Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Dystopia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Oppressed world - Essay Example This, consequently, suggests the individuals from the general public live in a state and conditions that can't be supposed to be favorable for human presence on account of how they are controlled. A portion of the wellsprings of control that cause the residents to live in a dehumanized state to incorporate strict, mechanical and corporate control (Gordin, Tilley and „ Prakash 56).The American culture is constrained by bipartisan gatherings that are not centered around the genuine cultural needs. There are a few parts of the American culture today that show that the residents are living in a dehumanized state. In the American culture, there has been the aggregate loss of memory. In addition the general public has overlooked the historical backdrop of humanity, how man appeared and how man used to quite a while prior. This has been brought about by the bureaucratic strict and mechanical control in the general public. In the current American culture, uber organizations, for example, United Continental and Colgate Palmolive have kept on lessening and midget the intensity of the administration and the residents (Shteyngar 201). Because of this bureaucratic control, things like heath care and instruction have been privatized and the impact of this is terrible. The aggregate memory misfortune and the overlooking of history of humankind have caused the residents to turn out to be anything but difficult to control. Gordin, Tilley and „ Prakash keep on saying that the American culture is anything but difficult to control mentally (32). The consequence of this is the general public has lived in a dehumanized state. The control that the general public encounters from the bureaucratic, strict and corporate parts of their lives has encouraged the mental control; thus, causing the condition of living to be one that can be supposed to be a dehumanized one. Shteyngart state that the American culture is such a great amount of worried about their well prosperity and they endeavor hard to have the option to improve their lives (112). They have kept on being constrained by their employments and individual needs. In the

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Total Quality Management for Education- myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Examine about theTotal Quality Management for Education and Training. Answer: Fundamental LEARNING POINTS (limit your response to the necessary space) Sum up the paper featuring the primary concerns. (in 1 page) The report predominantly examines about the connection between the human asset the board rehearses and the complete quality administration in the associations. It has been investigated in the report that births of these methodologies are vital in nature and are lined up with the authoritative techniques of the organization. A portion of the HR related capacities has been examined that straightforwardly connected with TQM. These practices are HRM arranging, worker commitment, execution the executives, instruction and preparing, prosperity and resolve and correspondence. There are four territories of SHRM that is vital human asset the board which is connected with the components of TQM. The first is work associations. Here, the focal point of SHRM is on adaptability and group based working and TQM additionally values cooperation and adaptability. Arranging and staffing is the following territory that has been examined. The other two zones are preparing and advancement and execution exa mination and compensation. It has been closed firm the conversation that there are numerous similitudes are wells as inconsistency in TQM and human asset the board. The genuine contrasts lies in the territory of execution related compensation and execution evaluation yet the various similitudes covers these distinctions. Basic ANALYSIS (limit your reaction to the necessary space) Do you can't help contradicting any of the paper parts? Why? (in page) To the extent the general paper is thought of, it has been investigated that each point that has been talked about in the paper bodes well however just a solitary point that is identified with the logical inconsistency among TQM and execution examination and pay doesn't upheld by my understanding. This is on the grounds that, as per my insight, it is the exhibition evaluation strategy or the procedure that propose that whether quality has been engaged or not (Nirmala Faisal, 2016). It can't be offered a general expression that both these announcements are not connected or are not adjusted together. Actually, if the association makes the presentation examination based on quality just as amount than the representatives will likewise concentrate on conveying quality work? Are the investigation procedure and its discoveries appropriate to other or all businesses? Why? (in page) As indicated by my examination, it has been broke down that there are two organizations or cases that has been talked about. One is the organization considered Tubemakers that works in numerous ventures, for example, Structural and Engineering, Fluid Conveyance, Precision Products and Industrial Merchandising while Coastline is the organization that works in assembling industry. It has been recognized that both of the organizations have practically comparative speculations and practices when the HRM and TQM is thought of. There were not wide contrasts. This proposes the discoveries of the examination can be inferred on any of the business in light of the fact that HRM centers around individuals and each industry is reliant on its HR. TQM centers around nature of work they give and each industry needs to give quality items and administrations (Youssef, Youssef Ahmed, 2014). It is only the issues of the components included something else; all the approaches have comparative premise as far as HRM and TQM in every single industry (Yang, 2013). Viable Implications (in one page) Do you believe that this examination is suitable for the GCC locale? Why? GCC is the locale that remembers six states for it. It has been broke down that it is a need f hour for that locale to build up their HR working in their organizations. To the extent the discoveries of this exploration are thought of, it is identified with the linkage between absolute quality administration and the HRM rehearses. Different examinations have contended about the awful HR practices of GCC area which are being imported from different spots (Attafar, Shahin Kheradmandnia, 2016). The district needs to build up their own national assets by giving them aptitudes with the goal that they don't need to search for different zones for the talented workers. This investigation is incompletely suitable of the GCC district since the examination can be inferred in the organizations of GCC locale just when the organization enlisted the talented work and spotlight on building up the nature of the assets they are recruiting (Izvercian, Radu, Ivascu Ardelean, 2014). The ramifications of t his investigation in GCC district organizations have an advanced concern and consequently its not completely fitting. Future Directions (in one page) What will you do to make this exploration a stride further? To the extent this examination is thought of, it has been dissected that this paper unmistakably distinguishes the distinctions and the similitudes between Human asset the board rehearses and the complete quality administration ideas. The investigation of this exploration can be utilized to additionally examine the incorporated practices that can be utilized by the associations so as to achieve the quality and the amount of work from the representatives by rehearses those coordinated arrangements in the organization. This examination recommends that TQM is a lot of connected with the human asset rehearses in the organization therefore, various businesses can be chosen in the further research to break down the comparable goal in those enterprises to recognize whether it is same for other industry also or not. Contrast between the connecting design in HRM and TQM in various enterprises can likewise be broke down (de Menezes Wood, 2015). References: Attafar, A., Shahin, A., Kheradmandnia, M. (2016). The effect of TQM rehearses on authoritative learning case study.International Journal of Quality Reliability Management,33(5), 574-596. de Menezes, L. M., Wood, S. (2015, August). Quality Management, Job-related Contentment and Performance: an exact examination of British work environments. InEvidence-based HRM: a Global Forum for Empirical Scholarship(Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 106-129). Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Izvercian, M., Radu, An., Ivascu, L., Ardelean, B. O. (2014). The effect of HR and complete quality administration on the enterprise.Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences,124, 27-33. Nirmala, B. P., Faisal, A. M. (2016). A writing audit of TQM and HRM for recognizable proof of fitting basic achievement factors (CSFs).IJAR,2(7), 742-745. Yang, C. C., Yang, K. J. (2013). A coordinated model of the Toyota creation framework with complete quality administration and individuals factors.Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing Service Industries,23(5), 450-461. Youssef, E. M., Youssef, M. An., Ahmed, A. M. M. (2014). All out quality administration power and its effect on HRM rehearses in assembling firms.International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management,13(4), 495-512.

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Retail Marketing Assignment On Next Plc Example

Retail Marketing Assignment On Next Plc Example Retail Marketing Assignment On Next Plc â€" Assignment Example > RETAILING MARKRTING ASSIGNMENT ON NEXT PLCNext plc is a company based in the UK that specializes in the home shopping and retailing of womenswear, menswear, childrenswear, interiors, accessories, fashion jewellery and telecommunication software services. It falls into the industry sector of retailing, more specifically, apparel retailing. HISTORY: Next retail chain was opened in February 1982 revitalizing the shape of fashion retailing in the UK. Its unique methods and innovative marketing techniques turned it into a huge success. The first store displayed women clothes, shoes and accessories. They were followed by collections for men, children and home. Next Plc trades from over 450 stores in the UK and Eire and 100 franchise stores overseas. In October 2005, Next achieved a breakthrough with the opening of its anchor store at Manchester. It launched its children’s wear in 1987.Next commenced its online shopping venture in 1999 and the concept of “next day delivery” was int roduced in 2000.As a record, Next’s original collection that was displayed in 1982 It contains the cloth collection as well as marketing content. This collection is maintained by Leicestershire County Council Museums Arts and Record Service. The apparel from this collection is often displayed at fashion shows in Leicestershire. CHARACTERISTICS: Next Plc is a pioneer retail company in many respects. It has introduced many innovations and marketing tools to improve its sales and market positioning. It was the first company in home shopping to introduce the concept of online shopping. The whole list of its collections is available on its website to be purchased by online consumers. Its success recipe is dependent upon its high quality. To ensure a high standard, its employees include garment technologists and fabric and sourcing technologists to provide technical support to the Product team, to design the product so that it fulfils the legal requirements and conforms to the standard s of Next Plc. Similarly the fabric and sourcing technologists implement fabric management systems and study these systems worldwide to analyze and incorporate any changes or modifications that might occur. Likewise, Next Plc also hires a team of competent and creative designers who develop a new range of products involving latest colours, fashions and concepts. These are worked out keeping the Next consumer’s profile in mind. The Buyer is consulted and taken into confidence. Buyers source a range of products and are responsible for product and range development, negotiations with suppliers, researching competitors’ ranges and products and for suppliers’ source and management. Another important player in Next plc is the Merchandiser who’s supposed to maximize company’s profitability and turnover. Their responsibilities include Pre-season range building and planning, reviewing sales figures and scrutinizing stock levels to maximize sales. They also manage delivery schedul es, secure delivery dates from suppliers and minimizing the risk of additional loss-making stock. Apart from that, Next plc has also acquainted its consumers with the idea of a Next directory which was created for consumers who prefer the ease of shopping from their homes. It gives Next a certain edge over its competitors as they capitalize fully upon their potential consumers. The economic facts for the year ended January 2005 for Next:

