspiracy. Passions have been raised on both sides and even the most elaborate studies have come to no definite conclusions. Nevertheless, the suspicions that were raised helped poison Leggen's career and private life in the years that followed†¦ Encyclopedia Galactica 25. It was not quite the end of daylight when Dors Venabili sought out Jenarr Leggen. He answered her rather anxious greeting with a grunt and a brief nod. â€Å"Well,† she said a trifle impatiently. â€Å"How was he?† Leggen, who was entering data into his computer, said, â€Å"How was who?† â€Å"My library student Hari. Dr. Hari Seldon. He went up with you. Was he any help to you?† Leggen removed his hands from the keys of his computer and swivelled about. â€Å"That Heliconian fellow? He was of no use at all. Showed no interest whatever. He kept looking at the scenery when there was no scenery to look at. A real oddball. Why did you want to send him up?† â€Å"It wasn't my idea. He wanted to. I can't understand it. He was very interested. Where is he now?† Leggen shrugged. â€Å"How would I know? Somewhere around.† â€Å"Where did he go after he came down with you? Did he say?† â€Å"He didn't come down with us. I told you he wasn't interested.† â€Å"Then when did he come down?† â€Å"I don't know. I wasn't watching him. I had an enormous amount of work to do. There must have been a windstorm and some sort of downpour about two days ago and neither was expected. Nothing our instruments showed offered a good explanation for it or for the fact that some sunshine we were expecting today didn't appear. Now I'm trying to make sense of it and you're bothering me.† â€Å"You mean you didn't see him go down?† â€Å"Look. He wasn't on my mind. The idiot wasn't correctly dressed and I could see that inside of half an hour he wasn't going to be able to take the cold. I gave him a sweater, but that wasn't going to help much for his legs and feet. So I left the elevator open for him and I told him how to use it and explained that it would take him down and then return automatically. It was all very simple and I'm sure he did get cold and he did go down and the elevator did come back and then eventually we all went down.† â€Å"But you don't know exactly when he went down?† â€Å"No, I don't. I told you. I was busy. He certainly wasn't up there when we left, though, and by that time twilight was coming on and it looked as though it might sleet. So he had to have gone down.† â€Å"Did anyone else see him go down?† â€Å"I don't know. Clowzia may have. She was with him for a while. Why don't you ask her?† Dors found Clowzia in her quarters, just emerging from a hot shower. â€Å"It was cold up there,† she said. Dors said, â€Å"Were you with Hari Seldon Upperside?† Clowzia said, eyebrows lifting, â€Å"Yes, for a while. He wanted to wander about and ask questions about the vegetation up there. He's a sharp fellow, Dors. Everything seemed to interest him, so I told him what I could till Leggen called me back. He was in one of his knock-your-head-off tempers. The weather wasn't working and he-â€Å" Dors interrupted. â€Å"Then you didn't see Hari go down in the elevator?† â€Å"I didn't see him at all after Leggen called me over.-But he has to be down here. He wasn't up there when we left.† â€Å"But I can't find him anywhere.† Clowzia looked perturbed. â€Å"Really?-But he's got to be somewhere down here.† â€Å"No, he doesn't have to be somewhere down here,† said Dors, her anxiety growing. â€Å"What if he's still up there?† â€Å"That's impossible. He wasn't. Naturally, we looked about for him before we left. Leggen had shown him how to go down. He wasn't properly dressed and it was rotten weather. Leggen told him if he got cold not to wait for us. He was getting cold. I know! So what else could he do but go down?† â€Å"But no one saw him go down.-Did anything go wrong with him up there?† â€Å"Nothing. Not while I was with him. He was perfectly fine except that he had to be cold, of course.† Dors, by now quite unsettled, said, â€Å"Since no one saw him go down, he might still be up there. Shouldn't we go up and look?† Clowzia said nervously, â€Å"I told you we looked around before we went down. It was still quite light and he was nowhere in sight.† â€Å"Let's look anyway.† â€Å"But I can't take you up there. I'm just an intern and I don't have the combination for the Upperside dome opening. You'll have to ask Dr. Leggen.