Discussion on Quantitative Reasoning for Business Course Essay

Discussion on Quantitative Reasoning for Business Course Self Reflection Paper 10/15/08 Discussion on Quantitative Reasoning for Business Course For many years, the quantitative or mathematical approach to business problem solving was the cornerstone of MBA programs worldwide. The traditional approach has been a rational analysis: information is collected, collated, analyzed and interpreted, alternatives are formulated, and a logical choice is consciously arrived at (Bagchi, 2005). In practice this means: â€Å"the more information, the better; ‘cool and calm’ strategic thinking should not be ‘debased’ by feelings; efficient thought and behavior must be called upon to subjugate emotion† (Sadler-Smith, 2004). The Quantitative Reasoning for Business course would provide me with the prerequisites necessary to master the rational analysis. In recent years, however, the usefulness of the quantitative analysis training for future managers has been put into doubt. The requirement for fast decisions and the limits of human beings’ rational information-processing capacities may combine to impose severe demands upon executives’ cognitive capabilities to handle masses of information at the necessary speed (Sadler-Smith, 2004). That is when intuition comes into play. Intuition is difficult to describe but easy to recognize. Many of us will be intimately familiar with our own intuitions and will probably be able to identify, and may even envy or admire, those individuals who confidently display a ‘gut feel’ for complex situations and who appear to have an ‘instinct’ for grasping key issues quickly. This quality can be nurtured through life experience. The optimal solution thus, might be a combination of two approaches depending on circumstances. The relationship between intuition and rationality can work in two ways. For example, proceeding from intuition to rational analysis represents a ‘validation’ sequence in which gut feeling may be checked out by rational analysis by posing questions such as ‘Do the data support my hunch? Proceeding from rational analysis to intuition represents an ‘incubation’ sequence in which intuition provides an expertise-based or feelings-based validation for judgments arrived at through rational analysis (Sadler-Smith, 2004). In summary, quantitative training will probably benefit me by preparing me for the future courses in economics, finance, accounting, operations, and research (Quantitative Reasoning for Business Overview, nd). More importantly though, it will prepare me for the future ‘real world’ w ork, even when its direct usefulness is not as extensive as often believed its proponents.

Discuss How Difficult Would It Be for Hong Kong to Develop

The use of befoul Is not desirable, since It Is not commonly use. It would be difficult for the government to promote because not many people in Hong Kong drive cars and there are other car fuel options, for example LAP. From the economic perspective, developing befoul involves high production cost. Befoul is not the only option to fight against air pollution. The demand of befoul is not very high and the Hong Kong government could spend the budget on other aspects. Or else people who cannot be benefit from the scheme would just protest, which adversely affect social harmony.On the other hand, from the experience and research of other countries, it is know that developing befoul would cause deforestation and loss of habitat. It would be difficult for the government to develop befoul because people may think that spending heavy cost to do so Just couldn't solve the problem in a sustainable way. The support from its people would not be enough. From the safety perspective, , since Hong Kong has no experience in handling befoul, accidents may happen. If befoul exploited on a large scale, it would be very dangerous.Accidents not only happen in plants, but also cars, fuel leak could be one of the possibilities that cause harm to the people using befoul. To conclude there are many difficulties In developing and promote befouls to replace peritoneum as car fuels, the government should do consultation and consider the needs of different people before the Implementation. Discuss How Difficult Would It Be for Hong Kong to Develop and Promote Befouls to Replace Petroleum as Car Fee By caterpillar From geographical perspective, bodiless feedstock available in Hong Kong is waste cooking oil and animal fats.Due to the limited space, it is not possible to build many bodiless production plants in Hong Kong, as a result the supply of befoul would not be enough. Moreover, Hong Kong has heavy use of petroleum, since it is cheaper, more efficient and can be imported easily. The use of befoul is not desirable, since it is not commonly use. It would be difficult for the government to promote because not aspects. Or else people who cannot be benefit from the scheme would Just protest, To conclude there are many difficulties in developing and promote befouls to the needs of different people before the implementation.

A History of the World in Glasses

Tom Standard, various drinks are related to different time periods. Coca-Cola, a drink mentioned in the book, was related too later time period during the sass around the time of the Call war. The Civil War was a significant event as it led to a free economy in the united States as well as the development of a single market. The establishment of a single market and furthering of a free market economy in the United States allowed for the growth and success of the Coca-Cola Company.In 1767, Joseph Priestly produced artificially carbonated drinks. About a hundred years later John Pentameter was experimenting with carbonated water adding flavor to it, thus creating what we now call Coca-Cola. This invention would not have gone much further if it were not for some significant developments in the Unites States and around the globe. In 1865, the Call War ended leading to the creation of one of the largest market economies in the world. This benefited entrepreneurs and business owners as the re was a huge market which loud help their businesses succeed.Additionally, the United States was set-up as a free-market economy which furthered innovation and the pursuit of profitability and success. The first development led to the creation of an economic system while the latter led to the expansion of the economic system. The Coca-Cola Company took full advantage of the above developments and became an iconic brand recognized around the world. Coca-Cola was aided by the rise of Industrialization In the production of its products.They also created a unique and distinctive shape for the bottle in 1916 to create a desire for the product and better marketability. The company started using Santa Claus in their advertisement for similar reasons. While the product was marketed to adults Initially, the company started selling to children In 1986. All of these activities were geared towards taking advantage of the market Coca-Cola served. The united States economic system assisted Coca- Cola in pursuing growth and profitability. Coco-cola's success did not go unnoticed.Pepsi entered the arrest during the middle of the twentieth century selling products similar to Coca- Cola, flavored carbonated drinks. In the latter part of the twentieth century, seeking more profits and growth, the Coca-Cola Company entered foreign markets like Russia, China and India. While the US and India are capitalist societies, Russia and China are socialist. This led to interaction between different economic systems and trade and commerce between very distinctive cultures. All of these resulted In the Coca-Cola Company becoming one of the most recognized brands In the world.This would not have been possible without the United States being a capitalist society which encouraged and furthered the success of companies like Coca-Cola. The creation of a single market economy and the establishment of a free-market economy in the united States led to the success of the Coca-Cola Company and its nam e becoming an iconic brand in the world. Coca-Cola was able to pursue success, growth and 1 OFF success not only in the United States but across the world. This was possible because of the success the company first had in the United States.

The future of haute couture Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The future of haute couture - Research Proposal Example Sull and Turconi (2008), for example, identified one particular pattern, which is the recent focus of fashion houses to implement the so-called fast fashion, a concept typified by democratized fashion. There is a growing literature on emerging influences, studies offering empirical and theoretical evidences, that could collectively help identify future trends and practices. This researcher believes that it is possible to gain insight on the future of haute couture based on a description and analysis of what has been found today and what are expected in the near future. By identifying current and future variables that influence fashion, meaningful insights will be obtained. The body of literature on haute couture is comprehensive. There are several studies that could serve to demonstrate specific relevance to this research. A case in point is the investigation of Joy et al. (2012), which reported the role of sustainability and ethics in haute couture. These variables are recent phenomenon that emerged with the recent attention given to sustainability, climate change and environmental issues. There is also Claudios research on the environmental impact of the clothing industry. While it evaluated the environmental footprint of the clothing industry, the study also highlighted increasing concern for sustainability and the focus on lessening environmental damage. This researcher also intends to examine works (i.e. Magnenat-Thalmann & Volino, 2005) that detail the processes in high-fashion such as design and marketing. The study’s outcomes are expected to benefit researchers, fashion designers, entrepreneurs, academics and others who are interested in the subject. The primary importance is based on the projected outlook that could help identify trends and practices or launch new design, marketing, management and operational philosophies in the haute couture

St. Augustines Views on Sin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

St. Augustines Views on Sin - Essay Example 214)Regarding sin, In Chapter 11 of Book One of Of Sin and Merit, Augustine goes into detail of describing his views on sin. The title of this particular chapter is "Distinction Between Actual and Original Sin." He says: Obviously Augustine believes that through one man's sin, sin has entered the world and it has brought sin upon the entire human race. He makes it clear that he thinks the language is clear as well. Augustine elaborates further upon his view of sin, and how Christ plays a role in that worldview. It also talks about some of the benefits Christians have: Augustine is talking about some very specific positives here about being a Christian that don't have to do with sin except indirectly: that they have a secret communion with Christ; that they are blessed, justified, and have a spiritual grace accorded to them (Knight, 2008, pp. 1). Augustine, first as a Manichean and then as a Christian bishop, had some very interesting ideas about sin. First his notions of sin probably leaned toward good and evil. His later opinions would later be shaped into the doctrine we now have on original sin.

