Literary Concepts of Concord Hymn

The details in â€Å"Concord Hymn† really give great image of the characters and setting of this time period. The poem exalts a general spirit of revolution and freedom. â€Å"Concord Hymn† was written by Ralph Waldo Emerson and was originally sung at the completion of the Battle Monument known at the Old North Bridge. The monument is also known as Obelisk and is believed to the country’s first memorial to its war casualties. The first stanza is the key to the poem: By the rude bridge that arched the flood, Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled, Here once the embattled farmers stood. And fired the shot heard round the world (Roberts and Zweig, 891). Emerson knows the outcome and can describe in detail the emotions around the War. â€Å"By the rude Bridge that arched the flood† lets readers know that the author is describing the bridge as one that is very basic and simply structured and positioned over the Concord River which was at its highest level in April. â€Å"Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled† lets us know clearly that this occurred in April and the wind was blowing. The â€Å"Embattled farmers† refers to the men, which consisted of townsfolk and where not part of any regular army. The shot heard' round the world† refers to the fact that the American Revolution inspired not just Americans, but inspired people all over the world to fight against injustice The second stanza which follows gives detail as to the participants in the War whom are dead: The foe long since in silence slept; Alike the conqueror silent sleeps; And Time the ruined bridge has swept Down the dark stream which seaward creeps (Roberts and Zweig, 891). In stanza two the poem is stating that the participants on both sides of the battle have long been deceased described as â€Å"sleep† which is a common metaphor for dead. The reader also learns in stanza two the bridge was ruined and swept down the Concord River. (PoertyFoundation, 2013) The following stanza is details of the monument being placed in Concord, Massachusetts: On this green bank, by this soft stream, We set today a votive stone; That memory may their deed redeem, When, like our sires, our sons are gone (Roberts and Zweig, 891&892). â€Å"Votive stone† is the Obelisk Monument that was placed by the Concord River as a memory of all the people whom fought and died in the Battle of Concord. The town of Concord is now a popular attraction for both history and literature. The last stanza of the poem which follows the readers can see this Battale was about freedom: Spirit, that made those spirits dare To die, and leave their children free, Bid Time and Nature gently spare The shaft we raise to them and thee (Roberts and Zweig, 892). Emerson writes about the spirits, noting that there were deaths involved, leaving behind family but doing so for their families to now be free. The remembrance flag that is being raised is to honor those who have gone and also to remind those who are now left to carry on never forgetting the history of these brave Americans and what happened that day.

Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment

Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment (EBPP) is the term used to describe the capability to present bills to customers and to facilitate their payment by electronic means. EBPP offers the opportunity to eliminate the costs associated with printing paper bills, reduce delivery delays and provide a channel for two way communication between suppliers and their customers on a one-to-one basis. From the customers’ perspective, EBPP can provide a simple way to manage and automate the payment of bills. EBPP Models There are five main types of EBPP service provided: 1.The Biller Direct Model in which billers provide their bills on their respective personalized web sites. 2.The Consolidator Model in which service providers allow customers to access and process bills from multiple billers. Within the consolidator model there are several sub-models these include: a)The Consolidator – Thin Client Model provides a site to which billers send their invoices for the customer to view at their leisure. Information at this site is summarized and the customer must visit the billers personal site to examine their bills in detail. b)The Consolidator – Thick Client Model provides billers with a site that host all the billers information. In this model paper bill scanning is not supported. c)The Customer Consolidator Model follows the same blueprint as the thick consolidator model but accepts both electronic and paper scanned bills offering the capability of viewing any bill online. The theory behind this model is that it will attract as many customers as possible in the short term and then streamline to purely electronic methods in the long term. d)The Consolidator Portal Model is a thin client consolidator model but hosted through a popular portal site, such as Yahoo. e)The Financial Institution Model like the portal model acts as a hosting site for consolidated bills. As the bills are placed on the customers bank site payment processing is speeded up while customer affinity with bill payment and banks strengthens consumer acquiescence. 3.The Consumer Centric Aggregator Model. Similar to the consolidator models yet different enough to be considered a separate EBPP approach. The CCA model shares many affinities with the banking consolidator model where billers send their invoices to the CCA site, rather than the consumer, and are paid directly from the site. The approach is equivalent in principle to Direct Debit payments in the UK. 4.The Email Based Model. In this model detailed invoices containing rich text graphics are sent to the customer then linked back to sites for online payment or detailed bill viewing. The medium may include intrusive direct marketing messages. 5.The Service Bureau Model. This model type is a new development in the world of EBPP and facilitates connection to large-scale consolidators for SME companies. In essence the Service Bureau manages its customers needs and offers an ASP model of EBPP.