† 26. Dors Venabili knew that Leggen would not willingly go Upperside now. He would have to be forced. First, she checked the library and the dining areas again. Then she called Seldon's room. Finally, she went up there and signaled at the door. When Seldon did not respond, she had the floor manager open it. He wasn't there. She questioned some of those who, over the last few weeks, had come to know him. No one had seen him. Well, then, she would make Leggen take her Upperside. By now, though, it was night. He would object strenuously and how long could she spend arguing if Hari Seldon was trapped up there on a freezing night with sleet turning to snow? A thought occurred to her and she rushed to the small University computer, which kept track of the doings of the students, faculty, and service staff. Her fingers flew over the keys and she soon had what she wanted. There were three of them in another part of the campus. She signed out for a small glidecart to take her over and found the domicile she was looking for. Surely, one of them would be available-or findable. Fortune was with her. The first door at which she signaled was answered by a query light. She punched in her identification number, which included her department affiliation. The door opened and a plump middle-aged man stared out at her. He had obviously been washing up before dinner. His dark blond hair was askew and he was not wearing any upper garment. He said, â€Å"Sorry. You catch me at a disadvantage. What can I do for you, Dr. Venabili?† She said a bit breathlessly, â€Å"You're Rogen Benastra, the Chief Seismologist, aren't you?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"This is an emergency. I must see the seismological records for Upperside for the last few hours.† Benastra stared at her. â€Å"Why? Nothing's happened. I'd know if it had. The seismograph would inform us.† â€Å"I'm not talking about a meteoric impact.† â€Å"Neither am I. We don't need a seismograph for that. I'm talking about gravel, pinpoint fractures. Nothing today.† â€Å"Not that either. Please. Take me to the seismograph and read it for me. This is life or death.† â€Å"I have a dinner appointment-â€Å" â€Å"I said life or death and I mean it.† Benastra said, â€Å"I don't see-† but he faded out under Dors's glare. He wiped his face, left quick word on his message relay, end struggled into a shirt. They half-ran (under Dors's pitiless urging) to the small squat Seismology Building. Dors, who knew nothing about seismology, said, â€Å"Down? We're going down?† â€Å"Below the inhabited levels. Of course. The seismograph has to be fixed to bedrock and be removed from the constant clamor and vibration of the city levels.† â€Å"But how can you tell what's happening Upperside from down here?† â€Å"The seismograph is wired to a set of pressure transducers located within the thickness of the dome. The impact of a speck of grit will send the indicator skittering off the screen. We can detect the flattening effect on the dome of a high wind. We can-â€Å" â€Å"Yes, yes,† said Dors impatiently. She was not here for a lecture on the virtues and refinements of the instruments. â€Å"Can you detect human footsteps?† â€Å"Human footsteps?† Benastra looked confused. â€Å"That's not likely Upperside.† â€Å"Of course it's likely. There were a group of meteorologists Upperside this afternoon.† â€Å"Oh. Well, footsteps would scarcely be noticeable.† â€Å"It would be noticeable if you looked hard enough and that's what I want you to do.† Benastra might have resented the firm note of command in her voice, but, if so, he said nothing. He touched a contact and the computer screen jumped to life. At the extreme right center, there was a fat spot of light, from which a thin horizontal line stretched to the left limit of the screen. There was a tiny wriggle to it, a random non-repetitive seder of little hiccups and these moved steadily leftward. It was almost hypnotic in its effect on Dors. Benastra said, â€Å"That's as quiet as it can possibly be. Anything you see is the result of changing air pressure above, raindrops maybe, the distant whirr of machinery. There's nothing up there.† â€Å"All right, but what about a few hours ago? Check on the records at fifteen hundred today, for instance. Surely, you have some recordings.