Ageing Population â€Any Resolutions?

Ageing population –any resolutions? According to the World Health Organization , a country or a city is defined as an ageing society if the number of elders who aged 65 or above exceed 7% of the whole population. With 14% of elders in population, the country would be considered as an aged society. Worse still, if the amount of elders still keep on increasing and reach 20% of the population, the country would be classified as an hyper-aged society. Recently, the ageing population has been under the spotlight all over the world.This worldwide issue has aroused public concern and surely Hong Kong is not an exception. According to the Hong Kong Population Projections published in July, 2012, there are in total 13% of elders who aged 65 or over in our population, which means that Hong Kong is going to transform into an aged society. What’s more, it is predicted that we would turn into hyper-aged society in 2026, with 23% of elderly people in population. Such shocking data ac tually did a good warning effect , which successfully remind government to take long term measures at once to tackle the problem.Or not, ageing population would lower Hong Kong’s labour force, which would then affect Hong Kong’s productivity and hence our competitiveness in the world market. Furthermore, the ageing population would also burden the health care system. To solve the problems, people from all walks of life have raised different suggestions. It is proposed to import talents from other parts of the world, and implement effective policies to convince children born here to non-local parents and their families to stay here in order to alleviate the shortage of labour force.On the other hand, the tension in existing health care system can be eased by several programmes held by the hospital authority, like the psychological support programme , which can help strengthen staff morale and address their work stress. As the above mentioned, one of the severe problems provoked by ageing population is the shortage of larbour force. According to the Summary Results of the 2011 Population Census published in February,2012, the labour force participation rate has dropped from 61. 4% in 2001 to 59. 7% in 2011.In addition, with reference to the Hong Kong Population Projections , the overall dependency ratio is predicted to rise from 352 to 712 ,which is over a double increase. Besides, it is also estimated that every three persons in the workforce will need to support one elder by 2029. Therefore, we can see that ageing population not only lower our larbour force, and hence Hong Kong’s productivity and competitiveness in international market , but it would also put more burden to the workforce, which bring great challenges to Hong Kong economy. To increase the supply of labour force in near future, it is believed there are few ways to do so.Firstly, we can introduce more talent admission schemes and seriously investigate both push and pull facto rs affecting talents to stay or to leave Hong Kong. For instance, the government are now expanding the international school system. There would be in total 5000 additional international school places in the coming four years. Furthermore, the government is planning to invite the international schools to express interest in expanding their school by using several vacant school premises. These actions definitely help import talents from other countries, but the government should note that it should not be a short term measure.The government should keep improving the education in international school and try best to assist international school to have more resources so that more school places are available for the talents and talents would stay here for better education. Or not, the students from outside Hong Kong may choose to study in other countries with better education, other than Hong Kong. Yet, there are some critics believes that it is totally not enough to solve the population problem by only those talent admission schemes.Therefore the babies born in Hong Kong to non-local parents have been seen as a simple way to alleviate the problem. But whether those babies and their families would stay here or not later on, it mainly depends on the government efforts to implement policies for that purpose and see whether the city can promise them a stable and good enough future. Compared to the talent admission schemes, it is a more effective means to meet the uprising demand of manpower as the number of mainland families who stay here is greater than those talents.This can be proved by the results of our 2011 Population Census . According to the Hong Kong Population Projections, about 77% of the Mainland women whose husband is a Hong Kong Permanent Resident, would bring their children back to Hong Kong later. And about 53% for those Mainland women whose husband is not a Hong Kong Permanent Resident would also later bring their children back to Hong Kong. Other tha n the shortage of labour force, the ageing population would also burden the health care system. More elderly people would definitely increase the demand of medical services and it would ncrease the work stress of frontline staff in hospital and the financial burden to the government. To strengthen the staff morale and ease their work stress, it is suggested the Hospital Authority can hold more relaxing measures , for instance, improving the working conditions, recruiting more full-time and part-time staff and preventing excessive overnight duties. All these are useful ways to reduce frontline workload, and it is believed it can help lower the staff turnover number, and hence help prevent the manpower shortage in public hospitals.Just like the psychological support programme which help staff deal with work stress has lower the overall turnover rate of physicians in public hospitals from 5. 2 % in 2010/11 to 4. 8% in 2011/12. And the overall turnover rate has further decreased to 4. 4 % in the first 4 months of 2012/13. All in all, it is the responsibility of the government to stop our aging situation from being worse. The government should plan detailed and long term policies to solve the aging situation. Or not, Hong Kong will be suffered badly with economic and social problems in the near future. Word count: 1035 words) REFERENCES Peng,P. (2012, February 24). The problem is not ‘non-local’ women but intermediaries. Retrieved from http://www. cdeclips. com/en/hongkong/The_problem_is_not_'non-local'_women_but_intermediaries/fullstory_72200. html Demographic Statistics Section, Census and Statistics Department. (2012,July). Hong Kong Population Projections. Retrieved from http://www. statistics. gov. hk/pub/B1120015052012XXXXB0100. pdf Pang,F. C. (2012, October 12). Letter to the Editor . Retrieved from http://www. ha. org. k/haho/ho/pad/121016chi1. pdf Li, A. (2006,August 12). Coping with old age. Retrieved from http://www. scmp. com/article/559945 /coping-old-age Census and Statistics Department. (2012, February 21). Summary Results of the 2011 Population Census. Retrieved from http://www. censtatd. gov. hk/FileManager/EN/Content_1214/presentation_summary_results. pdf HKSAR. (2012, May 30). Government releases Steering Committee on Population Policy Progress Report 2012. Retrieved from http://www. info. gov. hk/gia/general/201205/30/P201205300456. htm

To what extent does the portrayal of women in Much Ado About Nothing subvert the conventions of the society shown in the play?

Freedom for women in the patriarchal society, in which the play is set, appears controlled and constrained in ‘Much Ado About Nothing (MAAN)’. Shakespeare employs the rebellious spirit of Beatrice in his comedy to subvert the social orthodoxy of the Elizabethan era. Hero falls victim to the suppressive nature of the dominating male characters; however Beatrice, our shrew, provides humour with her quick wit and wordplay, and a breath of fresh air for a modern feminist audience. The dramatic genre of comedy is often subversive and ‘MAAN’ definitely does not fail to live up to this expectation. With her opening line, our female protagonist subverts conventional stereotypes as she interrupts a conversation between two male speakers, questioning the return of â€Å"Signior Mountanto†. Instantly this informs us of her subversive lack of etiquette in conversation, as women would not typically speak out for themselves, especially not against a man. Her wordplay and double entendre here invokes humour firstly because the name relates to an up thrust in duelling, thus describing Benedick as a show-off, and secondly because it has sexual connotations. Beatrice’s outward smutty nature can be marked in juxtaposition to Hero’s lack of independence and confidence (a woman who occupies the role of a tragic heroine, rather than a comic one, barely utters a word throughout the play, and succumbs totally to the homosocial ruling class of Messina). Behind her witty exterior, and her constant determination not to be seen as weak, Beatrice can be seen as inquisitive about Benedick’s time away, showing she cares for him; this would conform to Renaissance standards for it was anticipated that all women would fall into the arms of a man. Being a standard feature of romantic comedy, the female protagonist typically begins by hating the man she loves, mirroring the structural pattern of beginning in discord and ending in accord. Furthermore, Beatrice, the stock character of the shrew, is exposed as a woman whose opinion of marriage definitely subverts the status quo. Asserting that she will not marry â€Å"till God make men of some other metal than earth†, her unconventionality of not wanting a husband can be seen explicitly. An Elizabethan audience could deem this to be impractical and absurd; however a contemporary feminist critic may praise her for her independence. Most noteworthy perhaps, is when she says she will â€Å"cry â€Å"Heigh-ho for a husband! †Ã¢â‚¬  illustrating that the fact she is without a lover bothers her more than we may have assumed previously. Consequently, she initiates an impetuous proposal from Don Pedro which is fascinating as we are left unsure as to whether it was merely a jest or actually sincere – this confusion and chaos being predictable of a comedy. In my opinion the proposal was sincere as Don Pedro is left unhappy at the end of the joyous comedy: â€Å"Prince, thou art sad; get thee a wife†. Although, staying true to her word, Beatrice turns down the offer, on the basis that his â€Å"Grace is too costly to wear every day. † But there is dramatic irony in this; it is evident that she does not want a husband, so the audience is fully aware that the plot will alter in due time, ending in a married Beatrice. Again, this is conventional of a romantic comedy, where the female heroine will ultimately revise her original opinion of the man. Additionally, Beatrice’s discontent with the lack of respect and regard she receives as a woman manifests itself in her wish that she was a man. Beatrice is clearly aware of her inability to act against Claudio (purely because of her gender), after he shuns Hero at the altar. Beatrice declares â€Å"O God, that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the market place! † The metaphor used here creates an image of a savage and ruthless Beatrice (implying she would kill Claudio, rip his heart out and then eat it); traits which definitely are not associated with the conservative women of the Elizabethan era. However, some may deem her subversion of the gender roles here as positively defiant. Although verbally expressing her anguish, Beatrice â€Å"too, in this patriarchal society, must be dependent on a man to make right prevail†, as Penny Gay says, and this disheartens the audience. Thus, Beatrice turns to a man to carry out her wish for her: â€Å"Come, bid me do anything for thee. † Also note Benedick’s reaction to this request; he succumbs to Beatrice’s influence, and in consequence reverses the established gender roles in Renaissance society. The consistent sexual innuendo Beatrice insinuates in her speech is undeniably subversive. Bawdy language, not generally used by young, conventional women, presents Beatrice as characteristically more masculine than feminine: â€Å"With a good leg and a good foot, uncle†. There is a sexual pun on the word â€Å"foot†, perhaps linking to the unmannerly French ‘foutre’, as to suggest an adept lover during copulation – women having openly sexual desires during Elizabethan times was very distasteful, making the comment even more significant. It is also vital to note Leonato’s response to such language stating to â€Å"be so shrewd of thy tongue† â€Å"wilt never get thee a husband†, as if almost presuming Beatrice aspires to be wedded and oppressed. Moreover, deception and mistaken identity, features typical of comedy, allow Beatrice to subvert the status quo even further when she has the upper hand on Benedick, at the masked ball. The humour present is in the dramatic irony that Benedick is unaware that she knows who he is; he feels he is at an advantage by being able to hear what Beatrice ‘thinks about him’. Yet, it is Beatrice who is truly at an advantage, for she can in fact balance the power between the sexes, by ‘indirectly’ insulting Benedick, the â€Å"very dull fool†. Not only is the use of disguise a catalyst for humour, but Beatrice’s, debatably, greater intelligence challenges the conventional view that men are superior to women in every aspect. However, the structure of ‘MAAN’ enables the reader to recognise the chronological downfall of Beatrice’s wild spirit and liberation. The ending, with its characteristic comic resolution of marriage, also sees Beatrice being silenced by Benedick, significantly on the day of their wedding. The literal kiss, used to cease her independence, is preceded by the imperative â€Å"Peace! I will stop your mouth. † The fact that the feisty Beatrice is letting herself be silenced, which is marked in stark contrast to the â€Å"rare parrot-teacher† we met at the beginning of the play, demonstrates the restrictive nature of marriage for women. The timing of the kiss, right at the end of the play, gives a lasting feeling that Beatrice will stay submissive to her husband after the play ends. As Jacob Lund argues â€Å"the marriage of Beatrice and Benedick seems at first to offer a different view of what constitutes social order in the world of the play† with their repartee and Beatrice’s confidence, seen clearly when she remains contentious just before becoming a wife, stating she will â€Å"take thee for pity†. In spite of this critic’s view, I think the uniform structure of comedy, concluding with the restoration of order, means that it is only natural that Beatrice should be suppressed before long. It is clear that Shakespeare has created a realistic ending; perhaps it was too idealistic to assume Beatrice would claim superiority in the relationship? Inconsistent to Beatrice’s early assertions that she would â€Å"rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me†, she suddenly appears ditsy and romantic on discovering Benedick’s love for her. Conforming to the stock character of an adoring, courtly lover she exclaims â€Å"Benedick, love on; I will requite thee† in her passionate soliloquy written in strictly formal Elizabethan iambic pentameter verse; the form giving this gulling scene a much more serious tone than the previous. The explicit parallel between the two scenes, both beset with comic deception, marks a contrast between the soliloquies of Beatrice, and her male counterpart, Benedick. In comparison to Benedick, Beatrice’s fall from disdain has less of a dramatic impact, accentuating her sincerity and glee, whereas Benedick has to give himself reasons to requite her love, and consider how others will react. This undoubtedly presents Beatrice as the feebler and more vulnerable of the sexes. There is now even more of an inevitability surrounding her imminent submission to a controlling husband, as she tames â€Å"my wild heart to thy loving hand† just as she was expected to do. A feminist critic would argue that the play’s heroine has just sold out to tradition by adhering to a life of matrimony. This scene is hyperbolic in the 1993 Kenneth Branagh film version, and Josie Rourke's production of the Shakespearean comedy. This adds great comic effect as Beatrice cries out her love in an over exaggerated and quixotic fashion; arguably too extravagant? The view that some of the comic heroines in ‘MAAN’ may fall into the typical portrayal of women as passive and compliant, has some credibility. However, the unconventional wit and defiance of Beatrice outweighs the previous statement, and provides exactly what a comedy is made for: humour. It is arguable that the play ends badly from a feminist critic’s point of view as social order and the expected position of the sexes is restored (just as is anticipated, due to the comic structure). Nevertheless, mocking, transgressing and subverting the status quo will always be at the very heart of comedy, and ‘MAAN’ corresponds totally to this notion, especially in its depiction of the unforgettable character, Beatrice.

