Chemistry and Biotechnology

1. What specific topic did you choose to research and evaluate? I decided to conduct research on stem cells for medical use.2. List the resources that you used in your research of your topic.http://www.ama-assn.org//ama/pub/physician-resources/medical-science/genetics-molecular-medicine/related-policy-topics/stem-cell-research/basics-stem-cell-research.page http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/pages/basics6.aspx3. Describe, in a few paragraphs, the biotechnology that you researched. How is it currently being used and/or what are the hopes for its use in the future?Stem cell research is a fairly new study which has gained a large amount of popularity lately. Stem cells are cells that have the potential to become specialized into different types of cells within the body. What this can do is help replace damaged cells with healthy new cells since stem cells are able to adapt to what is needed. The research going on is to discover how this can be used medically to help cure major disease s out there in the world.There are many ways to acquire stem cells. The most popular form is through the umbilical cord from the birth process. The other way to acquire this is through the bone marrow and from blood. Some other minor methods include germ cells or organs of an aborted fetus, embryos made by in vitro fertilization and mature adult tissue cells reprogrammed to behave like stem cells. Most commonly however, stem cells are acquired through bone marrow and umbilical cords.4. Describe the positive aspects of this biotechnology, being as specific as possible.The positive outcomes of this can include a wide variety of possibilities. This has the potential to create multiple cures for diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, vision/hearing loss and much more. Also, if a soldier was to be wounded with a burn or fatal injury, stem cells may be able to repair these problems and help lower casualty and death rates in our military. In addition, with how convenient bone marrow can be found (seeing as every person has it), this can help those people, who are in need of stem cells, easily acquire it on such short notice.5. Describe the negative  aspects of this biotechnology, being as specific as possible.There is currently not enough research on stem cells to fully determine their potential as to what they can do. This is bad on both ends of the spectrum. If stem cells were to be proven useless, this would be considered a waste of time and money. If they prove to be extremely powerful and can transform into any cell possible, there may be talk that this kind of technology can be overwhelming. Overwhelming in the sense that what if these stem cells are powerful enough to make a brand new human being? What if people use these stem cells on themselves to make themselves look 21 years old until they die or remodel certain aspects of their body to make it so it fits their desire? It will be a sense of cheating out life by just getting the easy way out of a lot of issues. 6. Based on your research, what is your conclusion about whether or not this biotechnology should be used? Be sure to explain your answer.After conducting my own research I believe stem cells should have more research put into them to discover their complete potential. If proven to be used for medical reasons such as to cure certain diseases, this should definitely be implemented into the medical field (assuming there are no major side effects). This can be a huge advancement in the medical field and may be a breakthrough in saving many lives of dying individuals. I do believe that regardless of its potential, whether stem cells prove to be useful or useless, they should be kept away from the public and should only be kept in medical facilities and only used for medical purposes. I would not feel comfortable having people running around the streets with stem cells in their back pocket not knowing what they can do with them.

