Management Challenges

fall reckonary allocation is common in many communication channeles, which can be braced by external factors such as lack of profit, or intrinsic factors such as a deliberate decision to cut costs. Whichever the cause may be, wad tasked with the management of a line of minding should learn how to track with such eventualities. A choice has to be made and a dodge undertaken in order to ensure that the business would not tho survive, yet even succeed in its venture.Shrinking budgets argon nothing more(prenominal) than challenges on the management of scarce resources (Tjosvold & Poon, 1998). Contrary to instinct and common belief, fall budgets do not hinder the productivity of an brass section. True, shrinking budgets do claim more efficient actions and grounded decisions, but they in like manner push managers into performing better.Tjosvold and Poon note of hand the opinion of researchers on organizational power and politics to the effect that conflicts oer scare resou rces intensify competition (Tjosvold & Poon, 1998). They also claim that conflict everywhere scarce resources draw out to effective distribution of resources.The scarcity of resources brought about by the shrinking budget can be productive because of the demand to measuring rod up to a high level. This breeds a sense of competition in the team, which pushes people to work harder to produce better output (Tjosvold & Poon, 1998). On the another(prenominal) side of this perspective is one that denies the usefulness of competition (Tjosvold & Poon, 1998).This side emphasizes cooperation among members of a management team in order to come up with a business plan that manages the effects of the lowered budget (Tjosvold & Poon, 1998). Thus, shrinking budget could lead to unity, cooperation, relationship development and organizational power theorizing (Tjosvold & Poon, 1998). Thus, taken in the proper perspective, shrinking budgets could actually raise productivity to a higher level (T josvold & Poon, 1998).Workplace DiversityDiversity is another look of business management that has caught the interest of many practitioners and researchers. Generally, the widely held opinion is one in favor of various kinds of diversity in the piece of work, such as sex and pagan diversity (Miller,1999).For example, promoting gender diversity in a business organization is now being considered as an effective way of edifice good human resources. Women are often seen as a nonage in various business firms, since they occupy a small contribution in a corporations workforce (Miller,1999). However, present changes are reversing this trend through the increased hiring of women in business organizations (Miller,1999).The indemnity towards change magnitude the number of women recruits in business and professional organizations is a positive and filmy move that is directed towards removing undue discrimination in the professional setting.Provided that the charr applicant possesses the qualifications required by the available position, there is no reason to choose a male employee possessing the same qualifications over a effeminate employee, if such decision is based solely on the applicants genders. Thus, simultaneous with the apprehension of the inequalities in society regarding hiring of men and women, promoting gender diversity in the piece of work shows a deliberate policy of equalizing the market for men and women alike.Another aspect of diversity is cultural diversity. This c erstpt works optimally for a international business, which has business connections in various localities (Miller, 1999). Hiring people from all sorts of cultural backgrounds would go out the business organization to reach out to the locals of the place, thereby increasing the take places good ordain, and eventually, profit (Miller, 1999). Thus, a company that has sales agents of the same cultural background as the consumers has more chances of capturing that market (Miller, 1999).Cultural diversity also leads to a better understanding by the company of possible issues that lead to misunderstanding and disagreements among people working in the same workplace (Miller, 1999). Thus, it is observable that cultural diversity can play a major grapheme in promoting the well being of a business organization. It should be noted, however, that the organization must ensure equal treatment to people even though they are coming from different cultural backgrounds (Miller, 1999). This way, cultural diversity would only benefit the business organization, and not hinder its development (Miller, 1999).Ethics and the administrationEthical principles and policies play a big role in the operations and success of a business organization (Hamner, 2006). While ethics is normally treated as a legal concept, it deals more with proper appearance of people in any situation (Hamner, 2006). The concern about ethical or unethical manner of members of a business organization springs from the actualisation that such behavior has great effects on the success or failure of such organization (Hamner, 2006). In particular, unethical behavior at heart an organization has adverse effects, which could consist in loss of huge sums of notes (Hamner, 2006).The best effect of having a clearly formulated ethical policy and ethical code within an organization is the influence of such policy and code on the conduct and attitude of members of the organization (Hamner, 2006). A fortified support by the management in favor of ethical behavior will breed a culture of ethics that would make people value ethics, to the extent that unethical behavior would seen out of place in the organization (Hamner, 2006).To be effective promoters of ethical behavior in a business organization, the management must devise incentive schemes for members of the organization who follow ethical rules (Hamner, 2006). Moreover, the ethical rules and policies should be able to cover all facets of ethical behavior, which includes moral, economic, and legal aspects (Hamner, 2006).In sum, managing business necessarily means that one will have to deal with different challenges, such as shrinking budgets, workplace diversity, and ethical issues. However, all such challenges can be dealt with and used as means to succeed. Proper management would actually make organizations stronger and better once such kinds of challenges are met squarely.ReferencesHamner, M. (2006). instruction. Aerospace America. Retrieved October 17, 2007Miller, S. (1999). Poltical Correctness in the Office. Office Systems 16(4).Tjosvold, D. & Poon, M. (1998). Dealing with but Resources Open-Minded Interaction for Resolving Budget Conflicts. Group Organization Management 23(3) 237-255

Conflict Is an Ever-Present and Ongoing Aspect of People’s Lives Essay

fighting is an ever-present and current aspect of volumes lives Conflict is a omnipresent part of vivification regardless of time and place. It has been in our lives ever since the start of our ancestry, where they fight for survival against the wild. Conflict rump be as simple as the internal conflict of choosing what we need to guard for lunch, It can also be at a large scurf like a global war. Without the harshness we and experience we gain from it as an individual, life would be undoubtedly boring and plain.Individuals wouldnt be sufficient to learn right from wrong, neither would they experience different situations and learn how to subjugate it. Conflict is a fundamental factor of life, it is in books, at work, at school, online and take down on the news. Every day we ar faced with at least one type of conflict, or at least line up one. Therefore conflict is unavoidable and always present in our paths as we grow from a fetus to the day we pass away. Protagonists from our favourite novels combat different hardships as their journey is spilled out onto the pages for us to read and designate their life.In the famous novel entitled The Rugmaker Of Mazar-E-Sharif written by Najaf Mazari and Robert Hillman, illustrates the life of Najaf and how he encounters vary different types of conflict. The moving event of the loss of his buzz off to war, forever traumatises Najaf. We as children are first introduced to our m differents and fathers, causing them to be the approximate people we would have in our lives when we are first sent to kindergarten we song and cry due to the missing warmth and loving grasp of our mothers and fathers. now this is only for a day, imagine not seeing one of the people you love most for the rest of your life. That is the perturb and horror Najaf goes through as he loses his father. That doesnt stop Najaf from dumbfounding on his feet to look after his family. until he faces the internal battle to decide if he should flee to Australia or stay back. Demonstrating that we face hardship one after another. Creating an timeless cycle. All the pre-mentioned events was caused by one of the worlds greatest battle of different beliefs, war. The ongoing war has caused all the devastation for Najaf, forcing him to flee his homeland.This enhances the factor of conflict world omnipresent and the ongoing fundamental part of any individuals life. Devastating events can occur at any time of our lives. An example of this is the Victorian bushfires. Where you could be out with your family enjoying the hot weather, and all of a sudden a hulk blaze of fire is picked up by the wind and surrounds you in matters of seconds. You are trapped and while blinded by the smoke you hear your family riot and whelping under the loud crackling of bark and the defining blaze. Soon you likewise are consumed by the giant blaze of fire.It was unavoidable, you were unaware of the event. Creating grief and nuisance within other s. Proving that one hardship considers to another. Making conflict a endless cycle within our lives. The families who have lost members to the terrifying Victorian bushfires has suffered an bitter and unimaginable loss. The loss of a loved one, Like Najaf and many other individuals in our society. The one event will continue to haunt the sorrow individuals and families. They will remember the ones they lost, they will keep replaying the memories with them and cherish what they have left behind.This is what conflict sometimes does to us. And it will continue to prance about our lives incisively like the famous line Justin Timberlake uses in one of his famous songs. what comes around, goes around which brings me to the next point. In continuum, Internal conflict is one of the main aspects of hardship we face as humans. Our different believes smothered with the other beliefs from the people we sometimes call bullies. From a young age we can be opened to bullying. May it be outsi de on the oval, the playground or even indoors. it is still something we face. t can range from name calling to physically hurting someone.As humans we like to have power scarcely some of them take it to a whole new level. where they will bruise and hurt the people smaller or weaker in force(p) for their satisfaction of power. This whence causes depressing thoughts within individuals, or even the attempt of suicide. Depressing thoughts are caused by bullying or an devastating event which ultimately lead to the judgement of one self. When someone thinks I am not inviolable enough or everyone hates me yes it was probably caused by bullying but it had go along to haunt them to create internal conflict.This is an extreme extent of internal conflict. other pre-mentioned example of internal conflict is as simple as choosing what we want for lunch. Yes it may sound stupid but we do have a mini brain war about what we want for lunch. ultimately screening that hardships are forever i n our lives and will continue to stay in our lives. As individuals we face conflict where ever we go. It is in books, at work, at school, online and even on the news. Ultimately meaning it is a omnipresent and a fundamental part of any individuals life.In other words, conflict is an ever-present and ongoing aspect of peoples lives Najaf experiences the same horrifying pain of losing a loved one as the families from the Victorian bush fires. At the same time they all face internal conflict just like a individual that has experienced bullying, or a adolescent thinking of what to buy for lunch from the school canteen but to a greater level. Conflict is unavoidable. It is forever in our lives and will continue to pulp us as individuals until we pass away.

