Animal Testing: Not Very Reliable or Safe for Human Safety

Animal Testing Nowadays there are many companies that test their products on animals such as makeup and painkillers. Not many people pay attention to this fact, but in actuality they should. Excuses for companies using animals for testing are that they have similarities in their tissues and DNA. Though parts of the human body vs. an animal’s body may have similarities but people must keep in mind that we are two totally different species. Science shows that animals rarely serve as good models for the human body so why would we feel safe with the product anyways.The best thing for us to do is test out products on other humans so then we can get reliable and accurate results. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that 92% of all drugs that are shown to be safe and effective in animal testing fail in human trials; from this information you can see that testing on animals isn't very reliable or safe for our safety and health. Also, it was said in multiple science journals that testing on animals would be a waste of time and life, both human and animal. Testing on animals is dangerous for both species.Other than the lack of similarities between the two, animal testing could lead to the spread of disease. For example, say my company is testing a new allergenic pill in chickens but it goes terribly wrong s d ills the animals, now I must find a way to dispose of them and if it’s not done properly, and someone gets their hands on the one of the tested animals and tries to eat it there's a high possibility that the consumer will become ill as well and end up spreading their illness to surrounding people, causing an outbreak. This could all be prevented if animal testing were to be banned. Thankfully, as of right now this has yet to happen, YET.Once again, we shouldn't test our products on animals because animals are helpless and have no say in the matter. With humans, we are able to voice our opinion and position on a subject so if we are Bering ask ed of something that we aren't comfortable participating in, then we don't have to, on the other hand; an animal cannot in any means voice their opinion to a human. If they don't wish to partake in these trials how would we have any way of knowing? More on, if you are I keep forcing these animals to participate in these tests this will make the animal vicious and dangerous leading on to having to ‘put down' the animal.If you keep abusing a species like this over time, you will be seen as a threat and that will be taught to the offspring, so in and so forth. If that were to happen we shouldn't even hope to get close to that animal anymore, they are traumatizing these species. Furthermore, animal testing is absolutely pointless because it is taking up entirely too much if the government’s money. We, as a hole, ate already in debt to chins at 1. 16 trillion dollars, but we choose to continue paying just about 200billion dollars in a yearly basis to animal testing just fit cancer alone.

How Does Mary Shelley Explore Suffering in Frankenstein

How does Shelley portray suffering in â€Å"Frakenstein†? Throughout the novel, suffering of not only an individual but also humanity, remains at the heart of the plot. Many critics today believe that this suffering comes from the troubled and tormented life Shelley had. For example from 1815 to mid 1819, Shelley was to lose the first three of her four children, for which she held herself responsible. Therefore, it could be argued that the monster is the embodiment of Shelley’s suffering and guilt. Suffering in the novel becomes apparent through the narrator, Frankenstein. For example, from a psychoanalyst’s perception ofVictor, his suffering comes from his character. Victor is the very incarnation of the Byronic Hero. He represents a lonely, isolated and self- ­? destructive force vulnerable to his own over- ­? powering emotions of greed and fervid curiosity. This is perfectly depicted in Caspar David Friedrich’s painting (commonly associated with the image of the Byronic hero) â€Å"Wanderer above the sea of fog† whereby a man overlooks an untouched landscape (Byron’s poem The Corsair; â€Å"lone, wild and strange, he stood alike exempt from all affection and all contempt†) with the sole desire to explore and gain victory. This passionately intense nd over- ­? powering desire of knowledge is perfectly depicted in Book IV of Milton’s Paradise Lost ‘Satan’s address to the sun’ (An epic poem heavily influencing Shelley) whereby Satan must suffer for his â€Å"Pride and worse ambition†. It is therefore blatant that Frankenstein’s immense feelings of isolation (Byron; â€Å"That man of loneliness and mystery†) and fervid desire become the sole cause of Frankenstein’s loss of humanity and mental self- ­? destruction (the use of the phrase â€Å"infernal machinations† implying a man so susceptible to his own greed, curiosity and isolation that his o wn mental torment becomes almost an quivalent to Dante’s ‘Inferno’). Therefore, Victor becomes the â€Å"Satan† of this novel. Having had an intense yearning for victory (as his name suggests), he has attempted to assume the position of God, which has only caused mental decline and suffering. Aside from his mental torment, Victor’s physical deterioration mirrors his guilt. Frankenstein has held himself responsible for the deaths of his closest friends and family. For example, in Chapter IV- ­? â€Å"I felt the fiend’s grasp in my neck† a direct link is made to Coleridge’s (a close friend of William Godwin- ­? Shelley’s Father) ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ whereby, fter having shot the albatross (once a symbol of good luck), the course of time has been altered forever; â€Å"With my crossbow I shot the Albatross†. Consequently, the â€Å"[shooting] of the albatross† in this novel comes not f rom Victor’s creation of the monster but infact his crime of denying the monster of love. For example, Rousseau (a philosopher that inspired Shelley) suggested that a child deprived of a loving family becomes a monster. This act of depriving the monster of maternal love (thus, showing men’s incapability of love) caused the monster to kill those closest to Victor. This sparked immense feelings of guilt n Victor â€Å"I was overcome by gloom and misery† linking to Coleridge’s poem (â€Å"And I had done a hellish thing†), which inevitably becomes the cause of his physical decline â€Å"The human frame could not longer support the agonizing suffering that I endured†. It is therefore, through the â€Å"hellish† act of denying the monster of love, that â€Å"The Albatross about [Victor’s] neck was hung† and his supreme guilt lead to his suffering. Victor’s physical deterioration in this novel also confirms the idea of à ¢â‚¬Å"The Double†. As many critics have suggested, the monster is merely a projection of Frankenstein’s innate corruption. It is hence ossible to assume that Frankenstein’s physical suffering and loss of humanity comes from the monster’s increased power thus showing how these two individuals are linked. The idea of such a double is backed up by the fact that the monster kills at moonlight and thus, the moon acts as an illuminating object shining into the heart of Victor only to reveal the monster. Such a theme is present in Stevenson’s â€Å"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde† whereby; the suppressed emotions of Dr, Jekyll are projected at night in the ultra- ­? ego of Mr. Hyde. However, a far greater suffering is observed within the monster. The suffering comes withinThe Daemon’s rejection from his creator Frankenstein. The Daemon has lost any parental influence or more importantly, he has failed to achieve his â€Å"father figure†. Con stant desire to be appreciated by a father is a theme in this novel. For example, Frankenstein felt safe and secure in the presence of his father (â€Å"Nothing, at this moment, could have given me greater pleasure than the arrival of my father†) and Shelley herself longed for the appreciation and love from her father (especially after, William Godwin cut off relations to Shelley after her marriage to Percy). However, the monster, much like Adam from ParadiseLost, has failed to be appreciated by Victor (who he views as his father). In Paradise Lost, Adam had a constant desire to please God, but due to the temptation of Eve, he was outcast and rejected. This is similar to the monster, as purely to his appearance, the monster has been denied love from his father thus giving rise to an Oedipus complex. This Oedipus complex (also present in Shakespeare’s Macbeth) is shown through the monster as, when Frankenstein rejects the monster, the monster seemingly denounces him as a father and instead views his mother (possibly, nature) as the only love he will ever receive (â€Å"He was soon orne away by the waves†- ­? last sentence, Page 191). Therefore, this rejection of love from a paternal influence based on the monster’s appearance of â€Å"horror and disgust† (page 39) has lead to a loss of identity within the monster, and thus a mental anguish and suffering (â€Å"who am miserable beyond all living things- ­? page 77). This suffering the monster feels is extended by society’s further rejection of him based on his appearance. The fact that he is even rejected by the DeLaceys is Shelley’s view that everyone, however seemingly perfect, has an innate ability to judge based on appearance. This is why the monster s, at first, welcomed into the house of DeLacey. He is blind and therefore does not possess humanity’s evil ability to judge based on appearance- ­? he therefore is the very quintessence of purity an d kindness at the heart of a judgmental society as he does not possess sight. Shelley therefore attempts to suggest that humanity’s most dangerous quality is sight. This allows The Monster to believe he really is â€Å"a daemon†/ â€Å"wretch†/ â€Å"foul being† and suffers due to it. However, despite the suffering of the individual, this novel seems to address a far greater suffering; the suffering of humanity. Linking once again toMilton’s Paradise Lost, the ‘ultimate sin’ of Eve stealing the forbidden fruit leads to Adam and Eve (the first humans and thus, our ancestors) to be outcast to the wilderness. The suffering of humanity therefore comes from the fact that we, as descendants of Adam and Eve must be held responsible for Adam and Eve’s actions and temptation. Therefore, the human existence is based on the belief that we must continually repent for our ancestor’s sins and leads to the theory that the monster is mer ely the embodiment of God’s vengeance, warning the most corrupt humans who attempt to overcome nature (which is sublime and God- ­? ontrolled) that, God will prevail. This is however a use of irony. Mary Shelley married Percy Shelley 3 years after he was expelled from Oxford for his pamphlet â€Å"The necessity of atheism†. This therefore exposes Shelley’s cynicism of religion, whereas it should be based on glorifying existence, it is in fact, based on the suffering of humanity. Further suffering of humanity is observed through the treatment of sexuality in the novel. When Adam and Eve were cast out into the wilderness in Paradise Lost, they had to commit the ‘original sin’ of sexual reproduction as a means to produce offspring and ensure the survival f humanity. This act therefore undermines God’s power as it shows nature and science cannot be controlled by God (who is allegedly ‘the creator of all’). Therefore, within Victori an society a religiously backed suppression of sexuality meant men could not show any signs of sexual desire and that instead they must be kept secret. This leads to the idea that the monster is infact the depiction of Frankenstein’s sexual desire and that, much like the monster, it is locked away in the human body and allowed to ‘fester’ it will only be more ugly and violent (as shown in Elizabeth’s death and Frankenstein’s destruction of he female monster which seem to almost mirror an aggressive rape). Moreover, this leads to the development of what is more commonly known as â€Å"The Queer Theory†. This entails the idea that Frankenstein has a secretly oppressed homosexual desire which was shunned upon by Victorian society and that the only way to reveal this homo- ­? erotic desire was to create the â€Å"daemon† as a male Adonis â€Å"I selected his features a beautiful† in order to fulfil his suppressed sexuality. Theref ore, humanity suffers as their sexuality is oppressed by society and religion meaning that when it is revealed only more suffering is unleashed.Shelley in this novel also speaks from a seemingly feminist perspective. This may have been inspired by her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft’s book â€Å"A Vindication of the rights of woman† which placed stress on female independence and the importance of female education (women who succumb to sensuality will be â€Å"blown about by every momentary gust of feeling†); which links to the passive and generally ‘pathetic’ description of women in this novel. They’re suffering comes from the fact that Eve, the first woman committed the original sin thus damning society into a world far less sublime than the Garden of Eden. Therefore, Shelley esires show how women are forced into submission and general passiveness as a result of being the gender that committed the original sin. Their passiveness, perfectly depic ted in Elizabeth and Justine, links well to Coventry Patmore’s poem, The Angel in the house. This poem states the power men possess over women and that, to remain included in society, women must remain tacit and pretty so to fulfil the expectations of society. This links to the monster; the monster fails to fulfil society’s expectations of appearance and therefore is outcast. However, this juxtaposes with women as they fulfil society’s expectations and