Crjs410 U5DB Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Crjs410 U5DB - Research Paper Example The fact that that most of the terrorists who were linked to the September 11 terror attack were Muslims lead to a non- Muslim community to view Muslims as synonymous to evil and a people who cannot be trusted. The non –Muslim community supported policy changes allowing torture. Security procedures to spy on Muslims were also put in place (Morrow, 2014). Interfaith Summits and campaigns such as† Shoulder to shoulder: Standing with American Muslims† have been launched to fight against anti-Muslim mentality. Leaders have publicly condemned religious intolerance, and there has been prosecution of the perpetrators. Unitas community needs to employ these strategies in order to assure the Muslim community of their security and to promote tolerance (Morrow, 2014). Hate crimes statutes are laws enacted to deter bias-motivated violence. The statue’s goals are to deter prejudice, to condemn racism, religious intolerance and homophobia and to condemn any other criminal conduct (Hrw.org., 2014). The perpetrators of anti-Muslim bigotry believe that their actions have community support. In order to prove wrong this belief, both to the perpetrators and to the community, the Unitas incidence should be prosecuted as a hate crime and not as any other civil wrong (Hrw.org, 2014). Morrow, T. (2014). Campaign to address anti-Muslim sentiments - National Religious Campaigns against Torture. Nrcat.org. Retrieved from

High frequency trading Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

High frequency trading - Research Paper Example Another disadvantage that faces the average investor is the ability to withdraw and initiate thousands of trades at multiple pricing points within the same period. This makes it difficult to understand what is or is not legit (Petajisto 273). Further, the ability of these programs coming up with the upper buy range and lower sell range can create security for one individual and insecurity for the other. It becomes very difficult to have the average investor coming up with a substantial amount because the investors privy with HFT could sell below the limit forcing an individual to pay more compared to normal circumstances. The fact that they attain the information seconds earlier allows them to have an edge that disadvantages the investors, exposing them to risks (Aldridge 65; Kirilenko, Kyle, Samadi & Tuzun 25). Many will look at this from the angle of having more to do with one’s trading sessions, but the unleveled playing field makes it worse. The securities exchange should rein on such behaviors and provide the investors with a fair chance of meeting these ideals. Regulations are necessary in this sector. Investors need to operate within similar platforms as a way of encouraging them to make better use of the skills present. One thing that can be done is creating stronger controls that will create safety nets around the trading options (Aldridge 67). This will enable the government to provide the stock exchanges with the required platforms that will help reduce the market instability through the proper utility of the incentives provided. Markets will also benefit a lot if information was not disseminated before hand, allowing all traders to benefit from what they possess, rather than generate new platforms that do not define the market as a whole (Petajisto 274). Ideally, the traders will have to get clearing before some of the tools can be used, something the government needs to pay great attention to. By limiting the risks, it is very

Employment Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Employment Law - Essay Example The company should complete the ET3 form so that they can be able to defend the claimant’s claim of unfair dismissal then present it to the employment tribunal within 28days from the time it received the claimants form. The Employment tribunal is mandated to listen to cases that arise in employment, concerning the employer or the employees over their employment rights. If the company does not present its ET3 form to the employment tribunal default judgment is likely to be entered against them, which will then preclude the company from taking part in the proceedings. If the respondent presents their ET3 form to the tribunal, the tribunal has the power to order for disclosure of all the relevant materials pertaining to the case. The employment rights are enumerated under the employment rights act. The act provides under section 36 that an agreement will be deemed to be terminated upon the last day of the period that is agreed upon. The company gave Jack a notice of termination o f his employment and therefore by virtue of the notice his employment was terminated upon the lapse of the period given for termination. ... When it comes to poor performance and misconduct the employment rights act stipulates under sections 38(2) and (3) that an employer shall only terminate the employee’s contract of employment if there is no other cause of action that can be taken. Further, the act states that, when there is a charge made against the employee for misconduct or poor performance the employee should be given the chance to respond to such a charge. It is after the employee has responded to such a charge that the employer can then effect his termination. Gross misconduct is whereby the employee conducts himself so badly that his behaviour ruins the relationship between him and his employer that leads to immediate dismissal. In the above case, the company did not give the employee an opportunity to reply to a charge of misconduct or poor performance. The company raised the allegations of his misconduct and poor performance after his contract had already been terminated. We see that it is only after th e termination of Jack’s contract that the employer became aware of the fact that he had a drinking problem and discovered the empty bottles of alcohol in his desk. Apart from Jack coming to work in an unacceptable condition, all the reasons were brought up after the employee had left the premises of the company that proves that he was not given a chance to respond to any charge that was brought against him and he was neither given a reason for his termination. The company acted wisely in giving the employee a notice of termination instead of instant termination. The tribunal considers instant termination seriously; it looks to see if the employer’s reasons for termination were reasonable and if it was fair considering the circumstances of the case. This will mean

The Moons of Mars Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Moons of Mars - Term Paper Example They are not only being speculated as the next best targets for space colonization, but also as gateways for further cost-effective investigations on Mars. This is largely because lifting off and landing of spaceships on Phobos and Deimos would take up lesser fuel than similar missions on Mars or the Moon, owing to their lesser gravity (about 1/1000th that of the Earth), and low atmospheric resistance. Since manned missions to the Martian moons are much more feasible, it would be possible for humans to investigate and explore the Red Planet further, from remote observatories located on its moons. This would be more productive than using robots and probes for scientific investigation. As Siegfried Fred Singer describes it, in The Scientific American: The basic advantage of astronauts is that they can explore Mars in real time, free of communications delays and capable of following up interesting results with new experiments. Robots, even after decades of research to make them complete ly autonomous, cannot manage without people in the loop. But the question arises: Where should the astronauts be? The obvious answer--on the surface of Mars--is not necessarily the most efficient. At the first "Case for Mars" conference in 1981, one of the more provocative conclusions was that the Martian moons, Phobos and Deimos, could serve as comparatively inexpensive beachheads. (1) This brings out the practicality and possibility of colonizing the Martian moons, and how it will be helpful for development of novel strategies for cheaper, fuel efficient and realistic research on Mars. The two Moons of Mars Phobos and Deimos were both discovered by Asaph Hall, using the 206-inch refractor of U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington D. C. Phobos (Greek for 'fear'), the larger of the two, is 27 kilometers long. Its distance from Mars is just 5700 kilometers and it completes an orbit in about 8 hours. The large Stickney crater on its left is perhaps its most prominent feature. Deimos (Gree k for 'Panic') is 14.5 kilometers long and completes an orbit in 30 hours. Its distance from Mars is 23,460 kilometers. Studies carried out by scientists in 1997 revealed that both the moons are about 2 billion years old and their composition is similar to meteorites, Type 1 or 2 carbonaceous chondrites, found in the Asteroid Ceres as well as in the asteroid belt. This led to conclusions that the two moons are actually captured asteroids, and didn't actually originate from the planet itself. Two probes, Phobos 1 and Phobos 2, launched by the Soviet Union to study the two moons failed, ending the mission in 1989. The Mars Global Surveyor and the European Mars Express have carried out further observations on the Martian moons. The Mars Reconnaissance Mission is also carrying out studies on the spectral properties of the moons as part of the Mars exploration mission. The moons look like tiny dots from the surface of Mars, according to information obtained from Mars Exploration Rovers- Spirit and Opportunity. Other missions solely for the study of the moons are currently under plans. Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell/Texas Practicality of using the Martian moons as a base for Mars exploration By using Phobos and Deimos as research bases, scientists will be able to "observe the Red Planet and launch robots to its surface, while shielded by miles of rock from cosmic rays and

Han Dynasty and Roman Empire Essay Example for Free

Han Dynasty and Roman Empire Essay Both the Han dynasty and the Roman Empire were bureaucratic. The central rulers all eventually became hereditary and both empires had rulers that oppressed the peasants in order to boost political control. However, the two empires differ in that the emperors had varying justifications for ruling and rose to power in different ways. The Han Dynasty and The Roman Empire both were able to expand and develop their empires with their distinctive governing methods and control. To China, the centerpiece that supervised everything was knows as Confucianism. With all dependability focused on the emperor and society serving as a family unit, Han Chinas political system was known for a centralized, closed unit. It was ruled by an emperor who greatly observed the Mandate of Heaven. The Han developed a supply of soldiers, which kept their borders secured and made them capable to exchange with others from time to time. On the other hand, Rome had a centralized, blended structure. The main focus points of the Roman Society were operated by a Roman Republic, which was more like a monarchy, who controlled their complex structure. The Roman Society had more residents and rights than the Hans, Romans political control lay in the hands of the wealthy, which then they were elected to a political seat. The governors were picked from family networks. The only way Romans could accomplish anything big in a certain time span was to make strong changes in their community. It was an enormous weight on Romes resources and power, when they had to stress over big wins. For example, when there was barely any food to support the developing empire. The Romans and the Hans both had their wealthiest people control over their peasants, which caused a social distribution to each and every one, and could have leaded to outbreaks in little battles, wars between the communities, and what not. This was entirely not beneficial on each empires part and especially their social interaction. The political structures of both Rome and Han China were based on bureaucratic systems with a strong monarchy set of succession. They strengthened their control by reducing the land holdings of old aristocratic families. However, the reversal of this process led to breakdown of authority in the central government. During its reign of power, the central bureaucracy promoted trading with neighboring societies. However, Rome was more aggressive with its role in trading in the Mediterranean verses Han China’s river trade. Rome’s trade led to a much greater technology, culture, and general transfer of knowledge in areas surrounding the Mediterranean which in turn led to a much longer lasting influence on the world. Under the Han Dynasty, the power of the emperor and bureaucracy were emphasized. The organized structure of government allowed such a large territory to be effectively governed, even though it was the largest political system in the world at the time. The Hans political framework stressed male dominated families. Han rulers didnt support local warrior-landlords, believing that they were corrupt. Because bureaucracy was so important, civil service exams were first given, a tradition that would be incorporated into modern politics. Not only did bureaucracy effectively govern, but it had a sort of checks and balance on the upper class. Chinese bureaucracy from the Han Dynasty lasted well into the twentieth century. The imperial government sponsored intellectual life, such as astronomy and mathematics. Han rulers promoted Confucianism, with the idea that they were in charge of their subjects beliefs. The administration also took part in the economy. It organized production, standardized currency and measures, sponsored public works like canal systems and irrigation, and tried to regulate agricultural supplies to control price increases. The Roman republic allowed all citizens to meet in assemblies to elect magistrates. The most important legislative body was the Senate, made up of aristocrats. Public service and participation, political ethics, uncorrupt government, and oratory were extremely important. Roman leaders were very tolerant of local customs and religions and believed that well-made laws could hold the lands together. Aristocratic leaders supported legal codes to protect private property as well as their poor subjects. It was a sort of check on the upper class. They believed that laws should evolve to keep up with the demands of the changing society. Imperial law codes also controlled property rights and trade. The law of the land was fair and equal for everyone, for the most part. The Roman government also supported public works like roads and harbors to facilitate transport and commerce. It also supported an official religion, but tolerated others as long as they didnt interfere with loyalty to the state. Unlike the Chinese, the Romans didnt emphasize as much on hierarchy, obedience, or bureaucracy, but more on participation. However, some of the Romans political writing did resemble Confucianism. Both governments also supported government funded public works.