Succubus Heat CHAPTER 11

Cody asked the obvious question. â€Å"So†¦if he's gone †¦how did that happen?† Hugh rubbed his eyes. â€Å"He was summoned.† â€Å"Oh, shit,† said Peter. His fun-in-the-sun joy disappeared. He looked as grim as Hugh and me. â€Å"That changes everything.† I glanced between him and Hugh, feeling as naà ¯ve as Cody. â€Å"What's that mean exactly? I've heard of summoning, but that's about it. I don't know any specifics. I don't know anyone it's happened to.† Peter nodded. â€Å"Me either, but I know what it is. Basically, a powerful human calls and binds a demon to his or her will. That human can then imprison and control the demon.† â€Å"Like Marlowe's Dr. Faustus .† We all turned to stare at Cody. Citing highbrow literary references was usually my thing, not his. â€Å"What?† he asked, looking uncomfortable under our scrutiny. â€Å"I had to read it in high school.† I looked back at Peter. â€Å"Okay, we're immortal, and we could never even scratch a demon. How could a human control one?† â€Å"Humans who use magic wield a different kind of power than immortals. Besides, from what I've heard, those who summon demons often have help,† explained Peter. He glanced at Hugh for confirmation. â€Å"From another demon,† the imp said. â€Å"Whoa. Let's go back to the part about controlling demons. What exactly is this human making Jerome do?† asked Cody. â€Å"Probably nothing,† said Hugh. â€Å"Or else someone would have found him by now. My guess is he's just being hidden.† Cody frowned. â€Å"Why? If you've got a pet demon, why not use him? Otherwise, what's the point?† It all came together now. â€Å"To get him out of the picture,† I said slowly. â€Å"That's it. The final piece in all this weird demon intrigue. That's what all the misdirection was building toward.† â€Å"Right. Cedric gets rid of Jerome, and suddenly there's an opening in Seattle for a new archdemon. And if Jerome doesn't return soon, they will get a new archdemon and reestablish the hierarchy here.† Hugh gestured to all of us. â€Å"The status quo will resume.† â€Å"Let's stick to ‘when' he returns and not ‘if,'† I said. â€Å"And I don't think Cedric's behind it.† â€Å"Of course Cedric's behind it,† said Hugh. â€Å"They've been fighting over territory, right? You of all people should know that.† I shook my head, recalling Cedric's exasperation and Nanette's smug look. â€Å"No†¦I think Cedric's being set up here. If you ask me, it's Nanette who's behind it.† I gave them a quick recap of my observations of her with both Cedric and Jerome. Hugh arched an eyebrow. â€Å"Portland Nanette? She's hot, I'll give you that, but she's not that strong.† â€Å"All the more reason for her to mess with Jerome and Cedric. She's been worried about them dragging her into their turf war. Besides, if she combined her power with a human capable of a summoning†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Yeah,† he admitted. â€Å"She could maybe do it†¦but that doesn't mean she did. My money's still on Cedric.† â€Å"Wouldn't she get in trouble for that?† asked Cody. â€Å"Only if she's caught,† said Peter. I sighed. â€Å"And in the meantime, this is bad for Jerome.† â€Å"Glad to see your powers of stating the obvious didn't disappear with your shape-shifting,† remarked Hugh. I shot him a glare. â€Å"I mean reputation-wise. Nanette told me lots of people have been keeping an eye on Jerome because of all the stuff that's gone down here-particularly with letting nephilim escape. They think he can't keep control. Even if he surfaces tomorrow, I've got to imagine that getting summoned in the first place won't look good.† â€Å"It won't,† agreed Hugh. â€Å"In fact, that's the other reason I stopped by. A bunch of demons are having a meeting tonight to talk about replacing him. Back room of the Cellar at seven.† â€Å"Wow, they move fast,† said Cody. â€Å"It's nothing official. Once word got out that Jerome was gone, every demon maneuvering for power moved in like that.† Hugh snapped his fingers. I refrained from pointing out that all demons were maneuvering for power as a general rule. â€Å"They're mostly just here to assert themselves-show how tough they are, cozy up to Grace and Mei. They might try to schmooze us a little, actually.† â€Å"Why? We don't have any say in this,† said Peter. He glanced between us all. â€Å"Do we?† â€Å"No, but eventually someone from Management will come here to size up the situation and will talk to us in their assessment. Everything plays a part. Those wanting the position will strut around, show how they could keep this place in line, and put their bids in.† â€Å"Is Nanette going to be at this meeting?† I asked suspiciously. â€Å"Yes,† said Hugh, eyeing me. â€Å"And so will Cedric.† I eyed him right back. â€Å"I'm telling you, it's not Cedric. I'm certain of it.† â€Å"What, you have donuts with him for a week, and now you guys are BFF?† â€Å"No, but I know him better than you do. And I think I understand Nanette better than you too,† I shot back. â€Å"So, you guys†¦Ã¢â‚¬  began Cody, a questioning note in his voice. â€Å"Are you sleeping with Cedric?† Hugh demanded. â€Å"Are you playing both sides now?† â€Å"No!† â€Å"It kind of sounds like it.† â€Å"You guys,† repeated Cody. â€Å"Look,† I said, â€Å"you just want to believe Nanette's innocent because you think she's hot.† â€Å"She is hot. For a demon.† â€Å"You guys!† yelled Cody. We turned to him. â€Å"What about us?† â€Å"What about us?† I asked. â€Å"What are we?† Cody's face was pinched and worried. Like Peter, he no longer seemed that excited about his newfound freedom. â€Å"Are we human?† I opened my mouth to answer and then fell silent. I honestly didn't know. Hugh glanced at me and shrugged. â€Å"Not exactly,† said Peter. â€Å"I think we're kind of†¦in stasis. We're neither mortal nor immortal.† â€Å"We have to be one or the other,† argued Hugh. â€Å"There's no purgatory equivalent to mortality.† Peter shrugged. â€Å"Hell's still got the lease on our souls. That's not going to change, no matter who our archdemon is. Removing him from the equation cuts us off from the abilities we get with immortality, but that's temporary.† â€Å"But does it cut us off from immortality itself?† asked Cody. â€Å"Can we die?† Silence fell. â€Å"Shit,† said Hugh. â€Å"I think†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Peter bit his lip. I had a feeling he was at the end of his knowledge on this subject. â€Å"I think they'd bring us back if we did.† â€Å"You think ?† asked Cody incredulously. Peter threw up his hands. â€Å"I don't know! This has never happened to me before, okay? Maybe we are human. Maybe we can get sick. Maybe we can lose in a fight. Maybe Georgina'll get her period. I don't know, okay?† â€Å"Whoa,† I said, straightening up. â€Å"What do you mean-â€Å" â€Å"Just stop it, all of you,† exclaimed Hugh. â€Å"We're not going to figure any of this out right now. Just go to the meeting and find out there. Grace and Mei are trying to manage things for now, and they'll know what's up. No point in panicking now.† We sat there, and I knew that despite his words, we were all indeed panicking. My stomach was rolling, but this time, it wasn't a reaction to the severing of my bond with Hell. This was born of pure terror. When things were bad in my life-particularly after Seth and I had broken up-there had been times when I'd hated immortality. Death had sounded appealing. I honestly hadn't been able to fathom how I could endure the centuries to come and had envied the finite life spans of humans. But now? Faced with the idea that I could actually die? Suddenly, desperately, I wanted to cling to my immortality with every scrap of my strength. Death was bleak, dark, and frightening. All the world's dangers descended on me at once, all the things I'd hitherto been able to ignore. Car accidents. Electrocution. Bird flu. The world was no longer safe. If the vampires felt any such fears, they apparently decided it wasn't going to get in the way of their last few days as free men. They rose as one and made motions to leave. â€Å"Well, if Jerome's going to get replaced with or without us, then there's no point sitting and moping,† said Peter. â€Å"We got cut off without warning,† I told him. â€Å"We could get reconnected to Hell's circuit board just as suddenly, you know. Aren't you a little nervous about getting caught out in the sun?† â€Å"They're not going to make any decisions in the next five hours,† said Peter brashly-too brashly, I thought. He paused a moment, his gaze drifting to my window and the blue sky beyond it. There, in his dark eyes, I saw the tiniest, tiniest bit of longing. It occurred to me then just how much he must have missed the sun these last thousand years or so. Like the rest of us, he'd willingly sold his soul for immortality. Along with that, he'd gotten superhuman strength and speed in exchange for a dependency on blood, a denial of sunlight, and a job as a dispenser of fear and nightmares. I certainly had regrets about my hellish deal some days; no doubt he did too. And maybe, despite his lax, overconfident attitude about the sun, he truly was aware of the risk of getting fried-and thought it was worth it after all this time. He and Cody left, leaving me and a still bleak-looking Hugh. I gently touched the imp's shoulder. â€Å"I'm sure this'll work out.† He cut me a wry look. â€Å"Really?† I laughed softly. â€Å"No, not really. I'm just trying to make you feel better. I never realized before how much you liked your†¦what would you call it? Imp vision?† This finally got him to smile. â€Å"You always thought of me as a paper pusher?† â€Å"Nah, no one uses paper anymore. It's all electronic.† â€Å"Not in Hell,† he said, standing up. â€Å"They kind of like cutting down forests.† I followed him to the door. â€Å"Well, hang in there, and I'll see you tonight.† â€Å"What are you going to do with your newfound freedom?† he asked, hand on the doorknob. I frowned. â€Å"What do you mean? This whole thing isn't quite the same for you and me as it is for the vampires.† The look Hugh gave me then was genuinely amused and almost pitying. â€Å"Georgina. Your shape-shifting and other abilities are fueled by human life. If you can't do those things, then you don't need the energy-just like Cody and Hugh don't need blood. Can't you feel it? The whole system's probably shut off.† I froze and almost stopped breathing for a moment-which might not have been so wise in my current state. † What ?† He laughed again. â€Å"How could you have not considered that?† â€Å"Well†¦because I was more focused on the entire fabric of Seattle's demonic hierarchy being unraveled. That and the possibility that we could all die.† Inside, my mind was replaying his words over and over, like a record that kept skipping: You don't need the energy, you don't need the energy†¦ I shook my head. â€Å"I can't believe that. It isn't possible.† I'd wanted it for too long, the ability to be with someone without the dire side effects. It was one of those things you always longed for but knew, deep down inside, could never happen. Like winning the lottery. Or, um, living forever. â€Å"Neither is a vampire going into the sun,† said Hugh. â€Å"Yet here we are.