Causing Fear And Sorrow English Literature Essay

An of import extirpate of literature is the edifice of a connexion between a get and its auditory modality by working parking lot experiences and their emotional responses. Without these personal investings, a contributor kindle go uninterested, and any message the writer intends to give may be misunderstood. Within the dickens plants The guttle by Edgar Allen Poe and A Good while is challenging to get hold by Flannery OConnor, it is easy to let on the writers efforts at doing fright and sorrow for the reader by the writers use of common irrational frights within their Hagiographas. After a thorough scrutiny of crucial subdivisions within the texts and an probe on how readers may respond to single characters, unrivalled can so comp are the texts to derive a better persist of the attempts submitted by the writers to associate to their auditions of today and long ago.Although it could be argued that these writers mark audiences were and readers populating at t he clip the narratives were drafted, these narratives abide to bring down eerie feelings on the common individual of today. From his ain words, when discoursing The Raven in an essay, Poe explains his purposes for the reader by saying, Now, neer losing sight of the object supremeness, or flawlessness, at all point in times, I asked myself Of all melancholic subjects, what, harmonizing to the cosmopolitan apprehension of world, is the most melancholic? cobblers last was the obvious answer ( Poe 1846 ) . while decease is arguably non the most joyless subject soon, whiz allow doubtless witness the attempts Poe endured for the interest of the reader as they comprehend this powerful write draw. As decease is a universally understood prepare, he creates a narrative that will chivy a reader s emotions by coercing them to retrieve old experiences or by act uponing them to visualize themselves as the cashier.By the 2nd stanza of the verse form, Poe brings out the message of decease and sets the plaintive t ane of the verse form with the lines, From my books cessation of sorrow sorrow for the lost Lenore For the rare and beaming housemaid whom the angels allude Lenore Nameless here everlastingly to a greater extent ( Poe 1016 ) . As one interprets these lines, they imagine a beautiful adult female who has abandoned the talker, or possibly has late passed off. While non straight saying she has died, by proposing her anonymity, Poe pulls at the audience s experience, and makes them inquire if Lenore is now nameless because she has late passed on or if the storyteller is nerve-racking to bury her by non leting himself to advert her name any longer, as many in similar state of affairss continue to make.The sorrow of decease continues within the 3rd and 4th poetries. The reader finds that although it is the means of the dark, the talker hears sounds of person knocking at his door, nevertheless as he goes to react to them he disc everyplaces nil but darkness outside ( Poe 1016 ) . While the actual actions listed here already intensify the sorrow with an sum of upseting atmosphere, the audience can besides falter upon a nonliteral significance, as though alternatively of a individual strike harding it is rightfully the memory of Lenore trying to come in his guide, so rapidly fliting as disc oncerting memories often do. Since most readers have fought similar conflicts within their ain heads, this subdivision once more battles to take the narrative from the storyteller and attach it to the reader.Traveling on to the 6th and 7th stanzas, the reader stumbles onto uninterrupted tapping. These lines express the tapping is louder and perchance climax from the talker s window ( Poe 1016-1017 ) . The audience is now pulled in devil waies as either the tapping is truly go oning and a Corvus corax has really entered into the room, or the memory of Lenore has eventually obtained entryway into the storyteller s head. The devil waie s twain lead the reader to a darkened topographic point as with one, the reader is witnessing an unwelcome animate being within the room, and with the other, the memories the foreland character has constantly tried to bury encumber begun to thrust frontward into his head and overwhelm him.Within poetries eight through 17, the reader views the storyteller as a adult male in the procedure of change of location huffy, as he begins to talk with the Corvus corax that has entered into the room ( Poe 1017-1018 ) . While the communication continues, the reader must make up ones mind whether to believe a bird is really in the room and merely the address is imagined, or if the bird and the conversation are both wholly within the head of the talker, and the lunacy expressed is merely whatever type of internal unearthly argument on the whereabouts of Lenore. In either instance, the reader s emotions are being manipulated purposefully to show the solitariness and unhappiness one faces when they lag a loved one.In the concluding poetry, the reader is once more pulled in ii waies. When Poe writes, And the lamp-light oer him streaming throws his shadow on the tarradiddle And my psyche from out that shadow that lies drifting on the floor Shall be lifted nevermore ( Poe 1018 ) , he intentionally forces the audience to once more make up ones mind if the full verse form is some type of internal argument or if the storyteller with has been driven daft and committed self-destruction. As the bulk of readers will hold experienced a loss of person stopping point to them to suicide, or may hold contemplated suicide themselves, they will hold the ability to sympathize with the storyteller, and by reservation so, will be emotionally invested within the verse form.While The Raven is a really nonreversible narrative where the message of decease is delivered by flashing it invariably to the reader, OConnor s A Good Man is Difficult to Find takes the attack suggested b y G. W. Thomas by making characters mountain care about and leting atrocious things to go on to them ( Thomas 3 ) . Interestingly, within the first four pages, OConnor introduces the household members, but merely allows the granny knot and the kids to talk, as they are the characters she wants the audience to link with. To to the full appreciate OConnor s attempt, one must foremost expose the oddities of these specific characters personalities.The two kids ( deception Wesley and June admirer ) come off as spoiled, and as if they starred on Childs Say the Darndest Things, they frequently give uneven comments within their conversations. A mates of illustrations are John Wesley claiming if caught by The Misfit that he would, Smack his face ( OConnor 447 ) and June Star s response, No I surely wouldnta I would nt populate in a bedraggled topographic point like this for a jillion vaulting horses ( OConnor 450 ) , to the adult female at The Tower when she asks June to go her girl. The constrain of kids being thankless is evidently non original, but the usage of these kids grants readers something to hate. Furthermore, when the kids are killed by The Misfit s posse at the terminal of the narrative, the audience feels guilt over their abrasiveness of the kids as the decease of kids tends to pique people more than kids misconducting.beyond the coarse kids, the grandma is the most active character within the narrative, and is invariably trying to pull strings the household to make what she wants. Due to how right-hand(a) OConnor designed this character, the audience really gets manipulated as good. While the grandma will frequently state something indelicate, the audience rapidly dismisses these comments to her old age and grows adjacent to her, neglecting to see her mistakes for what they are. This connexion misleads the audience to feeling sorry for the grandma when she is killed, when they should reanimate The Misfit for his service to the community. The concluding chief character of the narrative is The Misfit, a inmate who has late escaped prison and leads a group of work forces who last murder the full household. While a hard-boiled felon is non typically a individual person would openly acknowledge to holding similarities to, OConnor uses The Misfit s apparently extended yesteryear to make resemblances to the readers. Along with the experiences the audience and The Misfit portion, she grants The Misfit s character with wisdom and a sense of righteousness that the reader appreciates, doing an internal struggle of fright and sorrow when he shoots the grandma at the terminal. By the terminal of the narrative, the reader must make up ones mind for themselves whether The Misfit is so a good adult male or non.A study of the two Hagiographas The Raven and A Good Man is Difficult to Find is hard to do due to the narratives differences in manner. However, while their methods differ, both Poe s and OConnor s narratives are a ble to lure fright and sorrow for their audiences. In The Raven, Poe relies on a great trade of symbolism to make the reader, while in A Good Man is Difficult to Find OConnor uses well-developed characters to construct connexions to the audience and tortures them through the actions of those characters. Overall, both Poe and OConnor like an expert navigate the reader s emotions and experiences, doing the reader to contend themselves to happen the messages within the narratives.The end of maintaining an audience from experiencing disinterested in a narrative is a precedence that can merely be accomplished by coercing readers to happen connexions for themselves. With Poe s expert usage of symbolism and OConnor s investing in character edifice, the two narratives The Raven and A Good Man is Difficult to Find both cause fright and sorrow through the connexions they ve built to the readers. While one may merely read either of these narratives for enjoyment, they can compare the two to derive a better grasp of the writers attempts, and perchance happen more within the narratives to bask.Plants SitedPoe, Edgar Allen. The Philosophy of Composition. 1846. Graham s Magazine. vol. XXVIII, no. 4 ( 1846 ) 163-167. The Edgar Allen Poe golf-club of Baltimore. 21 Nov. 2010.Poe, Edgar Allen. The Raven. 1846. Literature Reading, Reacting, Writing. 7th Edition. Eds. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2008. 1016-1018.OConnor, Flannery. A Good Man is Difficult to Find. Literature Reading, Reacting, Writing. 7th Edition. Eds. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2008. 447-457.Thomas, G.W. Scare the heck out of your readers and other horror-writing tips. The Writer Apr. 2008 15. General OneFile. Web. 30 Nov. 2010.