Bloodlines Chapter Thirteen

I answered and found Eddie on the other end of the line. â€Å"I’m downstairs,† he said. â€Å"Ready to practice some self-defense before it gets too hot.† â€Å"You’re going to have to do it without me,† I said. I had a feeling Eddie was taking his promise to Clarence about training us very seriously. I felt no such obligation. â€Å"I’ve got a ton of homework to do. That, and I’m sure Ms. Terwilliger’s going to make me do a coffee run today.† â€Å"Well, then send Jill down,† said Eddie. I glanced over to the cocoon of blankets on her bed. â€Å"That might be easier said than done.† Surprisingly, she managed to rouse herself enough to brush her teeth, take aspirin for a headache, and throw on some workout clothes. She bid me farewell, and I promised to check on them later. Not long after that, Ms. Terwilliger called with her coffee demand, and I prepared myself for another day of trying to fit in my own work with hers. I drove over to Spencer’s and didn’t even notice Trey until I was standing right in front of him. â€Å"Ms. Terwilliger’s?† he asked, pointing to the caramel sauce cappuccino. â€Å"Huh?† I looked up. Trey was my cashier. â€Å"You work here?† He nodded. â€Å"Gotta make spending money somehow.† I handed him some cash, noting that he’d charged me half price. â€Å"Don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t look so great,† I told him. He looked tired and worn out around the edges. Closer inspection showed bruises and cuts as well. â€Å"Yeah, well, I had kind of a rough day yesterday.† I hesitated. That was a leading comment, but there was no one in line behind me. â€Å"What happened?† I asked, knowing it was expected. Trey scowled. â€Å"That asshole Greg Slade wreaked havoc in football tryouts yesterday. I mean, the results aren’t up yet, but it’s pretty obvious he’s going to get quarterback. He was like a machine, just plowing guys over.† He extended his left hand, which had some bandage-wrapped fingers. â€Å"He stepped on my hand too.† I winced, remembering Slade’s out-of-control athleticism in PE. The politics of high school football and who was quarterback weren’t that important to me. True, I felt sorry for Trey, but it was the source behind the tattoos that intrigued me. Keith’s warnings about not causing trouble rang back to me, but I was unable to stop myself. â€Å"I know about the tattoos,† I said. â€Å"Julia and Kristin told me about them. And I get now why you were suspicious of mine – but it’s not what you think. Really.† â€Å"That’s not what I’ve heard. Most people think you’re just saying that because you don’t want to tell where you got it.† I was a little taken aback by that. I was pretty sure Julia and Kristin had believed me. Were they actually spreading around the opposite? â€Å"I had no idea.† He shrugged, a small smile on his lips. â€Å"Don’t worry. I believe you. There’s something kind of naively charming about you. You don’t seem like the cheating type.† â€Å"Hey,† I scolded. â€Å"I’m not naive.† â€Å"It was a compliment.† â€Å"How long have these tattoos been around?† I asked, deciding it was best to move in. â€Å"I heard since last year.† He handed me my coffee, thinking. â€Å"Yeah, but it was the end of last year. School year, I mean.† â€Å"And they come from a placed called Nevermore?† â€Å"As far as I know.† Trey eyed me suspiciously. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Just curious,† I said sweetly. A couple of college kids dressed like rich hobos got in line behind me and regarded us impatiently. â€Å"Can we get some service here?† Trey gave them a stiff smile and then rolled his eyes at me as I moved away. â€Å"See you around, Melbourne.† I headed back to Amberwood and delivered Ms. Terwilliger’s coffee. I wasn’t in the mood to stay leashed to her all day, so I asked if I could go elsewhere if I kept my cell phone handy. She agreed. The library had too much activity and – ironically – noise for me today. I wanted the solitude of my room. As I was cutting across the lawn to catch the shuttle, I spotted some familiar figures behind a cluster of trees. I changed direction and found Jill and Eddie squaring off in a small clearing. Micah sat cross-legged on the ground, watching avidly. He waved at me as I approached. â€Å"I didn’t realize your brother was a kung-fu master,† he remarked. â€Å"It’s not kung fu,† said Eddie gruffly, never taking his eyes off Jill. â€Å"Same difference,† said Micah. â€Å"It’s still pretty badass.† Eddie feinted, like he was going to strike at Jill’s side. She responded fairly quickly with a block, though not quite fast enough to match him. Had he been serious, he would have hit her. Still, he seemed pleased with her response time. â€Å"Good. That would deflect part of a hit, though you’d still feel it. Best is if you can duck and dodge altogether, but that takes a little more work.† Jill nodded obediently. â€Å"When can we work on that?† Eddie regarded her with pride. That expression softened after a few moments of study. â€Å"Not today. Too much sun.† Jill started to protest and then stopped herself. She had that worn-out-from-the-light look again and was sweating heavily. She glanced up at the sky for a moment, as though begging it to give us some cloud cover. It remained unresponsive, so she nodded at Eddie. â€Å"All right. But we’re doing this tomorrow at the same time? Or earlier maybe. Or maybe tonight! Could we do both? Practice tonight when the sun’s going down and then again in the morning? Would you mind?† Eddie grinned, amused at her enthusiasm. â€Å"Whatever you want.† Smiling back, Jill sat down beside me, getting into as much shade as possible. Eddie regarded me expectantly. â€Å"What?† I asked. â€Å"Aren’t you supposed to learn to throw a punch?† I scoffed. â€Å"No. When would I ever need to do that?† Jill nudged me. â€Å"Do it, Sydney!† Reluctantly, I allowed Eddie to give me a quick lesson on throwing a punch without injuring my hand in the process. I barely paid attention and felt like I was mostly providing entertainment for the others. When Eddie finished with me, Micah asked, â€Å"Hey, would you mind showing me some ninja moves too?† â€Å"They have nothing to do with ninjas,† protested Eddie, still smiling. â€Å"Come on up.† Micah leapt to his feet, and Eddie walked him through some rudimentary steps. More than anything, it seemed like Eddie was sizing up Micah and his capabilities. After a while, Eddie grew comfortable and let Micah practice some offensive moves to get rid of an attacker. â€Å"Hey,† protested Jill when Eddie landed a kick on Micah. Micah shrugged it off in a guy kind of way. â€Å"No fair. You wouldn’t hit me when we were practicing.† Eddie was caught off guard enough that Micah actually got a hit in. Eddie gave him a look of grudging respect and then said to Jill, â€Å"That was different.† â€Å"Because I’m a girl?† she demanded. â€Å"You never held back with Rose.† â€Å"Who’s Rose?† asked Micah. â€Å"Another friend,† explained Eddie. To Jill, he said: â€Å"And Rose has had years more experience than you.† â€Å"She’s had more than Micah too. You were going easy on me.† Eddie flushed and kept his eyes on Micah. â€Å"Was not,† he said. â€Å"Were too,† she muttered. As the boys sparred again, she said quietly to me, â€Å"How am I ever going to learn if he’s afraid of breaking me?† I watched the guys, analyzing what I knew of Eddie so far. â€Å"I think it’s more complicated than that. I think he also just believes you shouldn’t have to take the risk – that if he’s doing a good enough job, you shouldn’t have to defend yourself.† â€Å"He’s doing a great job. You should have seen him at the attack.† Her face got that haunted look it did whenever the attack that had driven her into hiding was mentioned. â€Å"But I still need to learn.† She lowered her voice even more. â€Å"I really want to learn to use my magic to fight too, not that I’ll get much practice in this desert.† I shuddered, recalling her display from the night before. â€Å"There’ll be time,† I said vaguely. I stood up, saying I had to go get some work done. Micah asked Eddie and Jill if they wanted to get lunch. Eddie said yes immediately. Jill looked to me for help. â€Å"It’s just lunch,† said Eddie meaningfully. I knew he still thought Micah was harmless. I didn’t know, but after seeing how infatuated Jill was with Lee, I figured Micah would have to make some pretty aggressive moves to get anywhere. â€Å"I’m sure it’s fine,† I said. Jill looked relieved, and the group headed off. I spent the day finishing off that miserable book for Ms. Terwilliger. I still thought having to copy the archaic spells and rituals verbatim was a waste of time. The only point I could see for it was that if she ever did need to reference them for her research, she would have an easy computer file to check and not risk damage to the ancient book. It was evening by the time I finished that and my other homework. Jill still wasn’t back, and I decided to use the opportunity to check on something that had been bothering me. Earlier in the day, Jill had mentioned Eddie defending her in the attack. I’d felt from the beginning that there was something strange about that initial attack, something that they weren’t telling me. So, I logged onto the Alchemists’ network and pulled up everything we had on the Moroi rebels. Naturally, it was all documented. We had to keep track of important events among the Moroi, and this ranked pretty high. Somehow, the Alchemists had gotten pictures of the Moroi Court, with protesters lined up outside one of the administrative buildings. Dhampir guardians were easy to pick out as they mingled and kept order. To my surprise, I recognized Dimitri Belikov – Rose’s boyfriend – among those doing crowd control. He was easy to spot since he was almost always taller than everyone around him. Dhampirs look very human, and even I could admit that he was pretty good-looking. There was a rugged handsomeness to him, and even in a still photograph, I could see a fierceness as he watched the crowd. Other protest pictures confirmed what I knew. By far, most people supported the young queen. Those against her were a minority – but a loud and dangerous one. A video from a human news show in Denver showed two Moroi guys nearly getting in a bar fight. They were shouting about queens and justice, most of which wouldn’t make sense to a human observer. What made this video special was that the guy who’d filmed it – some random human with a cell phone camera – claimed he’d seen fangs on both men in the argument. The videographer had submitted his recording claiming he’d witnessed a vampire fight, but no one gave it much credibility. It was too grainy for anything to show up. Still, it was a reminder of what could happen if the Moroi situation spun out of control. A status check showed me that Queen Vasilisa was indeed trying to get a law passed so that her rule was no longer dependent on there being at least one other person in her royal family. Alchemist experts guessed it would take three months, which was about what Rose had said. The number loomed in my head like a ticking time bomb. We needed to keep Jill safe for three months. And for three months, Vasilisa’s enemies would be trying harder than ever to get to Jill. If Jill died, Vasilisa’s rule would end – along with her attempts to fix the system. Yet none of this was what had really driven me to research. I wanted to know about Jill’s initial attack, the one that no one talked about. What I found wasn’t much help. No Alchemists had been there at the time, of course, so our information was based on what Moroi sources had reported. All we knew was that â€Å"the queen’s sister had been viciously and severely attacked – but had made a full recovery.† From what I’d observed, that was certainly true. Jill showed no signs of injury, and the attack had occurred a week before she came to Palm Springs. Was that enough time to heal from a â€Å"vicious and severe† attack? And was an attack like that enough to make her wake screaming? I didn’t know but still couldn’t shake my suspicions. When Jill came home later, she was in such a good mood that I couldn’t bear to interrogate her. I also remembered too late that I’d meant to research the case of Clarence’s niece and her bizarre death by throat-slitting. Jill’s situation had distracted me. I let the matter go and called it an early night. Tomorrow, I thought drowsily. I’ll do it all tomorrow. Tomorrow came much more quickly than I expected. I was woken out of a heavy sleep by someone shaking me, and for a split second, the old nightmare was there, the one about Alchemists carrying me away in the night. Recognizing Jill, I just barely stopped myself from screaming. â€Å"Hey, hey,† I scolded. There was light outside, but it was purplish. Barely after sunrise. â€Å"What’s going on? What’s the matter?† Jill looked at me, face grim and eyes wide with fear. â€Å"It’s Adrian. You have to rescue him.† Bloodlines Chapter Thirteen I answered and found Eddie on the other end of the line. â€Å"I’m downstairs,† he said. â€Å"Ready to practice some self-defense before it gets too hot.† â€Å"You’re going to have to do it without me,† I said. I had a feeling Eddie was taking his promise to Clarence about training us very seriously. I felt no such obligation. â€Å"I’ve got a ton of homework to do. That, and I’m sure Ms. Terwilliger’s going to make me do a coffee run today.† â€Å"Well, then send Jill down,† said Eddie. I glanced over to the cocoon of blankets on her bed. â€Å"That might be easier said than done.† Surprisingly, she managed to rouse herself enough to brush her teeth, take aspirin for a headache, and throw on some workout clothes. She bid me farewell, and I promised to check on them later. Not long after that, Ms. Terwilliger called with her coffee demand, and I prepared myself for another day of trying to fit in my own work with hers. I drove over to Spencer’s and didn’t even notice Trey until I was standing right in front of him. â€Å"Ms. Terwilliger’s?