Twilight 12. BALANCING

12. BALANCING â€Å"Billy!† Charlie called as soon as he got out of the car. I turned toward the house, beckoning to Jacob as I ducked under the porch. I heard Charlie greeting them loudly behind me. â€Å"I'm going to pretend I didn't see you behind the wheel, Jake,† he said disapprovingly. â€Å"We get permits early on the rez,† Jacob said while I unlocked the door and flicked on the porch light. â€Å"Sure you do,† Charlie laughed. â€Å"I have to get around somehow.† I recognized Billy's resonant voice easily, despite the years. The sound of it made me feel suddenly younger, a child. I went inside, leaving the door open behind me and turning on lights before I hung up my jacket. Then I stood in the door, watching anxiously as Charlie and Jacob helped Billy out of the car and into his wheelchair. I backed out of the way as the three of them hurried in, shaking off the rain. â€Å"This is a surprise,† Charlie was saying. â€Å"It's been too long,† Billy answered. â€Å"I hope it's not a bad time.† His dark eyes flashed up to me again, their expression unreadable. â€Å"No, it's great. I hope you can stay for the game.† Jacob grinned. â€Å"I think that's the plan – our TV broke last week.† Billy made a face at his son. â€Å"And, of course, Jacob was anxious to see Bella again,† he added. Jacob scowled and ducked his head while I fought back a surge of remorse. Maybe I'd been too convincing on the beach. â€Å"Are you hungry?† I asked, turning toward the kitchen. I was eager to escape Billy's searching gaze. â€Å"Naw, we ate just before we came,† Jacob answered. â€Å"How about you, Charlie?† I called over my shoulder as I fled around the corner. â€Å"Sure,† he replied, his voice moving in the direction of the front room and the TV. I could hear Billy's chair follow. The grilled cheese sandwiches were in the frying pan and I was slicing up a tomato when I sensed someone behind me. â€Å"So, how are things?† Jacob asked. â€Å"Pretty good.† I smiled. His enthusiasm was hard to resist. â€Å"How about you? Did you finish your car?† â€Å"No.† He frowned. â€Å"I still need parts. We borrowed that one.† He pointed with his thumb in the direction of the front yard. â€Å"Sorry. I haven't seen any†¦ what was it you were looking for?† â€Å"Master cylinder.† He grinned. â€Å"Is something wrong with the truck?† he added suddenly. â€Å"No.† â€Å"Oh. I just wondered because you weren't driving it.† I stared down at the pan, pulling up the edge of a sandwich to check the bottom side. â€Å"I got a ride with a friend.† â€Å"Nice ride.† Jacob's voice was admiring. â€Å"I didn't recognize the driver, though. I thought I knew most of the kids around here.† I nodded noncommittally, keeping my eyes down as I flipped sandwiches. â€Å"My dad seemed to know him from somewhere.† â€Å"Jacob, could you hand me some plates? They're in the cupboard over the sink.† â€Å"Sure.† He got the plates in silence. I hoped he would let it drop now. â€Å"So who was it?† he asked, setting two plates on the counter next to me. I sighed in defeat. â€Å"Edward Cullen.† To my surprise, he laughed. I glanced up at him. He looked a little embarrassed. â€Å"Guess that explains it, then,† he said. â€Å"I wondered why my dad was acting so strange.† â€Å"That's right.† I faked an innocent expression. â€Å"He doesn't like the Cullens.† â€Å"Superstitious old man,† Jacob muttered under his breath. â€Å"You don't think he'd say anything to Charlie?† I couldn't help asking, the words coming out in a low rush. Jacob stared at me for a moment, and I couldn't read the expression in his dark eyes. â€Å"I doubt it,† he finally answered. â€Å"I think Charlie chewed him out pretty good last time. They haven't spoken much since – tonight is sort of a reunion, I think. I don't think he'd bring it up again.† â€Å"Oh,† I said, trying to sound indifferent. I stayed in the front room after I carried the food out to Charlie, pretending to watch the game while Jacob chattered at me. I was really listening to the men's conversation, watching for any sign that Billy was about to rat me out, trying to think of ways to stop him if he began. It was a long night. I had a lot of homework that was going undone, but I was afraid to leave Billy alone with Charlie. Finally, the game ended. â€Å"Are you and your friends coming back to the beach soon?† Jacob asked as he pushed his father over the lip of the threshold. â€Å"I'm not sure,† I hedged. â€Å"That was fun, Charlie,† Billy said. â€Å"Come up for the next game,† Charlie encouraged. â€Å"Sure, sure,† Billy said. â€Å"We'll be here. Have a good night.† His eyes shifted to mine, and his smile disappeared. â€Å"You take care, Bella,† he added seriously. â€Å"Thanks,† I muttered, looking away. I headed for the stairs while Charlie waved from the doorway. â€Å"Wait, Bella,† he said. I cringed. Had Billy gotten something in before I'd joined them in the living room? But Charlie was relaxed, still grinning from the unexpected visit. â€Å"I didn't get a chance to talk to you tonight. How was your day?† â€Å"Good.† I hesitated with one foot on the first stair, searching for details I could safely share. â€Å"My badminton team won all four games.† â€Å"Wow, I didn't know you could play badminton.† â€Å"Well, actually I can't, but my partner is really good,† I admitted. â€Å"Who is it?† he asked with token interest. â€Å"Um†¦ Mike Newton,† I told him reluctantly. â€Å"Oh yeah – you said you were friends with the Newton kid.† He perked up. â€Å"Nice family.† He mused for a minute. â€Å"Why didn't you ask him to the dance this weekend?† â€Å"Dad!† I groaned. â€Å"He's kind of dating my friend Jessica. Besides, you know I can't dance.† â€Å"Oh yeah,† he muttered. Then he smiled at me apologetically. â€Å"So I guess it's good you'll be gone Saturday†¦ I've made plans to go fishing with the guys from the station. The weather's supposed to be real warm. But if you wanted to put your trip off till someone could go with you, I'd stay home. I know I leave you here alone too much.† â€Å"Dad, you're doing a great job.† I smiled, hoping my relief didn't show. â€Å"I've never minded being alone – I'm too much like you.† I winked at him, and he smiled his crinkly-eyed smile. I slept better that night, too tired to dream again. When I woke to the pearl gray morning, my mood was blissful. The tense evening with Billy and Jacob seemed harmless enough now; I decided to forget it completely. I caught myself whistling while I was pulling the front part of my hair back into a barrette, and later again as I skipped down the stairs. Charlie noticed. â€Å"You're cheerful this morning,† he commented over breakfast. I shrugged. â€Å"It's Friday.† I hurried so I would be ready to go the second Charlie left. I had my bag ready, shoes on, teeth brushed, but even though I rushed to the door as soon as I was sure Charlie would be out of sight, Edward was faster. He was waiting in his shiny car, windows down, engine off. I didn't hesitate this time, climbing in the passenger side quickly, the sooner to see his face. He grinned his crooked smile at me, stopping my breath and my heart. I couldn't imagine how an angel could be any more glorious. There was nothing about him that could be improved upon. â€Å"How did you sleep?† he asked. I wondered if he had any idea how appealing his voice was. â€Å"Fine. How was your night?† â€Å"Pleasant.† His smile was amused; I felt like I was missing an inside joke. â€Å"Can I ask what you did?† I asked. â€Å"No.† He grinned. â€Å"Today is still mine.† He wanted to know about people today: more about Ren? ¦e, her hobbies, what we'd done in our free time together. And then the one grandmother I'd known, my few school friends – embarrassing me when he asked about boys I'd dated. I was relieved that I'd never really dated anyone, so that particular conversation couldn't last long. He seemed as surprised as Jessica and Angela by my lack of romantic history. â€Å"So you never met anyone you wanted?† he asked in a serious tone that made me wonder what he was thinking about. I was grudgingly honest. â€Å"Not in Phoenix.† His lips pressed together into a hard line. We were in the cafeteria at this point. The day had sped by in the blur that was rapidly becoming routine. I took advantage of his brief pause to take a bite of my bagel. â€Å"I should have let you drive yourself today,† he announced, apropos of nothing, while I chewed. â€Å"Why?† I demanded. â€Å"I'm leaving with Alice after lunch.† â€Å"Oh.† I blinked, bewildered and disappointed. â€Å"That's okay, it's not that far of a walk.† He frowned at me impatiently. â€Å"I'm not going to make you walk home. We'll go get your truck and leave it here for you.† â€Å"I don't have my key with me,† I sighed. â€Å"I really don't mind walking.† What I minded was losing my time with him. He shook his head. â€Å"Your truck will be here, and the key will be in the ignition – unless you're afraid someone might steal it.† He laughed at the thought. â€Å"All right,† I agreed, pursing my lips. I was pretty sure my key was in the pocket of a pair of jeans I wore Wednesday, under a pile of clothes in the laundry room. Even if he broke into my house, or whatever he was planning, he'd never find it. He seemed to feel the challenge in my consent. He smirked, overconfident. â€Å"So where are you going?† I asked as casually as I could manage. â€Å"Hunting,† he answered grimly. â€Å"If I'm going to be alone with you tomorrow, I'm going to take whatever precautions I can.† His face grew morose†¦ and pleading. â€Å"You can always cancel, you know.† I looked down, afraid of the persuasive power of his eyes. I refused to be convinced to fear him, no matter how real the danger might be. It doesn't matter, I repeated in my head. â€Å"No,† I whispered, glancing back at his face. â€Å"I can't.† â€Å"Perhaps you're right,† he murmured bleakly. His eyes seemed to darken in color as I watched. I changed the subject. â€Å"What time will I see you tomorrow?† I asked, already depressed by the thought of him leaving now. â€Å"That depends†¦ it's a Saturday, don't you want to sleep in?† he offered. â€Å"No,† I answered too fast. He restrained a smile. â€Å"The same time as usual, then,† he decided. â€Å"Will Charlie be there?† â€Å"No, he's fishing tomorrow.† I beamed at the memory of how conveniently things had worked out. His voice turned sharp. â€Å"And if you don't come home, what will he think?† â€Å"I have no idea,† I answered coolly. â€Å"He knows I've been meaning to do the laundry. Maybe he'll think I fell in the washer.† He scowled at me and I scowled back. His anger was much more impressive than mine. â€Å"What are you hunting tonight?† I asked when I was sure I had lost the glowering contest. â€Å"Whatever we find in the park. We aren't going far.† He seemed bemused by my casual reference to his secret realities. â€Å"Why are you going with Alice?† I wondered. â€Å"Alice is the most†¦ supportive.† He frowned as he spoke. â€Å"And the others?† I asked timidly. â€Å"What are they?† His brow puckered for a brief moment. â€Å"Incredulous, for the most part.† I peeked quickly behind me at his family. They sat staring off in different directions, exactly the same as the first time I'd seen them. Only now they were four; their beautiful, bronze-haired brother sat across from me, his golden eyes troubled. â€Å"They don't like me,† I guessed. â€Å"That's not it,† he disagreed, but his eyes were too innocent. â€Å"They don't understand why I can't leave you alone.† I grimaced. â€Å"Neither do I, for that matter.† Edward shook his head slowly, rolling his eyes toward the ceiling before he met my gaze again. â€Å"I told you – you don't see yourself clearly at all. You're not like anyone I've ever known. You fascinate me.† I glared at him, sure he was teasing now. He smiled as he deciphered my expression. â€Å"Having the advantages I do,† he murmured, touching his forehead discreetly, â€Å"I have a better than average grasp of human nature. People are predictable. But you†¦ you never do what I expect. You always take me by surprise.† I looked away, my eyes wandering back to his family, embarrassed and dissatisfied. His words made me feel like a science experiment. I wanted to laugh at myself for expecting anything else. â€Å"That part is easy enough to explain,† he continued. I felt his eyes on my face but I couldn't look at him yet, afraid he might read the chagrin in my eyes. â€Å"But there's more†¦ and it's not so easy to put into words -â€Å" I was still staring at the Cullens while he spoke. Suddenly Rosalie, his blond and breathtaking sister, turned to look at me. No, not to look – to glare, with dark, cold eyes. I wanted to look away, but her gaze held me until Edward broke off mid-sentence and made an angry noise under his breath. It was almost a hiss. Rosalie turned her head, and I was relieved to be free. I looked back at Edward – and I knew he could see the confusion and fear that widened my eyes. His face was tight as he explained. â€Å"I'm sorry about that. She's just worried. You see†¦ it's dangerous for more than just me if, after spending so much time with you so publicly†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He looked down. â€Å"If?† â€Å"If this ends†¦ badly.† He dropped his head into his hands, as he had that night in Port Angeles. His anguish was plain; I yearned to comfort him, but I was at a loss to know how. My hand reached toward him involuntarily; quickly, though, I dropped it to the table, fearing that my touch would only make things worse. I realized slowly that his words should frighten me. I waited for that fear to come, but all I could seem to feel was an ache for his pain. And frustration – frustration that Rosalie had interrupted whatever he was about to say. I didn't know how to bring it up again. He still had his head in his hands. I tried to speak in a normal voice. â€Å"And you have to leave now?† â€Å"Yes.† He raised his face; it was serious for a moment, and then his mood shifted and he smiled. â€Å"It's probably for the best. We still have fifteen minutes of that wretched movie left to endure in Biology – I don't think I could take any more.† I started. Alice – her short, inky hair in a halo of spiky disarray around her exquisite, elfin face – was suddenly standing behind his shoulder. Her slight frame was willowy, graceful even in absolute stillness. He greeted her without looking away from me. â€Å"Alice.† â€Å"Edward,† she answered, her high soprano voice almost as attractive as his. â€Å"Alice, Bella – Bella, Alice,† he introduced us, gesturing casually with his hand, a wry smile on his face. â€Å"Hello, Bella.† Her brilliant obsidian eyes were unreadable, but her smile was friendly. â€Å"It's nice to finally meet you.† Edward flashed a dark look at her. â€Å"Hi, Alice,† I murmured shyly. â€Å"Are you ready?† she asked him. His voice was aloof. â€Å"Nearly. I'll meet you at the car.† She left without another word; her walk was so fluid, so sinuous that I felt a sharp pang of jealousy. â€Å"Should I say ‘have fun,' or is that the wrong sentiment?† I asked, turning back to him. â€Å"No, ‘have fun' works as well as anything.† He grinned. â€Å"Have fun, then.† I worked to sound wholehearted. Of course I didn't fool him. â€Å"I'll try.† He still grinned. â€Å"And you try to be safe, please.† â€Å"Safe in Forks – what a challenge.† â€Å"For you it is a challenge.† His jaw hardened. â€Å"Promise.† â€Å"I promise to try to be safe,† I recited. â€Å"I'll do the laundry tonight – that ought to be fraught with peril.† â€Å"Don't fall in,† he mocked. â€Å"I'll do my best.† He stood then, and I rose, too. â€Å"I'll see you tomorrow,† I sighed. â€Å"It seems like a long time to you, doesn't it?† he mused. I nodded glumly. â€Å"I'll be there in the morning,† he promised, smiling his crooked smile. He reached across the table to touch my face, lightly brushing along my cheekbone again. Then he turned and walked away. I stared after him until he was gone. I was sorely tempted to ditch the rest of the day, at the very least Gym, but a warning instinct stopped me. I knew that if I disappeared now, Mike and others would assume I was with Edward. And Edward was worried about the time we'd spent together publicly†¦ if things went wrong. I refused to dwell on the last thought, concentrating instead on making things safer for him. I intuitively knew – and sensed he did, too – that tomorrow would be pivotal. Our relationship couldn't continue to balance, as it did, on the point of a knife. We would fall off one edge or the other, depending entirely upon his decision, or his instincts. My decision was made, made before I'd ever consciously chosen, and I was committed to seeing it through. Because there was nothing more terrifying to me, more excruciating, than the thought of turning away from him. It was an impossibility. I went to class, feeling dutiful. I couldn't honestly say what happened in Biology; my mind was too preoccupied with thoughts of tomorrow. In Gym, Mike was speaking to me again; he wished me a good time in Seattle. I carefully explained that I'd canceled my trip, worried about my truck. â€Å"Are you going to the dance with Cullen?