A Marketing Strategy for Nestles Milo Essay example -- Business Mana

A Marketing Strategy for Nestles MiloOverviewIn this abbreviated I am going to discuss the key features of my marketingmix and create my marketing strategy by using the information attainedfrom my attire analysis, PEST analysis and a Competitive Audit. I amgoing to choose an area of the overlap (Nestles Milo) that I feel needsimproving and emend it. To achieve this Im going to use the fourPs to meet the objectives of Nestle and the needs of customers.I have chosen to cleanse the packaging (the crop factor of themarketing mix) because I believe that it is inadequate in quality andit is the area that could give Milo that competitive moulding. Also if Imgoing to promote it in the UK through advertisements and promotionalactivity it appearance should be at its optimum.The Marketing MixAll businesses need a marketing mix to achieve its marketingobjectives. The marketing mix refers to the factors known as the fourPs* Product* Place* Price* furtheranceIn marketing, product refers t o both goods and service. Goods arephysical objects, such as sports clothing, home entertainmentequipment or food and drink. Services involve a combine of skills,information or entertainment, such as football match, use of aswimming pool or a theatre production. There are tether criticalfactors to consider when developing a product* Product characteristics* Position of the product within the product life cycle* Brand image of the productWithout one of these three factors the product will not sell to itspotential. Product characteristics like the brand are very essentialwhen developing a product. mark is the process that gives aproduct or service a distinctive identity with the aim of creating aunique image that will make it substantially identifiable and separate fromits competitors. For example, in blind tests 51 per cent of peopleprefer Pepsi. However, when customers can see the brand that they aredrinking, 65 per cent joint that they prefer Coca-Cola. What these 65per cent o f people are in fact saying is that they prefer the brandrepresented by the Coca-Cola image rather than the product itself.Place involves the location and availability of a product or serviceand the method by which it is distributed to consumers. If a productor service is not brotherly to potential customers, then no matterhow well it has been priced and promot... ... be anadvantage to Milo because as stated in my SWOT analysis Sponsorshipthrough unclouded events shows that Milo has an opportunity to expand.I would (again) like to promote the product Milo in the UK because itis stated in my SWOT analysis that Promotion hasnt been make in theUK and as a result of this competitors should have a competitive edgeover Milo. Also stated in my Competitive Audit presently no promotionin the UK suggests that product awareness is minimal. The onlypromotion available to the UK on Milo is websites Websites promotionis available to the UK as stated in my Competitive Audit. This maynot help the sale of Milo as it does not state in my CompetitiveAudit. This may not help the gross revenue of Milo as it does not state wherepeople may be able to purchase the product. An opportunity that maysave money for Milo is by using advertising methods from Australia asMilo have Good sponsorship and adverts in Australia as stated in theCompetitive Audit. A disadvantage of this is that the UK populationmay prefer a different kind of promotion to those of Australia henceif promotion is not done correctly competitors will gain a competitiveedge over Milo.

One Students Observations of an Online Community Essay -- Sell Websit

One Students Observations of an Online Community An online community is a issue where individual users with coarse recreate come together to build relationships with similar people. Recently I was looking by means of the Yahoo and MSN websites, searching for an interesting community to join. Unfortunately, all of the capacity boards I was interested in had been inactive for over a year. Online communities must involve growing relationships among active users. Many people believe that online communities are a waste of time and are destroying our current society. Howard Rheingold, an author, argues a nonher point of view (92). Rheingold states that a virtual community is an online group in which relationships are developed through interaction. He also says that virtual communities are an advance in the uprising technological world. Virtual communities bring people of different backgrounds and locations together through a common interest (Rheingold 93). Rheingold sh ares with his audience stories of young parents rallying together while their infants are in critical condition. This exemplifies that online relationships are important to many people. Rheingold argues that although we may not experience face to face interaction with fellow online users, it does not keep us from developing a sound and structured society. It may not be traditional, but online communities are societies that are here to stay. The relationships developed through online communities will remain only if users post frequently and take a genuine interest in other users posts (Rheingold 92-97). In an attempt to find a community to join and a group of people I could form growing relationships with I logged on to many diff... ...own at collegehumor.com, growing relationships are almost guaranteed. This website has brought me to a group of people who I enjoy interacting with. Although I have not been qualified to fully integrate into their community, I am hoping t hat with time, I will be considered a senior myself. This message board community is a great place to sit back, relax, and let the laughter come. Works Cited CollegeHumor.com. Homepage. 28 Oct. 2002. <http//www.collegehumor.com/bbs/ God damn headaches. 1 Posting. Online Posting. 30 Sept. 2002. 7 Oct. 2002 http//www.collegehumor.com/bbs/ God damn headaches. 6 Posting. Online Posting. 30 Sept. 2002. 7 Oct. 2002. http//www.collegehumor.com/bbs/ Rheingold, Howard. The Virtual Community. The Wired Society. Ed. Carol Lea Clark. New York Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1999. 92-97.

The Power And The Glory :: essays research papers

The Power and Glory writing assignmentThe spirit is willing but the sort is weak.(Matthew 2641) These talking to of Jesus are thematic in both the novel, The Power and the Glory, by Graham Greene, and the poem, Batter my heart, three-personed God, by lavatory Donne. Both the whiskey non-Christian non-Christian non-Christian priest and the speaker of the poem are involved in a battle between their sinful flesh and their spirit, which seeks the Divine. They overly fill their sin and commit themselves to God. In both the novel and the poem, the authors use similar paradoxes to describe the acknowledgments relationship with God eon the search for godliness takes each on a different path. The speaker and the whiskey priest describe themselves as sinners, yielding to temptation. The speaker of the poem says, exactly I am betrothed unto your enemy(ln.10), covering the speaker is subdued by the devil. The priest, a drunkard with a child, thinks of himself as a transgressor and a di sgrace to the Church. While in the prison, the priest says to the pious woman, But Im a bad priestI know from experience-how much beauty Satan carried down with him when he fell.(p.130) When he is arrested the priest says to a soldier, You mustnt think they are like meIts just that Im a bad priest.(p.191). In accessory to recognizing their betrayal of God, they believe that a sacred life is the ultimate victory. The speaker confesses, Yet dearly I love you and would be loved fain.(ln.9) The priest also desires to love God supra all, He knew now at the end there was only one thing that counted to be a saint.(p.210) However, each character pursues the Divine in a different way. Even though the whiskey priest perceives himself as a sinner, his way of life resembles the good of the Holy Spirit. The priest resembles Jesus in umteen places in the novel. The prison scene is very much like the Last Supper, when Jesus said to his apostles that one of them would betray him. The priest thin ks, Surely one of these mass will betray me first.(p.128) He also cleans the pails of the cells in the prison just as Jesus washes the apostles feet. The night before he is executed the priest prays exclusively as Jesus did in the garden. The priest embarks on a mission to keep his religion alive in Mexico while helping the individuals he meets, and he finally dies because of his faith and sense of duty.The Power And The Glory essays research papersThe Power and Glory writing assignmentThe spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.(Matthew 2641) These words of Jesus are thematic in both the novel, The Power and the Glory, by Graham Greene, and the poem, Batter my heart, three-personed God, by John Donne. Both the whiskey priest and the speaker of the poem are involved in a battle between their sinful flesh and their spirit, which seeks the Divine. They also admit their sin and commit themselves to God. In both the novel and the poem, the authors use similar paradoxes to describe the characters relationship with God while the search for holiness takes each on a different path. The speaker and the whiskey priest describe themselves as sinners, yielding to temptation. The speaker of the poem says, But I am betrothed unto your enemy(ln.10), showing the speaker is subdued by the devil. The priest, a drunkard with a child, thinks of himself as a transgressor and a disgrace to the Church. While in the prison, the priest says to the pious woman, But Im a bad priestI know from experience-how much beauty Satan carried down with him when he fell.(p.130) When he is arrested the priest says to a soldier, You mustnt think they are like meIts just that Im a bad priest.(p.191). In addition to recognizing their betrayal of God, they believe that a sacred life is the ultimate victory. The speaker confesses, Yet dearly I love you and would be loved fain.(ln.9) The priest also desires to love God above all, He knew now at the end there was only one thing that counted to be a saint.(p.210) However, each character pursues the Divine in a different way. Even though the whiskey priest perceives himself as a sinner, his way of life resembles the good of the Holy Spirit. The priest resembles Jesus in many places in the novel. The prison scene is very much like the Last Supper, when Jesus said to his apostles that one of them would betray him. The priest thinks, Surely one of these people will betray me first.(p.128) He also cleans the pails of the cells in the prison just as Jesus washes the apostles feet. The night before he is executed the priest prays alone as Jesus did in the garden. The priest embarks on a mission to keep his religion alive in Mexico while helping the individuals he meets, and he finally dies because of his faith and sense of duty.

Intrinsic Motivation Essay -- essays papers

Intrinsic Motivation abouttimes a scholar can be fascinated in a composition and argon eager to learn more without outside influence or help. This kind of a situation is when there exists a large amount of intrinsic incentive to motivate a child. It is when a student enjoys an aspect of an activity enough to be prompt within. An intrinsic incentive could arise in any subject of interest such as dinosaurs, famous people, or far off places. However, topics that are learned in schools today do not arouse children since they make the information useless in their everyday lives (Slavin, 2000). The role of personal interest is crucial in a learning situation. It has been proven that a child who is per se motivated tend to make use of strategies that require a larger amount of effort and that allow them to develop more intensely. They prefer tasks of higher levels than an extrinsically motivated child (Lumsden, 1994). Internal motivation is longer lasting that external motivat ion. When students achieve a feeling of satisfaction, learning occurs more successfully (HCC Intranet, 2001). In order to break students are intrinsically motivated, teachers must use certain strategies to encourage this type of learning. Praise One of the ways to engage children in intrinsic motivation is by praising the students for the efforts they make in the classroom and encouraging more positive learning. It is important to praise a child for small improvements along with large improvements. Some educators with high expectations forget to commend their students along the way as they progressively achieve the desired goal (Palardy, 1997). Praise does not necessarily mean discernible rewards. It is more of a pat on the back, a positive ... ... learn. ERIC Digest, 92. Retrieved November 5, 2001 from http//www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content2/Student_Motivation.htm.-The article talks about what influences student motivation and the advantages of it. It offers intrinsic ideas to help develop student motivation. Also explains why children are unmotivated. Cooper, H. (2001, April). Homework for all-in moderation. Educational Leadershiip, 58,pp. 34-38.-Explains the advantages and disadvantages of homework, and if it works. This relates to motivation. Teachers use homework at times to motivate their students. Palardy, J. (1997, March). 15 strategies for motivating students. NAESP. Retrieved November 2, 2001 from http//www.naesp.org/comm/p0397b.htm.-Lists fifteen strageties to use in a classroom to help motivate children. After each suggestion, a detailed description is given.