† Benastra gave the computer its necessary instructions and for a second or two there was wild chaos on the screen. Then it settled down and again the horizontal line appeared. â€Å"I'll sensitize it to maximum,† muttered Benastra. There were now pronounced hiccups and as they staggered leftward they changed in pattern markedly. â€Å"What's that?† said Dors. â€Å"Tell me.† â€Å"Since you say there were people up there, Venabili, I would guess they were footsteps-the shifting of weight, the impact of shoes. I don't know that I would have guessed it if I hadn't known about the people up there. Its what we call a benign vibration, not associated with anything we know to be dangerous.† â€Å"Can you tell how many people are present?† â€Å"Certainly not by eye. You see, we're getting a resultant of all the impacts.† â€Å"You say ‘not by eye.' Can the resultant be analyzed into its components by the computer?† â€Å"I doubt it. These are minimal effects and you have to allow for the inevitable noise. The results would be untrustworthy.† â€Å"Well then. Move the time forward till the footstep indications stop. Can you make it fast-forward, so to speak?† â€Å"If I do-the kind of fast-forward you're speaking of-then it will all just blur into a straight line with a slight haze above and below. What I can do is move it forward in fifteen-minute stages and study it quickly before moving on.† â€Å"Good. Do that!† Both watched the screen until Benastra said, â€Å"There's nothing there now. See?† There was again a line with nothing but tiny uneven hiccups of noise. â€Å"When did the footsteps stop?† â€Å"Two hours ago. A trifle more.† â€Å"And when they stopped were there fewer than there were earlier?† Benastra looked mildly outraged. â€Å"I couldn't tell. I don't think the finest analysis could make a certain decision.† Dors pressed her lips together. Then she said, â€Å"Are you testing a transducer-is that what you called it-near the meteorological outlet?† â€Å"Yes, that's where the instruments are and that's where the meteorologists would have been.† Then, unbelievingly, â€Å"Do you want me to try others in the vicinity? One at a time?† â€Å"No. Stay on this one. But keep on going forward at fifteen-minute intervals. One person may have been left behind and may have made his way back to the instruments.† Benastra shook his head and muttered something under his breath. The screen shifted again and Dors said sharply, â€Å"What's that?† She was pointing. â€Å"I don't know. Noise.† â€Å"No. Its periodic. Could it be a single person's footsteps?† â€Å"Sure, but it could be a dozen other things too.† â€Å"It's coming along at about the time of footsteps, isn't it?† Then, after a while, she said, â€Å"Push it forward a little.† He did and when the screen settled down she said, â€Å"Aren't those unevennesses getting bigger?† â€Å"Possibly. We can measure them.† â€Å"We don't have to. You can see they're getting bigger. The footsteps are approaching the transducer. Go forward again. See when they stop.† After a while Benastra said, â€Å"They stopped twenty or twenty-five minutes ago.† Then cautiously, â€Å"Whatever they are.† â€Å"They're footsteps,† said Dors with mountain-moving conviction. â€Å"There's a man up there and while you and I have been fooling around here, he's collapsed and he's going to freeze and die. Now don't say, ‘Whatever they are!' Just call Meteorology and get me Jenarr Leggen. Life or death, I tell you. Say so!† Benastra, lips quivering, had passed the stage where he could possibly resist anything this strange and passionate woman demanded. It took no more than three minutes to get Leggen's hologram on the message platform. He had been pulled away from his dinner table. There was a napkin in his hand and a suspicious greasiness under his lower lip. His long face was set in a fearful scowl. † ‘Life or death?' What is this? Who are you?† Then his eye caught Dors, who had moved closer to Benastra so that her image would be seen on Jenarr's screen. He said, â€Å"You again. This is simple harassment.