† he asked, suddenly sulky. â€Å"No, I'm not going to the dance at all.† â€Å"What are you doing, then?† he asked, too interested. My natural urge was to tell him to butt out. Instead, I lied brightly. â€Å"Laundry, and then I have to study for the Trig test or I'm going to fail.† â€Å"Is Cullen helping you study?† â€Å"Edward,† I emphasized, â€Å"is not going to help me study. He's gone away somewhere for the weekend.† The lies came more naturally than usual, I noted with surprise. â€Å"Oh.† He perked up. â€Å"You know, you could come to the dance with our group anyway – that would be cool. We'd all dance with you,† he promised. The mental image of Jessica's face made my tone sharper than necessary. â€Å"I'm not going to the dance, Mike, okay?† â€Å"Fine.† He sulked again. â€Å"I was just offering.† When the school day had finally ended, I walked to the parking lot without enthusiasm. I did not especially want to walk home, but I couldn't see how he would have retrieved my truck. Then again, I was starting to believe that nothing was impossible for him. The latter instinct proved correct – my truck sat in the same space he'd parked his Volvo in this morning. I shook my head, incredulous, as I opened the unlocked door and saw the key in the ignition. There was a piece of white paper folded on my seat. I got in and closed the door before I unfolded it. Two words were written in his elegant script. Be safe. The sound of the truck roaring to life frightened me. I laughed at myself. When I got home, the handle of the door was locked, the dead bolt unlocked, just as I'd left it this morning. Inside, I went straight to the laundry room. It looked just the same as I'd left it, too. I dug for my jeans and, after finding them, checked the pockets. Empty. Maybe I'd hung my key up after all, I thought, shaking my head. Following the same instinct that had prompted me to lie to Mike, I called Jessica on the pretense of wishing her luck at the dance. When she offered the same wish for my day with Edward, I told her about the cancellation. She was more disappointed than really necessary for a third-party observer to be. I said goodbye quickly after that. Charlie was absentminded at dinner, worried over something at work, I guessed, or maybe a basketball game, or maybe he was just really enjoying the lasagna – it was hard to tell with Charlie. â€Å"You know, Dad†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I began, breaking into his reverie. â€Å"What's that, Bell?† â€Å"I think you're right about Seattle. I think I'll wait until Jessica or someone else can go with me.† â€Å"Oh,† he said, surprised. â€Å"Oh, okay. So, do you want me to stay home?† â€Å"No, Dad, don't change your plans. I've got a million things to do†¦ homework, laundry†¦ I need to go to the library and the grocery store. I'll be in and out all day†¦ you go and have fun.† â€Å"Are you sure?† â€Å"Absolutely, Dad. Besides, the freezer is getting dangerously low on fish – we're down to a two, maybe three years' supply.† â€Å"You're sure easy to live with, Bella.† He smiled. â€Å"I could say the same thing about you,† I said, laughing. The sound of my laughter was off, but he didn't seem to notice. I felt so guilty for deceiving him that I almost took Edward's advice and told him where I would be. Almost. After dinner, I folded clothes and moved another load through the dryer. Unfortunately it was the kind of job that only keeps hands busy. My mind definitely had too much free time, and it was getting out of control. I fluctuated between anticipation so intense that it was very nearly pain, and an insidious fear that picked at my resolve. I had to keep reminding myself that I'd made my choice, and I wasn't going back on it. I pulled his note out of my pocket much more often than necessary to absorb the two small words he'd written. He wants me to be safe, I told myself again and again. I would just hold on to the faith that, in the end, that desire would win out over the others. And what was my other choice – to cut him out of my life? Intolerable. Besides, since I'd come to Forks, it really seemed like my life was about him. But a tiny voice in the back of my mind worried, wondering if it would hurt very much†¦ if it ended badly. I was relieved when it was late enough to be acceptable for bedtime. I knew I was far too stressed to sleep, so I did something I'd never done before. I deliberately took unnecessary cold medicine – the kind that knocked me out for a good eight hours. I normally wouldn't condone that type of behavior in myself, but tomorrow would be complicated enough without me being loopy from sleep deprivation on top of everything else. While I waited for the drugs to kick in, I dried my clean hair till it was impeccably straight, and fussed over what I would wear tomorrow. With everything ready for the morning, I finally lay in my bed. I felt hyper; I couldn't stop twitching. I got up and rifled through my shoebox of CDs until I found a collection of Chopin's nocturnes. I put that on very quietly and then lay down again, concentrating on relaxing individual parts of my body. Somewhere in the middle of that exercise, the cold pills took effect, and I gladly sank into unconsciousness. I woke early, having slept soundly and dreamlessly thanks to my gratuitous drug use. Though I was well rested, I slipped right back into the same hectic frenzy from the night before. I dressed in a rush, smoothing my collar against my neck, fidgeting with the tan sweater till it hung right over my jeans. I sneaked a swift look out the window to see that Charlie was already gone. A thin, cottony layer of clouds veiled the sky. They didn't look very lasting. I ate breakfast without tasting the food, hurrying to clean up when I was done. I peeked out the window again, but nothing had changed. I had just finished brushing my teeth and was heading back downstairs when a quiet knock sent my heart thudding against my rib cage. I flew to the door; I had a little trouble with the simple dead bolt, but I yanked the door open at last, and there he was. All the agitation dissolved as soon as I looked at his face, calm taking its place. I breathed a sigh of relief – yesterday's fears seemed very foolish with him here. He wasn't smiling at first – his face was somber. But then his expression lightened as he looked me over, and he laughed. â€Å"Good morning,† he chuckled. â€Å"What's wrong?† I glanced down to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything important, like shoes, or pants. â€Å"We match.† He laughed again. I realized he had a long, light tan sweater on, with a white collar showing underneath, and blue jeans. I laughed with him, hiding a secret twinge of regret – why did he have to look like a runway model when I couldn't? I locked the door behind me while he walked to the truck. He waited by the passenger door with a martyred expression that was easy to understand. â€Å"We made a deal,† I reminded him smugly, climbing into the driver's seat, and reaching over to unlock his door. â€Å"Where to?† I asked. â€Å"Put your seat belt on – I'm nervous already.† I gave him a dirty look as I complied. â€Å"Where to?† I repeated with a sigh. â€Å"Take the one-oh-one north,† he ordered. It was surprisingly difficult to concentrate on the road while feeling his gaze on my face. I compensated by driving more carefully than usual through the still-sleeping town. â€Å"Were you planning to make it out of Forks before nightfall?† â€Å"This truck is old enough to be your car's grandfather – have some respect,† I retorted. We were soon out of the town limits, despite his negativity. Thick underbrush and green-swathed trunks replaced the lawns and houses. â€Å"Turn right on the one-ten,† he instructed just as I was about to ask. I obeyed silently. â€Å"Now we drive until the pavement ends.† I could hear a smile in his voice, but I was too afraid of driving off the road and proving him right to look over and be sure. â€Å"And what's there, at the pavement's end?† I wondered. â€Å"A trail.† â€Å"We're hiking?† Thank goodness I'd worn tennis shoes. â€Å"Is that a problem?† He sounded as if he'd expected as much. â€Å"No.† I tried to make the lie sound confident. But if he thought my truck was slow†¦ â€Å"Don't worry, it's only five miles or so, and we're in no hurry.† Five miles. I didn't answer, so that he wouldn't hear my voice crack in panic. Five miles of treacherous roots and loose stones, trying to twist my ankles or otherwise incapacitate me. This was going to be humiliating. We drove in silence for a while as I contemplated the coming horror. â€Å"What are you thinking?† he asked impatiently after a few moments. I lied again. â€Å"Just wondering where we're going.† â€Å"It's a place I like to go when the weather is nice.† We both glanced out the windows at the thinning clouds after he spoke. â€Å"Charlie said it would be warm today.† â€Å"And did you tell Charlie what you were up to?† he asked. â€Å"Nope.† â€Å"But Jessica thinks we're going to Seattle together?† He seemed cheered by the idea. â€Å"No, I told her you canceled on me – which is true.† â€Å"No one knows you're with me?† Angrily, now. â€Å"That depends†¦ I assume you told Alice?† â€Å"That's very helpful, Bella,† he snapped. I pretended I didn't hear that. â€Å"Are you so depressed by Forks that it's made you suicidal?† he demanded when I ignored him. â€Å"You said it might cause trouble for you†¦ us being together publicly,† I reminded him. â€Å"So you're worried about the trouble it might cause me- if you don't come home?† His voice was still angry, and bitingly sarcastic. I nodded, keeping my eyes on the road. He muttered something under his breath, speaking so quickly that I couldn't understand. We were silent for the rest of the drive. I could feel the waves of infuriated disapproval rolling off of him, and I could think of nothing to say. And then the road ended, constricting to a thin foot trail with a small wooden marker. I parked on the narrow shoulder and stepped out, afraid because he was angry with me and I didn't have driving as an excuse not to look at him. It was warm now, warmer than it had been in Forks since the day I'd arrived, almost muggy under the clouds. I pulled off my sweater and knotted it around my waist, glad that I'd worn the light, sleeveless shirt – especially if I had five miles of hiking ahead of me. I heard his door slam, and looked over to see that he'd removed his sweater, too. He was facing away from me, into the unbroken forest beside my truck. â€Å"This way,† he said, glancing over his shoulder at me, eyes still annoyed. He started into the dark forest. â€Å"The trail?† Panic was clear in my voice as I hurried around the truck to catch up to him. â€Å"I said there was a trail at the end of the road, not that we were taking it.† â€Å"No trail?† I asked desperately. â€Å"I won't let you get lost.† He turned then, with a mocking smile, and I stifled a gasp. His white shirt was sleeveless, and he wore it unbuttoned, so that the smooth white skin of his throat flowed uninterrupted over the marble contours of his chest, his perfect musculature no longer merely hinted at behind concealing clothes. He was too perfect, I realized with a piercing stab of despair. There was no way this godlike creature could be meant for me. He stared at me, bewildered by my tortured expression. â€Å"Do you want to go home?† he said quietly, a different pain than mine saturating his voice. â€Å"No.† I walked forward till I was close beside him, anxious not to waste one second of whatever time I might have with him. â€Å"What's wrong?† he asked, his voice gentle. â€Å"I'm not a good hiker,† I answered dully. â€Å"You'll have to be very patient.† â€Å"I can be patient – if I make a great effort.† He smiled, holding my glance, trying to lift me out of my sudden, unexplained dejection. I tried to smile back, but the smile was unconvincing. He scrutinized my face. â€Å"I'll take you home,† he promised. I couldn't tell if the promise was unconditional, or restricted to an immediate departure. I knew he thought it was fear that upset me, and I was grateful again that I was the one person whose mind he couldn't hear. â€Å"If you want me to hack five miles through the jungle before sundown, you'd better start leading the way,† I said acidly. He frowned at me, struggling to understand my tone and expression. He gave up after a moment and led the way into the forest. It wasn't as hard as I had feared. The way was mostly flat, and he held the damp ferns and webs of moss aside for me. When his straight path took us over fallen trees or boulders, he would help me, lifting me by the elbow, and then releasing me instantly when I was clear. His cold touch on my skin never failed to make my heart thud erratically. Twice, when that happened, I caught a look on his face that made me sure he could somehow hear it. I tried to keep my eyes away from his perfection as much as possible, but I slipped often. Each time, his beauty pierced me through with sadness. For the most part, we walked in silence. Occasionally he would ask a random question that he hadn't gotten to in the past two days of interrogation. He asked about my birthdays, my grade school teachers, my childhood pets – and I had to admit that after killing three fish in a row, I'd given up on the whole institution. He laughed at that, louder than I was used to – bell-like echoes bouncing back to us from the empty woods. The hike took me most of the morning, but he never showed any sign of impatience. The forest spread out around us in a boundless labyrinth of ancient trees, and I began to be nervous that we would never find our way out again. He was perfectly at ease, comfortable in the green maze, never seeming to feel any doubt about our direction. After several hours, the light that filtered through the canopy transformed, the murky olive tone shifting to a brighter jade. The day had turned sunny, just as he'd foretold. For the first time since we'd entered the woods, I felt a thrill of excitement – which quickly turned to impatience. â€Å"Are we there yet?† I teased, pretending to scowl. â€Å"Nearly.† He smiled at the change in my mood. â€Å"Do you see the brightness ahead?† I peered into the thick forest. â€Å"Um, should I?† He smirked. â€Å"Maybe it's a bit soon for your eyes.† â€Å"Time to visit the optometrist,† I muttered. His smirk grew more pronounced. But then, after another hundred yards, I could definitely see a lightening in the trees ahead, a glow that was yellow instead of green. I picked up the pace, my eagerness growing with every step. He let me lead now, following noiselessly. I reached the edge of the pool of light and stepped through the last fringe of ferns into the loveliest place I had ever seen. The meadow was small, perfectly round, and filled with wildflowers – violet, yellow, and soft white. Somewhere nearby, I could hear the bubbling music of a stream. The sun was directly overhead, filling the circle with a haze of buttery sunshine. I walked slowly, awestruck, through the soft grass, swaying flowers, and warm, gilded air. I halfway turned, wanting to share this with him, but he wasn't behind me where I thought he'd be. I spun around, searching for him with sudden alarm. Finally I spotted him, still under the dense shade of the canopy at the edge of the hollow, watching me with cautious eyes. Only then did I remember what the beauty of the meadow had driven from my mind – the enigma of Edward and the sun, which he'd promised to illustrate for me today. I took a step back toward him, my eyes alight with curiosity. His eyes were wary, reluctant. I smiled encouragingly and beckoned to him with my hand, taking another step back to him. He held up a hand in warning, and I hesitated, rocking back onto my heels. Edward seemed to take a deep breath, and then he stepped out into the bright glow of the midday sun.

