One God Essay

Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) said: â€Å"If you love me keep my commandments and I will pray to the Father, and he shall send you another comforter, that he may abide with you forever† (John – 14:15, 16) It should be noted that some English bibles have the Greek word Paraclete instead of Comforter; but in Greek the word actually spells as PERIQLYTOS. Rev. David Benjamin Kaldani, B.D. Bishop of Urumiah Persia, the Greek classical scholar and Bible authority who converted to Islam, in his book â€Å"Muhammed in the Bible† has discussed the original Greek word, the actual word which Jesus (pbuh) might have used in his native tongue, Aramic (Dialect of Hebrew) regarding the word â€Å"Comforter†. Dr. Kaldani writes: It is to be noted again that the Greek Text has ‘Periqlytos’ instead of Paraclete. So, if we want to find out the real sense of the word, we must correct the text and supply the corrupted words thus â€Å"I shall go to the Father, and he shall send you another Apostle whose name shall be Periqyltos, that he may he remain with you forever.† One need not be a Greek scholar to know that the Greek word for Comforter is not Periqlytos but Paracloon. Periqlytos, chronologically and literally, means the most illustrious, renowned, and praise-worthy. I take for my authority Alexandre’s Dictionarie Grec-Francais – This compound noun is composed of the prefix ‘Peri’ and ‘Kleotis’ the latter derived from ‘to glorify’ ‘to praise’. Thus Periqlytos means precisely what ‘Ahmed’ means in Arabic namely ‘the most illustrious and glorious’ The only difficulty to be solved is to discover the original Semitic name used by Jesus Christ either in Hebrew or Aramaic. If I am not mistaken, the Aramaic form must have been ‘MHAMDA’ or ‘HAMIDA to correspond with the Arabic name ’MUHAMMED’ or ‘AHMAD’ and the Greek PERIQLYTOS. It is marvellous that this unique name, Periqlytos never before given to any other person, was miraculously preserved for MUHAMMAD, the last prophet or Apostle of God. We never come across any greek gentleman bearing the name of Periqlytos nor any Arab bearing the name MUHAMMAD or AHMAD before the advent of the Holy (God fearing) Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him). In Islam religion, Jesus (peace be upon him) is believed as one of the greatest prophets and one of the greatest messengers of God to mankind. It is not believed in Islam that Jesus is God or son of God. In the Quran, there is a complete chapter (called Surah) titled ‘Maryam’ (Mary) that confirms Maryam virgin birth. The Quran states the following on the birth of Jesus (peace be upon him): (Remember) when the angels said, â€Å"O Mary, God gives you good news of a word from Him (God), whose name is the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, revered in this world and the Hereafter, and one of those brought near (to God). He will speak to the people from his cradle and as a man, and he is of the righteous.† She said, â€Å"My Lord, how can I have a child when no mortal has touched me?† He said, â€Å"So (it will be). God creates what He wills. If He decrees a thing, He says to it only, ‘Be!’ and it is.† (Quran, 3:45-47) Jesus was born as miracle by the word and command of God. This command is, as said in Quran, the same command that had brought Adam into being with neither a father nor a mother. God has said in Quran: The case of Jesus with God is like the case of Adam. He created him from dust, and then He said to him, â€Å"Be!† and he came into being. (Quran, 3/59) During the prophetic mission of Jesus (peace be upon him), Jesus performed many miracles. God tells us that Jesus said: â€Å"I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you the shape of a bird out of clay, I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s permission. I heal the blind from birth and the leper. And I bring the dead to life by God’s permission. And I tell you what you eat and what you store in your houses†¦.† (Quran, 3/49) Muslims believe that Jesus was not crucified. They believe that the enemies of Jesus (peace upon him) plotted and planned to crucify Jesus. However, God miraculously saved Jesus and raised him up to Him (to God). God, the all powerful and the all capable, put the likeness of Jesus (peace upon him) over another man. The enemies of Jesus (peace upon him) thought that the this other man is Jesus and they took him and crucified him. God has said: †¦They said, â€Å"We killed the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, the messenger of God.† They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but the likeness of him was put on another man (and they killed that man)†¦ (Quran, 4/157) Quran says (meaning translation): â€Å"Jesus said I am indeed a servant of ALLAH (God). He (God) has given me Revelation and made me prophet and He (God) has made me blessed wheresoever I be and has enjoined on me Prayer and Zakat (Charity) as long as I live. He (God) made me kind to my mother (Mary). Peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die, and the day I shall be that I shall be raised up to life again†¦ It is not befitting to the majesty of Allah (God) that he should beget a son. Glory be to him (God) when he determines a matter, He (God) only says to it â€Å"Be† and it is. Verily ALLAH (God) is my Lord and your Lord: Him therefore serve ye: this is a Way that is straight† (Quran 19/30-36). Accordingly, in Islam religion, Jesus (peace upon him) is neither God nor son of God. He is human and God prophet. It is worthwhile to emphasize that both Jesus (peace upon him) and Mohamed, or may be spelled Muhammad (peace upon him), came to mankind to call for worshiping only and the only one God. Neither of them nor Moses came to change the basic doctrine of the belief in one and only God. this doctrine that was brought by earlier prophets from including Noah, Abraham, Isac, Jacob, David, Solomon, and others. Both Jesus (peace upon him) and Mohamed received the revelation from God to confirm and renew the doctrine of worshiping one (and only one) God.