† He leaned down and kissed my cheek. â€Å"Think about it. This is a once in a lifetime-er, eternity-chance.† He started to leave, and then something I'd nearly forgotten about popped back into the forefront of my mind. â€Å"Hugh? Did you get my message earlier? About the Canadian Satanists?† After everything else, a few signs on the Space Needle suddenly seemed absurdly unimportant. â€Å"Yeah,† he said, with a grimace. â€Å"They had a huge spectacle there, freaked people out. They made the news and got arrested. Not sure what'll happen now. The international thing makes it all interesting.† â€Å"Were you able to tell Jerome?† â€Å"No, couldn't get a hold of him-not surprising if that was near the time of the summoning. I ended up getting a hold of Mei, and I think she did something to minimize how much the media found out. She was hoping that nobody in Management would notice.† â€Å"Yeah, well, they're all noticing us now.† Hugh's face was hard as he nodded his agreement. â€Å"That's an understatement. Have fun, sweetie.† He departed, leaving me standing there and staring at the door. I was still breathing heavily, my heart thudding in my chest. I needed to calm down and think this through. After all, who knew what could happen if I had a panic attack? Would I go into cardiac arrest or something? All bets were off now. Anything was possible. I sank down to the floor, wrapping my arms around myself, and focused on slowing my breathing. This was all too surreal. I couldn't process it. It wasn't possible that I could be mortal. It wasn't possible that I could die. It wasn't possible that I could actually touch a man without harming him. Over and over I told myself those things. Meanwhile, Aubrey strolled over to me and rubbed her head against my leg. Reaching out, I stroked her back, barely aware of my actions. What was I going to do? We had five hours until the meeting, which couldn't come soon enough as far as I was concerned. I needed answers now . I couldn't live with this uncertainty. My heart started racing again. Fuck. I really was going to have a heart attack. Hugh was a doctor in his day job; maybe I should call him about my blood pressure. Call†¦ An idea hit me then, and I stood up to go find my purse. Producing my cell phone, I dialed Dante. If anyone might know about this, it would be him. He probably wouldn't know the intricacies of how this affected my infernal standing, but he had to know something about demon summoning. Dark magic was his specialty. Besides, I wanted more than just his expertise. I suddenly just wanted†¦well, comfort. I wanted to see him. I wanted him to hold me and reassure me. I needed him to tell me everything was going to be okay. But the phone rang and rang without answer, sending me to his voice mail's friendly message: â€Å"Talk.† So much for that plan. I disconnected and leaned against my counter. Slowly, steadily, I felt my brain waking up, trying to find a scrap of reason through my fear. It wasn't in my nature to be passive. I had to do something about this. I couldn't wait until tonight for answers. â€Å"Let's research this ourselves, Aubrey,† I said. The average human knew nothing about the true nature of Heaven and Hell and how we operated. Yet, every once in a while, if you looked hard enough into arcane writings, you could stumble across a piece of truth that some adept mortal had uncovered. Ninety-nine percent of what I'd find would be inaccurate, but an Internet search could uncover some grain of truth about demon summoning. It was a total long shot, but it was the best I could do for now. Only, when I went to get my laptop, I discovered an unfortunate fact: I'd left it at the bookstore. I groaned. Now what? Another plan shot down. You idiot , a voice inside me chastised. You're a few blocks away. Get off your ass and get it . That logic made perfect sense, of course. Until I looked out the window. The same fear I'd had earlier returned. The cars moving along Queen Anne Avenue seemed too fast, the wind stirring the trees too strong, the people on the sidewalk too dangerous. How could I go out there? How could I put myself at risk? Better to stay in here where it was safe. And yet†¦how could I wait around? I was going to go crazy if I sat here. Glancing down at Aubrey, I saw her watching me with her green eyes. She had that infinitely wise look cats had sometimes. It wasn't exactly encouraging, but it soothed me a little. Okay. I could do this. I found my coat and started to shape-shift my messy hair into a neat arrangement-except, of course, I immediately realized I couldn't shape-shift it. Not a problem, I assured myself. I did my hair all the time when I wasn't in a rush. This was no different. With a quick dash to the restroom, I brushed my hair into a sleek ponytail and prepared to face the world. Stepping outdoors, I was blasted with stimuli. I stood on the steps to my building, shell-shocked and unable to move. This had never happened to me. Never, never had I been afraid of the world. I'd always rejoiced in it and been eager to see what it had to offer. Slipping my hand into my purse, I reached for my cigarettes, seeking them like a safety blanket. When I took them out, I realized something else. I wasn't necessarily immune to them anymore. This stasis probably wouldn't last long†¦but how could I risk it? How could I expose myself to carcinogens when I had no idea how vulnerable I truly was? Putting the cigarettes back, I took a deep breath and plunged forward. The distance to the store was barely three blocks, but it felt like miles. I walked as far away as I could from traffic and flinched each time someone passed me. When I finally reached the intersection to cross over to Emerald City, I was sweating. Queen Anne Avenue is not an overly crazy road. This particular spot had three lanes and steady traffic, with a moderate speed of 30 (which meant people could usually be found going 35?C40). Nonetheless, standing there, I might as well have been trying to cross I-5 itself, with five lanes racing in each direction. The crosswalk was red, giving me time to build up courage and remind myself that I'd crossed here hundreds of times-jaywalking more often than not. I was being irrational, freaking out at things I had no business worrying about. The light dinged and gave me the go-ahead. I set out, each step agony. I'd almost reached the far curb when a Honda turning on red from the cross street suddenly pulled into the intersection, having only checked for cars and not pedestrians. Seeing me, the driver slammed on her brakes a bit more harshly than she probably needed. They squealed, and the car came to a stop about two feet from me. While moderately alarming, this wasn't anything that probably would have scared me too much under ordinary circumstances. The car had stopped, after all, and I was almost across anyway. Yet, I was so on edge already that when I heard the brakes and saw how close she was, I simply froze. I stood there, caught-literally-in the headlights. I couldn't think or move. It was so stupid. Seven more steps, and I would have been safe. The woman's panic over avoiding me turned to annoyance when she realized I was blocking her way. She pressed down on her horn, which was a particularly loud and obnoxious one. Unfortunately for her, it was ineffectual. If anything, the noise simply froze me up more. Suddenly, someone grabbed a hold of my arm and started tugging me to the curb. The bitch in the Honda kept honking, and I think I was nearly as startled by it as I was when Seth yelled to her, â€Å"Oh, shut up already!† His steady hands guided me to the sidewalk where I promptly froze up again, oblivious to the curious cars and pedestrians. Cupping my face, he forced me to look up at him. His eyes were like warm molasses, and something about them spread comfort through me and brought me back to myself. â€Å"Georgina, are you okay?† My whole body trembled, and it took me a moment to gather myself and speak. â€Å"I†¦I think so†¦Ã¢â‚¬  His voice was so, so gentle when he spoke. â€Å"What happened there?† I blinked back tears. â€Å"Nothing†¦that is†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I couldn't finish. I was going to break down, then and there, right on Queen Anne Avenue. I hated myself for being so weak and scared. â€Å"Never mind,† said Seth, taking hold of my arm again. â€Å"It doesn't matter. You're safe. Let's go inside.† If any of my co-workers saw Seth leading me through like an invalid, I didn't notice. In fact, I was barely aware of the trek at all until we were inside my office. Seth sat me down and then shut the door. He leaned down toward me. â€Å"Do you need anything? Water? Something to eat?† Slowly, almost robot-like, I shook my head. â€Å"N-no. I†¦I just came for my laptop.† The normal look of timidity he'd worn around me lately had vanished, replaced by something stern and concerned-something that wouldn't rest until he knew I was okay. He was no longer the shy author who feared looking at me and always gave me a wide berth. He was once again the man I'd dated, the man who'd always been able to read my moods and step up to help. â€Å"Georgina, please. Please tell me what happened.† It looked as though my tears were going to stay away, and now that I was indoors, in familiar territory, I allowed myself to feel a little braver. â€Å"Why are you being so nice to me again?† He frowned. â€Å"Why wouldn't I be nice to you?† â€Å"Because†¦because†¦I wasn't very nice to you the last time we talked. Even after you gave me the book.† He made a noise in his throat, almost like a laugh, but not quite. â€Å"You weren't yourself, not after all those drinks. It's fine.† â€Å"I don't know,† I said contrarily, â€Å"maybe I was myself.† He shook his head. â€Å"It wouldn't matter. Now tell me, what happened out there?† The warmth in his voice, the concern†¦it was tearing me apart. There was something so familiar and safe about him that I longed for right now, and I couldn't evade him. â€Å"It's†¦complicated,† I said at last. â€Å"Immortal intrigue?† I nodded, feeling tears well in my eyes again. Fuck. I think half of my emotion now was from the way he was looking at me and had nothing to do with the rest of my life's madness. I stood up and looked away, hoping he wouldn't see my face, but it was no use. â€Å"Georgina, what's happened? You're scaring me.† I dared a glance back. â€Å"You†¦you wouldn't believe me if I told you.† His face was still filled with worry, but the hint of a smile turned up the edges of his lips. â€Å"Can you seriously believe that after half the stuff I've seen you go through? Try me.† â€Å"Fair enough,† I admitted. â€Å"But I don't want to get you involved.† â€Å"I want to help,† he said, moving closer. His voice was like velvet, wrapping me up in softness and security. â€Å"Please. Tell me what's going on.