† he asked, pointing to the caramel sauce cappuccino. â€Å"Huh?† I looked up. Trey was my cashier. â€Å"You work here?† He nodded. â€Å"Gotta make spending money somehow.† I handed him some cash, noting that he’d charged me half price. â€Å"Don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t look so great,† I told him. He looked tired and worn out around the edges. Closer inspection showed bruises and cuts as well. â€Å"Yeah, well, I had kind of a rough day yesterday.† I hesitated. That was a leading comment, but there was no one in line behind me. â€Å"What happened?† I asked, knowing it was expected. Trey scowled. â€Å"That asshole Greg Slade wreaked havoc in football tryouts yesterday. I mean, the results aren’t up yet, but it’s pretty obvious he’s going to get quarterback. He was like a machine, just plowing guys over.† He extended his left hand, which had some bandage-wrapped fingers. â€Å"He stepped on my hand too.† I winced, remembering Slade’s out-of-control athleticism in PE. The politics of high school football and who was quarterback weren’t that important to me. True, I felt sorry for Trey, but it was the source behind the tattoos that intrigued me. Keith’s warnings about not causing trouble rang back to me, but I was unable to stop myself. â€Å"I know about the tattoos,† I said. â€Å"Julia and Kristin told me about them. And I get now why you were suspicious of mine – but it’s not what you think. Really.† â€Å"That’s not what I’ve heard. Most people think you’re just saying that because you don’t want to tell where you got it.† I was a little taken aback by that. I was pretty sure Julia and Kristin had believed me. Were they actually spreading around the opposite? â€Å"I had no idea.† He shrugged, a small smile on his lips. â€Å"Don’t worry. I believe you. There’s something kind of naively charming about you. You don’t seem like the cheating type.† â€Å"Hey,† I scolded. â€Å"I’m not naive.† â€Å"It was a compliment.† â€Å"How long have these tattoos been around?† I asked, deciding it was best to move in. â€Å"I heard since last year.† He handed me my coffee, thinking. â€Å"Yeah, but it was the end of last year. School year, I mean.† â€Å"And they come from a placed called Nevermore?† â€Å"As far as I know.† Trey eyed me suspiciously. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Just curious,† I said sweetly. A couple of college kids dressed like rich hobos got in line behind me and regarded us impatiently. â€Å"Can we get some service here?† Trey gave them a stiff smile and then rolled his eyes at me as I moved away. â€Å"See you around, Melbourne.† I headed back to Amberwood and delivered Ms. Terwilliger’s coffee. I wasn’t in the mood to stay leashed to her all day, so I asked if I could go elsewhere if I kept my cell phone handy. She agreed. The library had too much activity and – ironically – noise for me today. I wanted the solitude of my room. As I was cutting across the lawn to catch the shuttle, I spotted some familiar figures behind a cluster of trees. I changed direction and found Jill and Eddie squaring off in a small clearing. Micah sat cross-legged on the ground, watching avidly. He waved at me as I approached. â€Å"I didn’t realize your brother was a kung-fu master,† he remarked. â€Å"It’s not kung fu,† said Eddie gruffly, never taking his eyes off Jill. â€Å"Same difference,† said Micah. â€Å"It’s still pretty badass.† Eddie feinted, like he was going to strike at Jill’s side. She responded fairly quickly with a block, though not quite fast enough to match him. Had he been serious, he would have hit her. Still, he seemed pleased with her response time. â€Å"Good. That would deflect part of a hit, though you’d still feel it. Best is if you can duck and dodge altogether, but that takes a little more work.† Jill nodded obediently. â€Å"When can we work on that?† Eddie regarded her with pride. That expression softened after a few moments of study. â€Å"Not today. Too much sun.† Jill started to protest and then stopped herself. She had that worn-out-from-the-light look again and was sweating heavily. She glanced up at the sky for a moment, as though begging it to give us some cloud cover. It remained unresponsive, so she nodded at Eddie. â€Å"All right. But we’re doing this tomorrow at the same time? Or earlier maybe. Or maybe tonight! Could we do both? Practice tonight when the sun’s going down and then again in the morning? Would you mind?† Eddie grinned, amused at her enthusiasm. â€Å"Whatever you want.† Smiling back, Jill sat down beside me, getting into as much shade as possible. Eddie regarded me expectantly. â€Å"What?† I asked. â€Å"Aren’t you supposed to learn to throw a punch?† I scoffed. â€Å"No. When would I ever need to do that?† Jill nudged me. â€Å"Do it, Sydney!† Reluctantly, I allowed Eddie to give me a quick lesson on throwing a punch without injuring my hand in the process. I barely paid attention and felt like I was mostly providing entertainment for the others. When Eddie finished with me, Micah asked, â€Å"Hey, would you mind showing me some ninja moves too?† â€Å"They have nothing to do with ninjas,† protested Eddie, still smiling. â€Å"Come on up.† Micah leapt to his feet, and Eddie walked him through some rudimentary steps. More than anything, it seemed like Eddie was sizing up Micah and his capabilities. After a while, Eddie grew comfortable and let Micah practice some offensive moves to get rid of an attacker. â€Å"Hey,† protested Jill when Eddie landed a kick on Micah. Micah shrugged it off in a guy kind of way. â€Å"No fair. You wouldn’t hit me when we were practicing.† Eddie was caught off guard enough that Micah actually got a hit in. Eddie gave him a look of grudging respect and then said to Jill, â€Å"That was different.† â€Å"Because I’m a girl?† she demanded. â€Å"You never held back with Rose.† â€Å"Who’s Rose?† asked Micah. â€Å"Another friend,† explained Eddie. To Jill, he said: â€Å"And Rose has had years more experience than you.† â€Å"She’s had more than Micah too. You were going easy on me.† Eddie flushed and kept his eyes on Micah. â€Å"Was not,† he said. â€Å"Were too,† she muttered. As the boys sparred again, she said quietly to me, â€Å"How am I ever going to learn if he’s afraid of breaking me?† I watched the guys, analyzing what I knew of Eddie so far. â€Å"I think it’s more complicated than that. I think he also just believes you shouldn’t have to take the risk – that if he’s doing a good enough job, you shouldn’t have to defend yourself.† â€Å"He’s doing a great job. You should have seen him at the attack.† Her face got that haunted look it did whenever the attack that had driven her into hiding was mentioned. â€Å"But I still need to learn.† She lowered her voice even more. â€Å"I really want to learn to use my magic to fight too, not that I’ll get much practice in this desert.† I shuddered, recalling her display from the night before. â€Å"There’ll be time,† I said vaguely. I stood up, saying I had to go get some work done. Micah asked Eddie and Jill if they wanted to get lunch. Eddie said yes immediately. Jill looked to me for help. â€Å"It’s just lunch,† said Eddie meaningfully. I knew he still thought Micah was harmless. I didn’t know, but after seeing how infatuated Jill was with Lee, I figured Micah would have to make some pretty aggressive moves to get anywhere. â€Å"I’m sure it’s fine,† I said. Jill looked relieved, and the group headed off. I spent the day finishing off that miserable book for Ms. Terwilliger. I still thought having to copy the archaic spells and rituals verbatim was a waste of time. The only point I could see for it was that if she ever did need to reference them for her research, she would have an easy computer file to check and not risk damage to the ancient book. It was evening by the time I finished that and my other homework. Jill still wasn’t back, and I decided to use the opportunity to check on something that had been bothering me. Earlier in the day, Jill had mentioned Eddie defending her in the attack. I’d felt from the beginning that there was something strange about that initial attack, something that they weren’t telling me. So, I logged onto the Alchemists’ network and pulled up everything we had on the Moroi rebels. Naturally, it was all documented. We had to keep track of important events among the Moroi, and this ranked pretty high. Somehow, the Alchemists had gotten pictures of the Moroi Court, with protesters lined up outside one of the administrative buildings. Dhampir guardians were easy to pick out as they mingled and kept order. To my surprise, I recognized Dimitri Belikov – Rose’s boyfriend – among those doing crowd control. He was easy to spot since he was almost always taller than everyone around him. Dhampirs look very human, and even I could admit that he was pretty good-looking. There was a rugged handsomeness to him, and even in a still photograph, I could see a fierceness as he watched the crowd. Other protest pictures confirmed what I knew. By far, most people supported the young queen. Those against her were a minority – but a loud and dangerous one. A video from a human news show in Denver showed two Moroi guys nearly getting in a bar fight. They were shouting about queens and justice, most of which wouldn’t make sense to a human observer. What made this video special was that the guy who’d filmed it – some random human with a cell phone camera – claimed he’d seen fangs on both men in the argument. The videographer had submitted his recording claiming he’d witnessed a vampire fight, but no one gave it much credibility. It was too grainy for anything to show up. Still, it was a reminder of what could happen if the Moroi situation spun out of control. A status check showed me that Queen Vasilisa was indeed trying to get a law passed so that her rule was no longer dependent on there being at least one other person in her royal family. Alchemist experts guessed it would take three months, which was about what Rose had said. The number loomed in my head like a ticking time bomb. We needed to keep Jill safe for three months. And for three months, Vasilisa’s enemies would be trying harder than ever to get to Jill. If Jill died, Vasilisa’s rule would end – along with her attempts to fix the system. Yet none of this was what had really driven me to research. I wanted to know about Jill’s initial attack, the one that no one talked about. What I found wasn’t much help. No Alchemists had been there at the time, of course, so our information was based on what Moroi sources had reported. All we knew was that â€Å"the queen’s sister had been viciously and severely attacked – but had made a full recovery.† From what I’d observed, that was certainly true. Jill showed no signs of injury, and the attack had occurred a week before she came to Palm Springs. Was that enough time to heal from a â€Å"vicious and severe† attack? And was an attack like that enough to make her wake screaming? I didn’t know but still couldn’t shake my suspicions. When Jill came home later, she was in such a good mood that I couldn’t bear to interrogate her. I also remembered too late that I’d meant to research the case of Clarence’s niece and her bizarre death by throat-slitting. Jill’s situation had distracted me. I let the matter go and called it an early night. Tomorrow, I thought drowsily. I’ll do it all tomorrow. Tomorrow came much more quickly than I expected. I was woken out of a heavy sleep by someone shaking me, and for a split second, the old nightmare was there, the one about Alchemists carrying me away in the night. Recognizing Jill, I just barely stopped myself from screaming. â€Å"Hey, hey,† I scolded. There was light outside, but it was purplish. Barely after sunrise. â€Å"What’s going on? What’s the matter?† Jill looked at me, face grim and eyes wide with fear. â€Å"It’s Adrian. You have to rescue him.†

How Decisions on Customer Service will Impact on Influencing the Level Essay

How Decisions on Customer Service will Impact on Influencing the Level of Sales - Essay Example The research conducted will be quantitative and will additionally adopt quantitative methodologies. The research will be conducted at the headquarters of the Commercial Bank in Venice. Data will be collected from the first one hundred customers who visit the organization for the purposes of making purchases within a period of two months. This sample is appropriate since the organization receives about five hundred customers on a daily basis. It is also appropriate since it will enable the management to collect diverse opinions from many of their customers. The collection of data will be done through the use of interviews along with the issuing of questionnaires to the customers. The existing relationships between the causes and effects will then have to be established from the customer replies and the trends on the organization's sales and profitability. To determine how the management decision-making methods can affect the quality of customer service and whether or not a good custom er service leads to customer loyalty, a primary research survey study will be conducted on the customers and the books of accounts to test the hypothesis. Â  The dependent variables in the research are the organizations level of sales along with their profitability. The independent variable, in this case, will be the decisions made concerning customer service. The organization will recruit personnel from within the organization to analyze the effects of their decision-making methods on their sales volume and profitability.