Employer branding

Footings of mentionsThis study highlights the lifting consciousness for the development of Employer Branding construct and its benefits for the administrations in present competitory labor market. The struggle between effectual employer stigmatization and employees ‘ rights and satisfaction toward organisation has been examined in this study with specific focal point on the unethical and commanding consequence.Introduction:Employer stigmatization is the perceptual experience of employees ‘ about an organisation as a topographic point to work. It ‘s designed for motivation and procuring employee ‘s alliance with the vision and values of the organisations. From the HR perspective the construct was subsumed the older term INTERNAL BRANDING that was basically the procedure of pass oning an organisation ‘s trade name value to its employee.Employer stigmatizationThe construct of EMPLOYER BRANDING was created in the 1990s by Simon Barrow, who founded People in Business ( now portion of TMP Worldwide ) and was the co-author of The Employer Brand. 1 In the yesteryear, Barrow had been a consumer goods trade name director and headed up an advertisement bureau in London, but subsequently became the main executive of a enlisting bureau. He was instantly struck by the similarities between the challenges faced in advancing consumer goods and in advertising the strengths of an administration ‘s employee proposition. Both, he recognised, required a strong trade name, and so the construct of employer stigmatization was conceived. He defined employer branding as a set of properties which make the employees feel more close to the company and take pride of being associated with the company they work for. Employer stigmatization is in kernel the mental apparatus of an employee where he or she receives mental satisfaction in the same mode as when he or she uses a merchandise of a preferable trade name. Employer stigmatization is hence a set of attitudes, every bit good as an array of activities and characteristics enabling the procedure of branding to be more effectual. They could be psychological ( behavior of higher-ups ) , economic ( compensation bundle, benefits ) or functional ( possible to turn, occupation assigned harmonizing to capableness ) . These definitions indicate that employer branding agencies advancing and constructing an individuality and a clear position of what makes an organisation different and desirable as an employer. It has similarities with merchandise and corporate stigmatization but the cardinal difference is its ‘ more employment particular.Recruitment and employer stigmatizationDeveloping an employer trade name is a combination of following vision, values, and behaviors, and presenting a service that shows committedness to outdo pattern and service excellence. It begins with the enlisting procedure that offers figure of tools that can be used to make perceptual experiences of an using organisation, these tools are:Job advertizement and descriptionInterview procedureOffer lettersInformation battalion for new recruitersEmployee enchiridionsInitiation and preparation.The enlisting procedure is an of import manner to construct a positive relationship between the organisation and employee. Throughout the process, the organisation can make a strong and positive position about them ; even it can be extended to unsuccessful campaigners as good.When employees have accepted the earnestness and truth of the employer trade name, they will transport it frontward, actively advancing the trade name to co-workers and clients. However, employer stigmatization which is fundamentally untruthful will non work and is likely to be counter-productive.Benefits of Employer BrandingLong-run impact: Successful employer trade name can hold a positive impact on enrolling for a considerable sum of clip while sing any Major PR issues.Increased volume of self-generated campaigners: The figure of appliers tends to increase each twelvemonth as the employer branding gets stronger. Cases of a 500 % addition of applications have besides been observed.Addition in quality of the appliers: The quality of campaigners will besides better dramatically ; persons who ne'er would hold considered in the yesteryear will get down applying.Higher offer-acceptance rates: The rate of credence addition proportionally with the addition of image and good will of the company.Higher Employee Motivation: Employees can be easy motivated, or will remain motivated longer in the company because of the sensed pride in working for the company, and better direction patterns ( by and large ) that is tied-in with the company ‘s trade name image, therefore doing it a company people work for because they chose.A stronger corporate civilization: Employment stigmatization can assist beef up house ‘s corporate civilization because of the inactiveness it additions from the really kernel of employer stigmatization ; doing a company desirable to work for.Diminished negative promotion and image: Effective stigmatization can nail jobs by covering with negative remarks and fixing effectual counter measurers.Increased director satisfaction: As a direct consequence of increased involvement from more able and adept ap pliers, the directors will hold more clip for managerial maps as the demand to give more clip to recruitment procedure will diminish with the quality of the applicant group.Healthy competition: Employer stigmatization is similar to merchandise stigmatization. Hence to maintain a company desirable, it has to update its UPS and maintain up with its promise of bringing. This increases healthy competition and besides makes the companies better by the minute.Increased stockholder value: The ripple consequence of the company ‘s good will via employer stigmatization can besides positively impact a house ‘s stock monetary value.Support for the merchandise trade name: If a company has a superb trade name image, it is more likely that its merchandise will harvest the benefits of it and be branded automatically. This helps particularly when the company launches a new merchandise.The trade name kernel should sum up what the trade name stands for, going the karyon for merchandise dev elopment, all communications and even HR enterprises for employees. Its definition should besides be consistent with the corporate vision/mission and values. For illustration, Volvo is a good illustration of a trade name description is Volvo – â€Å"Style, driving pleasance and superior ownership experience while observing human values and esteeming the environment.† Volvo ‘s values and associations reflecting this trade name individuality are what are considered to be typically Norse – e.g. â€Å"nature, security and wellness, human values, elegant simpleness, originative technologyand the spirit of stylish/innovative functionality† . For Volvo, this description non merely mirrors the psycho-graphic profile of the ideal client for their autos, but besides summarizes what Volvo as a company means to all its workers — its employer trade name. These are intrinsic values that Volvo workers can associate to, what they believe in and why they feel comfy doing a committedness to their occupations. One can easy visualise the types of HR plans that would animate a sense of pride and re-enforce these intangibles – e.g. nature, wellness, security and other meaningful human values.‘Living the trade name ‘Life THE BRAND is placing with an organisations trade name value to such an extent that employees ‘ behaviors fit precisely to the image that the concern is seeking to portray to its clients ( Alan Price 2007 ) . The alliance between employees ‘ behavior and value of organisation ‘s trade name image is really of import. It is suggested that administrations need to guarantee that the re is no spread between what the administration is stating in the outside universe and what people believe inside the concern. The employees should be perceived as Brand embassador and trade name selling would merely be successful if they LIVE THE BRAND. From this position:Organizations have encouraged employees to â€Å"buy in† to the concern vision and values.They have to guarantee that everyone in the organisation clearly understand the intent of the common set of values.Harmonizing to Ind ( 2004 ) , the subjects discussed are likely to be of involvement to HR and selling practicians every bit good as those involved in internal communications within administrations. Employees themselves are expected to internalize characteristics and facets of the administration ‘s trade name to guarantee that they become trade name title-holders, therefore assisting to stand for to administration ‘s trade name to the outside clients. Such an attack instantly raises some interesting jobs associating to equality and diverseness as it expects each employee to portion a peculiar set of values and act in conformity with these values. The employee branding attack being recommended by Ind raises a figure of challenges for those interested in an equality and diverseness docket. An administration that aims to guarantee that employees are populating the trade name will specifically take to pull and enroll employees who already portion the values of the corporate trade name. Furthermore, those already employed within the administration will be encouraged to internalize the values of the administration. Clearly, there are jobs for promoting diverseness here, with one of the rules of diverseness direction being an credence and acknowledgment that people are different and single differences ( particularly of values ) should be welcomed. Inherently, a populating the trade name focal point is likely to travel against such a rule. Ind makes the point that promoting employee designation and committedness to the administration ‘s trade name values might deny an look of individualism. However, Ind suggests that internal s tigmatization combined with leting employees to be empowered will enable freedom with order.Denial of individualism ( dress codification policy )When it comes to â€Å" professional image † , many employers are gaining that Standards of frock and personal presentation are indispensable therefore holding a policy on frock codification can be of import. Where the employees meet clients, they act as the store window for the company and the benefits of presentable visual aspect are obvious. However, even where the employee ‘s work is internal, there are less touchable benefits such as:Making a squad atmosphere,Engendering criterions of professionalism, andMaking a corporate image.As employers are gaining this, they are paying more attending to the visual aspect of their employees and the image and perceptual experience of the concern – frock, training and personal hygiene are all portion and package of this. However, the issue of work topographic point frock codifications can be extremely controversial. It is critical that employers are cognizant of the favoritism issues that dress codifications can make.Issues with work topographic point frock codificationsIn administrations with uniforms, the issues can be more broad ranging. For case, at the Greater Manchester Police Force, bureaucratism and involuntariness to accept alteration has hampered the debut of hijabs for Muslim adult females. At Inchcape Fleet Solutions – where all 140 non-senior staffs are provided with polo shirts or blouses branded with the company logo – the manner of the uniform does non accommodate all staff and most â€Å" do non like have oning it † . This would impact their tempers at work and accordingly affect their public presentation.Ailments of favoritismFurthermore, a ailment was raised informally by the staff forum of kid trust fund supplier Family Investments and relates to the fact that adult females can have on pants that are non full length, while work forces can non. Employees have requested that the company allows trunkss to be worn, every bit long as they are below the articulatio genus Besides, in September 2006, a British Airways worker has been suspended and attended an entreaty over have oning a cross at work at Heathrow Airport. She claims the suspension is prejudiced, particularly since the air hose allows Sikh employees to have on traditional Fe bracelets and Muslim workers to have on headscarves.BA has said it will reexamine its unvarying policy in visible radiation of the media storm the narrative has provoked.Employer stigmatization and favoritism jurisprudence There are three countries of favoritism relevant to dress codification policy:Sex Discrimination Act 1975Religious or Belief Regulations 2003Disability Discrimination Act 1995.Sexual activity favoritism and frock codificationsThere is the obvious potency for sex favoritism in any frock codification, which sets different demands for work forces and adult females. Past claims have challenged policies that:adult females must have on skirtswork forces should non hold long hairWork force must have on a neckband and tie.The instance of Matthew Thompson who objected to the frock codification imposed by the Department for Work & A ; Pensions at his topographic point of work, a occupation Centre in Stockport, can besides be a good illustration. Mr Thompson claimed that the frock codification discriminated against male employees as they were forced to have on a neckband and tie whereas female employees could have on Jerseies to work. The Employment Tribunal found in favor of Mr Thompson saying that the frock codification was prejudiced as the demand to have on a neckband and tie was gender based and there were no points of vesture that were imposed on adult females in the same office. From the Thompson instance, it became clear that employers should be careful in the manner that they draft their frock codifications. Employers are non prevented from enforcing frock codifications that require employees to have on specified points of vesture every bit long as the codification is drafted in such a manner as to be even-handed between work forces and adult females. For illustration, occupations in the City, the current convention is for both work forces and adult females to have on suits. The convention is that a adult male should have on a tie with a suit but the same does non use to a adult female. A frock codification necessitating a â€Å" smart suit † could use to both sexes but be enforced in a non-discriminatory mode appropriate for each sex.Religion/belief favoritism and frock codificationsA frock codification that requires employees to move in a manner contrary to their spiritual beliefs, hazards being indirectly prejudiced. Therefore, a frock codification prohibiting headdress will be prejudiced to male Sikhs, who must have on a turban. The best manner to avoid these jobs is to be every bit non-specific as possible. A widely worded frock codification necessitating smart visual aspect, with non-binding illustrations of suited frock, can non fall foul of specific clothing-related beliefs. To cross-check your frock codification against the chief faiths ‘ vesture beliefs, refer to Acas ‘ Guide on Religion and Belief which has a utile chart at Appendix 2 ( pages 40-50 ) . It may be possible for employers to objectively warrant a frock codification contrary to any of these beliefs, if it can be done so objectively. For illustration, employees at a cocoa mill were successfully prohibited from holding face funguss for wellness and safety grounds. However, employers should be really wary of trusting on nonsubjective justification as the tribunals are loath to accept it. There may be a inquiry grade in some instances whether a individual ‘s positions are beliefs. Harmonizing to Acas, Rastafarianism ( which requires the erosion of a chapeau ) is a belief system. Certain political beliefs or powerful sentiments such as nationalism ( the erosion of an American flag badge ) may or may non be regarded as beliefs. Employers should esteem beliefs that are strongly held whether or non they are spiritual in nature.Disability favoritism and frock codificationsDisabled employees may non be able to follow with a frock codification, for illustration, an employee with a neck hurt unable to have on a tie. However, by and big, this demand non impact the manner the codification is drafted ; alternatively, employers should be sensitive in the enforcement of the frock codification. In drumhead, employers should be rather a spot flexible when composing a policy on employee frock or visual aspect. Reasonable flexibleness and sensitiveness to the employees ‘ racial differences should be allowed in the frock codification to do employees comfy and any struggle and jurisprudence suits, while run intoing the Trust criterion of Dress codification. This position is echoed by administrations such as Broker Network, which believes that employees should be able to do their ain judgements on what is best to have on. Many companies are now turning their dorsums on the construct of ‘dress-down Fridays ‘ , choosing alternatively to ditch smart business-wear every twenty-four hours of the hebdomad. A study of 560 administrations has found that four out of five employers believe a more relaxed frock codification leads to greater productiveness. Nine out of 10 administrations that replied to the canvass by the Peninsula employment jurisprudence consultancy had declared ties an unneeded portion of their frock codification.DecisionThe issues discussed above create a challenge for HR professionals involved in employee focused branding undertakings, particularly those where employees are expected to portion a specific set of values. That is that such enterprises will doubtless make a tenseness and potentially conflict with rules underlying an equality and diverseness docket. Ind ‘s suggestion that inside-out stigmatization allows freedom and order remains unconvincing even when the emplo yees are involved in building the trade name values. An administration that dictates a set of values for employees to internalize is still a homogenising force. Administration ‘s that truly take diverseness programmes earnestly will hold to undertake this tenseness. One possible manner out of this riddle is to include equality and diverseness consciousness as a cardinal value included in the internal trade name proposition.RecommendationsAny guidelines should be carefully drafted, and employers are advised to handle any petitions to dress contrary to the company codification for spiritual or racial grounds with regard. Employers should confer with the employee in inquiry and discourse how to suit sensible petitions, and seek to happen a favorable solution. A court will be more likely to be sympathetic to the employer where a policy is required for wellness and safety intents, instead than merely to keep a corporate image. Decide what limitations on employees ‘ visual aspect are necessary and why. For illustration, instructors are expected to have on reasonable footwear, suited for the activities their occupation involves. Restrictions should non be inordinate or unreasonable, for case take a firm standing on suits or ties in the office when employees are non customer-facing. Set out the guidelines clearly, and include the principle behind any limitations. Explain why limitations may be placed on some employees but non others ( for illustration, no organic structure piercing for those runing heavy machinery for wellness and safety intents, and those working within a cafe of a supermarket may hold stricter codifications enforced on them than those who work in the same shop, but do n't come into direct contact with nutrient ) . Give employees notice of when the policy will come into force. Allow employees a grace period before training for non-compliance. Explain what will go on if employees are found to be in relentless breach of the policy ( disciplinary action and, potentially, dismissal ) . Give the name of an person that employees can speak to if they feel they can non follow with the policy. Current statute law on issues that could take to favoritism should be reviewed from clip to clip, and staff enchiridion should be read by employment attorneies to guarantee conformity. Guidelines should besides be updated to suit the statute law. Base the policy on business-related grounds. Explain your grounds in the policy so employees understand the principle behind the limitations. Common business-related grounds include keeping the organisation ‘s public image, advancing a productive work environment, or following with wellness and safety criterions. Require employees to hold an appropriate, well-dressed visual aspect. Even insouciant frock policies should stipulate what vesture is inappropriate ( such as perspiration suits, trunkss, and denims ) and any particular demands for employees who deal with the populace. Communicate the policy. Use employee enchiridions or memos to alarm employees to the new policy, any alterations, and the punishments for disobedience. In add-on, explicate the policy to occupation campaigners.Use the frock codification policy uniformly to all employees. This can forestall claims that the policy adversely affects adult females or minorities. However, you may hold to do exclusions if required by jurisprudence. ( See following suggestion. ) Make sensible adjustment when the state of affairs requires an exclusion. Be prepared to suit petitions for spiritual patterns and disablements, such as caput coverings and facial hair.Apply consistent subject for frock codification misdemeanors. When training lawbreakers, point out why their garb does non follow with the codification and what they can make to followMentions:Edwards, M. R. ( 2008 ) Employees as a Focus of Branding Activities: A Review of Recent Contributions to the Literature and the Implications for Workplace Diversity, Equal opportunities international. Vol 27 ( 5 ) pp. 447-481 [ online ] Available from: www.emerald.com [ Accessed 1 April 2009 ] Carrington, L ( 2007 ) EMPLOYER BRANDING [ Online ] Available from: hypertext transfer protocol: //globaltalentmetrics.com/articles/EB_2007_Brandempl.pdf [ Accessed 26 March 2009 ] Wolff, C. ( 2007 ) Employers USE DRESS CODES TO ENHANCE CORPORATE IMAGE, IRS. Issue 878. Available from: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.xperthr.co.uk [ Accessed 26 March 2009 ] Downes, J. ( 2007 ) POLICY CLINIC: DRESS CODES, [ online ] Available from:hypertext transfer protocol: //0-www.xperthr.co.uk.lispac.lsbu.ac.uk/article/81919/policy-clinic — dress-codes.aspx? searchwords=Policy+clinic % 3a+Dress+codes [ Accessed 26 March 2009 ] Millar, M ( 2006 ) EMPLOYERS RELAXING WORK DRESS CODE CAN HELP IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY, [ online ] Available from: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.personneltoday.com/articles/2006/07/26/36558/employers-relaxing-work-dress-code-can-help-improve.html [ Accessed 26 March 2009 ] Dr. Sullivan, J ( 2008 ) EMPLOYMENT Stigmatization: THE ONLY LONG-TERM RECRUITING STRATEGY, [ online ] Available from: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.drjohnsullivan.com/content/view/183/27/ [ Accessed 26 March 2009 ]Stephen Morrall, S & A ; Urquhart, C ( 2003 ) SEX DISCRIMINATION – ARE DRESS CODES DISCRIMINATORY? [ online ] Available from: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.drjohnsullivan.com/content/view/183/27/ [ Accessed 26 March 2009 ]Gronlund, J K ( 2008 ) HOW EMPLOYER BRANDINGCAN FOSTER TRUSTS AND LOYALTY? [ Online ] Available from: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.employerbrand.com/Points_pathf.html [ Accessed 26 March 2009 ]