Nutrition And Childrens Learning

Nutrition And Childrens Learning Abstract Does what our children eat affect their learning attainment and achievement? And if yes how serious is the effect? Those serious questions have been matters of concern among parents, educators, and health professionals. Prior studies provided evidences on the strong relationship between nutrition and education progress. This research paper is intended to highlight and consolidate the various factors that implicate learning. Also, it illustrates the negative effects of imbalanced diets on childrens health and academic future. This research suggests the serious relationship between prenatal mothers eating habits, breast feeding, anemia, mineral deficiencies, socioeconomic status, malnutrition and obesity from one side and the childrens learning outcomes in the other side. Numerous serious educational issues are addressed in this paper. Including, but not limited to, attention span problems, information processing impairment, information retention issues, cognitive growth complications, and working memory impairment conditions. Eating habits affect equally the childrens physical and mental growth. Therefore, introducing balanced meals to children, especially breakfast, is recommended to ensure healthy growth. Introduction Cognitive development, represented in thinking and learning abilities, is implicated notably by the interaction between nutrition, hereditary genes and the surrounding environment. All these components/factors combined implicate the cognitive growth of children. The role of nutrition in children physical and mental development starts during the early years of their life. Many studies have focused on the relationship between nutrition and childrens mental and physical health. Behavior also is implicated by the quality and quantity of nutrients the child receives. The role of health and nutrition in promoting child development and educational outcomes is increasingly being recognized(Bundy, 1997; Bundy Guyatt, 1996). Research findings tie the mothers nutrition during pregnancy to the childrens brain health and development after birth and during the first two years of life. The childrens cognitive development starts before birth. Furthermore, some researchers suggested that breast feeding augments healthy cognitive development and higher IQ levels. Breakfast is the most important meal especially for preschoolers. Any nutritional disorder, especially during the early stages of life, can lead to serious mental and cognitive issues. Malnutrition and obesity, both, disturb the mental and physical development of children equally. Proper nutrition has always been linked to progressive cognitive development. Malnutrition can results from administrating unbalanced meals or can be secondary to certain medical conditions. Malnutrition leads to deficiency in some essential minerals and other elements. Iron and zinc depots are always depleted by malnutrition. Therefore, malnourished children are always susceptible to recurrent infections which impede their school attendance and thus their learning progress. Moreover, it affects the childrens behavior and social interaction with others. If under-nutrition was evaluated as a negative health risk, overfeeding is viewed as health jeopardy as well. Overfeeding leads to obesity which interferes with the childrens various aspects of growth. Parents should promote healthy eating habits among their children to enhance their mental as well physical growth. Literature review The core of literature on child nutrition and its projecting implications on school performance are addressed in five major areas: (1) nutrition during pregnancy and its prenatal effects on fetuses (2) socioeconomic and medically-induced food insufficiency and malnutrition, (3) essential elements deficiency such as Iron and zinc, (4) effect of eating breakfast, and (5) obesity and its health and educational implications. Extensive research work suggested that chronic hunger, iron deficiency, and poor breakfast patterns are frequently interrelated (Taras, 2005, p 199). Pregnancy is a crucial phase of development. Improper nutrition during pregnancy affects the newborns more than their mothers. Imbalanced supply of certain nutrients during pregnancy leads to serious fetal developmental or congenital malformations. For instance insufficient dietary folic acid or B9 during pregnancy results in motor disabilities and cognitive impairment in offspring. Vitamin B9 is essential in the proper functioning of brain as well central and peripheral nervous systems. Lower levels of B9 have been connected to chronic depression and other mental disorders, as well as in birth defects that affect the neural tube cells (NutritionalSupplementsCenter.com, 2005). Those fore-mentioned serious health defects are found to forgo schooling and engaged in activities besides learning at schools. Moreover, interrupted sleep is one of symptoms of folic acid deficiency. Interrupted sleep is one of the major issues that negatively implicate childrens learning. Interrupted sleep lowers their attention, retention and concentration levels. Therefore, it can be concluded that lower levels of Folic acid insult the children learning process directly. Whether in the form of interrupted sleep issues or manifest itself as mental retardation and/or emotional instability. In the postnatal life, it was suggested that breast feeding is interrelated to IQ levels. Studies in this regard involved more than 3,000 breast-fed infants in New Zealand and England. This study revealed that breast feeding is responsible for increasing the average IQ with around 7 points. However, the same studies indicated that this IQ spurt can only take place under certain hereditary conditions. Breast-fed infants who carry special gene called FADS2 have great chances to have higher IQ than their counterparts who dont have it. Studies suggest that IQ scores are somehow correlated to school performance. Students with above average IQ typically do well in school especially in achievement tests. However, their scores might not be conclusively attributed to their intelligence. Certainly, intelligence does play a significant part in school achievement, but many other factors are also involved. Motivation, quality of education and family socioeconomic status; are all among the other factor involved in elevating the IQ. Conversely, some research studies pointed that for some reason some students dont perform well in the classroom although they have high IQ scores. Meanwhile, other students achieve at higher levels than it would anticipated from their IQ scores alone (J. E. Davidson, 2003; p. 155-156). Balanced healthy meals in the early childhood, especially in the first two years of life, are required to meet their accelerated mental and physical growth development. Therefore, it is their adult partner responsibility to provide them with a variety of nutritional diet array after the age of two. Nutritional meals should include whole grain, dairy products, protein, vegetables and fruit. Excessive intake of carbohydrates, salt and saturated fat should be avoided as possible. Whole grain is an important source of minerals and fibers. Mineral and fibers are essential for healthy growth and development. Healthy balanced diets help developing healthy strong children both physically and behaviorally. Nutritionally rich diets notably improve the childrens attitude. As children grow their share of healthy nutrition should proportionally increase to meet the growth spurt they experience. Their diet should include all the elements that support their physical growth. That includes plenty of Calcium for stronger bones and teeth as well vitamin C. raising healthy children in the early childhood guarantees successful learners in the adulthood. Sound body sound mind has proven to be true. Let alone balanced healthy meals help children establish positive relationships with their counterparts and peers; it affects their readiness to school. Poor nutrition may have knock-on effects for their educational achievement and attainment (Jukes, 2006. P14). Negative effects of malnutrition, for the most part, on brain development are manifested as cognitive impairments and/or emotional issues that last throughout their education time. Physically febrile students are subjected, more than others, to frequent sickness attacks. Therefore, they dont attend school regularly and miss more school days than average. Consequently, they miss, in total, long periods of learning. Socioeconomic status as well the general health condition can lead to malnutrition. Regarding the socioeconomic status, information provided by research about the extent of learning disabilities in low-income communities is still not enough. However, research evidence suggests that a significant number of children are affected (Jukes, 2006. P16). For example, studies have found prevalence of serious mental retardation ranging from 5 children per 1000 in Bangladesh, to 17 per 1,000 in Jamaica, 19 per 1,000 in Pakistan (Durkin, 2002). Worth noting, mental retardation is one of the serious developmental cognitive disorders that affect the early childhood. Children with mental retardation have lower to slim chances to enroll in the regular educational system. What seriously hinders their enrollment is their deteriorated mental health condition and/or the parents schooling decision. Socioeconomic status is not the only contributor to malnutrition. Some medical issues impair the absorption of certain essential elements such as Iron and Zinc. Whether Iron and/or zinc deficiencies were medically-induced or due to other etiologies, they lead to major chronic and sometimes fatal complications. Anemia is one of the most commonly wide spread malnutrition disorders. It affects mostly children and young adults. Studies on anemic children indicated that anemic children showed delayed responses than non-anemic Iron-replete children. The research findings reveled that children with iron deficiency respond after repeating orders or stimuli at least twice. However, there was no difference in the IQ level between anemic and non-anemic children. Iron deficiency anemic children were neither able to categorize information nor able to solve problems quickly. They displayed delay in their ability to solve problems than their iron-replete counterparts. All these complications were found to be attributed to iron deficiency. Iron constitutes major element in the CNS composition. Moreover, studies revealed that anemic children suffer from impaired vision. Impaired vision affects the learning process of visual learners. When iron was administrated into the anemic childrens regular meals they showed improvement in their academic performance, attitude and general health conditions. Zinc is an example of another essential element needed for children and adolescents healthy growth. Zinc is very essential for working memory. Research work disclosed that malnourished children suffer from severe information retention issues. Furthermore, they showed inability to focus their attention normally in any given task. Accordingly, they experienced severe learning impairment and performed poorly at school. Researchers concluded that zinc-related learning impairment was mainly due to their inferior attention span than normal children. Breakfast is not only the most important meal that feeds body with most energy but also it contributes to most nutrients adequacy. Breakfast consumers are more likely to have better overall diet quality and micronutrient and macronutrient and fiber intakes that more often align with current dietary recommendations (US dept. of Health, 2005). Studies revealed that breakfast skippers are more susceptible to obesity. Moreover, they are less likely to be engaged in any physical activities. Several studies support the benefits of breakfast intake. Research findings revealed that constant intake of breakfast meal enhances the childs cognitive functions; academic performance; academic achievement; school attendance rates; psychosocial condition; and mood. Breakfast consumption could impact cognitive performance by alleviating hunger the prevalence of which is well documented and has been associated with emotional, behavioral, and academic problems in children and adolescents (Rampersaud, G. ; Pereira M.; Girard, B.; Adams, j.; Metzl, J.; 2005). Studies revealed that socioeconomic status as well breakfast composition, are among the factors that interfere or augment the magnitude of academic performance. There is extensive proof that daily breakfast intake affect greatly the health condition of children and adolescents. Healthy breakfast should include variety of food groups. Studies indicated that breakfast skippers show low performance compare to others. Decreased attention and other memory related issues were also reported among breakfast skippers. Attention and retention impairment were also reported. Weight gain and its physiological and academic complications are among the health hazards associated with skipping breakfast. Overweight is another crucial factor which impacts the learning process equally to malnutrition. Researchers have studied the relative relationship between birth weight and weight gain during the first two years of life for learning outcomes. The study findings suggested strong relationship between learning expectations and weight gain. Abnormal weight gain increases the risk of failing at least one grade in school. Moreover, further studies indicated that child oversize causes impaired cognitive development and poor academic achievement. Researchers attributed poor academic achievement in obese children to the lack of self-confidence and motivation. Psychological burden associated with obesity is another main factor that implicates the overweight children academia. Conclusion Childrens performance in school is impacted by many etiological factors. Children are expected to perform well in school until some interfering factors disturb their progress. Prenatal nutrition can affect the childs adult life either positively or negatively. Improper nutrition during pregnancy can lead to both serious developmental and congenital defects. These defects are responsible for cognitive and physical growth delay or cessation in severe cases. Children with such defects are expected to perform very poorly in school. In the same time, they are not expected to achieve what they suppose to attain in their corresponding age time frame. Breast feeding was suggested to positively alter the childrens IQ levels. However, studies showed that it does affect it only if the favorable hereditary variable was present. FADS2 is the genetic variable that helps absorb fat in the mothers milk and provide the brain with all the fat needed for healthier growth. Thus, breastfeeding does elevate the childrens IQ by 7 points only in the presence of FADS2 gene. Socioeconomic status interferes with providing healthy comprehensive meals. Therefore, children from low socioeconomic classes are more susceptible to malnutrition disorders. Malnutrition and imbalanced meals can lead to behavioral disorders, memory impairment, delayed cognitive response and emotional disorders. Anemia can also develop as a secondary complication to certain health/medical issues. Whether Anemia was due to malnourishment or secondary to medical issues, it depreciates the academic performance and impairs the childrens progress in school. Moreover, it interferes with their ability to comprehend, process, and retain any introduced knowledge. Iron and zinc are major elements for healthy brain growth and properly functioning working memory. Children with zinc and iron deficiencies showed remarkably delayed responses to any given instruction, behavioral abnormalities and disturbed working memory. Furthermore, they suffered from sleeping disorders which aggravated their academic status. Visual disorders were reported among anemic children. Visual disorders negatively impact visual learners. Breakfast intake is the most important meal of the day, especially for children. Breakfast is important for the childrens daily performance and behavior at school. Studies revealed that breakfast skippers are more susceptible to obesity when they grow up. Skipping breakfast alters the glucose supply to the brain and put it into the energy saving mode. Consequently, this conservative mode disturbs the memory and the ability to stay focused. Overweight is another burden that traumatizes the childrens academic achievement. Due to the psychological inferiority which obese people experience, they suffer from lack of self-confidence. Low self-esteem, lack of motivation and inability to participate in various activities create unfavorable learning conditions. These conditions, by turn, hinder their academic progress and schooling outcomes. Abnormal weight gain increases the risk of failing at least one grade in school.