Sunday, May 24, 2020

Should College Athletes Be Paid Essay - 1382 Words

Introduction Should College Athletes Be Paid? This question has the propensity to cause much commotion within the various collegiate athletic divisions; e.g., NCAA, BIG 10, MEAC, and CIAA. The complexity involved in flushing out an answer to this question coupled with our status as college students may have played a direct influence in the decision of the group Long Term Money’s (L.T.M.) choice to use this topic as an interest for group assignment. A â€Å"student athlete† is a participant in an organized competitive sport sponsored by the educational institution in which he or she is enrolled. Student athletes must typically balance the roles of being a full-time student and a full-time athlete. Due to educational institutions being colleges, they offer athletic scholarships in various sports; therefore, the proverbial question of which came first, â€Å"the chicken or the egg?† comes to mind. Are the individuals who would be directly affected by such an action, considered s tudents’ firsts, or athletes, and if they are athletes, should be they be considered employees governed by significant employment and labor laws eligible for pay? If they are now employee, how will this affect their pursuit of the educational process, eligibility for scholarships, classes, study, etc.; what changes that must take place for the plan (if granted) to be carried out, would it be consistent across the entire country. So, with so many unanswered questions, we ask again; â€Å"Should College Athletes BeShow MoreRelatedShould College Athletes Be Paid?1578 Words   |  7 PagesAshay Mehta Nou Per 8 Should College Athletes Be Paid? One of the hottest debates in the sports industry is if college athletes should be paid. If you want to pay these athletes, how would the college determine the dollar amount that should be paid? Should the basketball team make more than the football team? Should the the soccer team be paid as well? Cheerleading? Chess team? Should everyone on the team get a salary? What if your college is good at football and your basketball team is awfulRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid?1398 Words   |  6 Pagesbelieve that college athletes at the highest performing schools are better treated than others. Although they do not get paid, they do receive some benefits for being athletes that other students would not get. One advantage for playing a sport is access to scholarships that some schools reserve for their athletes. Depending on the school and the athlete’s performance, money towards tuition is often given. Only some schools are willing to grant â€Å"full-ride† scholar ships for certain athletes. AccordingRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid?1289 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout the years college sports have been about the love of the game, filled with adrenaline moments. However, the following question still remains: Should college athletes get paid to play sports in college? Seemingly, this debate has been endless, yet the questions have gone unanswered. The National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) plays a vital role in this debate. The NCAA is a billion dollar industry, but yet sees that the athlete should get paid for their hard work and dedicationRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid?1334 Words   |  6 Pagesrising to the surface is â€Å"Should college athletes be paid?†. This has become a burning question. The NCAA is a multibillion-dollar industry, that makes millions, if not billions, in revenue. Yet it’s still maintains the non-profit status meaning that the industry is not set on making a profit and none of the revenue that is made is distributed to its members, managers, or officers. While most players who play in college sports are under a scholarship, that pays for the college tuition, books, and housingRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid?1364 Words   |  6 PagesHave you paid attention to all of the news that has been surfacing about collegiate sports lately? It is a big topic now days in the world of sports on weather college athletes should be getting paid to play sports. College athletics have gained great popularity of the past few decades, and have brought schools lots of revenue. A lot of college athletes think they should be getting paid for their services they do for their school. College sports like basketball and football generate over six billionRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid?1130 Words   |  5 PagesWhat college athlete would not want to be paid to play the sport that he or she loves? The real question is, though, should college athletes be paid fo r their roles in a college’s athletics? They are many points to each side of this recent controversial topic, which is why this has been made into such a hot debate in the past couple of years. As of right now, these athletes are not getting paid, but many of them truly believe that they should. Others believe that they already are being paid throughRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid?986 Words   |  4 PagesPaying the College Athlete The college athlete has steadily grown in popularity in the United States over the span of the past decades. Monetarily speaking, this increased publicity has been extremely beneficial for National Athletic Association (NCAA) and all the colleges involved in athletics which has sparked the dispute of whether or not the athlete should be paid for their hard work and dedication on the field and to their school or if the athletic scholarship is more than enough. College athletesRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid?1239 Words   |  5 PagesLindsey Simmerman Speech 102 T/Th 1:00-2:15 October 25, 2016 Should college athletes be paid to play? Specific Purpose: To persuade the class to agree with my stance on paying college athletes to play sports Thesis: College football is the hours players spend practicing and performing, the number of injuries the players face, and the persona these athletes must portray every day all the while watching their schools, coaches, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) get all the compensationRead MoreCollege Athletes Should Be Paid1254 Words   |  6 PagesSome college athletic departments are as wealthy as professional sports teams. The NCAA has an average annual revenue of $10.6 billion dollars. College athletes should be paid because of the amount of revenue that they bring to their college. Each individual college should pay its athletes based on how much revenue they bring to the college in which they attend. The colleges that win their Division title, their Conference title, or the National championship, give bonuses to the Head coach of thatRead MoreCollege Athletes Should Not Be Paid1558 Words   |  7 Pagesstudent-athletes participate in a variety of different s ports, and currently they do not receive paychecks for their performances. College athletics have attained an extensive popularity increase among Americans over the past few decades. This has resulted into increased revenues for the National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA] and the participating colleges, which has fuelled the debate of whether or not college athletes should collect an income. College athletes should not be paid to play

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

The Concept Of Universal Human Rights - 2464 Words

â€Å"No democracy and no open society can continue to exist in the long run without recognizing that rights and duties form a dual principle† (Schmidt n.d.). The concept of human rights, and human rights discourse though seeming to be a relatively new concept in terms of the history of humanity, is not. The concept of universal human rights predates the colonial project by hundreds of years. It is not merely a means for so called ‘western powers’ to expand but is the outlining and promotion of all rights that are naturally owed to each and every human being, justified by the basic fact that we are all human and therefore, equal. The concept of universal rights has been developed by both ‘western’ countries and those that have been left alone by this colonial project. As human beings have evolved the ability to reason, we have now, a responsibility to ensure that a baseline across humanity, regardless of religion, ethnicity, sex, gender, age or disability, is maintained. While the modern notion of human rights has been adapted from western philosophers and western works, there is use of human rights all throughout history within different societies that by far predate the height of colonialism, the rights of man or human rights is not a modern idea in fact human rights can be linked back as far as two millennia to the Cyrus cylinder (United for Human Rights n.d.), which arguably is one of the first known examples of human rights, produced in what is tody the middle-east, theShow MoreRelatedEvaluating Ethical Decisions and Defining a Universal Standard of Good1476 Words   |  6 PagesDefining a Universal Standard of Good It is difficult to provide a concrete definition for the word â€Å"right.† Right can mean many different things in different situations. For example, the right answer to one plus one is two. Yet, â€Å"doing the right thing† isn’t a simple answer like the previous example. In determining the difference between right and wrong, the pursuit of making an ethical decision is born. There are many concepts of right and wrong. Despite the number of concepts of right and wrongRead MoreA Critical Evaluation Of The Universal Nature Of Human Rights1329 Words   |  6 PagesA CRITICAL EVALUATION OF THE UNIVERSAL NATURE OF HUMAN RIGHTS INTRODUCTION Human Rights are the rights, that are considered to be inalienable, inseparable and vested upon individual by virtue of being human. For example, the Oxford English Dictionary defined the universal nature of Human Rights as ‘a right which is believed to belong to every person’. The aim of this essay is to critically evaluate the universal and relative nature of human rights postulated by the eminent scholars, who haveRead MoreThe Fundamental International Charter For Human Rights1444 Words   |  6 PagesThe topic of universal human rights is a complex and largely contested area of international relations. Though often highly regarded in â€Å"Western† states, the notion of individual rights is highly debatable in other parts of the world. In a struggle to reconcile regional traditions and world cultures, efforts to create implement a universally accepted charter of human rights have met many obstacles. Key issues including minority groups, gender, and the concept of individuality versus collectivismRead MoreThe Universal Declaration Of Human Rights1396 Words   |  6 Pages The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, (UNDR) was adopted by the United Nations in 1948 with the intention off providing a moral standard for judging an individual state’s treatment of it’s citizens. Yet to this day a debate rages between scholars such as Jack Donnely and Michael Goodhart as to whether the principles expressed within the UNDR are not only universal but actully culturally relative. When drafting the UNDR, the term â€Å"universal† was meant to show that the declaration â€Å"wasRead MoreAre Human Rights Universal? - Essay1277 Words   |  6 PagesThe concept of Universal Human Rights is a fairly new conception in human history. Rights are not the same thing as social or cultural norms, which can be used to oppress minority interest and be fundamentally unfair to individuals. The beginnings of this concept can be traced back to the Enlightenment Era of the mid 17th through the 18th century. The formal international consensus of this idea did not take effect until after World War II, when the United Nations (U.N.) adapted the Universal DeclarationRead MoreThe Last Utopia By Samuel Moyn Essay951 Words   |  4 Pageswas not a human rights struggle, writing, â€Å"If anticolonialism generally spurned human rights, one might say, it was because it was a rights of man movement, with all the prior fidelity to the state that concept implied in modern hi story.† Moyn’s emphasis on the state here is telling. Because the rights that a nation could provide were particular to its citizens, not international, they could not be human rights. The â€Å"rights of man† were not the rights of all. Further, Moyn views the concept of self-determinationRead MoreThe Battle for Human Rights in Ethical and Global Politics1135 Words   |  4 Pages Human rights are a strong point of contention in the context of ethics and global politics. This is due to the vast diversity of perspectives that exist within the international world system – which makes it increasingly to difficult to define a truly global conception of human rights today. At the core of human rights perspectives is the suggestion that there should be a ‘basic’ notion of universal human rights. However, this is widely contested. In this essay I will critically interpret the notionRead MoreWhat are your perceptions on the universal declaration of human rights would you like to amend any of the articles or add a new article to the declaration?1732 Words   |  7 PagesWhat are your perceptions on the universal declaration of human rights would you like to amend any of the articles or add a new article to the declaration? In:  International Laws [Edit categories] Answer: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is half a century old, but critics are still asking whether anything in our multicultural, diverse world can be truly universal. Some ask, isnt human rights an essentially Western concept, ignoring the very different cultural, economic and political realitiesRead MoreUniversal Access For Affordable Health Care1426 Words   |  6 PagesWhether universal access to affordable health care is something every individual has a right to or something they must earn is definitely a controversial topic. While most agree that the current health care system in the United States is one that needs work, many continue to argue about the notion of universal access to health care and if it’s truly what’s best for a nation. In reality, access to affordable health care is a human right to all persons in the world, and is something that all shouldRead MoreThe Universal Human Rights Of The United Nations873 Words   |  4 PagesThe Universal Human Rights: From Paper to Reality According to the Office of High Commissioner of Human Rights of the United Nations, â€Å"human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible† (United Nations Human Rights). In other words

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Great Lakes Free Essays

The North American great lakes including Lake Erie, Michigan, Huron, Superior, and Ontario. Lake Huron is the 3rd largest lake out of all five of them. It measures at 850 cubic meters of water; it extends to about 3,827 miles, measures at 206 miles across, and about 183 miles north to south. We will write a custom essay sample on Great Lakes or any similar topic only for you Order Now The average water depth in this huge lake is 195 ft. These lakes are the largest fresh water supply and home to many of the world’s wildlife. For several years the Great Lakes have served as a dumping ground for many harmful pollutants. Damage from drain pipes and industrial waste produce harmful conditions for the fish, wildlife, and humans dwelling in the surrounding area of the region. Countless people wouldn’t believe so because this is a second home place to many, many families and they travel to this area for their summer vacations. As people travel to the Great Lakes, perhaps they can all see the true of how mistreated these stunning lakes are. The first major source of pollution comes from point source pollution. Point source pollution is simply a direct source of pollution such as a pipe or other vessels. Earlier age industrial companies, such as pulp and paper were located right on the outskirts of the Great Lakes. They were dumping tons of waste including mercury into the water. Some of this polluting was done involuntarily with the malfunctioning of these pipes or vessels. However, some of this pollution was intentional from them thinking that anything would dissolve in the waters and â€Å"neutralize†. Pathogens are another source of pollution to the Great Lakes. Pathogens refer to bacterial organisms found in the intestinal tracts of mammals. Nutrient sources include municipal wastewater treatment plants, septic systems, and agricultural runoffs. There are three major areas which are Saginaw Bay, Severn Sound, and the southeastern shore of Lake Huron Basin. Pathogens have had such an impact on Lake Huron that it had beach closings in these regions due to the findings of E. coli contaminations. Another form of pollution to the Great Lakes is fecal matters. It is believed that fecal matters infested the lakes by sewage. Sewage is known to having some of the most harmful bacteria’s. Putting these bacteria’s into the waters it’s not only polluting them but it’s also making the water quality decline and the bacteria growth will continue to increase (Shear 2006). Air-bound pesticides and fertilizer runoffs are both involuntary forms of pollutants to the Great Lakes. These types of pollutants are deposited into the lakes by the inadvertency of the environment. Testing the tissues of fish and mussels can determine the level of contaminate residing in the waters. Lindane, Dieldrin, Tozaphene, and Chlor-diphhenyl-tichloroethane (DDT) are some of the main harmful substances found in the water (Agency for toxic Substances and Disease registry 1997). Since 1990, Toxaphene has been prohibited yet traces of it still remain. Figure 1 These are all of the pollutants found in the Great Lakes that were reported to Congress. Figure 2 These are the four concentrations of pollutants compared to biomass. Figure 3 This shows the levels of Toxaphene concentration increases, the biomass decreases and vice versa. For humans, interactions with these types of pollutants are extremely likely. You can reach all of the pollutants by simply going to the shorelines. Eating contaminated fish, or wildlife, in pathogen-contaminated waters, can cause infections and stomach disorders. Polluted beaches result in loss of utility for those who have planned to visit or swim in the water; that in turn impacts local economies in the form of lost tourist dollars and the jobs they support (The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) 2012). Tourists enjoy coming there to do activities such as canoeing, kayaking, and boating. Tourism ensures jobs for the many people that live close to the lakes. Many families rely on fishing to feed their families’. This is why caution must be used when eating the fish in Lake Huron. Lake Huron, along with the other Great Lakes, are very important to us. They are our main source of fresh water in the United States. The government is regulating chemicals and other harmful substances that could affect the Great Lakes. Getting laws passed like the Clean Water Act, recognizes the importance of preserving the Americans waters. Thankfully we have groups like NRDC whose main goal is to make sure that Lake Huron, and the other Great Lakes, stays safe for fishing, swimming, and boating. APA Citation Page Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). (2012). The impact of beach pollution. Retrieved from http://www.nrdc.org/water/oceans/ttw/health-economic.asp Shear, H. (2006). The Great Lakes, an Ecosystem Rehabilitated, but Still Under Threat. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment113: 199 -225 United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2012). The effects of Great Lakes contaminants on human health. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/greatlakes/health/report.htm U.S. Environmental Protections Agency. Clean Water Act, July 2006. http://www.epa.gov/r5water/cwa.htm Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. ToxFAQs for Toxaphene. Sept. 1997. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts94.html How to cite Great Lakes, Papers