Assignment One Statistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Assignment One Statistics - Essay Example The researcher makes a general conclusion that all birds prefer to swim in the water. The researcher makes an error because the researcher was instructed to observe birds. Consequently, the researcher should have complied with the research conditions. The researcher should have observed all types of birds. For example, there are different types of birds. The seagulls fly over the waters to feed on fishes trying to take in air from the water’s surface. The monkey-eating eagles are eagles that eat monkeys for food. The swallow are small birds. The chickens prefer to stay on the ground, instead of swimming on the water. The Swan is a beautiful white bird that swims effortlessly inside a body of water. The ostrich is a bird that is as big a human being. Second, the researcher makes a general conclusion based on a certain group or community (Brady 138). For example, the researcher observes a group of Eskimo residents in their Igloo homes. The researcher, an Alaska resident, makes a n erroneous conclusion that human beings can freely live in an icy condition. The researcher makes general the conclusion that people are comfortable living and working in the subzero weather conditions. To correct the erroneous inquiry outcome, the researcher should have invited people to stay in Alaska, a subzero icy location. The African resident who arrives in Alaska’s subzero weather conditions will surely feel uncomfortable in the icy weather. The African resident is used to the hot 110 degree desert weather. The African resident will feel uncomfortable using the thick Eskimo dress. The same resident African resident will feel uncomfortable moving around the icy land surface using a sledge. Further, the rainforest resident would also feel uncomfortable living in the Igloos. The same rainforest would not engage in one’s favorite beach activities because the icy waters are too cold for human swimming. The rainforest citizen may not accept the sudden change of envir onment from the comfortable familiarity of the rains of the Amazon rainforest to the subzero weather condition. Third, the researcher makes illogical research reasoning (Schell 93). The researcher can make erroneous observation by implicating a wrong statistical procedure. For example, the total of the male count is erroneous written as 10 instead of the correct 1,000. If the true female count is 200, the wrong male count shows erroneous findings that the female respondents are more than the male respondents. Likewise, erroneous mixing up the data will generate a wrong research outcome. Consequently, the other research findings will erroneously crop up. The other research findings may include the erroneous finding that the males are erroneously better than females, in terms of making daily choices. Question 2. Inductive and deduction research. Deductive research starts from the general and finishes with the specific (Bachman 48). The researcher observes several animals. The research er observes that eagle has wings. The researcher also sees that the ostrich has wings. The researcher kingfisher bird has wings. Lastly, the researcher sees several ducks and swans effortlessly swimming in the nearby lake. Based on the researcher’s observation of the different types of birds, the researcher makes a concept or theory that all birds have wings. On the other hand, inductive research starts with the specific and finishes with

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Rhetorical Analysis - Essay Example The emaciated child from the horn of Africa on United Nation High Commission for Refugees is no exception is a good example of rhetorically driven advert. The advert is articulately structured to appeal to the audience for financial support. It is aimed at ensuring people contribute towards alleviation of poverty in the horn of Africa. The image of emaciated child is meant to have a certain appeal to the audience. The argument used is empathetic. The image used has a strong urge to the audience. The image shows of situation in the horn of Africa. It appeals to the audience to contribute whatever they have to save children who are usually vulnerable to drought situation. This image manages to convince the whole world on food situation in horn of Africa. The image used captures the audience interest and they are prompted to read the text. The strategy used is affective as seen from the contribution of various nations. In conclusion, rhetorical analysis when used on advertisement can he lp in identifying the strategy used by the author. Rhetorical analysis is profoundly used in literature. It is generally used to analyze the author intention to a particular audience. Mostly the content is used to teach a particular group of audience on particular values in a certain society. In order to understand the intention of a particular author it is good to have a detailed account of the information used in the story line. This paper seeks to discuss use of rhetorical analysis in literature. An example is children literature. Children literature is aimed at teaching and persuading them on particular issues such as basics of life. Most of the children literatures are environmentally focused. The real authors of children’s books are highly valued in the society and have higher level of ethics. The author is expected to provide a moral and ethical story line and the content is supposed to invoke a positive mentality. Generally, animals are used in the story line

The development of personnel management into human resource management Essay

The development of personnel management into human resource management - Essay Example Personnel management emerged earlier in the days when people used to work in factories. It deals with the welfare of employees in an organization, it seeks to obtain, develop, and sustain motivated and satisfied employees within an organization. Personnel management also deals with the employment, promotion, development, and compensation of employees, as well as acting as an advisor to managers in relation to personnel issues. It is also inclusive of incentive issues such as rewards to motivate employees. Hence, a personnel department mainly deals with the issues concerning employees. Personnel management is therefore involved in four functions, namely, recruitment, selection, training and development and manpower planning. Nevertheless, a personnel manager is a mediator, thus acting as a link between the top management and the employees. He is also an advisor of line managers in matters relating to employees. Therefore, personnel management can be said to be a continuing process tha t is concerned with employees and their welfare in an organization (Reddy 2004, pp 2). According to Koster (2007 pp 4), Human Resource Management emerged in 1980’s; it can be referred to as a new approach to personnel management. It is a process that assists managers in recruiting, selection, training and developing employees.According to Aswathappa (2007, pp 5), â€Å"human resource management refers to a set of programmes, functions and activities designed and carried out in order to maximize both employee as well as organizational effectiveness.† ... Secondly, they both recognize the presence of line managers and they role of managing employees in an organization. Thirdly, they both believe in developing employees so that the employees can achieve satisfaction and hence attain the organization’s goals and objectives. Fourthly, both managements believe in placing the right people for the right jobs. Lastly, the same techniques are used in both HRM and personnel management, when it comes to selection, recruiting, and training (Armstrong, 2006, pp 19). The development of Personnel Management into Human Resource Management is sign posted by a few models and approaches. In this case, some of the models that are involved in human resource management include Michigan, Harvard, and Choice Models. According to Kandula (2004, pp2), the Harvard model is also known as the soft model of human resource management. This model implies that human resource policies can be influenced by situational factors and the stakeholder’s intere st factors. The situational factors include internal and external environmental factors, which include society values, business strategies, market conditions, and technology and labor market conditions. However, the stakeholders’ interest factors include human resource short-term policies like the unions, employees, and government agencies. The Harvard model also classifies human resource management policies into themes; human resource flows, which include the selection, recruitment, placement, promotions, and termination processes; and reward systems, which include the pay and non-monetary rewards such as certificate of excellence. Others are employee influence, which bears the responsibility of each member of staff, and delegation of authority; and the work systems

Criminology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Criminology - Essay Example Secondly, if the adolescent knows that the punishment for the crime would be severe, and that he or she would be treated the same way as adult criminals, it is likely that he or she would have second thoughts about committing the crime and lesser crimes would take place. There have been a number of studies carried out in different states of America to find out the effect on young criminals being treated by the juvenile system versus those treated in the adult court systems. Generally, the results have gone against the theory that harder punishments reduce recidivism and draw out the same conclusions i.e. young criminals treated through juvenile systems reduce recidivism. In Florida, a study took a sample of 2,738 adolescent offenders. They included many different kinds of offenses such as burglary, robbery, car thefts, and so on. The study compared two sets of offenders: those who were transferred to criminal courts and those who were kept in the juvenile system. The research concluded that offenders trialed by the juvenile system were rearrested less, 19 percent compared to 30 percent. The time taken before they got rearrested was also greater, 227 days as compared to 135 days. (Johnson & Rosch) A similar study was conducted in New York and New Jersey as well, where 16 and 17 year old lawbreakers were compared. The backgrounds of the offenders were similar. However, the New York state law treats all 16 year olds and most 17 year olds under the adult court system, whereas New Jersey treats them under the juvenile system. Again, the studies concluded that those trialed under the New York law, treating young criminals under adult systems, had a higher rate of recommitting crime. The re-arrests in New York were around 76 percent, compared to 67 percent in New Jersey. Also, the re-arrests took a time period of 457 days in New York, compared to 553 days in New Jersey. (Johnson & Rosch) Therefore, the general pattern depicts

Integrated Service Digital Network Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Integrated Service Digital Network - Assignment Example Moreover, it revolutionized the use of the internet. Much similar to its precursor, the service of dial-up internet, ISDN uses a phone line. In addition, it put the standard for the telephone data service (Dean, 2010). Â  It enables the hook up of the local cable TV line to a PC and receives data close to 1.5 Mbps. This device is addable to or can be integrated with a set-top box, which provides a TV set with Internet access channels. Commonly, they are provided as part of the service of cable access. Furthermore, they are not bought directly and set up by the subscriber (Sobh, Elleithy, & Mahmood, 2010). Â  As the Sr. System Administrator of Minnesota Consulting Group, I would recommend RFID (radio frequency identification), portable cell phones and handheld inventory scanners to Star Clothing. This is because the company can use RFID in reducing theft. Moreover, the company can also use handheld inventory scanners in the control of inventories. In addition, the portable cell phones are cost-effective ways of communications between different departments.