Industrialization Process in America and Work of Woman Essay

Industrialization Process in America and Work of Woman - Essay Example o now the woman i left with even le help. o although electric appliance may make houehold job eaier, they are till no le time conuming becaue whatever help a woman had before appliance ha been eliminated.1 econdly, he dicue the functionalit interpretation of the recent hitory of the family. It ay that the beginning of indutrialization caued houehold to become deprived of their eential productive role in the economy (for example, people make clothe in a factory now intead of making them at home to ell later), hence women became deprived of their eential productive function (making dree). One olution for women to gain back a ene of their function in ociety would be for them to eek a new function in the workplace outide of home. Contrary belief, however, feel that a woman hould now intead devote her time to raiing her children and to tenion management (what a lame word, which in eence mean taking care of houehold chore o that the huband and children do not have to uffer the tree of doing it themelve). o intead of redefining a woman' function in ociety to outide of the home, technology ha only moved it to another facet inide of the home. A econd olution would be to create a new ideology i n which women' function are not confined to the home. In thi ituation, a woman would not have to go through thi "role anxiety". Thi, of coure, i a better olution. Cowan goe on to ay that indutrialization wa a participant in the "backward earch for femininity". Becaue ome of women' role in the houehold were being replaced by technology, women were earching for new way of being a woman (which till meant "finding themelve" within the home). Becaue a woman' function wa now directed toward raiing children, couple began having more children, hence the baby boom. Women alo began to return to the "fruitful" and "productive" way of before indutrialization. They began knitting, crocheting, baking and growing vegetable garden.2 ome theorie ugget that appliance are what caued women to go to the workforce outide of the home. They now had free time on their hand ince their job were made eaier. For example, the wahing machine clean clothe much fater than a wahtub did. Cowan diagree with thee theorie, however. A tated earlier, time wa not alway reduced by houehold appliance. Alo, houewive began to enter the labor market outide of the home before modern houehold technologie were widely ued. Thirdly, he claim that houewive who were entering the workforce outide of the home were the one who did not have and could not afford thee amenitie. o technology i not a caue of women entering the workforce outide of home but rather it i a catalyt. It did not free them into the workforce outide of the home but rather allowed them to work and till maintain a decent home. Women, for whatever reaon, wanted or needed employment and aw that amenitie could allow them to work outide of the home without endangering the living tandard of their family. Wive could come home from work tired, and till prepare a decent dinner (thank to frozen dinner) and do a load of laundry o that their children and huband would have clean clothe to wear the next day. Cowan tate that technological ytem which dominate our houehold, and which houehold are built around (thing like water, ga, ewer), were built with the aumption that omebody would be around to

Promotion & Information Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Promotion & Information Systems - Essay Example The use of social networks and location based services have opened a door on the privacy of individuals that can be exploited by advertisers, but also by those who have ideas that can use that information for criminal purposes. Location based services are designed to provide information based on tracking the location of the user through the use of the cell phone. Several services can be provided through location based services, including turn-by-turn navigation or finding someone or something. GPS navigation allows the user to have a moment by moment update of how to achieve finding a location. Using location based services to find a specific need, such as asking the application to find the nearest business that provides a certain product or service, allows for quicker mobility and access to businesses. The technology is engaged as the user’s location is stored through a location provider object which is then configured to the specification of the builder of the application in order to react in a way that creates a benefit for the application that is being created (Fitzek & Charaf, 2009, p. 199). The use of the website Twitter has been designed to provide a short description of what is being done by the user so that followers can know what they are doing at any given moment. Foursquare, however, has developed the use of business and services and the reporting of that use so that networks of friends are updated regularly into a game that rewards users with badges and sometimes free goods and services from businesses based on the reported use of those businesses through the website combined with the application on the smart phone. According to Levinson & Gibson, (2010) using the gathered information about a competitor and its patrons can provide a business with the ability to contact those patrons and provide a special Twitter coupon in order to divert users of one business to your own competing business.

The Brain and Consciousness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Brain and Consciousness - Essay Example Many of the experiments discussed on class regarding blind-sight, and the responsiveness of the body to stimuli which affect the body through a visual blind spot could well be explained by the autonomic functions of the brain stem. (Corey, et al. 1995) This portion of the brain is responsible for many autonomic function of the body, such as respiration, heart beating, etc. Advanced training, what is often referred to as subconscious responses to external stimuli, could well be the part of neural learning which happens in the brain stem. The received stimulus does not have to transmit as far as the brain cerebral hemisphere for the body to 'know' how to respond. Thus, learned behaviors become more of a subconscious, autonomic function because of brain stem responses. The visual cortex composes approximately 1/3 of the brain surface area, and if primarily responsible for receiving and processing visual input. The visual cortex is highly pattern recognitive, therefore it processed patterns in order to break down the input signals and make connections for the mind to understand. Visual understanding is an important part of thought and understanding. The proof of which is the importance and presence of dreams. Regardless of the dream theory one ascribes to, each theorist and their theories lead in the same direction.