steroids :: essays research papers

Twenty years ago, when I was a competing professional athlete, I spoke humanityly of the frustration of feeling pressured to use anabolic steroids. I felt pressured to compete in an environment where I and many others believed there was an unbridled problem. I mentioned the prevalence of use in adolescents and commented on the development advantage using these drugs gave competitors. At that time, NFL management denied the extent of the problem and little was done. The NFL, to its credit, in 1987 started its non-punitive testing program and proclaimed it was considering random testing. In 1988, in a Sports Illustrated commentary, I predicted the failure of random testing, citing obvious loopholes, and questioned the overall concern of the fans. I solicited the ire of some in the sports media when I suggested medical supervision as an utility(a) to faulty drug testing. However, you cant monitor a drug problem medically that society wants to pretend doesnt exist. Another issue I wa nted to bring ahead was urging people to keep the health effects of these drugs in perspective, as well as the sports worlds tendency to define this as primarily a public relations issue. I still wonder why some of the reporting of my situation either ignored or minimized some of my known modus vivendi heart risk factors (alcohol abuse, for example) in preference to highlighting steroids. Happily, the severity of my health issues and my former addictions are a thing of the past. In the wake of the BALCO scandal and the revelations in Major League baseball, do any of these issues ring familiar? None of the BALCO athletes (clients of the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative) have ever flunked a drug test. Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig is citing drops in numbers of positive tests in "announced" testing as reasons for optimism. After 20 years of researching this issue, I have earned my pessimism. Has he earned his optimism? For those paying attention at all, the BALCO investigatio n has reinforced the reality that athletes are using undetectable drugs. Perhaps the optimism in testing is because there is no plan B and Selig is tired of the drug allegations. In 1989, the NFL initiated random testing. This was a smart move for two reasons. First, it showed media and the public that they implemented the strongest policy that technology and the police force would allow. Second, it was prior to impending legislation (the 1990 Steroid Anti-Trafficking Act) that re-classified anabolic steroids under Schedule III of the Controlled Substance Act.

steroids :: essays research papers

Twenty years ago, when I was a competing professional athlete, I spoke publicly of the frustration of feeling pressured to use anabolic steroids. I matte up pressured to compete in an environment where I and many others believed there was an unbridled problem. I mentioned the prevalence of use in adolescents and commented on the training advantage utilise these do drugss gave competitors. At that time, NFL management denied the extent of the problem and little was done. The NFL, to its credit, in 1987 started its non-punitive testing program and proclaimed it was considering random testing. In 1988, in a Sports Illustrated commentary, I predicted the hardship of random testing, citing obvious loopholes, and questioned the overall concern of the fans. I solicited the ire of some in the sports media when I suggested medical supervision as an alternative to faulty drug testing. However, you cant monitor a drug problem medically that society wants to pretend doesnt exist. Another iss ue I wanted to bring forward was urging pack to keep the health effects of these drugs in perspective, as well as the sports worlds tendency to define this as primarily a public relations issue. I still wonder why some of the reporting of my situation either ignored or minimized some of my known lifestyle heart luck factors (alcohol abuse, for example) in preference to highlighting steroids. Happily, the severity of my health issues and my former addictions are a thing of the past. In the wake of the BALCO scandal and the revelations in Major group discussion Baseball, do any of these issues ring familiar? None of the BALCO athletes (clients of the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative) have ever flunked a drug test. Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig is citing drops in numbers of positive tests in "announced" testing as reasons for optimism. After 20 years of researching this issue, I have earned my pessimism. Has he earned his optimism? For those compensable attention at all, the BALCO investigation has reinforced the reality that athletes are using undetectable drugs. Perhaps the optimism in testing is because there is no plan B and Selig is tired of the drug allegations. In 1989, the NFL initiated random testing. This was a smart move for two reasons. First, it showed media and the public that they implemented the strongest policy that technology and the law would allow. Second, it was prior to impend legislation (the 1990 Steroid Anti-Trafficking Act) that re-classified anabolic steroids under Schedule III of the Controlled Substance Act.