Energy Drinks: Liquid Meth? Essay

Over the last decade, drinks containing high amounts of caffeine, sugar, and other ingredients that increase energy have been rapidly growing in popularity. Clearly these beverages are known as energy drinks. Energy drinks have gotten so popular that it is extremely rare to find a convenience store that doesn’t sell a variety of them. Students use energy drinks to cram the night before a test, athletes use them to exercise, party animals mix them with alcohol to drink more than humanly possible, and some people just drink them to stay awake at work after a sleepless night. Red Bull, one of the most popular energy drinks in the market, claim to enhance productivity, concentration, energy and help handle stressful situations. It seemed these beverages were a godsend to overworked employees and sleep-deprived college students. But after a few deaths were linked to the drink, controversy arose. Apparently Red Bull gives you wings, but what other side-effects can these sugary, over-caffeinated drinks cause? Many people have been asking this question lately, wondering how harmful drinking them really is. Despite that consuming a large amount of the drink may be dangerous, as long as people drink energy drinks responsibly they are relatively safe. Energy drinks have a lot in common with other popular drinks. All these drinks contain high amounts of sugar and caffeine. These drinks are consumed daily by millions of people, despite the caffeine and sugar content in the drinks. Many Americans have made a habit of getting together with friends or old acquaintances to drink coffee and catch up. The increasing number coffee shops prove that most Americans don’t have a problem with the distribution of coffee. In addition, sodas which also contain high amounts of sugar and caffeine are widely accepted. Some would even consider a person who throws a party without coke just cruel. Despite the similarities between energy drinks and these other beverages (coffee, soda) they are put two different categories. According to the people who oppose energy drinks the most dangerous ingredient in them is the high amount of caffeine. A 16-ounce cup of Starbucks coffee contains about 330 milligrams of caffeine, the same size can of Coca-Cola has 45. 3 mg, and a 16oz Red Bull has 154mg (Meier). According to the Food and Drug Administration or F. D. A. a person can safely consume 400 mg of caffeine a day, even though some experts argue that 600 mg of caffeine won’t cause any adverse side effects (Meier). Either way all these drinks are safe as long as they aren’t abused. Basically, people drinking coffee in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Most warning labels on energy drinks recommend that children, pregnant or nursing women, and persons sensitive to caffeine stay away from the drink. For obvious reasons certain groups of people should stay away from overly-caffeinated beverages but what kind of negative effects can they have on normal adults? From 2007 to 2010 visits to emergency rooms of people who drank high amounts of energy drinks have doubled from 10,000 to 20,700 (Anderson). Some of the negative side-effects people in the E. R. reported experiencing are insomnia, anxiety, irritability, headaches, irregular heart rhythms, and muscle twitching (Liberatore). In addition, people with a heart condition could face more severe consequences like a heart attack. Since it’s hard to prove that energy drink were the exact cause of the heart attack, there aren’t that many documented cases of people dying from heart attacks solely because of energy drinks. However, common sense dictates that any substance that stresses the heart can lead to health problems. Strangely enough, most deaths related to energy drinks aren’t from heart attacks but of alcohol poisoning. Because energy drinks cause alertness many alcohol consumers mistake being alert and awake for being sober. This causes the user to continue drinking past safe limits. The FDA informed Americans how dangerous the mixture of the two was while they banned Four Loko (mixture of alcohol with an energy drink) and Joose (Benac). Despite all the controversy, most people can agree how useful a jolt of extra energy can be some days. Energy drinks can help a doctor be more alert during surgery during a graveyard-shift, help college students get that â€Å"A† they have been working towards all semester, or keep police officers vigilant and energized on the job. There’s no way of knowing exactly how many college students that graduated owe their diploma to caffeine, but it sure didn’t hurt to be able to pull all-nighters while being alert. People that enjoy exercise can lift-weights or do cardio way more effectively by drinking one before the work-out. Energy drinks are not only safe but they are making people more effective workers, students, or athletes. Besides the obvious and immediate effects of drinks containing high amounts of caffeine there are a few long-term benefits worth mentioning. Depression is a horrible condition that slowly eats away at a person until there is nothing left of them. Coffee has been shown to fight depression (â€Å"Does Caffeine Reduce the Risk of Depression? ). By drinking a few cups of coffee or one can of an energy drink chances of depression decrease (â€Å"Does Caffeine Reduce the Risk of Depression? â€Å"). Caffeine also helps prevent various diseases. People suffering from Parkinson’s disease can better control their motor-skills by taking caffeine (â€Å"Caffeine may ease Parkinson’s symptoms†). Energy drinks can be extremely harmful if abused or they could be a great source of energy. Like most things in life it can be destructive if done in excess. Most of the negative side-effects can be avoided if by taking the recommended doses. The companies that create these drinks should put warning labels on cans to prevent uninformed consumers from getting hurt. In addition, more research is needed to find out about the long-term effects of these drinks. Aside from that, energy drinks are safe in moderation. The benefits of them far outweigh the potential harmful effects. It is surprising how little evidence there is suggesting energy drinks are not safe. The reputation of these drinks was most likely was tarnished by lazy reporters, mob mentality and a few great people that just didn’t want the party to end. Work Cited Benac, Nancy. â€Å"United States Food and Drug Administration signals crackdown on caffeinated alcohol drinks. † CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal 11 Jan. 2011: E47+. Academic OneFile. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. â€Å"Caffeine may ease Parkinson’s symptoms. † Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week 18 Aug. 2012: 158. Academic OneFile. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. â€Å"Does Caffeine Reduce the Risk of Depression? † OB/GYN Clinical Alert 1 Jan. 2013. Academic OneFile. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. Liberatore, Stephanie. â€Å"Q: With the increasing popularity of energy drinks, I wonder-are these drinks safe? How do they affect teens? † The Science Teacher 76. 2 (2009): 64. Academic OneFile. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. Meier, Barry. â€Å"Doctors Urge F. D. A. to Restrict Caffeine in Energy Drinks. † New York Times 20 Mar. 2013: NA(L). Academic OneFile. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.