Identifying Leadership Theories And Applying Reflection Nursing Essay

Identifying Leadership Theories And Applying Reflection Nursing Essay There are almost as many different definitions of leadership as there are persons who have attempted to define the concept ( Stodill, 1974:p.259).   Dubrin (2000) states that there 35,000 definitions of leadership in academic literature (Pye, 2005: p.32). Leadership is an art a performing art and the instrument is the self.   The mastery of the art of leadership comes from the mastery of the self .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jim Kouzes Gary Yukl in his sixth edition of Leadership In Organizations hope that, his book has seeded many ideas and questions, which will grow in the classroom , but more importantly, will find fuller meaning and come to life when the reader is engaged in the practice of leadership at work. When thinking about leadership styles one thing to consider is what defines a good leader.   Hood (2010) suggests that an effective leader influences and encourages others to achieve goal setting and goal attainment.   A good leader recognizes that there is always something new to learn.   Effective leaders set direction, build commitment and confront challenges through clear communication and soliciting staff feedback (http://www.oppaper.com/Leadership-Roles-In-Nursing).   Carroll (2005) proposed the following six most important attributes for nursing leaders: personal integrity, strategic vision and personal survival attributes,, management and technical competencies, people skills team-building and communication skills , and. action orientation It is clear so far that the definition of leadership depends on whom you ask.   Houser Player ( 2004 ) concluded in their study, amoung a dozen of nurse leaders as, nurse leaders did share common characteristics such as thoughtful, responsive, committed, creative, resilient, visionary, scholarly, courageous and innovative.   Tan (2006) means the idea of leadership as, influencing followers to do what is necessary to achieve organizational and societal goals. Two types of leadership are particularly relevant for nurse leaders.   Transformational leadership authentic leadership (Clark, 2009, p.17).   In transformal leadership mainly three elements contribute to help nurse leaders to create a tone and standard of practice for healthy work environment are Effective communication, collaborative relationships and shared decision making among nurses (Heath, Johanson et al, 2004).   American Association of Critical-care Nurses (2005) made a commitment to promote healthy work environment in the bias of authentic leadership are safe, healing, humane and respectful for patient, their families and nurses.   They concluded in their study as it is not too easy to become an authentic leader, moreover, it needs higher levels of organizational support. Perhaps It is identified in their study that authentic leadership as one of the six standards that are crucial to creating and sustaining healthy work environment. Among health care professionals, nurses are especially aware of the importance of reflective practice (Duffy, 2007; Manthey, 2001 et al).   Just as important is the practice of reflective leadership (Deutsch Sherwood, 2008).   By Oestreich (2009) reflective leaders are critically aware of how they connect with others, where they are in the progress of their own and organizational goals and how they are opening paths for clear Communication and goal fulfillment.   Drucker (1996, p.9) states that, great leaders have to walk alone sometimes. such aloneness can facilitate reflection.   Qualitative researchers speak of participant observation as a method of more distant reflection. Reflection benefits the individual leader, but more than that, can become spread with in the organization. Transformal leadership has been evidenced to be positively associated with followers commitment to improvement and change (Herold, Fedor et al., 2008).One of the important characteristics of a transformal leader is reflection (Marshall Coughlin,2010). Reflective Practice was introduced by Donald Schon in his book The Reflective Practitioner in 1983.   There are different models of reflection in practice.   In that I would like to discuss about the two models of reflection Gibbs model, 1988 Johns model, 1995.      GIBBS MODEL OF REFLECTION 1988 Gibbs model is a cyclic process of reflection, in that a practitioner describes the experience and must evaluate and analysis of how they were feeling during the experience.   By the evaluation and analysis of the emotions associated with the situation give the practitioner a chance to understand the situation and come to a conclusion of what else could be done, or what other options could have been taken.   Most importantly,in Gibbs model of reflection the final stage is the formulation of action plan, that give an idea about what actions would be taken if the situation happened again (W http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflective_practice). JOHNS MODEL It is a structured mode of reflection that provides a practitioner with a guide to gain greater understanding.   In this model of reflection, reflection carried out through the act of sharing of emotions with colleague or a mentor and it provides a faster rate of learning than reflection alone.   In order to achieve reflection looking in on ones thoughts and emotions and looking out at the situation experienced are important steps in this model of reflection.   Mainly five patterns of learning are included in to the guided reflection, that are the practitioners analysis about the aesthetic, personal, ethical, empirical, and the reflexive elements experienced through the situation. REASONS TO PREFER JOHNS MODEL OVER GIBBS MODEL I recommend Johns model of reflection is better than that of Gibbs model because, in Johns model practitioner get an opportunity to share with a colleague or mentor, about their thoughts and emotions of their own and about the situation experienced.   It seems to me that by the sharing of emotions definitely, we will get a clear cut idea about the feelings of the self and about the situation in a faster rate. Looking in and looking out become easier when the structured questions shared between a colleague or an experienced person.   But in Gibbs model of reflection, importance is for the evaluation and analysis of the emotions associated with the situation experienced and there is no sharing of ideas or emotions with anybody.   I feel that with out the sharing of emotions reflection occurs in a slower rate. LEADERSHIP THEORIES Historical development of leadership theories (1900-Present) P.37 The Great man Theory / Trait Theories (1900-1940) Researchers give importance to certain characteristics or personality traits of some people and assume that these traits make them better leaders than others. Moreover the effect of followers and the impact of the situation were ignored. Behavioural   Theories (1940-1980) During human relations era , researchers moved away from studying about the traits of a leader and give importance to their styles of leadership.   A major breakthrough occurred when Lewin(1951) and White and Lippitt (1960) isolated common leadership styles. Later, these styles came to be called authorisation, democratic and laissez-faire. Authorisation which is when the leader takes full control, Democratic is when the leader involves a team approach ; and Laissez-faire where the leader provides little to no direction (Hood, 2010). Situational and Contingency Leadership Theories (1950-1980)   In according to this theory leadership style should vary according to the situation or the individual involved. Authoritarian leadership results in well-defined group actions that are usually predictable, reducing frustration in the work group and giving members a feeling of security.   Productivity is usually high, but creativity, self motivation, and autonomy are reduced.   Authoritarian leadership, useful in crisis situations.  Ã‚   At the same time Democratic leadership, appropriate for groups who work together for extended periods, promotes autonomy and growth in individual workers.   This type of leadership is particularly effective when coordination between groups is necessary.   The Laissez-fair leadership is non directed leadership, the laissez- fair style can be frustrating; group apathy and disinterest can occur. Interactional Leadership Theories (1970-Present) The basic premise of interactional theory is that leadership behaviour is generally determined by the relationship between the leaders personality and the specific situation. To be successful, the leader must diagnose the situation and select appropriate strategies from a large repertoire of skills.   Leadership effectiveness, according to Hollander, requires the ability to use the problem solving process;   maintain group effectiveness; communicate well; demonstrate leader fairness, competence, dependability, and creativity; and develop group identification. Transactional and Transformational Leadership The transactional leader sets goals, give directions, and uses rewards to reinforce employee behaviours associated with meeting or exceeding established goals (Mc Guire and Kennerly,2006, p.180).   Transformational leaders have a view of   the future that will excite and convert potential followers (changingminds.org,2002-2006, para 3). Transformational leadership is defined as, One   who inspires and empowers everyone with the vision of what could be possible (Hood,2010, p 460).  Ã‚   Although transformational qualities are highly desirable, they must be coupled with the more traditional qualities of the day-to-day managerial role.   Both sets of characteristics need to be present in the same person in different degrees.   According to Bass and colleagues, the transformational leader will fail without traditional management skills.   Johns (2004) maintains that transactional traditional leadership is a deliberate process of seeking insight in self and practice in orde r to create conditions that foster the realization of desirable practice.