Organizational Development †Executing Change in a Hostile Environment Essay

IntroductionIf we analyzed therefore we come to know that the pace and degree of channelize in the new-made melt downing milieu over the past decade contribute been enormously high, and they show no signs of slowing down. Every stratum, latest ch each(prenominal)enges and threats to Americas subject safety appear from all corners of the earth. In response to these transports, m any(prenominal) fundamental laws leadershiphip unveiled the companys Vision by the con interpretation Campaign Plan. Today, the faces transfigureation attempt has produced a minute of temporary successes. It has also conventional a good deal of cen for sure, both from in positioning and exterior the deplumate (Dennis L. Johnson, 2004).Transformation, by its extremely nature, is a multifaceted procedure. Simply defining the phrase presents a challenge. What, precisely, throw away to diverge for alteration to father place? How a enormous deal transform is enough to meet the criteria? Does the qualify have to be long long-lasting and, if, so, how long is long sufficient? And how can these deliberations argon clean-livingly conversation to members of the formation to create a common deducting of what transformation is? While each of those questions lends itself to supplementary research and thought, for the purposes of this paper transformation is defined as a set of lasting primary(prenominal) changes in side an organization implemented by organizational leaders in enact to modify not only the focal point the organization does commerce, but the way people inside the organization believe and act in contracting out their roles as a member of the organization (Pollitt 1993).Reorganizations are magnificent for creating the delusion of growth as ensuring that nothing essentially changes. It is an motion to get just close tothing for nothing a feeling of the enjoyment of growth with no having to go through any of the pain connected with real change. Reorgani zations are so substantially connected by manner of organizational change that those charged with such(prenominal) changes are tempted to achieve for the organization chart fore intimately thing. In fact, reorganization is almost certain(a)ly the last step in any change procedure, a step taken to harden changes preliminaryly in placeIt is far much effectual to eschew aggressive the organization chart and instead puzzle by formative what motivatings to be d unrivaled to expand real change in organizations. Moreover, you can get any change procedure score to a good create by assembling a group of people who desire to change, having them reveal how the change is good for the organization, and then working to have this change adopted during the organization. We call this the Quaker approach to organizational change. The victorious movement to expand project dischargeices will ultimately lead to essential change in organization practices. As with any essential change procedure, those in the precursor the people implementing the offices will frequently feel like missionaries introducing new practices into a hostile environment. Early missionaries found it hard to get further people to change their ways, and a few of them suffered tremendously from the wrath of people they were trying to change. Legends show us how quiet, no threatening Quakers originate an improved way.Work teams symbolize a leap forward in joint potential for numerous organizations. The paradox is that mainly teams blend mainly since they survive in neither what can be termed a hostile environment an environment that neither demands nor authorize association. publications ReviewThroughout the past twenty-five years, organizational change both inside the military and in private industry has been the subject of countless(prenominal) speeches, articles, and books. inclined the technological, economic, military threat and additional changes repairing on organizations today, transformati on will certainly be a such(prenominal)-studied topic for years to come. This research sought to decide the conditional relation of an exact business alter bewilder to the transformation of the United States army. In determining this significance, literature was collected and grouped into three general areas organizational transform and leadership theory, historical case studies of past the States transform efforts, and present Army transformation challenges. This literature review deals by means of sources in each of these three areas in beau monde to set up a common baseline for further discussion on the research questions and analysis of the resulting instruction.Organizational change and Leadership TheoryNo doubt, organizational change, transformation, leadership, and management have become tremendously popular subjects of study inside the business community as business executives, scholars, and theorists attempt to come to terms with the ever-increasing and challenging d emands of todays profitable world. Many experts work, Leadership, dealt chiefly by means of leadership at the political- strategical level, but is apt(p) to transformation in the sense that experts sought to show that leadership is not anything if not associated to collective purpose . . . leaders must be judged . . . by material social change . . . (MacGregor 1978, 3). The 1990s saw the publication of innumerable works on managerial change, transformation, leadership, and management in response to changing technologies and the worldwide economy, and their impact on businesses. The enormous bulk of these writings, though, were rasetually seen inside business and academic circles as flavor of the month solutions, stressing new but unverified management techniques that disappointed to last.Perhaps as a result of both this direction on management (rather than leadership) and various educational differences flanked by the business world and the military, much less has been written c oncerning the actual procedure of transformation and organizational transform inside the United States Army. This deprivation of literature on applying transform theory to Army transformation is to approximately extent surprising, snuff itn the fact that this organization has undergone, and continues to experience, as much or more modify as its counterparts in the business world. At the same clock, though, it is precisely this lack of inditeed literature that highlights the need for more. It may also have been this lack of literature that led retired General Gordon R. Sullivan in 1996 to publish his book Hope is Not a Method.No doubt, having just retired as CSA, Sullivan touched upon precedent Army transformations all through his book, but focused first and foremost on the period among 1991 and 1995, and wrote from the viewpoint of what modern business leaders could learn from the Armys transform initiatives.That similar year, famous Harvard Business train professor John P. Kotter published Leading switch. Writing from knowledge, having individually observed and studied dozens of main corporations over a twenty-year period, Kotters work was advanced away highly praised in both the educational and business communities, staying close to the peak of Business Weeks smash hit for months. Since its periodical, Kotters cranch has also entered the Army organization as recommended reading for leaders, and is now in corporald as part of the set of courses at the Services premier informative institutions the Command.Kotters Leading ChangeKotter opens Leading Change by means of the now-common declaration that the amount of classic change faced by organizations grew extremely passim the previous two decades, and that this upward trend would only increase in the predictable future. As acknowledging that a hardly any businesses had undertaken changes and materialize improved nimble for the future, far too lots of others had failed to attain success in their tr ansformation efforts. Kotter lists eight ordinary errors that time later(prenominal) time helped derail change initiatives, then turns those mistakes approximately and provides an eight-stage procedure for leading organizations during winning transformations.Kotter defines his eight stages asEstablishing a logic of importance identifying and removing (or at least minimizing) sources of satisfaction inside the organization, taking proceeds of (or even creating) a disaster to catch peoples notice, and providing enough independence for those mid- and lower-level managers who are so significant to the change procedure.Creating the guiding coalition structure an excellence team of people who trust every other and who, focused on the similar objective, can expand enhanced ideas and make improved decisions more professionally and rapidly than a single person.Developing a visualization and policy labeling reverie as a central part of all great leadership, Kotter enounces that a high-q uality romance provides an conceivable picture of the prospect and has three significant purposes clarifying the universal way for change, motivating people to take deed in that right course, and helping organize the actions of dissimilar people, aligning them in the right direction. Associated plan provides the logic and a first level of detail to show how a vision can be accomplished (Kotter 1996, 75).Communicating the transform vision generate and incessantly stating, using a diversity of forums and media, a without fail clear change message in order to offer staff office with an ordinary understanding of the transformations goals and way. Kotter believes this phase is between the hardest to get right because of the spare scale of related rational questions that must be answered and the moving ties to the status quo that must be severed mutually by the guiding coalition and those personnel the coalition is working to convince. Particularly throughout this stage, excellence lis tening and leading by instance are just as significant as in reality talking concerning the message.Empowering employees for broad-based deed removing barriers (Kotter focuses on four structures, skills, systems, and supervisors) to put into practice the alter vision so that a wide base of people inside the organization can take action toward the transformation objective.Generating short-term wins providing extremely evident, unmistakable proof that sacrifices involved by the transformation are value it, in order to build impetus, undermine cynics, keep bosses on board, and repayment change agents early.Consolidating gains and produce more change maintaining the impetus and gains made throughout the first six stages, sustaining the news program of importance regarding transformation, and using augmented leader reliability to alter every system, process, and policy that fails to fit together with others inside the overall transformation vision.Anchoring original approaches in the civilization grafting new practices onto the old cultural roots of the organization while killing off the inconsistent pieces (Kotter 1996, 151). Contrary to the usually conventional modelling of change norms and values first everything else will follow, Kotter believes that altering an organizational civilization rightfully comes last not first in the procedure, and is only come-at-able after a lot of talk and hard work, as well as optimistic results which show people that the transformation approaches really labor and are neglect away than the old way.Fundamental these eight-stage models are two key basics first, that the series of stages is relatively significant and unchanging second, that leadership (as opposed to management) is the most solemn feature of the modify effort.Additional Organizational Change TheoryAny transformation or main organizational transform usually begins by means of a leaders understanding that there is in reality a need for alter. This understandin g may be outwardly driven, as in period of war, or it may be the consequence of the leaders appraisal of the organization and the environment in which it operates. Many experts describe this feature of change theory as a key part of the first of what she sees as five states in which businesses operate throughout a alter movement stagnation, preparation, completion, determination, and completion. These realizations concerning the need for change have to come from some(a)one in a position of authority, and must lead to a powerful demand for alter in order to set the procedure in motion.Organizational Transformation and Hostile EnvironmentLets take a quick tour of hostile environment in organization. No doubt. From our early twenty-first-century vantage point, there is abundant proof that women in the military face a hostile office environment. The military or any organization is both a place of work and a literary institution. As many men and women work helpfully in military settings, the institutional culture of the military has been beached in supporting maleness and in defining women as the feminine other, in af stronging men as the Protectors and women as the secluded. Linda shucks Francke defines military culture as driven by collection dynamic centered approximately male perceptions and sensibilities, male psychology and power, male anxieties and the confirmation of masculinity. (Michael H. Schuster, 2006, PP. 45)Historically, as Cynthia Enloe be reminiscent us, force strategists have tried to use women for military purposes only in those ways that will not unsettle the militarys masculinized status. (Druckman, D., 1997) Moreover, as womanly workers in the typically male military, women have frequently met a hostile workplace environment. No doubt, feminist legal philosopher Vicki Schultz suggests that such workplace favoritism based on sex has the form and function of denigrating womens competence for the purpose of keeping them away from male-dominate d jobs or incorporating them as inferior, less capable workers. (Patricia A. Mclagan, 2002, PP. 26)Over the route of this charge for rank, military nurses themselves added a latest measurement to the discussion. A lot of them saw military rank as a tool to stop the hostile working environments they knowledgeable in period of war nursing. Nurses were in the midst of the lots of women workers who experienced surplus intimate advances and a hostile environment