Ethics and Legal Environment Essay Example for Free

Ethics and Legal Environment Essay Something’s Rotten in Hondo is a case wherein a plant manager, George Mackee, needs to decide whether to get rid of the charges inflicted by the Environmental Protection Agency or EPA or to move in Mexico. He is in a dilemma because if he would choose the former, he has very little chance of eliminating the problem since Bill, George boss, refuses to finance the cleaning of the smokestack. On the other hand, if he would choose the latter, he has to lay off his current employees and hire Mexican workers as a trade-off for not being reprimanded about the EPA standards. His boss leaves the decision up to him. The most obvious ethical concerns in this case are two-fold. The first one is that if George would choose the first option – that is to devise a strategy or a technique that would eradicate the problem with the fines imposed by EPA, he would have to follow what his contemporaries are doing – that is by scheduling the heavy emissions of smokestack during nighttime when the EPA is not in patrol. This entails that he would allow the severance of the environmental pollution (particularly air pollution) for the exchange of not paying any fines to EPA. On the contrary, if George would choose the second option – that is to relocate in Mexico, he would have to dismiss most of his current employees in place of the Mexican workers. And such would include the laying off of his friends and extended families. Furthermore, if he would choose the second option, he would be tolerant of the air pollution caused by the plant’s incapacity to reduce air pollutants. In effect, George has also eliminated the problem of the company on fines issued by EPA. Application of Ethical Theories The case presented in this paper suggests particular ethical problems. For this matter, the author presents two distinct ethical dilemmas for George to decide on: Should he decide to relocate the plant to Mexico or should he just follow the strategy used by his contemporaries? But before he could arrive to a decision, he must first analyze the pros and cons of his decision. If he would choose the former, he could really eliminate the problem with the imposition of fines by the EPA since Mexico assure him that it would not reprimand the plant whatever it does. The only thing is that he has to hire Mexican workers that which implies laying off of his present employees including his friends and extended families. Conversely, if he would agree with that proposal he would also have to bear the dreadful effects of the plant’s operations on the environment, particularly on U. S. Nonetheless, if he would choose the latter, he could also get rid of the problem with the fines imposed by EPA because of failure to meet its guidelines. However, he has to take so much risk by doing the same strategy being used by his contemporaries. In addition, he also has to endure the environmental effects of such strategy just to avoid being reprimanded again by EPA and his boss. Kantian Categorical Imperative If he would apply Kantian’s Categorical Imperative that is by doing his duty, he ought not to do the strategy utilized by his contemporaries (his first option). This is for the reason that he has a duty to protect the environment for both the present and future generations. Plus the fact that his workers have to suffer if he would fire them out of their works. Kant’s Categorical Imperative suggests two maxims in which a person could use to examine the morality of his action. The first maxim states that an action is morally right if one could make such action a universal law. This means that if one could make his action universal or applicable to all others by making it a rule then such action is morally accepted thus it is right. The second maxim, in contrast, focuses on the idea of always treating all human persons as ends and never as means to an end. This maxim argues that every human person has dignity to be respected and has rights as a human thus everyone must act in promoting others rights and not promoting harm to them On the other hand, Kant would not also choose the second option because it also implies environmental degradation. Though he avoids being fined by EPA as well as not even being reprimanded by EPA whatever their operation is, for Kant, he would fail to do the maxims under the Categorical Imperative. He could never make his action or decision as a universal law. Likewise, he would treat other people as mere instruments to achieve his goal by inflicting heath hazards due to smokestack emissions. Kant would suggest that George must never make a decision that would tend to harm the environment because such would also cause severe consequences to the people. As evident in the two options, both would result to the degradation of the environment. Thus, Kant would say that George decision, whichever of the two, would be unethical and morally wrong. Kant would recommend that George must be able to find ways that would not lead to the toleration of environmental pollution. For example, George could instead convince his boss that the only way to solve the problem that would not require him to sacrifice the welfare of the environment is to invest for new technologies that would lessen the emission of smokestack. And such would not even require new scrubbers. Such action is a long-term advantage for the company as well as for the environment. Mill’s Utilitarianism JS Mill’s Utilitarianism would even strengthen the position of not deciding on either of the two options since both would result to environmental pollution. Mill’s Utilitarianism is premised on the idea that an action is right if it promotes the greatest happiness for the greatest number. In other words, Utilitarian principle is mainly directed towards the social utility of an act. This means that if an action can benefit or inflict advantages to more people then such action is morally right. In the case of George, either of the two options would make him tolerate the harm done against the environment. Environment is an essential mechanism that is necessary for human survival. If he would choose the first or the latter option as his decision, he could save the company but inflict great harm to more number of people. Mill would say that George must devise a way in which he could settle the crisis in the company without sacrificing the environment because lots people, including him and his family, depend on the environment’s gifts. Thus, Mill would also recommend the same thing as Kant. Convince his boss by arguing that it is risky and detrimental to the environment if he would follow what his contemporaries are doing. If EPA would find out such underground activities, the company could even be sanctioned more than the imposition of fines. The same thing goes with the second option. If the government of U. S. would find out that the company’s operation cause harsh effects to their environment then there is a big possibility that U. S. would inflict undesirable measures against the company. Rights-based Theory on Decision-making The rights-based theories suggest that it is not always the case that the morality of an action is based on the great benefit that it can produce. At the same time, the rights-based theories do not solely advocate the respect of rights of human persons. These theories suggest that while everyone has a duty to recognize and value the rights of other people (negative rights); it is also everyone’s duty to promote for other’s goals (positive rights). In such manner, the contending ethical theories of Kantianism and Utilitarianism are reconciled in a way that both their concerns are being considered. In the first place, rights are inviolable. They are inalienable or cannot be taken away from human persons no matter what the situation is. Thus, there is no sufficient and rational reason to go against their rights without their consent. The rights-based theories are premised on the idea that every person has the right to choose on how he would like to live his own life. It is not only a person’s duty to respect these rights but also to promote the accomplishment of the goals of other people. By doing so, the rights defined earlier are more strengthen and more realized. In the case of Hondo, George, as a manager, has a duty towards the company. Still, he has duty towards other people. Choosing either of the two decisions would disrespect the rights and disregard the goals of these people. For the rights-based theories, such decision is unethical. The more appropriate way to solve the problem is for George to lend money from a bank so as to install new technology that would lessen the emission of smokestack. He does not really need to hire new scrubbers. By having new technology, for instance machines that clean smokestack, he would not have to result to environmental pollution. It is costly in the beginning but its benefits would be greatly appreciated in the long run. Justice-based Theories in Decision-making In justice-based theories, the overriding principle is focus on the idea of fair. According to John Rawls, the morality of an action can only be measured by appealing to the principle of justice. In his A Theory of Justice, he suggests two principles: liberty and wealth. The former is expressed to explain justice by saying that all must have an equal extent in which they can enjoy and practice their liberties. A least extensive curtailment of liberty is advocated on the condition that such would be shared by all. This entails that an act is right is the product of such act is amenable to all. Hence, justice, in such context, is morally right. In resolving the ethical dilemma faced by George, Justice-based theories would advice him to consider if his decision would be fair to all. Obviously, both options are not beneficial to all. And at the same time, these two options are not the only available options which George has. If he would employ either one of the two options, he would not be just; knowing that if he would be in the place of other people who depend on and survive through environment he would not also endure such nor be willing to agree with such idea. It could be the case that the he and the company are amenable to either of the two options. Nevertheless, others are not really disposed to accept such. Hence, George must not employ such decisions. For George, he could, instead, make control-strategies that would monitor and regulate the emission of smokestack before, during, and even after the plant’s operation in order to examine well the problems concerning the smokestack. Furthermore he could meet with his workers and discuss the problem. He may solicit suggestions on how they could lessen the pollution secreted by their plant onto the environment. After that, he may ask for support from banks by lending or getting loan. Kohlberg’s Moral Development Lawrence Kohlberg was from the line of Piaget who used moral framework to discuss the psychological development of a human person. His thesis on Moral Development suggests that there are six stages wherein a person passes through before he reaches the ultimate state of being a moral person. This theory will be used to show how Kohlberg’s method would help George in resolving his faced ethical dilemma. The first stage is focus on the idea that one person is initially instructed to obey laws such that he could avoid punishment. This is the primary conception on morality that a person has during his early years. With regards to the case presented in this paper, the appeal to laws and rules concerning environmental protection is the most obvious consideration for George’s decision. He would not decide either of the two options since both would make him violate the law regarding the protection of the environment. On the other hand, if he fails to solve the problem immediately, he might receive punishment from his boss (i. e. termination or demotion). The point is that which of the two punishments could George endure more? More likely than not, he would choose not be imprisoned than being demoted or terminated by his boss. The second stage suggests that every person has his own way of thinking which makes every topic or matter subjective to each person. The thing that works for someone or the thing that is considered right by someone may not be the same for another person. Thus, morality in this stage is relative. George could say that the least that he could that would benefit him and put him out of the dilemma that he is in is by either doing the first option or the second option. Both would mean resolution of his problem yet would cause damage to the environment. If he is a nature-lover he would not go for such decision. But if he is a money-lover, he would employ one of the two alternatives. The third stage is concern on the character in which a person thinks of ways on how he can do good things to the persons close to him (e. . family and friends). This means that his initial moral outlook is directed towards the things that he can do for the sake of his loved ones. In the case, if George is at this stage, he would be more inclined to decide and act so as to promote his family and friends’ welfare. Thus, if he would decide on his problem, he would not choose to relocate since his wife is not in favor of this idea and such will inflict great personal unhappiness to his friends who work in the plant.