Competition in Energy Drinks, Sports Drinks, and Vitamin-Enhanced Beverages

Case Study disceptation in Energy Drinks, Sports Drinks, and Vitamin-Enhanced Beverages - emailprotected com 1. What are the st regulategic whollyy relevant components of the global and U. S. boozing patience macro-environment? How do the economic characteristics of the substitute(a) boozing segment of the perseverance differ from that of other drink categories? Explain. Demographics The total sale for drinkings in 2009 in the US was ab turn up 458. 3 billion gallons and it is one of the largest groceryplaces with clam regard as of 1,581. billion in 2009 and with a forecast of $1,775. 3 billion for 2014. 48. 2 share of industry gross gross tax income were from carbonated soft drinks and 29. 2 percent of bottle water industry sales. In 2009,The Alternative beverage industry included sports drinks, flavored or enhanced water and competency drinks pay up 4%, 1. 6%, and 1. 2% of industry sales severally. The global foodstuff for ersatz beverages in 2009 was $40. 2 bi llion, while it was $17 billion for alternative beverages in US commercialise. It was $ 12. 7 billion and $9. billion for Asia pacific and European markets respectively. Market ontogenesis The market growth has Brobdingnagian potential with the dollar apprize of the global market for alternative beverages grew at a 9. 8% one-yearly betwixt 2005 and 2009, entirely was pass judgment to slow down to 5. 7% yearlyly amongst 2010 and 2014. US is the country which has strongest growth internationally in terminal figure of alternative beverage sales with an annual growth rate of 16. 6% betwixt 2005 and 2009 and a forecasted growth rate of 6. 7% between 2010 and 2014.Europe and Asia-Pacific grew at annual rates of 5. 3% and 5. 6% between 2005 and 2009 and were expected to grow at a rate of 4. 4% and 5. 1% respectively between 2010 and 2014. However poor economic conditions in the US in 2008 and 2009 led to a 12. 3% dec soak up in sports drink sales and a 12. 5% disdain in flavore d and vitamin waters sales. It was also the ground why expertness drinks sales maturationd only 0. 2% between those years. Rivalry between competitors coca sens, Pepsico and cherrybull are the troika big players that made the industry rivalry become global.However, in that location were hundreds of shufflings resembling Otsuko which were specialty so far regional tick offs that did not throw a rear end print internationally but were doing well in their own terms. Beverage producers had made various(a) attempts at change magnitude the size of the market for alternative beverages by extending subsisting harvest-tide lines and growing altogether sweet products. Social Forces * Global beverage companies such as coca Cola and PepsiCo had relied on such beverages to circumvent up in volume growth in mature markets where consumers were reducing their employment of carbonated soft drinks. Expanding the market for alternatives beverages and increasing sales and market share, beverage producers also were forced to content with criticism from some that heftiness drinks, energy shots, and relaxation drinks presented health risks for consumers and that some producers strategies promoted reckless behavior, the primary concern of closely producers of energy drinks, sports drinks, and vitamin-enhanced beverages was how to crush improve their competitive standing in the market place. Driving Forces for this industry * Expanding Market share Desire to reach out to Consumer needs and meet the demand * Personalization of the Market Segments* filthing * Market coat * Maximization of Growth Potential General Economic Conditions * Global growth is projected to grow at 3. 5 percent in 2012, thus accelerate somewhat to 3. 6 percent from 2013-2014. In 2012 It is expected that emerging economies will be slow in growth by 0. 7 pct points on average, going from 6. 3 percent growth in 2011 to 5. 6 percent in 2012, partly as a terminus of slower export growth and partly because several of them have been outgrowth above trend and the GDP Growth for the world is predicted to be at 3. . Things control a little slow but are filling up slowly and there is no recession in clutch so far. This could really help the industries like Food, Beverages, Health surge up like they already are into the market with more percentage of market share and consumer usage based on the increasing numbers in the trend. Impact of Economic Factors * Demand on beverages and alternative beverages should remain bestowitive or stable * Branded alternative beverages with national and international posture should do well * Business opportunities should be encouraged with fair and promote interest rates 2.What is emulation like in the alternative beverage industry? Which of the louver competitive forces is strongest? Which is weakest? What competitive forces seem to have the sterling(prenominal) effect on industry captivatingness and the potential lucrativene ss of unexampled entrants? The Beverage industry is highly competitive and the segments that come into picture when it comes to competition are Distribution, Shelf management, Licenses, Brand name and Image, Pricing, Labeling and Packaging, Marketing and Advertising, Quality and taste, manage and Consumer promotions and Branding. Competition with non-alcoholic beverages * Competition with Carbonated beverages * Competition with regional beverage producers and mystic label soft drink suppliers * Competition in maintenance of diffusion mesh topology * Competition on forest and pricing* Competition on Branding, Labeling, Marketing, Packaging and Promotions. talk terms power of Buyers Strong * public convenience store, grocery store, and sweeping stealers had considerable leverage in negotiating pricing and slotting fees with alternative beverage producers because of their flock purchases. New entrants with comparatively lower market shares are approximately bear upon with t his like how it is mentioned in the case where the shelf space is limited to net greases like Coke, PepsiCo and rubicund bull for that particular market segment. The larger brands like ascorbic acid and Pepsi also already have spaces worked out with them for their other products and this makes it easier for the bigger brands to get their newer products in the shelfs too. * Delis and restaurants have low shifting be to other brands but they have less volumes likend to stores and less space, shelfs and so forth nd also will not have the alike(p) negociate power that a store enjoys. * Demand is highly dynamic Bargaining Power of Suppliers Weak * Suppliers for alternative beverages do exist in huge numbers and the competition is high * The producers of alternative beverages are important customers of suppliers and obtain in large quantities. * Packaging is readily available affright of Substitutes median(a)* Many substitutes like tea, bottled water, juices, nutrition water etc. have surfaced but the market is not as big as alternative beverages and this customer preference had weakened the competitive power of substitute beverages. Many substitutes that sess quench the thirst of the consumers * Price point of substitutes is less compared to alternative beverages f interimellum of New entrants Weak * Brand leaders already exist in the industry with competitive prices and well established scattering system * Convenience stores and Shelves across the stores are already in partnership with existing big-wigs * node loyalty towards branded products is high * Need for large financial resources and property * High Brand equity for already existing and successful brands Threat of Rivalry Strong Competition centers among major brands based on brand build, appealing taste, packaging, R&D, Marketing and Distribution capabilities * Attempts by all the brands to increase the number and types of products in their product line * Low chemise costs for the c onsumers of the industry * Strong marketing campaigns by each brand to gain customer loyalty The Bargaining power of consumers and rivalry that exists between the competitions in this industry contributes to the attractiveness of the industry.The numbers are promising, the industry is dynamic and increase in demand each year. The factors that affect the potential profitability of the new entrants are the Brand image, Distribution network and Product line breadth. 3) How is the market for energy drinks, sports drinks and vitamin-enhanced beverages changing? What are the underlying drivers of change and how major power those forces individually or collectively make the industry more or less attractive? * Driving forces of the alternative everage industry are symbiotic on the creating/sustaining market demand, dynamics of the growth rate and product renewing. * manufacturing leaders established Segments within the alternative beverage industry have consolidated as markets have matu red and leaders have been established. Red Bull GmbH and Hansen Natural Corporation remained independent in 2010, coca plant-Cola controlled such brands as Powerade sports drink, Fuze vitamin-enhanced beverages, glaceau vitamin water and NOS.In addition, Coca-Cola distributed Hansens Monster energy drink in parts of the United States, Canada, and six European countries. * Changes in Long term Growth Rate The recession had an impact on sales of sports drinks and flavored or enhanced water and has stalled growth in the market for energy drinks there was also growing market maturity for most categories of alternative beverages. The annual rate of growth for the dollar value of the global market for alternative beverages was forecasted to decline from the 9. percent annual rate occurring between 2005 and 2009 to an anticipated annual rate of 5. 7 percent for 2010 through 2014. While dollar value growth rates were expected to decline only slightly in Europe and Asia-Pacific, the annual r ate of growth in the U. S. was projected to decline from 16. 6 percent during 2005 2009 to 6. 7 percent between 2010 and 2014 * Product invention The industry is continuing to evolve with introduction of new products that enable arise of new category of products.The recent introduction of energy shots is an example of how an innovation that has given rise to an altogether new sub-segment in the industry. * The creation of new product segments, the increasing positive trends in growth rate and increasing market share for each product are a grave indication and inviolable drivers of change that increase the attractiveness of the market for an rising industry. 4) What does your strategic group map of the energy drink, sports drink, and vitamin-enhanced beverage industry look like?Which strategic groups do you think are in the best positions? The worst positions? The strategic group maps show the industry participants competing with axes of Geographic foot print and Brand. The Map shows that Industry giants like Coke and Pepsico are positioned strongest in the industry due to already existing contracts, supply chain, distribution network and shelf spaces in retail spaces. * Red Bull is seeing a successful brand in Europe and the U. S. Hansens Monster is also doing good standing up to the other market giants with distribution partnership with coke giving it the required space and opportunity to grab the market and because can be considered at a favorable position. * Rock angiotensin converting enzyme has also been at a favorable position due to the same reason of distribution network partnership with PepsiCo* Companies with a single brand and regional distribution like Otsuko, Vitamin water etc. appeared to be at an unfavorable place with chances of competition gulping the market share of the low players very soon. ) What key factors determine the success of alternative beverage producers? The place success factors for Alternative Beverage producers are * Constant Product foundation garment A company must be able to identify what a consumer is looking for and also maintain the ability to adapt with the changing market trends. They must be able to keep up and not lag behind. * Price Price is always a factors in many cases and in this case consumers with a low brand preference will buy a product based on its competitive pricing * Brand Loyalty Consumers are particular about what brand they purchase and they stick to it in most of the cases.This stresses for a superior brand image and quality * Distribution system Probably one of the most important, Effective distribution channels will not only help reduce costs but also helps a company remain competitive. * Size and photographic plate Successful alternative beverage producers were required to have sufficient sales volumes to keep marketing expenses at an acceptable cost per unit basis. 6) What recommendations would you make to Coca-Cola to improve its competitiveness in the global a lternative beverage industry? To PepsiCo? To Red Bull GmbH? Recommendations to Pepsi Pepsico have to launch a major image make campaign for the most promising products it has. * Pepsico also needs to develop its own energy shot brand try to convince Rockstar to add an energy shot to its distribution agreement. * In addition, Pepsi should negotiate for distribution rights to European and Asia-Pacific market with Rockstar or launch its energy drink brands in attractive international markets. * PepsiCo can expand its foot print and guidance on other international markets in energy drinks for more international mien and to utilize the demand of a branded and standard product.Red Bull is presently the number in the energy drinks category and they should really take benefit of that and come up with more product line extensions and more products so people can identify with that brand and try other products too. They should concentrate on more on product innovation and product line ex tensions. Recommendations to Coca Cola * Coca cola should improve its product by innovating and building up good image to recapture the market share it bewildered in energy drinks category. * Coca cola should also try to wee more rapid growth in vitamin-enhanced beverages and energy shots product. Coke should focus on products and Branding efforts to gain market and regain lost market share in energy drinks * It should build up its strength in term of alternative beverage sales in by engage acquisitions and focus on building its strength of sales in Asia and defend quickly to solve the problem of lacking competitiveness in the European market for alternative beverages. * Coca cola can use a combination of new flavors and formulations, brands, line extensions, improved image building, and distribution capabilities to increase sales of alternative beverages internationally.Recommendations to Red Bull GmbH * Redbull should improve the performance of its lately introduced energy sho ts and continue to expand into rapidly growing country markets for energy drinks. * It is necessary for the company to maintain its lead in the U. S. and European energy drink market with additional product line extensions based upon product innovation. * It should develop sports drinks or vitamin-enhanced beverages that can further exploit the appeal of the Red Bull brand 7. Using the data in Ex. 11, 12, 13 compare Pepsi, Coke, and Hansen.Who has been the most profitable? Who has better managed their expenses? Which business has shown the most growth? Which of the three would you give the strongest grade for their performance? * Using the data from Exhibit 11,12 and 13 for Coke, Pepsi and Hansen, Hansen seems to be the most profitable so far as it became the largest marketer of energy drink in the US by leading most of alternative beverage categories. PepsiCos global market share in 2009 was 26. 5 percent, overcome by 11. 5 percent to Coca-Cola.The Coca Cola has better managed the ir expenses it was the third-largest seller of alternative beverage and in the top five best-selling non-alcoholic beverages worldwide in 2009. But they have lot of signal detection up to do. I would give the strongest grade for performance to Hansen for its market share, scat of products, product innovation and distribution strategies. Hansen also managed to have higher revenue growth and higher cash flow growth. Net Revenue 2007 2008 2009 CAGR Pepsi 39374 43251 43232 3. 17% Coca Cola 28857 31944 30990 3. 40% Hansen 904465 1033780 1143299 4. 50% Net Income 2007 2008 2009 CAGR Pepsi5674 5166 5979 1. 76% Coca Cola 5981 5807 6824 4. 49% Hansen 149,406 108032 208716 11. 70% Operating profit 2007 2008 2009 CAGR Pepsi 7182 6959 8044 3. 85% Coca Cola 18451 20570 19902 2. 55% Hansen 230986 163591 337309 13. 40% The company growth rate analysis of the three companies in terms of revenue, income and profit show that Hansen has higher percentage of growth rate well above the industry average. Hansen has greater revenues in the industry segment and higher customer demand and financial success.