Tesco - Warren Buffet Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Tesco - Warren Buffet - Lab Report Example In an organization the culture plays a vital role and henceforth the report also aims to discuss about the organizational culture that exists in Tesco. Tesco is known for its variety of culture that it holds with it and is one of the best examples to talk about when it comes to organizational culture. Along with organizational culture the report talk about motivation and the types of motivational theory that is adopted by organization to motivate its employees. Motivation is high crucial and Tesco has been a leader in doing that. It motivates its employees to a very high extend which helps it to retain the employees for a long period of time. 1.0 Findings 2.1 Entrepreneur and Skills The term entrepreneur is derived from French word, â€Å"entreprendre† which means â€Å"to undertake.† The entrepreneur is one who undertakes to manage, organize as well as assume the risk of the business. In recent past the entrepreneurs have been doing more than the above mentioned task a nd hence the need to broaden the definition. In today’s world, the entrepreneur is an innovator, developer who seems to recognize and seize the opportunities and convert into workable or marketable ideas. They add value through their effort, time, money and skills and assume the risk of the competitors and implement the ideas and thereby realize the reward from the given efforts Kuratko & Hodgetts (2008:4). A generally accepted definition of entrepreneurship which was provided by Shane & Vnkataraman (1997) states, â€Å"A process that involves the discovery, evaluation, and exploitation of opportunities to introduce new products, services, processes, ways or organizing, or markets† Baum, Frese & Baron (2007:6) Profile about Warren Buffett Business man and investor Warren Buffett was born on 30 August, 1930 in Nebraska. He is an American business investor, philanthropist and magnate and is considered to be the most successful business man in the 20 century. Buffett is t he chairman, CEO and the primary shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway and has been consistently ranked as the wealthiest people in the world. In the year 2012, Time magazine had ranked Buffett to be the most influential person globally (Forbes 2013). Warren Buffett is an entrepreneur by occupation also known as â€Å"Oracle of Omaha† and regarded as investment guru (Bio 2013). Warren possessed the skill of investing money at the right place and at the right time. It is very much important for an entrepreneur to analyse the situations carefully and invest. Warren had invested in Tesco and has given a boost to the embattled chief executive of Tesco, Phil Clarke and thus increased his stake in the supermarket chain (Fletcher 2012). When the share price of Tesco fell in 2012, nearly after 20 years, Berkshire Hathaway took advantage of this and thus increased its stake to 5.08% (Fernon 2012). 2.2 Marketing and Marketing Mix Marketing can be defined as the process which is involved i n communicating the value of the product or services to the customers. Marketing encompasses integrating, merging and controlling supervision of organisations effort which have a bearing on sales (Reid & Bojanic 2009:8). Marketing mix constituted of 4Ps which are product, place, price and promotion and plays a vital role in setting up strategy for the organisation and is a key tool in marketing. Following is the marketing mix of Tesco, retailers which deals in grocery product and

Where Gay Rights will be in 20 years Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Where Gay Rights will be in 20 years - Essay Example However, steady improvements have been observed over the years indicating that the civil and human rights of gay men and lesbian women are improving. However, with the federal government’s slow response and interventions whenever progress is made, indicates that we might be a long way off from granting gay men and lesbian women equal protection of the law. It is expected however, that those rights will gradually change and in twenty years from now, the rights, freedoms and protection of gay men and lesbian women will be virtually, but not entirely complete. History of Gay Rights When the Americans With Disabilities Act was enacted in 1990, then President Bush described the Act as an â€Å"Historic new civil rights Act† (Burgdoft, Jr. 1991, p. 413). The Act promised to ensure that all Americans with disabilities would be accorded equal opportunities for employment and doors previously shut to them would be opened (Burgdoft, Jr., 1991). However, the civil rights ambit of the Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 is questionable. The Act does not extend its protection to a number of individuals. Among the notable exclusions are homosexuals, transvestites and bisexuals (Americans with Disabilities Act 1990). ... the federal government and thus expressly prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender, national origin, religion, race or color (Title VII Civil Rights Act 1964). Implicitly there is no right to expect equal treatment on the basis of sexual orientation and therefore gay persons may not rely on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act 1964 to seek remedies against discrimination based on their sexual orientation. In fact, the US Supreme Court has said as much (Williamson v A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc, 1990). The right to equal protection and equal treatment in employment by homosexuals and lesbians has been denied on the basis that bills intending to amend Title VII of the Civil Rights Act to include homosexuals and lesbians have not been passed (Blum v Gulf Oil Corp. 1979). A similar position is taken with respect to Title 42 USC 1981 and 1985 which protects against discrimination in employment by non-Federal employers (Title 42 USC 1981 & 1985). Courts have consistently rejected claims fo unded on claims of employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation (De Santis v Pacific Tel. & Tel. Co. 1979). Gays in the US have also been denied the advantages and benefits that emanate from marriage. The Defense of Marriage Act 1996 states that its purpose is to â€Å"define and protect the institution of marriage† (Defense of Marriage Act 1996). Pursuant to the Defense of Marriage Act 1996, marriage is defined as a â€Å"legal union between one man and one woman† (Defense of Marriage Act 1996, Section3). Moreover, no state is obliged to accept a same sex marriage legalized by any other state (Defense of Marriage Act 1996, Section). Section 2 of the Defense of Marriage Act 1996 is apparently unconstitutional. The Full Faith and Credit Clause of the US Constitution requires

What are the strengths and limitations of viewing learning as Essay

What are the strengths and limitations of viewing learning as apprenticeship What implication does this have for educators - Essay Example How to teach children and adults has long been one of the most problematic issues for scholars. Dozens of theories and models were developed, to explain human cognitive development and apply this knowledge to improve various systems of learning and knowledge delivery in educational settings. The current state of educational science is associated with relative flexibility of the learning approaches and openness to the improvement and implementation of the new theories and ideas. In the meantime, older systems of education and cognitive development are being constantly analyzed and improved. Cognitive apprenticeship models are rightly considered as some of the most complicated, controversial, and simultaneously, most productive models of cognitive development and learning. The model exemplifies an essential element of the social constructivist paradigm in learning, emphasizes teamwork, and treats scaffolding as an essential element of the process of training. The apprenticeship model o f learning is associated with numerous problems and limitations, including the lack of connectivity with the real-life conditions and the problems, implementation difficulties, and even the risks of distress and dissent in learners. Despite its limitations, cognitive apprenticeship model provides unique learning opportunities and can be readily applied in a variety of learning settings.Cognitive apprenticeship is a widely-known form of social learning, which helps novices to become experts in their field of study/ professional development (Dennen 2002). Rooted in the principles of social constructivism, cognitive apprenticeship is a model of social learning, which relies on scaffolding and provides structure and examples to be followed by learners (Dennen 2002). Apprenticeship has long been applied for teaching nurses, constructors and legal professionals (Dennen 2002). Today, cognitive apprenticeship is one of the most popular models of cognitive development and learning in young a nd adult learners. Social constructivism suggests that the cultural and social context play the dominant role in how knowledge is constructed and understood (Dennen 2002). Developed by Collins, Brown, and Newman in 1989, the model has become one of the basic elements of cognitive development and knowledge delivery in various educational and learning settings. According to Collins, Brown and Newman (1989), â€Å"cognitive apprenticeship embeds the learning of skills and knowledge in their social and functional context† (p. 454). From the standpoint of social constructivism, cognitive apprenticeship represents the model of learning and knowledge transmission, which treats guided experience, cognitive, and metacognitive elements as the principal factors of the learning process (Collins, Brown & Newmans 1989). Legitimate peripheral participation and situatedness are at the core of the cognitive apprenticeship model (Lave & Wagner 1991). In simple terms, cognitive apprenticeship i mplies that learning occurs through the learners’ participation in authentic situations/ settings (Lave & Wenger 1991). Such participation and engagement in practical environments foster the development of transferable, relevant knowledge more than other models of knowledge dissemination (Collins, Brown & Newman 1989). However, cognitive apprenticeship is more than merely the process of learning in authentic settings: rather, the success of cognitive apprenticeship models depends on how deeply learners are embedded into these authentic contexts (Wertsch 1998). It is imperative that the influence of various situational/ contextual factors be considered, whenever the quality and efficiency of such authentic settings are evaluated and

Develop a leadership plan for addressing the issue identified in the Research Paper

Develop a leadership plan for addressing the issue identified in the case study - Research Paper Example The downtown areas of Monson largely populated by local government and municipal buildings suffered heavy losses of government property owing to the large scale destruction of government buildings and offices. Apart from the large scale destruction of residential and government properties the central and downtown areas of Monson also suffered from potential damage of several commercial properties. Many business offices operating in such regions had to close down or were bound to switch over to other areas by opening up newer branches. It is observed that the downtown region of Monson which was once largely populated with trees now was completely barren after being heavily struck by the tornado. Large scale destruction of residential properties in the downtown region were observed after the tornado strike ruined around 290 houses thereby claiming both properties and lives in a devastating fashion. Thus, it is found that the region of Massachusetts became struck by a tornado of deadly potential. In the light of the above case the paper tends to evaluate the leadership issues in regards to the conduct of emergency operations to save both life and property and thereby in citing an effective plan to help enhance the efficiency of the emergency plans. For Massachusetts the year of 2011 was quite a disaster as the state was struck with one of the largest tornadoes across around 18 community regions that claimed around 550 lives and made a huge chunk of the population homeless (Town of Monson, 2011, p.1; Earth Observatory, 2011). A large number of faults were observed in regards to leadership issues to render effective emergency services to the victims of such tornado devastated regions. Firstly, it was observed that there were huge communication gaps between the government authorities and the agencies that were working to promote emergency related services. There were also communication gaps where the people pertaining to the agency operations

EXPLANATIONS FOR THE ORIGINS OF AGRICULTURE Essay

EXPLANATIONS FOR THE ORIGINS OF AGRICULTURE - Essay Example The first argument suggests that the development of agriculture was driven by a scarcity of resources. The second argument differs radically, claiming that it was a surfeit of resources that encouraged domesticity. This paper will discuss and compare these two argument types and conclude that while no one model appears to have all the answers it is Hayden’s model that appears more convincing. There are obvious academic merits attached to finding a solution to the problem of formative agriculture. Indeed, since the time of Darwin scientists, social-scientists, historians even theologians have all tried to put forward a convincing model that explains why certain hunter-gatherers decided to change thousands of years of practise and begin agriculture (Richerson et al 387-390). There have been a series of interesting and intriguing theories during that time – ranging from population pressure driving domestication to the development of rituals and theology encouraging a sense of place (Hayden 31). Naturally, the stakes are high. A well developed universal model of domesticity would explain once and for all the most important transition in human history. However, such a complete model does not yet exist. Two of the more interesting theories have to do with climate change, put forward here by Peter Richerson et al, and â€Å"competitive feasting† as explained by Brian Hayden, who suggests that the surplus of food encouraged social adaptation that encouraged the continued development of further agriculture and domesticity. The climate change theory consists of two major ideas. Essentially, there were ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors. The former, at least according to Richerson and his colleagues, consisted of a sense of competition between Holocene societies which in effect made the development of agriculture during this period all but â€Å"compulsory† (Richerson 387). The second factor is comparatively simple –