House Prices Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

House Prices - Speech or Presentation Example You have read the Case in the attached PDF file. A partial summary of the data is presented below in Table 1. Use the information in the Table below to answer the questions raised by Jack, Jill and Pelo Watar, Specifically, At first glance, the average price of the houses for Apple Valley School District is higher than the prices for Eastville School District as illustrated by Figure 1. The difference between the mean prices of the two districts is $17,142. However, other factors can affect the high prices in Apple Valley School District such as the age, size, and number of bedrooms. Table 2 shows that the price per square ft in both districts is closer to each other, with a difference of $6.081. The data shows that the assumption that buyer’s prefer the Apple Valley School District has no basis. The price of the house depends on the age of the house. Table 3 shows that the older houses have lower prices than new houses. Houses at Apple Valley School District are newer than the houses at Eastville School District. The Price per Age of house at Apple Valley is almost $10 as compared to Eastville which only exceeds $7. Prices of the houses at Apple Valley School District are higher compared to houses at Eastville School district not because of the buyers’ preference to the school but for several reasons. First, the average sizes of the houses in Apple Valley are bigger than Eastville. Second, the houses are newer. Third, there are more bedrooms per house in Apple Valley than in Eastville School

Why Evolution Is True Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Why Evolution Is True - Term Paper Example The initial chapter of this book reveals how Coyne critically defines each keyword essential in the evolutionary theory. A fascinating finding is the author simply defines evolution as change over time. This approach is diverse from the manner other writers have given different meanings to the term ‘evolution. Looking at several articles, various writers have defined evolution as change in allele frequency over time, sufficiency of neo-Darwinian mechanism i.e. mutation, drift, and selection, and the universal common ancestry. With the way Coyne has explained the term ‘evolution, readers can understand clearly the term, this is in contrast to the manner other writers who have tackled the evolution have confused readers. This does not mean that the author disputes the fact that allele frequency change over a given time frame, in addition,, he does not disagree on the concept of natural selection in the evolution process. According to my own understanding, Coyne has embraced the concept of common ancestry, thus this out-rules any controversial issue (Coyne, 2009). In this chapter, the key points revolve around the truth of gradualism and natural selection, as well as mutations to account for the diversity in life. In this chapter, Coyne goes on to defend common ancestry as a foundation of evolution. This chapter deals with fossil evidence as a component of common ancestry. In the initial part of this chapter, the author outlines the process of fossilization. He also provides an introduction to radioisotope dating techniques; useful in approximating the time of life of rocks. The author goes on to say that fossil data simply shows a trend of simpler living beings preceding more complex ones. This is a perfect evidence of common ancestry (Coyne, 2009). This chapter covers three evolutionary transitions that were documented by the fossil record. They are the evolution of

Tax Preparation in the USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Tax Preparation in the USA - Essay Example This paper looks and discusses how tax preparations are done with the help of accounting and bookkeeping firms as in many cases, the tax filer is confused with all the complexities it entails for everyone. Although a tax form has been simplified, some 40% to 50% of all tax filings have been completed by the tax preparer, of which there are four types, namely: certified public accountants (CPAs), lawyers, an enrolled agent (someone who passed special examinations given by the Internal Revenue Service precisely for this purpose and has thereby gained IRS accreditation) and unenrolled tax preparer. Discussion My decision as John (owner of the private accounting practice) is to accept Sue (client) because I think I can help her out with her problems. First and foremost, the most logical step is to reconstruct her financial transactions as best as possible by taking calculated estimates of her income and expenses. This will help me prepare her audited financial statements (balance sheet a nd income statement) but most likely, I will issue a qualified opinion on these statements. This will serve as guide and warning to whoever uses these financial statements to arrive at their own judgment as to the applicability and suitability of the statements for their own use, like a bank. Because Sue operates her small business as a single proprietorship (presumably as based on case facts given, as she has only five full-time employees), then she pays business taxes in the same form as her personal income tax. It means that both she and the business itself are not taxed separately as they are considered as one and the same entities. The Internal Revenue Service or IRS calls this â€Å"pass-through taxation† as all profits pass through her sole proprietorship business before it reaches her as personal income. A needed document is the profit and loss statement of her business (Schedule C of the IRS forms) together with the IRS Form 1040. Moreover, she also needs to pay her own â€Å"self-employment taxes† like the Social Security and Medicare systems. It is usually double the rate of what ordinary employees pay in terms of salary deductions because a sole proprietor has no employer counterpart for the contributions and so she must pay the entire amount due, which must be reported under Schedule SE (self-employed) of the IRS. Present self-employment tax rate is now 15.3% (adjusted since last February 2012 from 13.3%) for the first $110,100 in reported income and then 2.9% tax rate for any amount in excess thereof. The box of receipts that Sue gave may not be of much help as some of her expenses and receipts for income were questionable, so the best approach is to just use the standard deductions which are fixed dollar amounts to some items. The IRS allows a business to deduct certain items and ordinary business expenses to lessen the tax due, to include operating expenses, advertising costs, travel and gasoline expenses, business-related meals a nd entertainment for business guests (IRS, 2012, p. 1); in order for an expense to qualify as a deductible, it must be necessary and also ordinary that is indispensable or helpful in pursuit of carrying out the trade or a type of business; not included are cost of goods sold, capital expenses (such as equipment) and personal expenses.  

Human Resource Career Development Activities Essay - 1

Human Resource Career Development Activities - Essay Example Free trade agreements have increased activities around the world. We have encountered the need to interface, travel, and live in many parts of the world. Yet, often our employees do not have a cultural familiarity with the people that they contact in meetings, e-mail, or by telephone. Baugh (2005) has pointed out the importance of mentoring in career development (p. 523). It is time to extend our mentoring program outside our borders and view the world as our office, learn about the host country we are dealing with, their work role, office culture, and prepare people for international assignments. We also have a need for our internal employees to understand diversity in the workplace. Currently, we place a high value on our recruiting efforts in this area. However, the positive effects of creating a diverse workforce will be entirely dependent on how they are perceived by the men and women in our organization. (Burke 2005 p. 191). If the existing employees are not open to such policies, it will create new problems rather than solve existing ones (Burke 2005 p. 191). Improper and inadequate diversity training hold everyone back, even the beneficiaries of affirmative programs. We also have a need to offer our employees a program of lifelong learning. Education for everyone is an activity whose value has been proven. Education should include job related technical training as well as personal growth. Where this program has been implemented it has been a success. McGoldrick (2001) reports that the "investment in lifelong learning for employees has paid off in positive career experiences and positive psychological contracts". Workers feel like they are a valuable part of the organization and are worth investing in. Employees benefit from the training and also form a better psychological relationship with the company. The three activities of international mentoring, diversity training, and lifelong learning can add tangible and

The impact of corporate social responsibility on organisational Essay

The impact of corporate social responsibility on organisational effectiveness - Essay Example The article also focuses the value of those components for the stakeholders of the companies. The article further segregates the ethical component of the corporate social responsibility in order ton relate it to some major ethic management approaches, which include moral, immoral, and amoral managements. I think the author of the article has written the article in a well-structured format. The article is easy to read, as well as easy to understand for the readers. All sections of the article are well-organized and provide a clear view of the author’s thoughts. The article is also based on the logical facts about the significance of corporate social responsibility in achieving higher levels of productivity. The author has also focused on ethical and moral; management approaches which is also an important part of the article. The article relates to our research in a way that it makes us aware of ways executives can use corporate social responsibility to fulfill their responsibilities that they owe towards their shareholders and other competing groups. This article focuses of how managers can use finance to make the organization socially responsible and responsive. Of course, finance always play a critical role in almost every organizational matter and corporate social responsibility is no exception. The author puts his views on the criticism regarding corporate social responsibility that it is of little significance of companies as it used mostly as a tool of enhancing public relations. The article reveals that many organizations actually incorporate corporate social responsibility in their daily business activities but are unaware of the way to report that responsiveness in a formal way. Moreover, the article focuses on how accountants can use their knowledge in developing CSR and reporting the metrics to show the organizational involvement in social responsiveness. I have found the article to be very useful in learning the role of

Political Transitions in East and South East Asia Essay - 1

Political Transitions in East and South East Asia - Essay Example It is considered undemocratic in the event that people are respected and dignified selectively and with discriminatory perspectives. This concept of democracy illustrates that on some occasions the welfare of one or just a couple of people can be subordinated by the interests of the majority in order to achieve a common good. It is important to note that democracy does not it whatever circumstances promote equality of condition like in communism. Equality of condition comes with favoritism and categorization into groups of similar characteristics. On the other hand, democracy promotes equality of opportunity. According to equality of opportunity, everyone has then freedom to develop his or her talent to totality or as much as he or she cares to. Democracy is founded on the principle that the majority is more often right that wrong. When it comes to politics, democracy dictates that the majority is better positioned to make sane political decisions as compared to the minority or a single individual. One ought to note that sometimes democracy is seen as a trial and error process in which some decisions may not be absolute best but eventually become satisfactory because of its support from then majority faction. Despite the fact that democracy seems to dwell so much on the majority, it is noteworthy that it does not overlook the minority entirely. On the other hand, democracy gives some respect to the minority. This is done by giving then minority a chance to join the majority faction through legal means. Additionally, democracy also ensures that then minority in a society is given equal chance as the majority to voice its views. Compromising can be defined as the process of adjusting, reconciling and blending competing views with the aim of finding common ground that is most acceptable to the largest number of stakeholders involved. Democracy demands for the