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Personality and Transformational and Transactional Leadership

Question: Describe about the Personality and transformational and transactional leadership: A meta-analysis? Answer: Principle of ethics, model of leadership, and complex concept Leadership ethical values are quite important as it defines the methods that need to be followed for execution of the task. Morality of the leadership helps the leaders to choose the right or the wrong thing. Ethical practices are related to doing the right things and encouraging the members to follow the ethical values that are being defined by the manager. Basic principles are related to respect and honesty through which the task can be performed in the right manner (Catalano, 2003). The models for leadership have to be decided and implemented in the right manner. There are different types of models through which the tasks can be performed in the desired manner. Managerial grid is one of the models through which the leadership skills for the leaders are developed and implemented in the right manner. The tasks and concern related to the people are associated with the predicted leadership methods and outcomes. In the managerial grid, the leadership task is defined and the managers are assisted with the task performance. Through this method, the challenges are analysed and corrective measures are taken into consideration (Dragoni, 2009). The next model is related to four framework approaches, which uses the guide or the methods that needs to be followed for improving the leadership behaviour in handling different situations at the workplace. The best model through which the challenges at the workplace can be effectively handled is situational model. Through this method, the managers analyse the situation at the workplace and adopt the best method through which the problem or challenges can be handled. Through this method, perfect solution to the problem at the workplace can be developed and implemented by the management. In this process, the ethical values and practices have to be adopted and implemented in the appropriate manner. The complexity at the workplace is related to the methods followed for handling the clients requirement, dispute of the staffs, execution of the tasks, and other factors (Bono and Judge, 2004). Ethical practices are related to the methods that are followed for communicating the challenges and other factors that are associated with the task performance. In this process, the strategies have to be prepared as this will help in implementing the changes that is related to the business development. Through this process, the changes and other factors can be planned and introduce day the management. ethical evidences The strategic changes introduced by Bill Gates for improving and motivating the staffs to perform at the workplace are one of the perfect examples that are related to the business execution. Organisational changes are related to introducing changes with the production process, through which the corrective measures can be introduced by the management. In this process, the management analyse the challenges and implement he changes that would be useful for handling the complex situation at the workplace (DeRue et al., 2009). Bad ethical practices are associated with the unlawful conduct of the business activities, which is related to the business execution. Such factors can directly impact the business activities and impact the work ability of the staffs. Leaders play an important role in directing the members towards the right task and encourage adopting the better methods through which the challenges can be easily handled by the company. In this process, it is necessary to adopt effective communication method, through which the staffs would be directed to do the right things (Fine, 2007). Role of a manger The role of the manager of the company is quite crucial. It plays an important role in defining the strategies that is considered to be essential for the business development. In this process, the managers are expected to execute leadership skills which are necessary for improving the performance for the company. This includes adopting strategic changes and introducing methods through which the task performance at the workplace can be improved. The proposed changes need to be introduced by the management after analysing the future objectives of the company. The strategic changes and the methods required to be followed for execution of the task, needs to be planned and implemented in the right manner. Through this method, the complex situation at the workplace can be discussed and corrective measures can be introduced by the management (Francoeur, 2008). References: Bono JE, Judge TA. (2004). Personality and transformational and transactional leadership: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89, 901910. Catalano P. (2003). The relationship between transformational and transactional leadership and job satisfaction in an aerospace environment. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences, 63(7-A), 26122711. DeRue DS, Ashford SJ, Cotton N. (2009). Assuming the mantle: Unpacking the process by which individuals internalize a leader identity. In Roberts LM, Dutton JE (Eds.), Exploring positive identities and organizations: Building a theoretical and research foundation (pp. 213232). New York, NY: Taylor Francis. Dragoni L, Tesluk PE, Russell JEA, Oh IS. (2009). Understanding managerial development: Integrating developmental assignments, learning orientation, and access to developmental opportunities in predicting managerial competencies. Academy of Management Journal, 52, 731743. Fine S. (2007). Overqualification and selection in leadership training. Journal of Leadership Organizational Studies, 14, 6168. Francoeur KA. (2008). The relationship between the five-factor model of personality and leadership preferences for initiating structure and consideration. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, 67(7-B), #AAT3315390 Gershenoff AB. (2007). Individual differences and leader emergence in a transformational context: An examination of person and process. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, 68(3-B), 19702098.