† Dors said, â€Å"It is not. I have consulted Rogen Benastra, who is Chief Seismologist at the University. After you and your party had left Upperside, the seismograph shows clear footsteps of one person still there. It's my student Hari Seldon, who went up there in your care and who is now, quite certainly, lying in a collapsed stupor and may not live long. â€Å"You will, therefore, take me up there right now with whatever equipment may be necessary. If you do not do so immediately, I shall proceed to University security-to the President himself, if necessary. One way or another I'll get up there and if anything has happened to Hari because you delay one minute, I will see to it that you are hauled in for negligence, incompetence-whatever I can make stick-and will have you lose all status and be thrown out of academic life. And if he's dead, of course, that's manslaughter by negligence. Or worse, since I've now warned you he's dying.† Jenarr, furious, turned to Benastra. â€Å"Did you detect-â€Å" But Dors cut in. â€Å"He told me what he detected and I've told you. I do not intend to allow you to bulldoze him into confusion. Are you coming? Now?† â€Å"Has it occurred to you that you may be mistaken?† said Jenarr, thin-lipped. â€Å"Do you know what I can do to you if this is a mischievous false alarm? Loss of status works both ways.† â€Å"Murder doesn't,† said Dors. â€Å"I'm ready to chance a trial for malicious mischief. Are you ready to chance a trial for murder?† Jenarr reddened, perhaps more at the necessity of giving in than at the threat. â€Å"I'll come, but I'll have no mercy on you, young woman, if your student eventually turns out to have been safe within the dome these past three hours.† 27. The three went up the elevator in an inimical silence. Leggen had eaten only part of his dinner and had left his wife at the dining area without adequate explanation. Benastra had eaten no dinner at all and had possibly disappointed some woman companion, also without adequate explanation. Dors Venabili had not eaten either and she seemed the most tense and unhappy of the three. She carried a thermal blanket and two photonic founts. When they reached the entrance to Upperside, Leggen, jaw muscles tightening, entered his identification number and the door opened. A cold wind rushed at them and Benastra grunted. None of the three was adequately dressed, but the two men had no intention of remaining up there long. Dors said tightly, â€Å"It's snowing.† Leggen said, â€Å"It's wet snow. The temperature's just about at the freezing point. It's not a killing frost.† â€Å"It depends on how long one remains in it, doesn't it?† said Dors. â€Å"And being soaked in melting snow won't help.† Leggen grunted. â€Å"Well, where is he?† He stared resentfully out into utter blackness, made even worse by the light from the entrance behind him. Dors said, â€Å"Here, Dr. Benastra, hold this blanket for me. And you, Dr. Leggen, close the door behind you without locking it.† â€Å"There's no automatic lock on it. Do you think we're foolish?† â€Å"Perhaps not, but you can lock it from the inside and leave anyone outside unable to get into the dome.† â€Å"If someone's outside, point him out. Show him to me,† said Leggen. â€Å"He could be anywhere.† Dors lifted her arms with a photonic fount circling each wrist. â€Å"We can't look everywhere,† mumbled Benastra miserably. The founts blazed into light, spraying in every direction. The snowflakes glittered like a vast mob of fireflies, making it even more difficult to see. â€Å"The footsteps were getting steadily louder,† said Dors. â€Å"He had to be approaching the transducer. Where would it be located?† â€Å"I haven't any idea,† snapped Leggen.-That's outside my field and my responsibility.† â€Å"Dr. Benastra?† Benastra's reply was hesitant. â€Å"I don't really know. To tell you the truth, I've never been up here before. It was installed before my time. The computer knows, but we never thought to ask it that.-I'm cold and I don't see what use I am up here.† â€Å"You'll have to stay up here for a while,† said Dors firmly. â€Å"Follow me. I'm going to circle the entrance in an outward spiral.† â€Å"We can't see much through the snow,† said Leggen. â€Å"I know that. If it wasn't snowing, we'd have seen him by now. I'm sure of it. As it is, it may take a few minutes. We can stand that.† She was by no means as confident as her words made it appear. She began to walk, swinging her arms, playing the light over as large a field as she could, straining her eyes for a dark blotch against the snow. And, as it happened, it was Benastra who first said, â€Å"What's that?