The Beginning of a New Life

In the fall of 2011, I travel to Buffalo, smart York and took two age to get here. I do non regret anything. I arrived knowing nothing and speaking English was not the same as when I was twelve when I was studying in Tampa, FL. Some people may think its funny that I came here not knowing the woman I was to live with. My fall in was happy that scared at the same time that I was going to a urban center that I did not know and virtually alone, without close relatives or even friends. But one that does not adventure does not succeed.Many are wondering fairish what brought me to Buffalo, NY. I left hand a betoken with plenty of sunshine, glorious beaches and lots of fun to a place that winter is. I met my wife on a social networking site. It was crazy, but I prepared my destination. In my country, I was unemployed and the place where I worked gave up my services and I could not find work. I started receiving un conflict benefits. I liked being at home all day. When I met my wife on the social network, we began to write and then we exchanged the cry numbers.After two months I moved to Buffalo to start a fresh animateness. She already had a child and I had no children at the moment. I talked to my mother about it and told me that if I felt happy doing that she back up me. In the following days I looked for information of Buffalo and grease ones palms a ticket, pack and what needed for the trip. But first I resolute to visit my dad in Florida because he had not seen in a long time. So my trip began on October 29, 2011 to Lake City, FL. Lake City is a beautiful place with friendly people and almost everyone knows each other, because it is a smallish townspeople and at that place are hardly a(prenominal) places that have entertainment. When I was there first time in the year 2002, there was almost nothing, just some parks, five disco bars, and where all young people deal a lot after going to the movies or the clubs Wal-Mart. On arrival, I was surp rised it did not seem much a small town because it had evolved. To my surprise, there were some(prenominal) shopping centers, had many more stores than eleven years ago.The small town was not small, was now a bigger city and productive, with more opportunities to grow personally and economically professionals. But despite the young city that I came by surprise, people still the same, kind, respectful and freehearted as ever. I spent three weeks with my father who taught me new things that had built. I left fascinated and I said to myself I want to return with my new family but to stay and make a new life here with them, they go away achieve it one day. I felt motivate to move forward in my life and have a major(ip) future for me and my family.I wanted to go to that city, but had a new beginning, a new life, a new future ahead you had to structure. I begin my journey to a strange city. I didnt semen by plane I wanted to travel by bus, so begins the journey to Buffalo, New York. In the driving time I do several stops, but I had my mind occupied with things like the city, everything will be fine, get quick work, I will be happy, and I was increasingly reflective. The trip was about eighteen hours and I could not sleep.When I reached this city, my new love and my stepson received me happily and lovingly, and I was very happy, but at the same time I felt strange and disorientate and did not know anything about this city. It was night when I get to Buffalo, New York. I came to my new home, I took a bath and went to bed and said, tomorrow is my beginning of a new life. The next day when I woke up, I felt strange, but I could not get for later, this was my first, so I decided to do it. So I got dressed and started to explore the city. It was refrigerated in a few days would be Thanksgiving Day.I was committed to finding jobs, but it was hard, because my English is not the same as before, but I dont give up. After several attempts and several weeks ago I rece ived a call from an employment agency. I started at a famer market Jose Disaderio, but in few weeks they laid me off, and employment agencies know. But Im not discouraged at all. I spent Christmas and New Years with family. After several days my little girl gave me the news that I was father for the first time in my life. I was on clouds, like a dream that I wake.

Chinese Labor and Employment Law Essay

In November 2001, chinawargon became a encompassingy admitted member of the sphere Trade Organization and in n in international trade. China has not single become a major export power, save excessively an attractive investment funds target for world trade and investment continues to increase, its get environment will likely attract more ? 2 1980. At least 130 million of these atomic number 18 migrator spend a pennyers who go forward from relatively poor rural areas to urban and industrial stubs to extend.Many of these migrant workers remit portions of their earnings back to family members in their hometown. Until recently, China has typic all in ally had an engorge of un skilled get the picture and a shortage of skilled and professional workers. However, in the past sev epochl years, some companies in the major industrial hubs concur begun to complain about boil shortages. As a result, legion(predicate) companies straightaway raise stipend 10 percent or more annua lly to retain workers, while others have closed their doors and moved to poorer interior areas or countries with cheaper labor.Interestingly, salaries for new university graduates have stagnated university system. While university graduates start their careers with wages comparable to a pulverization worker, their salaries typically rise much more quickly than those factory workers. How have 35 years. Prior to the early 1980s, nearly all jobs were allocated to citizens finished an administrative bureau. Employees could not choose their employer or terminate their drill. Further, regulations set an vista that the employee would work for the same employer for her or his whole working life.Companies in this era could only terminate employees for gross misconduct. This type of labor market and social safety net was called the iron Rice Bowl be effort the employer guaranteed job trade protection and benefits to employees In other words, the benefits could not be taken away 3 In 1983, the governance introduced a contract system that attempted to holler the low productivity of the labor market by replacing the Iron Rice Bowl with short-term labor contracts. At first, state-owned companies resisted this trend and the government succeeded only in minimal reforms.In 1992, the N require all trade unions to be affiliated with the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU). This effectively brought labor unions infra greater restrain of the government. The Labor uprightness of 1994 liberalized the labor market. The labor law, when combined with economic reforms, resulted in more than 40 million lost jobs in government and state-owned enterprises. As a result of the reforms, the government close inefficient businesses and the formerly economically dominant northeast turned into a rustbelt.Meanwhile, Chinese entrepreneurs and Hong Kong investors transformed the formerly weak southeast province of Guangdong into the largest center of manufacturing in the world. In 2008, the government introduced a Labor Contract Law that rolled back some of the laissez-faire approaches to the workforce that the government introduced in the 1990s. This new law abolished the system of at-will employment for most full-time employees and required employers to provide employees with written contracts. Since 2008, the government has also revisited its policy of tight control over the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU).While all unions must chill out be approved by and affiliated with ACFTU, it appears that the government is allowing the ACFTU greater sanction to advocate for the rights of workers than it did just a few years ago. That said, the government continues to dispose workers who advocate for the formation of independent trade unions. W A G ES Does China have a nominal wage? 4 Yes. There are two standards of minimum wage monthly and hourly. tokenish wages are set at the provincial and municipal level.The government prohibits employe rs from reaching an agreement with employees for wages that fall below the local minimum wage standard regardless of whether the employee is still in her or his probation level or internship. A probationary period occurs at the beginning of an employment relationship and allows employers to terminate employees without severance pay up to a upper limit of six months, exactly usually just two months. The probation period allows the employer to top sure the employee is a good fit with the employer before being locked into the full term of the employment contract.Provincial and municipal governments frequently adjust statutory minimum wages. For example, many municipalities have raised their minimum wages twice in the past year alone. Ho It depends on the locality. -time employees is RMB 1,120/month, or somewhat $165. However, in the poorer inland city of Chongqing, the minimum wage is RMB 870/month, or or so $130. Of course, purchasing wages. The relative cost of living in China is freeze off than in many developed countries, but even when wages are adjusted for relative prices they remain much lower than in highly developed countries.How much do factory workers earn? It depends on the locality, industry, skill level, and a host of other factors. However, several sources keep broad indices of cost for general factory labor across many regions. Although the indices are only rough estimates, they are helpful in gauging wage differentials across the country. For example, a skilled manufacturing employee in Beijing faeces be hired for 5 RMB 3,000/month, or roughly $445. A similar worker in the poorer inland municipality of Chongqing can be hired for RMB 1,900/month, or roughly $280.To illustrate how grievous geographic location is in determining wage rates, the average employee hire in Beijing is nearly three times higher than in the poor inland province of Jiangxi. Do Chinese workers get extra time? T , an employer must pay extra time pay to any employee who whole shebang more than 40 hours per week. As a general rule, an employer cannot require overtime of more than one hour per mean solar day, or three hours per day under special circumstances, and no more than 36 hours per month.As in many other countries, white collar workers like managers and sales staff are often exempt from the overtime pay rules. The following payment history illustrates the overtime pay requirements. E xtended Wor king Hours Typical working day Rest day (min. one per week) (i. e. , weekend) National holiday M inimum O vertime Pay (percent of regular wages) 150 percent 200 percent ccc percent Many migrant workers desperate to earn quick capital agree with the employer to work beyond the maximum overtime requirements so they can send extra money home to their families.This type of overtime work is frequently found in industrial hubs and is a contributing cause of recent labor strikes because employees who agree to these arrangements place downward price pressure on wages and upward pressure on hours. Employers are also able to maneuver around overtime regulations by applying to the local labor authorities and asking for approval to use an alternative system of working hours. What are the wage levels for workers who are paid piece-rate? 6 Piece-rate is a compensation system where the employer pays the employee for each unit produced or action performed, not on the basis of time.Piece-rate wages are still a feature of to turn to the exploitation of employees through piece rates. For example, workers were exploited when employers paid workers at piece-rate, but then fined them for quality defects, tardiness, or no reason at all. These penalties effectively left workers with wages far below what the employer promised the workers during the hiring process. The first principle of piece-rate wages is that employers cannot set a work quota so high that it prevents an employee from completing the work within an eight-hour day or an average 40-hour week.

Many of Today’s Drivers Have Dangerous Habits

The cars today have such far-advanced automotive technology that the motored transport vehicle looks to drive itself. The problem is that beca spend operate cars today contract less concentration than the cars of yesteryear, inventors seem to have come up with new(a) and varied ways to keep the driver busy tush the flap. This would non be such a no-account thing if it did not award such a threat to the purport and limb of the driver and the pedestrians and different cars in his path. I am not kidding, all you have to do is look at every single person behind the wheel these geezerhood to know that they should not be impulsive and performing any(prenominal) activity it is that is preoccupying their minds, hands, and m out(a)hs, all at the same conviction. So, what kinds of movement activities pose as mediocre driving habits or hazards on the road? How do the activities manipulate the drivers state of mind and concentration?The usual culprit that creates a breakneck d riving habit is technology. It is not un usual to see people driving with one hand on the wheel and the other holding a cellphone up to his ear while navigating dangerous turns and traffic lights. Women kittynonball along out the door with curlers in their hair also try to lay on make up while driving to work. Needless to say, the rearview reverberate is not for applying mascara to the face.Speaking of rushing out the door, todays profuse paced life panache also insures that most people do not have time to have a decent breakfast before flying out the door. A quick trip through and through a drive through gives you the most common dangerous driving habit ever to be performed by man. Instead of keeping an eye on the road, the driver ends up with his eye on the sandwich and trying to balance the drink that he so does not need spilling unto his lap.Aside from these everyday-driving hazards that drivers do not seem to realize they are performing, there are also the bad driving hab its that are ca economic consumptiond by speeding. This is the tendency of a hurried driver to pull out down a pedestrian is greater and the possibility of loosing control of the wheel is a seriously dangerous reality.Not to forget, some drivers forget to use their turn places and this often times readys accidents between other cars or pedestrians. By simply using these simple warning devices, accidents can be avoided. I would also like to mention that people who do not use their signal lights usually end up engaged in a violent game of road rage. Other drivers tend to get roiled and worked up into frenzy when the driver in front of them fails to use their signal lights and almost runs the driver behind him into an accident.Another example of a bad driving habit is an over confident and cocky driver behind the wheel. This is usually a bad habit attributed to experienced drivers because their driving bridle-path they traverse has become such a routine that they think they can na vigate it with their eyes closed. So when an activity that poses a threat to the life and limb of the driver and those around him jogs the driver to reality, they are usually unrehearsed to respond to the situation.Basically, dangerous driving habits are not something permanent. If you remain apprised of your driving habits and remember to always stick to the rules of the road, there is no undercoat for one to become one of the many drivers on the road these days with terrible driving habits. Safe driving is practically just common sense and is not hard to follow. Just remember, bad driving habits heart and soul that you are just lucky that the grim reaper hasnt decided to takings you yet. It never hurts to err on the side of caution and drive safely for a happy long life.OutlineI.Introduction to dangerous driving habitsII.Technological advancements that cause bad driving habitsIII.Bad driving habits brought about by a fast paced lifestyleIV. Bad driving habits caused by speedi ngV. Bad driving habits caused by complacency of the driver in his driving skillsVI.Suggestions to alter bad driving habitsVII. ConclusionWork CitedDangerous Driving Habits. Ezine Articles. 2006.May 8, 2007.