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

An Analysis of Language Features in English Advertisement Essay Example

An Analysis of Language Features in English Advertisement Essay An Analysis of Language Features in English Advertisement Abstract With increasing communication in the world and acceleration of economic globalization, English advertising has found its way into peoples life. This thesis makes an attempt to explore the language characteristics of English advertisements so that we may be able to appreciate and write English advertising texts better. The thesis attempts to approach the main language characteristics of English advertising mainly from the angles of advertising and linguistics. First, the thesis defines advertising, clarifies its objectives, mentions its components, and discusses its lactations of English advertisement. Next, it investigates the main wording characteristics, concentrating on simple verbs, adjectives and compounds. Then it probes into the fundamental grammatical features, focusing upon the tenses and frequently employed sentences and constructions of English advertisements. The final part of the thesis body explores the most frequently employed rhetorical devices in English advertising texts, such as simile, metaphor, personification, pun. We will write a custom essay sample on An Analysis of Language Features in English Advertisement specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on An Analysis of Language Features in English Advertisement specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on An Analysis of Language Features in English Advertisement specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer But what is advertising? What are the objectives of advertising? What elements does an advertisement consist of? How are advertisements classified? These are the questions of which we must have a good idea before we proceed to explore the language features of characteristics of English advertising. As far as I know, some books and papers concerning English advertising have been published at home and abroad. In modern society, English advertising has gradually formed its own unique characteristics and has also shaped an independent style throughout history of development. The language of English advertising is simple and direct. Therefore, an analysis of the features of English advertising is worthwhile. 2. Definition of advertising In English, the word advertise has its origin in adventure in Latin, meaning to inform somebody of something, to bring into notice or to draw attention to something. Baber Lasher, father of modern advertising, said that advertising was salesmanship in print. This definition was given a long time before the advent of radio and television. In the past, the nature and scope of advertising were considerably different from those today. The definition indicates that the ultimate objective of advertising is to sell. Obviously, it is not an all round definition, for it an not cover all advertisements. 2. 2 Elements of advertising An advertisement is composed of different components, which are either verbal or non-verbal. The verbal components consist of the headline, sub-headline, the body copy, trademark (including brand name, corporate o restore name and visual symbol) and slogan. The non-verbal elements are made up of illustrations, advertising music, advertising sounds, color and layout. Each element plays a role in successful advertising. However, an advertisement has no need to include all elements are discussed, not because they are more important, but because engage features in such elements are more conspicuous and much easier to be noticed by the general public. David Googol, a famous Australian advertiser, pointed out, On the average five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. The headline is with eighty cents of an advertising dollar. Therefore, if you havent done some selling in the headline, you have wasted 80 percent of your money. So, the headline should attract readers attention, make them read the body copy, show the benefit of the product and arouse readers desire to take buying action. Some headlines need no sub-headlines. The body copy tells the complete sales story. The purpose of the body copy is to provide clarification of the headline and proof of claims, to point out other competitive advantages. In short, to give the prospective reasons, implicit as well as explicit ,for action desired. A trademark is a sign used by an enterprise or an industry to distinguish quality, specifications and nature of the product they produce, process and sell. The name of a trademark often appears in the headline. The slogan has some similarities with the headline . Len fact, many slogans are developed from some successful headlines lagans are standard statements for sales people and company employees. For example, Fords slogan Quality is Job I explicitly states that the company makes high-quality products. The main purposes of slogans are to provide continuity for a campaign and to express a key theme or idea with concise and memorable words. Some slogans seem to be old friends of readers and become sparks of recognition on consumers minds, which create favorable impressions of the products or enterprises on the readers minds, so they are regarded as immense treasures for enterprises. Slogans are very common in English advertisements. . 3 Objectives of advertising The objectives of advertising are various. Association of National Advertisement (ANA) interprets its objectives as awareness, comprehension, conviction and action (CA). Firstly, advertisements should draw attention from the audience ; secondly, they should show and prove the advantages of the advertised products or services; thirdly , they should arouse interest of potential customers or clients and stimulate strong desires in them ; finally, they should encourage potential consumers to take However, most of us agree that the principal objective of advertising is to action. Ell products. But unlike salesmen whose sell goods in face-to-face or even voice -to- voice situations, advertisers communicate certain messages to particular groups of people who may or may not be known and who may be close or at a distance. Therefore, advertising is a specialized form of communication. In order to satisfy the marketing function, it has to provide the relevant information, to persuade people and to influence their choices and buying deci sions. Therefore, the message contained in any advertisement must be absolutely clear or easy to comprehend, ND the meaner of conveying the message must be effective so that the receiver may believe and understand the message properly and take specific action to obtain the product or service. Specifically, an advertisement is designed to dispose people to buy a product or service, to support a cause, or even to encourage less consumption(such as social welfare advertisement). An advertisers main purpose is to present and exhibit products or services, and to spread their influence to the extent that the potential purchasing population becomes real and actual. Generally, advertisers try by the various meaner at their espousal to get people to buy the product or service advertised. They attempt to construct an advertisement that will fully involve the attention of the potential purchaser and which will have a persuasive effect. So they will make full use of every word to attract readers attention. English advertising texts display many unique diction features, such as frequent use of monosyllabic verbs, compounds, as well as adjectives. Which will be discussed briefly and separately in this chapter? 3. 1 The lexical features becomes actual. Generally, advertisers try by the various meaner at their disposal to et people to buy the product or service advertised. They attempt to construct an advertisement that will fully involve the attention of the potential purchaser and which will have a persuasive effect. So they will make full use of every word to attract readers attention. English advertising texts display many unique diction features, such as frequent use of monosyllabic verbs, adjectives, compounds. 3. 1. 1 Monosyllabic verbs Verbs used in English advertising are mostly short and simple. Typical ones are: be, do , get, buy, make, give, have, see, come, go, call, try, know, keep, look, deed, love, use, show, help, prove, mean, meet, suit, save, feel, like, take, choose, select, start, taste, build ,grow, offer, provide, enjoy, savor, etc. Any advertisements in English you come across may contain a few or some of these verbs, no matter what products or services are advertised . III these verbs are common and simple, and most of them are monosyllabic. These common verbs make advertising in English simple and easy to understand. An umber of the above-mentioned verbs has varying grammatical functions and meanings that vary accordingly. The linking verb be is usually used to express the advertised product or service. The word do, which has many different meanings, can refer to the practical take, and keep are related to the possession of the advertised product or service; have and have got convey the idea of neutral possession : keep transmits the idea of continuing possession ;buy, get and take express acquisition and give denotes the conferring of possession on somebody else. Another group of verbs concern consumption: take (in one of its uses) and have (in one of its meanings). Meet and suit are associated with the practical functions of the advertised product or service. Like, love and need denote mental disposition towards the product . Choose/select and taste indicate some links between product and consumer. Look, feel and taste can be descriptive of the consumers sensation or feelings: with an inanimate subject, they can describe the sensible properties of the commodity being advertised. The verbs make, build and grow, tell about producer and product, or about the origin of the product. Offer, provide, present, and enjoy, are favorite items in estate and travel advertisements, where they are normally preceded by impersonal subjects. At least one or two of these four verbs often appear in an estate or travel advertisements. Frequent use of monosyllabic verbs can help kill two birds with one stone: on the one hand . Let makes the language of English advertising more concise and lively, and on the other hand, it saves space, time and money. 3. 1. 2 Adjectives G. N. Leech, a well-known linguist in Britain, lists in his Language in Advertising (1966:1 52)the following most frequently used (3)good/ better/ best (4)fine (5) free(6) big(7) fresh(8) great (9)delicious (10)real (1 1)full. Sure(12)easy, safe(1 5)special(16)rich. The first item on the list ,new, which implies the latest fashion or style or quality or type, or unique feature off product r service, and connotes progress and development, is a word applied everywhere, because it can almost describe all aspects of products, such as size, shape, look, brilliance, color, formula, also it can collocate with abstract nouns: contest, fashion, competition, ideas, trend, tide, wave, etc. It is frequently seen that new collocates with common nouns, such as booklet, bottle, car, fish steak, newspapers, shampoo, soap, toothbrush, type, weed-killer, tool, TV, cosmetics, and many more. Good/better/best might appear to be another all- purpose epithet, Particularly in its comparative and superlative forms'(Leech, 966:152). Admen often use good/ better/best collocating with two kinds of products: food and tobacco. Good also collocates with many nouns which dont denote concrete products, such as flavor, gravy, sandwich, breakfast. The use of good with cigarettes and tobacco probably reflects the difficulty of finding more suitable adjective. Good and new are much more frequently used than any other adjectives. Extra and special have a function similar to that of new, but they express the differences of products . There are other words frequently used relative to new products, such as now, suddenly, announcing, introducing, improved ,revolutionary, Just arrived, important, development, miracle, surprising, challenge. 3. 1. 3 Compounds In English advertisement, you can see compounds everywhere. Some compounds are written as single words and some with a hyphen, but others appear as two separate words. Because lexical restraints on compounds are few, the advertisers text. As a result English compounds become a conspicuous characteristic of English advertisements. As we know, compound nouns are coined in many different ways. In the following examples, we can see structural types of the most common compound *noun: high-fashion knitwear, top-quality bulbs: b)noun *noun :color freshness, economy-size shredded wheat: (e)adverb *noun: the any-time cereal, up-to-the-minute cycling:(d) present participle + noun: arriving time, chewing gum: (e)past participle + noun: purified salt, married couple. 3. The grammatical features As a particular branch of language, advertising language should be concise and attractive. It usually has its own characteristics in syntax, such as frequent use of simple and frequent use of interrogative sentences. 3. 2. 1 Simple sentences Whatever product or service may be advertised, the advertiser usually sets a limit o the length of the advertisement for the sake of space and money. Normally, he or she makes much effort to convey as much information as possible in a most concise and compact manner. Therefore, simple sentences are frequently used in English advertisements. Here is the example IT COMES WITH A CONSCIENCE Honda has always made good cars . People love them. But with a loved one things can sometimes get emotional. Honda understands . And on our own we have set up a third-party arbitration program with the Better Business Bureau to give you extra voice, if you need it. But Please talk to your dealer first. And follow the problem- solving procedure described in your owners manual. Honda wants you and your Honda to have a long and happy relationship . Example is an advertisement of Honda cars. It is mostly made up of simple sentences, which render the advertisement smooth and easy to understand. Simple sentences can not only make English advertising easy to read, hear and understand but also leave a deep impression on the readers minds. 3. 2. 2 Interrogative sentences In some English advertisements, interrogative sentences are used at the very beginning of the body copy, so as to hold the addressees attention and arouse their interest. Interrogative sentences often require people to give answers, by which to arouse their attention . Oleomargarine sentences break through consumers psychological screens at first, then require them to reflect. Lets observe the example:What will you do with the money you save using a faster, more efficient computer? Interrogative sentences are very much favored in English advertisements, because they demand peoples response and can arouse readers interest quickly. Positive rhetorical questions are even more attractive and more persuasive. 3. 3 The rhetorical devices Rhetorical devices are various forms of expression deviating from the normal arrangement or use of words, which are adopted in order to give beauty, variety or force to a composition. In order to make their advertisements unique and eye- catching, the copyRitter have to make elaborate designs and draw up remarkable verbal blueprints by working creatively and aptly applying rhetorical devices. 3. 3. 1 Simile It is a figure of speech which makes a comparison between two unlike elements having at least one quality or characteristic in common. To make the comparison, with one to the other. In other words, simile is a direct or explicit comparison between two unrelated things, indicating a likeness or similarity between some abstract qualities found in both things. The connective word like or as serves as a bridge linking up the two. The use of an apt simile creates a clear and vivid image of the advertised product or service in consumers interest and achieving their mental and emotional resonance. Lets analyze the example. Like a good neighbor. State Farm is there. State Farm Insurance) Simile is an important rhetorical device less frequently employed than metaphor, which is one of the most frequently used heterocyclic devices in English advertisements. 3. 3. 2 Metaphor There are some definitions about metaphor, such as It is like a simile also makes a comparison between two unlike elements, but unlike a simile, this comparison is implied: rather than stated. For example: Kodak is Olympic color. In example, Kodak is compar ed to the color of Olympic. Kodak shows the real color Just as Olympic shows the real essence of the sports. The metaphor in this implies that Kodak develops itself by the Olympic spirit higher, faster and stronger. Obviously, appropriate application of metaphors plays an important role in English advertisements, which can not only render advertisements attractive and picturesque, but also informative and persuasive. So metaphors contribute to promoting the sale of products and help make advertised service thrive and flourish. 3. 3. 3 Personification By personification we mean that something without life is represented or thought of as a human being, or as having qualities or feelings of human beings. Personifying the advertised product and giving it feeling and emotion which only people possess, make an advertisement more acceptable. Personification is often employed in English advertisements. Lets observe the following example. We are proud of the birthplaces of our children, the grapes of Allemande. On our classic varietals wines, you will find the birthplaces of our, In Example, the grapes of Allemande are personified: they seem to be children of grape cultivators and wine makers, the date of wine making seems to be the birth day of the wine, and the place of grape cultivating seems to be the home town of the wine. By Personification, the adman paints a vivid and imaginative Picture. 3. 3. 4 Pun Puns which are often employed by the manufacturers to seek first-hand attention, are almost the most attention-getting device of the rhetorical figures. The tauter of puns in advertising is :the pun is the product of a contest deliberately constructed to enforce an ambiguity, to render the choice between meanings impossible, to leave the reader or hearer thinking about products in semantic space. As far as I know, the pun is one of the most favored rhetorical devices employed by copy writers and one of the most common rhetorical devices used in English advertisements . For example: Make you every hello and real good buy. (A Telephone Ad) Example is very typical of this kind of pun. The copy writer makes good use of homophones good-bye and good buy to satisfy customers psychology, to attract them and to promote the sale of the product. A play on words in this advertisement is used to draw the attention of the reader to the product because people might be amused by such a pun. One obvious influence of English advertising on the English language lies in fact that English advertising contributes a lot of mew words to the vocabulary stock of modern English. And some products or services are so popular that they have significantly changed peoples life patterns. 4. 1 The effect of the advertising results Advertising language is the core content of advertisements. Socio-cultural infancy advertising language of a society will inevitably reflect all the aspects of the social and cultural. Advertising language is a social fashion language. One easy to remember and enjoys popular support, it has inherited social and cultural side, with the innovative side; a bound by side, but also affect the text oriented side. Imprecise language translation of advertising effect In addition to this difference of language itself, caused by the misuse of advertising solution, there are a lot of misunderstandings from the inaccurate translation of advertising, such as the Hong Smoke in the tar (tar) translated as bitumen (asphalt), the computers soft Parts (software) into a computers underwear (underwear) and so on; It can be seen that the language of communication in advertising is important.. Advertising is for the product to open new international markets; we must respect the objectives of language habits of consumers, or can only be counter-productive. 4. 2 The effect of the peoples life In life, we can see striking, with the ear can hear is the slogan introduce advertising overwhelming, filled with our lives, the impact of our brain, people love UT hate. The role of advertising is not Just the need to stimulate; it is a more subtle role in changing peoples customs. Advertising is as a bridge between production and consumption. If through the language to influence and stimulate peoples sense organs, To follow the commodity information to the impression that the process of intuitive sense, and gradually the deep into the consumer consciousness, induced the attention of consumers for goods and stimulate people to think better use of the product after the scene. Results in a purchase along with desire and action, up to sell researched, promote and expanded reproduction purchases. Therefore, the advertising language on peoples consumption concept is impact very obvious. Advertising language meet the consumers psychological, accustomed to promote sales at the same time, consumers will also consumer guide: instill a certain amount of consumption concept, provides a stylish consumer culture. One trend of English advertising, as many linguistics have feared, is that the advertising language becomes elusive and manipulative. Authors like Aloud Huxley and E. B. White have warned of its manipulative nature. As Barbara Stan aptly sanitations, the deceptive nature of advertising language lies in the fact that it frequently uses poetic license to say one thing and mean another, borrowing literary other trend of English advertising is :the language is getting oral and the grammar is getting simpler . III these changes, if carelessly used, may easily lead to ambiguity and misunderstanding, which affects the products image negatively. CHAPTER VI conclusion Today in China, while our economic structure is shifting from the entirely planned economy to the socialist market system, advertising is becoming more and more active and sophisticated . Nanny, Chinas advertising expenditure reached $862 million. Among the fastest growing countries in Asia. Now with Chinas entry into WTFO, this expenditure figure will undoubtedly rise up, which will support the view that advertising is an indispensable meaner for providing the information that all market-oriented industrialized societies need for economies to function efficiently, And as English is one of the most widely used languages in the world, it is necessary to study and analyze the language features o f English advertising. Current advertisements reflect radical changes in the technology, media, the social and economic relations, the sense of personal and group identity. For the insight they provide the nature of these changes: and for the way they prepare us for further changes to come. It is a particular valuable field of study. Acknowledgement Throughout the process of writing my thesis, I obtained much help and encouragement from my kindly teacher Miss Wan. I have benefited a great deal from her great attainment, and patient guidance. Her helps and support which accompanied me when I studied as a postgraduate. I wish to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to her.