† I wanted to tell him there was nothing he could do, but suddenly, words spilled from my lips. â€Å"Jerome got summoned-which means he's trapped somewhere and-â€Å" â€Å"Whoa, wait. Summoned? Like in Dr. Faustus ?† â€Å"Um, yeah. And so long as he's gone, we're all in this weird state. Peter calls it ‘stasis.' None of us have our pow-abilities anymore. I can't shape-shift. Hugh can't see souls. The only ones who are happy about this are the vampires because they can go in the sun again, which'll probably end up killing them. And if we don't find Jerome soon, someone else is going to take over here, and I really don't want that. And yet†¦I really don't want to go another second like this either, being in this limbo. I want everything to go back to how it was.† Seth's face was unreadable as he regarded me for several heavy seconds. Finally, he said, â€Å"Is it†¦is it so bad going without shape-shifting?† I shook my head and began to ramble further. â€Å"It's not that. It's the fact that I may not be immortal anymore. I can't†¦I can't handle that. Coming here was horrible. The walk from my apartment. I'm afraid of everything. It's stupid. I mean, you guys-humans-get by all the time and don't think about it. But I'm scared to leave the house. Scared of what could happen to me. And when that car didn't see me right away-fuck. I just froze. I was paralyzed. God, I feel like an idiot. I must sound crazy.† At long last, a tear leaked out of the corner of one eye, the final stamp on my weakness. Seth reached out and gently wiped it away. He didn't withdraw his hand when finished, though. He slid it to my shoulder and pulled me to him. I rested my head on his chest, swallowing back more tears as I sank into the protection he offered. â€Å"Georgina, Georgina,† he murmured, running his hand over my back. â€Å"It's going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay.† Those words†¦there was something so wonderful about them, simple as they were. When people are distressed, others have an instinct to want to actually do something tangible to help-men in particular. And there's nothing wrong with that-often, it's very much desired. But what a lot of people don't get is that sometimes, all that's needed is to hear those words: Everything's going to be okay . It's enough to know that someone's there, that someone cares about you. It isn't always about the next logical course of action. My next words, spoken into his Hong Kong Phooey shirt, came out muffled. â€Å"I don't know what's going to happen. With any of this. I'm so scared. I don't think I've been this afraid since I thought Roman was going to kill me.† â€Å"Nothing will happen to you. You said yourself this won't last more than a few days. Just wait it out.† â€Å"I don't wait very well.† He laughed and leaned his cheek against my forehead. â€Å"I know you don't. Don't worry. Most of us do far more dangerous things than walk two blocks, and we survive just fine. Yeah, that car kind of sucked, but even still, nothing happened.† â€Å"It's two and a half blocks,† I corrected. â€Å"Not two.† â€Å"Right. I forgot that extra half one where the sharks and land mines are.† I pulled away slightly so that I could look into his face. His arms stayed around me. â€Å"I have to find Jerome, Seth.† His smile faded. The worry returned. â€Å"Georgina†¦if you want to stay safe, going after him probably isn't the way to do it. You don't always have to take this stuff on yourself, you know. Let someone else look for him. Stay home.† â€Å"That's the thing†¦I'm not sure anyone will be looking for him. Why would the other demons want him back? They want his territory. They aren't going to be happy if he's found.† Seth sighed. â€Å"Great. Now I'm the one worried about you leaving the house.† â€Å"Hey, I thought you said everything was going to be okay?† â€Å"Gotta be careful what I say.† Eyes thoughtful, he reached up and smoothed some hair on the side of my head. â€Å"Why are you so brave?† I scoffed. â€Å"Are you insane? Didn't you just witness my near breakdown?† â€Å"No,† he said gently. â€Å"That's the thing. You are scared. You don't know what's going on or what could happen to you. Yet, in spite of that fear and uncertainty, you're going to throw yourself out there to hunt him down. No one else would do that, and you do that kind of thing all the time.† Inexplicably, I flushed under his praise. â€Å"I was only going to do a Web search.† â€Å"You know what I mean. I think you've got more courage than anyone I know-and what's truly amazing is that it's so subtle, hardly anyone ever notices. You do so much, and it goes unseen. I wish I was that brave sometimes.† â€Å"You are,† I said, growing increasingly unsettled by our proximity. I also noticed then that he was still smoothing my hair back. â€Å"What are you doing to my hair? Does it look bad or something?† â€Å"Your hair never looks bad.† He dropped his hand sheepishly. â€Å"It's just†¦a little messier than usual.† â€Å"I brushed it fifteen minutes ago!† Seth shrugged. â€Å"I don't know. It's just kind of frizzy, but that's probably normal. There's a little humidity out.† â€Å"Frizzy? My hair's never frizzy.† â€Å"Georgina,† he said wearily. â€Å"Considering everything else going on, I don't think you need to worry about your hair being frizzy.† â€Å"Yeah, yeah. You're right.† I made a face. â€Å"I just feel like I got a raw deal here. The vampires are having a non-stop party. Me? I somehow get bad hair. Not sure the energy break is really worth it.† Seth tilted his head, face puzzled once more. â€Å"Energy break?† â€Å"Yeah. Along with everything else, I lost the need for life energy, so I'm not-â€Å" I stopped. The world stopped. I met Seth's eyes, those beautiful golden-brown eyes that were filled with utter and complete shock as we both realized the full weight of what I had been about to say. His hold on me stiffened. The casual embrace suddenly became so much more. I was acutely aware of every place we were touching and exactly how much distance was between the places we weren't touching. He felt warm, so wonderfully warm, and every place he touched me tingled-not necessarily in a sexual way but in a Oh my God, it's Seth way. My entire body was on full alert, waiting and watching-and hoping-for him to touch me more. He swallowed, eyes still wide. â€Å"So you aren't†¦I mean you can†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Yeah,† I said, my own voice husky. â€Å"That's the theory, at least. I haven't really tested it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My words faded off because they didn't matter. My relationship with Seth had been plagued with a hundred small problems, everything from communication to trust and the myriad details in between. And always, always underneath that had been the knowledge that we could never be physically close. Oh, we'd been able to hug and do some kissing-there was even a fair amount of tongue we could get away with before my succubus hunger started stealing his life. But ultimate intimacy? Sex? Making love? It was totally off-limits, and that denial had tortured both of us, no matter how much we talked about love being the most important part in a relationship. And now†¦here we were. Those barriers were removed. I hadn't tested if my succubus stealing really was gone, but I didn't need to. I could feel it, as Hugh had said. The perpetual craving that always lurked within me was completely dormant. I could touch and kiss anyone without restraint. I could touch and kiss Seth. There was nothing standing between us now. Well, except for one thing. A knock sounded on my door. â€Å"Georgina? Are you in there?† Maddie called. It was like cold water in the face. Seth and I sprang apart. He backed toward the door, and I promptly sat down at my desk. My heart was pounding again. Damn it. I was going to have to talk to Hugh and get an anti-anxiety drug. â€Å"Yeah, come in,† I called. Maddie stuck her head in, surprised to see both of us. â€Å"There you are,† she said to Seth. â€Å"I just got here and couldn't find you.† Seth was still in shock. â€Å"I†¦yeah†¦I saw Georgina was here and stopped by†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Maddie peered at me. â€Å"You okay? You look a little worn out.† Her eyes flicked to my hair and then back to my face. â€Å"Did you just wake up?† Apparently, I no longer looked like I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, which was something. I hadn't liked the way she eyed my hair. â€Å"Well, not exactly. It's, uh, been a long day.† I stumbled over my words. I was so flustered, I could barely string a coherent response together. Seth's presence was like the sun, blinding me and warming me all over, and Maddie was making me feel guilty and dirty for enjoying that sun. â€Å"Is everything okay with your family?† she asked. â€Å"My-oh, yeah, they're okay. Still just a little crazy, but it'll, um, pass.† I stood and picked up the laptop, hoping I sounded casual and calm. I needed to get out before I said something stupid. As it was, I couldn't even make eye contact with Seth now. â€Å"I really just came by for this.† Maddie studied me a few seconds longer and must have decided I was more or less telling the truth. She relaxed and seemed oblivious to me trying frantically to get to the door. â€Å"Hey,† she said, â€Å"I was thinking you might not need to go to California for beaches.† â€Å"For†¦what?† â€Å"Remember our conversation at Mark's?† â€Å"Er, yeah.† Miraculously, I did. The condo thing, when I told her I had a beach itch. â€Å"I have the perfect solution: Alki.† â€Å"Alki?† asked Seth, confused. â€Å"It's a secret.† She winked at me. â€Å"I thought that might be a good place to start looking. What do you think?† â€Å"Sure. Sounds great.† Alki Beach was a region of West Seattle that stuck out into Puget Sound. While it was a far cry from a Cyprian beach, it was, well, a beach. And if agreeing that it was a good idea would get me to the door†¦ â€Å"Cool! And what about dancing?† â€Å"Huh? What about it?† I probably looked like a deer in the headlights again. This agitated state of mine didn't make for good topic-jumping. â€Å"Teaching salsa. I mentioned it to Beth and Casey, and they were pretty excited.† â€Å"Oh. Yeah. Sure. I can do that.† I was seriously about to agree to anything to escape. Her face lit up. â€Å"Oh, thank you! Is this week too soon? I bet we could get everyone together on, oh, Thursday.† â€Å"Sure, sure, that's fine.† I was almost at the door. â€Å"Oh, thank you! This'll be fun. I'll double-check the day with everyone and e-mail you. If something comes up†¦I mean, I know you're under a lot of stress†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I waved it off. â€Å"It's fine, really. Have a good night, okay?† I put on a winning smile and quickly walked past both of them. As I stepped out the door, though, I glanced back and met Seth's eyes. My smile faltered. A thousand messages passed between us, just as they used to when we were dating. Only this time, I wasn't sure what any of them were saying. I kept walking, suddenly realizing I had a lot more than mortality to worry about.