Evidenced Based Practice Guideline Essay -- Healthcare

Introduction In a fast-paced environment such as the emergency department, effective communication is imperative for a smooth working environment. Without proper communication; evidence supports decreased clinical outcomes and increased clinical errors. A study highlighted in the center for healthcare informatics, discusses the varying communication patterns and issues that are experienced by clinicians that occupied various clinical roles. (Spencer, Logan & Coiera, 2002). A look at the current evidence-based practice guidelines, the clinical question utilized is as follows: Among the ER staff nurses who received a monthly e-mail highlighting the essential points of the monthly staff meetings, what percentage can demonstrate evidence of improved communication opposed to those that did not receive e-mail during a three-month period. The target population for this particular study is a twelve bed emergency room located in a rural town of less than 250,000. The emergency room has fourteen full-time employees, eleven female and three male. Ten nurses work day shift, while four nurses work night shift. The decision to split the groups properly and without bias would be the selection of five dayshift nurses, two males and three females, and two night shift nurses, one male and one female who will receive electronic communication updates along with staff management meetings and minutes, selected randomly. The control group, the remaining seven nurses, all of which are female will not receive the same e-mail communications with updates to patient care and an increase in the information regulated by the emergency room. Because of the small sample size of registered nurses currently working in the emergency department and the inability... ... small number of staff that was involved in this study, the short time frame that the study was conducted in, and the limited amount of published research on emails in the health care industries. It is apparent from my attempt that more research need to be made. Works Cited Huber, D. L. (2010). Change and innovation. In N. O'Brien (Ed.), Leadership and Nursing Care Management (p. 68). Maryland Heights, Missouri: Saunders Elsevier. Kearnery-Nunnery, R. (2008). Change. In J. DaCunha (Ed.), Advancing Your Career: Concepts of Professional Nursing (p. 243). Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Company. Lusk, E. (2006). Email: Its decision support systems inroads- An update. Science Direct, 42(1), 328-332. doi: 10.1016/j.dss.2005.01.001 Spencer, R., Logan, P., & Coiera, E. (2002). Supporting communication in the emergency room. Retrieved from http://www.chi.unsw.edu.au

Business Plan for a Car Wash Essay example -- essays research papers

1.0 BUSINESS PROFILE 1.1 Business Description Modern people are very busy and they often neglect to clean their cars, and sometimes the limited living space also is the problem for the people who want to clean their car but they do not have space to clean their car, especially in Taiwan. Therefore, the car wash shops are increasing quickly, and people are happy to send their cars there. In Taiwan, hand-washing cars is more popular, because the customers think using hands to wash is softer. It does not damage the pain of the cars, and it is a luxury way to take care their cars. Kevin Car Wash ( ¨Ã¢â‚¬ËœKCW) business is a newly established car washing company located in the city of Kaoshung, in the south of Taiwan.  ¨Ã¢â‚¬ËœKCW was established to cater for people who are busy and often neglect to clean their cars as well as those people who have difficulty cleaning their cars at their homes because they do not have an available area. Taiwanese people believe that washing cars by hand is better for the cars paint because washing by hand is softer than by mechanical washing. This car washing shop will be about 100~150 squares in size and will be located on the corner of the street in the central. 1.2 Business Mission Statement  ¨Ã¢â‚¬ËœKCW is dedicated to providing its customers the ultimate car wash & care experience. Focusing all of its energy and resources on customer satisfaction and value, while providing owners and employees an excellent reward. 1.3 Situation Analysis  ¨Ã¢â‚¬ËœKCW is entering their first year of operation. Kevin believes that a comprehensive marketing strategy will be key to the success of the business.  ¨Ã¢â‚¬ËœKCW offers a premium hand car washing service provided by a well-known local family. The basic market need is a premium car washing service that is far less abrasive than the traditional automatic car washes. 1.3.1 Pest Analysis Political Factors Economic Factors Social Factors Technical Factors 1.4 SWOT Analysis The following SWOT analysis captures the key strength and weaknesses within the company, and describes the opportunities and threats facing  ¨Ã¢â‚¬ËœKCW. 1.4.1 Strengths  ¡Ã‚ ¤Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Good relationships with many perspective customers in the target market.  ¡Ã‚ ¤Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Strong family name recognition and equity in the community.  ¡Ã‚ ¤Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Well trained employees. 1.4.2 Weaknesses  ¡Ã‚ ¤Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The need... ...le risk, and it may cause the price of petrol to getting higher; the exchange rate of currency to change. If the price of petrol gets higher and the exchange rate of currency is changed this will decrease the usage and sales of cars. Under this situation, the car washing shop will decrease the demands from the car drivers. They prefer to use the public transportation than using their own cars. Furthermore, the environment regulation is the important issue that  ¨Ã¢â‚¬ËœKCW need to consider all the time, because if my car washing shop disobeys the rules, the shop may lose its the operation license or even be closed down by the law. 8.2 Contingency Plan To create a contingency plan  ¨Ã¢â‚¬ËœKCW are considering the following factor and areas. Again, once  ¨Ã¢â‚¬ËœKCW has this plan will help its operation and compete with its competitor. Difficulties and Risks  ¡Ã‚ ¤Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Problems generating visibility.  ¡Ã‚ ¤Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Overly aggressive and debilitating actions by competitors. Worst Case Risks May Include  ¡Ã‚ ¤Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Determining that the business cannot support itself on an ongoing basis.  ¡Ã‚ ¤Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Having to liquidate equipment to cover liabilities. REFERENCES 1. http://www.glaze.com.tw/procedure1.htm

BMW’S Dream Factory & Culture Essay

1. Describe the culture of BMW. Organizational culture is an idea in the field of Organizational studies. A culture is derived through the individual experiences, attitudes, shared values or common perceptions that are held by each member of an organization. Organizational culture affects such outcomes as productivity, performance, commitment, self confidence, and ethical behavior. Within the auto industry, Bavarian Motor Works, or BMW recently chose to create a paradigm shift from a divisional style of leadership to an organic business. A value system has evolved within the organization that drives passion, which in turn brings forth energy and ownership from leadership to associates of the company. Founded in 1916 by a merger of two companies Rapp Motoren Werke and Gustav Flugmaschinefabrik, its origins as a company specialized in airplane engines, thus creating the inspiration for its current logo, introduced in 1920, the circular design of an aircraft propeller. BMW is a company with a hierarchy, but the decisions are made at the level where capability rests. The decisions that are made in the company are a result of informal networks, along with numerous brain storming sessions. Department managers have the ability to decide without a committee which omits needless bureaucracy. Regardless of your job title all levels work together to create ideas to better the brand and product. 2. Discuss the model of leadership illustrated at BMW and the related impact on the organizational culture. Management at BMW is critical to the ultimate viability of the organization. In 1997, BMW chose to change their leadership style from classic to organic. This change was due in part to the leadership at BMW recognizing the value of the employees and listening to  their ideas. The company chose to cultivate their own career managers from within the organization and not hiring any top executives from outside the business unless special needs were presented and an internal hire was not possible (Avery, G. C. 2004). BMW’s structure is based on teams which include a supervisory board consisting of 21 members. The board of management consists of 10 members, and there are several other networks of teams which are all self managing. At the company’s assembly line, the culture of being visionary changed the hierarchical leadership model to teams that independently solve problems and make decisions. BMW has adopted a concept of having visionary leadership where Avery, G. C. (20 04) contends that the company’s move from a hierarchical culture made its leadership to move closer to its employees, which in turn made the workers take ownership of how the organization works and operates in business matters. Teamwork and collaboration have become the corporate culture of BMW since this new style of leadership has taken effect. 3. Analyze why employees derive high job satisfaction at BMW, using the concepts illustrated in the job characteristics model (see chapter 5). BMW has enjoyed tremendous success as â€Å"the ultimate driving machine†, but it was the culture of BMW that drove the roadmap for decorum of its employees. The company determined that to meet the needs of the business it needed to use various models of reinforcements to motivate the employees thus creating a culture of receptiveness, incentive, and confidence (Hellriegel, D., & Slocum, J. W., Jr. 2010) The same culture gave its employees high job satisfaction with its inclusiveness and job ownership impression. Employees have a clear idea of the mission that has to be accomplished. Hellriegel and Slocum (2010, p. 140), contend in their analysis of the job characteristics model that â€Å"If all three psychological states are positive, a reinforcing cycle of strong work motivation on self-generated rewards are activated.† â€Å"A job without meaningfulness, responsibility, and feedback is incomplete and doesn’t strongly motivate an employee.† BMW chose to empower their workers by using material rewards which translated into a new pay plan. The company offers the best salaries to the employees along with health benefits that make sure of employees motivation being always high at the work. The culture at BMW allows  employees to feel they are valued and that their ideas are appreciated. 4. Discuss the attributes of organizational creativity that are fostered at BMW. BMW’s organizational creativity produced a business model focused on excellence and vision. Establishing an enterprising work culture includes various factors to be considered, with BMW focusing on expecting their employees to think in entrepreneurial terms, self managed, and inventive ways which benefit all involved. The company demanded that this type of creativity in an organization could foster a working side by side approach that produced a rebranding of mindset in the quality of open door communication in its corporate culture. Until the new system was implemented, employees were paid whether they worked or not, but using the new organic culture, employees earned vacation time for working longer hours. The pay off of this system produced workers who had tendencies of being more consistent in their learned behavior because of this reward system. (Hellriegel, D., & Slocum, J. W., Jr. 2010). 5. Discuss how the culture and work environment impact the performance results of BMW. BMW’s visionary goal was to accelerate performance, job satisfaction, and increase their bottom line. With a revamped organic culture, BMW provided a positive work place, rewarded and recognized it employees, and involved and increased employee engagement. By developing the skills of its workforce and by promoting from within, and most importantly continued to evaluate and make improvements the company saw overall increased profitability. The result of ordinary business activity in the BMW automobile segment was up by 5.1% to 2.106 million euro in 1997. The financial services division was successful, sales increased by 6.6% (Kasperskaya, Y. 1999). The implementation of BMW’s corporate culture took vision, acceptance, and dedication. The responsibility for change and performance improvement rests squarely on the shoulders of leaders at all levels. A motivating environment is one that gives workers a sense of pride in what they do. References Avery, G. C. (2004). Understanding Leadership. London: Sage. Hellriegel, D., & Slocum, J W, Jr. (2010). BUS520: Organizational 2010 custom edition. (12th ed.)Mason, OH: South-Western Centrage Learning. http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/employee-development-teambuilding/800-1html Kasperskaya, Y. (1999) Case Study of the 1999 BMW Group