Marriage in Other Countries Essay

This paper will be about a traditional dress from my native land and other countries. The traditional dress I will be writing about is called a wedding dress. A wedding dress is used throughout the world in various countries including China, Japan, India, and Vietnam. This paper will also detail different cultures, religions, types and colors of wedding gowns that symbolize the bride or groom wealth, occupation and or belief. In the Americas, weddings performed during and immediately following the middle ages were often more than just a union between two people. They could be a union between two families, two businesses or even two countries. Many weddings were more a matter of business than love, particularly among the wealthy people. Brides were therefore expected to dress in a manner that made their family seem more presentable, for they were not representing only themselves during the ceremony. Brides from wealthy families often wore rich colors and exclusive fabrics. The amount of material a wedding dress contained also was a reflection of the bride’s social standing and indicated the extent of the family’s wealth to wedding guests. In the 1920s, wedding dresses were typically short in the front with a longer train in the back and were worn with cloche-style wedding veils. Today, Americas traditional wedding color is white because of the marriage of Queen Victoria to Albert of Saxe-Coburg. Victoria wore a white gown for the event to incorporate some lace she prized. Before then, white was a mourning color, it represented a bride whom had recently lost a loved one. Black was actually a color that was worn by the lower class because it was more favorable and could be worn again on many occasions. In the eastern cultures, the traditional wedding color was red, the color red symbolizes good luck and favorable. In modern Chinese weddings, the bride will opt for Western style dresses and traditional costumes for the official tea ceremony. In India a choice for a bride is a wedding sari, which is a traditional garment for Indian women. Over time color options and wedding fabrics have changed throughout the eastern countries. Fabrics have expanded and today, fabrics like crepe, georgette, tissue, silk, and satin have been used. Colors such as gold, pink, maroon, brown and yellow have also expanded. It seems as if the other countries around the world are starting to adopt the western tradition. At Japanese weddings, brides will often wear three or more dresses throughout the ceremony and subsequent celebrations with a traditional kimono, white and color dress combination being popular. The Javanese people of Indonesia wear a kebaya, a traditional kind of blouse, along with batik. The Native Americans have traditions different from most other countries. A Hopi (A Native American tribe) bride traditionally would have her garments woven by the groom and any men in the village who wished to participate. The garments consisted of a large belt, two all-white wedding robes, a white wedding robe with red stripes at top and bottom, white buckskin leggings and moccasins, a string for tying the hair, and a reed mat in which to wrap the outfit. A Pueblo bride wore a cotton garment tied above the right shoulder, secured with a belt around the waist. In the traditions of the Delaware, a bride would wear a knee-length skirt of deerskin and a band of wampum beads around her forehead. Wedding dresses are very diverse and unique. There are a few things that all weddings dresses have in common among all cultures. The most important thing is that bride’s want to look and feel beautiful. The wedding dress is plays a significant part in the wedding ceremony. The wedding dress gives the bride the opportunity to stand out. A wedding dress represents one of the most precious garments that a woman will wear in her lifetime. It represents religions, cultures and family traditions. Although it’s just material, the wedding dress is very important because it symbolize marriage, the union of two people who love each other.

Employment Situation of the United States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Employment Situation of the United States - Essay Example The highest duration of unemployment is 27 weeks and over. The number of people marginally attached to labor force has been increasing and on the other hand, the discouraged workers have decreased (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 7). In December the overall Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 200,000. Transportation and warehousing, manufacturing, healthcare, retail trade, and mining reported job gains. Overall weekly hours has reported a minute increase. Same is true for average hourly earnings and average weekly earnings. Diffusion index has also increased for both total private sector and manufacturing sector (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 8). There is a clear difference between the unemployment rate of the adults and teenagers. Adult women have the lowest unemployment rate, which is 7.9 % in December after an increase from 7.8 % in November. On the second number is the unemployment rate for the adult men, which is 8.0 in December after a decrease of 8.3 % in November. Teenagers hav e a highest unemployment rate, i.e. 23.1 % after a decrease from 23.7 % in November, as shown in table A-1 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 14). Similarly, according to the table A-2 and A-3 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 15-17), there is the difference in the unemployment rate of the whites, blacks, Asians, and Latinos are different. According to this data, the unemployment rate for Asians has increased to 6.8 % in December from 6.5 % in November (not adjusted seasonally) and is lowest among all other ethnic categories. After them comes the white people of the United States, the unemployment rate for this ethnic category has decreased from 7.6 % in November to 7.5 % in December. Second, the highest unemployment rate is of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, which has decreased to 11.0 % in December from 11.4 % in November.  