Miles and Flora in ‘The Turn of the Screw’ Essay

The children in the novella are real distinctive in a manner of how the reader undersurface perceive them. They can be seen by many as good children or bad children. In Victorian times the majority of children were actu on the wholey brought up in the move class and the middle class, Miles and plant were not, they were lucky enough to be in the upper class barely they had to follow the ideals of their mother or father. They didnt turn in a mother or father in that respectfore the governess was the l wizsome(prenominal) option of a friend to corroborate and confide in, this was seen as morally wrong in the society since many Victorians believed that their shouldnt be friendships amongst different classes, they believed in a strict social hierarchy.The children can be seen as innocent in the novella by the governess first views of them. On her first sighting of Miles, the governess describes him as universe angelic, this can be seen as quite confusing to the reader since s he has altogether just met him, it is a rattling powerful word to use on first impressions. alone mainly it has religious connotations, it conveys a very fast(a) image of Miles creation this perfect footling child, and sets him up as an innocent character through start the entire novella. Also the governess is carried away by Miles as well as the Master this suggests that the governess is always in awe of strangers making her seem very vulnerable.Miles is constantly referred to as little by the governess throughout the novella. She calls him a little fairy prince which shows how extremely she speaks of Miles, this suggests how little he is in physical visual aspect but mainly the ingenuousness of him, small amours are usually very vulnerable and innocent and need comfort and support from somebody larger than them. The use of prince not only shows how pristine he is but to a fault correlates with his Victorian upper class position in society. This sensing of Miles waistclo th the same even until the end when his little heart, dispossessed had stopped. Since there has been many sides to Miles in the novella, the end sentence conveys how innocent he very he is. He is only a little boy and thats what the reader needs to remember.Flora is besides spoken very highly of by the governess. Generally there is more of a loveable link between the two because they are female, and the daughter looks up to both of her parents as role models but to the mother most of all. The governess thinks that Flora is the most fine- feel child she has ever seen this is kind of inferred in the quotation but also has a very loveable element to it and an innocence one too. The governess doesnt really experience any problems with Flora in the novella she wants to encourage her all the time from the ghosts that she believes are terrorizing her. Floras position in society as world upper class is also link up to by the use of her hair of gold, gold symbolizing specie but also take fors her stand out in the crowd, the author has do her out to be same a little prodigy.Another perception of the childrens innocence comes with the idea if there are truly ghosts modify them, which the governess thinks is happening. The fact that they are only children conveys the general idea that children tend to be scared of ghosts and dont want to hear anything about them. The children whitethorn be tucker outting scared by the governess dramatic reactions to her so called sightings of quin and Jessel. When Flora is awake in the middle of the night looking out the window, the governess, straight away, believes that she is contacting ghosts and so her suspicions about ghosts are increased but they are only children and it turns out they were only having a joke. Children can still have fun even though they are of noble birth but the governess doesnt seem to realize this. Maria Edgeworth commented on the grave dangers of go away young children in the supervision of ser vants, in this shift the governess is actually a servant in social hierarchy terms but the subjugate in terms of profession terms.The children however can be seen as being bad. The quote in the title itself tells how Miles could be being sinister. When the governess wakes up to see why Flora is standing up at the window, she immediately believes that she is contacting either quin or Jessel because she is extremely paranoid. But when she sees Miles on the grounds of Bly she panics because not only is he all alone without anyone manage him, he is also looking above the window Flora is looking out so the governess believes he is contacting Quint.When talking to Mrs.Grose about what happened the previous night, she watches Miles and Flora walking the grounds and believes that theyre talking horrors, this could have several implications, one could be that they are plotting and scheming against the governess to maybe overthrow her position and get their uncle back to them and another could be that they are talking to the horrors and in this case the horrors could be Quint and Jessel since the word horror is often associated with ghosts and the supernatural.One thing that could suggest that the children are deceiving the governess and manipulating her is the fact that the employer who is the childrens uncle is at one timehere to be seen at Bly. Since being employed the governess is told strictly not to contact him about anything whatsoever, not even about his own nephew and niece.This surely arouses suspicion and could possibly make the reader think that maybe the children are actually bad. Perhaps the ago between Miles and Quint had made the Master resort to madness like the governess possibly has as well. It could in fact possibly be that Quint corrupted Miles before the governess was at Bly which leads to the reason why he was expelled from his naturalize which the governess believes is a massive concern. Are the children the cause of their uncles behavior ? And maybe, what have they done to make him not want to stay at Bly? The governess has all these sorts of questions but knows that they she cannot contact him for the sake of her job, which drives her mad because she thinks she is being corrupted.The descriptions of the children actually replace as the reader progresses through the novella. On first impressions the children are compared to being like angels and royalty which is all well and good but she has save to meet their true personalities. She describes Flora as an old, old woman which is honestly the most ridiculous thing that a child can be called. This obviously cannot be a description of her physical appearance since she is only 8 years old but possibly how the governess believes that she is corrupted by Miss Jessel. Perhaps both time Jessel is around, Floras soulfulness seems to be aging or it could actually be that she is becoming smarter with every appearance of Jessel so she is scheming more. This could suggest a loss of innocence in Flora, she used to be the most beautiful child and now she is an old, old woman.To conclude I believe that the children are actually innocent. They are only children so how in any way can they actually be sinister and possibly evil? Yes there is strong evidence that the children could be being bad and corrupting the governess but being evil is too much of an extent. Therefore I believe in the innocence of the children.

Child Abuse Essay

In order to curb the cases of infant hatred, effective education and consciousness campaign should be conducted in schools and communities. through with(predicate) this education and awareness campaign, children get out learn about their rights and activities that may be construed as child abuse. Knowledge about rights and any activities that may correspond abuse pass on certainly help children deal with the issue if they comply face to face with it. The paper will witness into effective convey of promoting awareness about child abuse among children in the community. Secondly, it will look at the risk factor that contributes to the situation of child abuse.Lastly, the study will prescribe an awareness and education campaign for implementation. Previous education and awareness campaigns will also be considered in the paper. Library research and interviews will be conducted. One of the challenges that will beset the study will be the view that educational campaigns, especiall y those conducted using mass media will take limited effect or stir on the proliferation of child abuse. The rigour of this argument will be addressed by presenting studies dealing with the encounter of mass media on child abuse awareness campaigns.Furthermore, the study nominate present a case study that will deal flat with the challenges posed. While the argument may have certain validity, a wizard means of promoting awareness and education campaign is bound to fail. Hence, additional talk channels should be identified for the campaign. Reference Teicher, M. H. (2002). Scars that Wont bring around The Neurobiology of Child Abuse. Scientific Ameri nominate, 286 (3), 54-61. This journal article presents the difficult processes that victims of child abuse go through. It is an indictment of child abuse.At the same time, the author presents elicit recommendations on how child abuse victims can be dealt with so they can cope with pain and trauma. This also provides important i nsight into the manner of legal profession of child abuse. Glaser, D. (2000). Child Abuse and Neglect and the Brain A Review. The daybook of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 41, 97-116. The mental and emotional impact of child abuse is difficult to deal with. Hence, this study helps researchers and other lot interested in child abuse to look at these impacts and how to pull round at sound policies for intervention and information campaign.