The Twilight Saga 3: Eclipse Chapter 13. NEWBORN

â€Å"THE SAME THING THAT HAPPENED TO YOUR HAND,† Jasper answered in a quiet voice. â€Å"Repeated a thousand times.† He laughed a little ruefully and brushed at his arm. â€Å"Our venom is the only thing that leaves a scar.† â€Å"Why?† I breathed in horror, feeling rude but unable to stop staring at his subtly ravaged skin. â€Å"I didn't have quite the same . . . upbringing as my adopted siblings here. My beginning was something else entirely.† His voice turned hard as he finished. I gaped at him, appalled. â€Å"Before I tell you my story,† Jasper said, â€Å"you must understand that there are places in our world, Bella, where the life span of the never-aging is measured in weeks, and not centuries.† The others had heard this before. Carlisle and Emmett turned their attention to the TV again. Alice moved silently to sit at Esme's feet. But Edward was just as absorbed as I was; I could feel his eyes on my face, reading every flicker of emotion. â€Å"To really understand why, you have to look at the world from a different perspective. You have to imagine the way it looks to the powerful, the greedy . . . the perpetually thirsty. â€Å"You see, there are places in this world that are more desirable to us than others. Places where we can be less restrained, and still avoid detection. â€Å"Picture, for instance, a map of the western hemisphere. Picture on it every human life as a small red dot. The thicker the red, the more easily we – well, those who exist this way – can feed without attracting notice.† I shuddered at the image in my head, at the word feed. But Jasper wasn't worried about frightening me, not overprotective like Edward always was. He went on without a pause. â€Å"Not that the covens in the South care much for what the humans notice or do not. It's the Volturi that keep them in check. They are the only ones the southern covens fear. If not for the Volturi, the rest of us would be quickly exposed.† I frowned at the way he pronounced the name – with respect, almost gratitude. The idea of the Volturi as the good guys in any sense was hard to accept. â€Å"The North is, by comparison, very civilized. Mostly we are nomads here who enjoy the day as well as the night, who allow humans to interact with us unsuspectingly – anonymity is important to us all. â€Å"It's a different world in the South. The immortals there come out only at night. They spend the day plotting their next move, or anticipating their enemy's. Because it has been war in the South, constant war for centuries, with never one moment of truce. The covens there barely note the existence of humans, except as soldiers notice a herd of cows by the wayside – food for the taking. They only hide from the notice of the herd because of the Volturi.† â€Å"But what are they fighting for?† I asked. Jasper smiled. â€Å"Remember the map with the red dots?† He waited, so I nodded. â€Å"They fight for control of the thickest red. â€Å"You see, it occurred to someone once that, if he were the only vampire in, let's say Mexico City, well then, he could feed every night, twice, three times, and no one would ever notice. He plotted ways to get rid of the competition. â€Å"Others had the same idea. Some came up with more effective tactics than others. â€Å"But the most effective tactic was invented by a fairly young vampire named Benito. The first anyone ever heard of him, he came down from somewhere north of Dallas and massacred the two small covens that shared the area near Houston. Two nights later, he took on the much stronger clan of allies that claimed Monterrey in northern Mexico. Again, he won.† â€Å"How did he win?† I asked with wary curiosity. â€Å"Benito had created an army of newborn vampires. He was the first one to think of it, and, in the beginning, he was unstoppable. Very young vampires are volatile, wild, and almost impossible to control. One newborn can be reasoned with, taught to restrain himself, but ten, fifteen together are a nightmare. They'll turn on each other as easily as on the enemy you point them at. Benito had to keep making more as they fought amongst themselves, and as the covens he decimated took more than half his force down before they lost. â€Å"You see, though newborns are dangerous, they are still possible to defeat if you know what you're doing. They're incredibly powerful physically, for the first year or so, and if they're allowed to bring strength to bear they can crush an older vampire with ease. But they are slaves to their instincts, and thus predictable. Usually, they have no skill in fighting, only muscle and ferocity. And in this case, overwhelming numbers.† â€Å"The vampires in southern Mexico realized what was coming for them, and they did the only thing they could think of to counteract Benito. They made armies of their own. . . . â€Å"All hell broke loose – and I mean that more literally than you can possibly imagine. We immortals have our histories, too, and this particular war will never be forgotten. Of course, it was not a good time to be human in Mexico, either.† I shuddered. â€Å"When the body count reached epidemic proportions – in fact, your histories blame a disease for the population slump – the Volturi finally stepped in. The entire guard came together and sought out every newborn in the bottom half of North America. Benito was entrenched in Puebla, building his army as quickly as he could in order to take on the prize – Mexico City. The Volturi started with him, and then moved on to the rest. â€Å"Anyone who was found with the newborns was executed immediately, and, since everyone was trying to protect themselves from Benito, Mexico was emptied of vampires for a time. â€Å"The Volturi were cleaning house for almost a year. This was another chapter of our history that will always be remembered, though there were very few witnesses left to speak of what it was like. I spoke to someone once who had, from a distance, watched what happened when they visited Culiacn.† Jasper shuddered. I realized that I had never before seen him either afraid or horrified. This was a first. â€Å"It was enough that the fever for conquest did not spread from the South. The rest of the world stayed sane. We owe the Volturi for our present way of life. â€Å"But when the Volturi went back to Italy, the survivors were quick to stake their claims in the South. â€Å"It didn't take long before covens began to dispute again. There was a lot of bad blood, if you'll forgive the expression. Vendettas abounded. The idea of newborns was already there, and some were not able to resist. However, the Volturi had not been forgotten, and the southern covens were more careful this time. The newborns were selected from the human pool with more care, and given more training. They were used circumspectly, and the humans remained, for the most part, oblivious. Their creators gave the Volturi no reason to return. â€Å"The wars resumed, but on a smaller scale. Every now and then, someone would go too far, speculation would begin in the human newspapers, and the Volturi would return and clean out the city. But they let the others, the careful ones, continue. . . .† Jasper was staring off into space. â€Å"That's how you were changed.† My realization was a whisper. â€Å"Yes,† he agreed. â€Å"When I was human, I lived in Houston, Texas. I was almost seventeen years old when I joined the Confederate Army in 1861. I lied to the recruiters and told them I was twenty. I was tall enough to get away with it. â€Å"My military career was short-lived, but very promising. People always . . . liked me, listened to what I had to say. My father said it was charisma. Of course, now I know it was probably something more. But, whatever the reason, I was promoted quickly through the ranks, over older, more experienced men. The Confederate Army was new and scrambling to organize itself, so that provided opportunities, as well. By the first battle of Galveston – well, it was more of a skirmish, really – I was the youngest major in Texas, not even acknowledging my real age. â€Å"I was placed in charge of evacuating the women and children from the city when the Union's mortar boats reached the harbor. It took a day to prepare them, and then I left with the first column of civilians to convey them to Houston. â€Å"I remember that one night very clearly. â€Å"We reached the city after dark. I stayed only long enough to make sure the entire party was safely situated. As soon as that was done, I got myself a fresh horse, and I headed back to Galveston. There wasn't time to rest. â€Å"Just a mile outside the city, I found three women on foot. I assumed they were stragglers and dismounted at once to offer them my aid. But, when I could see their faces in the dim light of the moon, I was stunned into silence. They were, without question, the three most beautiful women I had ever seen. â€Å"They had such pale skin, I remember marveling at it. Even the little black-haired girl, whose features were clearly Mexican, was porcelain in the moonlight. They seemed young, all of them, still young enough to be called girls. I knew they were not lost members of our party. I would have remembered seeing these three. â€Å"‘He's speechless,' the tallest girl said in a lovely, delicate voice – it was like wind chimes. She had fair hair, and her skin was snow white. â€Å"The other was blonder still, her skin just as chalky. Her face was like an angel's. She leaned toward me with half-closed eyes and inhaled deeply. â€Å"‘Mmm,' she sighed. ‘Lovely.' â€Å"The small one, the tiny brunette, put her hand on the girl's arm and spoke quickly. Her voice was too soft and musical to be sharp, but that seemed to be the way she intended it. â€Å"‘Concentrate, Nettie,' she said. â€Å"I'd always had a good sense of how people related to each other, and it was immediately clear that the brunette was somehow in charge of the others. If they'd been military, I would have said that she outranked them. â€Å"‘He looks right – young, strong, an officer. . . . ‘ The brunette paused, and I tried unsuccessfully to speak. ‘And there's something more . . . do you sense it?' she asked the other two. ‘He's . . . compelling.' â€Å"‘Oh, yes,' Nettie quickly agreed, leaning toward me again. â€Å"‘Patience,' the brunette cautioned her. ‘I want to keep this one.' â€Å"Nettie frowned; she seemed annoyed. â€Å"‘You'd better do it, Maria,' the taller blonde spoke again. ‘If he's important to you. I kill them twice as often as I keep them.' â€Å"‘Yes, I'll do it,' Maria agreed. ‘I really do like this one. Take Nettie away, will you? I don't want to have to protect my back while I'm trying to focus.' â€Å"My hair was standing up on the back of my neck, though I didn't understand the meaning of anything the beautiful creatures were saying. My instincts told me that there was danger, that the angel had meant it when she spoke of killing, but my judgment overruled my instincts. I had not been taught to fear women, but to protect them. â€Å"‘Let's hunt,' Nettie agreed enthusiastically, reaching for the tall girl's hand. They wheeled – they were so graceful! – and sprinted toward the city. They seemed to almost take flight, they were so fast – their white dresses blew out behind them like wings. I blinked in amazement, and they were gone. â€Å"I turned to stare at Maria, who was watching me curiously. â€Å"I'd never been superstitious in my life. Until that second, I'd never believed in ghosts or any other such nonsense. Suddenly, I was unsure. â€Å"‘What is your name, soldier?' Maria asked me. â€Å"‘Major Jasper Whitlock, ma'am,' I stammered, unable to be impolite to a female, even if she was a ghost. â€Å"‘I truly hope you survive, Jasper,' she said in her gentle voice. ‘I have a good feeling about you.' â€Å"She took a step closer, and inclined her head as if she were going to kiss me. I stood frozen in place, though my instincts were screaming at me to run.