What do you understand to be the current problems and concerns of the Essay

What do you understand to be the current problems and concerns of the world fisheries industry How can these be addressed - Essay Example There exists many challenges in the fishing industry in carrying out its function, and in order to improve, it needs to improve its management to ensure efficient fish stocks (FAO, 1997). Aquaculturists occasionally face controversial issues and operational difficulties that interrupt stability of food and income in the industry. If they are to meet the demands of their customers in any increasing stream of aquatic products. The main controversy subjects are; the use and access of natural resources. The first concern is which natural resources people may use and hence, alter them. Most groups of civil society argue that more natural resources should be undisturbed and be for non-consumptive uses that are, as an amenity. In contrast, the developing world, adding to its improving mobility, it’s diminishing the natural resources of the earth progressively. In time, a massive portion of non-consumptive use will leave little resources accessible for consumptive objectives. The second concern is the consumptive use sustainability of natural resources that were renewable. In this case, the participants of civil society and others from the fisheries sector maintain that specific aquaculture and fishery practices that modify the ecosystem. The system modification makes it not able to sustain the natural resources regeneration. The adopted production technologies for such practices are, thus, considered unsustainable. For example, the popular disputes on overfishing lead to permanent damage to the marine aquatic life (Sorensen, 1997). Ninety percent of fish globally is taken within the national jurisdiction zones, primarily owing higher proximity and production of the shelf and coastal areas. Therefore, these regions with bulk fisheries experience managerial issues. At least 50 years, such issues often occur. The governments have been cautioned to be aware of their fisheries state and

The Impact of Internet on the International Marketing Research Paper

The Impact of Internet on the International Marketing - Research Paper Example Today more and more business houses are importing, exporting or outsourcing their manufacturing to other countries. Efficient international marketing is therefore desirable for the affluence of organizations operating in this highly competitive and globalized economy (Czinkota and Ronkainen, 2007). Moreover, it has been also observed a number of companies depend on the overseas market to sell a large portion of their goods and services which in turn helps them to survive. With the increasing international marketing activities, the use of technology for marketing purpose is also growing at a rapid pace. One of the obvious ones is the use of the internet in the process of international marketing. Lee et al., (2003) believes that the internet lies at the heart of a business and is the global network of networks. The author also believes that the internet enables heterogeneous digital workstations to transparently and directly share and communicate services with the end consumers. Moreov er, the use of the internet in global business is the place where information technology and economic value creation takes place and hence leads to a completely new form of economy. Discussion For the past few years, business houses are witnessing colossal changes in the use of information technology. Previous studies have shown that business houses earlier used technology for making a decision, as a communication tool or for collecting information from the customers (Poon and Swatman, 1997). According to Lymperopoulos and Chaniotakis (2005), internet in business is an area which needs further research and analysis and also believes that marketers are still not fully aware of its application thereby leaving it potentially uncovered. However, some authors deem internet is no more an area of research rather it is a research tool. According to Murray (2008), internet plays a crucial role in improving the internal business activities. The author also stated that it is not only a mere to ol by which the purchase behaviour and culture of offshore customers are examined scrupulously and communication system is enhanced, but also takes the responsibility of enhancing the advertisement channels and online selling. Therefore, with the help of internet, the overall interactivity of businesses is greatly augmented. Theoretical Framework Hamill (1997) believes that the information technology revolution had a profound effect on the way international business is being carried out. The most viable and apparent one is the explosion of global marketing activity over the internet and the evolution of the global information superhighway. The author also believes that internet can act as a powerful source for gaining competitive advantage in the market place. Moreover, increasing number of companies are developing strategies that assist in the overall business development process. Internet provides an environment which is fundamentally different from the usual ones and is highly be neficial for the international marketing activities.

Five key objectives for Eastman Kodak Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Five key objectives for Eastman Kodak - Essay Example According to the paper  Kodak was considered as the most profitable corporation in America, which gave its shareholders a return of 18% for many years. The company has continuously invested in developing its competitive advantage in photography business. It is observed that 40% of the revenue of company came from outside United States (US). Though the company had encountered huge profit but the situation was not the same over the past few years as it encountered external pressure in form of competition.This essay discusses that  the new objective changed the imaging group of Kodak which included motion pictures, consumer products and audiovisual products, consumer electronics and photo finishing. The new objective filled the gap in the product line by introducing several new products, which are either prepared by Kodak or any Japanese manufacturers or sold it under the name of Kodak. In order to manage the market share of the company, Kodak took major steps to solidify the market of film processing. It has strategized to stem the flow of low cost foreign photography papers for acquiring control over processing market. The company has also acquired many companies in order to make its base strong in electronic photography sector. This acquisition increased the number of customers for chemical paper products. The declining profit of the company was forced to maintain tits level by massive cost – cutting, which improved efficiency of the products related to photography.

MPH 504 - Epidemiology (Module 5 - CBT) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

MPH 504 - Epidemiology (Module 5 - CBT) - Essay Example However this also eliminates high number of HIV infected individuals due to reduced sensitivity causing undesirable social and health problems (such as risk of spreading the disease and delay for the treatment). To overcome the problems of both extremes A is the most suitable OD ratio to establish the cutoff. 6. Director of Blood Bank: HIV is a deadly disease with no cure. Therefore the intention of screening the donated blood samples against HIV is to totally protect blood receivers from being infected with HIV. Therefore director of Blood Bank has to set the cut off where he can eliminate almost all the HIV infected blood samples. In other words he has to attain 100% sensitivity. Thereby he has to draw the cutoff line for OD ratio at B eliminating the risk of possible false negatives. However this decision dramatically reduces the specificity by increasing the number of false positives. This leads to rejection of higher number of healthy blood samples. Investigator: The investigator needs to select high risk HIV infected individuals to test the efficacy of his potentially toxic antiviral drug through a clinical trial. Since the antiviral drug is potentially toxic he has to select only HIV infected individuals without any false positives. Consequently he has to achieve 100% specificity eliminating all false positive. In doing so he should draw the cutoff line for OD ratio at C. However as a result of this decision he has to reject high number of HIV infected individual who tested negative due to low sensitivity resulted from the newly defined cutoff. This makes him recruit a larger sample (than expected) to get the required number of eligible

Research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 11

Research paper - Essay Example Therefore, consumers have a wide variety to choose from. The emotions of consumers play a great role in determining their choices and buying behavior. Freeride Media LLC (1998) conducted a research on shopping habits, and findings showed that one-fourth of the respondents bought clothes and accessories on impulse buying. Nonetheless, in order to choose form a variety, consumers develop their preferences in accordance with their perception towards the brand. However, successful brands have the capability of making consumers aware of their presence in the market, thus raising their probability of consumers purchasing the product (Azevedo & Farhangmehr, 2005). This study aims at exploring the effect of brand image on consumer purchasing behavior in clothing, with a special focus on the American consumers. Nonetheless, determining the relationship between brand image and consumer purchasing behavior can help marketers and practitioners in the clothing industry to develop effective strategies of increasing their sales and revenues. The clothing sector has been selected, as here; strong reference group will influence the brand choice. In addition, the target population includes the American consumers, as this forms a large customer base for fashion. Additionally, famous clothing brands such as ZARA and H& M have ventured into the American market, thus the American population has a significant influence on these companies (Dishman, 2013). In any research, the method adopted depends on the nature of the research. In this research, the main aim is to explore the consumer purchasing behavior on clothing. Here the beliefs, attitudes, and opinions of consumers on the brand image are explored. Therefore, a qualitative research will be adopted. Nonetheless, in order to answer the research question in this research, the interviewing method is adopted, whereby qualitative interviews are used. These involve an interaction between

International Accounting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

International Accounting - Assignment Example In the US, UK GAAPs and others around the world R & D costs have been considered as expenses. According to Gornik and Miguel (2005), the FAS 2 issued in 1974 by the FASB set out that all R & D costs such as costs of material, equipments and facilities together with purchases made on intangibles with no optional future uses, remuneration to the involved workforce, contract services, considerable indirect costs except for general and administration costs to be charged to expenses. The FASB opposed the capitalization of such, as it was before that year, based on factors such as the unpredictability of future benefits from R & D and lack of a clear relationship between what is spent and the gains obtained thereafter. This standard was challenged by the IASB resulting to the formulation of IFRS 3 and IAS 38 in December 2002 and their revision in March 2004. According to these standards all expenses incurred in research work on an internal project will be considered as an expense and any intangible asset arising from it will not be recognized. However those intangible assets arising from development or its phase in an internal project will be recognized if it meets the following criteria. It should be identifiable, the business entity should have control over it, should demonstrate the possibility of bringing in economic benefits and its cost should be measurable reliably. In addition to this, the business entity should demonstrate technical feasibility, clear intention of completion, use and sale of the asset, ability to use and sell the asset, generate probable future benefits and reliably measure the expenditure to be incurred on the asset and finally availability of enough resources required t o complete the development (Linden and Spek n.d.). It is only after meeting these criteria that the internal development expenditure shall be recognized as an asset and only that incurred after

The Romantic Movement Essay Example for Free

The Romantic Movement Essay Mary Shelleys Frankenstein was written at the time of the Romantic Movement; characterized by innovation (rather than traditionalism), spontaneity (Shelley was brought up in Geneva where freedom of expression was important), an idealisation of nature and the belief of living in an age of new beginnings and high possibilities. All of these characteristics are found early on in the novel in Waltons letters, the discovery of the North Pole being the innovation and new beginning. In this novel, the Romanticism significantly complements the Gothic genre. Robert Walton is a Romantic, with a thirst to express his intense imaginings and daydreams to companion. His dreams of exploration were first inspired by poems and stories and childish fantasies at a young age. As Walton prepares for his journey to the North Pole, the beauty of nature in St. Petersburg seem to him a hint of how the new world will look when he gets there. His excitement is heightened by the brisk and picturesque world around him. However, his beautiful surroundings are also very perilous, and end up being the reason he has to return. Walton describes Frankenstein as completely broken-down by grief, but still able to appreciate the natural beauty of the world around him, which seems remarkable. A man destroyed by sorrow can still look up at the night sky and feel some sense of relief, happiness, or awe at the fabulous beauty that surrounds him: Even broken in spirit as he is, no one can feel more deeply than he does the beauties of nature. The starry sky, the sea, and every sight afforded by these wonderful regions, seems still to have the power of elevating his soul. This appreciation of beauty in a novel so filled with brutality seems an odd contrast, but is elementary for the distinct natural settings that we will come across in the novel, all corresponding to the emotions of the characters involved. The North Pole is a suitably cold, desolate and isolated setting for the meeting of Walton, Victor and the daemon. Mary Shelley also had very liberal religious views. At the time she wrote Frankenstein, Catholicism was very oppressing and she was very against it. In his letters, Walton wishes to discover things that will benefit mankind. We later find out he shares this godlike ambition with Frankenstein. Shelley uses biblical language to emphasise this: Heaven shower down blessings on you. He will be like a celestial spirit that has a halo around him. elevates me to heaven. Walton seems to be playing God or somebody of high divinity by generously giving out heavenly phrases. This is quite foreboding, as the oppressiveness in the historical context also suggests that all is not well. This is backed up by Walton acting against his fathers dying injunction; not to embark in a seafaring life. This is not a very divine thing to do. This is an underlying theme at this early stage in the novel, but as Victor confesses his story of playing God, we realise that this theme mutely prepares us for the tale that is about to unfold. The desire to find out the unknown and to be the first to discover the unseen is a tragic flaw of both Walton and the Victor Frankenstein, and from the very first letter, the theme of glory is heavily established. Walton states: I preferred glory. Of course there are only a select few who have achieved this timeless goal, yet those who pursue it are encouraged by the immortality and recognition awarded to the victorious. Mary Shelleys Frankenstein is a literary rumination of the quest for glory, Waltons discovery of the North Pole being the backdrop for the tale of the title characters pursuit of the knowledge of life.