(BKK)Managing Diversity Awareness Campaign Essay

(BKK)Managing Diversity Awareness Campaign - Essay Example al., 2006). One of the prominent reasons behind an increase in the differences amongst the employees lies with the inability of the managers or supervisors to manage the employees, resulting to gender inequality in the workplace. An important example of this can be the increasing tendency to develop and provide growth opportunities to the male employees in comparison to the females. Hence, there exists a need to develop several alternatives by which gender can be managed in the workplace, and which would lead to the establishment of a sustainable organization (European Union, 2008). Gender management is important, as it increases the scope of gender diversity and enables the employees to focus upon their respective goals. In this respect, the employees are able to perform their tasks as team members for effective attainment of organizational objectives (Powell, 1994). The diversity awareness campaign will be aimed at â€Å"Gender diversity in the workplace†, which is needed to be managed in order to prevent the emergence and development of differences with respect to employees. One of the most widely used tools to manage gender diversity in the workplace, which plays a crucial role in avoidance of conflicts is leadership. The diversity awareness campaign would focus upon a number of strategies to manage gender diversity in the workplace (UNDP, 2010). Leadership must be considered as the first priority of an organization, as it is regarded as an important driver of change. Leaders can play a lead role in facilitating gender diversity by providing quality training to the employees and ensuring that every employee works as a team and have equal opportunity to participate in the organizational decision making processes. Furthermore, a leader helps in establishment of gender equality through focusing upon formulation of gender equality initiatives (AHRI, 2012). ‘Focus’ is

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

International Business Law - Essay Example Over the last decade, the caseload of the ICSID notably increased mainly as a result of an increase in foreign investment practices. Among the 263 registered cases at ICSID as on 30th March 2007, the Argentine government involved in more than 30 cases as an effect of Argentina’s economic crisis (â€Å"Orinton Lawfirm†). ICSID provisions for Boris From the given case context, it is clear that Nonatian government does not give much emphasis on the protection of investor interests. However, Nonatia and Russia (home country of Boris) are signatories to the ICSID. Hence, Boris will be protected by the ICSID provisions even though the Nonatian government does not try to safeguard his financial interests. The ICSID mainly provides conciliation and arbitration facilities to contracting states and nationals of other contracting states in order to resolve investment disputes. Conciliation According to ICSID provisions, Boris may submit a request in writing to the Secretary-Genera l to institute conciliation proceedings if he is not satisfied with the dealing of Nonatian government in future. While requesting for conciliation, Boris has to clearly address detailed information concerning the dispute. The Secretary-General (as cited in Davidson Ciambella) will register the request unless he finds the dispute is outside the jurisdiction of the Center (331-332). As per the provision of Article 29, a Conciliation Commission is constituted immediately after the registration of the conciliation request. The Commission may contain a conciliator or sometimes any uneven numbers of conciliators according to the mutual agreement of both the parties. During the course of conciliation proceedings, the Commission clarifies the causes of disputes between parties with intent to suggest mutually acceptable solutions immediately. At various phases of the proceedings (as cited in Rayfuse,), the Commission may recommend terms of settlement to the parties (ICSID Reports). Under th is practice, both the parties will cooperate in good faith with intent to assist the Commission to carry out its functions smoothly and flawlessly (â€Å"Australian government†). Hence, Boris can ensure maximum cooperation of the Nonatian government on the strength of ICSID provisions because both of them (Nonatian government and Boris) need to give most serious considerations to the Commission’s recommendations. The effective intervention of the ICSID would probably force the Nonatian government to focus more on the needs of Boris; and in fact, this situation assists Boris to take maximum advantages of his investment in Nonatia. It would be an effective method for Boris on the ground of cost and time as it involves simple legal proceedings. However, it seems that conciliation proceedings of ICSID are not much effective for resolving complex disputes, and hence it is recommendable for Boris to seek the help of other ICSID provisions if the issue has multifarious effect s. Arbitration The submission of arbitration request is similar to that of request for conciliation. Once the arbitration request is registered by the General-Secretary, an Arbitration Council is constituted as early as possible. The Arbitration Council consists of arbitrator(s) whereas conciliator(s) represents Conciliation Comm