Effects of Technical Education on India

Effects of Technical Education on India India is well known for its large pool of technical manpower, a fair proportion of which finds employment in developed countries, especially in the West. As a happy sequel to the story, India has recently witnessed a big boom in the BPO/KPO sector. In order to sustain this trend, and to ensure that India does not throw away this key advantage, it is imperative that we continue to produce a critical mass of highly skilled manpower at an accelerated pace. An enabling academic and economic setting is a key factor determining the fate of our nation in the wake of the knowledge sector boom. Indias growth in recent years has been led by the services sector. The most noticeable aspect has been the recent big boom in the BPO/KPO sector. This off-shoring trend is certain to continue and India faces the challenge of generating an appropriate supply response to retain its existing advantage. It should be noted that Indians spend nearly $4 billion annually to send their children abroad for higher studies and technical training while there is no reason for India not emerging as a global hub for higher education and technical training. The real challenge therefore, is to expand capacities in higher education to keep ahead of the curve of rising domestic and global demand. UN Secretary of State Hillary Clinton commended that the technical education in India as the best in the world, and she also suggested her country and India should work together in the field to help bridge the gap between talent and opportunities. Technical education in India was the best in the world. We need to work together in the field of educational opportunities, she said at an interactive discussion on education organized by Teach India, a NGO on 19th July 2009. GLOBALISATION The term globalization means integration of economies and societies through cross country flows of information, ideas, technologies, goods, services, capital, finance and people. Cross border integration can have several dimensions cultural, social, political and economic. In fact, some people fear cultural and social integration even more than economic integration. Nothing is permanent, only change is permanent. Globalization is a feature of changing world. It is no more a recent phenomenon in the world and since India is major player of twenty first ** Lecturer, Department of Commerce, Loyola College, Chennai 34. century we are facing its socio economic impacts. Initial enthusiasm for globalization as a beneficial set of processes has yielded to an understanding that the phenomenon is largely associated with increasing social inequality within and between countries as well as instability and conflict. Globalization is impacting the institutional framework in both developing and industrial countries. It is changing the way in which governments perceive their role in the society. It has also far reaching implications for socio economic development and educational systems of countries all over the World. With abundance of natural resources India has huge young and skilled man power to excel in every walk of life. Globalization is a contemporary term that has attracted considerable attention of educators throughout most of the world. It is a set of processes to integrate the world into one economic space through increased international trade, the internationalization of production, and telecommunication system (Stromquist Monkman, 2000). Although this definition is made from an economic view, globalization is increasingly connected to political, cultural, and educational influences. Recently, its relationship to education and culture has become important issues because information and innovation are the basic momentum of globalization. GLOBALISATION AND HIGHER EDUCATION According to the results of a special survey Higher Education: Free degrees to fly , higher education is already a global business. The days when higher education was a matter of national policy and government regulation are rapidly fading. Higher Education provisioning is now globalised and in many ways, a commercialized affair and the way that the State had in the goings on is vastly diminished. According to Andreas Schleicher of OECD, a Paris based Think Tank the numbers studying abroad were statistically negligible two decades ago. (Cited in the same survey in the Economist). According to the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the growth is now soaring: 2 million university students-approaching 2% of the worlds total of around 100 million studying outside their home country in 2003 (cited in Higher Education in the same article in Economist). Since the late 1990s the higher education market is growing by 7 per cent a year. The Economist Survey on higher education further in dicates that annual fee income alone is estimated at $ 30 billion. While private profit seeking companies have entered the education business, even government-controlled universities are seeking independence from governmental authority. However, many countries including India, continue to control the fee structure of their universities causing financial stress to foreign students, who are generally made to pay much higher fees than local students. This has resulted in many universities openly soliciting entry of foreign students. To facilitate this process they have even tailored their courses to international requirements besides appointing agents abroad and publicizing the offers widely in the media. TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN INDIA The history of imparting formal technical education in India can be traced back to mid 19th century, although it got momentum in 20th century with the set up of Constitution of Technical Education Committee of the Central University Board of Education (CABE) in 1943; Preparation of Sergeant Report in 1944 and Formation of All India Council of technical Education (AICTE) in 1945. With the country gaining independence in 1947, the development of technical education had become a major concern for the government of India to face the new challenges and move the country forward. The set up of Indian Institutes of Technology, Indian Institutes of Management and Indian Institutes of Science was a major step in the development of technical education in the country. The quality of education of these institutes have managed to change the outlook of India so much that this ancient country which was earlier known for yoga and mediation is now known for computer engineers. However, it does not mean that the challenge of making technical education accessible to the rural populace and other under developed sections of the society has been overcome. In order to maintain the standard of technical education, a statutory authority- The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)- was set up in 1945. AICTE is responsible for planning, formulation and maintenance of norms and standards, quality assurance through accreditation, funding in priority areas, monitoring and evaluation, maintaining parity of certification and awards and ensuring coordinated and integrated development and management of technical education in the country. GLOBALIZATION EDUCATION AND HR DEVELOPMENT Knowledge is the driving force in the rapidly changing globalised economy and society. Quantity and quality of specialized human resources determine their competence in the global market. Emergence of knowledge as driving factor results in both challenges and opportunities. It is well known that the growth of the global economy has increased opportunities for those countries with good levels of education. Globalization has a multi-dimensional impact on the system of education. It promotes new tools techniques in this area like E-learning, Flexible learning, Distance Education Programs and Overseas training. Globalization will mean many different things for education. In the near future, it will mean a more competitive and deregulated educational system modeled after free market but with more pressure on it to assure that the next generation of workers are prepared for some amorphous job market of 21st century. Since Life long jobs have been converted in to yearly contracts there is still possibility of even short duration jobs. Our education system should deliver such education and training so that professionals can adjust themselves as per market expectations. It has underlined the need for reforms in the educational system with particular reference to the wider utilization of information technology, giving productivity dimension to education and emphasis on its research and development activities. The benefits of globalization accrue to the countries with highly skilled human capital and it is a curse for the countries without such specialized human capital. Developing and transition countries are further challenged in a highly competitive world economy because their higher education systems are not adequately developed for the creation and use of knowledge. Converting the challenges into opportunities depend on the rapidity at which they adapt to the changing environment. India is also following the global phenomenon. As part of globalization, the economic reform packages were introduced in India in the beginning of 1991. These reform packages imposed a heavy compression on the public budgets on education sector, more specifically so on higher education. This has trickled down to public expenditure on education in general, and higher education in particular. Indian government and Indian corporate sector has recognized the importance of management education in the changing global scenario. Today under the reforming economic conditions, integration of the Indian economy with world economy presupposes efficiency and competitiveness in the domestic front as well as in the international arena. As the process of globalization is technology-driven, and knowledge-driven, the very success of economic reform policies critically depends upon the competence of human capital. But, what is observed is the reverse. Even within the education sector, relative priority assigned to higher education has been on the decline (Table 1 and Chart 1). It is to be realized that higher education institutions play an important role in setting the academic standard for primary and secondary education. They are also responsible for not only providing the specialized human capital in order to corner the gains from globalisation, but also for training inside the country, provide policy advice, etc. Globalization is expected to have a positive influence on the volume, quality and spread of knowledge through increased interaction among the various states. Today our educational system is strong enough but Central and state governments should change their roles within the education system, re-inventing themselves as facilitating and supervisory organizations. Teacher training, infrastructure and syllabuses need to be urgently upgraded. Industry should come forward to share experience with students and to offer more opportunities for live Projects. The free market philosophy has already entered the educational world in a big way. Commercialization of education is the order of the day. Commercial institutions offering specialized education have come up everywhere. In view of globalization, many corporate universities, both foreign and Indian, are encroaching upon our government institutions. Our Institutes like IIMS and IITS have produced world class professionals. These institutes imparts quality education as per industry expectations and give due importance to Institute Industry Interface. Under the new scenario, Government Private partnership is becoming important in Management Education. Now India is a transforming country. We are near to achieve status of developed nation. The demand for higher education has been growing rapidly with comparatively faster growth in enrolment in higher educational institutions than the growth in number of higher educational institutions . The growth rates are doubled among the students enrolled in post-graduate and research, while the number of institutions for post-graduate and research studies has grown at a slower rate in 1990s than in 1980s. CHALLENGES Globalization leads to challenges and threats also. The major concern is to deliver world class education with updated curriculum and practical exposure. This is possible only by attracting talented experienced persons in to academics. At present it is difficult to assess not only the nature and dimensions of globalization, but also what it means to the field of education. A few educational researchers have attempted to make connections between the several dimensions of globalization and the policies of education. India is witnessing new era in the field of Management Education. Many Corporate groups like Reliance, Nirma, Tata, Sterlite etc. have promoted Management Institutes. Some reputed foreign universities are also coming to India. But Government should issue some guidelines so that fees structure remains with in certain limit and those who are from economically poor background have same opportunity. RECENT TRENDS In the wake of globalization process and to cope up with the changing priorities of the people, the planners are bound to revise their strategies in the education sector. Thus, several specialist committees, involving the elites and captains of industry and education, constituted by the Union ministry are engaged in the process. Whereas, the public interest demands a wider domain for the national debate on syllabus and curriculum reform among other related aspects. As usual there are several viewpoints of conflicting nature expressed by the captains of industry and education like Azim Premji, Prof.N.S.Ramaswamy, Kabir Mustafa and others. While there is a broad consensus on some points, some are almost at variance with each other. The common educational reforms that were endorsed by some of the eminent industrialists and academics include: Liberalize and deregulate the education system to encourage promotion of new schools, colleges, vocational and other institutions of higher education. Diligence higher education, confer institutional autonomy and decentralize syllabus design. Central and state governments should change their roles within the education system, re-inventing themselves as facilitating and supervisory organisations. Teacher training, infrastructure and syllabuses need to be urgently upgraded. The rapid growth of the software development and electronic communications industries is one of the few achievements of Indian industry in post-independence India. Further, because of strong hold of the English language in MNCs and corporate circles, the divide between rural and urban is almost complete in the field of education. In consequence, this great reservoir of skills and expertise offers the opportunity to utilize them for the spread of quality education through several technologies. Obviously, F.C. Kohli, the vice chairman of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) recommended, Through the wider use of computers and technology, curriculums and faculties can be shared by schools and colleges across the country. Again the pace is set by a variety of private educational entrepreneurs, otherwise known as, Edupreneurs, who have promoted internationally recognized institutions of higher education such as the S.P. Jain Institute of Management in Mumbai; Amity University, Delhi; Indian Sch ool of Business and ICFAI Business School, Hyderabad; Mahavir Academy of Technical Sciences and Presidency College, Bangalore and the Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai, among others. Besides, some Indian Edupreneur are venturing overseas. These are all certain recent trends that undermine the very social obligations of our governments. OUTCOME OF GLOBALISATION The ramifications of globalization in India have been uneven. Education, as a service industry, is a part of the globalization process under the umbrella of General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).Thus it is of now wonder that like in any other sector, globalization has bred inequality and dependence in the education system of the nation, especially higher education. Thus while a section of the population has benefited from globalization in their academic pursuits, the under privileged section has struggled to receive proper higher education due to excessive corporatization of education ,increasing fees and unavailability of opportunities in the lower strata of the society. India has some very bright spots of excellence in its technical education sector. The IITs and their alumni command great respect in the global market. Globalization has created a market based educational system in India. Thus there has been incredible growth of the number of technical colleges and universit ies providing technical education especially in fields like IT, Computer Science, electronics, architecture. As the job market in these sectors is flourishing, students after getting mere Bachelors degree hardly opt for higher education. Thus India over the years has produced some brilliant technicians but hardly any excellent educationist or a genius teacher. Moreover, as the cost of receiving such technical education is sky high, poor students have been out of the competition to receive higher education. CONCLUSION Given the importance of technical education in the further development of the nation, the Government of India is keen on developing some more institutes in the line of IITs, IIMs and IISCs. The Prime Minister of India has unleashed a plan to establish 8 IITs, 7 IIMs and 5 IISCs to improve the spread and quality of technical education in the country. These institutes along with various private institutes and foreign technical colleges have the potential of making technical education accessible to all sections of society in India without compromising on the quality of education. Education is an important investment in building human capital that is a driver for technological innovation and economic growth. It is only through improving the educational status of a society that the multi-faceted development of its people can be ensured. In the post-industrialized world, the advanced countries used to derive the major proportion of their national income not from agriculture and industry but from the service sector. Since the service sector is based on imparting skills or training to the students and youth, the education sector is the most sought after. It must provide gainful employment so that the sector is developed in a big way. It has also given rise to controversies relating to introducing changes in the inter-sectoral priorities in the allocation of resources leading to the misconceived policy of downsizing of higher education. It has also advocated privatization of higher education without realizing the danger of making the system a commercial enterprise.

Reproduction :: essays research papers

THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM The ability to reproduce is one of the unifying characteristics of all living things. Sexual reproduction produces offspring that are genetically different from their parents. Asexual reproduction produces offspring genetically identical to their parent. Asexual Reproduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fission, budding, fragmentation, and the formation of rhizomes and stolons are some of the mechanisms that allow organisms to reproduce asexually. The hydra produces buds; starfish can regenerate an entire body from a fragment of the original body. Asexual reproduction allows an organism to rapidly produce many offspring without the time and resources committed to courtship, finding a mate, and mating. The lack of genetic variability in asexually reproducing populations can be detrimental when environmental conditions change quickly. Sexual Reproduction In sexual reproduction new individuals are produced by the fusion of haploid gametes to form a diploid zygote. Sperm are male gametes, ova are female gametes. Meiosis produces cells that are genetically distinct from each other; fertilization is the fusion of two such distinctive cells that produces a unique new combination of alleles, thus increasing variation on which natural selection can operate. Rotifers will reproduce asexually when conditions are favorable by having females produce eggs by mitosis. When conditions deteriorate, rotifers will reproduce sexually and encase their zygotes inside a resistant shell. Once conditions improve, these eggs hatch into diploid individuals. Rotifers thus use sexual reproduction as way to survive a deteriorating environment. Sexual reproduction offers the benefit of generating genetic variation among offspring, which enhances the chances of the population's survival. Costs of this process include the need for two individuals to mate, courtship rituals, as well as a number of basic mechanisms described later. Human Reproduction and Development Human reproduction employs internal fertilization, and depends on the integrated action of hormones, the nervous system, and the reproductive system. Gonads are sex organs that produce gametes. Male gonads are the testes, which produce sperm and male sex hormones. Female gonads are the ovaries, which produce eggs and female sex hormones. The Male Reproductive System Testes are suspended outside the abdominal cavity by the scrotum, a pouch of skin that keeps the testes close or far from the body at an optimal temperature for sperm development. Seminiferous tubules are inside each testis, and are where sperm are produced by meiosis. About 250 meters (850 feet) of tubules are packed into each testis. Spermatocytes inside the tubules divide by meiosis to produce spermatids that in turn develop into mature sperm.