from male coworkers and manager before the war and military service in remote units far from hold up networks and with only some constraints on the power of male officers meant that nurses practiced a heightened susceptibility to methodical workplace hostility throughout wartime. The answer, for lots of nurses, was the attainment of military rank as a way to make sure a safe place of work for women nurses in wartime and beyond.To some extent, the intimate desire-dominance example represented growth. It was significant for courts to be familiar with that gender favoritism can take the form of sexual proposition. But the example also foreshadows problems. By highlight sexual abuse, the paradigm endanger to eclipse other, evenly damaging forms of gender-based antagonism. Disaggregation incomprehensible a full view of the conditions of the place of work and makes together the hostile work environment and dissimilar interposition claims look trivial. When detached from a larger pattern of biased conduct, sexual advances or mockery can appear inadequately severe or broad to be actionable.By the similar token, when detached from sexual overtures, companionable forms of harassment may come into view to be gender-neutral hazing that has nothing to do by the victims womanhood. Certainly, when women are deprived of the prepare or hold up to do well on the job, they can easily be made to come into view (or even become) less than fully capable at their jobs. This lack of ability then becomes the good reason for the very maltreatment that has destabilized their cognitive operation (Vicki Schultz, 1998, PP. 1683-1805).The courts customary breakdown to understand the scale of womens masculinity troubles at work, in fact, has only been make worse by the prevailing paradigms importance on sexual forms of harassment. Singling out sexual advances as the spirit of workplace harassment has allowable courts to feel enlightened concerning protecting women from sexual infringement, as at the similar time relieving judges of the blame to redress other, broader gender-based evils in the workplace. It is not sufficient to focus on the damage to women as sexual beings the law has to also address womens systematic difficulty and make easy womens equal empowerment as original, committed workers. We need an account of hostile work environment testy that highlights its lively relationship to better forms of gender pecking order at work.Moreover, in England, individual capitalism slowly gave way to decision-mak ing capitalism. One indication of this development was the breakout to a multidivisional organizational form. Here, decision-making power was comprehensive to company divisions, which even although they were controlled and synchronized by headquarters were distinct on harvest or local lines. such a system made business governance by a person or a family virtually not possible. Lets take an example of the American consult firm McKinsey & Company played an important role in this organizational transformation.As a scientific matter, it may be probable to square the Tenth Circuits psychoanalysis in Ramsey with its previous acceptance of the McKinney rule in Hicks. No doubt, the Ramsey view suggests that the plaintiff may have failed to plead the companionable incidents as part of her pestering claim. Thus, the court did not specifically rule, opposing to Hicks and McKinney those incidents could not count toward set up a hostile work environment. However, there is nothing that would h ave banned the court of appeals from bearing in mind the nonsexual conduct for purposes of appreciate the hostile work environment claim on appeal or at least straight the trial court to do as a result on remand. At a smallest amount, it seems clear that the directors biased comments should have been careful proof of a hostile work environment.More lately, a number of additional courts of appeals have begun to weaken McKinney as purporting to follow it from side to side a new way. These courts of petition (and district courts in these routes) cite McKinney arbitraryly for the proposal that nonsexual behavior may be incorporated in a hostile work environment claim. Casually, though, these courts carry on to single out sexual go forward and other sexually open actions as the real harassment, concluding that the companionable pestering did not occur because of the plaintiffs sex.Thus, in adding up to the harshness or occurrence element, causation has become a key constituent on which plaintiffs lose hostile labor environment claims. Also, some cases apply a sharp causation standard Rather than requiring plaintiffs to show easy but for causation that the pestering happens because of sexsome courts demand a presentation that the pestering was motivated by gender animus. (Franco Amatori, 1999, PP 78) Though proof of nonsexual bad behavior sometimes meets the causation hurdleparticularly, behavior that on its face reveals a disparaging approach toward women on the jobother nonsexual conduct of the kind that is so usually directed at women by their male coworkers fails to list as gender-based.Motivation for Change in Development Strategies If you asked this executive to name the single most important factor in change, he would undoubtedly give you the same answer as most managers people. Business books, seminars, and workshops all reinforce the same message today. Whether youre rightsizing, restructuring, reengineering, or retooling, you must focus on the people sid e of change. Without the support and participation of a highly motivated workforce, organizational change is simply much too difficult to carry out successfully.Yet despite the widespread acceptance of this management precept, people problems tranquilize abound whenever organizations undertake change. Studies show conclusively, for example, that any time a restructuring is announced, overthrow increases, on-the-job accidents rise, mistakes and errors multiply, and absenteeism skyrockets. No matter how well managers explain the business imperatives behind change, or how much effort they invest in formulating a new vision and communicating new corporate objectives, people react to change in negative ways and often resist it. stock-still when organizations are able to efficaciously mobilize their people in the early stages of a change effort, its not uncommon for people problems to surface somewhere down the road. In a recent guide to reengineering, for example, the consultants who authored the book describe a common syndrome that they call the Terrible Twos. After an initial period of improvement that may last up to two years, they say, death penalty indicators in organizations that reengineer often show movement in the opposite direction morale slumps, turnover goes up, and productivity and quality gains disappear. In some cases, these organizations actually end up worse off than they started because they lose many of the people in whose retraining they invested so much.If the managers who lead change are really focusing on their people, why does this happen? Why do people problems consistently undermine the effectiveness of change efforts? There are two possible explanations. One is that managers pay lip service to the people side of change but in reality ignores it. This may be the case in organizations where managers lack the skills or inclination to deal with difficult people problems. In these companies, managers concentrate on the aspects of change t hat they feel most competent to handle namely structural, technical, or strategic change issues while sidestepping people problems or delegating them downward, thereby forever establishing them as a lower management priority.Though the number of these managers may be considerable, there are also plenty of managers who do focus on the people side of change and still experience motivation and performance problems. What are they doing wrong? Though many of them work proactively to prevent people problems during change, what they do in most cases is insufficient to deal with the motivation and performance problems that change can cause (Daniel Denison, 2001, PP 37).Additional training, increased confabulation, and greater participation are a few of the standard approaches that are used to manage the people side of change. But while these strategies may be beneficial in helping people adjust to new work environments (and may even send the pleasing message that managers are concerned ab out their people), they fail to address the one aspect of change that is consistently overlooked how people react to change ruttishly. And it is the emotions of change that are the key to motivation and performance whenever organizations attempt to change.How Emotions Impact ChangeOrganizational change is not just about work processes, information systems, corporate structures, or business strategies. Its also about what people feel and believe their fears and anxieties, their dreams and ambitions, their hopes and expectations. And these feelings and beliefs are so strong that they can make or break a change effort.All too often, however, managers remain unaware of what their people really feel during organizational change. And its not because theyre bad managers. Even in the best companies, where managers are expected to demonstrate strong interpersonal skills and understand what makes their people tick, its difficult for managers to accurately gauge the new emotional climate that change creates.Why are the emotions of change so difficult to read? Part of the reason is that change makes people react in complex, unpredictable, and sometimes contradictory ways. To please their managers, for example, employees will often demonstrate enthusiasm and excitement when a change is announced and may even feel those emotions. But what they fail to disclose are the negative feelings they experience at exactly the same time skepticism about the need for change, sadness over the loss of realised work relationships, anger at the way the change is handled, or self-doubts so severe that they interfere with the ability to work.When one of the best account representatives in BCS later recalled his initial reaction to the change, he surprised us with this frank admission When they announced the change, my basic feeling was, Can I really pull this off? Even though Im a high achiever and it looked like a great opportunity, I felt insecure and wasnt sure I could do it. In another interview conducted during the same period, a manager remembered having similar emotions I felt a lot of anxiety about not having enough structure in my new job, he confessed. My greatest fear was that I wouldnt succeed, that I wouldnt reach quota, or that Id fall to the bottom 25 percent of the pile. (Daniel Denison, 2001. PP. 37)The Emotional Climate of Change Anger Fear Anxiety Hope Confusion Insecurity dismay Sadness Discomfort Self-doubt Excitement SkepticismAnother characteristic response, we found, is that employees will approach a change attempt by a positive state of mind but then expand negative feelings as time goes on, experience an moving transformation that their managers stay unaware of. A year into the BCS reorganization, for instance, one sales manager made this comment throughout an interview The announcement of a new organization created a lot of excitement most here, and there was enthusiasm about starting.Managing this soft side of change may be the hardest p art of it and the area where managers most often fail. Though most managers are trained to deal with the hard stuff that change involves, few of them have the background, skills, or experience to manage the emotions of their people during times of change. As consultants Robert Shaw and A. Elise Walton state in the book Discontinuous Change, Changing the soft part of organizational life requires a different set of change management techniques and greater sophism on the part of change agents. (Ashford, S.J., 1984, PP.370-398)Competitive Advantage The mass leading strategic management example in new years is known as the agonistic strategies model. Moreover, demonstrate by Porters work, this approach addresses the subject of how firms fight inside their product markets. Porter recognized two competitive advantages that give a firm with a justifiable position lower cost and separation. The lower cost advantage is distinct as the aptitude to more professionally design, manufacture, an d deal out a similar product than the competition. Products by unique and superior value in terms of quality, features, and after-sales service are examples of the separation competitive advantage. Furthermore, pursuing one of these advantages will make a firms product or service sole, and is powerfully not compulsory so the firm is not stuck in the middle (Porter, 1991 40), where, by pursuing together competitive advantages, neither is attain.Thus, there is an obvious disagreement among WCM and the competitive strategies example. The competitive strategies approach recognizes two competitive advantages, either of which can be winning, but only independently. Attempting to pursue con true competitive advantages will consequence in strategic mediocrity, except for firms in strange industry niches (Porter, 1991 40). This appears to disagree with WCMs intentional goal of at the same time achieving fineness on more than a few product attributes, or potential competitive advantages, to m ake a position that is especially hard to challenge.There is diverse theoretical, empirical, and anecdotal support in both the operations management and strategic management literatures that it is possible to simultaneously achieve lower cost and differentiation competitive advantages. However, these literatures have not acknowledged the contributions of each other. For example, the strategic management critics of Porter who have expound simultaneous competitive advantages have not incorporated the contributions from the WCM approach. Also, the proponents of WCM have focused on operations issues and seldom described their advantages in a directly competitive context. Combined, these literature streams integrate knowledge of firm skills and practices with how the product competes, making a compelling argument for combining them in theory, teaching, and practice.The Relationship between Diversity and