Understand how to safeguard the well being of children Essay Example for Free

Understand how to safeguard the well being of children Essay Issues Risks Possible Consequences Being Online 1. Cyber-bullyingChildren may receive texts or emails that make them feel sad, embarrassed, upset, depressed or afraid. This could be damaging to the child’s self-esteem and psychological well-being 2. GroomingUsed by child sex offenders with the goal of obtaining sexual contact. 3. Confidential informationCould inadvertently give out personal information such as address, school attended or bank or credit card details, resulting in fraud or worse still an attempted abduction. Issues Risks Possible Consequences Mobile phone 1. Who is child talking to?Very hard to know who your child has contact with and the content of any conversation 2. Explicit materialPhotos and explicit content either from texting or talking resulting in inappropriate behaviour. 3. Mobile phone theft/crime Expensive mobile phone handsets are desirable items, and so unfortunately are at risk from theft. Children and young people may be particularly vulnerable to such crime. Area Ways of reducing risk Social networking1.Restrict access to social networking sites. Most social networking sites have age limits so make sure they adhere to this. Talk to the children/young people about predators about never talking to strangers, meeting them etc. Internet use. Monitor children’s online activity and block site’s that are inappropriate and limit the amount of time the child/young person spends online. 2.Encourage children/young people to talk to you about things that might be happening on-line and guide them in the right direction. This will help them to recognise the dangers that could develop Buying online1.There is a risk of others hacking into your computer to get your identity this can be minimised by a firewall. A firewall can help by preventing hackers or malicious software from gaining  access to your information. There is a risk to young persons of fraud (your card details being used by an unauthorised users) whilst buying online. This can be prevented by using a secure payment system (PayPal), this enables you to buy from multi online shops and pay using one account set up by PayPal. Using a mobile phone. A risk of them being attacked if they have expensive phones . Buy a cheap pay as you go phone for them to use at school or clubs this will minimise the risk and still allow the child/young person to have access to a phone. There is a risk to their health by means of cancer/tumour, they can reduce the risk by using landline phones, hands free, loud speakers or blue tooth. If the phone is held a few inches away from the ear or less time made on phone calls perhaps use text messages instead of ringing a friend, this can make a difference.

Analysing The Virtue Of Patience Philosophy Essay

Analysing The Virtue Of Patience Philosophy Essay In today s fast paced world, where things happen with click of a button, we are growing inpatient. Gone are the days when people were patient enough to wait for days for the computer to produce the results, today we expect things to happen at speed of thought. We want success, money, happiness instantly without waiting, but alas! Ask any successful person and you will know the virtue of patience. Ancient wisdom like Bhagwat Gita has recognized importance of patience through quotes like Little by little, through patience and repeated effort, the mind will become stilled in the Self. If we examine our self as a part of nature we will realize that even nature creates change very slowly and is extremely patient. Ralph Waldo Emerson perhaps said it best in one simple line:Adopt the pace of nature, her secret is patience and that patience can improve life and bring it closer to perfection if you understand nature and work with it patiently. Nature exhibits patience in various forms. For example: considering the growth of seeds into trees- when we plant a seed and water it, it slowly turns into a flower and then into a fruit. The seed had to be planted, watered, and then be given time to grow into what it is meant to be. Without prior efforts and in absence of planting or watering or the nurturing the seed would not have sprung above the surface. It could not develop into its current form without all that patience, time and efforts. In order to be able to achieve success or any goals we set we have to practice patience. Patience is different from waiting. instead we have to do the work first, lay the foundation, plant the seed, make sure the soil is right prepare get ready and then wait for all the elements to come into place before making the right decision that will drive us to greater success. Conceptual Framework Definition: word web defines patience as Good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence . Other sources like Webster define patience as patience is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast. From the above definitions we can deduce that patience is a state of persevering in case things take time or get delayed without negatively reacting or becoming sad or feeling provocated, or exhibiting patience when faced with difficulties which take a long time. Scope: This study focuses on importance of patience on individual and group behavior and performance. Importance of patience will be studied in two dimensions, first is the patience of waiting for a certain time period to end. This is perhaps what we normally mean when we use the term patience. Second, it is keeping one s mind free of distractions. It is perhaps only important when one is trying using one s mind on an important task that does not compel one s emotions. Methodology: Individuals will be interviewed independently to access the implication of the patience in day to day life and performance professional life. Implications of patience on group performance would be projected based on the study and observations in general. Five people will be separately interviewed with diverse profiles across age and profession. They include 3 students, one housewife and a bank officer. The reason for choosing people with different profile is to find out whether patience is a quality consistent across profession or does it vary across gender or work environment. Review of Literature: Patience: A Little Book of Inner Strength (Eknath Easwaran): the excerpts of the book giving its epitome are now quoted below- Patience is the ornament of the brave, Easwaran s wise grandmother used to say. In relationships, patience is the mark of love. An experienced spiritual teacher who combines humor with practicality, Easwaran gives powerful insights and sometimes surprising advice for developing patience at home and at work. Stories offer quiet interludes throughout this little book. Anecdotes about animals, sports stars, and happy family outings make these short, varied readings as entertaining as they are instructive. Gentle reminiscences of India, tales from Easwaran s Hindu heritage, and inspiration from Gandhi and the world s saints lift our spirits and give us courage. Just keep trying, Easwaran says, and you ll find there s no end to your patience no end to the wisdom, love, and compassion in your heart. Economist Magazine http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9898270: This article elaborates- Studies conducted to correlate subtle human traits such as patience and fairness with that to closest evolutionary relatives of human, apes such as chimpanzee. The article mentions that the essence of patience is the ability to delay the gratification of an appetite in favor of a greater ultimate reward. Past tests of the degree to which animals other than people can delay their gratification have focused on birds and monkeys. Both groups can delay gratification if a bigger reward is on offer, but only for a few seconds. Human, All Too Human: in this paper, philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche argued that -Being able to wait is so hard that the greatest poets did not disdain to make the inability to wait the theme of their poetry. He notes that Passion will not wait, and gives the example of cases of duels, in which the advising friends have to determine whether the parties involved might be able to wait a while longer. If they cannot, then a duel is reasonable [because]to wait would be to continue suffering the horrible torture of offended honor. Patience and Religion: Source: Wikipedia.org: Patience is one of most important virtue as recognized by most of the important religions. o Judaism: Patience and fortitude are prominent themes in Judaism. The Talmud extols patience as an important personal trait. o Christianity: In the Christian religion, patience is considered as a very valuable virtue that it propagates people to imbibe. Increasing patience is viewed as the work of the Holy Ghost in the Christianity. This holy God who has accepted the gift of salvation. Patience is also regarded as one of the seven virtues in Christianity which are- -alongside chastity, -temperance, -charity, -diligence, -kindness, and -humility o Islam: Patience in Islam is one of the best and most valuable virtues of life. Through patience, a Muslim believes that an individual can grow closer to Allah and thus attain true peace. o Eastern Religion: In Buddhism, patience (Skt.: kshanti; Pali: khanti) is one of the perfections that a bodhisattva trains in and practices to realize perfect enlightenment also known as Bodhi. Patience is also praised in Hinduism, particularly in the Bhagavad Gita. In both Hinduism and Buddhism there is a particular emphasis on meditation which leads to patience, and an effective and well-organized thought. Healing Anger: The Power of Patience from a Buddhist Perspective: This book is written by Dalai Lama. In this book he has attempted to address the issue of anger. He argues that the issue of anger can be remedied through patience. He has suggested some meditation practices even for novice people. The book seems to be hard to follow if one is not much familiar with Buddhist scripture. Empirical Study and Generalization: Data Collection method employed: Interview. To study the implication of patience on individuals, I carried interview of individuals with different social and professional background. The interview consisted set of 10 questions and the answers were first recorded and then analysed to take cues and then finding the similarities and dissimilarities across the answers of the interviewees. The 10 questions used for this study are given below- Q1. Do you get fidgety if things that you want do not happen or take a lot of time to happen? Q2. Why do you behave the way you do? Q3. Are you patient in every situation alike or does your behavior depends on some factors? Q4. Do you think being patient helps? Q5. Whenever you are patient is it because you feel it will help make things right i.e. had you known that situation is surely going to worsen and you can t help in a situation will you still try to be patient? Q6. Did you develop patience over the course of your life because of certain incidents/ experiences or have you always been patient Q7. How do you react if someone is being impatient or restless in front of you? Q8. What is your impact on others when they behave impatiently, do you find success in convincing them about not being impatient? Q9. Do you take any efforts to be more patient (like meditating, yoga etc?) Q10. When are you normally more impatient? When anticipating good things or when you feel bad things may happen Findings of study and Generalization Interviewee A: This person appears to be impatient; she understands the importance of patience and is ready to help others if they are impatient. She lacks the motivation to be patient but would like to earn techniques like yoga to get self control. She would need to learn meditation, self motivation to act patient in good and bad situation. Interviewee B: This person appears more patient than the others. He has developed his patience over the course of life. He is firm believer in god and has learned to accept which are beyond control. He values personal relationships over materialism and hence whatever impatience he experiences is only confined to personal matters which are close to his heart. Interviewee C: She practices yoga to gain self control. She has developed patience after shouldering the responsibility of younger siblings. She appears to accept good thing and do not show over enthusiasm. She needs to learn to help other impatient people. She knows her level of patience and has clear goals and targets. Interviewee D: She being housewife has more care about family. She has accepted her role as homemaker and believes in letting others take the decision; this acceptance has made her more patient in non family matters. Interviewee E: She gets impatient if her activities make trouble to others. She has followed mentor approach for encouragement. She shows acceptance for the things beyond control and tries to be aloof from them. Generalizations- Above analysis shows that people show various degree of patience. Their profession, experience, age and family has considerable impact on how they learn to accept the thing and get along with the problems. There is awareness about the techniques to develop patience in all the age groups but people normally don t follow them as they don t get time or are unable to manage their time for it. Personal problems have more impact on the level of patience and this trait appears to be common among respondents. Similarly Bad incidents have more impact on patience than good .Mostly there is a willingness to help others in case of trouble. I also deduced that normally patience is a trait that can be acquired and developed over the course of time. People find motivation to become patience on seeing the negative repercussions of being impatient that they experienced in their past or saw people experience in their past. They also find motivation by looking at the positive effects that patience as a virtue brings along. It was also seen that patient people are better at convincing others or making them feel calmer as compared to impatient people. Lastly a surprising finding was that people normally behave patiently because they feel it will help them achieve their immediate goals and not because it is a part of their intricate nature. i.e the desire to be patient is more driven by its perceived benefits than by the fact that it is a established virtue. Implication of Group Work: Patience is one of the one of the most important virtue to possess. Patience can have positive impact on individual and hence group performance. Being haste to get results hampers the ability of an individual to consider all the possible option for solution of a problem. It often leads to suboptimum choice and hence failure. Being patient does not means more time, but it s an emotional state wherein individual is not concerned about the quick output at cost of quality or effectiveness. Patience is the ability to perceive hard enough till desired output is obtained. All the major scientific breakthroughs had lot of hard work and patience behind it. Patience plays major role in negotiations, which demands a win-win situation for the negotiating parties. Individuals need to develop patience by assessing their current level of patience. One needs to set the goals and work hard enough to achieve them. Impatient people are often o Dissatisfied o Withdraw prematurely in jobs, relationships etc o Feel overwhelmed by the goals and lose motivation When one grows patient stress is reduced and one enjoys the process of accomplishments without getting overwhelmed by the time. It makes individual to relax and develop healthy lifestyle and achieve effectively. Individuals when work in group, the leader need to be patient and motivate the others to be patient in achieving group objectives. Impatient leader cause hasty actions by group which often is destructive and may cause delay or disorientation from group objectives. Patience is thus one of the most valuable qualities to possess for betterment of an individual and society. Contribution to OB Patience leads to a stable mind which is better at concentrating, and hence indirectly patience is related to a positive work performance. Its impact on job performance and hence satisfaction makes it a very important topic of study from the point of view of organizational behaviour. From this study, I have established that even impatient people perceive the value of being patient and that patience can be inculcated by various means like meditating, practicing yoga or by following positive reinforcement for people who are already patient. This study is a contribution to OB as it forms a base which can be further built upon by conducting further research on effectiveness of the techniques to establish patience and how to maximize the gains or benefits that one derives out of being patient in a organization. Conclusion: Time is subjective. When one is one is enjoying the time flies. In suffering time seems forever and leads to impatience and grief. Patience makes one to learn acceptance and overcome the grief. Being patient can have positive results in ones professional, personal and spiritual life. Patience can be learnt through religious techniques such as meditation. Patience is in nature, look around in nature and observe how life takes form. And hence why should we be unnatural by following impatience when we can instead be patient and experience all the benefits associated with it.