A Study on Work Life Balance Essay

For fresh graduates, getting in the big tetrad firms pitch long been considered as one of the ideal places where eitherone aims for. This is because there argon significant benefits from functioning at a Big 4 Firm. For instance, every Big 4 firm offer superior training to staffs, ne twainrking opportunities with professionals crosswise different industries, and possibility to be hired at one of the leaf node companies. Hence, many young accountants and fresh graduates are testamenting to take on lower pay to work in these firms. However, working in a Big 4 firm is never an easy task, especially during gush season from January to April.Typically, an employee has to work ten to twelve hours a day during weekdays and weekends. glum work hours has greatly affected employees in maintaining work breeding equilibrise and brought challenges to both employees and employers. The current study identifies the factors that could affect employees work life eternal sleep in one of the Big Four accounting firms Deloitte Macau. Both questionnaire surveys (n=30) and call into questions (across two management level) shed been conducted and reveal convergent tabucomes. Recommendations have been provided to further remedy the work-life counterweight in Deloitte Macau.Introduction of Deloitte Macau Deloitte Macau is an accounting firm that provides audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services to national, multinational and enterprise clients in Macau. The firm is a segment of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL), a UK private company limited by guarantee. all(prenominal) DTTL firm is structured differently in accordance with national or local laws, regulations, customary practice, and opposite factors, and may secure the planning of provision of professional services in its territory through subsidiaries, affiliates, and/or other entities.Currently, there are fifty-nine professionals working inside the company, ranging from junior (A1 and A2), s enior, four-in-hand and senior passenger car. Besides, Employee may also have the opportunity to mystify partner, who receives a share in the profits of the company and have a rate in management. Furthermore, The increase in pay is substantial. An audit partner at Deloitte reported an annual salary range of USD $387,000 to $416,000. However, it also means additive responsibilities for bringing in new course and managing employees.Definition of Work-life balance The societal structure and complexity has changed rapidly in the past decades, the society is facing massive confrontation of different responsibilities and commitments, these changes were formed as a emergence in increased global competition, renewed interest in personalised lives and family values, aging workforce (Lockwood, 2003), as well as the blurring of work-non-work boundaries (Humbert and Lewis, 2008), work-life balance has become a predominant issue in the workplace.Extensive researches have been conducted round work-life balance however, the context of work-life balance is very broad and will have different meaning towards different situation and interpretation. Researchers gave different definition of work-life balance, brisk (2003) states that work-life balance is about helping employees better manage their work and non-work time. harmonise to Business dictionary, work-life balance is a comfortable state of equilibrium achieved among an employees primary priorities of their employment position and their private lifestyle. It is a perceptual constancy of body or mind (Guest, 2001). Thus, different people may have their right combination of paid work and other aspects of their lives.Most psychologists would comply that the demands of an employees career should not overwhelm the individuals world power to enjoy a satisfying personal life outside of the business environment. In this sense, balance is the result of collective actions, not an action in itself. Whereas researcher s also deposit meaning of life in tercet senses, they define life as unpaid work obligations, leisure in ordinary and ultimately anything that is not employment. Maclnnes, 2008). Focus among the different definition of work-life balance As work-life balance has such broad term of definition, its implication and application to touchable world situation as a result is comprehensive.According to Lockwood (2003), the working definitions of terms used regarding work-life balance covering different aspects, including work-family, which refers to the work-life balance in specific areas such as quality of life, flexible work , option, life balance etc. work-family conflicts, which efers to the push and pull between work and family responsibilities work-life balance from the employee viewpoint, which refers to the dilemma of managing work obligations and personal or family responsibilities work-life balance from the employer viewpoint, which refers to the challenge of creating a support ive company culture where employees can taper on their hypothecate while at work others such family-friendly benefits, work-life programs, work-life initiatives and work-family culture etc. ave been evolved as research areas of defining work-life balance.In the current study, we are going to focus on work-life conflict from the employees viewpoint, to explore the problems they encounter and what they could do for managing work and non-work obligations. Objectives and methodological analysis of the studyAfter focusing the definition of work-life balance for the study, we have doctor objectives in line with information collected from employees of Deloitte Macau to come up with several(prenominal) purposes to gravel out the causes that led to employees non-work-life balance in the work context, to investigate ways that employer can do to tackle the causes for improving the situation, to identify how employees could do to prevent from getting imbalance between work and non-work con text, and in conclusion give out recommendation on application for tackling the problems from both employer and employee viewpoint. methodology of the studyThe study is conducted with a combination of pragmatism set about in concert with the support of literature review for inductive results. By using pragmatism approach, it is believed that causes that negatively affect the work life balance of employees of Deloitte Macau could be effectuate out in a systematic and more comprehensive way, and with the recognition of the causes, employer could help enhancing employees work-life balance with curb strategies. In this case, both questionnaire and interview were used as the research strategies for the appropriateness and applicableness of this paper.Sampling and participants Questionnaires were distributed across the three operational departments of Deloitte Macau, the auditing department, compliance department and tax department for the freedom of plectrum staff made to comple te the questionnaire. On the other hand, a manager from auditing department and an assistant manager who is in charge of supervising both tax and compliance department were selected to participate in this study. Data collection Primary data is collected from questionnaire and interview. As mentioned earlier, pragmatism and inductive approach was used for the research methodology.Both questionnaire and interviews were applied for data collection tool. come in participants of questionnaires were employees from junior to middle management level across the three operational department of Deloitte Macau. The questionnaire sampling was based on the random sampling approach while interview with mangers belongs to purposive sampling. Interpretation of data received will be outlined and elaborated in the findings session. Findings From Questionnaire A survey was carried out from 6th Feb to 9th March 2013 by asking Deloitte audit, tax and compliance staffs to change a questionnaire.The aim of the survey is to evaluate the work and non-work balance of the staffs and find out the causes of this imbalance. A total 31 questionnaires (sample size) were completed among total 59 staffs (population size). In order to have a better understanding of the causes that scarper to imbalance work and non-work life, literature review is carried out in prove and we find that the causes are mainly Technology boom Lacking appropriate skill Overtime and limiting budget Multi-tasking. Thus, we also set them as the choices in our questionnaire (question 13 in Appendix A) for asking the causes.

IP Addresses Classes and Special Essay

Use IP promise Space In a computer network internet protocol is used for communication, to each(prenominal) device such as printers and computers a numerical label called an IP (Internet Protocol) Address is assigned. at that place are two functions of an IP Address a phalanx or network interface identification, and also provides a mess addressing. The basic elements of a network are the IP Address and Subnet Mask. There is also switching and r turn outing which after you connect devices to switches and routers, data packets can be moved across the network. The Internet Protocol Version 4 (know as IPv4) is a protocol highly used even today, this IP Address consist of a 32- part number in decimal or binary in four parts. In 1995 Internet Protocol Version 6 (known as IPv6) was created due to a high growth of the Internet, and the reduction of procurable IP addresses. IPv6 consist of a 128-bit number for addresses, in 1998 IPv6 was standardized as RFC 2460 and since the mid-2000s has been used. Stored in text files and displayed as a readable none IP Addresses are started as binary numbers, before their put out in readable form for individuals. Subnet short for Sub-network was not present in 1969 the classes of A E did not exist yet.There were only 254 plain networks with each network having a max of 16,777,214 IP addresses, because the first 8 bits for network part are standard reserved. Network Classes were developed in 1981. 16,777,214 IP addresses can be placed in 24 bits for host address, with this on the horizon developers found that they had to partition IP addresses. This partition had to be done in a way so we can exhaust different sizes of a network. Different sizes of network bits eventually created different classes of networks, known today as Class A, Class B, and Class C. This solved the manage with the classes, but with little information given we still needed to put what is the network class. In octets Class A (network bit 8 host bit 2 4) always between 0-127, Class B (network bit 16 host bit 16) between 128-191, Class C (network bit 24 host bit 8) between 192-224, Class D (network and host bit not defined) between 225-239, and Class E (network and host bit not defined) between 240-255.ReferencesDecinteral.in.com Understanding IP Address and Subnet MaskMicrosoft Tech.NetWikipedia.com

What Social Factors Affect Students’ Use of Online Registration: An Exploratory Study

What Social Factors Affect Students Use of Online Registration An beta StudyXiaobing Cao, Ph.D., institutional interrogationer Robert Brodnick, Ph.D., Director and Assistant Professor Planning and Research University of the peaceful Association for Institutional Research 42nd Annual Forum June, 2002 (Toronto, Canada)Track 3 Institutional Management and PlanningAbstractWhat Social Factors Affect Students Use of Online Registration An explorative StudyThis study investigated how social factors reach college students use of the online registration serving that was belatedly offered in a private university in Northern California. During the first year, closely 31% of the students who pre-registered their courses used the service. The results indicated that academician and demographic factors affected students use of the online service. For example, students from accepted disciplines (e.g. Pharmacy and International Studies) and high income families were more likely to use the on line service. It is evoke to notice that the results did not show a signifi lowlifet bear on of sex on the use of online registration. Implications are presented for institutions considering alternative registration methods or the carrying out of technological solutions to administrative processes.What Social Factors Affect Students Use of Online Registration An Exploratory StudyThe current study focuses on how social factors affect students use of online registration. The online service was first offered at the university in spring 2001. Using online registration can be viewed as crude engineering adaptation. However, updated literature in students raw(a) technology adoption is rare. It is worthwhile to investigate how social factors affect college students in adapting the new technology. thither are 2 objectives for this study reviewing relevant literature of the online registration and examining the stirs of social factors on use of the online service. Review of Literatu reAccording to the literature, online registration1 can be divided into three layers of development. The first gift is the 1970s. This is a developing arcdegree in which some universities led higher procreation institutions to have a go at it sign new technology application in administration (Michael, 1976 Chapman & Gambrell, 1976 Brown, 1979 Hengehold & Keim, 1975 Adams, 1974). During this stage, online registration underwent a period of experiments and testing. Online registration was beginning to be recognized for its operation in assisting university administration.The second stage refers to the decade of the 1980s. During these years, online registration was widely used by universities across the country. New features in the registration process were added and more experience was summarized (Heard, 1987 interpolate & Parker, 1983 Arnett & Posey, 1986 Lonabocker & Long, 1983 Lisker, 1987). This period can be viewed as the stabilized stage. Cook & Parker (1983) conducted a survey of online registration practices among 66 colleges and universities. They found that online registration had change academic advising.Online registration in the literature review refers to various methods through and through which a registration can be completed, such as, mainframe computer,telephone, and web.New technology application had saved time for students, faculty and staff members (1987). Online registration has been understandably confirmed as a successful approach (Lonabocker & Long, 1983 Arnett & Posey, 1986).The third stage includes the 1990s and beyond. This period can be viewed as the enhancement stage. There have been new ways of exploring online registration such as apply web service (Swein, 1997), integration of internet technology into all phases of the education process (doubting Thomas, Carswell & Price, 1998), and getting specific groups of students involved in online registration (Kelly, 1998). Thomas et al. pointed out that the integrative approach has been effective in university administration. The third stage indicates that online registration has been well developed, looking for new ways to enhance the new technology environment through new technology convergence.Theoretical Framework & Research QuestionsSocial cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986) helps explain how human behaviors are affected by both social factors (e.g. family income) and personal factors (e.g. selfconcepts). The theory suggests that different social characteristics of students affect how they adapt themselves into the new technology environment. Based on social cognitive theory, the current study is investigating how social covariants affect students use of online registration. The future(a) are the research questions. 1. To what extent do student academic variables impact the use of online registration? 2. To what extent do student demographic variables impact the use of online registration?3. What are the effects of the academic and demographic variable s on the use of online registration? MethodologyThe data were extracted from the university student information system. Thedependent variable was the registration method (online vs. walk-in). The independent variables were in two parts academic variables and demographic variables. TheSocial Factors and Online Registration 5 University of the Pacificacademic variables included Major, Class, Grade, and Degree Level. The study was measured by the college or school a student majored in. The class expound the students class level including freshmen, sophomore, junior, senior, and graduate. The degree level was measured by two categories graduate level and undergraduate level. The grade was measured by the students accumulative GPA. The demographic variables included Gender, Age, Ethnicity, and Family Income. The family income was a two-category variable including families with income =$90,000. The data source was the alter gross income reported from FAFSA.ResultsTo answer research qu estion one, To what extent do student academic variables impact the use of online registration?, a descriptive analysis was conducted. The results showed that the students who used the online registration were more likely those who majored in drugstore (39%) and international studies (37%). The students who did not use the online registration were more likely those who majored in music (13%). The Chi-square test shows that the relationship between the registration method and major was significant, 2 (6, n=3024)= 43.8, p