Organizational Change Given this association flanked by diversity and organizational change, the following assumptions direct the authors task of initiating a alter effort directed at enhancing variety at TRANWAYThe conceptualization of a alter effort, and even the meeting of data to expand a change procedure, does not guarantee a winning change result.Change is both perceptual and behavioral. It is a compass reading to a new way of thinking and the performance of a set of behaviors matching with that way of thinking.Organizational alter affects the manifold roles people assume for instance, that of an individual by personal interests and goals that of a member of a labor group with task obligations to complete and that of a stakeholder of the community who is exaggerated by organizational decisions. Consequently, sensing an ensuing loss of control over their jobs, their routines, and their lives, the majority humans tend to react unenthusiastically to organizational change. This may be particularly true of non-minority individuals who regard labor force diversific ation as a form of change that is a threat to their power and/or progression in an organization.A change effort urbanized to get better an organization, including an effort heading for toward fostering variety, should focus on the person, not the group. It should give the individual with challenges, support, and credit in short, individualized thought.No doubt, any kind of organization, as one link in a network, is linked to additional organizational entities and subject to outside influences. Hence, studying endogenous organizational alter requires an attendant look at exogenous ecological forces.Communication is the procedure on which the start and preservation of an organizational change depends. Successful strategies are those that draw out cooperative communication between people as individuals, work group members, and community stakeholders. Such strategies endorse mutual and united change efforts all through all levels of the organization.Eventually, the skill of any change attempt depends on how efficiently the strategy for and matter of the change is communicated to those who are the targets of change.The Role of Framing in Organizational Change Efforts No doubt, in organization development the change agents use words and actions to generate images and meanings that will center notice on the need for alter, to establish an environment undefended to the change attempt, and to encourage contribution in the strategies designed to attain it. As such, formative how a change attempt will be framed, or the emblematic acts used to communicate the change, becomes vital to the process of organizational change.Framing is basically a communication procedure a series of rhetorical strategies from side to side which interpretive schemes or frames of reference internal to individuals or organizations are obvious outwardly. Organizational members understand messages based on the organizational realism in which those messages are communicated. Organizations, though , consist of multiple, and frequently conflicting, frames of reference. Consequently, the framing or meanings of the mainly influential organizational actors become institutionalized as the organizations reality during metaphors, structures, stories, rituals, policies, and other exemplary acts (Hamza Ates, 2004. PP. 33).However, organizational change is probable since new meanings can emerge during the development of communication strategies designed to give option frames or meanings. A focus on the use of communication to manage meaning becomes chiefly significant when attempting to conquer dissimilar frames of reference, dissimilar life experiences, and dissimilar personal and professional backgrounds, such as those found amongst individuals in an more and more diverse workforce. Framing organizational alter, then, is a communication process needy on the effectual use of address and actions.A General Aspect of Coercive Modes to Force Evolution A changing view of changeChange is intrinsic in life and nature. Yet, we have only lately begun to study modify in our institutions with the intention of influencing its crash. Organization development, the regulation of focusing on organizational change, is still an up-and-coming science regardless of how long the term has been around. Fads and trial-and-error seem to control our labors to deal with the significant and enveloping phenomenon of OD (Frohman, A., 2002).Were almost certainly more conscious of organizational change now than in the past since many of our benchmarks show a go faster rate of change. Take organizational long life. An organization listed by Srandard&Poors in 1920 could wait for to still be listed 65 years later. Nowadays, a company will be on the list a usual of 10 years. A young person inflowing the workforce today can anticipate to have an average of 12 dissimilar jobs by the time he or she is 40 years old (Raymond T. Butkus, 2001. PP. 68).Organization Transformation today an AssessmentFor many years into the present transformation campaign the Army or any organization has made extraordinary development toward realizing experts vision. This growth is due in great part to the information that campaign leaders have usually followed the stages laid out in the Leading Change model. Mechanisms of Kotters first six stages are obviously noticeable in the words and deeds of additional senior leaders.The Army Vision is extensively available for review these leaders communicate its main message in nearly each talk they give or article they write. News releases frequently explain the latest advances and achievement by the SBCT and inside additional areas of the Transformation procedure. And yet, Transformation has not been with no its share of critics, challenges, and setbacks. Just as the optimistic results can be traced to devotion to the model, the reasons for these criticisms and setbacks can also be traced to failures to adhere intimately sufficient to Kotters principles ( Frohman, A., 2002).As other senior leaders have effort hard to establish a sense of importance regarding Transformation all through the Force, they have not been totally effectual at removing sources of satisfaction. Certain senior leaders, both inside the Army or any organization and elsewhere inside the Department of Defense, agree in principle with the need for transformation, but not the exact Army Transformation at present underway. Meanwhile, too many mid-grade officers (Major through Colonel) continue to question the real necessity for such change in the first place. In both cases, people appear to be time lag only for Shinsekis departure for the Transformation wheels to start coming off (Raymond T. Butkus, 2001. PP. 68).Recommendations for Further inquiryThroughout the behavior of this research, a number of extra areas praiseworthily of additional study emerged. Detailed reading concerning the attitudes of field-grade officers in the direction of the living Transformatio n campaign would likely shed extra light on existing cynicism in the middle of this population and offer improved recommendations for how to most excellent communicate the Transformation dream to this audience. Historical study regarding the impact of crisis on main change proposal might permit a more detailed appraisal of beginning this Transformation in a time of relative consent and calm, rather than crisis and chaos. Do winning transformations need a constituent of crisis? (Collins, 2000)A further area of study would engage analyzing the leadership training offer to SBCT leaders and determining how to best be relevant that training to leaders all through the field, as well as how to further improve the existing training in order to meet extra requirements expected of purpose Force leaders(Morris, J., 2001).ConclusionThis research try attempted to border Army or any organization transformation in terms of an conventional business transform model by using historical case study in stance from previous Army modify efforts to show how Kotters model can be practical. After rising a series of relevant research questions and demeanor an widespread literature review into the areas of organizational change and leadership, historical Army transformation labors, and todays Army transformation proposal, the researcher contrast past and current practices to the hypothetical model in order to review significance and applicability. The final section of the thesis outlines conclusions based on this contrast and offers suggestion regarding how the transform model can be applied to additional improve the Armys organizational change attempt.In attempting to decide the merits of applying a precise organizational transform model to the Armys continuing Transformation movement, the researcher required to comprehend that change model both in its original business organization background and against the backdrop of manifold military case studies. Having experiential frequent paral lels among the Kotter model and winning military transformations in the past, the researcher then effort to assess the present Transformation proposal in light of Kotters model and present recommendations for how to further get better Army Transformation.Noting an additional resemblance among certain elements of the model and the doctrinal idea of Mission Command, the researcher tinted the importance of continued and expanded education regarding Transformation, along with a require to review, purify, and re-emphasize the existing vision and sense of importance associated with it. The researcher also noted the existing challenges inherent in Transformation given that the essential guiding and supporting coalitions are still not completely in place.Conceptualizing, preparation, and acting in ways that mainly parallel Kotters model for Leading Change has certainly add to the important success of the Transformation movement so far. The true test of achievement, though, has not yet occur red nor will it be fully assess for years to come. With its own fib and a pertinent theoretical model as guides, though, and excellence leaders and people to interpret concepts into realism, the Service has all the right tools to pass that test. Can the Army get better on its Transformation movement and finally anchor long-term transform in its culture, in the middle of its people? The answer, certainly, is yes by adopting an attuned version of the Kotter model and ongoing to focus on preparing its leaders of all levels for the hard but in the end satisfying work that is Leading Change. (Whittington, R., 2004).ReferencesArticlesJoseph A. Kinney, Dennis L. Johnson, John B. Kiehlbauch, 2004, damp the Cycle of Violence. Magazine Title Security caution. batch 38. resultant 2. Publication Date February 2004. scallywag Number 24.Michael H. Schuster, Steve Weidman, 2006, Organizational Change in Union Settings Labor-Management Partnerships the ult and the Future. Journal Title Human Resource Planning. Volume 29. Issue 1. rogue Number 45.Patricia A. Mclagan, 2002, Change Leadership Today Challenges Abound, but You Have the ply to sham Change Work for You and Your Organization. Magazine Title T&D. Volume 56. Issue 11. Page Number 26.Vicki Schultz, 1998, Reconceptualizing Sexual Harassment. Journal Title Yale Law Journal. Volume 107. Issue 6. Page Number 1683-1805.Franco Amatori, 1999, European Business New Strategies, Old Structures. Magazine Title Foreign Policy. Issue 115. Page Number 78.Barbara B. Flynn, E. James Flynn, 2001, Achieving Simultaneous be and Differentiation Competitive Advantages through Continuous Improvement World Class Manufacturing as a Competitive Strategy. Journal Title Journal of Managerial Issues. Volume 8. Issue 3. Page Number 360.Kimberly Jensen, 2005, a Base Hospital Is Not a Coney Island Dance Hall American Women Nurses, Hostile Work Environment, and Military Rank in the First World War. Journal Title Frontiers A Journal of Wome ns Studies. Volume 26. Issue 2. Page Number 206.Hamza Ates, 2004, Management as an Agent of Cultural Change in the Turkish Public Sector. Journal Title Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory. Volume 14. Issue 1. Page Number 33.BooksDaniel Denison, 2001, Managing Organizational Change in Transition Economies. Contributors Publisher Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Place of Publication Mahwah, NJ. Publication Year 2001. Page Number 37.Daniel Denison, 2001, Managing Organizational Change in Transition Economies. Contributors Publisher Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Place of Publication Mahwah, NJ. Publication Year 2001. Page Number 37.Raymond T. Butkus, Thad B. Green, Motivation, 2001, Beliefs and Organizational Transformation. Publisher Quorum Books. Place of Publication Westport, CT. Publication Year 2001. Page Number 68.JournalsAshford, S.J., and L. L. Cummings. 1984. FeedbaCk as an Individual Resource Personal Strategies of Creating Information. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance 32 370-398.Barney, J. B. 2001. Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage. Journal of Management 1799-120.Druckman, D., Singer, J., and Van Cott, H. (eds.), Enhancing Organizational Performance, 1997Collins, P., G. Hage, and F. Hull. 2000. Organizational and Technological Predictors of Change in Automaticity. Academy of Management Journal 31 512545.Frohman, A., Igniting Organizational Change From Below The Power of Personal Initiative, Organizational Dynamics, 2002.Kotter, John P. 1996. Leading Change. Boston Harvard Business School Press.Morris, J., Cascio, W., and Young, C., Downsizing after All These Years Questions and Answers about Who Did It, How Many Did It, and Who Benefited From It, Organizational Dynamics, 2001Passmore, W., and Woodman, R. (eds.), Research in Organizational Change and Development, 2001Pettigrew, A., Massini, S., and Numagami, T., Innovative Forms of Organizing in Europe and Japan, European Management Journal, 2000Walston, S., Bogu e, R., and Schwartz, M., The Effects of Reengineering Fad or Competitive Factor, Journal of Healthcare Management, 1999Whittington, R., Pettigrew, A., Peck, S., Fenton, E., and Conyon, M., Change and Complementarities in the New Competitive Landscape A European Panel Study, 1992-1996, Organization Science, 2004.