Saturday, March 7, 2020

7 Content Calendar Examples From Awesome Brands to Inspire Yours

7 Content Calendar Examples From Awesome Brands to Inspire Yours Content calendars can make or break the successful implementation of your content strategy. Why? Because they help keep your team on track, let them see what’s coming next, and help them avoid the panic of having to write something at the last minute. In this post, we took seven companies across a variety of industries and reconstructed their blog and social media posting schedules  (based on manual research) to create example content calendars. Then, after you’ve seen each example, we’ll show you how to establish your own publishing frequency, and build a content calendar to keep it organized. But First, Who Are We, Anyway?: is an industry-leading marketing calendar software platform. Curious to learn how you can manage your content + social media (and all your other marketing projects), all in one place? Start here. Download Your Content Calendar Template Kit Before you continue reading, download your content calendar template kit. It contains: A social media scheduling calendar  to plan, write and organize all your social media messages. A content calendar template  to organize and plan your content in advance. A printable marketing calendar  for your desk so you can always keep an eye on what’s coming next. A best times to post on social media infographic  to take the guesswork out of when you need to be posting. A how often to post on social media infographic  to know the baseline amount that you should post on your social media pages. A best times to publish blog posts infographic that lets you see the best times to publish your blog posts to gain the most eyeballs.7 Content Calendar Examples From Awesome Brands to Inspire Your OwnWhat Is The Purpose of a Content Calendar? The purpose of having a content calendar is to make sure your content team stays organized and on top of your publishing schedule. Some specific benefits include: Keeping track of deadlines. Giving your whole team visibility on what you’re working on. Making it easier to plan ahead. Let's Look At 7 Content Calendar Examples From These Leading Brands We chose the following companies to reconstruct their publishing schedule. Each one of these organizations had an active blog and a regular social media presence. Red Bull: Red Bull is a publishing company that just happens to sell an energy drink. This makes them interesting because they publish a large amount of high quality content. Reverb.com: An e-commerce business that carries musical instruments and accessories. They create content that makes it easy to see and hear what you’re getting before you buy. Modcloth: An e-commerce vintage clothing brand. They publish a mix of promotional content that helps sell clothes and content that shows their audience how they might look when wearing their product. Disney Parks: An estimated 150 million people visit Disney parks every year. Their content helps those visitors have the best time. BMW: BMW is the most popular car brand  on Instagram. Their messages promote an aspirational lifestyle that people strive to achieve. Whole Foods: Whole Foods curates content that’s valuable to people who want to live a healthier lifestyle. They also share their own recipes. Concordia College:  The marketing department at Concordia uses the story of their current students to attract new prospective students. Each one of these organizations span a variety of industries and company sizes. No matter what your organization does you can see a variety of schedules to inspire your own. Red Bull Red Bull is a massive media powerhouse that just happens to sell an energy drink. As you can see from their content calendar, they publish a lot of stuff whether it’s blogs, social media messages, videos and more. What conclusions can we draw from Red Bull’s content calendar? Post your content where your audience is most active.  Red Bull’s audience of 20 to 30 year old males is most active on Facebook and Instagram. Therefore it makes sense that Red Bull would publish a larger amount of content on these channels. Reuse video content on social media.  Red Bull is known for their incredible video content. Much of that gets shared on Facebook and their other social platforms. You might not be able to shoot the same kind of video, but if you have video content at all, repackage it for social media for maximum mileage. Create content that looks and feel authentically like the non-branded content that your audience seeks out. Red Bull is so successful because it looks like content from a publishing house. They don’t feel like they are being sold too. Takeaway: Organic social media content doesn't always need to sell directly in order to be successful. Take a look at Red Bull's content and social media publishing schedule.Reverb.com Reverb.com is an e-commerce website that sells pretty much any music related instrument you could think of. They know their audience well and have a created a reliable and consistent publishing schedule that’s jam-packed full of content about musicians, new and old instruments and techniques their fans would find interesting. What conclusions can we draw from Reverb’s content calendar? If you’re going to publish a lot of content make sure you do it well.  One of the reasons that Reverb.com is so successful with their content is because of their ability to tailor it to their audience. They publish a lot of information, but all of it is executed well. Establish trust with your audience. By talking to industry experts, popular musicians and more they are able to establish a sense of trust with their audience. People can drop a lot of money on their sites because they can trust what they find. Create content that makes it easy to understand how to use complex products.  Reverb does a great job explaining what their product does and how to use it. Their product base can get overwhelming and stressful so Reverb makes it easy to understand and find the dream product their audience is in search of. Takeaway: Earn your audience’s trust through the content you create. Take a look at Reverb's content and social media publishing schedule.ModCloth ModCloth is another e-commerce website that sells women’s vintage style clothing. ModCloth caters to a very niche market place as the demand for vintage clothes falls to a unique group of buyers. What conclusions can we draw from ModCloth’s content calendar? Put your audience’s interests first.  Modcloth’s audience is interested in fashion. They aren’t satisfied with what they can find at the mall. By creating content that gives their audience fashion ideas by itself, it’s okay that the copy tells them where to find it. This is an exception where direct selling can work for a retail brand. Start small and grow.  You don’t need to publish 67 blog posts and 123 social media messages right off the bat. ModCloth’s publishing schedule is small but that’s what works for them. You have to walk before you can run and that includes your content creation. Your blog doesn’t have to be your main focus. Blogs are great, but they’re also time-consuming. If your team doesn’t have the resources or the time to publish a ton of blog content, that’s okay. Focus your efforts on creating great content on your social media pages,e-books or landing pages and slowly grow your blog. Takeaway: Organic social media content should not always look and feel like an ad. Take a look at Mod Cloth's content and social media publishing schedule.Disney Parks Disney is a behemoth in the hospitality and service world and needless to say they publish a lot of content. The Disney Parks blog is just one of several blogs, Facebook pages and more that Disney runs. What conclusions can we draw from Disney Park’s content calendar? Create content that creates FOMO. Disney has many massive theme parks that are packed full of attractions and fun family things to do. Their content creates a FOMO or feeling of missing out on all the fun. This move creates a sense of urgency and longing for your audience hopefully promoting them to take action. Show them what they will experience. Create content that shows your audience what they will get or experience when they purchase your products. Instead of letting them guess what will happen, show them instead. Help them have the best time when they do business with you. Disney’s content focuses a lot on the experiences that their customers have. You can do this as well by letting your content show them how working with you creates the best possible experience they’ll ever have. Takeaway: Show your audience how to create an experience when they visit you. Take a look at Disney Park's content and social media publishing schedule.Whole Foods Whole Foods is a natural grocery store that was recently acquired by Amazon. They’re blog integrates the products their selling with fun easy to read content. What conclusions can we draw from Whole Foods content calendar? If you don’t have enough blog content to supplement your social media messages, curate it from other sources.  Whole Foods doesn’t publish a ton of blog content throughout the month so to supplement some of its social media posts it will scrape content from other related blogs, news sources and even their own customers. Try publishing themed content. One thing that Whole Foods does well is post themed content. Whether that be new Halloween recipes or ways to used seasoned fruits and vegetables Whole Foods finds a way to make their content timely and themed. Don’t publish blog content just to fill your content calendar. If you’re experiencing gaps in your content calendar don’t randomly publish blog content trying to fill it in. Your blog content should always be strategically written. Takeaway: Everything that Whole Foods publishes is high-quality content that their audience cares about. They might do well to publish a little more but you don’t have to have a publishing schedule like Red Bull to be successful. BMW BMW is a world-renowned luxury vehicle maker. Their designs are timeless, classic, and out of reach for many pocket books. Their content marketing strategy however, is not. What conclusions can we draw from BMW content calendar? Use your blog to show behind the scenes stuff about your product.  People love seeing what makes a product tick. Use your blog to show them information that they may not get by seeing advertisements or use cases of your product. If you sell an expensive product, use social media to reinforce your brand not make a direct sale. People know who BMW is and how it makes them feel. Their product is out of reach for many of their audience members meaning that a link to a dealership in a post probably isn’t going to result in a sale. If your product has a pretty hefty price tag use your social media to reinforce the luxury idea of your brand. Make people feel like they’re part of the community.  BMW is great at making their audience feel included when they buy their product. They’re not just purchasing a car, they’re also becoming part of a community. Takeaway: If your product is a hard direct sell, create content that caters to your audience’s aspirations. Take a look at BMW's content and social media publishing schedule.Concordia College Concordia College is a small liberal arts college in Moorhead, Minnesota. Like many colleges Concordia keeps and active blog and social media presence to attract prospective students. What conclusions can we draw from Concordia’s content calendar? Reshare your blog content.  Concordia shares one blog post  multiple times on one social media channel. This can help ensure that as many people see your content as possible. Let current customers tell your story. Concordia uses their content to show potential student see what it would look like if they were to attend the college. Word of mouth is more powerful than what you could say about yourself as a brand. Once you’ve publish your content respond to what people have to say. Your content publishing schedule is not complete once it’s live. You need to be able to continue that conversation about your content with your audience. Find out what they think and take the time to show them that you care about what they have to say. Takeaway: Reinforce the idea that your organization creates a community. Take a look at Concordia College's content and social media publishing schedule.How Can You Build Your Own Calendar Like a Leading Brand? You’ve seen seven  different examples. The next step in your process is to create a content publishing schedule and a social media promotion schedule. So how do you do that? Step One: Figure Out Content Types and Publishing Schedule The very first step in developing your content calendar is deciding what types content you’re going to be publishing. Some common options are: Blog Posts E-Books Landing pages Podcasts Videos Social media posts Email newsletters There’s no limit to the types of content that your team can publish but remember to start small and grow into more types later down the road. Once you’ve decided what types of content you’re going to publish, you need to decide how often you’re going publish each type of content. For example it could look something like: Publish two blog posts a week. Publish one podcast a week. Publish one e-book each quarter. The publishing schedule that your company decides on can grow or shrink depending on For every content piece you publish you should include the following information in your content calendar: The date it publishes. The topic it covers. The content format you’ll create. In your content calendar template it would look something like this:

Thursday, February 20, 2020

Analysis of qualitative design part 2 Research Paper

Analysis of qualitative design part 2 - Research Paper Example Qualitative design is always accredited with the ability to seek and gain insight, this is often by exploring the depth, richness and complexity that is rooted in a particular phenomenon. In conducting this research study, the research relied upon an ethnographic research design, in this case, the researchers main aim was to study the prevailing characteristics of people in relation to adult literacy and gender equity empowerment among the people of rural Elsalvador (Prins 2005). The methods of study applied in ethnographic research designs identify a people’s prevailing culture, variables of the study and makes a comprehensive review of literature. In terms of data collection methods, the research design employs those that give it access to culture patterns and attributes, informants as well as ability to collect first-hand data. The researchers use of ethnographic design in this research was aimed at gaining an in-depth analysis of the effect of literacy education, gender and equity empowerment among the people of rural El Salvador. First, the research design was essential in gaining first-hand data from respondents, through this research design, it was easy to interact with people that provided particular services on the ground and get their views on the particular influence the subjects of study were having on people. Secondly, this research design was essential in enabling the researcher to move and record his observations about the characteristics of the people of rural El Salvador in the wake of literacy education and gender equity empowerment. Thirdly, the nature if this study was too complex to be answered by simple yes or no answers, the respondents were needed to provide an in-depth analysis of what they found as being the impact of gender equity empowerment initiatives and literacy education. The rationale for this study was to