Physicians Clash over Medical Ethics in Death Penalty Cases Essay Example for Free

Physicians Clash over Medical Ethics in Death Penalty Cases Essay The news clipping is mainly about the dilemma doctors face. They are trained to save people. They did not choose their profession to punish law-violating citizens. Specifically, this topic has been given hype by Dr. Marc Stern who quit on his job of being the head doctor in the state of Washington’s prison whose responsibilities included maintaining the lethal injection table in order for the next death sentence. In the past several years, according to the article, medical ethics and death penalty has clashed. There are a number of instances in the past where doctors bailed out of the execution causing delay in the death penalty; case in point: Michael Morales. The article also stated that the problem does not stop here. This ethical dilemma against professional participation needs careful and further study. Capital punishment and justice would be difficult to serve if all doctors are concerned about ethics. Experts went as far as predicting capital punishment could end because of this ethical issues. Ethical dilemma The whole article is about ethical dilemma. Doctors do not want to continue participating in capital punishment (overseeing death penalties) as this poses ethical issues for them. Most of them belive the punishment is cruel and unusual. Also, doctors are trained to save lives and not to end it. Personal thoughts on the matter I understand that being an object to end another person’s life when one is trained to help save it could have severe impact on one’s conscience. The human world has become civilized enough over the course of history to preserve one another. It is even more emphasized in a doctor’s profession where preservation of mankind has been his chosen field and career. However, if all doctors feel this way, I can see the nation revolting. Without a trained professional in the death sentence chamber, there is no way an execution will happen. I can foresee various forms of protests because somehow, justice must be served according to the laws of the state. The person in death sentence was found guilty of an offense that demerits him his life. The family and friends of his victim/s have turned into the law for support to the injustice done to them. The law cannot fail these people because doctors cannot do their state-given responsibilities. There must be some doctors out there that are willing to do the job. I am not saying that the state must find conscienceless professional so that the death penalty can still be observed. There must be some doctors in the field that understand their moral obligations and their obligations to the state. Like it or not, the prosecution must be finished. They cannot let the convicted criminal die in the hands of non-professionals nor can they let the families and friends of the victims live in injustice.