† Jasper paused, his face thoughtful. â€Å"A few days later,† he finally said, and I wasn't sure if he had edited his story for my sake or because he was responding to the tension that even I could feel exuding from Edward, â€Å"I was introduced to my new life. â€Å"Their names were Maria, Nettie, and Lucy. They hadn't been together long – Maria had rounded up the other two – all three were survivors of recently lost battles. Theirs was a partnership of convenience. Maria wanted revenge, and she wanted her territories back. The others were eager to increase their . . . herd lands, I suppose you could say. They were putting together an army, and going about it more carefully than was usual. It was Maria's idea. She wanted a superior army, so she sought out specific humans who had potential. Then she gave us much more attention, more training than anyone else had bothered with. She taught us to fight, and she taught us to be invisible to the humans. When we did well, we were rewarded. . . .† He paused, editing again. â€Å"She was in a hurry, though. Maria knew that the massive strength of the newborn began to wane around the year mark, and she wanted to act while we were strong. â€Å"There were six of us when I joined Maria's band. She added four more within a fortnight. We were all male – Maria wanted soldiers – and that made it slightly more difficult to keep from fighting amongst ourselves. I fought my first battles against my new comrades in arms. I was quicker than the others, better at combat. Maria was pleased with me, though put out that she had to keep replacing the ones I destroyed. I was rewarded often, and that made me stronger. â€Å"Maria was a good judge of character. She decided to put me in charge of the others – as if I were being promoted. It suited my nature exactly. The casualties went down dramatically, and our numbers swelled to hover around twenty. â€Å"This was considerable for the cautious times we lived in. My ability, as yet undefined, to control the emotional atmosphere around me was vitally effective. We soon began to work together in a way that newborn vampires had never cooperated before. Even Maria, Nettie, and Lucy were able to work together more easily. â€Å"Maria grew quite fond of me – she began to depend upon me. And, in some ways, I worshipped the ground she walked on. I had no idea that any other life was possible. Maria told us this was the way things were, and we believed. â€Å"She asked me to tell her when my brothers and I were ready to fight, and I was eager to prove myself. I pulled together an army of twenty-three in the end – twenty-three unbelievably strong new vampires, organized and skilled as no others before. Maria was ecstatic. â€Å"We crept down toward Monterrey, her former home, and she unleashed us on her enemies. They had only nine newborns at the time, and a pair of older vampires controlling them. We took them down more easily than Maria could believe, losing only four in the process. It was an unheard-of margin of victory. â€Å"And we were well trained. We did it without attracting notice. The city changed hands without any human being aware. â€Å"Success made Maria greedy. It wasn't long before she began to eye other cities. That first year, she extended her control to cover most of Texas and northern Mexico. Then the others came from the South to dislodge her.† He brushed two fingers along the faint pattern of scars on his arm. â€Å"The fighting was intense. Many began to worry that the Volturi would return. Of the original twenty-three, I was the only one to survive the first eighteen months. We both won and lost. Nettie and Lucy turned on Maria eventually – but that one we won. â€Å"Maria and I were able to hold on to Monterrey. It quieted a little, though the wars continued. The idea of conquest was dying out; it was mostly vengeance and feuding now. So many had lost their partners, and that is something our kind does not forgive. . . . â€Å"Maria and I always kept a dozen or so newborns ready. They meant little to us – they were pawns, they were disposable. When they outgrew their usefulness, we did dispose of them. My life continued in the same violent pattern and the years passed. I was sick of it all for a very long time before anything changed . . . â€Å"Decades later, I developed a friendship with a newborn who'd remained useful and survived his first three years, against the odds. His name was Peter. I liked Peter; he was . . . civilized – I suppose that's the right word. He didn't enjoy the fight, though he was good at it. â€Å"He was assigned to deal with the newborns – babysit them, you could say. It was a full-time job. â€Å"And then it was time to purge again. The newborns were outgrowing their strength; they were due to be replaced. Peter was supposed to help me dispose of them. We took them aside individually, you see, one by one . . . It was always a very long night. This time, he tried to convince me that a few had potential, but Maria had instructed that we get rid of them all. I told him no. â€Å"We were about halfway through, and I could feel that it was taking a great toll on Peter. I was trying to decide whether or not I should send him away and finish up myself as I called out the next victim. To my surprise, he was suddenly angry, furious. I braced for whatever his mood might foreshadow – he was a good fighter, but he was never a match for me. â€Å"The newborn I'd summoned was a female, just past her year mark. Her name was Charlotte. His feelings changed when she came into view; they gave him away. He yelled for her to run, and he bolted after her. I could have pursued them, but I didn't. I felt . . . averse to destroying him. â€Å"Maria was irritated with me for that . . . â€Å"Five years later, Peter snuck back for me. He picked a good day to arrive. â€Å"Maria was mystified by my ever-deteriorating frame of mind. She'd never felt a moment's depression, and I wondered why I was different. I began to notice a change in her emotions when she was near me – sometimes there was fear . . . and malice – the same feelings that had given me advance warning when Nettie and Lucy struck. I was preparing myself to destroy my only ally, the core of my existence, when Peter returned. â€Å"Peter told me about his new life with Charlotte, told me about options I'd never dreamed I had. In five years, they'd never had a fight, though they'd met many others in the north. Others who could co-exist without the constant mayhem. â€Å"In one conversation, he had me convinced. I was ready to go, and somewhat relieved I wouldn't have to kill Maria. I'd been her companion for as many years as Carlisle and Edward have been together, yet the bond between us was nowhere near as strong. When you live for the fight, for the blood, the relationships you form are tenuous and easily broken. I walked away without a backward glance. â€Å"I traveled with Peter and Charlotte for a few years, getting the feel of this new, more peaceful world. But the depression didn't fade. I didn't understand what was wrong with me, until Peter noticed that it was always worse after I'd hunted. â€Å"I contemplated that. In so many years of slaughter and carnage, I'd lost nearly all of my humanity. I was undeniably a nightmare, a monster of the grisliest kind. Yet each time I found another human victim, I would feel a faint prick of remembrance for that other life. Watching their eyes widen in wonder at my beauty, I could see Maria and the others in my head, what they had looked like to me the last night that I was Jasper Whitlock. It was stronger for me – this borrowed memory – than it was for anyone else, because I could feel everything my prey was feeling. And I lived their emotions as I killed them. â€Å"You've experienced the way I can manipulate the emotions around myself, Bella, but I wonder if you realize how the feelings in a room affect me. I live every day in a climate of emotion. For the first century of my life, I lived in a world of bloodthirsty vengeance. Hate was my constant companion. It eased some when I left Maria, but I still had to feel the horror and fear of my prey. â€Å"It began to be too much. â€Å"The depression got worse, and I wandered away from Peter and Charlotte. Civilized as they were, they didn't feel the same aversion I was beginning to feel. They only wanted peace from the fight. I was so wearied by killing – killing anyone, even mere humans. â€Å"Yet I had to keep killing. What choice did I have? I tried to kill less often, but I would get too thirsty and I would give in. After a century of instant gratification, I found self-discipline . . . challenging. I still haven't perfected that.† Jasper was lost in the story, as was I. It surprised me when his desolate expression smoothed into a peaceful smile. â€Å"I was in Philadelphia. There was a storm, and I was out during the day – something I was not completely comfortable with yet. I knew standing in the rain would attract attention, so I ducked into a little half-empty diner. My eyes were dark enough that no one would notice them, though this meant I was thirsty, and that worried me a little. â€Å"She was there – expecting me, naturally.† He chuckled once. â€Å"She hopped down from the high stool at the counter as soon as I walked in and came directly toward me. â€Å"It shocked me. I was not sure if she meant to attack. That's the only interpretation of her behavior my past had to offer. But she was smiling. And the emotions that were emanating from her were like nothing I'd ever felt before. â€Å"‘You've kept me waiting a long time,' she said.