The Concept Of Linguistic Variation

The Concept Of Linguistic Variation The ability of spoken language is believed (by many) to be attributed uniquely to humanity. Despite this evidently phenomenal existence the exact date of languages birth remains unknown and yet it continues to evolve. (Klein, 2009) The study of this ever mutable method of communication has come to be known as linguistics. However due to the communal and social nature of the human race the study of sociolinguistics could be said to more accurately represent language within human societies. Furthermore Linguists have known for some time that differences in language are tied to social class (Ross, 1954) Sociolinguistics is the study of the way in which language varies and changes in social groups (communities) of speakers, focusing primarily on the impacts of linguistic structures (such as sounds, grammatical forms, intonation features, words, etc) and social factors (such as a speakers gender, ethnicity, age, degree of integration into their community, etc). (Reference) The study of sociolinguistics has ancestry in dialectology, beginning in the 1960s (reference) partly due to the existence of inadequate methods associated with previous approaches to the study of dialect. Sociolinguistics uses recordings of informal conversations as its data; taking a significantly more scientific approach relying on quantitative analysis to highlighting dialect differences. How language changes (meme Theory) One possible reason for this change and transition of language through social groups may be attributed to a unit of cultural evolution, the Meme. A meme is defined as an idea, behaviour or style that spreads from person to person within a culture. (Dawkins,) By this definition a Meme acts as an evolutionary/replicatory unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols or practices, allowing transmission from one mind to another through an act of imitation such as writing, speech, gestures or rituals. This description of the Meme and its transmission can be applied to the Learning of language. Such learning requires, at its foundation, the ability to imitate sounds (Tomasello, Kruger, Ratner, 1993). One may be uncomfortable in describing something as complex as language as imitation, however, language clearly fit the evolutionary theory in regards to Memes. Information is copied from person to person, variation is introduced both by degradation (due to failures of human memory and communication) and by the creative recombination of different memes. Selection of this variation is then a potential result of limitations on time, memory, transmission rates and other kinds of storage space. Variation between Social Classes As described sociolinguistics is built on the foundations the presence dialect variation is from random, but are determined by what Weinreich, Labov and Herzog (1968) defined as orderly heterogeneity structured variation. This structure can be shown in a number of ways, particularly interesting from the sociolinguist perspective is the correlation often exhibited between linguistic structure and social status. Varieties of English can be identified into two groups referring to the changes of the variable (Figure 1). The variable (t) refers to the use of a glottal stop instead of [t], such as in the word bottle, which can be written botle to represent the changed pronunciation of the medial (middle) [t]. Most English speakers appear to glottalise final [t] in words such as cat, with no/little correlation to social class. This is not the case however for the use of glottal stops in the medial position, e.g., bottle (botle), butter (buter). This variant is associated with a social stigma. Table 1 shows the occurrence of glottal stops corresponding to social class in Glasgow for all positions within a word (including the final [t]) compared with that occurring only in medial position (Macaulay 1977). Upper class (Professionals) is represented by Class I whilst the working class is represented by Class III (unskilled workers). When considering the glottal stop in the medial position, the highes t social class show zero occurrences, while the lowest class uses 68.8%. The above linguistic variation is not isolated in its relation to social classes; there are of course many other variables in English which show similar sociolinguistically significant distributions. Trudgill (1974) showed the relationship for variables (ing) and (h) in a Norwich based urban dialect study (Table 2). Once gain the values show the percentage of variant forms used by different classes. The variable (ing) refers to variations of alveolar [n] and a velar nasal [ng] in words ending with -ing for example breeding and cooling. Once again a lower social status is associated a higher percentage of nonstandard variation (alveolar) rather than standard (velar nasal) endings. In common terms this variants is known as `dropping ones gs, and is a commonly recognised marker of social status over the English-speaking world. The variable (h) refers to the presence between [h] and lack of [h] at the beginning of for example heart (eart) and hand (and). This particular variation is slightly more complicated as most urban accents in England do not have initial [h]and as such no variable of it. However in regions that do represent both variants (present of and lack of initial [h]) a similar pattern is shown. The lower the individuals social status, the more likely he/she is to drop hs. As shown in all the examples above a common pattern appears to form (these cases have dealt with stable linguistic features) this can be plotted affectively as an s-shape curve. Figure 2 shows the correlation for the absence of present tense markers (she play rather than she plays) with social classes (Trudgill 1974) once again the lower the social class, the higher the variation from standard. As shown in figure 2 the data represents a continuum (s-shaped curve) despite differences between classes, this can be consider once again in a broadly evolutionary sense. Just as the transmission of linguistic features (memes) may be stopped by physical geographical barriers (i.e. mountain ranges, oceans), it may also be hindered by social class. This limitation results in boundaries between social dialects that tend not to be perfect. As such sociolinguistics has should be considered a quantitative approach not a qualitative method. Future Developments The above approach outlined for analysing language variation has been popular, being used across many speaking communities worldwide. However, whilst these studies have accepted the basic guidance (the linguistic variable), some have suggested (reference) that sociolinguistic studies have been naive by correlating social facts about the subject in isolation (gender, ethnicity and social class), rather than observing how social groups come to be and change over time, and subsequently analysing the variants that emerge as a result. As a result some studies have become to approach studies form a bottom up perspective, examining self-forming social groups and see linguistic structure reflect these grouping rather than starting with a broad social category, and look at the language use within it (a top-down approach). Research