Global Information System - Software Piracy Research Paper

Global Information System - Software Piracy - Research Paper Example The availability of pirated software over the internet free of cost or a minimal cost is the main issue to be considered by the company. Internet laws in the Asian countries do exist but most of the countries such as Pakistan and Nepal do not take any action for the distribution of pirated copies of software. With the increase in broadband penetration and download speed, it is very difficult to manage the software assets by a company in Asian region. Torrents and other sites on the internet which charge a minimal price from the consumers for software are increasing every day. However, the main problem for the software companies is not the home users but the small businesses and firms, which purchase non-branded PCs and get pirated software bundled with it (Business Software Alliance, 2009). Many managers in the Asian countries fail to implement the policies of managing their software assets and they purchase pirated copies of software in order to cut costs. These managers and even owners to small and medium businesses fail to understand the benefits efficiencies of original software use. Most of the firms and management in these Asian countries do not get proper education or training on the issue of software piracy (Coombes, 2010). The global economic recession has caused many firms to give up their policies on software policies as they are not able to bear the huge cost of purchasing new software for their business needs. The buying power of the households has also fallen which is one of the many factors of increasing rates in piracy. However, the company should not forget that the Asia Pacific is the hardest hit region by the economic crisis in the world. The future economic improvements in these countries are also uncertain as these countries are under development and not yet part of the developed world. Another issue that the software firm has to consider is the spread of internet access which is driving up the level of piracy. Over the next five

Amazon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Amazon - Essay Example Amazon remains focused on providing convenience and excellence in customer service, much of which is promoted with the assistance of technologies. The company’s internal culture is aligned to respond and adapt to changing market conditions, giving the business a significant competitive advantage over other rivals. 2. The features of Amazon’s strategy Amazon is a leader in understanding its target market characteristics and then adjusting the organisational culture, products and services, and marketing strategies to appeal to these known characteristics. Amazon has identified three market segments that the business will service, including consumer customers, seller customers, and developer customers. It is a very customer-centric organisational model that seeks, primarily, growth as an objective. Amazon accomplishes this by establishing a pricing structure under a price leadership strategy, offering a vast assortment of merchandise, and injecting convenience into the bus iness model (Stockport 2010). The business’ vision to be the most consumer-centric business in its industry reflects how Amazon continues to develop strategies, both corporate-level and business-level, to ensure that it fulfils these promises for focus on providing value to its many diverse markets. One method of promoting this value and convenience is the recent program entitled Frustration-Free Packaging, which was designed to ensure consumers could easily remove their products from Amazon’s packaging. Cloud computing, additionally, provides its developer customers with low-cost IT services and the ability to outsource many business functions for further cost-savings. The continual development of new services, such as the MP3 Music Store, IMDb.com allowing for television program viewing, and launch of the Office Supplies Store in 2008, illustrates the constant evolution of the business model that caters to a wide variety of target markets with varying needs. Innovati on, as compared to competition, is what makes this business model difficult to replicate by rivals and secures the promises of being consumer-centric that makes up the foundation of corporate strategy. 3. Analysis of Amazon’s internal environment Amazon’s CEO, Jeff Bezos, is a firm believer in corporate frugality. In the company’s headquarters, this thrift is evident with employee desks that have been recycled from doors, at an estimated cost of $130 USD and monitors that rest on telephone books to avoid the high costs of stands (University of Graz 2013). Amazon maintains very powerful competitive advantage as it relates to human capital, having established a firm set of values and a shared vision that allows for decentralised business function for better teamwork and interpersonal relationship development. In order to develop the appropriate service culture necessary for Amazon to achieve its mission of consumer-centrism, the organisation must have leadership t hat is visionary, one that establishes and iterates mission and vision, and inspire others through positive and ethical leadership traits (Fairholm 2009). Figure 1: Internal Competency Framework Success factors for internal efficiency Figure 1 illustrates the six competencies of the internal organisational culture at Amazon that contribute to fulfilment of the customer-centric mission and vision. The decentralised structure provides employees with opportunities to engage socially and professionally to establish a team culture that is flexible and where knowledge transfer is part of the organisational model with tacit and explicit knowledge holders in multiple divisions of the business model. Coupled with a cultural attitude for reducing overhead (the Amazon frugality culture), the business is able to devote more resources

Individual case study analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Individual case study analysis - Essay Example Government spending was reduced and the ‘National Wage Partnership Programme’ was signed. As a result, wage increases were limited at 3 percent for three years. The comparative low wages and the fact that it was not rising, as in other countries, attracted FDI. With lower wages and higher productivity than the rest of Europe, Ireland attracted foreign direct investment (FDI). The economic transformation, that was taking place in the country, where a direct result of the political transformation. The protectionist policies, tariffs and subsidies, had created an economy where exports fell and per capita income was low. There was no FDI and the economy in general was bleak. However, as political powers opened up the economy to foreign trade and investment, the economy improved. In the 1980’s, the government was following a fiscal policy that was conservative, to meet with the criterion set by the Economic and Monetary Union. The annual budget deficit and the level of national debt were lowered to create the environment for FDI. Whereas previously the government was involved in key sectors such as energy, communication and transport, by the early 2000s, government involvement got limited to the state-owned enterprises such as Aer Lingus (airlines), electricity distributor ESB, natural gas distributor Bord gas, etc. With the opening up of the market, particularly with its exports to the US rising, the Irish GDP grew at a rate of 9.9 percent during 1996 and 2000. That the political system of a country can influence the economy through appropriate policies and laws can be best demonstrated through examples. The growth of the Irish economy in computer software was a result of the government’s responsiveness and political will. When Microsoft decided not to locate a key web hosting operation in Ireland in 1998, because of the insufficient connectivity, the government responded by

Project Appraisal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Project Appraisal - Assignment Example ..... 4 Discussion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 6 Recommendation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..9. Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦10 Introduction Project appraisal is a structural process through which management uses to determine through careful assessment the most viable project. From a well appraised project, great achievements can be achieved in case the project implementer applies the appropriate s kills. Appraisal is done through assessment of data through assumptions and methodologies used when preparing a project. For instance, it involves the work flow, proposed financing, an assessment of the projects managerial aspects, cost estimating, finance validity, and how the project will be a benefit to society through factors like employment. Project appraisal happens in various types depending on the kind of project being determined its viability. It therefore cover an analysis of techniques being used, managerial aspects of the firm, analysis social factors like income and employment, assesses the impact of financial judgments among other financial activities, determines how is the project viable in terms of economic undertakings. Project appraisal involves various discounted and undiscounted techniques. The undiscounted techniques include payback period, value added, capital-output ratio, an outlay of proceeds per unit, and average of the outlay of proceeds per unit. However, the discounted techniques may be listed as net present worth, benefit cost ratio, internal rate of return, net benefit investment ratio, sensitivity analysis; and earnings before interest tax depreciation and amortization CEEU, 2005).. According to Ian, David & James, whenever the management is making decision it has to involve the above project appraisal techniques. To illustrate more of these, from our class work, students were given an online simulation test. As per the tests, students were supposed to think of themselves being the chief executive of the doll industry of US. They were supposed to do simulation for a period of five years (from 2009 to 2014) and it is the result they get would be used to test their knowledge on various techniques of business appraisal. Activities Undertaken At the beginning of the project, the company had basic net revenue of 3.23. With the firm`s expansion aim, the net revenue was expected to increase. Consequently, the student had to decide on p rojects from the available data with an assumption that it was a representation of the real data gotten during the research over the doll industry. The data could have included the past number of buyers of the product or the data recorded from market testing and the information collected from competitors` websites. With their target being kids and their playing devices, the students had to keep on updating various products to enhance their marketability over that of their competitors. It was a call for more implementation of technological experiences into the products to move with the increasing innovation in the world. Thus, to win parents heart, the products were developed being future oriented especially with what every parent could have dreamt of his kids and for the kids is about their dream being put in toy. Taking the managerial role, students tried to change the various rates of interest of the production, licensing and retail parts of the project. What students noted in tha t project. They affected investment analysis tools, but they only affected other output from the project after making a decision of investing on a particular project. This means that, there are those basic