† I didn't realize Alice had come to stand behind me again. â€Å"And you ducked your head, like a good Southern gentleman, and said, ‘I'm sorry, ma'am.'† Alice laughed at the memory. Jasper smiled down at her. â€Å"You held out your hand, and I took it without stopping to make sense of what I was doing. For the first time in almost a century, I felt hope.† Jasper took Alice's hand as he spoke. Alice grinned. â€Å"I was just relieved. I thought you were never going to show up.† They smiled at each other for a long moment, and then Jasper looked back to me, the soft expression lingering. â€Å"Alice told me what she'd seen of Carlisle and his family. I could hardly believe that such an existence was possible. But Alice made me optimistic. So we went to find them.† â€Å"Scared the hell out of them, too,† Edward said, rolling his eyes at Jasper before turning to me to explain. â€Å"Emmett and I were away hunting. Jasper shows up, covered in battle scars, towing this little freak† – he nudged Alice playfully – â€Å"who greets them all by name, knows everything about them, and wants to know which room she can move into.† Alice and Jasper laughed in harmony, soprano and bass. â€Å"When I got home, all my things were in the garage,† Edward continued. Alice shrugged. â€Å"Your room had the best view.† They all laughed together now. â€Å"That's a nice story,† I said. Three pairs of eyes questioned my sanity. â€Å"I mean the last part,† I defended myself. â€Å"The happy ending with Alice.† â€Å"Alice has made all the difference,† Jasper agreed. â€Å"This is a climate I enjoy.† But the momentary pause in the stress couldn't last. â€Å"An army,† Alice whispered. â€Å"Why didn't you tell me?† The others were intent again, their eyes locked on Jasper's face. â€Å"I thought I must be interpreting the signs incorrectly. Because where is the motive? Why would someone create an army in Seattle? There is no history there, no vendetta. It makes no sense from a conquest standpoint, either; no one claims it. Nomads pass through, but there's no one to fight for it. No one to defend it from. â€Å"But I've seen this before, and there's no other explanation. There is an army of newborn vampires in Seattle. Fewer than twenty, I'd guess. The difficult part is that they are totally untrained. Whoever made them just set them loose. It will only get worse, and it won't be much longer till the Volturi step in. Actually, I'm surprised they've let this go on so long.† â€Å"What can we do?† Carlisle asked. â€Å"If we want to avoid the Volturi's involvement, we will have to destroy the newborns, and we will have to do it very soon.† Jasper's face was hard. Knowing his story now, I could guess how this evaluation must disturb him. â€Å"I can teach you how. It won't be easy in the city. The young ones aren't concerned about secrecy, but we will have to be. It will limit us in ways that they are not. Maybe we can lure them out.† â€Å"Maybe we won't have to.† Edward's voice was bleak. â€Å"Does it occur to anyone else that the only possible threat in the area that would call for the creation of an army is . . . us?† Jasper's eyes narrowed; Carlisle's widened, shocked. â€Å"Tanya's family is also near,† Esme said slowly, unwilling to accept Edward's words. â€Å"The newborns aren't ravaging Anchorage, Esme. I think we have to consider the idea that we are the targets.† â€Å"They're not coming after us,† Alice insisted, and then paused. â€Å"Or . . . they don't know that they are. Not yet.† â€Å"What is that?† Edward asked, curious and tense. â€Å"What are you remembering?† â€Å"Flickers,† Alice said. â€Å"I can't see a clear picture when I try to see what's going on, nothing concrete. But I've been getting these strange flashes. Not enough to make sense of. It's as if someone's changing their mind, moving from one course of action to another so quickly that I can't get a good view. . . .† â€Å"Indecision?† Jasper asked in disbelief. â€Å"I don't know. . . .† â€Å"Not indecision,† Edward growled. â€Å"Knowledge. Someone who knows you can't see anything until the decision is made. Someone who is hiding from us. Playing with the holes in your vision.† â€Å"Who would know that?† Alice whispered. Edward's eyes were hard as ice. â€Å"Aro knows you as well as you know yourself.† â€Å"But I would see if they'd decided to come. . . .† â€Å"Unless they didn't want to get their hands dirty.† â€Å"A favor,† Rosalie suggested, speaking for the first time. â€Å"Someone in the South . . . someone who already had trouble with the rules. Someone who should have been destroyed is offered a second chance – if they take care of this one small problem. . . . That would explain the Volturi's sluggish response.† â€Å"Why?† Carlisle asked, still shocked. â€Å"There's no reason for the Volturi -â€Å" â€Å"It was there,† Edward disagreed quietly. â€Å"I'm surprised it's come to this so soon, because the other thoughts were stronger. In Aro's head he saw me at his one side and Alice at his other. The present and the future, virtual omniscience. The power of the idea intoxicated him. I would have thought it would take him much longer to give up on that plan – he wanted it too much. But there was also the thought of you, Carlisle, of our family, growing stronger and larger. The jealousy and the fear: you having . . . not more than he had, but still, things that he wanted. He tried not to think about it, but he couldn't hide it completely. The idea of rooting out the competition was there; besides their own, ours is the largest coven they've ever found. . . .† I stared at his face in horror. He'd never told me this, but I guessed I knew why. I could see it in my head now, Aro's dream. Edward and Alice in black, flowing robes, drifting along at Aro's side with their eyes cold and blood-red. . . . Carlisle interrupted my waking nightmare. â€Å"They're too committed to their mission. They would never break the rules themselves. It goes against everything they've worked for.† â€Å"They'll clean up afterward. A double betrayal,† Edward said in a grim voice. â€Å"No harm done.† Jasper leaned forward, shaking his head. â€Å"No, Carlisle is right. The Volturi do not break rules. Besides, it's much too sloppy. This . . . person, this threat – they have no idea what they're doing. A first-timer, I'd swear to it. I cannot believe the Volturi are involved. But they will be.† They all stared at each other, frozen with stress. â€Å"Then let's go,† Emmett almost roared. â€Å"What are we waiting for?† Carlisle and Edward exchanged a long glance. Edward nodded once. â€Å"We'll need you to teach us, Jasper,† Carlisle finally said. â€Å"How to destroy them.† Carlisle's jaw was hard, but I could see the pain in his eyes as he said the words. No one hated violence more than Carlisle. There was something bothering me, and I couldn't put my finger on it. I was numb, horrified, deathly afraid. And yet, under that, I could feel that I was missing something important. Something that would make some sense out of the chaos. That would explain it. â€Å"We're going to need help,† Jasper said. â€Å"Do you think Tanya's family would be willing . . . ? Another five mature vampires would make an enormous difference. And then Kate and Eleazar would be especially advantageous on our side. It would be almost easy, with their aid.† â€Å"We'll ask,† Carlisle answered. Jasper held out a cell phone. â€Å"We need to hurry.† I'd never seen Carlisle's innate calm so shaken. He took the phone, and paced toward the windows. He dialed a number, held the phone to his ear, and laid the other hand against the glass. He stared out into the foggy morning with a pained and ambivalent expression. Edward took my hand and pulled me to the white loveseat. I sat beside him, staring at his face while he stared at Carlisle. Carlisle's voice was low and quick, difficult to hear. I heard him greet Tanya, and then he raced through the situation too fast for me to understand much, though I could tell that the Alaskan vampires were not ignorant of what was going on in Seattle. Then something changed in Carlisle's voice. â€Å"Oh,† he said, his voice sharper in surprise. â€Å"We didn't realize . . . that Irina felt that way.† Edward groaned at my side and closed his eyes. â€Å"Damn it. Damn Laurent to the deepest pit of hell where he belongs.† â€Å"Laurent?† I whispered, the blood emptying from my face, but Edward didn't respond, focused on Carlisle's thoughts. My short encounter with Laurent early this spring was not something that had faded or dimmed in my mind. I still remembered every word he'd said before Jacob and his pack had interrupted. I actually came here as a favor to her. . . . Victoria. Laurent had been her first maneuver – she'd sent him to observe, to see how hard it might be to get to me. He hadn't survived the wolves to report back. Though he'd kept up his old ties with Victoria after James's death, he'd also formed new ties and new relationships. He'd gone to live with Tanya's family in Alaska – Tanya the strawberry blonde – the closest friends the Cullens had in the vampire world, practically extended family. Laurent had been with them for almost a year previous to his death. Carlisle was still talking, his voice not quite pleading. Persuasive, but with an edge. Then the edge abruptly won out over the persuasion. â€Å"There's no question of that,† Carlisle said in a stern voice. â€Å"We have a truce. They haven't broken it, and neither will we. I'm sorry to hear that. . . . Of course. We'll just have to do our best alone.† Carlisle shut the phone without waiting for an answer. He continued to stare out into the fog. â€Å"What's the problem?† Emmett murmured to Edward. â€Å"Irina was more involved with our friend Laurent than we knew. She's holding a grudge against the wolves for destroying him to save Bella. She wants -† He paused, looking down at me. â€Å"Go on,† I said as evenly as I could. His eyes tightened. â€Å"She wants revenge. To take down the pack. They would trade their help for our permission.† â€Å"No!† I gasped. â€Å"Don't worry,† he told me in a flat voice. â€Å"Carlisle would never agree to it.† He hesitated, then sighed. â€Å"Nor would I. Laurent had it coming† – this was almost a growl – â€Å"and I still owe the wolves for that.† â€Å"This isn't good,† Jasper said. â€Å"It's too even a fight. We'd have the upper hand in skill, but not numbers. We'd win, but at what price?† His tense eyes flashed to Alice's face and away. I wanted to scream out loud as I grasped what Jasper meant. We would win, but we would lose. Some wouldn't survive. I looked around the room at their faces – Jasper, Alice, Emmett, Rose, Esme, Carlisle . . . Edward – the faces of my family.