Susan Glaspell’s Jury of Her Peers Essay -- A Jury of Her Peers Essays

â€Å"Jury of Her Peers† is a short story that combines murder, lies and sexism while exposing the reader to the truth about women’s abilities and skills. Aside from being a murder mystery about the investigation of the sudden death of John Wright, the story’s theme is more about respect for women and making decisions based on one’s own beliefs and morals rather than allowing others to control them. Glaspell is a firm believer in women’s rights, and she dedicates most of her writing, including this piece, to displaying to society that women are indeed as smart and capable as men are to perform the duties and jobs of everyday life (internet*). The setting is in rural Dickson County, USA, just prior to 1920. This was a period in America’s history when women were seen as household workers only, that men were the only ones capable of making important judgment calls and decisions. Although one of the main characters, Mrs. Peters, lives her life by what the men make her to be, in the end she undergoes a movement that changes her into an independent person of society. The female characters in â€Å"Jury of Her Peers† include Mrs. Peters, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Wright. These are the women who, at different points in their lives, turned the degrading things men did into motivation to go through with actions they never thought possible. For Mrs. Hale, this happened when she was only a girl, and a young boy slaughtered her young kitten in front of her own eyes. As she described it, she felt from that experience that â€Å"If they had not held me back I would have†¦hurt him.† (Glaspell, 277) Likewise, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Wright go through a similar situation regarding how their husbands treat them. Mr. Hale and the Sheriff, Mr. Peter... ...y, Mr. Hale describes Mrs. Peters as being â€Å"married to the law† (Glaspell, 280). In many ways, this statement is true for Mrs. Peters. However, after hearing this, she undergoes a transformation that leads her to conceal the evidence she and Mrs. Hale discover. It is a bold move that shows her ability to stand for what she believes is right, and what she believes the men deserve. Glaspell’s ideas about women in society were, at the time of their release, very controversial. As time has progressed, women have risen to the challenge and become the very figures she described in â€Å"Jury of Her Peers.† Not necessarily people who are willing to kill, but people who stand for something and will openly express their feelings and beliefs without sensing a biased for men. That is what this story is about, and that is what the author wanted everyone to realize.

Stop-Loss Policy Essay -- Government War Violence Essays

Stop-Loss Policy War has been around since the beginning of time. People have been asked to defend for their country and to die for their cause. But is the war that America is currently involved in, one of the times where people should be forced to die and stay overseas. The men and women who volunteered to fight for the country they love, are not being forced to stay longer then the original time they were supposed to stay, all thanks to President Bush’s â€Å"stop-loss policy† otherwise known as the â€Å"back-door draft.† The â€Å"stop-loss program† was introduced in order to counter act the number of men and women’s lives lost in the war and the number of people who have not been signing up to join. There are few arguments that are pro the â€Å"back-door draft† yet there are many more arguments that are against the policy. This paper will explain why the reasons why the policy is something that will just destroy America, such as people being forced to say in war, their families being affected, the volunteer military becoming a non volunteer, and even what it has done to some of the soldiers. President Bush put the â€Å"stop-loss policy† into effect giving the military the power to keep military personnel for up to twenty-four months longer, in a combat zone or in a high-risk area. If a soldier’s military group is being shipped over to fight the War in Iraq, then the soldier would have to go with them as well. It does not matter if the soldier only has a month left, it would not matter and he would still have to go with him. According to what is written in the policy, â€Å"The policy is designed to assist in meeting manpower requirements for future operations, and will, therefore, evolve to remain relevant to future operations, and will, therefore, evolve to remain relevant to future developments in mission requirements and our involvement in current operations.† (Maradmin) Since the beginning of American there has been a draft for people to join the military. During the Vietnam War (1973) the draft finally became something of the past that is until now. The draft has just changed a little to fit with the changing of times. Instead of civilians being forced to go and fight for their country, the soldier’s who have already given up so much for their country are being forced to stay. How can America claim to have a fully volunteer military when ... ...e vent of war, my enlistment in the armed forces continues six months after the was ends unless it is discontinued by the president.† (Wagner) Even though the soldiers are told these things, is it still ok for the government to be asking this of them? Yes they have previous knowledge, but something like this should not happen. The government needs to realize that they need to not start these things, if they are not going to have enough military to support all of it. In conclusion, the men in women who are protecting the lives of all the citizens in the united states, are being forced to stay in Iraq or Afghanistan, well beyond their discharged dates, for the government who was not very well planned out. The soldiers however have been fighting back, and not just listening to what the government tells them. Although some people think that since soldiers sign up, and have previous knowledge of the issue, that it would be fine, but that is far from the truth. Each member of the military is a person, and deserves the same rights as everyone else. The government has taken the all-volunteer army, and has turned it into a different kind of draft army, a â€Å"back-door draft†.