Applied Case Study report for Transnational Geographies Essay

Applied Case Study report for Transnational Geographies - Essay Example According to recent estimates 77.9 million Asians reside in different parts of the world and 215,764,000 people migrated to different parts of the globe in the year 2010 (MPI data, 2012). The figures illustrate the significance of transnational migration and provide the base for numerous research studies. Migration Information Source (MIS) is an integral part of the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) that caters to the compilation and assimilation of data collected from different global organizations, government bodies and agencies on migratory trends and statistics. The data collected by the MIS is structured and collated to provide analytical evidence of transnational migration trends. The online information resource forms a vital source for information and data on migration movements enabling analysts to provide different perspectives on people movement for improved understanding of migration. The reports, data and statistics are accessible to journalists, policymakers, researchers and academicians online (MIS website, 2012). Research context – background and overview Global migration has been one of the important aspects driving the economic growth and development of any region. While migration in the ancient times was limited to trade and settlement purposes, the modern era defined new grounds for migration and the number of people migrating from one country to another continues to increase (Hamilton and Grieco, 2002). Migration of people from one region to another had immense social, cultural and economic implications. Researchers, academicians and policy makers realized the need to have instant access to migration data for analyzing social development, cultural impacts, and economic growth factors. However, there were very few reliable sources of information available on people migration from one country to another earlier. The need for an easily accessible and reliable source of data in this context was realized. The MIS was conceived as a part of the MPI, that forms a non-profit organization based in Washington. The goal of the MPI was to â€Å"deliver sound and accurate data and analysis on migration trends and refugees† (Hamilton and Grieco, 2002, p3). The online information service was thus conceptualized in the early 2000s to facilitate data collection and analysis of international migration. Numerous research studies on transnational geographies have focused on analyzing migration trends and its influence on social, cultural and economic development of any region. A research article by Radcliffe, Silvey, and Olson (2006) explored the political dimensions of transnational migration and its linkages to religious beliefs, cultural practices and economic development within a region. The paper explores the different perspectives and conclusive evidences offered by numerous research studies in this context. Another research study by Silvey (2004) seeks to explain the role of States of Indonesia and Saudi Arabia in shap ing migratory trends of women between the two countries. A more recent study by Blunt (2007) focused on the inter-linkages existing between the cultural environment of a region and transnational mobility. Faist (2008) in his works on migration and transnational development reflects on â€Å"how national states structure the transnational spaces in which non-state actors are engaged in cross-border

Cybersecurity Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cybersecurity - Coursework Example Compare this to now, where a semi-automatic machine gun can spray out hundreds of bullets per minute and rarely needs to be reloaded. The example used of a bank robbery is perfect because it is low risk and low reward. The robber is only going to be able to do it once, and he will only make a small return for doing so. If a hacker gains access to a computer system, he can steal multiple times and also take large amounts of cash each time. These two instances of crime are different in nature and different in reward. I also agree that those who commit cyber crimes should be punished more severely than those who commit traditional crimes. The level of skill involved almost removes the defense argument that the accused did not know what they were doing. 2. Although terrorists may seem irrational by their actions, they are actually clever and calculated when it comes to doing damage to those who they oppose. Risk and return is a huge part of any terrorist operation because there is no point in doing something only to be caught for doing so. Terrorists are always trying to do the most damage and gain the most value without being apprehended for what they do. Cyber terrorists, however, do not seem to act rationally when it comes to doing an illegal act. This is quite ironic because â€Å"computer geeks† are always thought to be smart and calculated. I agree that the objective may not always be to gain something, but to simply disrupt services already provided and diminish the public’s confidence in those services. The incentive for cyber terrorists is huge because they have the chance to disturb society from its normal state and become infamous at the same time. Owners of important government infrastructure need to ensur e that defenses against cyber terrorists remain strong, because if even one succeeds, it may spur other like-minded individuals on to doing