Hand washing

Researchers in London imagine that if everyone routinely wash drawinged their workforce , a million deaths a course of study could be prevented (CDC, 2013) Studies energize shown that hand washing may be the single(a) most important act to help stop the spread of infection. pass by hygiene is one of the most important steps we can bundle to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. A lot of diseases are spread by not washing hands with soap and water. sometimes clean running water may not be available, so use soap and the available water or hand sanitizer.Though spinal column sanitizers may help they may not eliminate all germs and may not be effective when there is visible dirt. Hands should be washed before and after procedures, preparing food, eating, caring for the sick, using the restroom, changing diapers , blowing the nose, expectorate and sneezing . People should be taught the right way to wash hands, after touching animal waste or handling pets. By alo ne hand washing the government can save not scarce lives but money, that can go to improve peoples lives.The Center for Disease constraint (CDC) provides health care workers and patients with a variety of resources including guidelines for providers , patient empowerment materials , latest technology advances and educational tools (CDC, 2002). The findings maintain changed my nursing practice in that if I have to be a good advocate for my patients I have to machinate them on life saving habits.During admissions to the hospital patients are encouraged to wash their hands and to report if or refuse care if they notice a healthcare worker not wash their hands. the staff cannot reason with the patients , we have teams of investigators who watch staff go in and out of patients rooms . sometimes they take pictures in got you in a good act, it is only the hands that are taken so people are conscious of this health habit that saves lives. The WHO guidelines on hand hygiene in healthca re are a thorough review of evidence on hand hygiene in healthcare to improve practices and reduce transmissions of pathogenic microorganisms to patients and healthcare workers (CDC, 2009).Through interrogation there are findings about factors that influence compliance or devotion to hand hygiene practices. Some of these are hand washing agents causing irritation and dryness, sinks being inconveniently located or shortage of the same, neediness of supplies, too busy or insufficient time, overcrowding, patients needs take priority, eroding gloves /beliefs that glove use replaces the need for hand hygiene, additional perceived ideas to leave hand hygiene and so many more (CDC, 2002).Research examines these factors to provide guidelines finished evidence based research, and better ways to help the public and healthcare workers adhere to life saving practice. At my hospital we have devil pumps one for the sanitizer and lotion based sanitizer to encourage staff and patients to sani tize without the affright of irritation.

Management and Human Resource Development Essay

1.Integration with brassal missions and goals accord to Garavan (1991), integration into business supplying in ball club to contribute to incorporated goals and missions of the boldness are truly(prenominal) crucial. One of Human Resource ripenings functions is to help in formation of business strategies for the organization and it is seen as a responsive and activated use for strategic human resource development (McCracken & Wall(a)ace, 2000). Furthermore, the role of SHRD is to find the organization strategy instead of simply supporting role.A nonher role of Human Resource Development is to implement or form the corporate strategy. These tasks require them to link the corporate strategy with the organizations missions and goals. According to Legnick-Hall and Legnick-Hall (1988) and Butler (1988), besides integrating the corporate strategy with the organizational missions and goals, strategic human resource development also plays an all important(p) role in shaping and influencing the missions and goals (as stated in McCracken and Wallace, 2000).2.Top heed supportIn strategic human resource development, top wariness support is very important in order to implement the corporate strategy. The corporate strategy that has been create need to be led actively by the top trouble people rather than just simply supported by them (Harrison, 1997). restless leadership from the top management will help the managers to adopt strategic thinking in achieving the targeted goals (McCracken and Wallace, 2000).3.Environmental scanningIn SHRD, environmental scanning is very important to develop the strategic planning. HRD professionals and others senior managers need to conduct the thrum and PEST analysis. These analyses will help the organization to respond or pit to any changes in the internal or external environment (Rainbird, 1995 Peery and Salem, 1993). However, environmental scanning alone is not enough because HRD terms and top management need to implem ent it (McCracken and Wallace, 2000).Level of Strategic Human Resource DevelopmentThe first level of contexts that are crucial in order to apprehend the contribution of strategic human resource development is global environment. By analyzing and understanding the global environment is very important for an organization in order to be more limber. Being flexible helps an organization to tally and respond quickly to its surrounding, especially the external environment. This level focuses on a multiplicity of external factors that explain the role of SHRD in crisis management and regress particular SHRD initiatives (Wang, Hutchins & Garavan, 2009). There are three sets of instalment that must be understood in the context of global environment which are local anesthetic conditions, national conditions and multinational conditions. Local conditions basically focus on laws and protocol.For example, the organization might need to devise emergency planning processes to tackle probabl e crisis regarding the safety and health law (Wang, Hutchins & Garavan, 2009). Local conditions can be split up into two parts which are economic and political trends as salubrious as industry characteristics. The organization must alert with the economic and political conditions within the country. For the industry characteristics, the organization must ensure that their products and services pass water its own uniqueness. They need to master the products and services very well where all information need to be in their fingertips. They also need to get the targeted audiences for every of the product and services take into accountd. The national conditions which can be divided into four parts. The first part is technology change.The organization must provide adequate training to its employees to increase the productivity of the employees in operating the a la mode(p) technology. Since technology is rapidly change, so the employees need to be trained from epoch to time. The se cond part is the characteristics of the labor market. An organization must be flexible in terms of planning about the resources of the organizations especially when it comes to human resources. The management needs to hire more expertise. The third set is national culture. The organization need to learn and understand about the culture in order to provided the right products and services.For example, the food industry in Malaysia, they need to ensure that roughly of the foods are halal in order to fit it with the Muslim culture. The dying part is regarding the national HRD systems. Some countries use the soft interventions rather than the toughened approaches such as codes and protocols (Wang, Hutchins & Garavan, 2009). It may appear as a component of partnership planning between the government, employers and trade unions. The last set of components is the multinational conditions which are cross-culture difference and international laws and regulations.Cross- heathenish differen ces such as cultural assumptions towards planning and risk may also operate by close to organizations. According to Tierney,Lindell & Perry (2001), Asian countries are slow to react to disasters and they do not understand the important of systems and processes to deal with these disasters. Meanwhile, according to Caudron (2002), global terrorist events and international wretched acts have alert the national government regarding the important of providing the security cultivation and professional education of human resources involved in security management. authoritative multinational corporations may also pose some policies on individual(a) companies within the corporations (Wang, Hutchins & Garavan, 2009).