† and pointed. Dors overlapped the two founts, making a bright cone of light in the indicated direction. She ran toward it, as did the other two. They had found him, huddled and wet, about ten meters from the door, five from the nearest meteorological device. Dors felt for his heartbeat, but it was not necessary for, responding to her touch, Seldon stirred and whimpered. â€Å"Give me the blanket, Dr. Benastra,† said Dors in a voice that was faint with relief. She flapped it open and spread it out in the snow. â€Å"Lift him onto it carefully and I'll wrap him. Then we'll carry him down.† In the elevator, vapors were rising from the wrapped Seldon as the blanket warmed to blood temperature. Dors said, â€Å"Once we have him in his room, Dr. Leggen, you get a doctor-a good one-and see that he comes at once. If Dr. Seldon gets through this without harm, I won't say anything, but only if he does. Remember-â€Å" â€Å"You needn't lecture me,† said Leggen coldly. â€Å"I regret this and I will do what I can, but my only fault was in allowing this man to come Upperside in the first place.† The blanket stirred and a low, weak voice made itself heard. Benastra started, for Seldon's head was cradled in the crook of his elbow. He said, â€Å"He's trying to say something.† Dors said, â€Å"I know. He said, ‘What's going on?' â€Å" She couldn't help but laugh just a little. It seemed such a normal thing to say. 28. The doctor was delighted. â€Å"I've never seen a case of exposure,† he explained. â€Å"One doesn't get exposed on Trantor.† â€Å"That may be,† said Dors coldly, â€Å"and I'm happy you have the chance to experience this novelty, but does it mean that you do not know how to treat Dr. Seldon?† The doctor, an elderly man with a bald head and a small gray mustache, bristled. â€Å"Of course, I do. Exposure cases on the Outer Worlds are common enough-an everyday affair-and I've read a great deal about them.† Treatment consisted in part of an antiviral serum and the use of a microwave wrapping. â€Å"This ought to take care of it,† the doctor said. â€Å"On the Outer Worlds, they make use of much more elaborate equipment in hospitals, but we don't have that, of course, on Trantor. This is a treatment for mild cases and I'm sure it will do the job.† Dors thought later, as Seldon was recovering without particular injury, that it was perhaps because he was an Outworlder that he had survived so well. Dark, cold, even snow were not utterly strange to him. A Trantorian probably would have died in a similar case, not so much from physical trauma as from psychic shock. She was not sure of this, of course, since she herself was not a Trantorian either. And, turning her mind away from these thoughts, she pulled up a chair near to Hari's bed and settled down to wait. 29. On the second morning Seldon stirred awake and looked up at Dors, who sat at his bedside, viewing a book-film and taking notes. In a voice that was almost normal, Seldon said, â€Å"Still here, Dors?† She put down the book-film. â€Å"I can't leave you alone, can I? And I don't trust anyone else.† â€Å"It seems to me that every time I wake up, I see you. Have you been here all the time?† â€Å"Sleeping or waking, yes.† â€Å"But your classes?† â€Å"I have an assistant who has taken over for a while.† Dors leaned over and grasped Hari's hand. Noticing his embarrassment (he was, after all, in bed), she removed it. â€Å"Hari, what happened? I was so frightened.† Seldon said, â€Å"I have a confession to make.† â€Å"What is it, Hari?† â€Å"I thought perhaps you were part of a conspiracy-â€Å" â€Å"A conspiracy?† she said vehemently. â€Å"I mean, to maneuver me Upperside where I'd be outside University jurisdiction and therefore subject to being picked up by Imperial forces.† â€Å"But Upperside isn't outside University jurisdiction. Sector jurisdiction on Trantor is from the planetary center to the sky.† â€Å"Ah, I didn't know that. But you didn't come with me because you said you had a busy schedule and, when I was getting paranoid, I thought you were deliberately abandoning me. Please forgive me. Obviously, it was you who got me down from there. Did anyone else care?† â€Å"They were busy men,† said Dors carefully. â€Å"They thought you had come down earlier. I mean, it was a legitimate thought.† â€Å"Clowzia thought so too?† â€Å"The young intern? Yes, she did.† â€Å"Well, it may still have been a conspiracy. Without you, I mean.