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act's Ethics Essay

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act's Ethics - Essay Example A standard electronic device should be used to store all medical information of a person. The deadline for embracing the act was September 23, 2013. The health policy incorporates some ethical issues. These ethical issues include respect for the patient’s health information, confidentiality and honesty. HIPAA law has bought has established responsibilities for health care institutions. The HIPAA law has enhanced the confidentiality of the patients’ medical information. Confidentiality is the state of having something in a strict privacy or secrecy way. This helps to protect patient rights since only the required medical personnel’s can access the information. This is a component of providing quality medical health care. In a recent case, a patient suffering from paranoid schizophrenia got admitted to a mental hospital. The nurses at the hospital wanted to disclose the health information to the family. However, the patients’ physician refused since the patient had not allowed them to do so. The patients’ health rapidly improved, and within a week, he was ready for discharge. The patients’ health condition requires maximum respect. Respect is the condition of esteem. In the case of ongoing treatment, obtaining payments and for healthcare operations, one can share protected health information. Except for insurance reasons in order to receive payments written authorization should be presented any time one requires medical records. Under this condition HIPAA only allows access of minimum necessary information to perform job duties. This enhances respect for patients’ health information. In another case, a staff member in a medical practice disclosed HIV status of the patient. This happened mistakenly after the doctor’s office faxed medical records to the patients’ place of employment rather the new healthcare provider. He thereby disclosed PHI to several other individuals.

Monday, January 27, 2020

Nonmetric Analysis of Jawbones for Sex Determination

Nonmetric Analysis of Jawbones for Sex Determination ABSTRACT AIMS OBJECTIVES Mandible is the strongest, largest, hardest most durable bone of the skull which retains its shape better than other bones in forensic study and exhibiting high degree of sexual dimorphism. To study the nonmetric characteristics of mandible such as the variations of shape of chin, lower border of mandible and shape of coronoid process and to distinguish between males and females. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The material for this study comprised of 90 dry adult human mandibles of known sex which was obtained from Department of Anatomy. The characteristic feature that allowed the sexes to be distinguished was the contour of the lower border of mandible, shape of the chin and shape of coronoid process bilaterally. RESULTS: Rocker-shaped mandibles predominated in males (58.9%), whereas most females (41.1%) exhibited a straight mandible. The shape of the chin in most males was generally Bilobate (45.5%), Square (43.6%), whereas the chin in females was Pointed (71.4%).Shapes of coronoid process observed were Triangular (41.1%), Rounded (31.1%), and Hook in (27.8%) with p value CONCLUSION: The nonmetric analysis of mandible used in this study could be used for sex determination. Key words: Forensic anthropological, Mandible, Non metric characteristics sex determination. Introduction In forensic investigation identifying the human remains is thought to be a first step is crucial for futher analysis.1 The sex determination in human skeleton is usually the initial step in the identification process as subsequent methods for age and stature estimation are sex dependent. The accuracy of sex determination depends on the completeness of the remains and the degree of sexual dimorphism inherent in the population.2 When the complete adult skeleton is available for analysis sex can be determined up to hundred percent (100%) accuracy, but in cases of fragmented bones which are usually found in mass disasters, obtaining cent percent (100%) accuracy in sex determination is difficult and it largely depends on the available fragmented bones of skeleton.1, 2 As evident from the earlier studies, the most dimorphic and easily distinguish portion of skeleton among sexes after pelvis is skull, providing accuracy up to 92%.1 But in cases where intact skull is not found, in sex determination mandible may play a vital role, as it is the most durable, largest, strongest , and dimorphic bone of skull.1-4 Mandible is very durable part of skull bone due to the presence of a dense layer of compact bone, and hence remains well preserved than many other bones. The shape and size of mandible reflects the dimorphism characteristics.1 Female bones are generally smaller and less robust than male bones.2 This characteristic feature of mandible helps in sex and age determination in medico legal cases. In anthropological excavations, the morphometric features of the mandible aid to determine the sex, age, food habits and race of the population and also helps to understand the cave dweller / human evolution.5 The relative development such as size, strength, and angulation of the muscles of mastication is known to influence the expression of mandibular dimorphism as masticatory forces exerted are different for males and females.6 The shape of the mandible can vary according to the different lifestyles and chewing habits .7Therefore, the morphological characteristics of the mandible vary among different ethnic groups. There are several causes of differences in the shape of the mandible between the sexes8. The shape and size of the mandible appear to differ between the sexes from the development of the deciduous tooth. Also, the size of the masticatory muscles and mandible appear to differ between males and females before birth9. The size of the ramus differs between males and females according to the stage of mandibular development and muscle growth.10,11 Furthermore, the mandible have different rate of growth in males and females.12,13 Because puberty occurs earlier in females than in males, sexual differences may manifest themselves in the skull and jaws of females earlier than in the later and longer maturing males.14 For the determination of the of males and females mandible many attempts have been made wi th help of metric standards.15-17 However, metric methods have their disadvantages by their requirement of a complete mandible. Using nonmetric methods, Bass18 found that the shape of the chin could be used to distinguish between males and females. In addition, Loth and Henneberg 19 in his reported cases showed that there is a large difference in the à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡exure of the ramal posterior border during male and female Africans that can be used to differentiate the sexes with 99% reliability. In addition, it was reported that there are discrete differences in the gonial à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡aring of the mandible between the sexes20. In this study we investigated the criteria that can be used to differentiate between males and females by using the non-metric characteristics of mandible such as variation of contour of lower border of mandible, shape of the chin and variation in shape of coronoid process in mandibles. MATERIALS AND METHOD The present study was undertaken on 90 dry adult, complete, undamaged human mandibles of known sex from the collection of Anatomy department. Out of 90 mandibles 53 were of males and 37 of females and were examined for the variations shape of lower border, shape of the chin and shape of coronoid process of both the left and right side of the mandible. The shape of the chin was classified according to the thickness of the mandible in front of and beneath the chin, the proà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ le of the chin according to amount of protrusion of the chin observed from the side, the contour of the lower border of the mandible was classified according to the depth of the antegonial notch, variations in the shape of the coronoid process in right and left sides of adult bones of both sexes were noted and tabulated. The nonmetric items observed in this study is as follows: 1. The contour of the lower border of the mandible (fig 1) Straight/rocker/undulating 2. The shape of the chin (fig 1) Bilobate/square/pointed 3 Coronoid process of mandible (fig 1) Hooked, rounded and triangular INCULSION CRITERIA: well-formed mandible EXCULSION CRITERIA: Fractured, deformed, bony growths of Coronoid process [osteochondroma] were excluded from the study. Data were analyzed using a chi-square test p value of 0.05 was obtained which showed that this study was statistically significant. RESULTS: Rocker-shaped mandibles predominated in males (58.9%), whereas most females (41.1%) exhibited a straight mandible. The shape of the chin in most males was generally Bilobate (45.5%), Square (43.6%), and Pointed (10.9%), whereas the chin in females was either Square (8.6%) or Bilobated (20.0%) Pointed (71.4%).Shapes of coronoid process observed were Triangular (41.1%), Rounded (31.1%), and Hook in (27.8%) with p value Discussion Differentiating features of males from females and the differences in ethnic groups by analyzing the morphological characteristics of bone is important in the à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ eld of physical and forensic anthropology. Sound bone is difà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cult to obtain because the quality of bone deteriorates over time due to factors such as environment-induced erosion. In sex determination examination of the pelvic bone is the most accurate means, but this bone is rarely found intact. Skull is most easily distinguishing portion of the skeleton as a part of the skull mandible shares its own characteristics. The mandible is the strongest and largest bone in the human body and persists in a well-preserved state longer than any other bone. Hence mandibular characteristics are significantly useful for determining sex and race. The shape of the chin and the lower border of the mandible had a different shape between males and females in the present study. The shape of the chin is used widely to distinguish between the sexes, because the male chin is usually bilobate /square whereas the female chin is more pointed. Similar observations were made in the present study; specifically, 90.7% of males had either a bilobate or square chin, whereas 72.2% of females had a pointed chin. However, while the shape of the chin is more distinctive in males than in females, sex determination based only on the shape of the chin is not sufà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ciently reliable. The characteristic that was the most distinguishable between the sexes in this study was the shape of the lower border of the mandible. The lower borders of mandibles from males tended to be rocker shaped (58.9%), whereas lower borders of mandibles from females tended to be straight (41.1%) (Table1). Therefore, the shape of the lower border of the mandible may be used as a reliable index for sex determination. However, we believe that using only this characteristic is not sufà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ciently reliable for sex determination; instead, evaluating both the shape of the chin and the shape of the lower border of the mandible improve the precision of sex determination. When these two items were combined, 90.7% of males exhibited the characteristics of male mandibles (a bilobate or square chin and a rocker-shaped lower border of the mandible), whereas 77.2% of females exhibited the characteristics of female mandibles (a pointed chin and a straight lower border of the mandible, (Table3). Fe w males (9.3%) had a pointed chin and a straight lower border, which are characteristics of females, while 27.7% of the females exhibited mandibular characteristics that were characteristic of males (Table 3). Therefore, the probability of assigning the incorrect sex to a mandible when examining both the shape of the chin and the shape of the lower border of the mandible is very low. Moreover, the shape of the chin is the most distinctive characteristic in males (90.7%), whereas the lower border of the mandible is the most distinctive characteristic in females (77.2%). Therefore, we can determine the sex using the following two-step approach. During the à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ rst step in determining sex based on the characteristics of the mandible, if the lower border of the mandible is rocker shaped, it is likely to be the mandible of a male, but if the lower border is straight, it is likely to be the mandible of a female; during the second step, if the chin of the mandible that has a straigh t lower border is bilobate/square, it is likely to be the mandible of a male whereas pointed and straight is likely to be of female. Shapes of coronoid process observed were Triangular (41.1%),Rounded (31.1%), and Hook in (27.8%) where Triangular and hook shape had slight male predilection and triangular and rounded had slight more of female predilection(Table 4).Issac B21reported in a study of 157 mandibles incidence of hook shaped was 27.4%, triangular 49% and rounded type 23.6%.He found the incidence of the rounded type almost equal in male and female mandibles, triangular type slightly more in the females, while hook type more in the male mandibles. Comparing with Issac B the incidence of hook type was closely similar to the present study, but triangular and rounded shape incidence observed was more in males and so the findings did not coincide with the author. CONCULSION The differences between the sexes and among ethnic groups the morphological characteristics of the mandible are determined by the environment and different growth patterns. Therefore, males and females can be distinguished based on the shapes of various parts of the mandible. We found that the simultaneous use of the shape of the lower border of the mandible and the shape of the chin is the best method of predicting sex with a rate of accuracy that is higher than 90% and the morphological variation of shapes of coronoid .Triangular shape of coronoid process is the most common presentation .Incidence of Triangular, Rounded and Hook shape were found more in the in male bones compared to female bones. The above findings could be of substantial significance for the anatomist, anthropologist and forensic researchers.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Shadow Kiss Chapter 9