The Vampire Diaries: The Fury Chapter Fifteen

Elena watched Damon with tame dread. She knew that disturbing smile too well. entirely even as her nerve sank, her mind threw a mocking question at her. What difference did it move over? She and Stefan were release to give-up the ghost anyway. It moreover made sense for Damon to save himself. And it was wrongfulness to expect him to go against his nature.She watched that beautiful, capricious smile with a step of rue for what Damon might contrive been.Katherine smiled back at him, enchanted. Well be so dexterous together. Once theyre dead, Ill let you go. I didnt mean to scandalize you, not re e authenticallyy. I just got angry. She put bug come to the fore a slender progress and stroked his cheek. Im sorry.Katherine, he said. He was still smiling.Yes. She leaned closer.KatherineYes, Damon?Go to hell.Elena flinched from what happened next before it happened, feeling the tea ringing upsurge of Power, of malevolent, unbridled Power. She screamed at the change in Kathe rine. That lovely spirit was twisting, mutating into something that was neither human nor animal. A red miniature blazed in Katherines eye as she fell on Damon, her fangs sinking into his throat.Talons sprang from her fingertips, and she raked Damons already- bleeding chest with it, tearing into his scramble while the blood flowed. Elena kept screaming, realizing dimly that the pain in her fortification was from fighting the ropes that held her. She heard Stefan sh forbiddening, too, further above everything she heard the deafening shrill of Katherines mental voice. straightaway youll be sorry Now Im release to force you sorry Ill eradicate you Ill kill you Ill kill you Ill kill youThe book of accounts themselves hurt, standardised daggers stabbing into Elenas mind. The sheer Power of it stupefied her, rocking her back against the iron pickets. unless on that point was no way to get away from it. It seemed to echo from wholly around her, hammering in her skull.Kill you Kill you Kill youElena fainted.Meredith, crouched beside auntie Judith in the utility room, shifted her weight, straining to interpret the sounds outside the door. The dogs had gotten into the cellar she wasnt accredited how, tho from the bloody muzzles of some of them, she aspect they had broken through the ground-level windows. Now they were outside the utility room, but Meredith couldnt tell what they were doing. It was too quiet out there.Hush, Robert whispered quickly. Its all undecomposed, sweetheart. Everythings going to be all right.Meredith met his frightened, determined eye over Margarets tow head. We most had you pegged for the Other Power, she public opinion. unless there was no period to regret it at present.Wheres Elena? Elena said shed watch over me, Margaret said, her eyes giant and solemn. She said shed take care of me. Aunt Judith put a gain to her mouth.She is taking care of you, Meredith whispered. She just sent me to do it, thats all. Its the truth, she added fiercely, and adage Roberts estimate of reproach melt into perplexity.Outside, the silence had given way to scratching and gnawing sounds. The dogs were at work on the door.Robert cradled Margarets head closer to his chest. seemly didnt bop how large they had been working. Hours, certainly. Forever, it seemed inclination well. The dogs had gotten in through the kitchen and the old wooden side doors. So far, though, only about a dozen had gotten past the besets lit like barricades in front of these commencements. And the men with guns had taken care of most of those.But Mr. Smallwood and his friends were now place empty rifles. And they were running out of things to burn.Vickie had gotten hysterical a minute while ago, screaming and holding her head as if something was hurting her. Theyd been facial expression for for ways to restrain her when she at last passed out.Bonnie went up to monotonous, who was looking out over the fire through the demolished side door. He wasnt looking for dogs, she knew, but for something else much farther away. Something you couldnt see from here.You had to go, monotonous, she said. There was nothing else you could do. He didnt answer or turn around.Its nearly dawn, she said. Maybe when that comes, the dogs will leave. But even as she said it, she knew it wasnt true.Matt didnt answer. She moved(p) his shoulder. Stefans with her. Stefans there.At last, Matt gave some response. He nodded. Stefans there, he said.Brown and snarling, an separate shape charged out of the dark.It was much later when Elena came gradually to consciousness. She knew because she could see, not just by the arrive atful of arousedles Katherine had lit but also by the cold rusty dimness that filtered down from the crypts opening.Damon? she thought. It was only after she had d bingle it that she realized the word had not been spoken. Somehow, Katherines shrieking had closed a circuit in her mind, or maybe it had awakened something slee ping. And Matts blood had undoubtedly helped, giving her the strength to finally find her mental voice.She turned her head the other way. Stefan?His face was in straitened circumstances(p) with pain, but aware. Too aware. Elena almost wished that he were as insensible as Damon to what was happening to them.Elena, he returned.Where is she? Elena said, her eyes moving slowly around the room.Stefan looked toward the opening of the crypt. She went up there a while ago.Maybe to check on how the dogs are doing.Elena had thought shed slide byed the limit of fear and dread, but it wasnt true. She hadnt remembered the others indeed.Elena, Im sorry. Stefans face was make full with what no words could express.Its not your fault, Stefan. You didnt do this to her. She did it to herself. Or-it just happened to her, because of what she is. What we are. Running on a start floor Elenas thoughts was the memory of how she had attacked Stefan in the woods, and how she had snarl when she was racin g toward Mr. Smallwood, planning her revenge. It could squander been me, she said.No You could never become like that.Elena didnt answer. If she had the Power now, what would she do to Katherine?What wouldnt she do to her? But she knew it would only upset Stefan more to talk about it.I thought Damon was going to betray us, she said.I did, too, said Stefan queerly. He was looking at his brother with an odd expression.Do you still hate him?Stefans gaze darkened. No, he said quietly. No, I dont hate him anymore. Elena nodded. It was important, somehow. Then she started, her nerves hyper-alert, as something wispy the entrance to the crypt. Stefan tensed, too. Shes coming. Elena- I love you, Stefan, Elena said hopelessly, as the misty pureness shape hurtled down. Katherine took form in front of them.Of course, thought Elena. How could I have been so stupid? Damon rode with usin Alarics car over the river. He crossed running water then, and probably lots of other times. He couldnt have been the Other Power.It was strange how she could think even though she was so frightened. It was as if one part of her mind stood watching from a distance.Im going to kill you now, Katherine said conversationally. Then Im going under the river to kill your friends. I dont think the dogs have done it yet. But Ill take care of it myself.let Elena go, said Stefan. His voice was quenched but compelling all the same.I havent decided how to do it, said Katherine, ignoring him. I might roast you. Theres almost enough decrepit for that now. And Ive got these. She r from each oneed down the front of her gown and brought her closed cave in out. ace-two-three she said, dropping two silver rings and a gold one onto the ground. Their stones shone blue as Katherines eyes, blue as the stone in the necklace at Katherines throat.Elenas detention twisted frantically and she mat the smooth bareness of her ring finger. It was true. She wouldnt have believed how naked she felt without that circlet of metal. It was necessary to her life, to her survival. Without it-Without these youll die, Katherine said, scuffing the rings carelessly with the toe of one foot. But I dont know if thats slow enough. She paced back almost to the far wall of the crypt, her silver dress shimmering in the dim smartness.It was then that the idea came to Elena.She could move her hands. Enough to feel one with the other, enough to know that they werent numb anymore. The ropes were looser.But Katherine was strong. Unbelievably strong. And faster than Elena, too. Even if Elena got free she would have time for only one quick act.She rotated one wrist, feeling the ropes give.There are other ways, Katherine said. I could curb you and watch you bleed. I like watching.Gritting her teeth, Elena exerted pressure against the rope. Her hand was bent at an excruciating angle, but she continued to press. She felt the burn of the rope slipping aside.Or rats, Katherine was verbal expression pensively. Rats could be fun. I could tell them when to start and when to stop.Working the other hand free was much easier. Elena essay to give no sign of what was going on backside her back. She would have liked to call to Stefan with her mind, but she didnt dare. not if there was any chance Katherine might hear.but she didnt dare. Not if there was any chance Katherine might hear.There was a rectangle of gray light on the floor. Dawn light. It was coming in through the crypts opening. Katherine had already been out in that light. ButKatherine smiled suddenly, her blue eyes sparkling. I know Ill intoxication you almost up and make you watch while I kill her Ill leave you just enough strength so you see her die before you do. Doesnt that sound like a good plan? Blithely, she clapped her hands and pirouetted again, dancing away.Just one more step, thought Elena. She motto Katherine overture the rectangle of light. Just one more stepKatherine took the step. Thats it, then She started to turn around. W hat a good-NowYanking her cramped arms out of the last loops of rope, Elena rushed her. It was like the rush of a hunting cat. One desperate sprint to reach the prey. One chance. One hope.She struck Katherine with her full weight. The impact knocked them both into the rectangle of light. She felt Katherines head crack against the stone floor.And felt the searing pain, as if her own trunk had been plunged into poison. It was a feeling like the burning dryness of hunger, only stronger. A thousand times stronger. It was unbearable.Elena Stefan screamed, with mind and voice.Stefan, she thought. Beneath her Power surged as Katherines kayoed eyes focused. Her mouth twisted with rage, fangs bursting forth. They were so long they cut into the lower lip. That distorted mouth assailable in a howl.Elenas clumsy hand fumbled at Katherines throat. Her fingers closed on the cool metal of Katherines blue necklace. With all her strength, she wrenched and felt the chain give way. She tried to cla sp it, but her fingers felt thick and uncoordinated and Katherines clawing hand scrabbled at it wildly. It spun away into the shadows.Elena Stefan called again in that dreadful voice.She felt as if her physical structure were fill up with light. As if she were transparent. Only, light was pain. Beneath her, Katherines warped face was looking up directly into the wintertime sky. Instead of a howl, there was a shrieking that went up and up.Elena tried to lift herself off, but she didnt have the strength. Katherines face was rifting, cracking open. Lines of fire opened in it. The screaming reached a crescendo. Katherines hair was aflame, her skin was blackening. Elena felt fire from both above and below.She saw Stefans arms, red where they had been exposed to the sun and bleeding where he had torn free of his ropes. She saw his face, saw the stricken abomination and grief. Then her eyes blurred and she saw nothing.Meredith and Robert, striking at the blood-soaked muzzles that disc ombobulate through the hole in the door, paused in confusion. The teeth had stopped snapping and tearing. One muzzle jerked and slid out of the way. Edging sideways to look at the other, Meredith saw that the dogs eyes were glazed and milky. They didnt move. She looked at Robert, who stood panting.There was no more folie from the cellar. Everything was silent.But they didnt dare to hope.Vickies demented shrieking stopped as if it had been cut with a knife. The dog, which had sunk its teeth into Matts thigh, stiffened and gave a convulsive shudder then, its jaws released him. Gasping for breath, Bonnie swung to look beyond the dying fire. There was just enough light to see bodies of other dogs lying where they had fallen outside.She and Matt leaned on each other, looking around, bewildered.It had finally stopped snowing.Slowly, Elena opened her eyes.Everything was very clear and calm.She was effulgent the shrieking was over. That had been bad it had hurt. Now, nothing hurt. She fel t as if her body were filled with light again, but this time there was no pain. It was as if she were floating, very high and easy, on wafts of air. She almost felt she didnt have a body at all.She smiled.Turning her head didnt hurt, although it increased the loose, floating feeling. She saw, in the unsubdivided of pale light on the floor, the smoldering remains of a silver dress. Katherines lie of five hundred years ago had become the truth.That was that, then. Elena looked away. She didnt wish anyone harm now, and she didnt want to waste time on Katherine. There were so many more important things.Stefan, she said and sighed, and smiled. Oh, this was nice. This must be how a bird felt.I didnt mean for things to turn out this way, she said, softly rueful. His spurt eyes were wet. They filled again, but he returned her smile.I know, he said. I know, Elena.It seemed to her that it had been a long while since shed really looked at him.Since shed taken time to appreciate how beautiful he was, with his dark hair and his eyes as green as oak leaves. But she saw it now, and she saw his somebody shining through those eyes. It was worth it, she thought. I didnt want to die I dont want to now. But Id do it all over again if I had to.I love you, she whispered.I love you, he said, squeezing their conjugate hands.The strange, languorous lightness cradled her gently. She could scarcely feel Stefan holding her.She would have thought shed be terrified. But she wasnt, not as long as Stefan was there.The wad at the dance-theyll be all right now, wont they? she said.Theyll be all right now, Stefan whispered. You saved them.I didnt get to say good-bye to Bonnie and Meredith. Or Aunt Judith. You have to tell them I love them.Ill tell them, Stefan said.You can tell them yourself, panted another voice, hoarse and unused sounding.Damon had pulled himself across the floor behind Stefan. His face was ravaged, streaked with blood, but his dark eyes burned at her. Use your will, Elen a. Hold on. You have the strength-She smiled at him, waveringly. She knew the truth. What was happening was only polish what had been started two weeks ago. Shed had thirteen days to get things straight, to make amends with Matt and say good-bye to Margaret. To tell Stefan she love him. But now the aggrandise period was up.Still, there was no point in hurting Damon. She loved Damon, too. Ill try, she promised.Well take you home, he said.But not yet, she told him gently. Lets wait just a critical while. Something happened in the fathomless black eyes, and the burning spark went out. Then she saw that Damon knew, too.Im not afraid, she said. Well-only a little. A drowsiness had started, and she felt very comfortable, but as if she were falling asleep. Things were drifting away from her.An ache rose in her chest. She was not much afraid, but she was sorry. Therewere so many things she would miss, so many things she wished she had done.Oh, she said softly. How funny.underground room. Only this was a doorway into a contrasting light.How beautiful, she murmured. Stefan? Im so tired.You can rest now, he whispered.You wont let go of me?No.Then I wont be afraid.Something was shining on Damons face. She reached toward it, furbish uped it, and lifted her fingers away in wonder.Dont be sad, she told him, feeling the cool wetness on her fingertips. But a pang of worry disturbed her. Who was there to gain Damon now? Who would be there to push him, to try to see what was really inside him? You have to take care of each other, she said, realizing it. A little strength came back to her, like a candle flaring in the wind. Stefan, will you promise? Promise to take care of each other?I promise, he said. Oh, ElenaWaves of sleepiness were overcoming her. Thats good, she said. Thats good, Stefan.The doorway was closer, so close she could touch it now. She wondered if her parents were somewhere behind it.Time to go home, she whispered.And then the darkness and the shadows wate ry and there was nothing but light. Stefan held her while her eyes closed. And then he just held her, the tears hed been keeping back falling without restraint. It was a different pain than when hed pulled her out of the river. There was no anger in this, and no hatred, but a love that seemed to go on and on forever.It hurt even more.He looked at the rectangle of sunlight, just a step or two away from him. Elena had gone into the light. Shed left him here alone.Not for long, he thought.His ring was on the floor. He didnt even glance at it as he rose, his eyes on the shaft of sunlight shining down.A hand grabbed his arm and pulled him back.Stefan looked into his brothers face.Damons eyes were dark as midnight, and he was holding Stefans ring. As Stefan watched, unable to move, he forced the ring onto Stefans finger and released him.yours, too. piss it. Take it and go. He turned his face away.Stefan gazed at the golden circlet in his palm for a long time.Then his fingers closed over it and he looked back at Damon. His brothers eyes were shut, his breathing labored. He looked exhausted and in pain.And Stefan had made a promise to Elena.Come on, he said quietly, pose the ring in his pocket. Lets get you some place where you can rest.He put an arm around his brother to help him up. And then, for a moment, he just held on.