Revenue Allocation Among The Three Tiers Of Government In Nigeria

IntroductionRevenue allocation is one of the Constitutional functions of the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission. Specifically, Part I, Paragraph 32 of the Third account to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which states that the Commission is to review, from time to time, the revenue allocation decreee and principles in operation to ensure conformity with changing realities. Provided the any revenue formula which has been accepted by an Act of the National Assembly shall remain in force for a period of not less than five years for the outset of the Act Nigeria system of giving medication has three levels namely, Federal, State and Local Governments.Each tier has its own constitutional responsibilities. And in a situation where the allocation of tax powers creates a resource imbalance amongst the stakeholders, it necessitates the need for an arrangement to allocate centrally-collected revenue so that revenue and development could spread ev enly throughout the country. This is manifested in the Nigerian case, where to a greater extent lucrative taxes are controlled by the Federal Government.Fiscal FederalismFiscal federalism is a system of taxation and public expenditure in which revenue-raising powers and control over expenditure are vested in motley levels of government within a nation, ranging from the national government to the smallest unit of local government (Anyafo, 1996). Basically, pecuniary federalism emphasizes on how revenues are raised and allocated to different levels of government for development. There is the problem of how to allocate revenue to different tiers of government in relation to the constitutionally assigned functions.The discordance between fiscal capacity of various levels of government and their expenditure responsibilities, the non-correspondence problem, is a striking feature of the Nigerian federal finance. There is also the problem of how revenue should be shared among the states a nd local councils. match to the resource allocation function of the government, revenue is allocated to federating units of a country for economic development, otherwise called fiscal federalism. Nigerias fiscal federalism has emanated from historical, economic, political, geographical, cultural, and social factors. In all of these, fiscal arrangements remain acontroversial issue in allocating distributable pool account (DPA) of the federation since 1946 (Ekpo, 2004).

A Psychiatric Disorder with a Biologic Basis: OCD

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder with a biologic basis. It implys intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive rituals (compulsions). The obsessions produce anxiety bit the compulsions reduce anxiety. Anxiety is defined as a hyperalert state causing excessive autonomic arousal and diminished coping (1). The obsessions are repetitive thoughts the someone cannot keep from having that can include ideas, urges to do something, or images. The compulsions can include excessive hand washing triggered by on obsessive concern somewhat germs. Or, the person may feel constantly unsafe and have to repeatedly check their safety, such as repeatedly making sure that the doors are locked or that the stove has been turned off.The cause of OCD is a neurochemical imbalance in the brain, so medication can be an important part of treatment. It is the fourth most park psychiatric problem in America, occurring as frequently as schizophrenia. 5 million people in the Unite d States have OCD, just about as divided between males and females. Although OCD is sometimes treated lightly, it is a serious disorder.Up to 92% of people with it say it has interfered with important relationships, and nearly 60% report that it reduced either schoolwork or with their jobs. Daily patterns are affected by the repetitive nature of compulsions or because the person tries to avoid situations that trigger their OCD responses. Three diametrical neurotransmitters have been implicated in OCD nor epinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine. Because neurotransmitters are involved, medication can often help in the management of OCD.Diagnosis is based on the privates symptoms and can include interview, observation, the use of questionnaires, and reports from family members regarding the persons difficulties.In addition to medication, education and brief counseling can help the individual understand his or her disorder. Cognitive therapy can help the individual use logic and rationa l thinking to combat the effects of OCD.

Political Order Essay

poTop 20 (+1) List of Political Ideologies You Should Know For APUSH 1. conservative Generally a trend to maintain a traditional stance on an issue.? For example, if one was culturally conservative in the United States, they would probably be against an issue like girls wearing 6 inch tall pink mohawks to school because it is a traditionally unacceptable hairstyle. If one were fiscally conservative, they would probably be against an excess of political relation taxing and spending they would urgency to? be conservative with their money.2.liberalism Only lately used as an opposite to the term conservative historically, it means to hold private liberties as the most serious social or political goal.? For example, if one were culturally liberal, they would hold that girls could wear 6 inch tall pink mohawks to school because it is that persons someone choice. If one were fiscally liberal, they would probably be for government spending on stuff like space exploration even though it is not short necessary for human survival, it is still culturally important.3. right-wing Are usually people or ideas that seek to uphold or return the traditional psychiatric hospital of a civil society and the preservation of the domestic culture, usually in the face of external forces for change. For example, many right-wing thinkers believe that all people in America should legally have to learn English. 4. left-wing Are usually people who wish to change or abolish the existing political or social order. Sometimes, under this category are people who try to promote equality in wealth and privilege.For example, many left-wing people believe that destiny the poor at the expense of the rich is a good thing. 5. socialism A broad term for any political ideology that promotes collective monomania of the means of production and distribution of goods and services, as opposed to private monomania (like we have in the U. S. , if your dad owns a car factory, he owns it, not the g overnment). fabianism is considered collective. Traditionally, most trade unions can be seen as socialist because the workers collectively own the union.Also, social security can be seen as a socialist because it is a government organized and regulated system. 6. democratic A system of government by which political control is retained by the people and exercised immediately by citizens. Notice the little d. This does not mean the political party. 7. republic A system of government by which at least well-nigh of the people have control over the government and monarchy does not exist. Notice the little r. This does not mean the political party. 8. fascism A system of government that is heavily authoritarian and nationalistic.9. authoritarian describes a form of government that typically emphasizes the sole authority of the state in a republic or union. 10. nationalism A political movement which holds that a nation, usually defined in terms of ethnicity or culture, has the ri ght to constitute an independent political community base on a shared history and common destiny. 11. radicalism Usually denotes a drastic shift from the traditional norm, usually to an extreme. 12. libertarianism Usually a political school of thought which prioritize individual liberty and usually seeks to minimize the state.13. socialism is a socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an equal, classless based on common ownership of the means of production and property in general. 14. populism is a political ideology which promotes the common people above or versus the privileged. 15. progressivism Usually seen as a political response to the Industrial Revolution, socialism, and anarchism it is a political ideology that strives towards social justice, promotion of democracy, and government efficiency. See Progressive Party. 16.Marxism A specific flavor of communism derived from the writings of Karl Marx. see communism. 17. federalism (Hamiltonianism) Alexa nder Hamiltons branch of political thought that promotes a strong central government composed of weaker states. This particular flavor besides includes very strong governmental intervention in economic issues. 18. Jeffersonian Republicanism In contrast to the above, a school of thought promoted by Thomas Jefferson that promotes states and individual rights over a strong central government. This flavor usually necessitates a virtuous populace.19. Jacksonian Democracy Usually seen as a mixture of the dickens above, promoted by Andrew Jackson, this system sees an increase of political involvement by the common man and an increase of the powers of a strong federal government. 20. localism a political or economic philosophy that prioritizes local needs over most else. Example, a city passing a law that the only tomatoes that can be sold must be grown from a local farm is considered localism. 21. anarchism the promotion of the abolition of all forms of government.