Nine WITH SO MANY MOROI tracing their roots back to Eastern Europe, Orthodox Christianity was the dominant religion on campus. Other religions were represented too, and I'd say all in all, only about half of the student body attended any sort of services regularly. Lissa was one such student. She went to church every Sunday because she believed. Christian also attended. He did it because she went and because it made him look good and seem less likely to become Strigoi. Since Strigoi couldn't enter holy ground, regular church service provided a small front of respectability for him. When I wasn't sleeping in, I showed up at church for the social aspect. Lissa and my friends usually hung out and did something fun afterward, so church made for a good meeting spot. If God minded me using his chapel as a way to further my social life, He hadn't let me know. Either that, or He was biding his time before punishing me. When the service ended that Sunday, however, I had to stick around the chapel, because that was where my community service was going to happen. When the place had cleared out, I was surprised to see one other person had lingered with me: Dimitri. â€Å"What are you doing here?† I asked. â€Å"Thought you might need some help. I hear the priest wants to do a lot of housecleaning.† â€Å"Yeah, but you're not the one being punished here. And this is your day off too. We – well, everyone else – spent the whole week battling it out, but you guys were the ones picking the fights the whole time.† In fact, I noticed now that Dimitri had a couple bruises too – though not nearly as many as Stan had. It had been a long week for everyone, and it was only the first of six. â€Å"What else would I do today?† â€Å"I could think of a hundred other things,† I noted dryly. â€Å"There's probably a John Wayne movie on somewhere that you haven't seen.† He shook his head. â€Å"No, there isn't. I've seen them all. Look – the priest is waiting for us.† I turned around. Sure enough. Father Andrew stood at the front, watching us expectantly. He'd taken off the rich robes he'd worn during service and now stood in simple slacks and a button down shirt. He looked like he was ready to work too, and I wondered whatever happened to Sunday being a day of rest. As Dimitri and I approached to get our assignments, I pondered what could have actually made Dimitri stay here in the first place. Surely he hadn't really wanted to work on his day off. I wasn't used to puzzles with him. His intentions were usually straightforward, and I had to assume there was a simple explanation now. It just wasn't clear yet. â€Å"Thank you both for volunteering to help me.† Father Andrew smiled at us. I tried not to scoff at the â€Å"volunteering† reference. He was a Moroi in his late forties, with thinning gray hair. Even without much faith in religion, I still liked and respected him. â€Å"We aren't doing anything particularly complex today,† he continued. â€Å"It's a bit boring, really. We'll have to do the regular cleaning, of course, and then I'd like to sort the boxes of old supplies I have sitting up in the attic.† â€Å"We're happy to do whatever you need,† Dimitri said solemnly. I repressed a sigh and tried not to think of all the other things I could be doing. We set to it. I was put on mop duty, and Dimitri took over dusting and polishing the wooden pews. He appeared thoughtful and intent as he cleaned, looking like he actually took pride in his work. I was still trying to figure out why he was here at all. Don't get me wrong; I was happy to have him. His presence made me feel better, and of course I always loved watching him. I thought maybe he was there to get more information out of me about what had happened that day with Stan, Christian, and Brandon. Or maybe he wanted to chastise me about the other day with Stan, where I'd been accused of jumping into battle for selfish reasons. These seemed like likely explanations, yet he never said a word. Even when the priest stepped out of the sanctuary to go to his office, Dimitri continued working quietly. I would have figured if he'd had anything to say, he would have done it then. When we finished the cleaning, Father Andrew had us haul box after box of stuff down from the attic and into a storeroom at the back of the chapel. Lissa and Christian frequently used that attic as a secret getaway, and I wondered if having it cleaner would be a pro or a con for their romantic interludes. Maybe they would abandon it, and I could start getting some sleep. With all of the stuff downstairs, the three of us settled on the floor and began sorting it all out. Father Andrew gave us instructions on what to save and what to throw out, and it was a relief to be off my feet for a change this week. He made small talk as we worked, asking me about classes and other things. It wasn't so bad. And as we worked, a thought came to me. I'd done a good job convincing myself that Mason had been a delusion brought on by lack of sleep, but getting assurance from an authority figure that ghosts weren't real would go a long way toward making me feel better. â€Å"Hey,† I said to Father Andrew. â€Å"Do you believe in ghosts? I mean, is there any mention of them in – † I gestured around us. † – in this stuff?† The question clearly surprised him, but he didn't appear to take offense at me calling his vocation and life's work â€Å"this stuff.† Or at the fact that I was obviously ignorant about it all, despite seventeen years of sitting through services. A bemused expression crossed his face, and he paused in his work. â€Å"Well †¦ it depends on how you define ‘ghost,' I suppose.† I tapped a theology book with my finger. â€Å"The whole point of this is that when you die, you go to heaven or hell. That makes ghosts just stories, right? They're not in the Bible or anything.† â€Å"Again,† he said, â€Å"it depends on your definition. Our faith has always held that after death, the spirit separates from the body and may indeed linger in this world.† â€Å"What?† A dusty bowl I was holding dropped out of my hand. Fortunately, it was wood and didn't break. I quickly retrieved it. That was not the answer I'd been expecting. â€Å"For how long? Forever?† â€Å"No, no, of course not. That flies in the face of the resurrection and salvation, which form the cornerstone of our beliefs. But it's believed the soul can stay on earth for three to forty days after death. It eventually receives a ‘temporary' judgment that sends it on from this world to heaven or hell – although no one will truly experience either until the actual Judgment Day, when the soul and body are reunited to live out eternity as one.† The salvation stuff was lost on me. The â€Å"three to forty days† was what caught my attention. I completely forgot about my sorting. â€Å"Yeah, but is it true or not? Are spirits really walking the earth for forty days after death?† â€Å"Ah, Rose. Those who have to ask if faith is true are opening up a discussion they may not be ready for.† I had a feeling he was right. I sighed and turned back to the box in front of me. â€Å"But,† he said kindly, â€Å"if it helps you, some of these ideas parallel folk beliefs from Eastern Europe about ghosts that existed before the spread of Christianity. Those traditions have long upheld the idea of spirits staying around for a short time after death – particularly if the person in question died young or violently.† I froze. Whatever progress I'd made in convincing myself Mason had been brought on by stress instantly vanished. Young or violently. â€Å"Why?† I asked in a small voice. â€Å"Why would they stay? Is it†¦ is it for revenge?† â€Å"I'm sure there are some who believe that, just as some believe it's because the soul has trouble finding peace after something so unsettling.† â€Å"What do you believe?† I asked. He smiled. â€Å"I believe the soul separates from the body, just as our fathers teach us, but I doubt the soul's time on earth is anything the living can perceive. It's not like in the movies, with ghosts haunting buildings or coming to visit those they knew. I envision these spirits as more of an energy existing around us, something beyond our perception as they wait to move on and find peace. Ultimately, what matters is what happens beyond this earth when we attain the eternal life our savior bought for us with his great sacrifice. That's what's important.† I wondered if Father Andrew would be so quick to say that if he'd seen what I'd seen. Young or violently. Both had applied to Mason, and he had died less than forty days ago. That sad, sad face came back to me, and I wondered what it had meant. Revenge? Or could he truly not find peace? And how did Father Andrew's theology about heaven and hell fit with someone like me, who had died and come back to life? Victor Dashkov had said I'd gone to the world of the dead and returned when Lissa had healed me. What world of the dead? Was that heaven or hell? Or was it another way of referring to this in-between state on earth that Father Andrew was talking about? I didn't say anything after that, because the idea of a revenge-seeking Mason was so startling. Father Andrew sensed the change in me, but he obviously didn't know what had brought it about. He tried to coax me out. â€Å"I just got some new books in from a friend in another parish. Interesting stories about St. Vladimir.† He tilted his head. â€Å"Are you still interested in him? And Anna?† Theoretically, I was. Until we'd met Adrian, we'd only known of two other spirit users. One was our former teacher, Ms. Karp, who'd gone completely nuts from spirit and become a Strigoi to stop the madness. The other person was St. Vladimir, the school's namesake. He'd lived centuries ago and had brought his guardian, Anna, back from the dead, just as Lissa had me. It had made Anna shadow-kissed and created a bond between them too. Normally, Lissa and I tried to get our hands on everything we could about Anna and Vlad, in order to learn more about ourselves. But, as incredible as it was for me to admit, I had bigger problems right now than the ever-present and ever-puzzling psychic link between Lissa and me. It had just been trumped by a ghost who could possibly be pissed off over my role in his untimely death. â€Å"Yeah,† I said evasively, not making eye contact. â€Å"I'm interested†¦but I don't think I can get to it anytime soon. I'm kind of busy with all this†¦you know, field experience stuff.† I fell silent again. He took the hint and let me work on without further interruption. Dimitri never said a word throughout any of this. When we finally finished sorting, Father Andrew told us we had one more task before our work was done. He pointed to some boxes that we'd organized and repacked. â€Å"I need you to carry these over to the elementary campus,† he said. â€Å"Leave them off at the Moroi dorm there. Ms. Davis has been teaching Sunday school for some of the kindergartners and might be able to use those.† It would take at least two trips between Dimitri and me, and the elementary campus was a fair distance away. Still, that put me one step closer to freedom. â€Å"Why are you interested in ghosts?† Dimitri asked me on our first trip. â€Å"Just making conversation,† I said. â€Å"I can't see your face right now, but I have a feeling you're lying again.† â€Å"Jeez, everyone thinks the worst of me lately. Stan accused me of glory-seeking.† â€Å"I heard about that,† said Dimitri, as we rounded a corner. The buildings of the elementary campus loomed up in front of us. â€Å"That might have been a little unfair of him.† â€Å"A little, huh?† Hearing him admit that thrilled me, but it didn't change my anger against Stan. That dark, grouchy feeling that had plagued me lately sprang to life. â€Å"Well, thanks, but I'm starting to lose faith in this field experience. Sometimes in the whole Academy.† â€Å"You don't mean that.† â€Å"I don't know. The school just seems so caught up in rules and policies that don't have anything to do with real life. I saw what was out there, comrade. I went right to the monster's lair. In some ways †¦ I don't know if this really prepares us.† I expected him to argue, but to my surprise he said, â€Å"Sometimes I agree.† I nearly stumbled as we stepped inside one of the two Moroi dorms on the elementary campus. The lobby looked a lot like the ones on the secondary campus. â€Å"Really?† I asked. â€Å"Really,† he said, a small smile on his face. â€Å"I mean, I don't agree that novices should be put out in the world when they're ten or anything, but sometimes I've thought the field experience should actually be in the field. I probably learned more in my first year as a guardian than I did in all my years of training. Well†¦ maybe not all. But it's a different situation, absolutely.† We exchanged looks, pleased over our agreement. Something warm fluttered up in me, putting the lid on my earlier anger. Dimitri understood my frustration with the system, but then, Dimitri understood me. He glanced around, but there was no one at the desk. A few students in their early teens were working or talking in the lobby. â€Å"Oh,† I said, shifting the weight of the box I held. â€Å"We're in the middle school dorm. The younger kids are next door.