E-business management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

E-business management - Essay Example It is a process of obtaining as well as assessing evidence of economic activities and actions to determine the variations in the results which are later communicated to the concerned parties (Raffa 2003, P. 2). A company audits may include financial, use of information and communication technology, compliance and operational audits (Raffa 2003, P. 2). The auditors use the available data and records, collect data prom the concerned parties and analysis it into a report that is disseminated to the internal and external customers. This paper will evaluate Marchi indo-pak cuisine and propose to conduct an audit of their operations in relation to e-business management. Introduction Mirchi indo-pak cuisine This is a family business located in Cardiff and provides traditional south Asian cuisine using locally available food products as well as conventional Indian methods to prepare delicious traditional foods (Mirchi 2008). They provide different menus which are custom made to suit individu al customer preferences, family parties and outside catering services. Their vision is to provide simple, traditional and high quality foods as well as homely services to their customers (Mirchi 2008) E-business management E-business is a business practice that allows use of internet and other modern communication equipments as the major platform of business communication and conducting business. Due to expansion in globalization, access and use of internet across the globe, most companies are shifting from the traditional mode of doing business into internet based business models. Mirchi indo-pak Cuisine is a Company that have established its presence online and conducting business online. The company aims at targeting customers who spend most of their time online and understand the convenience of dong business online. However there is need to evaluate the e-business processes to determine their effectiveness and recommend changes in order to efficiently tap this market segment. E- business operational audit is the proposed service to Mirchi indo-pak cuisine to evaluate and validate the organizational online process and the effectives of the process n relation to the information and communication structures (Brewster n.d., P 30). This process will assist in ensuring effective systems are in use, assist the company to understand consumers and potential customers needs and expectations, acts as an channel of communication with the customers, suppliers, employees and shareholders, the process will also help to boost customer trust in regard to products offered as well help to increase the shareholders trust on the company management and employees (Brewster n.d., P 19). The process will involve evaluating the current processes used in their e-business through a telephone interview with the IT manager by asking him or her interview questions that relate to the company. The research findings will be interpreted by relating the answers given and the tone in the manag er’s voice (Onwuegbuzie Leech and Collins 2010, P 699). Telephone interview and analysis of the data will be used to evaluate their current status in order to give recommendations for changes that will help boost their effectiveness. Part 1B – The Audit report For a company’s management to understand if their company is operating as expected and to improve their operational practices an organization can opt to edit their processes for the whole

Pain management and hypnosis Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Pain management and hypnosis - Term Paper Example In such a way, the analysis will begin by attempting to define hypnotherapy and proceed to discuss the ways in which the practice of hypnotherapy is beneficial to the individual suffering from pain. As a means to accomplish such a task, a variety of medical journals and sources will be utilized so that a thorough and thoughtful analysis can be drawn as to overall efficacy of the practice within the context of medical treatment. The definition of hypnotherapy is of course itself a necessary step in seeking to understand what specifically the practice entails and what it does not. Due to the fact that a great deal of societal misconception continues to exist surround the use and application of hypnotherapy, there remains a great deal of unnecessary and ill-conceived biases with regards to its implementation. For purposes of the medical community, hypnotherapy can simply be defined as, â€Å"the use of hypnosis as a therapeutic technique†. Due to the simplistic nature of the defi nition, it leaves itself open to a broad variety of interpretations. As a means of countering this, hypnotherapy, as discussed in this brief analysis, will refer to the use and implementation of therapeutic hypnotic techniques by a licensed and trained physician. Within the more rigid construct that has been lain out above, one can understand that little room for interpretation of the means by which hypnosis will be achieved as a function of therapy exists. Such a rigid definition is itself highly necessary due to the level of misunderstanding and societal misconception surrounding the term. Though it is not the purpose of this brief analysis to engage the reader as to the incorrect societal and cultural interpretations of hypnotherapy that exist, the reader/researcher should at the very least be mindful of their existence as should the recommending/prescribing healthcare professional. When one considers the applications for hypnotherapy there are vast. Many individuals undergo hypn otherapy as a means to rid themselves of a bad habit, to face difficult or painful memories, or as a means to self enrichment or betterment. Many of these forms of meditation do not have roots in medical treatment (Patterson et al 2010). As such, this is one of the reasons that hypnosis as a therapy has had an uphill battle to achieve a degree of credibility. Whereas when one goes to an orthopedist, there is only one type of orthopedist that is offered - a medically licensed and rigorously trained medical professional. Such is not the same case for a hypnotherapist. Due to the fact that many different levels of hypnotherapists exist, it has been a common misconception that the practice itself is somehow associated with a pseudoscience that provides limited results if any. However, the fact of the matter is that if administered by a licensed professional, hypnotherapy itself can be a powerful tool in seeking to provide a level of pain management that traditional medicinal means canno t and with few if

Weighwood Case Essay Example for Free

Weighwood Case Essay When Wedgwood started his business, pottery industry is already established, comprises many small players around the country. He started with a small production facility, incorporated his experience from working in family business and many years in the industry. His passion and innovative ideas helped him expand his business and grew to become a big player in potter industry. Wedgwood was a differentiator company, specifically a late mover in the industry. Wedgwood gained competitive advantages through innovation, creativity, and strong marketing strategies. Innovation and creativity were the key to Wedgwood success, including the invention of creamware and white pottery. Josiah focused on bringing new ideas to the design of his products, finding new raw materials to help producing better products, and building/creating machines with latest technology to help with efficiency and uniformity. His wife specialized in pottery design and coloring which help their products differentiate from other plain pottery products in the market. Moreover, the sustained competitive advantage Wedgwood had, was the result of good marketing strategies with help from Josiahs partner, Bentley. Base on the reading, marketing strategies Wedgwood used were establishing showroom, inertia selling strategy, and promotion through high class people (Queen). Wedgwood was also the first one in the industry have brand name on every products. Wedgwood were so successful in England until its number of productions exceed the number of sale which cause the company to stock up a very high inventory. This opportunity caused Wedgwood to expand internationally to many countries in Europe and China. Wedgwood leverage its competitive advantage through demand side scope economy. Firstly, company needed new outlet for products that overproduced for local market. The example from class discussion would be Coke case. Coke and Pepsi competed with each other until the market were fully saturated, then Coke started to go global to exploit other markets in other countries. Wedgwood introduced its products to many countries in Europe and to China. Wedgwoods products were new to international market because of their design, coloring, uniformity. Wedgwood also used inertia selling strategies which company send products to consumer in a package with invoice and consumers can either buy or return the products at no cost to them. This strategy was to create demand for company products. Secondly, there were potential benefits to company to expand internationally because of the increasing spending on nonessential or luxury goods around European countries. Shipping methods also became more secured and convenience. As a result, Wedgwoods products were sold internationally to meet the demand in the form of luxury or nonessential goods. To better understand of how above strategies would work internationally and how Wedgwood sustained its competitive, the products were global products. All of the products were produced in home country, England, and then ship to other countries to retail store or direct sell to consumers. Wedgwood also established showroom in many countries to display its products, and make people wants its products. Wedgwood was not adapt to local market in different countries but to sell its home products and position their image just as intended. The example that relates to this idea was the discussion in class about the case which Apple open an Apple Store in Beijing. Apple products are also global products. Apples positioning strategy is uniform all around the world. Wedgwoods products were also uniform and mass produced in England and they do not need to be modified to fit to foreign market.

Reality Is The Life Of The Media Media Essay

Reality Is The Life Of The Media Media Essay After watching the movie Truman Show, I think a lot about the reality about the media recently. In fact, I know exactly this movie was to express an ironic effect by black humor. However, the film hit let me on media authenticity has many thoughts. Now the media, false information too much, especially newspapers and television, make people interested in reducing, even trust also reduced. Network of false information is the same. In order to better attract the audience or reader, the authenticity of media is very important, just like The Truman Show. Key words: Truman Show; Reality; Media I.Truman Show Truman always feels he has been under surveillance.He didnt think it was true. Since he were born during the first thirty years, Truman Bobbin most for a long time, there is the history of the most popular documentary soap opera actor, he is an ideal living town sea town is actually a huge studio, and his relatives and friends and before him every day people are all actors in the hidden throughout the occupation photographic lens. This is the The Truman Show , the global hundreds of millions of viewers was watching his every act and every move, and he himself does not know. Then after thirty years of drift life, Truman finally felt that his life was something wrong, when he discovers he is like living in a glass jar butterfly, he decided to escape from the sea town, regardless of the cost. But he must face the The Truman Show founder, producer and director Christophe, and overcome his deepest fear, can break through the barriers to get freedom. Of course, after watching the film, I had a pity for Truman, his all life was false by director, and he knew nothing about this. However, it was popular in the film. The film comes from the real life; this success in audience ratings gives me an important enlightenment at the media. II the reasons for the Truman Show popular In the movie, the soap opera Trumans world is loved all over the world is because Truman to film it know nothing at all, natural deduction. The true man show, as another self. In the Truman body, the audience can see the shadow of themselves including their birth, their love, and the first kiss. Truman sadness and happiness seemed so real, real as occurring in the audience themselves, can cause the audience response and love. Trumans world in the film popular reason is true.Of course, the real is cruel, for it hurts the pure man. However, it caused my attention to the authenticity of media is very important. III.The reality is the life of the media First, we must understand, this is a lack of attractive age because too much information. TV programs from the peoples life, let people feel the resonance. Naturally, it is unable to attract the attention of the people. No matter how to perform, there has to be a real existence in order to better attract the audience. The newspaper is even more the case, these years, our newspaper, false news, advertising increases; make people getting away with it. In recent years, the network became popular, but the network is too much false information also hinders the further development of network. From the film, we can see, people for the authenticity of the call. Then, the media should do to improve their authenticity? In order to enhance the authenticity, made the audience, the film Truman Show gives us the following enlightenment: one is the reality of characters. In the movie Truman is a born alive in the boy, he really exist, this character not fiction, his life and our life is not much different, and thus more likely to attract the attention of the audience. Therefore, in the media of authenticity, either in TV or film to create a character, or the real figures, media workers must pay attention to ordinary people, ordinary people get inspiration from. The lives of ordinary people can move the audience or reader, because, like we see another me. In addition, emotional authenticity. Truman every emotion so real, his family, his love, his grief and joy are so natural. Now a lot of TV programs like sensational, like with exaggerated reality to let the audience tears. In fact, the true feelings can cause the hearts of the audience resonance. Not everyones life is very strange, more and more peoples life is very ordinary. However, they are eager to be of concern, as their true feelings in the media embodiment, wanted they dont care about the difficulty. Watching the real life by the director, we had to mention news. Now the news authenticity was questioned, much news can even be director. As everyone knows, authenticity is the most important news soul. In the news, in order to Truman true, but not like the Trumans life was director. There is advertising, the ads are everywhere, but also a very exaggerated. Of course, exaggeration is advertising a means of performance, but if you really want to impress the audience must also be true. Only to meet the demands of consumers, the consumers can be remembered and the purchase of. The film tells us, authenticity is the important way to attract. In recent years, the media authenticity call more and more, people for the authenticity of media attention began to strengthen. Now a lot of domestic television stations have started to do some civilian program, started to pay attention to ordinary peoples real life, and has made very good progress. However, these civilians programs in many fictional events or the audience. The film Truman Show told us, does not need the imaginary of ordinary people, real life and emotion is enough to attract people. IV.Conclusion Life is not a drama, Truman story can only appear in the movie, and we have great sympathy for him. However, in this film, the protagonist to Truman hit television series gave us deep enlightenment. In this view, we present the media to be learned from this movie important element of success real. Whenever we are, authenticity is the life of the media, especially the lack of attention; we have to know, the more real, the more popular. Without the reality, the media will lose the charm for us; Truman Show also tells us this simple truth. Notes: The film Truman Show 2 Daniel. Dai Yang, Elisha Kats, media event [M] Beijing: Beijing Broadcasting Institute press, 2003:3 3 McGuire, audience analysis [M] Beijing: Renmin University of China press, 2006:90 4 Chen Lidan. What is communication [M]. Beijing: Peking University Press, 2007:178 Bibliography ¼Ã… ¡ [1]The film Truman Show [2] Liu Xuefeng. On news authenticity principle of multiple levels of understanding of [J]. Reading and writing, 2009, (02) [3]Bian Jian. From the The Truman Show to see media Pseudo Environment groups imbalance ( J ) Movie Review, 2008 ( 02). [4]Guo Yonghong true absurdity and refuses to escape on the film The Truman Show philosophical anatomy ( J ). Appreciation, 2009 ( 18) [5] Xing Runmei movie The Truman Show and mass media literary interpretation ( J ). Journal of Shanxi Normal University ( SOCIAL SCIENCE EDITION ), 2008 ( S1 ).