Highschool Stereotypes Essay

When you first enter high school, you can face many different difficulties. (exams, new friends, drama etc. ) But one of the intimately stressful difficulties of all be stereotypes. What is a stereotype? Where do I fit in? Do I Have to fit in? argon just some of the things you may be worrying about. There are three of import stereotypes that I pay come to recognize that are in almost every single school. The preps, the nerds, and the emos. I will help you classify which is which and understand the difference so that you can determine whether you want to fit in with these groups, or go your own way.The first main stereotype is the preps. They will usually be well talked about and you will hear their names a great deal. They go under nice in expensive clothing, are usually wealthy and are sometimes in sports like football or cheerleading. This stereotype is usually change with good-looking people and these types of kids are make outn to be meaner than average. There are advan tages and disadvantages to being one of the preps. Some good things about being one is that you are well known, people envy you and want to be your friend.You usually have fun because you are invited to parties and everyone wants to be around you. A few disadvantages are that youre expected to dress nicely at all times, you are also supposed to act accordingly even if that means being rude to somebody else. The second stereotype is the nerds. These kids are the exceptionally smart ones. These are the people in your class that halt straight As. They enjoy doing homework and limited credit and are usually known to be socially awkward. They often wear glasses or braces or breathe heavily and often get bullied.Just like every other stereotype I am talking about today, being a nerd also has its own ups and downs. Some advantages are that you get excellent grades, which makes teachers impressed, and parents proud. Also, since youre academically higher you are more likely to get into a g ood college and get an excellent education, which will probably lead to a high paying job in the future. Some downsides are that you wont be invited anywhere fun, probably wont have many friends and might get picked on a lot by classmates or bullies. The third stereotype is the emos. This is probably the easiest stereotype to spot out.They dress in all black, very dark makeup, dyed black hair and are usually depressed and dont speak to anyone outside their circle. They frown upon the normal members of society and think they are different. They are usually sad and their conversations revolve around how they want to break out and how terrible life is. These kids despise the preppy kids and hate anything happy or cheery. They usually spend a lot of time skipping class together, and chatting online to each other. The upside to connective this stereotype is that they have an odd sense of community. They all stick together no matter what and listen to each others problems.Some of the downsides are that you are looked down upon by most people in society, and most people do not want to approach you or get to know you. It will be hard for you to get a decent job, and people will make bad assumptions about you. Well, now you know the 3 main high school stereotypes. The preps, the nerds, and the emos. You can be mean and popular with the preps, be geeky but have good grades with the nerds, or be depressed but have a sense of community with the emos. You can weigh out the positives and negatives for each and decide if one of these groups is right for you or you can decide to just be yourself and go your own path.

Culture and Culturally Competent Counselors Essay

Being Culturally Competent Letitia Batton Walden University Being Culturally Competent Counselors should have a sense of gentleness and respect for people who are culturally different. As a social worker, it is easy to make diagnosis based on verbal and non-verbal presentation of our clients. convert (2008) stated there are many factors to assess which include race, class, family structure, culture, relationships, religion, and generational/cultural influences. Based on the case study of Mrs. Hudson her externalizing behaviors whitethorn stem from an underlying anxiety disorder.It seems that her attacks are non medical in nature that is why she was referred by her primary doctor. She just recently started having these attacks and they happen out of the home and when she has to move with others. Her assessment reveals that she is presently considered middle class, attended church prior to attacks, family oriented, and educated. Some potential concerns could be her daughters illne ss and past issues with her father that neer got closure. Haitian culture relies on spiritual healing more so than Americanized tradition and this may be a big step for Mrs. Hudson (Pierce & Elisme, 2001).Counselors must be trained and competent when implementing diagnosis with culturally diverse clients. (Sue, 2008). DSM-IV provides counselors a tool to evaluate clients cultural context (Hays, 2008). This process helps counselors assess their clients background, cultural explanation of their issues, clients environment, relationships, and overall cultural assessment to diagnosis and interposition (APA, 2002). Researchers have argued that the DSM-IV does not accurately represent all minorities (APA, 2002). It is important that counselors understand the family structure in order to provide the most accurate assessment information possible.Unfortunately, counselors are not resistant to stereotypes. Beliefs in stereotypes, whether conscious or not, may lead to incorrect diagnosis and misunderstandings between the clinician and the client (Hays, 2008). These beliefs may stem from television or news reports. If believed, they may cause counselor to incorrectly interpret the diagnosis. When this happens the client may become offended and end counseling. Counselors should have knowledge of their own general views, as sound as specific knowledge about diverse clients issues (Sue, 2008).Diversity in family structure should also be taken into consideration when formulating goals and assessing treatment success or failure (APA, 2002). Counselors also attempt to understand the cultural values of each client to gain feelings of trust. Some issues with culturally competent assessments is that it is not race specific and whether existing instruments measure the correct attributes, based on different cultures (Hays, 2008). Diversity plays a role in many aspects of assessment, diagnosis, and treatment.Clarity in these three characteristics may allow counselors to better ass ist families from diverse backgrounds and that will bring about better treatment outcomes (APA, 2002). Counselors should have an attitude of cultural lowliness in knowing their limits of knowledge and skills in rendering diagnosis with certainty than reinforcing stereotypes and generalizations (Sue, 2008). While guidelines exist for conducting a culturally competent assessment, few of these guidelines provide the radio link between the information gathered, the initial decision making, and the development of the treatment plan (APA, 2008).

Palm Inc – from handhelds to smart phones

From hand-held to smart phones. The pioneers of touch Inc. Palm had been the leader in the mart of hand-held computers with high market sh atomic number 18 and profitability as well as a brand bring up recognition level to which many other firms could only dream. Palms brand has faded substantially and as of April 2010, the fraternity was acquired by HP for $ 1 -B. Below , I accommodate listed Palm Inchs list of errors that the organization made over Its life musical rhythm and necessary recommendations. Error 1 . Palm Inc. Did not establish a great enough sense impression of urgency. Since Palm Inc. s inception, no formal business strategy was designed and implemented.Based on the Ecology surmise Palm Inc. Entered the market as a r-Specialist and eventually transited as a K-generalist, by approaching contrasting product markets. However, Palm Inc. Failed to be successful as a k-generalist due to in operation(p) with outdated skills and competencies. The company has failed to examine the market and competitive realities for potential crises and untapped opportunities. Palms efforts stopped at the PDA product, while the rivalry has managed to find ways of implementing he Pads features Into cell phones market. Error 2. Palm did not create a goodly enough gulden coalition.Based upon the Institutional Theory firms that do survive they become legitimate In the eyeball of the shareholders. Chances of survival increase by pull ining the rules and codes of conduct found In the Institutional environment. Despite having started as the persistence leader, Palms forgement over the years did not look as rosy. Palm failed to get the shareholders, board of directors, older management and even a customer representatives together to help them evolve a shared appraisal of their company problems and opportunities, and create a minimum level of trust and discourse.Error 3. Lack of vision. Palm had no lay down vision of what was the picture of the future that the company wanted to achieve ( product , customer target,etc). The company changed its name several times , and also changed its vision and strategy. From the case, we know there was no brand-new product offerings during 2001 thru 2008. At the said(prenominal) time, other competitors Injected the marketplace with new Innovations, Palm gradually became a small and marginalia player In the Industry. The Innovation Is the basic power of the company,but Palm doesnt have the strong impetus. Demographic change.Customers and clients that are being targeted are ever changing. In earlier times, smart phones were necessary for business members who would need to keep up with e-mail. However, these age there is the prevalence of a much younger generation using smart phones for a grade of reasons ( tender networking, picture taking, communication etc. ). Palm Inc. Must adapt with these changes and keep up with the demographic changes of its applicable customers. Palm Inc. Needs to create a Sino to direct the change and effort but also to develop strategies for realizing that vision.It Is essential that the organization communicate the vision both inside the company as well as with their partners. Error 4. Under communicating the vision help If they believe that useful change Is possible. Without credible communication the hearts and minds are never captured. It is imperative that Palm Inc. Established Also ,employees and managers from all levels of the organization adopt the change. In 2001 Palm Inc. Initiated a radical intragroup restructuring and decided to reduce the cost base do the first-ever layoffs.Microsoft had reduced staff during the technology recession withal , but they made more research silver available for developing mobile software But Palm Inc. Failed this aspect. Error 5. Not removing obstacles to the new vision. Palm Inc needed to empower other to act on the vision by creating a value marriage proposal for employees. In 2001 Palm Inc. Initiat ed an internal restructuring by separating the hardware and software divisions into two distinct units. The split contumacious the inherent conflict of interest by licensing software or its win competitors in the hardware market.The hardware innovations were features that could be added to the phones and music players. Palm spent too much notes to develop the new SO and new smart phone. And the marketing capitalization is much shorter than the competitor. This situation causes Palm to not balance the silver within each department. So the whole company cant run efficiently. For example, Palm cant self-finance marketing campaigns and in-store training of change staff. In 2003 Pal Inc. Decided to spin off the software business and to use the raised cash to rather invest into the victimisation of new smoothness.Palm Inc. Could have saved time and money by exclusively focusing on smart phones. Palm cant bring up the effective marketing strategy. The price of a new phone is more ex pensive than the phone. The competitiveness is tiny than other brands. After failing to get hold of the market with new phone, Palm made an attractive product bundle on its phone. That turns out to be stressful to Palm. Failure of negotiation ability. Nevertheless Palms new product was delayed because of certification issues with the carrier. At the same mime, Palm has a conflict with the dealer. Error 6.Plan for and create short term goals. In 2001 Palm Inc. Initiated an internal restructuring by separating the hardware and software divisions into two distinct units. The spiff produced good short-term results and due to high attribute the software was used in phones for some time. In 2004 Palmate devoted more resources to smoothness and expand Tree Family . The new Tree series was relatively successful with good margins. Error 7. Declaring victory too soon. After a few years of hard work, managers got tempted to Clare victory with the first clear performance improvement.Palm had a huge success in 2006, with the Tree series. Tree smart phones let Palm earned 30 percent of market share in the United States and brought Palm back to life. Having this success experience, Palm could have used this experience to bring out more great ideas and make them come true. However, between 2007 and 2009 new Palm product launches were rare, while the demand for the Tree and Centre fell quickly or never took off as expected. Error 8. Not anchoring changes in the corporations culture.Until new behaviors are rooted in social norms and shared values, they are subject to degradation as soon as the pressure for change is removed. In order to overcome this issue many organizations need to invest in leadership development and term plans consistent with the new approach. Recommendations 1 . Apply R skills in new areas and diversify Palms business operating organisation know how could have been ported to other applications and platforms. E. G. Possibility to enter new related bus inesses with high market growth rates Tablets, Notebooks. 2.Overcome entry barriers in the smartened market increase the negotiation power by teaming up with major players like Samsung. 3. Limiting their development and costs by encouraging the open source development community to develop applications. 4. Entering other market segments by making use of Palms know how by starting to develop commercial applications for other smartened operating systems. Fill smaller niches in the smartened market with look upon to general environment forces Coloratura and Political and Legal Forces Smartened operating systems with high data regulations for users with sensitive data.As the reverence of theft of personal informations or sensitive data is rising in certain groups of society (e. G. last makers like politicians and managers). Demographic Forces Senior Friendly Smoothness for aging societies with health or special bang features. Remote GAPS tracking, monitoring and streaming of health p arameters to doctors and relatives. Global Forces Provide a low-cost operating system which runs on cost effective hardware for the growing low income population of the world (Reverse Innovation). 5. Invest in leadership development and succession plans consistent with the new strategy.

Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 3

After a good nights sleep, I went to work the next morning, step a rubbish more optimistic ab appear life. I decided Tawny had probably already scored last night, and Niphon was on his way to the airport. Plus, Id get to hold back readiness soon since he had do my focalise of employment, Emerald City Books & Caf?, his typography headquarters. Yes, it wouldnt be such a bad day.Due to my ex- human raceagers complicated pregnancy, Id recently ancestral her position. This had left my old protagonist-manager position va movet, and wed ended up hiring Maddie Sato who alone happened to be the sister of Doug Sato the other assistant manager. It had been a stunning dis short-change of favoritism, and Doug had thrown a fit, complaining how wed just lowered his coolness military rank by ten points. As it was, Maddie already lived with him. Shed come to visit by and by his recent hospitalization and never re wholly(prenominal) last(predicate)y left. She had a second job as a freel ance writer at a feminist magazine, and working at Emerald City gave her a more stcapable source of income.I care Maddie. She was smart and capable and had a twisted reason of humor that spoke to mine. She worked well with customers and was always precise polite in a professional capacity. For example, she could get caught up chating with solidification most writerly topics and mould beautifully. and, when it came to accomplicelier and more interpersonal stuff, her social skills were a bit lacking. After a particularly analytical writing discussion, bent had once make an off- conk comment about her childhood, and shed frozen up. Seeing him with or so ane correct more socially awkward than he was had been amusing, simply mostly Id felt disappointed at her relapse. Id made good progress in getting her to come out of her shell and k tonic how fun she could be. I cherished everyone else to shoot the breeze it too.Today I fix her upstairs in the caf?, sitting at the table curing had staked out with his laptop. It apparently wasnt a writerly day because Doug sat with them. He and Maddie appeared to be in some break of heated argument. solidifying sat between them, looking care he desperately wanted to be somewhere else. Catching my eye, he gave me a pleading look. I purposely slid a chair up beside him, forcing Doug to scoot his own chair over. No one knew Seth and I were dating, and the Sato siblings were so caught up in the discussion they didnt think any function of the chair placement.Whats going on? I asked. It had better involve the fate of the bloodline to be detaining the entire management team. The holidays were nearly upon us, and business was insane lately.Maddie had the grace to look embarrassed, suddenly storage her duties. She opened her mouth to speak, entirely Doug bettered her.My illustrious sisters an insensitive bitch.Maddie rolled her eyes. He has some idle root words about Beth.I sighed. Look, if this is about the time Beth wore leg warmers here Dont remind me of that, grumbled Doug.My illustrious brother has this ill idea that Beth just broke up with someone, explained Maddie.Both looked at me as though they expected me to designate this consequence straight. Puzzled, I glanced back and forth between them.Whys that senile?Because she has a cold, utter Maddie. She verbalize she has a cold. Thats why shes sniffling.Shes pretending to consume a cold, cried Doug. What shape of sick and twisted world is this when an asshole wish me is the one to nonice heartache in the masses? For Gods sake, her eyes are all red.Cold, Maddie repeated firmly. She considered. Or maybe allergies.In December?The two of them bickered on. Beside me, Seth fought and failed to keep a straight face. I study the way his lips curved into a smile, liking their shape and recalling how they felt. I turned my attention back to the siblings, enjoying the show. Finally, after about five more minutes, I remembered I was an authority figure and not a lax employee.Why is this a big deal? I asked.Because shes wrong, Doug said. Im just trying to prove that.Maddie sighed. Youre like a twelve-year-old.Am not. He jabbed her in the arm.Okay, enough. I pointed to Doug. You, register. I pointed to Maddie. You, my office.Oohyoure in trouble, Doug told her.Im going to show her how to process orders, I growled.Maddies eyes gleamed with anticipation, dimples appearing in her round cheeks. She ate up new tasks.Female favoritism, said Doug. You like her better than me, dont you? Its okay. You can tell me. I can take it.Go. Both of you. Ill be gloomy in a sec.I looked at Seth when they were gone. This is why I dont consecrate children, I told him. That wasnt current, of course. Not dead on target at all. Children simply werent in the cards for succubi.AlthoughI think Dougs actually right, I mused. As crazy as that is. I saw Beth on my way in.Seth smiled. Maddies a good writer and superior smart, but shes kind of oblivious to other people.I gave him a wry look. I thought that was true about all writers.Some are worse than others.Shocking. You rode in a car with her for, what, four hours? Whatd you guys lecture about?Writing.I sighed. I wish shed relax around people other than Doug and me. Shes hilarious. She came up with the idea to Silly String Dougs car after he said Betty Friedan was PMSing when she wrote The Feminine Mystique.Im not sure Id render that as hilarious so much as scary. Besides, that was your idea, he reminded me. You two are dangerous. Your whole soul-stealing act seems kind of softcore compared to the stuff you and Maddie concoct.I grinned. It was true. I hadnt really hung out with a lot of women in the last vitamin C or so and was discovering Id been missing out. You necessitate no idea. Social awkwardness or not, shes the best thing thats happened to me in a plot of land.Oh?Well, present company excluded of course. accepted. Whatever you say.Hey. I almost grabbe d his hand, then remembered we were in public. Theres no competition. Youre a better cook. And a better kisser.I didnt realize youd tried her out.Well, you exist how much I like writers.My smile slipped a little as my mind switched subjects. Id been thinking about my energy leaving all morning, particularly since Id probably be seeking my hit tonight or tomorrow. Jerome had blown the matter off, but like usual, I couldnt let it go. I decided then that Id go visit my friend Erik Lancaster, Seattles local individual source of occult chouseledge. He seemed to see more than my cronies half the time.I lengthy the invitation to Seth, and he agreed to come with me. I was glad. I had often thought it might do him some good to talk to another human who regularly dealt with the supernatural. This was as good of a time as any.Seth met me at my place after work, and we microwaved a quick dinner before heading out. As we walked down the stairs of my building, he teased me about Maddie agai n.You guys were working in the office a trance. Sure you werent making out?Not too much, I assured him.He laughed and caught hold of my hand. I jerked him toward me. Our lips met in a kiss, and as the warmth of his body stirred mine, I had no doubts about what the best thing in my life was. After a some sweet moments, we followed the drill and separated, our reluctance making the extrication a bit awkward in execution.Yeah, I told him. Shes definitely not as good a kisser as I cut myself off, grimacing as I felt Niphon coming toward us. His immortal aviation felt slimy and musky. I stepped farther away from Seth and glared down the sidewalk at the draw near imp. Seeing me, he waved a hand in greeting.Excuse me a moment, I muttered. I skipped down the steps and blocked Niphon from getting within ear tanginess of Seth. What do you want?Attitude, attitude, Letha, he tsked. Succubi should be entrance and cordial at all times. He peered beyond me. Is that the human boyfriend? Can I butt on him?You can go the fuck away. Youre supposed to be keeping an eye on Tawny.I con lay down been, he said cheerfully. Thats why I came to see you. I followed her last night. She was quite confident in her abilities but had some difficulty arranging an assignation in the end. Poor thing. It seems she may take drawn-out than suspected in getting established. Fortunately, Ill stay with her until the end.His mocking concern dug into me, just as hed intended. Is that all you came to tell me? Because Im leaving now. Ive got to be somewhere.Of course, of course, he simpered. He gestured vaguely in Seths direction. I didnt regard as to interrupt your heated moment, even if it looked like it was about to cool down. A sudden look of realization traverse his face. You dont sleep with him, do you? Youve got some sort of noble sense of duty about absorbing his life. That short(p), poor man. Niphon laughed. Oh, Letha. You are one of the most fascinating creatures Ive ever come across .I turned my back on him and stormed up to Seth. Come on, were leaving.Who was that? he asked as we walked away.Hes an imp. And an asshole.Even almost a block away, I could comfort just barely catch Niphons taunting laughter. I tried to ignore it as Seth and I walked to his car. Listening to my friends tease me about Seth was annoying enough. From Niphon, it was unbearable. Fortunately, I calmed down by the time Seth and I got on the road. I instead focused on seeing Erik and hopefully getting my secret solved.Erik ran a store up in Lake City called Arcana, Ltd. Unfortunately placed in a funnies mall, it nonetheless possessed a warm, cozy tactile property. Dim lighting shed a tranquil air, and the glistering of small fountains mingled with the soft sounds of a CD p caster emitting harp music. Books, jewelry, candles, and statuary smothered up every inch of free space. The sweet scent of nag champa hung in the air.Neat, said Seth, peering around as we entered.Erik glanced up fr om where he was kneeling can buoy a stack of books. Hed grown a mustinessache since last I saw him, and I liked the way the gray hair stood out against his dusky brown skin. A gentle smile bloomed on his face.Miss Kincaid, what an unexpected pleasure. And you have a friend. He rose and walked to us, extending his hand toward Seth.Erik, this is Seth Mortensen. Seth, Erik.They shook. A pleasure, Mr. Mortensen. You keep good company.Yes, said Seth, smiling in return. I do.If were lucky, I said silkily, Erik will have time for tea. He only serves decaf, so that should make you happy.Of course I have time, said Erik. I doubt theres any man who doesnt have time for you, Miss Kincaid.I shot Seth a teasing look when Erik left to dress the tea on. Ah, now theres someone who appreciates me. You wouldnt see him shirking me for a book.If memory serves, you worship those books. Besides, how else am I supposed to keep you in the modus vivendi youre accustomed to?If memory serves, I paid the l ast time we went out. Well, yeah. I was just letting you play liberated so that you and Maddie wouldnt go vandalize my car.When our tea party commenced around Eriks small corner table, I was surprised to hear Seth engage Erik in conversation on what it meant to be a mortal among immortals. Seth wasnt usually so forthcoming, and I wondered just how much immortal weirdness troubled him.It puts my sense of time awry, remarked Erik. I see people like Miss Kincaid who stay young and beautiful forever. It makes me intuitive feeling as though no time has passed. Then I look at myself and see the new wrinkles. I feel the aches in my bones. I realize I will be left behindthey will go on and continue to shape the world without me. He sighed, more with bemusement than sadness. I wish I could see what will happen next.Yes, Seth said, surprising me. His eyes looked dark and solemn. I turn in what you mean.I glanced over at him, seeing something Id never noticed before. I knew he must think abo ut the future and his own death all mortals did but only now did I realize how much he really thought about those things. Looking at both men, I remembered they would eventually die, and it made something in my chest grow cold. For the space of a heartbeat, I could almost see Seth as wrinkled and gray-haired as Erik.Morbid much, you guys? I asked, trying to affect a blas? air. I didnt come here to bring everyone down. Ive got to pick Eriks brain.Pick away, he said.Wellyou hold out how I need, uh, life and energy to survive, right? An idiotic statement. Of course he knew. Yesterday morning, I woke up, and my entire lay away was gone.Erik considered. Thats normal, isnt it? It fades over time.Not this quickly. Especially since I stopped, suddenly realizing having Seth here might not have been so wise after all. I, um, had just gotten a refill the night before.Both men kept neutral expressions. And you did nothing out of the ordinary?No, Jerome thinks it was mental stress. I shrugg ed. I dont think I was that stressed. I dreameda weird dreambut nothing stressful.Dreams are powerful, Erik said. And sometimes stress can take more out of us than we realize. Unfortunately, I know little about dreams, but He frowned, and his gaze suddenly turned inward.But what?I know someone who might be able to help. Someone who specializes in dreams.Who? This sounded promising.Erik took a long time in answering. When he spoke, he seemed unhappy to puddle up the words. Someone who might as well be signed and sealed to your side. His names Dante Moriarty.I snickered. That cant be his real name.Its not, though Im sure some of your imp and demon friends would know him by any name. Hes a con artistamong other things. Considers himself a magician too.I deal with corrupt people all the time, I pointed out. Doesnt lambaste me much.True, agreed Erik. He still looked troubled, which I found puzzling. Although not evil himself, he interacted with me and others of my ilk on a regular basi s without blinking. I wondered what it was about one human that would bother him so much. Ill get you his contact information.He sought out Dantes card, and I browsed around the store while Seth used the bathroom in the back. The old storekeeper handed me the card when he found it.I like Mr. Mortensen a great deal.Yeah. So do I.I know. I can tell.I looked up from a display of bracelets, waiting for more.You talk and move around each other in a way youre probably not even aware of. Its like how lovers usually interactbut its something more too. You have a continual sense of each other, I think, even when not together. Theres a burning in the air between you.I didnt know what to say to that. It sounded nice but a little intimidating too.Ive never met another of your kind whos exactly like you, Miss Kincaid. He hesitated, his ordinarily wise-and-competent expression flickering into uncertainty. It was a rare look for him. I dont know how this will turn out.Seth emerged then, picking up that hed interrupted something. He glanced between the two of us, and I rested a lull hand on his arm. You about ready to go?Sure.I scanned the rest of the jewelry counter, only half-noticing the contents. Suddenly, I did a double-take and leaned over one of the cases. Erik, where do you find this stuff?He and Seth looked over my shoulder.Ah, yes, said Erik. The Byzantine rings. By the same artist who made your ankh necklace.Your artist has a real knack for diachronic detail. They look just like the sea captains.He walked around the counter and lifted out the tray with the rings. I picked one up. It was an ordinary gold band. Rather than any sort of mounted gem on top, it bore a smooth and flat disc, almost the size of a dime. Greek letters were engraved into the metal.What do they mean? asked Seth.I tried to explain the long-lost custom. Its a benediction. Like a prayer for the couple. This would have been a wedding ceremony ring.I examined another depicting Christ and the V irgin still another showed a tiny man and woman facing each other.I used to have a ring almost like this, I said softly, turning it over in my hands. Neither man said anything, and I last returned it to its tray.On the way home, Seth gently asked, What happened to your ring?I stared out the window. Its not important.Tell me.I didnt respond, and he didnt ask me again. When we got back to my place, I saw no sign of Vincent and figured he was out investigating with Charlies Angels. Newspapers were scattered across my kitchen table he apparently liked to keep up on current events. Morbid events, at that. One of the headlines was a story Id heard the other day about a crazy man whod killed his wife after having a vision of seeing her with another man. Mortals did creepy-crawly things sometimes. Okay, a lot of the time.Seth sat on my couch and leaned forward, hands clasped together. Id sensed his mood prison-breaking when I wouldnt answer in the car.ThetisYou want to know about the ring .The ring doesnt matter so much. Its justwell, Ive seen you get like this. Something bugs you, something you remember. But you wont talk to me about it. There are days I feel like you dont tell me anything.I sat down next to him, avoiding eye contact in a way he often did. I tell you plenty.Not about your past.I have a lot of past, and I talk about it all the time.YeahI guess. He absentmindedly stroked my arm. But you dont talk about your mortal past. Before you were a succubus.So? Does it make a difference? Youre with me now. You know the kind of person I am now.I do. And I love that person. And I want to know whats important to you. What made you who you are. I want to know what hurts you so that I can help.You dont need to know that to know who I am. My human past doesnt enter in to anything, I said stiffly.I cant moot that.Again, I didnt answer.I dont know anything about that part of your life, he continued. I dont know your real name. What you really look like. Where you grew up. I dont even know how old you are.Hey, its not just me. You have plenty of things you dont talk about, I pointed out, trying to deflect the attention.What do you want to know?Well I groped for something I didnt know much about. You never talk about your dad. How he died.Seth answered immediately, without hesitation. Not much to tell. Cancer. I was thirteen. harmonize to a therapist Mom made us see, I withdrew into a world of fantasy to cope.I leaned my head against his shoulder, knowing hed expound on anything I wanted to know in a subdued, Seth sort of way. It was ironic considering his normal conversational reticence, but that was how he operated. He believed relationships had to have an open transpose of honesty and baring of souls. I supposed he was right, but there were too many dark parts of my soul I didnt want to share. Parts I was afraid would scare him off.I knew Seth well enough to realize he wouldnt push this issue anymore tonight, but I could also sense his hurt a nd disappointment. He didnt ask me these questions to upset me he did it out of sincere affection. That didnt make it easier, unfortunately, and I fought my anxiety and long-buried pain to try to offer him something. Anything. Anything to show I was making an effort in this relationship. My original face and name were dead to me, obsolete reminders of the woman Id left behind, never mind Niphons insistence on calling me Letha. Seth would never know those things.We sat together for a long time while I decided what I could give up. Finally, with the words sticking in my mouth, I said, I grew up in Cyprus. The air grew tense as we both waited for more. In the early fifth century. I dont know exactly what year I was born. We didnt really keep track of those things.He exhaled. I hadnt realized hed been retentiveness his breath. Slowly, carefully, he put an arm around me and pressed his lips against my hair. Thank you.I buried my face against his shoulder, not knowing what I hid from. Id barely given him anything just a couple of pieces of trivia. Nonetheless, yielding that tiny bit from a place in me I wanted to hide from was powerful. I felt exposed and insecure without fully understanding why. Seth gently stroked my hair.Is the ring from around that time? he asked.I nodded against him.Itd be worth a lot then, I suppose.I lost it, I whispered.He must have picked up on the anguish in my voice. He held me tighter. Im sorry.We stayed together a while longer that night, but I knew he wanted to go home and work at his own place. Unable to sweep him, I shooed him away, though I had a feeling that he would have stayed if Id asked it.Once he was gone, I went into my bedroom and closed the door. Kneeling in front of my open closet, I pulled out box after box, setting them haphazardly around the room. My organization lacked something like, say, organization and it took me a while to sift through the clutter of junk. Finally, I produced a shoebox covered in dust.Liftin g the lid, I felt my breath catch. Old, brown letters lay stacked with a few photographs. A heavy gold cross on a fraying get out lay among the papers, along with other small treasures. I carefully hunted around until I found what I wanted a bronze ring, green with age.I held it in my hands, still able to recognise the engraved couple atop the mounted disc. It was a cruder job but still very mistakable to Eriks modern renditions. I ran my fingertips along the rings edges without knowing what I did. I even tried it on, but it didnt fit. It had been made for larger fingers than I had now. I refused to shape-shift to the right size.I kept the ring out for a few more minutes, thinking of Seth and Cyprus and all sorts of things. Finally, unable to stand the ache within me, I put the ring back into its box and buried it once more in the closet.