† â€Å"Yes, but Ms. Davis lives in this building. Let me try to find her and see where she wants these.† He set his box down carefully. â€Å"I'll be right back.† I watched him go and set my own box down. Leaning against a wall, I glanced around and nearly jumped when I saw a Moroi girl only a couple feet away. She'd been standing so perfectly still, I hadn't noticed her. She looked like she could be mid-teens – thirteen or fourteen – but she was tall, much taller than me. The slimness of her Moroi build made her look even taller. Her hair was a cloud of brown curls, and she had freckles – rare among the normally pale Moroi – across her face. Her eyes widened when she saw me looking at her. â€Å"Oh. My. God. You're Rose Hathaway, aren't you?† â€Å"Yeah,† I said with surprise. â€Å"Do you know me?† â€Å"Everyone knows you. I mean, everyone heard about you. You're the one who ran away. And then you came back and killed those Strigoi. That is so cool. Did you get molnija marks?† Her words came out in one long string. She hardly took a breath. â€Å"Yeah. I have two.† Thinking about the tiny tattoos on the back of my neck made my skin itch. Her pale green eyes – if possible – grew wider. â€Å"Oh my God. Wow.† I usually grew irate when people made a big deal about the molnija marks. After all, the circumstances had not been cool. But this girl was young, and there was something appealing about her. â€Å"What's your name?† I asked. â€Å"Jillian – Jill. I mean, just Jill. Not both. Jillian's my full name. Jill's what everyone calls me.† â€Å"Right,† I said, hiding a smile. â€Å"I figured it out.† â€Å"I heard Moroi used magic on that trip to fight. Is that true? I would love to do that. I wish someone would teach me. I use air. Do you think I could fight Strigoi with that? Everyone says I'm crazy.† For centuries, Moroi using magic to fight had been viewed as a sin. Everyone believed it should be used peacefully. Recently, some had started to question that, particularly after Christian had proved useful in the Spokane escape. â€Å"I don't know,† I said. â€Å"You should talk to Christian Ozera.† She gaped. â€Å"Would he talk to me?† â€Å"If you bring up fighting the establishment, yeah, he'll talk to you.† â€Å"Okay, cool. Was that Guardian Belikov?† she asked, switching subjects abruptly. â€Å"Yeah.† I swore I thought she might faint then and there. â€Å"Really? He's even cuter than I heard. He's your teacher, right? Like, your own personal teacher?† â€Å"Yeah.† I wondered where he was. Talking to Jill was exhausting. â€Å"Wow. You know, you guys don't even act like teacher and student. You seem like friends. Do you hang out when you're not training?† â€Å"Er, well, kind of. Sometimes.† I remembered my earlier thoughts, about how I was one of the few people Dimitri was social with outside of his guardian duties. â€Å"I knew it! I can't even imagine that – I'd be freaking out all the time around him. I'd never get anything done, but you're so cool about it all, kind of like, ‘Yeah, I'm with this totally hot guy, but whatever, it doesn't matter.'† I laughed in spite of myself. â€Å"I think you're giving me more credit than I deserve.† â€Å"No way. And I don't believe any of those stories, you know.† â€Å"Um, stories?† â€Å"Yeah, about you beating up Christian Ozera.† â€Å"Thanks,† I said. Now rumors of my humiliation were trickling down to the lower campus. If I walked over to the elementary dorms, some six-year-old would probably tell me she'd heard that I killed Christian. Jill's expression turned momentarily uncertain. â€Å"But I didn't know about the other story.† â€Å"What other story?† â€Å"About how you and Adrian Ivashkov are – â€Å" â€Å"No,† I interrupted, not wanting to hear the rest. â€Å"Whatever you heard, it's not true.† â€Å"But it was really romantic.† â€Å"Then it's definitely not true.† Her face fell, and then she perked back up a few seconds later. â€Å"Hey, can you teach me to punch someone?† â€Å"Wai – What? Why would you want to know that?† â€Å"Well, I figure if I'm going to fight with magic someday, I should learn to fight the regular way too.† â€Å"I'm probably not the right person to ask,† I told her. â€Å"Maybe you should, um, ask your P.E. teacher.† â€Å"I did!† Her face looked distraught. â€Å"And he said no.† I couldn't help but laugh. â€Å"I was joking about asking him.† â€Å"Come on, it could help me fight a Strigoi someday.† My laughter dried up. â€Å"No, it really wouldn't.† She bit her lip, still desperate to convince me. â€Å"Well, it would at least help against that psycho.† â€Å"What? What psycho?† â€Å"People keep getting beat up around here. Last week it was Dane Zeklos, and just the other day it was Brett.† â€Å"Dane †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I ran through my knowledge of Moroi genealogy. There were a gazillion Zeklos students around. â€Å"That's Jesse's younger brother, yeah?† Jill nodded. â€Å"Yup. One of our teachers was so mad, too, but Dane wouldn't say a word. Neither would Brett.† â€Å"Brett who?† â€Å"Ozera.† I did a double take. â€Å"Ozera?† I had the impression she was really excited to tell me things I didn't know. â€Å"He's my friend Aimee's boyfriend. He was all bruised up yesterday – had some weird things that looked like welts, too. Maybe burns? But he wasn't as bad as Dane. And when Mrs. Callahan asked him about it, Brett convinced her it was nothing, and she let it go, which was weird. He was also in a really good mood – which was also weird, since you'd kind of think getting beat up would bring you down.† Somewhere in the back of my mind, her words tickled a memory. There was some connection I should be making, but I couldn't quite grasp it. Between Victor, ghosts, and the field experiences, it was honestly a wonder I could string words together anymore. â€Å"So can you teach me so that I won't get beat up?† Jill asked, clearly hoping she'd convinced me. She balled her fist up. â€Å"I just do this, right? Thumb across the fingers and swing?† â€Å"Uh, well, it's a little more complicated than that. You need to stand a certain way, or you'll hurt yourself more than the other person. There are a lot of things you need to do with your elbows and hips.† â€Å"Show me, please?† she begged. â€Å"I bet you're really good.† I was really good, but corrupting minors was one offense I didn't yet have on my record, and I preferred to keep it that way. Fortunately, Dimitri came back just then with Ms. Davis. â€Å"Hey,† I told him. â€Å"I have someone who wants to meet you. Dimitri, this is Jill. Jill, Dimitri.† He looked surprised, but he smiled and shook her hand. She turned bright red and became speechless for a change. As soon as he released her hand, she stammered out a goodbye and ran off. We finished up with Ms. Davis and headed back toward the chapel for our second load. â€Å"Jill knew who I was,† I told Dimitri as we walked. â€Å"She had kind of a hero-worship thing going on.† â€Å"Does that surprise you?† he asked. â€Å"That younger students would look up to you?† â€Å"I don't know. I just never thought about it. I don't think I'm that good of a role model.† â€Å"I disagree. You're outgoing, dedicated, and excel at everything you do. You've earned more respect than you think.† I gave him a sidelong glance. â€Å"And yet not enough to go to Victor's trial, apparently.† â€Å"Not this again.† â€Å"Yes, this again! Why don't you get how major this is? Victor's a huge threat.† â€Å"I know he is.† â€Å"And if he gets loose, he'll just start in on his crazy plans again.† â€Å"It's really unlikely he will get loose, you know. Most of those rumors about the queen letting him off are just that – rumors. You of all people should know not to believe everything you hear.† I stared stonily ahead, refusing to acknowledge his point. â€Å"You should still let us go. Or† – I took a deep breath – â€Å"you should at least let Lissa go.† It was harder for me to say those words than it should have been, but it was something I'd been thinking about. I didn't think I was a glory seeker like Stan had said, but there was a part of me that always wanted to be the one in the middle of a fight. I wanted to rush forward, doing what was right and helping others. Likewise, I wanted to be there at Victor's trial. I wanted to look him in the eye and make sure he was punished. But as time went on, it seemed less likely that that would happen. They really weren't going to let us go. Maybe, though, maybe they'd let one of us go, and if it should be anyone, it should be Lissa. She'd been the target of Victor's plan, and though her going alone stirred up that nervous idea about how maybe she didn't need me to guard her, I'd still rather take the chance and see him put away. Dimitri, understanding my need to rush in and take action, seemed surprised by my unusual behavior. â€Å"You're right – she should be there, but again, it's nothing I can do anything about. You keep thinking I can control this, but I can't.† â€Å"But did you do everything you could?† I thought back to Adrian's words in the dream, about how Dimitri could have done more. â€Å"You have a lot of influence. There must be something. Anything.† â€Å"Not as much influence as you think. I've got a high position here at the Academy, but in the rest of the guardian world, I'm still pretty young. And yes, I did actually speak up for you.† â€Å"Maybe you should have spoken up louder.† I could sense him shutting down. He'd discuss most things reasonably but wouldn't encourage me when I was just being a bitch. So, I tried to be more reasonable. â€Å"Victor knows about us,† I said. â€Å"He could say something.† â€Å"Victor has bigger things to worry about with this trial than us.† â€Å"Yeah, but you know him. He doesn't exactly act like a normal person would. If he feels like he's lost all hope of getting off, he might decide to bust us just for the sake of revenge.† I'd never been able to confess my relationship with Dimitri to Lissa, yet our worst enemy knew about it. It was weirder even than Adrian knowing. Victor had figured it out by watching us and gathering data. I guess when you're a scheming villain, you get good at that stuff. He'd never made the knowledge public, though. Instead, he'd used it against us with the lust charm he'd made from earth magic. A charm like that wouldn't work if there wasn't already attraction in place. The charm just cranked things up. Dimitri and I had been all over each other and had been only a heartbeat away from having sex. It had been a pretty smart way for Victor to distract us without using violence. If anyone had tried to attack us, we could have put up a good fight. But turn us loose on each other? We had trouble fighting that. Dimitri was silent for several moments. I knew he knew I had a point. â€Å"Then we'll have to deal with that as best we can,† he said at last. â€Å"But if Victor's going to tell, he's going to do it whether or not you testify.† I refused to say anything else until we got to the church. When we did, Father Andrew told us that after going over some more things, he'd decided he really only needed one more box brought over to Ms. Davis. â€Å"I'll do it,† I told Dimitri crisply, once the priest was out of earshot. â€Å"You don't have to come.† â€Å"Rose, please don't make a big deal about this.† â€Å"It is a big deal!† I hissed. â€Å"And you don't seem to get it.† â€Å"I do get it. Do you really think I want to see Victor loose? Do you think I want us all at risk again?† It was the first time in a long time I'd seen his control on the verge of snapping. â€Å"But I told you, I've done all I can do. I'm not like you – I can't keep making a scene when things don't go my way.† â€Å"I do not.† â€Å"You're doing it right now.† He was right. Some part of me knew I'd crossed a line †¦ but just like with everything else recently, I couldn't stop talking. â€Å"Why did you even help me today?† I demanded. â€Å"Why are you here?† â€Å"Is that so strange?† he asked. He almost looked hurt. â€Å"Yes. I mean, are you are you trying to spy on me? Figure out why I messed up? Make sure I don't get into any trouble?† He studied me, brushing hair out of his eyes. â€Å"Why does there have to be some ulterior motive?† I wanted to blurt out a hundred different things. Like, if there wasn't a motive, then that meant he just wanted to spend time with me. And that made no sense, because we both knew we were only supposed to have a teacher-student relationship. He of all people should know that. He was the one who'd told me. â€Å"Because everyone has motives.† â€Å"Yes. But not always the motives you think.† He pushed open the door. â€Å"I'll see you later.† I watched him go, my feelings a tangle of confusion and anger. If the situation hadn't been so strange, I would have almost said it was like we'd just gone on a date.