What I Didn’t Learn in Business School by Jay Barney Paper

MG 69016 MG 69016 What I Didn’t Learn in Business School: How Strategy Works in the Real World A Book Report By: Kaitlin Bauer What I Didn’t Learn in Business School: How Strategy Works in the Real World A Book Report By: Kaitlin Bauer 08 Fall 08 Fall 1.What lessons do you learn from Justin’s experience in terms of the limits of some of the core strategy frameworks you learned in theory (examine for example, Michael Porter’s Five Forces and the challenges Justice faced in applying it, value chain analysis, the Resource Based View) Some of the concepts/models that are applied to strategic problems vary in meaning depending on the setting one is in whether it be in the actual real world or in the classroom.These concepts applied like the five forces framework or present value analysis are just â€Å"tools† and its up to the individual to determine how it should be used. As senior director, Ken McCombs states, â€Å"You can use a hammer exactly the wa y it’s designed to be used, but instead of building something beautiful or durable, you can build a pile of junk. It’s not the tool, it’s how the tool is used; it’s the skills, interests, and motives of the person using the tool that determine whether the outcome of an analysis is reasonable. † (Barney 53).Basically, these â€Å"tools† have to be applied appropriately in order to identify and develop an effective final strategy/overall result. An example of this would be in regards to the concept of core competency. In business strategy courses, this term is used in so many different ways, its actual meaning gets lost. Justin has a difficult time throughout the book adapting his understanding of business concepts to their real-world application. In a way, he looks more into situations as if he were â€Å"cracking the case† opposed to figuring out real world situations.This seemed to be a theme of the book that Justin uncovers as he con tinues on his journey with HBS. According to Justin, the more valuable, rare, and difficult to imitate the activities your involved in are, the more likely those activities would contribute to a firms core competencies as seen within the VRIO framework (81). By being able to do this shows a huge breakthrough point for Justin because towards the beginning of the book, he was struggling to determine whether core competencies allow firms to expand and navigate through new potential markets.As the book progresses, it starts to show how Justin is now able to determine what the real definition of core competency is as well as other concepts he had learned in school. To Justin, understanding the true meanings behind concepts was a breakthrough in thinking. â€Å"Core competence wasn’t just a buzz word for Justin now. VRIO or the other concepts was no longer just a lecture he has heard but are now tools that can be used to examine real-world strategies† (81).As many say, he is now applying the knowledge he acquired from business school and is now applying those concepts to everyday business situations. An example of this situation is closely embodied in Justin and Vivek’s conversation in regards to how technologies alone are not considered core competency but it's the actions taken to exploit these technologies that make them considered a core competency. If these technologies are considered rare and hard to imitate, they can sometimes be a source of sustained advantage (146).As you can see through this example, Justin has learned the true meaning behind the word of core competency and how it is used within the real world. Throughout the business school, we have learned the importance of utilizing strategy frameworks, which have been drilled into our heads in order to evaluate potential business decisions. The frameworks like Michael Porters Five Forces Analysis, NPV analysis, and VRIO among many others have deemed to be extremely useful and benef icial in organizing and arranging information provided for situations that can eventually lead to a recommendation in the end.This book is a prime example of how certain situations like we’ve read in the many case studies; don’t really depict the true nature of the situation in the real world. Justin’s situation expresses to the reader that the real world isn’t easy and how case studies don’t really prepare you, as they should in the end. Justin has learned that in order to evaluate new markets, putting to use these frameworks is necessary but he has also learned that there is more to it then just applying these methods. First, Porter’s Five Forces analysis method is used as an â€Å"initial step† in evaluating new markets.This method is first introduced in the book during Justin and Scott Beckett’s, VP and General Manager of Oil and Gas division at HGS, meeting in which they discussed their analysis of the men’s white d ress shirt industry. Beckett goes as far as using the Five Forces model to describe how all kinds of threats are high (Rivalry, Buyer Power, Substitutes, Entry, and supplier Power). Justin quickly buys into Beckett’s argument and how the men’s white dress shirt industry is not a viable option for Plastiwear to enter.This is an example of Justin deterring from his original views and altering them to agree with the other party, which cannot be necessarily correct in the situation regarding Beckett’s view. As senior director, Ken McCombs states, the most attractive industries according to the five forces approach would have no rivalry, no close substitutes, no threats, and no powerful buyers or suppliers. This type of industry makes us go with lower risk markets, which are considered a monopoly, and is not likely to be a viable option for a firm.As the book progresses, Justin learns that this framework is only an â€Å"initial step† due to the limitations it offers. Despite these limitations, both managers and consultants often use it in strategy development. Justin realized that HGS wouldn’t have many opportunities in any of its businesses given the highly competitive nature of the industries in which they compete. Although this is used in evaluating the competitive threats in an industry, it should be noted that it is not to be used to estimate the overall attractiveness of an industry which therefore doesn’t tell you very much about strategic choice.This put Justin in an â€Å"uncomfortable position† in regards to HGS’s situation because he was still thinking there was one clear solution waiting at the end; he just had to â€Å"crack the case†. Second, Net Present Value analysis (NPV) is a popular calculation to find what the expected returns on a project in question would be using information on things like past product extensions or market entries. From that calculation, its gives an individual a feel for the riskiness of a new project which are then incorporated into casework which we have done repetitively throughout the MBA program.However, Justin experienced the limits of the NPV framework that we have learned in theory through his meeting with Shirley Rickert, CFO at HGS. Through this meeting, he learned that NPV calculations in the real world aren’t as cut and dry as they are when used in the classroom. Since these calculations are based on past activities especially in the area of innovative products like Plastiwear, it didn't really offer much guidance for future activities in these areas. Most of the time, the data is either not sufficient or overly sufficient in which you don’t need the analysis.Rickert also states that even though NPV is a powerful tool for objective strategic analysis, there is often managerial biases baked into the analysis that could either be intentionally but it is often done unintentionally. An example of this would be through Beckett’s negative NPV calculations, which would therefore depict an overly risky project. Again, this framework can be used as one of the â€Å"initial steps† in the overall strategy formulation process. As Rickert states, â€Å"present value techniques-even when you are evaluating relatively straightforward investments-are just a way of keeping track of the financial implications of a strategy.NPV is one way to keep score in the game but it’s not the game. NPV is no substitute for having a strategy† (32). Third, the VRIO framework is finally used by Justin, which helps him be able to determine the viability of the Plastiwear business. The VRIO framework is used to determine whether or not a certain strategy was likely to be a source of a sustained competitive advantage, which depends on the answer to four questions. First, Justin needs to discover ways that the Plastiwear strategy is valuable. Without value, it’s noted that a strategy canâ€℠¢t be a source of competitive advantage for the firm.Second, HGS would need to posses unusual skills or other assets that this Plastiwear strategy must utilize. In other words, the strategy must contain â€Å"rarity† in order to have a point of difference for the firm. So â€Å"if many firms all have the ability to execute the same strategy, then that strategy will probably not be a source of advantage† (76). hence, the need for a firms strategy to be rare and different. Third, Justin looks into the possibility of whether or not a strategy can be imitated and if so, how long before other firms are likely to begin imitating pieces of the strategy?Justin has â€Å"learned that firms strategies can be difficult to imitate for several reasons. Some strategies can rely on assets that may be protected by patents, some required skills are needed that took firms years to develop, trusting relationships among a firm’s managers or between firm and supplier/customer which can end up being difficult and time consuming and lastly, it is often difficult for competing firms to describe why a particular firm has an advantage. Therefore, that is why firms implement valuable, rare and costly to imitate strategies because this is what makes it possible for firms to gain more sustainable advantages† (77).The last question Justin raises within this framework focuses on the organization and whether it has the ability to execute and protect its sources of advantage. Justin reflects that within the classroom, he learned that certain structure and controls enabled a firm to realize the full potential of its strategies. However, by answering the first three questions enabled him to â€Å"crack the case† so this last question didn’t require an answer. However, this framework led to the same conclusions that Livia had come to.For example even if there was demand for HGS’s shirt concept, there was no reason to believe that HGS embodied any special shirt-manufacturing skills. In other words, there was nothing rare in this area for HGS. Overall, Justin created his own matrix using the VRIO framework and through that he discovered the amount of information he didn’t know about Plastiwear as well as the types of opportunities that might exist within the different stages of the Plastiwear value chain. Overall, these strategy frameworks finally gave Justin the clarity to organize his thoughts into a more comprehensive structure for analysis.Especially in regards to the VRIO framework, Justin was finally able to see that the decision to implement Plastiwear was not dependent on the retail shirt market at all. He was finally able to see that the decision about Plastiwear was more about HGS’s ability to exploit its competencies throughout the value chain where they could gain and sustain an advantage. One of the most important points made throughout the entire book, â€Å"If you ask the wrong question, about the wrong industry, it doesn't really matter what the answer is† (80).Justin discovers that in order to â€Å"crack the real world business case†, you need to be asking the correct questions about the correct industry. He learns that since real life situations are not cut and dry like traditional business case studies done within the classroom, there tends not to be case questions at the end. However, it is Justin’s responsibility to figure it out. This can be tied back to Justin’s first client meeting as well as interviews. Justin learned that by knowing what questions to ask is key, which will help, lead you to the answer you need.Lastly, to touch on some of the struggles that Justin had experienced throughout the book was that of teamwork. As we have learned in the classroom, teamwork is a crucial and valuable method used within the real world, especially in business. It seemed to me that since Justin was a recent MBA graduate, he was still stuck in  "school mode† in which he treated his new job as if it were a case analysis he was doing within the classroom. He quickly learned that in the real world, it is vital that a team works together to ensure that the analysis is completed in the correct way, all the way through.As a new member of a team, working with and learning from the other members is extremely important to personal development and growth. It is also important to note that it was probably extremely difficult in this scenario because all these members of the team have never worked together before. Having the ability to understand that it really takes time to be able to learn each member’s personal strategies in completing the task at hand is critical. It difficult though in certain scenarios, like this one when there is a short time span to reach a final conclusion.Being able to really learn the traits and personal strategies of your team can be hindered due to certain set time spans. 2. Which key organiz ational and human level factors can you identify as obstacles to implementing the strategy formation process the way it appears in theory? [Hint: Consider individual motives, personal interests, stakeholder interests and political behavior]. Having the ability to implement the strategy formation process the way is appears in theory is deemed to be a very rare occurrence.The real world is filled with individual motives, personal interests, stakeholder interests as well as political behavior. In regards to individual motives and personal interests, different individuals of an organization might have different motives about the future of the companies given their role and this difference leads to different outcomes. In regards to stakeholder interests, Justin learned this through first-hand experience at HGS. Understanding and learning whom the key stakeholders are is both critical to Justin and the rest of the team hence a â€Å"team interest†.Supporting stakeholders and strate gy makers is an essential component of strategy implementation. According to Livia, she realizes that in order to successfully move ahead with whatever recommendation they think is best, they will have to make sure to address the interests of the key players in the company. To do that, knowing the difference between interest and influence is critical (6). Also, by knowing who the key players are in the company gave the team â€Å"the ability to figure out who could either help implement HGS’s recommendation or who could stop them from being implemented† (6).This was huge for the team. Having a good sense of the political landscape is critical because the â€Å"goal here is to use both the overall analysis and change management skills to transform those parties that are likely to resist recommendations into becoming supporters†(6). Some of these factors can intertwine in a way in which political behavior and personal interests have the possibility in clashing. An example of this is seen in Justin’s meeting with Shirley in which she describes how some of the strategy frameworks used can be manipulated to enhance someone’s already existing point of view.In organizations, personal benefits might come ahead of organizational benefits depending on the situation. In looking at both ends of the spectrum, optimists might be seeing a strategy as an extension of their current businesses whereas pessimists might not since their view is based on the department’s benefits and not the organization’s. An example is discussed during Justin and Shirley’s meeting on defining the importance of NPV in the real world.She stated that the most optimistic calculations view for NPV were done by the scientists involved with the invention of Plastiwear in comparison to the most pessimistic calculations view for NPV which were determined by the department heads who would be losing funding if the project went through. An example of th is view is discovered during the meeting between Justin and Scott Beckett. As you can see, really â€Å"cracking the case† and coming to a conclusion is a bit more difficult then what we have learned in the classroom.Real life scenarios have an infinite number of figures that can be found, and therefore, the personal interests of the people doing the research influences what numbers are used within the calculations. Lastly, both the optimistic and pessimistic views seemed to put into question an individuals motivation in regards to decision making. This was just distasteful to Justin which made him both confused and a little naive that the motivation of personal interests could overpower organizational interests in the decision making process. Later on when Justin meets withJerry Tucker, scientist credited for the invention of Plastiwear, he discusses how pleased he is that Plastiwear could be a huge success. However, he points out that â€Å"problems with modern companies i s that we really aren’t managed for owners but we’re managed to make the lives of the managers comfortable† (102). I found this point pretty interesting because this would mean the managers are in a way contradicting the importance of why knowing who the key stockholders are and why that is such a critical factor to know within your team if in the end. the managers are looking out for their self-interest and self-motives.Also, I think it is important to note in regards to the end all goal in regards to both organizational and human level factors, Jerry states that â€Å"truly innovative leaders must take the gamble of whether or not their product is a success or failure and if you aren’t willing to be risk loving, you can never know true excellence† (102). 3. How would you have navigated some of the minefields that Justin and his team faced? I thought this was very beneficial to read because as soon to be MBA graduates, we too will be navigating thr ough similar minefields that Justin faced personally as well as the minefields his team faced.I can closely relate to Justin’s drive and commitment to succeed throughout the course of this book because I to want to apply everything that I have learned in the classroom and make it happen out in the real world. However, it very interesting to read that the frameworks we have learned don’t lead you to the final conclusion which is what we learned while in school. They are more of â€Å"stepping stones† in the process. I can especially relate to Justin’s experience in trying to understand the difference between what is learned in the classroom and what is learned out in the real world.Going into the workforce with an open mind I believe will help the transition phase go smoother than Justin’s. He was focused on â€Å"cracking the case† and when he couldn't, he got frustrated. It is also important to be able to separate passion without the need o f emotion. Someone once told me that this concept is like a double edge sword. You must be able to show the passion for your work without letting emotion come into play. Justin was viewed as a â€Å"total rookie† because since he put a lot of effort and work into the presentation, Ken and Livia did not let him present his findings because it was evident of his emotional attachment (193).A more specific example of this concept would be when Justin showed his passion in trying to â€Å"crack the case† to figure out a solution but he let his emotion come into play when he allowed himself to get frustrated. Another example that new graduates can relate to is when you are going for a job interview for your dream job. During the interview, you want to show your passion and why you want this job by giving off confidence and desire for that role. However, even if you want this job so bad, you let your emotion get involved hence you get emotional during the interview.This doesn ’t project the professionalism you need to have within the business environment. By knowing the difference between the two and being able to keep those two factors separate is a key takeaway before going out into the real world. 4. What key lessons do you learn about strategy from the novel? How â€Å"neat† is the process in real life? In What I Didn’t Learn in Business School: How Strategy Works in the Real World, it clearly explains that strategy is not neat in the real world, it actually is more complex.As an MBA student, we complete numerous amounts of case studies on a daily basis and are usually supplied with questions to consider toward the end of each case. Its not that simple in the real world although many wish it were. In order to develop the questions that need to be analyzed further in order to â€Å"crack the case† or to even develop some solution that could be a possibly good strategy, an extreme amount of work and analysis goes into determ ining and creating this.From those questions, as MBA students we usually then determine what the recommendation is and how we are going to implement that into the existing business environment. In the real world, its more complicated in that it goes beyond answering the questions, which will lead to making a final recommendation, which then leads to how you are going to do it. In the real world, you need to embrace a complete strategy, not just a small segment focus. I also learned that strategy is about the large scope of things.It not just about evaluating one or two potential decisions and deciding which one is best in regards to the situation. Strategy formulation needs to consider all interests of both the players and the firm’s core competencies in order to be successful. When Justin realized that â€Å"he wasn’t just trying to crack the case but how he was actually helping to shape the future of a corporation-and all those who depended, or who might depend†(150) is a prime example of how during strategy formulation, interests of both the players and the firms core ompetencies were considered and recognized by members of the team which would in the end deem them to be successful. 5. Should organizations engage in the sort of formal strategy formation processes we study in Business School? With a complete and focused formal strategy formation processes, organizations won’t be successful. They will be deemed not successful because they lack the vision and direction needed in order for future growth.Real world strategy implementation might not be as simple as what we do in business school, but the concept is basically the same. In the classroom, the curriculum is designed in a way that with the frameworks learned can also be applied out in the real world. As discussed in one of the previous questions, being able to understand the difference between what is learned in the classroom to what is learned out in the real world is criti cal because when in the real world, things are not as cut and dry like they are in a traditional case study analysis.To answer the overall question whether an organization should engage in this process, I think it is extremely beneficial for businesses to have because not only does it provide a clear vision and direction but it also helps to create a clear understanding of the core competencies a company has. Even though the process that us MBA students have studied in school doesn’t directly apply to that of the operating business environment in the real world, I think of it as a good â€Å"stepping stone† that is helping prepare the young incoming workforce prior to them even entering into the real world.By giving business students years of practice in this semi formation process will help them when they eventually enter into the real world. It will minimize the amount of overall shock and even possibly some change as well. Overall, it provides a framework and outlin e for things to consider in strategy building. Work Cited Barney, Jay B. , and Trish Gorman. Clifford. What I Didn't Learn in Business School: How Strategy Works in the Real World. Boston: Harvard Business Review, 2010. Print.