Importance Of Organizational Culture To An Understanding Business Essay

Importance Of Organizational Culture To An Understanding Business Essay Organizational culture refers to a system of shared meaning held by members that distinguishes the organization from other organizations (Schein 1985 and Becker 1982). Organizational culture provides employees with a clear understanding of the the way things are done around here. (Dessler 1976) provides three different approaches to define the culture- structural, subjective and synthetic. The structural approaches define culture as a set of enduring characteristics which describe and organization, differentiate it from other organization and affect the behavior of human resource in it. The subjective approaches analyses culture from the standpoint of the feel that people have for the organization. The Synthetic approaches stress both structural and subjective elements. According to this view, organizational culture is the perceived, subjective influence of the formal system, the informal style of managers and other significant environmental factors on the attitudes, beliefs; values and motivation of people in particular organization (Litwin and Stringer 1986). Organizational culture, therefore, can be defined as a set of attributes which are perceived by the individuals and which are deemed to have an impact on the willingness of the individual to perform at his best. In fact, culture is what one reacts to both physical and psychological and which ultimately determines the quality of the organization. Recent research suggests that there are ten primary characteristics that, in aggregate, capture the essence of organizations culture. (Dwivedi 1995). Importance of organizational culture Every organization has its unique style of working which often contributes to its culture. The beliefs, ideologies, principles and values of an organization form its culture. The culture of the workplace controls the way employees behave themselves as well as with people outside the organization. The culture decide the way employee interact themselves at workplace, a healthy culture encourage employees to stay motivated and loyal towards the management. Employees try their level best to perform better than their fellow workers and earn recognition and appreciation of the superiors. It is the culture of the workplace which actually motivates the employees to perform. Every organization must have set guidelines for the employees to work accordingly. (Feldman 2002) The culture of an organization represents certain predefined policies which guide the employees and give them a sense of direction at the workplace. Every individual is clear about his roles and responsibilities in the organization and know how to accomplish the tasks ahead of the deadlines. Certain organizations follow a culture where all the employees irrespective of their designations have to step into the office on time. Such a culture encourages the employees to be punctual which eventually benefits them in the long run. It is the culture of the organization which makes the individuals a successful professional. (Schein 2010) Example: Haier Such as domestic and foreign, there are many excellent enterprises, their organizational culture is doing very well, not only to become the consensus of their employees, but also become the other signs, such as respect for the spirit of innovation. Haier, the Chinese home appliance industry is rare to challenge the national and foreign investment enterprises, in the course of development in more than 20 years, Haier has to generate distinctive culture system: from concept to strategy, from talent to technology, to the service from the market, Haier innovation not only the achievements of the development of enterprises, and the staff has also been widely recognized. Enterprises have such a famous global brand is to be treated as such: Culture, is an emotion. (Wang 2009) Organizational culture is kind of material culture, when people mention about Coca-Cola, we know that brand, is an emotion; by South Koreas Samsung Electronics, we all know that the brand meaning pursuit of excellence; Haier, we know brand as advocating innovation; Microsoft, we think that brand is the culture of passion .These are the material culture of a reflection of penetrating the space-time, a far-reaching impact.These three cultures, like the three circles, the corporate culture is the center of the circle, always rotate around the corporate culture. Enterprises to improve the overall quality of within growth cohesion, outer increase competitiveness, enterprise development strategies; the role of culture is very prominent. In a sense, the importance of corporate culture even is not limited to the enterprise itself, but also has a far-reaching impact on the community big. After a good corporate culture nurtured the talent, the importance of social self-evident. Body Organizational culture influence on strategic management 1 .Organizational culture is the foundation of strategic management The organizational culture is a spirit cultural, it get the whole enterprise together. As the corporate culture is tested by time, constantly sum up, recognized by the corporate members. It out on behalf of a business, can be said is another sign; inward is the manifestation of the cohesion of the enterprise, but also the belief of all members of the, and it can contribute to all members of the advance toward the same goal. The corporate culture is the culture of an institution. It is precisely because of the constraints of the corporate culture, the enterprise can better together. Under the influence of corporate culture, the entire staff to have a high sense of responsibility and unity, in other words, is to have a strong executive power, and thus protect the high-speed, efficient operation, and achieve a multiplier effect. The same time, in such enterprises, employees and jointly create atmosphere, the launch of products and services with a high added value, and more likely to be accepted by consumers, by the trust. Appropriate organizational culture to the formulation of strategic management, implementation, control the correct guiding ideology and the spirit of enterprise in coordinated with corporate goals, corporate values, corporate ethics and corporate fashion, therefore, the success of the organizational culture for corporate strategy develop successful momentum, is the key to the smooth implementation of corporate strategy, is also an important condition for maintaining the corporate strategic advantage. Maintain the patency of the organizational culture and strategic management, corporate strategic management capacity to continue to improve, and ultimately improve the level of core competitiveness of enterprises. (Thompson and Martin 2005) Example: Samsung Samsung believes that to achieve the common interests of human, and to improve the work of the human quality of life for the Samsung bounden historical responsibility. As an enterprise, Samsung will create the best products and services, so that customers get the fullest satisfaction to improve the human quality of life, promote the common interests of human. (Lige 2012) 2.Organizational culture improves the success of power to strategic management. One of the necessary conditions for the success of the implementation and development of corporate strategy is the construction of the organizational culture and innovation. To form enterprise jointly owned by all members of the values à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹and ethical standards must have excellent organizational culture, and this culture is able to highlight the characteristics of the enterprises. If a business has distinct cultural characteristics, then the particularity performance values à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹for all employees, which allows businesses to form distinctive, unique corporate strategy, as well as provided the original impetus for the strategic development, and its success laid the foundation. (Hill 2012) Example: Samsung In order to achieve the ideal contribute to human society, to achieve the goal of creating the best products and services, the Samsung must on the one hand, not only have to look towards looking for more talented people in the world, but also open-minded focus on training around us creative talent on the other hand, to spare no effort to speed up the pace of investment in technology Open upgraded Samsungs technical standards to an international level. (Lige 2012) The significance of strategic management for enterprise. Establish enterprise development strategies, the objective requirements of the socialist commodity economy, the objective requirements of the market mechanism, and the requirements of the survival and development of enterprises. That is to ensure the conditions of the enterprise a decisive role in an invincible position in the competition. (Morden 2007) Planning for the future is the basic function of the enterprise development strategy, business managers must establish a strategic concept, good at predicting the future, thinking about future possible scenarios, and the impact on enterprise development, the development of enterprise program. (Morden 2007) Example Times Group in the direction of development of the planning company in the 1990s, chose the strategy of technological innovation, more than a decade, the company is developing rapidly, and now has 22 subsidiaries across the country, and set up a number of branches in Europe and the United States, the president of the company is believed to be accurate the strategy is the most basic conditions for them to win (Lige 2012) Development strategy in the implementation process, with the changes between the change of system elements, as well as elements of the development strategy must constantly modify and improved. Once enterprise development strategy is determined, all work must be carried out in accordance with the development strategy, its services, all work must reflect the basic idea and the spirit of enterprise development strategies In summary, enterprise development strategy should focus on the global and future; it is related to the survival of the enterprise, only closely linked to the strategic management of the main points from the premise to ensure the safety and scientific enterprises under the conditions of a market economy. The relationship between organizational culture and strategic management The organizational culture guide strategic choices Shared values à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹and behavior on behalf of the members of corporate culture, corporate mission is one of the core concept of the corporate culture, corporate mission to provide the fundamental basis for the choice of corporate strategy. Each organization should have a particularly different from the reasons for the existence of the other organizations, clear corporate mission, essential for corporate strategic management process for enterprise resource allocation can provide the basis and criteria for which mitigation and coordinating role of the enterprise within the organization has played a variety of conflicting goals for enterprise employees understand organizational goals and direction to provide opportunities to help establish unity and energetic spirit within the organization, the organizations business objectives into specific operational goals and strategic tasks to each employee. (Sheldon and Windham 2002) On the other hand, each industry has its culture, and culture tend to have a more significant difference between the industries, such as the characteristics of the IT industry is more emphasis on a relaxed environment, focusing on the innovation of the employees, focusing on each others exchanges. Every industry has its cultural identity, the basic characteristics of the industry is not going to change until there is no more revolutionary changes in this industry, it is necessary, therefore, the cultural characteristics largely determine the overall business strategy industry choose. The organizational culture is an important means of implementation of the corporate strategy Companies develop strategies need all members of the active and effective implementation. Organizational culture is to inspire people to enthusiasm, an important means to agree with the group members. Organizational culture has the motivate function. Such as enterprise implementation of employee stock ownership plan, the senior management of the stock option system, so to meet the needs of the people of wealth maximization. On the other hand, focus on creating an atmosphere of spiritual and cultural management, team building, and emotional management to meet the people identified by a common mission. (Adler N.J.2008) Organizational culture and corporate strategy must adapt to each other and coordinated An enterprises corporate culture is relatively stable, and therefore, the formulation and implementation of the corporate strategy must be adapted to the existing corporate culture, corporate culture cannot be out of the status quo. From the point of implementation of the strategy, the corporate culture is necessary to the implementation of the corporate strategy, will restrict the implementation of the corporate strategy. When the new business strategy requires a corporate culture associated with it, the the original cultural change speed is very slow, it is difficult to immediately react to the new strategy, when the original enterprise culture may be resistance to the implementation of the new corporate strategy in the strategic management process, internal turnover of old and new cultures and coordination is an important guarantee for the implementation of the strategy to be successful. (Schabracq M.2007) Example The relationship between organizational culture and strategic management -Walmart Walmart focus on people- oriented corporate culture. After decades of development, Wal-Mart has created the extremely valuable enterprise culture, which became the key to its ability to attract and retain qualified personnel. Sam Walton had a paragraph saying: employees to be treated like the flowers and trees in the garden, need spiritual encouragement, promotions and favorable treatment to water them timely transplantation in order to ensure the best mix, if necessary also carefully remove the weeds in the park in order to facilitate their growth.This passage can be described as points to the essence of the Wal-Marts corporate culture Wal-Mart employees as a business partner to be treated on the relationship between managers and employees is also true sense of partnership. Almost all of the Wal-Mart managers have to spend engraved with We care about our employees package buttons, they paid great attention to listen to the views of staff. Truly treat employees as a partner in 1971, Wal-Mart has implemented a policy of profit sharing. Sam Walton believes that if the companies share profits with employees, whether by way of salary, bonus or bonuses, stock discount, then flow into the companys profits, there would be a steady stream. Because staff will use what attitude they treat to management to treat their customers. If the staff treat customer nicely, the customer will satisfied, this is the true source of chain store industry make profit. Now, Wal-Mart has more than 80% of the staff or with the aid of a profit-sharing plan, or direct ownership of the companys stock through an employee share option scheme, which t he company and the employees to form a community of interests, so that the employees are treat the company as their own business, thus, they are work harder and harder. (Ma 2010) Rise in the corporate culture as a strategic The highest state of the industry culture Integration of Form, shaped to include all the external things, including enterprise system, process, strategy, organizational structure, responsibilities and rights system, leadership style, products, etc.Shaped God substandard corporate culture was schizophrenic because the employees do not know exactly what should follow. The highest stage of the corporate culture is to through make up your mind; companies need to pursue the idea of make the culture and strategy together, enterprises should consider how to adapt to each other, including the laws of economics, ethics, human concept, put people through demand for enterprise development and social progress combine to enhance the sense of mission and responsibility. From building a corporate culture to meet the demand point of view of the people, truly reflect the people-oriented. Wal-Mart is the success of the enterprise culture rose to a typical case of the strategy for the development of its chain stores are always output from a large number of corporate culture, each employee must pre understand all the basic principles of the Wal-Mart, the kind of the standardization something rare in the world. (Ma 2010) Conclusion Strategic management and organizational culture are inseparable. They influence each other, the strategy innovation as well as organizational culture synchronization innovation. Organizational culture that is very important, but many companies are just a mere formality, and many companies are fundamentally doing not have culture. At the same time, the enterprise must understand and grasp the complementary relationship between strategic management and organizational culture can help enhance the overall quality and competitiveness, promote access to quality, sustained and healthy development. Enterprises to long-term development, we must have a development strategy, corporate culture and corporate strategy are closely linked. On the one hand a large extent can be said that culture determines the strategy, which can be divided into two levels to recognize ¼Ã…’ one of the level to the corporate mission to provide the basis for the formulation of corporate strategy. The implementation of the corporate strategy of each stage in order to achieve the strategic objectives of each stage of the enterprise, and the enterprise by the realization of the strategic objectives of each stage, the ultimate all in pursuit of the mission of the enterprise. So the corporate culture in the corporate mission to provide the fundamental basis for the formulation of corporate strategy. Strategic Enterprise Management framework, the mission to guide the strategic objectives and strategic goals to guide the entire strategic program is finalized. From another level, each industry there are indus try culture, and tend to have a more significant difference in culture between the industry, such as the culture of the manufacturing sector, there it is the industry itself, in terms of administration, it may be more stringent focus on quality management, production efficiency, discipline, and some emerging industries, such as the characteristics of the IT industry to focus more relaxed environment, focus on employees innovative, focusing on mutual exchanges. Enterprises in developing strategies, especially considering the industry choose, it must be based on the enterprise culture.

Essay --

an’s Sexual Theme Throughout subsequent editions of Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman introduces and revises his controversial theme of sexuality. Whitman wanted to celebrate sexuality and did so with homosexual overtones. Any work will be considered controversial if it contains sexuality, but up until the mid-18th century homosexuality was yet to be coined a sexual identity. Throughout Whitman’s eight editions of Leaves of Grass (1855-1891-92), controversy arouse, stating his poetry contained trashy and obscene sexual language. Whitman argued the public was placing too much emphasis on the sexual content and not fully embracing his work as a whole. He held too much pride to blatantly change or censor his work but over time did make subtle alterations and omission of lines (Killingsworth). Early on, Whitman was inspired by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s 1843 essay, The Poet (â€Å"Author Profile.†). Emerson called for an American poet to also celebrate the spirit and nature of man, to celebra te individualism instead of embracing the social order of things (Willcox). Whitman, optimistic with the new changes in American literature, set out to answer Emerson and embarked on a journey of becoming a very unique and great American poet (â€Å"Author Profile.†). Whitman experimented constantly with his editions of Leaves of Grass. Although the more blatantly obvious changes included his design through binding, paper size, and font style, the more thought provoking changes occurred overtime through revision. Upon completing, he sent out numerous review copies of his first edition receiving a notable response from Ralph Waldo Emerson welcoming him, â€Å"at the beginning of a greet career.† (Baym 22). Besides Emerson’s quick, uplifting response it was considere... ...ge in poetic style was difficult for his contemporaries to overcome, especially deriving from Whitman himself. His bolder topics and greater focus on nature and man is what fueled his poetry. Besides his written poems, Whitman gave off this sense of everyday life through his frontispiece and title page of the first edition of Leaves of Grass. An image of Whitman himself is the frontispiece, bearded, one arm â€Å"akimbo,† hand in pocket, workingman’s hat on his slightly cocked head, shirt unbuttoned at his collar, looking directly at the reader (Baym 21). His self-presentation of a rough working man was seen as absurdly unconventional for an artist. But that’s just what Whitman wanted, he wanted to stir the pot and make people think differently. This frontispiece provides a very powerful lead-in to how Whitman was reshaping poetry to a more naturalistic perspective. Essay -- an’s Sexual Theme Throughout subsequent editions of Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman introduces and revises his controversial theme of sexuality. Whitman wanted to celebrate sexuality and did so with homosexual overtones. Any work will be considered controversial if it contains sexuality, but up until the mid-18th century homosexuality was yet to be coined a sexual identity. Throughout Whitman’s eight editions of Leaves of Grass (1855-1891-92), controversy arouse, stating his poetry contained trashy and obscene sexual language. Whitman argued the public was placing too much emphasis on the sexual content and not fully embracing his work as a whole. He held too much pride to blatantly change or censor his work but over time did make subtle alterations and omission of lines (Killingsworth). Early on, Whitman was inspired by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s 1843 essay, The Poet (â€Å"Author Profile.†). Emerson called for an American poet to also celebrate the spirit and nature of man, to celebra te individualism instead of embracing the social order of things (Willcox). Whitman, optimistic with the new changes in American literature, set out to answer Emerson and embarked on a journey of becoming a very unique and great American poet (â€Å"Author Profile.†). Whitman experimented constantly with his editions of Leaves of Grass. Although the more blatantly obvious changes included his design through binding, paper size, and font style, the more thought provoking changes occurred overtime through revision. Upon completing, he sent out numerous review copies of his first edition receiving a notable response from Ralph Waldo Emerson welcoming him, â€Å"at the beginning of a greet career.† (Baym 22). Besides Emerson’s quick, uplifting response it was considere... ...ge in poetic style was difficult for his contemporaries to overcome, especially deriving from Whitman himself. His bolder topics and greater focus on nature and man is what fueled his poetry. Besides his written poems, Whitman gave off this sense of everyday life through his frontispiece and title page of the first edition of Leaves of Grass. An image of Whitman himself is the frontispiece, bearded, one arm â€Å"akimbo,† hand in pocket, workingman’s hat on his slightly cocked head, shirt unbuttoned at his collar, looking directly at the reader (Baym 21). His self-presentation of a rough working man was seen as absurdly unconventional for an artist. But that’s just what Whitman wanted, he wanted to stir the pot and make people think differently. This frontispiece provides a very powerful lead-in to how Whitman was reshaping poetry to a more naturalistic perspective.