Impact of Management and Leadership styles

Impact of Management and Leadership styles Managers are who  do things right  and leaders are who  do the right thing The general concept according to my understanding from various literature reviews are that Leaders leads people and managers manage all things in organization, furthermore to my concepts the important point is that leaders are the people who bring changes in organizations and managers may be considered as people who sustain the day to day organisational activities. The main point in this task 1, to explain the link between Leadership and management of an organisation, here I am elaborating leadership and management of Martin McColl, this organisation having approximately 1,000 outlets and 50,000 employees across United Kingdom, the main focus of the company is on Books, Cards, Magazines, Confectionary, Toys and Drinks etc. Link between strategic management and leadership: Orders which are passed down from leader and the managers role is to pass orders down the chain of command A leader is described as someone who has the capacity to create a vision, and to translate it into action and sustain it (Bennis, 1989), this statement can also be justified as there are differences between management and leadership, although functionally they can be combined in the same individual (John Kotter, 1990). Leadership without Easy Answers by Ronald A. Heifetz, According to In business, we see an evolution of the concept of leadership. For decades, the term leadership referred to the people who hold top management positions and the functions they serve. In our common usage, it still does. Recently, however, business people have drawn a distinction between leadership and management, and exercising leadership has also come to mean providing a vision and influencing others to realize it through non-coercive means. Roosevelt says about link between leaders and managers that People ask the difference between a leader and a boss, the leader works in the open, and the boss in secret. The leader leads and the boss drive. This report review explains the relationship between leaders and managers that they perform on their position within the organization, they work together to achieve the goals of organization. Leaders think about goals and are active instead of reactive in shaping ideas. Managers act to limit choices. Leaders develop fresh approaches to long-standing problems and open issues to new options. A manager is a problem solver- what problems have to be solved and what are the best ways to achieve results? Link between leaders and management has strong impact in organization. Managers Managers administer. Follow the established course. Ensure that people do things. Ensure that people do things better. Leadership Leaders innovate. Establish the course that managers follow. Ensure that people want to do things. Ensure that people do the right things. Ensure that people do better things. Source: international business-society management by Tulder, Zwart. Example in McColl: As I explained the literature review above, I am evaluating these literatures with the help of Martin McColl example. Martin McColl under the Steve Leadership management is very successful. There is a strong link between leader and management. Leader and managers keeps link through video conferences, mails and telephone. Meetings for internal discussions are kept to a set of guidelines intended to maximize productivity, and minimize cost, to achieve a result. Focus is on external parameters, particularly the customer and the image of the company. Priority in Martin is given always to activity that enhances the customer experience, improves efficiency or increases revenue and profitability. There is an enormous level of mutual respect built between the leadership group and the teams. People are appropriately motivated, and rewarded for their performance based upon their motivational modality. It is important to remember here, that not everyone is motivated by a monetary reward, or a standard trophy. A Truly Great Leader understands this, and uses to their advantage. On 28 Nov 2010 major snow fall hits Scotland. There were problems with many routes. Managers must come on time thats managers responsibility. On the day of snow martin McColl managers came on time in all branches while travel was very difficult due to the heavy snow but all managers reached on time and have done their work because it was not easy for anyone to come out house. So that was a great achievement under the best leadership. Managers are also leaders. Link between leaders and management has strong impact in decision making in organization and this impact effect in every place and every area in McColl such as finance, marketing, policies. Impact of management and leadership style on Strategic Decision: Decisions are at the heart of leader success, and at times there are critical moments when they can be difficult Organizations all over the world are deeply concerned with understanding, searching and developing leadership. Regardless of the type of organization, leadership is discerned to play a vital role in establishing high performing teams. Leaders are facing greater challenges than ever before due to the increased environmental complexity and the changing nature of the organization. The current era not only demands having a competitive edge and sustained profitability but also the maintenance of ethical standards, complying with civic commitments and establishing a safe and equitable work environment. Leadership is one of the critical elements in enhancing organizational performance. Being responsible for the development and execution of strategic organizational decisions, leaders have to acquire, develop and deploy organizational resources optimally in order to bring out the best products and services in the best interest of stakeholders. In short, effective leadership is the main cause of competitive advantage for any kind of organization (Zhu et al., 2005; Avolio, 1999; Lado et al., 1992; Rowe, 2001) Decentralised structure: In Martin McColl autocratic leadership style portrays that manager retains as much power and decision making authority as possible. These leadership styles utilize different sources of power and impact differently on the levels and extent to which staff consider them as making a contribution to organizational decision making. Both the quality and extent of staff participation in decision-making tends to wane. Each store of  McColl  has a store manager who can make certain decisions concerning their store. The store manager is responsible to a regional manager senior managers have time to concentrate on the most important decisions. Collaboration with group members: Martin McColl leader makes decisions in collaboration with group members, often using majority rules or similar social decision schemes, whereas a consultative leader makes decisions, after talking with group members about their opinions. Empowerment: McColl managers tend to be more focused on productivity targets and achievement of objectives. Their power is based on their ability to achieve targets, often as a result of quick decisions. Decision making is a form of empowerment. In McColl stores Empowerment is increase motivation and therefore means that staff output increases. Knowledge skills: People lower down the chain have a greater understanding of the environment they work in and the people (customers and colleagues) that they interact with.   This knowledge skills and experience may enable them to make more effective decisions than senior managers. Faster Changes: Participative styles in McColl enabling departments and their employees to respond faster to changes and new challenges. Whereas it may take senior managers longer to appreciate that business needs have changed. 1.2 Example in Martin McColl: Martin McColl is UK based corporate company. Martin McColl has a democratic leadership where subordinates involve in decision-making. Company has a board of directors and Steve is a head of directors.   It is seen that Martin has authoritarian systems in which their people work as directed. Merger and acquisition continued in martin McColl. In 1998 Forbuoys acquired Martin Retail Group which was before RS McColl. In 1999 company launch new convenience concept McColls. In 2004 the company acquired Dillon stores. In 2005 company changed its name to Martin McColl Retail Group and now martin is the UKs leading neighbour retailing group. These changes allow leaders and managers to makes good decisions which give the strength to business. These changes brought many changes such as economic condition been changed, development changed, competition increased this changes brought new markets like stationery stores, specialist card shops. Furthermore supermarkets like Tesco and Sainsburys were selling everything that Martin did. So there was a big competition. Knowledge sharing and strong communication always been there so the strategy of Martin was focus on its core activities and increase, improving buying power sell higher margin items and makes their with sales of newer lines. Company have a wide variety of roles at two head offices in Scotland and Brentwood. Here company centralise core business divisions including Central Retail Operations, Trading, Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, Business System etc. In all these above cases, management and leaders realized that changes were occurred and react actively. And in all these cases, they responded only when the competition forced them to do so. Conclusion: In making decision, consider the fit between leadership style and the characteristics of organization. Even more important, remember that things change. Look for flexibility. The very best leaders are those who have learned how to shift from one leadership style to another as circumstances demand. If one candidate shows evidence of being able to move smoothly among several of these styles, that may tip the balance. 1.3: Leadership style adaptation to different situation: Leadership style is the typical approach of a particular person used to lead people. Management theorists try to discover one best leadership style for all situations. Researchers say that there are internal and external environments that have significant impact on leader effectiveness. For example in limited external opportunities leaders are constrained by competition, legislation, technology, changing markets and limited resources when making strategic decisions. Fiedler (1967), who conducted extensive research on the situational aspects of leadership effectiveness, identified factors that determine what style of leader performed best. He examined correlations between test scores of leaders and their performance related to situational factors. The relations-motivated leader performs best where the leader position is not strong. Task-motivated leaders perform best when the leader-member relations are good and the leader power position is strong. The latter category represents poor member relations and a weak leader who is attempting to deal with a poor situation. B ecause that situation is unfavourable, Fiedlers model would require a task-oriented leader to keep the situation from falling apart. An obvious alternative would be to replace the leader.   To deal with the issue of matching style to the situation, Vroom and Yetton (1973) developed an approach that deals with leader-subordinate interaction. He recognized that an effective style depended on situational variables including the leaders expertise, the task structure, and the employees willingness to accept a solution. They found that the key elements in sharing of leader power are the maximization of technical effectiveness and subordinate motivation or acceptance. If technical effectiveness is not crucial and motivation and acceptance are not important, the decisions are made by the leader alone. On the other hand, if the technical difficulties are important but motivation is low, the leader attempts to obtain more information. When technical effectiveness is unimportant but motivation and acceptance are high, delegation becomes a useful approach. Finally, if the problem is high on the technical level and there is a need for acceptance, then the decision is shared with the group. The situational determinants of leadership show that there is frequently, but not necessarily optimally, a consistency in the behaviour of a leader when he or she performs in different situations. As the organization grows, team building and the exchange of ideas become more important. Involvement tactics are used more frequently. Now the organizational units are formed and the biggest question is how the work should be divided. This requires negotiation. Once the company is into production, tasks are more routine, but time is critical. This calls for more direction. Throughout, indirection, enlistment, redirection, and repudiation may be used. The tactics and when to use them are summarized in Table 2. According to Daniel Goleman six styles of leading have different effects on the emotions of the target followers and each style appropriately as the circumstances. Which are: Visionary leader, Coaching leader, Democratic leader, Affiliative leader, Pace-setting leader, Commanding leader. As Goleman provides a good framework of leadership styles so I can say that its absolutely true that no leader always leads in a particular style but adapts to situations. Few styles are there including Goleman styles, these styles are generally the most effective. Attached table 1. There are five basis of power Coercive power, Reward power, Expert power, legitimate power, and Referent power. These five bases of power introduced by French and Raven in 1959. Among the five bases of power there are three bases in which the Steve leadership is founded. These are legitimate power, expert power and referent power. Through his position he is able to lead the companys people. His experience in the company makes him very knowledgeable of the company and its customers. He motivates people and constantly empowers them. He is also charismatic. Example of Martin McColl: Employee Relationship: As a participating leadership in the past few years Martin performance and profitability have been transformed by employee engagement; which show a clear improving engagement and improving performance of employee. Martin engaged employees indicate they have a good understanding of how to meet customer needs. Individual employees in companies with strong engagement strategies described to us how their working lives have been transformed for the better. Customer focused strategy: Martin leaders have vision thats why they set objectives of company and have customer retention strategy for this they having promotional sale and delivering newspaper. Martin McColl customers are familiar with what newspapers and magazines in their local store and know the prices they normally paid. As a result, Martin delivering ordered newspapers at their home. Early experiments in began and, by the end of 2008, Martin was making 200 deliveries a week in an area a very small beginning. Ethical behaviour: McColl leadership thinking ethically and behaving ethically in UK thats why they are taking responsible decisions. They reduced to use of plastic bags. Martin corporate social responsibility is concerned with the ways in which an organization exceeds the minimum obligations to stakeholders specified through regulation and corporate governance. Martin negotiating better promotional prices from suppliers that small individual chains are unable to match. The product and service development processes of the martin have been substantially re-engineered, to facilitate better management of product lifecycles and more efficient delivery of wide ranges of products to customers. Product activity has focused on enhancing core ranges and introducing quality products. Martins innovative ways of improving the customer shopping experience, as well as its efforts to branch out into finance and insurance have also capitalized on strong brand reputation Financial Environment: Under great leadership a strong financial performance has been shown by the company over the years, which underlines its strategic capabilities.   