† â€Å"No, Hari, it is my fault. I had absolutely no right to let you go Upperside alone. It was my job to protect you. I can't stop blaming myself for what happened, for you getting lost.† â€Å"Now, wait a minute,† said Seldon, suddenly irritated. â€Å"I didn't get lost. What do you think I am?† â€Å"I'd like to know what you call it. You were nowhere around when the others left and you didn't get back to the entrance-or to the neighborhood of the entrance anyway-till well after dark.† â€Å"But that's not what happened. I didn't get lost just because I wandered away and couldn't find my way back. I told you I was suspecting a conspiracy and I had cause to do so. I'm not totally paranoid.† â€Å"Well then, what did happen?† Seldon told her. He had no trouble remembering it in full detail; he had lived with it in nightmare for most of the preceding day. Dors listened with a frown. â€Å"But that's impossible. A jet-down? Are you sure?† â€Å"Of course I'm sure. Do you think I was hallucinating?† â€Å"But the Imperial forces could not have been searching for you. They could not have arrested you Upperside without creating the same ferocious rumpus they would have if they had sent in a police force to arrest you on campus.† â€Å"Then how do you explain it?† â€Å"I'm not sure,† said Dors, â€Å"but it's possible that the consequences of my failure to go Upperside with you might have been worse than they were and that Hummin will be seriously angry with me.† â€Å"Then let's not tell him,† said Seldon. â€Å"It ended well.† â€Å"We must tell him,† said Dors grimly. â€Å"This may not be the end.† 30. That evening Jenarr Leggen came to visit. It was after dinner and he looked from Dors to Seldon several times, as though wondering what to say. Neither offered to help him, but both waited patiently. He had not impressed either of them as being a master of small talk. Finally he said to Seldon, â€Å"I've come to see how you are.† â€Å"Perfectly well,† said Seldon, â€Å"except that I'm a little sleepy. Dr. Venabili tells me that the treatment will keep me tired for a few days, presumably so I'm sure of getting needed rest.† He smiled. â€Å"Frankly, I don't mind.† Leggen breathed in deeply, let it out, hesitated, and then, almost as though he was forcing the words out of himself, said, â€Å"I won't keep you long. I perfectly understand you need to rest. I do want to say, though, that I am sorry it all happened. I should not have assumed-so casually-that you had gone down by yourself. Since you were a tyro, I should have felt more responsible for you. After all, I had agreed to let you come up. I hope you can find it in your heart to†¦ forgive me. That's really all I wish to say.† Seldon yawned, putting his hand over his mouth. â€Å"Pardon me.-Since it seems to have turned out well, there need be no hard feelings. In some ways, it was not your fault. I should not have wandered away and, besides, what happened was-â€Å" Dors interrupted. â€Å"Now, Hari, please, no conversation. Just relax. Now, I want to talk to Dr. Leggen just a bit before he goes. In the first place, Dr. Leggen, I quite understand you are concerned about how repercussions from this affair will affect you. I told you there would be no follow-up if Dr. Seldon recovered without ill effects. That seems to be taking place, so you may relax-for now. I would like to ask you about something else and I hope that this time I will have your free cooperation.† â€Å"I will try, Dr. Venabili,† said Leggen stiffly. â€Å"Did anything unusual happen during your stay Upperside?† â€Å"You know it did. I lost Dr. Seldon, something for which I have just apologized.† â€Å"Obviously I'm not referring to that. Did anything else unusual happen?† â€Å"No, nothing. Nothing at all.† Dors looked at Seldon and Seldon frowned. It seemed to him that Dors was trying to check on his story and get an independent account. Did she think he was imagining the search vessel? He would have liked to object heatedly, but she had raised a quieting hand at him, as though she was preventing that very eventuality. He subsided, partly because of this and partly because he really wanted to sleep. He hoped that Leggen would not stay long. â€Å"Are you certain?† said Dors. â€Å"Were there no intrusions from outside?† â€Å"No, of course not. Oh-â€Å" â€Å"Yes, Dr. Leggen?† â€Å"There was a jet-down.† â€Å"Did that strike you as peculiar?† â€Å"No, of course not.† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"This sounds very much as though I'm being cross-examined, Dr. Venabili. I don't much like it.† â€Å"I can appreciate that, Dr. Leggen, but these questions have something to do with Dr. Seldon's misadventure. It may be that this whole affair is more complicated than I had thought.† â€Å"In what way?† A new edge entered his voice. â€Å"Do you intend to raise new questions, requiring new apologies? In that case, I may find it necessary to withdraw.† â€Å"Not, perhaps, before you explain how it is you do not find a hovering jet-down a bit peculiar.† â€Å"Because, my dear woman, a number of meteorological stations on Trantor possess jet-downs for the direct study of clouds and the upper atmosphere. Our own meteorological station does not.† â€Å"Why not? It would be useful.† â€Å"Of course. But we're not competing and we're not keeping secrets. We will report on our findings; they will report on theirs. It makes sense, therefore, to have a scattering of differences and specializations. It would be foolish to duplicate efforts completely. The money and manpower we might spend on jet-downs can be spent on mesonic refractometers, while others will spend on the first and save on the latter. After all, there may be a great deal of competitiveness and ill feeling among the sectors, but science is one thing-only thing-that holds us together. You know that, I presume,† he added ironically. â€Å"I do, but isn't it rather coincidental that someone should be sending a jet-down right to your station on the very day you were going to use the station?† â€Å"No coincidence at all. We announced that we were going to make measurements on that day and, consequently, some other station thought, very properly, that they might make simultaneous nephelometric measurements-clouds, you know. The results, taken together, would make more sense and be more useful than either taken separately.† Seldon said suddenly in a rather blurred voice, â€Å"They were just measuring, then?† He yawned again. â€Å"Yes† said Leggen. â€Å"What else would they possibly be doing?† Dors blinked her eyes, as she sometimes did when she was trying to think rapidly. â€Å"That all makes sense. To which station did this particular jet-down belong?† Leggen shook his head. â€Å"Dr. Venabili, how can you possibly expect me to tell?† â€Å"I thought that each meteorological jet-down might possibly have its station's markings on it.† â€Å"Surely, but I wasn't looking up and studying it, you know. I had my own work to do and I let them do theirs. When they report, I'll know whose jet-down it was.† â€Å"What if they don't report?† â€Å"Then I would suppose their instruments failed. That happens sometimes.† His right fist was clenched. â€Å"Is that all, then?† â€Å"Wait a moment. Where do you suppose the jet-down might have come from?† â€Å"It might be any station with jet-downs. On a day's notice-and they got more than that-one of those vessels can reach us handily from anyplace on the planet.† â€Å"But who most likely?† â€Å"Hard to say: Hestelonia, Wye, Ziggoreth, North Damiano. I'd say one of these four was the most likely, but it might be any of forty others at least.† â€Å"Just one more question, then. Just one. Dr. Leggen, when you announced that your group would be Upperside, did you by any chance say that a mathematician, Dr. Hari Seldon, would be with you.† A look of apparently deep and honest surprise crossed Leggen's face, a look that quickly turned contemptuous. â€Å"Why should I list names? Of what interest would that be to anyone?† â€Å"Very well,† said Dors. â€Å"The truth of the matter, then, is that Dr. Seldon saw the jet-down and it disturbed him. I am not certain why and apparently his memory is a bit fuzzy on the matter. He more or less ran away from the jet-down, got himself lost, didn't think of trying to return-or didn't dare to-till it was well into twilight, and didn't quite make it back in the dark. You can't be blamed for that, so let's forget the whole incident on both sides. â€Å"Agreed,† said Leggen. â€Å"Good-bye!† He turned on his heel and left. When he was gone, Dors rose, pulled off Seldon's slippers gently, straightened him in his bed, and covered him. He was sleeping, of course. Then she sat down and thought. How much of what Leggen had said was true and what might possibly exist under the cover of his words? She did not know.