Gender and Age: Causes of Social Rejection to High-Functioning Autisti

Introduction Temple Grandin is a biopic that shows how a young, autistic woman becomes a world famous expert in animal husbandry by overcoming limitation from her disease. In the movie, Temple is always the target of bully in school; however, some people react more aggressively than others. My second research is based on this movie will concern factors that motivate teenagers to socially reject and discriminate against autistic people at school. In this paper, I will observe the way in which gender and age change people's reactions to autistic people and cause any kind of bullying to the disabled. The present study will apply a qualitative method to analyze the words used by the bully in the film that show social rejection to autistic student. It is expected that social rejection will be affected by gender and age, and the attitude would be more positive from women and older young people. Research Question Research question: Do gender and age cause young people to socially reject people with high-functioning autism at school in early 20th century? The primary goal of this essay is to analyze the way in which gender and age vary young people's attitudes to high-functioning autistic people, as well as the way in which these variables lead to discrimination against autistic students. This study is relevant because knowing the connection between the variables and social rejection may avoid future autistic students being victimized at public school. Operationalization In Temple Grandin, different genders react differently to the main character, a high-functioning autistic girl. It is hypothesized that male is more aggressive and is inclined to physically bully the autistic student. Based on the assumption, I observed the insulting wor... ...ute to discrimination against autistic students. By using qualitative methodology, this paper analyzes specific lines of dialogue and behaviour and finally proves gender to be a major influence on people's decision. Yet, due to the limitation of the film, not enough data has been collected to identify age as a factor of social rejection among young people. Overall, this paper proves that gender is an important factor to the level of social rejection, whereas, further study is need to determine whether age is another influence on young people's decision about bullying and social rejection. Works Cited Temple Grandin. Dir. Mick Jackson. Perf. Claire Catherine Danes. Warner Bros., 2010. DVD. Brym, Robert. "Gender." "Sociology of the Body: Disability, Aging, and Death." Commit Sociology. By Christian O. Caron. First ed. Vol. 1. Toronto: Nelson, 2013. 166-67. Print.

Media and the Writing Process :: Television Media TV

Media and the Writing Process When looking at a work of media, ones tries to find something that would enhance the writing process. Television, as well as cinema often lends to this process. One example of this is with the John Carpenters’ Vampires, which incorporates the use of suspense and anticipation to lure the viewer into concerning themselves more in to the story. Another example, is the television documentary Hitler’s Henchmen which uses a systematic, chronological method to tell the story of Adolf Hitler’s main Architect, Albert Speer. Of course literary works also can help in enhancing the quality of one’s work. A River Runs through it, Norman Macleans’ personal memoirs, lends to the reader the idea of the metaphor to pursue plot. Another literary work The Perfect Storm, by Sebastian Junger tells the story of a doomed vessel lost at sea and does so through the use of creative language. Cinema is often overlooked as an outlet for literary enhancement. On the contrary, however, many films often tend to use or incorporate ideas which can be transferred with success to a literary piece. The film, Vampires uses many literary devices to progress its story and plot. The devices which were used most extensively, those of suspense and anticipation, can easily be incorporated to enhance a literary piece aesthetically. Television, again, like Cinema is a media which is overlooked when searching for methods to enhance ones work. A television documentary, recently aired, Hitlers Henchmen used a technique which is perhaps vital to a successful literary work. Displaying a information in a systematic, or chronological fashion, as done in the documentary, often clears the path for the reader, or the viewer in this case to make their own assumptions, or judgement of what they have seen. The most important of all media to be used to enhance ones’ own work of course is another piece of literature. The metaphor, as in Norman MacLeans’ work, A River Runs Through It is an excellent device used to give more meaning to single ideas, and can easily enhance a work.

Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 11

11. Being the Chronicles of Abby Normal, Pathetic Failure to All Creatures Great and Small I have failed as a minion, a girlfriend, and a human being in general, and that doesn't even count Biology 102, which I am still totally failing despite actually going to class twice. The Countess has been gone for like a week, and no one has seen her or the vampyre Flood. I've gone looking for them, mainly when I'm supposed to be at school. I don't even know where to look. I kind of walk around asking people if they've seen a totally hawt redhead and they either hurry away really fast or, in the case of one guy, who I suspect was a pimp, offered me a thousand dollars to bring her to him if I found her. Then he offered me a job, because he said, â€Å"Johns go for that skinny Lolita shit.† And I was all, â€Å"Oh, that's very flattering, sir. Thank you. Once I find my friend I will bring her back and we'll both be happy to service the disgusting choads of creepy strangers and hand you all of our money along with any self-worth we might have left.† And he was all, â€Å"You do that, little momma. You do that.† Which is just another reason that I need to find the Countess and beg her forgiveness, because my new phone has video and I can't wait to post a clip on my blog of Jody scattering bloody pimp parts all over the Tenderloin. (The Countess has lectured me about respecting myself and how a woman must never sacrifice her dignity to a man unless he gives her jewelry or is a smoking hottie and has a job, so I think there will at least be broken bones and a beating of many colors.) Evidently there's a shortage of hookers and homeless people in the City, it was on the Chronicle's Web site. They reported it like it was a good thing, VICE ARRESTS DOWN or something, and another article about homeless shelters having plenty of room for the first time, ever. OMFG! They're kitty treats, you douche nozzles! That's why I refused to be on the school paper. Journalists are oblivious to the obvious and they won't even let you say fuck. ‘Kayso, when I finally got back to the love lair, the windows were all boarded up with plywood and Foo and Jared had like alphabetized all of the rats and had them stacked up and labeled and whatnot. So, I, like, ran into Foo's arms and kissed him a good long time, then I looked around and I was all: â€Å"They're dead. Our loft is full of dead rats.† And Jared is all, â€Å"Not dead. Undead.† So to Foo I'm all, â€Å"‘Splain, s'il vous plaà ®t.† And Foo's like, â€Å"It's amazing, Abby. You just have to inject them with a little vampyre blood and it turns them, but not until you kill them. It took us a while to figure that out.† â€Å"So you killed all these rats?† â€Å"I did,† goes Jared. â€Å"It made me sad, but I'm okay with it now. Science.† â€Å"How?† And Foo says, â€Å"Potassium chloride.† At the exact same time Jared says, â€Å"With a hammer.† And Jared gets all big scared anime eyes and is like, â€Å"Yeah, potassium chloride. That's what I meant.† And I'm all, â€Å"You have been killing and vamping rats while the Countess and Tommy are lost and the whole city is papered with missing cat flyers, and like Chet and his minions are eating all the homeless and probably the hookers?† And they were like, â€Å"Well-yeah.† â€Å"And I had to work and go to class,† says Foo. â€Å"And polish my car.† And Jared's all, â€Å"And we've been making sunlight jackets for those two cops, which takes like a million little wires.† And he, like, points to our coffee table, which is the only surface that doesn't have cages full of dead rats, and there's not even jackets there, just, like, jacket-shaped nets of wire with little glass beads all over them. And I'm all, â€Å"Cops can't wear those. They look like robot lingerie.† And Jared is all, â€Å"Trs cool, non?† â€Å"No!† I go. â€Å"And do not further endorken the French language by wrapping your disgusting penis port around it. You'll ruin the whole language before I even learn enough to express my deep despair and dark desires en franà §ais, you rat smasher.† ‘Kay, I know that was a little harsh, but I was angry, and in my defense, I was grinding Foo's leg a little when I said â€Å"dark desires,† so I said it with love. Foo's all, â€Å"We didn't have time to actually get jackets. They need to be leather and they're expensive.† So it's clear that despite his mad ninja science skills, even my beloved Foo cannot be left without female supervision. But he has been going home lately, and his parents are a bad influence on him. So I'm like, â€Å"I got this. I'll go see Lily.† Lily is my backup BFF. She used to be my BFF, but at the same time I met Lord Flood and the Countess, Lily got a book in the mail at her work, which is Asher's Secondhand, and it convinced her that she is Death, so I'm all, â€Å"Whatever, ho.† And she was all, â€Å"Free to live my own nightmare, skank.† So we were cool. ‘Kayso, I took the 45 bus from the dead-ratted love lair to North Beach. Walking through Chinatown sort of creeps me out 'cause of all the Chinese grandmothers on the street, who I'm pretty sure are talking about me because they think I have ruined Foo with my Gothy-Anglo charms. Also, I get mad dim sum cravings for which I should someday seek treatment, or, like, snacks. ‘Kayso, at Asher's, Lily comes out from behind the counter and gives me a hug and a big kiss on my forehead (because she is taller than me in addition to having surplus boobage). And I'm like, â€Å"There's a big violet lip print on my forehead, huh?† And Lily goes, â€Å"Kiss of Death-get used to it, beyotch-matches your hair tips, trs cute.† So I'm all, â€Å"‘Kay.† It wasn't really the kiss of Death, but it did match my tips. Then I was all, â€Å"Lils, I need men's leather jackets in these sizes.† I gave her the note Foo wrote out with the sizes and cut and whatnot. And she was all, â€Å"WTF, Abs? Fifty long? You buying a jacket for an orca?† â€Å"Ginormous gay cop. You got it?† â€Å"Yeah. You wanna smoke a clove?† And I'm all, â€Å"Do you have enough violet lipstick?† Because smoking is, like, the worst for your lipstick and it did match my hair. And she's all, â€Å"Bitch, please.† Meaning, â€Å"Do I ever not have enough makeup?† Which is true, because Lily carries a PVC ROBOT PIRATES messenger bag you could hide a small kid in, only she carries beauty products. So I was all, â€Å"‘Kay.† So Lily and I went out the back door and stared at the Dumpster like it was the very abyss of our despair while we smoked. And I'm just getting ready to tell her about the love lair, and Foo, and vampyre kitties and all, because I've sort of been in boyfriend mode, so, like, out of contact, which Lily totally gets. And Lil's like, â€Å"So, the big gay cop have a Hispanic partner?† And I'm like, â€Å"Rivera and Cavuto. Crusty day dwellers, but Rivera kind of has a secret-agent vibe. You know them?† And Lily is all, â€Å"Yeah, they were here yesterday. Rivera wears expensive suits. Smells good, too. I'd do him.† And I'm like gagging. â€Å"Lils, he's like a thousand years old, and a cop. The Motherbot was getting squishy over him. OMG! You're disgusting!† â€Å"Shut up, I'm not saying I'd do him normal. I mean like zombie Apocalypse trapped in the mall right before we have to shoot each other to keep them from eating our brains and turning us to the undead-then I'd do him.† So I'm all, â€Å"Oh sure, then.† To make her feel better, because she doesn't have a BF and often oversluts to compensate, but I still thought it was disgusting. But to change the subject, I was all, â€Å"So what did they want?† â€Å"They were asking all kinds of irrelevant bullshit. Had I seen any strange cats, did I see the Emperor, or some redhead.† And I'm all, Fucksocks! Fucksocks! Fucksocks! inside. But on the outside I'm all chill and I'm like, â€Å"So, you like didn't know anything, right?† â€Å"No, Asher said a hot redhead came into the store the other night, and then I was on the cable car last night, going down to Max's Deli for a sammy, and I think I saw her going into the Fairmont Hotel. Like a crazy cape of long red curls I would slaughter puppies for.† â€Å"Red leather jacket?† â€Å"Sweet red leather jacket.† â€Å"You didn't tell them, did you?† And Lil's all, â€Å"Well, yeah.† And I was all, â€Å"You traitorous whore!† And I punched her in the shoulder. In my defense, you're supposed to tell your ex-BFF when you get fresh ink, so the screaming was completely over the top. I had no way of knowing that she had a new tattoo on that shoulder, so her punching me in the boob was totally uncalled for. So, I'm ouching trs loud and this Russian lady from upstairs peeks her head out the window and she's all, â€Å"Quiet please, is sounding like burning bear out there.† ‘Kayso, Lils and I start to laugh and say, â€Å"Like bear,† over and over again until the Russian lady slams the window shut, like bear. Then it comes back to me and I'm all, â€Å"Lils, I have to get those jackets and get to the Fairmont. I have to save the Countess.† And Lily is like, â€Å"‘Kay,† not even asking details, which is why I love her-she is so nihilist it's, like, not funny. ‘Kayso, I take the jackets and catch a cab to the Fairmont, which totally pisses off the cabbie because it's only like six blocks, but when I get to the hotel I'm all, â€Å"Fucksocks!† because I'm too late. JODY Falling asleep was one of the things Jody missed about being human. She missed the satisfied, tired feeling of falling into bed and drifting off in a dreamy twilight sea of dreams. In fact, since she'd turned, unless she'd just gone too long without feeding, she never even felt tired. On most mornings, unless she and Tommy had been making love, and they went out in each other's arms, she just found a relatively comfortable position and waited for the sun to rise and put her out. Maybe a flutter of an eyelid, lasting a second, then off like a light. The closest thing to a dream state she'd experienced as a vampire was when she'd gone to mist inside the bronze statue, and even then, the door into dreamland slammed shut at dawn. The constant alertness of being a vampire was, well, it was a bit irritating. Especially since she'd been searching the City for Tommy for a week, pushing her jumped-up senses to their limits, and had to return to the hotel every morning with nothing. Apparently, Tommy had limped down an alley and vanished. She'd checked everyplace in the City that she'd ever taken him, every place he'd ever been, as far as she knew, and still there was no evidence of his having been there. She'd hoped she would have some special vampire â€Å"sixth sense† to help her find him, like the old vampire who had turned her seemed to have had, but no. Now, she was returning to her room at the Fairmont for the seventh morning. And for the seventh morning she would put out the â€Å"Do Not Disturb† signs, lock the door, put on her sweats, drink a pouch of the blood she kept locked in a mini-cooler, brush her teeth, then crawl under the bed and go over a mental map of the City until dawn put her out. (Since she was technically dead at dawn, sleeping on top of a comfortable mattress was a dangerous luxury, and by climbing under the bed she put one more layer between her and sunlight, should a nosy maid somehow find a way into her room.) Part of her new pre-dawn ritual had been returning to the hotel a little later each morning; like the skydiver who will let himself fall closer and closer to earth before pulling the ripcord to boost the adrenaline rush just a little more. The last two mornings she'd just been entering the hotel when the alarm watch she wore, which was set to go off ten minutes before sunrise on any given day, based on an electronic almanac, had started beeping. She'd bought one for Tommy, too, and wondered if he was still wearing his. As she strode down California Street, she tried to remember if he'd been wearing it when they cut him out of the bronze shell. Two blocks from the Fairmont her alarm watch went off and she couldn't help but smile a little at the thrill. She picked up her pace, figuring that she'd still be safely inside her room with time to spare before sunup, but she might have to forgo the sweats and the blood snack. As she came up the steps into the lobby she smelled cigar, and Aramis cologne, and the combination sent an electric chill of alarm up her spine before she could identify the danger. Cops. Rivera and Cavuto. Rivera smelled of Aramis, Cavuto of cigars. She stopped, her boot heels skidding a little on the marble steps. There they were, both at the front desk, but a bellman was leading them to the elevator. He was taking them to her room. How? she thought. Doesn't matter. It was getting light. She checked her watch: three minutes to find shelter. She backed away from the door, out onto the sidewalk, then began to run. Normally she would have paced herself so someone didn't notice the redhead in boots and jeans running faster than an Olympic sprinter, but they'd just have to tell their friends and not be believed. She needed cover, now. She was a block and a half down Mason Street when she came to an alley. She'd survived her first night as a vampire under a Dumpster. Maybe she could survive the day inside one. But there was someone down there, the kitchen crew of a restaurant, outside smoking. On she ran. No alleys in the next two blocks, then a narrow space between buildings. Maybe she could shimmy down there and crawl in a basement window. She crawled on a narrow, plywood gate and had one foot down before a pit bull came storming down the corridor. She leapt out onto the sidewalk and started running again. What kind of psychopath uses a two-foot-wide space between buildings as a dog run? There should be laws. This was Nob Hill, all open, with wide boulevard streets, a once-grand neighborhood now made incredibly irritating to a vampire in need of shelter. She rounded the corner at Jackson Street, snapping a heel off her right boot as she did. She should have worn sneakers, she knew, but wearing the high, expensive leather boots made her feel a little like a superhero. It turned out that turning your ankle hurts like hell, even if you're a superhero. She was up on her toes now, running, limping toward Jackson Square, the oldest neighborhood in San Francisco that had survived the great quake and fire of 1906. There were all kinds of little cubbyholes and basement shops in the old brick buildings down there. One building even had the ribs of a sailing ship in its basement, a remnant built over when the Gold Rush left so many ships abandoned at the waterfront that the City literally expanded over them. One minute. The shadow of the Transamerica Pyramid was lying long across the neighborhood ahead like the needle of a deadly sundial. Jody did a final kick-sprint, snapping off her other boot heel as she did. She scanned the streets ahead for windows, doors, trying to sense movement inside, looking for stillness, privacy. There! On the left, a door below street level, the stair-case hidden by a wrought-iron railing covered in jasmine. Ten more steps and I'm there, she thought. She saw herself jumping the rail, shouldering through the door, and diving under the first thing that would shelter her from the light. She took the final three steps and leapt just as the sun broke the horizon. She went limp in the air, fell to the sidewalk, short of the stairwell, and skidded on her shoulder and face. As her eyes fluttered, the last thing she saw were a pair of orange socks right in front of her, then she went out and began to smolder in the sunlight.