According to Data monitor (2010), Martin is a  £ 30billion turnover company recording an increase of 14.9% when compared to 2008. The foremost strategy that has been adopted by the company is the product and services customization in accordance with the market demands.   The efficiency in performance of the company over the last decade can be summarised with the help of growth in following key indicators (Fame, 2010) Diversity: In the past, Martin approach to emerging markets has tended to be almost exclusively from their own perspective, seeing them simply as markets, with little real empathy for the new customers needs and desires. One of the big problems is that the vast majority of senior managers in corporations come from the home county but Martin Company and their leaders always ready to cope with such diversity at top executive level. Environmental factors: In environmentally as Martin entered into more and more partnerships or joint ventures many of which are formed with companies from different cultures. So leaders who are able to create and sustain such relationships give their company a valuable collaborative advantage. In my view, this relationship approach to business represents a major challenge to Martin. By senior executives Martin establishing good personal relationships in which trust and mutual understanding can develop. Corporate culture Founding Vision Company ways of doing things Values system LEADERSHIP STYLES Different Situations Employees relationship Customer focused Production Financial Environment Diversity Environmental factors A good understanding of situation trains leaders to change their style, like a driver changes gear in a car. Martins success had come, despite many siren voices, from persevering with its original model, and Bradley, the companys chief operating ofà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cer, puts that down to the personal backing of Windsor, Martins low-key chief executive. One solidly based on experience, trust, and judgment. Conclusion Dynamic changing situations require different leader behaviours. These behaviours can take the form of patterns of behaviours termed leadership style, or leadership tactics. Selecting leaders with different leadership styles is inefficient. It is far more effective to select flexible leaders who have the capability of using different tactics under different conditions. While the leaders may occasionally learn to change their styles to suit the circumstances, leadership styles are likely to remain fairly stable overall. Therefore, a certain style affects the leaders/managers managerial decisions over extended periods, with a particular style being more effective under a specific set of circumstance. 2.1 Impact of Theories on organizational strategy: When we think about management and leadership, the image comes in our mind that these are powerful dynamic individual who commands people. Yesterday principles and theories are contemporary and sophisticated. Some overlap and gaps occurs. Current theories fill these gaps and after to study that people are dealing to current situation. There are many theories of management and leadership, these are defined as: Behavioural theory, Contingency theory, Functional theory, Great man theory, Situational theory, Trait theory, Transactional theory, Transformational theory. Major models and approaches are: Adaptive leadership and appreciative leadership Many leaders and managers have his or her own style. Some common styles are: Autocratic, Bureaucratic, Democratic, and Laissez-faire. There is a difference between theories and leadership models that leadership theory is an explanation of some aspect of leadership, these are used to better understand and control successful leadership and leadership model is an example for use in a given situation. Each one has strengths and weaknesses, and each one has its appropriate uses. Here I am selected two current management and leadership theories which are Transactional leadership and Transformational Leadership. Transactional and transformational leadership has been of great interest to many researchers in the current era. Adopting either transformational and transactional leadership behaviour helps in the success of the organization (Laohavichien et al., 2009). This might be the reason that different authors of the recent past considered transactional and transformational leadership as predicating variables and investigated their relatedness with other criterion variables. Both transformational leadership and transactional leadership help in predicting subordinates satisfaction with their leaders (Bennett, 2009) Transformational Leadership: Transformational leadership theory has captured the interest of many researchers in the field of organizational leadership over the past three decades. This theory was developed by Burns (1978) and later enhanced by Bass (1985, 1998) and others (Avolio Bass, 1988; Bass Avolio, 1994; Bennis Nanus, 1985; Tichy Devanna, 1986). The major premise of the transformational leadership theory is the leaders ability to motivate the follower to accomplish more than what the follower planned to accomplish (Krishnan, 2005). Transformational leadership has four components: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration (Bass, 1985). Burns postulated that transformational leaders inspire followers to accomplish more by concentrating on the followers values and helping the follower align these values with the values of the organization. Research has also shown that transformational leadership impacts employee commitment to organizational change (Yu, Leithwood, Jantzi, 2002) and organizational conditions (Lam, Wei, Pan, Chan, 2002). Due to its impact on organizational outcomes, transformational leadership is needed in all organizations (Tucker Russell, 2004). Transformational leadership identifying and developing core values and unifying purpose, developing leadership and effective followership, utilizing interaction-focused organizational design, and building interconnectedness (Hickman, 1997, p. 2). Transformational leaders work to bring about human and economic transformation. Within the organization they generate visions, missions, goals, and a culture that contributes to the ability of individuals, groups, and the organization to practice its values and serve its purpose (Hickman, 1997, p. 9). These leaders are reliable leaders who generate commitment from followers which results in a sense of shared purpose (Waddock Post, 1991). The leaders ability to inspire, motivate, and foster commitment to a shared pur pose is crucial (Bass, Waldman et al., 1987). According to Bass and Avolio, transformational leaders display behaviours associated with five transformational styles wich are attached in table 4. Organizational culture: According to Schein (1985, 1995), the leaders beliefs, values, and assumptions shape the culture of the organization and these beliefs, values, and assumptions are then taught to other members of the organization. Schein also stated that leaders have the power to embed organizational culture through various methods such as mentoring, role modeling, and teaching. Bass and Avolio (1993). Organizational Vision Transformational leadership has four components: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration (Bass, 1985) which involves motivating people, establishing a foundation for leadership authority and integrity, and inspiring a shared vision of the future (Tracey Hinkin, 1998). Idealized influence and inspirational motivation are connected with the leaders ability to formulate and articulate a shared vision (Dionne, Yammarino, Atwater, Spangler, 2004). Transformational leadership creates a desire for people to work as a team, in an enjoyable and non-threatening culture, yet always with an expectation of excellence. It creates a How To approach to problem solving and development of new concepts, it allows for early warnings of imminent threats and weaknesses in the organization and strongly encourages celebration of strengths and aggressive pursuit of suitably qualified opportunities. Transformational Leadership is demonstrated from the highest level in the organization, and rewarded all the way through the management layers. It is charismatic, passionate and inspirational and attracts the very best candidates for available roles. Everyone in the organization clearly understands the culture, goals and expectations of the organization. Transactional Leadership: Transactional leadership is cantered on leader follower exchanges. Followers perform according to the will and direction of the leaders and leaders positively reward the efforts. The baseline is reward which can be negative like punitive action, if followers fail to comply with or it can be positive like praise and recognition, if subordinates comply with the intent and direction settled by a leader and achieve the given objectives. Four core facets of transactional leadership as described by Schermerhorn et al., (2000) are contingent rewards, active management by exception, and passive management by exception. Example of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs Leadership Styles: Bill Gates is a businessman, and chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen. Gates is one of the best known entrepreneurs of personal computer revolution. Steve jobs business magnate and inventor. He is well-known for being the co-founder and chief executive officer of Apple. Both have Transformational leadership style but both transformation styles have different impact on business in same industry. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs Leadership style: Bill Gates leadership is participative style because he involves his subordinate in decision making. He is a flexible person and he recognized his role was to be visionary of the company. Whenever needed he bring professional manager for managing and well structure of the organization? Gates is a strong and energizing person his enthusiasm, hardworking  nature, judgment skills reflect his personality. His motivating power and involving his friends to working with him became the success of Microsoft. On the other hand, Steve Jobs leadership is autocratic style, because he centralizes the authority, he never given a chance to subordinate to involving decision making. He thinks that whatever he do is right. His  relation with employees not good, he fails to motivate his employees in many times. Sometimes he acts as anti-Gates, and sometimes request Microsoft to develop software for his computer.  His cocky attitude and lack of management skills became a threat of APPLES succe ss. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs both gave their heart souls to developing their vision to develop personal computer,  but the way they choose was different from other. Bill gates develop computer language new Altair 8080 pc which became the foundation of Microsoft. Bill continuously develops two other computer languages. When IBM develops their first pc and which need operating system to run the computer,  Microsoft develops MS-DOS for IBM. Gates adopting the changes very fast that are his enthusiasm vision and hardworking give him the success. Gates always recognized him as a visionary he always recognize professional management, he decentralize authority to make organization structure better. On the other hand Steve Jobs started apple computer which is hard ware making company. His vision to develop computer with affordable cost and easy to use. When Bill offer the basic to jobs then he rejected jobs proposal and try to develop their own basic without knowledge of programming, he fail and accept license with Microsoft basic. Jobs play duel personality sometimes he oppose Microsoft sometimes request Microsoft to develop software for their operating system. Jobs force people to choose between Microsoft-IBM operating system and his MAC-operating system. Lack of proper management skills and relation  with employees became a barrier of APPLEs growth. Impact of Management and leadership theories on organizational strategy. With the success of windows, Office Application and Internet explorer Microsoft became a house hold name and Bill gates became as business genius. Bill Gates adopting the changes very fast his innovative mind all time busy to developing products. Recent Microsoft develops a number of products like smartphone with loaded Microsoft window.   On the other hand APPLE goes wrong direction in 1990s. Because Steve Jobs is very slow to adopting changes thats the main reason falling the market share. When Jobs realize changes is the only way to survive the market then apple develops innovative iMac which is internet friendly stylist computer.  After sometime Apple gains market. With the iPhone, Apple TV,  and name charges job co are setting a new course for the outfit  once knows only for its computer. The new name and device represent APPLEs strategic shift away from its  origins as a personal computing company that has at point struggled both survive and to set the computing worlds agenda. 2.2 Leadership strategy that supports organizational direction: Transformational leaders also help in the acceptance of organizational change (Bommer et al., 2004) Transactional leadership style provides high satisfaction and organizational identification. (Wu, 2009; Epitropaki and Martin, 2005). Transformational and transactional leadership strategy support organizational direction in term of efficiency, reliability, innovation and adaptation, turnaround leadership etc. Efficiency: In apple company Transformational leadership more effective at creating and sharing knowledge at the individual and group levels, while transactional leadership is more effective at exploiting knowledge at the organizational level. Reliability: Computers are an important investment and in todays economy, more than ever, its important for consumers to know the reliability of the product they are purchasing. Apple  reliability  report, Rescuecom revealed that Apple scored the highest with 700 points, with Panasonic following in on its footsteps with a score of 489. In a descending manner, Lenovo, Toshiba, and HP were listed with scores cumulating 393, 299, and 184 points, respectively. Innovation:

Alcoholism Should Not Be Viewed As A Disease :: essays research papers fc

Most people have a confused idea of alcoholism as a disease that invades or attacks your good health. Use of such a strong word such as "disease" shapes the values and attitudes of society towards alcoholics. A major implication of the disease concept is that what is labeled a "disease" is held to be justifiable because it is involuntary. This is not so. Problem drinking is a habit in which the so-called "alcoholic" simply has decided that the benefits of drinking outweigh the liabilities; it is all a matter of personal choice. An alcoholic participates in or causes many of their own problems by their behavior and the decisions they make, so why should they be viewed as helpless victims of a "disease"(Skipper 1)? Alcoholism should not be viewed as a disease, but as an addiction brought about by the alcoholic's personal choices. What is wrong with disease theories as science is that they are tautologies; they avoid the work of understanding why people drink. People seek specific, essential human experiences from their addictive involvement. They can come to depend on such an involvement for these experiences until -- in the extreme -- the involvement is totally consuming and potentially destructive (Peele 146). The idea that alcoholism is a "disease", which is only typified by the loss of control, was only sanctioned by the American Medical Association in 1956 (Wilbanks 39). The AMA gives the following definition for alcoholism: " Alcoholism is an illness characterized by preoccupation with alcohol and loss of control over its consumption, such as to lead usually to intoxication if drinking; by chronicity, by progression and by a tendency toward relapse. It is typically associated with physical disability and impaired emotional, occupational and/or social adjustments as a direct consequence of persistent excessive use (Langone 27)". This meant that an alcoholic could now get help in a hospital, just as a person with a real disease such as diabetes or leukemia would . Moreover, the use of the words "loss of control" make it seem as though the alcoholic's free will has just been ripped away from him. On the contrary, there is no evidence that the will of the drinker has been overpowered. Besides labeling alcoholism as a disease, the AMA has also done a huge error in stating that alcoholism causes people to lose control over the consumption of alcohol. This will only negate the fact that the amount of alcohol consumed and if it is consumed at all is completely up to the drinker, not an inevitable disease that overpowers your free will.

political ideology in the media Essay -- essays research papers

Throughout many generations and years gone bye the media and presentation of issues by news sources have influenced society’s opinions on moral and governmental issues. Dating back to the writing of the constitution the general public was influenced by what was said in the media presentation. The framers of the American Constitution banned newspaper reporters from hearing any information regarding the constitutional meetings due to the fact that our founding fathers did not want to be influenced by the way the news was reported. In today’s technological society this influential concept may be even more prevalent with the advancement of the internet and the easy accessible news. In order to be informed you no longer have to pay a bill to subscribe to your local newspaper, but you can simply click on a story on a website and read the same text that appears in local papers. Two sources which are both easily accessible and well respected are the New York Times and the Wash ington Times. Both newspapers report on both national and local news pertaining to all areas that deemed being covered. Upon evaluating the ideology, bias, reporting style, and ease of learning new information, I found these two well respected and well known newspapers to be vastly different.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Upon attempting to navigate around the two websites I found that locating stories and specific writings on the NY Times website was tougher than on the Washington Times website. The NY Times ...