Organizational Culture Profiles Essay -- Sociology, Culture

The purpose of this paper was to construct organizational culture profiles using the â€Å"Now† and â€Å"Preferred† average scores from the Organizational Cultural Assessment Instrument (OCAI) to get a pictogram of how the current culture for the Medicaid Integrity Group (MIG) matches the preferred culture. Organizational culture is not just any thoughts, values, and actions, but rather the unifying patterns that are shared, learned, combined at the group level, and internalized individual members. The findings of the OCAI provides a clear picture of the MIG’s operating culture in terms of behaviors that is believed, expected, or implicitly required and indicated items that could be changed to alter the current classification of the organization from a hierarchy culture to a clan culture. Conversely, the hierarchy focuses on rules, policies, procedures, efficiency, and control is the direct opposite of the clan that stresses family, loyalty, commitment, cohes ion, and morale. Organizational Culture Profiles In many organizations, one typically finds that corporate culture affects everyone. Culture is important because it can influence human behavior, can be difficult to change, and its near invisibility makes it hard to address directly. The MIG’s current and preferred culture shown in the OCAI in Appendix A focuses on some core attributes of the organization. The OCAI is a key component to help the MIG understand and conceptualize its organizational culture, its nature, determinants and predictions, as well as the relationships among culture's diverse set of variables. Organizational culture is widely considered one of the most significant factors in bringing about organizational ch... ...a pictogram of how the current culture for the MIG matches the preferred culture. First, from the perspective of where the organization’s current culture is and secondly, from the perspective of where organization’s culture should be. The MIG’s present culture indicates it experience hierarchy culture but would like to start working more like a clan culture. The organization’s profile indicated a large difference between the current and preferred situation, which means changes are desirable. Organizational culture is just one of the many pieces that make up the puzzle of public sector organizations. As such, it should not be considered the answer to all organizational problems, nor should it be applied to all organizational aspects. The organizational culture profiles can be a starting point to solve problems, but also a way to create problematic solutions. Organizational Culture Profiles Essay -- Sociology, Culture The purpose of this paper was to construct organizational culture profiles using the â€Å"Now† and â€Å"Preferred† average scores from the Organizational Cultural Assessment Instrument (OCAI) to get a pictogram of how the current culture for the Medicaid Integrity Group (MIG) matches the preferred culture. Organizational culture is not just any thoughts, values, and actions, but rather the unifying patterns that are shared, learned, combined at the group level, and internalized individual members. The findings of the OCAI provides a clear picture of the MIG’s operating culture in terms of behaviors that is believed, expected, or implicitly required and indicated items that could be changed to alter the current classification of the organization from a hierarchy culture to a clan culture. Conversely, the hierarchy focuses on rules, policies, procedures, efficiency, and control is the direct opposite of the clan that stresses family, loyalty, commitment, cohes ion, and morale. Organizational Culture Profiles In many organizations, one typically finds that corporate culture affects everyone. Culture is important because it can influence human behavior, can be difficult to change, and its near invisibility makes it hard to address directly. The MIG’s current and preferred culture shown in the OCAI in Appendix A focuses on some core attributes of the organization. The OCAI is a key component to help the MIG understand and conceptualize its organizational culture, its nature, determinants and predictions, as well as the relationships among culture's diverse set of variables. Organizational culture is widely considered one of the most significant factors in bringing about organizational ch... ...a pictogram of how the current culture for the MIG matches the preferred culture. First, from the perspective of where the organization’s current culture is and secondly, from the perspective of where organization’s culture should be. The MIG’s present culture indicates it experience hierarchy culture but would like to start working more like a clan culture. The organization’s profile indicated a large difference between the current and preferred situation, which means changes are desirable. Organizational culture is just one of the many pieces that make up the puzzle of public sector organizations. As such, it should not be considered the answer to all organizational problems, nor should it be applied to all organizational aspects. The organizational culture profiles can be a starting point to solve problems, but also a way to create problematic solutions.

Mobilize Leaders to Accelerate Results :: essays research papers

Mobilize Leaders to Accelerate Results http://www.iveybusinessjournal.com/view_article.asp?intArticle_ID=538   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this article coauthors, Brian Brittain, John Swain and Janice Simpson outline three tactics that have succeeded in unleashing productive energy and accelerating business results for organizations that have used them in a conscious and disciplined manner. Moreover, the ideas discussed in the writing are heavily related to the concepts confered by Chapter 12 in the textbook referring to strategic leadership. Specifically, Figure 12.4 shows a diagram of an exercise for gaining effective leadership. The author's ideology for their 3 common practices of strategic tactics known as; Beyond the cascade, Live the Story, and Implement a Sustaining Leadership Strategy are easily reflected by the materials are similar to the 3 directions of the exercise.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the fast-changing global workplace, there is no longer one organizational structure that can be used universally to increase organizational performance. Change is the only constant in today's global, knowledge-based economy. Leaders need skills necessary to think and act strategically in translating mission into objectives, developing plans and programs to accomplish objectives, and to implement plans and programs. Each organization, department, and division must define the best systems and structures for its specific vision, mission, strategies, and competencies. The leader must get input and support from the experts who are busy doing the work of the organization and create alignment with customers and stakeholders. The International manager/executive as well as public sector executives and manager should create a road map to build organizational systems that are dynamic, flexible, and outcome focused that are successful in creating high performance. Some pra ctical results I found to be important include:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1) Link organizational competencies to outcomes and results defined in your   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  strategic plan.

Centura Health Overview

Centura Health is considered Colorado's largest healthcare organization, inclusive of a 12-hospital system. The company's mission includes celebrating the value inherent in each individuals life and working collaboratively to â€Å"lift the burdens of others† by offering comprehensive and loving care to all customers and patients served by Centura (Centura, 2005). The mission statement of the organization is to â€Å"extend the healing ministry of Christ my caring for those who are ill and nurturing the health of people in our communities† (Centura, 2005). The vision includes fulfilling the organizations covenant that guarantees excellence and integrity of service, creating partnerships with community members and patients for life (Centura, 2005). The organization has identified multiple core values which include: integrity, stewardship, spirituality, imagination, respect, excellence and compassion† (Centura, 2005). Current Centura operates as a non-profit agency and structures key decision making using what they refer to as a â€Å"Values Impact Analysis† (Centura, 2005). This tool helps organizational representatives weight the costs to benefits of selected decisions as applied to the organizations core values. The process adopted by the organization is considered â€Å"dynamic and rigorous† with the intent of enabling â€Å"conscientious decisions respectful of stakeholders needs† but also in line with the values and needs of patients (Centura, 2005). The organizational model includes a hierarchical system with the following: President/CEO, Executive Vice President and COO, Sr. Vice President, CFO, Chief Medical Officer and supporting management staff (Centura, 2005). Key to the governance model includes collaboration with other medical providers and health agencies throughout the state of Colorado. The decision making model adopted by Centura involves use of the Values Impact Analysis process that helps key management staff make decisions that are not only fiscally sound but also reflect the organizations core values and perspectives of patients that may be impacted by decisions. The organization makes use of an on site Mission and Ministry whose role includes providing â€Å"reflections, a prayer chain† and various other resources for employees and associates of the organization (Centura, 2005). In addition the organization utilizes a SHARE program that resembles a rewards and recognition program to highlight outstanding achievements among employees, customers and co-workers (Centura, 2005). Centura has also adopted a collaborative environment where communication is promoted through a â€Å"Mastery Development Plan† (Centura, 2005). This plan provides team members within the organization a method of facilitating personal and professional development and communication by providing training for technical and support staff and providing communications training to all staff to encourage greater collaboration and community connections among employees (Centura, 2005). Centura has also adopted quality improvement measures focusing on patient populations, physician and clinician teams to help promote â€Å"excellence in care† (Centura, 2005). The organization to this effect has created what they refer to as a â€Å"Quality, Safety and Outcomes Management department† whose sole role includes supporting a solid communications infrastructure and commitment to quality improvement (Centura, 2005). Centura's approach to quality involves defining ‘value directed' services and providing value directed management to customers both internal and external. This is a solid approach to instilling quality within the organization. Arogyaswamy & Simmons (1993) point to the important of using value-directed management approaches to ensure the best possible service to customers. Further the authors suggest that organizations must approach total quality and empowerment of staff through articulated measures to achieve â€Å"stronger market positions† by establishing â€Å"an unquenchable thirst for improvement† (Arogyaswamy & Simmons, 3). Ways to do this include through integration and shared vision (Lambert, Hylander & Sandoval, 2003). Barusch, Merkman & Maramaldi (2005) note that within the health care organization standardized measures are necessary to ensure control and power are properly delegated and that quality is ensured in all patient interactions and outcomes. Care benchmarks, satisfaction tools and quality assessors currently adopted by Centura fall in line with recent studies suggesting that routine attention to performance measurement via various standardized methods help improve organizational efficiency and continuous improvement (Holzer & Julnes, 2001). Further risk management is best assessed by gathering quality data from standardized reporting systems that provide detailed summaries of the industry, characteristics of service and help regulate distribution of services and procedures within the healthcare organization (Blankmeyer, Knox & Stutzman, 2001). Centura uses multiple benchmarks to currently reap information regarding quality and service protocols, including the Values Impact Analysis and the Master Development Plan. The values impact survey acts as a standardized reporting system providing mangers and staff with detailed cues regarding employee and organizational performance. The Master Development Plan serves as a tool that can enhance performance management and train various staff members including nursing staff members to achieve their highest potential within the organization. Key issues a nursing staff coordinator may address within this organizational context is whether incumbents are consistently reporting on their progress and achievements using the values impact analysis and master development program. These programs do offer detailed information regarding potential areas of weakness and improvement within the organization. At present the strongest elements of Centura's organizational structure include its commitment to shared knowledge and communication among staff members. Additionally the organization is committed to empowering employees to excel in their job functions and dedicated to continuous training. The organization may benefit from an overhaul of the performance measurement protocols adopted for individual employees. Most organizations fall short of identifying to as great an extent possible the level of staff satisfaction with performance measurement protocols. Turnover within the organization at present is relatively low suggesting that employees are however receiving the feedback they need to excel on the job. At this point in time when problem areas are identified using the quality assessment tools in place management turns to focused committees to resolve issues. The organization would benefit by involving more primary care nurses and other direct staff involved in decision making processes that involve improving quality improvement. Because Centura is a hierarchical organization, most decisions are made from the top down. Recent studies suggest however that continuous quality improvement and risk management efforts are enhanced significantly when organizations adopt a flat approach to knowledge management and quality improvement. This means that employees at all levels of the organization must be empowered to help make decisions and share information regarding continuous improvement measures. One way to adopt this philosophy at Centura may be to establish various committees designed to help solve specific problems within their scope of expertise or knowledge. Overall Centura Health provides a superb foundation for providing quality care and direction for staff and the patients and community it serves. The organization is committed to quality improvements, knowledge sharing and partnerships within the community to reduce any risk associated with delivering care and to improve its knowledge sharing ability within the community. At present the organization has adopted various standardized instruments, which consistently provide accurate measurements of quality benchmarks within the organization. The top down management approach may be the sole factor limiting consistent knowledge sharing and hence risk management reduction or continuous improvement within the organization.