The Return: Nightfall Chapter 23

Acoldfrisson went down Elena's back, the most delicate of shivers. Damon didn'task for kisses. This wasn'tright . â€Å"No,† she whispered. â€Å"Just one.† â€Å"I'm not going to kiss you, Damon.† â€Å"Not me. Him.† Damon denoted â€Å"him† with a tilt of his head toward Matt. â€Å"A kiss between you and your former knight.† â€Å"You wantwhat ?† Matt's eyes snapped open and he got the words out explosively before Elena could open her mouth. â€Å"You'd like it,† Damon's voice had dropped to its softest, most insinuating tones. â€Å"You'd like to kiss her. And there's no one to stop you.† â€Å"Damon.† Matt struggled up out of Elena's arms. He seemed, if not entirely recovered, perhaps eighty percent of the way there, but Elena could hear his heart laboring. Elena wondered how long he'd lain feigning unconsciousness to get his strength back. â€Å"The last thing I knew you were trying to kill me. That doesn't exactly get you on my good side. Second, people just don't go around kissing girls because they're pretty or their boyfriend takes a day off.† â€Å"Don't they?† Damon hiked an eyebrow in surprise. â€Å"I do.† Matt just shook his head, dazed. He seemed to be trying to keep one idea fixed in his mind. â€Å"Will you move your car so we can leave?† he said. Elena felt as if she were watching Matt from very far away; and as if he was caged somewhere with a tiger and didn't know it. The clearing had become a very beautiful, wild, and dangerous place, and Matt didn't know that either. Besides, she thought with concern, he'smaking himself stand up. Weneed to leave – and quickly, before Damon does anything else to him. But what was the real way out? What was Damon's real agenda? â€Å"You can go,† Damon said. â€Å"As soon as she kisses you. Or you kiss her,† he added, as if making a concession. Slowly, as if he realized what it was going to mean, Matt looked at Elena and then back at Damon. Elena tried to communicate silently with him, but Matt wasn't in the mood. He looked Damon in the face and said, â€Å"No way.† Shrugging, as if to say,I did everything I could , Damon lifted the shaggy pine rod – â€Å"No,† cried Elena. â€Å"Damon, I'll do it.† Damon smiledthe smile and held it for a moment, until Elena looked away and went to Matt. His face was still pale, cool. Elena leaned her cheek against his and said almost soundlessly into his ear, â€Å"Matt, I've dealt with Damon before. And you can't just defy him. Let's play along – for now. Then maybe we can get away.† And then she made herself say, â€Å"For me? Please?† The truth was that she knew too much about stubborn males. Too much about how to manipulate them. It was a trait she'd come to hate, but right now she was too busy trying to think of ways to save Matt's life to debate the ethics of pressuring him. She wished it were Meredith or Bonnie instead of Matt. Not that she would wish such pain on anyone, but Meredith would be coming up with Plans C and D even as Elena came up with A and B. And Bonnie would already have lifted tear-filled, heart-melting brown eyes to Damon†¦. Suddenly Elena thought of the single red flash she'd seen under the Ray-Bans, and she changed her mind. She wasn't sure she wanted Bonnie around Damon now. Of all of the guys she'd known, Damon had been the only one Elena couldn't break. Oh, Matt was stubborn, and Stefan could be impossible sometimes. But they both had brightly colored buttons somewhere inside them, labeledPUSH ME , and you just had to fiddle with the mechanism a little – okay, sometimes more than a little – and eventually even the most challenging male could be mastered. Except one†¦ â€Å"All right, kiddies, enough time out.† Elena felt Matt pulled from her arms and held up – she didn't know by what, but he was standing. Something held him in place, upright, and she knew it wasn't his muscles. â€Å"So where were we?† Damon was walking back and forth, with the Virginia pine branch in his right hand, tapping it on his left palm. â€Å"Oh, that'sright † – as if making a great discovery – â€Å"the girl and the stalwart knight are going to kiss.† In Stefan's room, Bonnie said, â€Å"For the last time, Meredith, did you find a backup file for Stefan's note or not?† â€Å"No,† Meredith said in a flat voice. But just as Bonnie was about to collapse again, Meredith said, â€Å"I found a different note completely. A letter, really.† â€Å"Adifferent note? What does it say?† â€Å"Can you stand up at all? Because I think you'd better have a look at this.† Bonnie, who had only just gotten back her breath, managed to hobble over to the computer. She read the document on the screen – complete except for what seemed to be its final words, and gasped. â€Å"Damon did something to Stefan!† she said, and felt her heart plummet and all her internal organs follow it. So Elena had been wrong. Damonwas evil, through and through. By now, Stefan might even be†¦ â€Å"Dead,† Meredith said, her mind obviously following the same track that Bonnie's had taken. She lifted dark eyes to Bonnie's. Bonnie knew that her own eyes were wet. â€Å"How long,† Meredith asked, â€Å"has it been since you called Elena or Matt?† â€Å"I don't know; I don't know what time it is. But I called twice after we left Caroline's house and once at Isobel's; and when I've tried after that, I either get a message that their mailboxes are full or it won't connect at all.† â€Å"That's about exactly what I've gotten. If they went near the Old Wood – well, you know what it does to phone reception.† â€Å"And now, even if they come out of the woods, we can't leave them a message because we've filled up their voicemail – â€Å" â€Å"E-mail,† Meredith said. â€Å"Good old e-mail; we can use that to send Elena a message.† â€Å"Yes!† Bonnie punched the air. Then she deflated. She hesitated for an instant and then almost whispered, â€Å"No.† Words from Stefan's real note kept echoing in her mind:I trust Matt's instinctive protectiveness for you, Meredith's judgment, and Bonnie's intuition. Tell them to remember that. â€Å"You can't tell her what Damon's done,† she said, even as Meredith began busily typing. â€Å"She probably already knows – and if she doesn't, it'll just make more trouble. She's with Damon.† â€Å"Matt told you that?† â€Å"No. But Matt was out of his mind with pain.† â€Å"Couldn't it have been from those – bugs?† Meredith looked down at her ankle where several red welts still showed on the smooth olive flesh. â€Å"It could be, but it wasn't. It didn't feel like the trees, either. It was just†¦pure pain. And I don't know, not for certain, how I know that it's Damon doing it. I just – know.† She saw Meredith's eyes unfocus and knew that she was thinking about Stefan's words, too. â€Å"Well, my judgment tells me to trust you,† she said. â€Å"By the way, Stefan spells  ¡Ã‚ ®judgment' the preferred American way,† she added. â€Å"Damon spells it with ane . That may have been what was bothering Matt.† â€Å"As if Stefan would really leave Elena alone with everything that's been going on,† Bonnie said indignantly. â€Å"Well, Damon fooled all of us and made us think so,† Meredith pointed out. Meredith tended to point out things like that. Bonnie started suddenly. â€Å"I wonder if he stole the money?† â€Å"I doubt it, but let's see.† Meredith pulled the rocking chair away, saying, â€Å"Grab me a hanger.† Bonnie grabbed one from the closet and grabbed herself one of Elena's tops to put on at the same time. It was too big, since it was Meredith's top given to Elena, but at least it was warm. Meredith was using the hooked end of the wire hanger on all sides of the floorboard that looked most promising. Just as she managed to pry it up, there was a knock at the open door. They both jumped. â€Å"It's only me,† said the voice of Mrs. Flowers from behind a large duffel bag and a tray of bandages, mugs, sandwiches, and strong-smelling cheesecloth bags like the ones she'd used on Matt's arm. Bonnie and Meredith exchanged a glance and then Meredith said, â€Å"Come in and let us help you.† Bonnie was already taking the tray, and Mrs. Flowers was dumping the duffel bag on the floor. Meredith continued prying the board up. â€Å"Food!† Bonnie said gratefully. â€Å"Yes, turkey-and-tomato sandwiches. Help yourselves. I'm sorry I was away so long, but you can't hurry the poultice for swellings,† Mrs. Flowers said. â€Å"I remember, long ago, my younger brother always said – oh, my goodness gracious!† She was staring at the place where the floorboard had been. A good-sized hollow was filled with hundred-dollar bills, neatly wrapped in packets with bank-bands still around them. â€Å"Wow,† Bonnie said. â€Å"I never saw so much money!† â€Å"Yes.† Mrs. Flowers turned and began distributing cups of cocoa and sandwiches. Bonnie bit into a sandwich hungrily. â€Å"People used to simply put things behind the loose brick in the fireplace. But I can see that the young man needed more space.† â€Å"Thank you for the cocoa and sandwiches,† Meredith said after a few minutes spent wolfing them down while working on the computer at the same time. â€Å"But if you want to treat us for bruises and things – well, I'm afraid we just can't wait.† â€Å"Oh, come.† Mrs. Flowers took a small compress that smelled to Bonnie like tea and pressed it to Meredith's nose. â€Å"This will take the swelling down in minutes. And you, Bonnie – sniff out the one that's for that bump on your forehead.† Once again Meredith's and Bonnie's eyes met. Bonnie said, â€Å"Well, if it's only a few minutes – I don't know what we're doing next anyway.† She looked the poultices over and picked a round one that smelled of flowers and musk to put on her forehead. â€Å"Exactly right,† Mrs. Flowers said without turning around to look. â€Å"And of course, the long thin one is for Meredith's ankle.† Meredith drank the last of her cocoa, then reached down to gingerly touch one of the red marks. â€Å"That's okay – † she began, when Mrs. Flowers interrupted. â€Å"You're going to need that ankle at full capacity when we go out.† â€Å";;When we go out'?† Meredith stared at her. â€Å"Into the Old Wood,† Mrs. Flowers clarified. â€Å"To find your friends.† Meredith looked horrified. â€Å"If Elena and Matt are in the Old Wood, then I agree:we have to go look for them. Butyou can't go, Mrs. Flowers! And we don't know where they are, anyway.† Mrs. Flowers drank from the cup of cocoa in her hand, looking thoughtfully at the one window that wasn't shuttered. For a moment Meredith thought she hadn't heard or didn't mean to answer. Then she said, slowly, â€Å"I daresay you all think I'm just a batty old woman who's never around when there's trouble at hand.† â€Å"We would never think that,† Bonnie said staunchly, but thinking that they'd found out more about Mrs. Flowers in the last two days than in the entire nine months since Stefan had moved in here. Before that, all she'd ever heard were ghost stories or rumors about the crazy old lady in the boardinghouse. She'd been hearing them since she could remember. Mrs. Flowers smiled. â€Å"It's not easy having the Power and never being believed when you use it. And then, I've lived for so long – and people don't like that. It worries them. They start to make up ghost stories or rumors – â€Å" Bonnie felt her eyes go round. Mrs. Flowers just smiled again and nodded gently. â€Å"It's been a real pleasure having a polite young man in the house,† she said, taking the long poultice from the tray and wrapping it around Meredith's ankle. â€Å"Of course, I had to get over my prejudices. Dear Mamaalways said that if I kept the place, I might have to take in boarders, and to be sure not to take in foreigners. And then of course, the young man is a vampire as well – â€Å" Bonnie almost sprayed cocoa across the room. She choked, then went into a spasm of coughing. Meredith had her no-expression expression on. † – but after a while I got to understand him better and to sympathize with his problems,† Mrs. Flowers continued, ignoring Bonnie's attack of coughing. â€Å"And now, the blond girl is involved as well†¦poor young thing. I often speak to Mama† – still with the accent on the second syllable – â€Å"about it.† â€Å"How old is your mother?† Meredith asked. Her tone was one of polite inquiry, but to Bonnie's experienced eyes her expression was one of slightly morbid fascination. â€Å"Oh, she died back at the turn of the century.† There was a pause, and then Meredith rallied. â€Å"I'm so sorry,† she said. â€Å"She must have lived a long – â€Å" â€Å"I should have said, the turn of theprevious century. Back in 1901, it was.† This time it was Meredith who had the choking fit. But she was more quiet about it. Mrs. Flowers' gentle gaze had drifted back to them. â€Å"I was a medium in my day. On vaudeville, you know. So hard to achieve a trance in front of a roomful of people. But, yes, I really am a White Witch. I have the Power. And now, if you've finished your cocoa, I think it's time we went into the Old Wood to find your friends. Even though it's summertime, my dears, you'd both better dress warmly,† she added. â€Å"I have.†