By world War 1 Essay Example for Free

By world War 1 Essay Introduction World war 1 had a huge impact on peoples live at home. We can see from the sources that I am analysing that all sections of society were affected by the war, men, women and government. The working classes were affected by recruitment and the upper and middle classes were affected because they had to do their own housework. Also peoples standards of living were affected, they had more of a balanced diet and the women found that they had more money because their husbands were at war. I am going to evaluate a number of sources which tell us a lot about what affected peoples lives during the war. I will look at the validity of the sources and the strengths and weaknesses. The topics I will study are Recruitment and Conscription, Politics, Role of Women and Changing Standards attitudes and beliefs. I will start by looking at how Recruitment and Conscription affected peoples lives at home during the war. Recruitment and Conscription. Many peoples lives were affected by the first world war. At the start of the war the government had to try and persuade 1000s of men to join the war. Source A1 (i) is a Recruitment poster produced by the government in 1914 as part of a Propaganda campaign to get people to sign up and fight in the first world war. The poster features a picture of Lord Kitchener who was the secretary state for the war. This poster is the most famous poster made for the war and it made men feel as if they as an individual was wanted to fight for their country. The idea of the finger pointing and using the words you and your made the men feel as if the government wants you as an individual. The weakness of the poster is the fact that it is propaganda. The poster is basically saying that you must sign up to the war. Source A1 (ii) is a photograph taken outside Southwark Town Hall in London. It was taken during December 1915. The photo is of an Army Recruiting Office. The people who are queuing in the long lines to sign up all look happy at the prospect of going to war. This seems unusual to me and this could be because the photo may have been staged by the government to make the men think that all other men are signing up so they should sign up too. The fact that this photo could have been staged makes the source unreliable because it is not real. In December 1915, the government were in trouble because they did not have enough men signing up to the war, because at this point people at home were learning of the first major casualties of the war. The men were realising that going to war was not as easy as it first looked. So in December not many people were signing up which makes the site of this many people signing up a rare site at the time. Also if there was so many people signing up, the government would not have had to bring in Conscription. A strength of this source is that it was taken at the time but a weakness is that it could have been staged. Conscription was the compulsory enrolment into the armed forces. In January 1916 the act was passed that unmarried men between the ages of 18 41 had to join the armed forces. Then in May 1916 a second act was passed that unmarried men between the ages of 18 41 had to join the army. Politics and the war effort The first world war had a big effect on Politics. We can see this in Source B3. Source B3 is a photograph of the new Prime Minister with the new members of the coalition cabinet. The photograph was taken at 10 Downing Street in December 1916. A weakness of the photo is that it maybe propaganda and could well have been staged to make the people at home believe that the government were united through the war. Its strengths are that it was taken at the time. This increases the reliability of the source because it is an actual picture from the time of the war showing that the government was united through the war. Source B4 shows how the first world war affected different Political Parties. The source is written by John Davies on the History of Wales in 1993. This source tells us that Labour was becoming more popular through the war as it had no responsibility for how the war came about, but for the Liberal party the war was a disaster because their leader Henry Asquith lost his role of Prime Minister to the Labour leader David Lloyd George. The source says: The strength of this source may be that it was written a long time after the war, so John Davies views would have been based on balanced opinions. A weakness of the source though is that the book is only about Wales. Also it may have been biased to David Lloyd George because he was welsh. The First World War also had an affect on political issues. In December 1917 the house of commons decided to give the vote to 6,000,000 Women over the age of 30. Source B5 (i) is a report from The Daily Sketch which shows this. The report tells us that the vote was won by a huge majority of 330 out of 440 votes. It shows the start of a new era for women. The strength of the source is that is an actual report from the time which makes it reliable. Source B5 (ii) is a photo of the 1918 general election when for the first time Women over 30 were allowed to vote. The picture tells us that woman were becoming more independent. The picture source may be reliable is it was taken at the time of the general election. A weakness of the source is that it was taken by the government reassuring men that the women would probably vote the same way as their husbands. Women and Social Change. World War 1 had a massive affect on the way women ran their lives. More women started going to work, fashion changed and they had more money from wages to spend on themselves because the men were away. Source C3 is a poster produced by the government showing people that women are doing their bit by making munitions for the men at war. We do not know when the poster was issued but we do know that it was from sometime during the war. The weakness of the poster is that it was propaganda to get more women to work. The strength of it though is that it was from the time. This affects the reliability as because it is from the time we know that it was actually shown to the women during the war. The First World War had an affect on how many Women were employed in different trades. Source C4 is a table of Figures that represent the changes of the amount of women that were employed throughout the war. The table shows the increase in the amount of Women employed in Britain between July 1914 and July 1918. The source may be reliable because they are official Government figures but the numbers are rounded up so we do not know the exact figure. They could have been rounded up to the nearest thousand or the nearest 100 thousand we do not know. A weakness of the source is that it doesnt tell us what happened after the war. After the war the number of Women employed may have decreased. The amount of money that women had also increased, this may be because their husbands were away, so they did not have to buy for them and also they were working. In Some cases the women were getting paid more than Corporals. We can see this in Source C5. This source was written by a full corporal, H. V. Shawyer in 1916. He says: This source tells us that the women were getting paid more than the men and were also able to spend their money on other people. This source may be reliable as it was written by the person about his experience and also it was written at the time of the war. Changing Standards, Attitudes and Beliefs The impact of the First World War changed peoples standards, attitudes and beliefs. Source D3 is an extract from an article written by A. J. P. Taylor in 1965 about England 1914 1918. The extract is about how the war affected the rich. A. J. P Taylor says: At the end of the war, there was a general change of economic outlook. Previously the idle rich had been proud of being idle. Now they were ashamed of it and idleness was becoming more difficult. Domestic servants, for instance, were hard to come by. Their number had been halved during the war. Households which had kept five servants dropped to two; those firmly with two to one; and the rest of the middle class made to do with a daily woman. This source tell us that people were happy to have servants before the war but now they know what it was like being normal they became ashamed of it. The way people used their money changed, instead of using servants they were doing the work themselves. It was more difficult for the rich to get away with doing nothing, because the working class had more better paid jobs to do. The source may be more reliable because it was written a long time after the war and he would have been able to gather more evidence. People would have also been more honest because it was a long time after the war. Source D4 shows how the war affected religion and chapels. The source is from a book by Kenneth O. Morgan called Rebirth of a Nation: Wales 1880 1980. It was written in 1981. The emphasis of the book is not actually about the First World War and so the book may have only had a page about the war. Source D4 says: The factors which had weakened the chapels before the war debt, over-expansion in rural areas and lack of support from non- Welsh speakers and industrial workers became stronger after the war Fundamentalist religious belief, barely changed since the chapels were founded. This source is telling us that the society changed during the war but the chapels didnt. The source may be reliable because the book was written a long time after the war. This means that Kenneth O. Morgan would have been able to base his book on a lot more evidence than if it was written immediately after the war. A weakness of the extract is that the book is only about how the Welsh chapels changed. Peoples Standard of living also changed as a result of the First World War. In an article by a modern historian, Clive Emsley, he said that although the war resulted in the deaths of many thousands, there was an overall improvement in peoples diet and a decline in the death rate. He also said that Lone wives were able to wages go further. This source tells us that some people were better off than theyd ever been. Because this article was written in 1996 it makes it more reliable, because he would have been able to base his article on a lot more evidence that came available a long time after the war. Conclusion From studying these sources on recruitment and conscription, politics and the war effort, role of women and changing standards, attitudes and beliefs it can be seen that the war had a massive impact on all sections of society. These changes were sometimes better, financial and Health wise. However as can be seen from Recruitment and conscription, the men had to sign up and a lot were being killed The First World War acted as a catalyst to a change in society. People who had experienced war first hand had their lives change dramatically, however those who were at home e. g. women and children, also experienced fundamental change in many aspects of their lives.

Elements of packaging Essay Example for Free

Elements of packaging Essay There are six components of packaging which consumer was asked to rank according to his preferences. Consumers have ranked the most preferred components by 1 and least preferred by 6. The data analysis for this ranking has been done by calculating the total of the response in each category. The least total will be the highly preferred attributes because it would have received first ranking more than any other. One the basis of the same we can see Colour is a component that received maximum of first rank (20), second rank (19) and third rank (13) and hence its total is least. Whereas Text is the least preferred attribute as it has received six rank 30 times and its total is maximum of all the attributes. The second attractive components for respondents were graphics followed by shape, size and material. Figure III. 11: Elements of Packaging When the preference ranking of the components of packaging was compared on the basis of gender an interesting fact came into the picture. For both the categories of respondents the preferred factor was Colour. But the following factor has been different in each case. Female on one hand preferred graphics after Colour on the other hand male preferred shape after Colour. The third preferred elements for male respondents are graphics whereas for female respondents it is packaging material. Size of the package is the fourth preferred element for female respondents while for male it is material. At last text is the element least preferred by both the gender groups. Figure III. 12: Elements of Packaging (Gender Specific) Elements of Packaging (Ethnic Background Specific). For respondents from Asian background Colour is the most important aspect of the packaging followed by shape, material, graphics, size and text respectively. Figure III. 13: Elements of Packaging (Asian) As one can see in Figure III. 14, Colour is the most important aspect for White community for packaging. Next to Colour is the graphics or images. Material of the material comes third in the preference list, followed by size, shape and text. Figure III. 14: Elements of Packaging (White) For the Black African community graphic, size and material are equally important and preferred. These are followed by Colour, shape and text of the packaging. Figure III. 15: Elements of Packaging (Black African) Respondents of Black others community feel that shape is the most important aspect of packaging followed by Colour. Graphics and size is equally important after Colour, followed by material of packaging. Text is least important component. Figure III. 16: Elements of Packaging (Black Other) Others prefer Colours most from all the aspects of packaging. It is followed by size. Shape and graphics are equally important after size o the packaging. Text is least important while material is fifth in the row. Figure III. 17: Elements of Packaging (Others) Elements of Packaging (Rank Specific) This section compares the elements o packaging and ethnic background on the basis of ranking. As seen below, colour has been ranked first by majority of Asian and White community people. Difference among various ethnic group and their preferences is evident here. Figure III. 18: Elements of Packaging (Rank 1) Asian marked shape as second on their ranking while variance within white community for this rank can be seen from the graph. Figure III. 19: Elements of Packaging (Rank 2) For rank three size has been the preferred element for Asian community where as for white it was colour graphics and size equally important. Figure III. 20: Elements of Packaging (Rank 3) Majority of respondents from White community ranked shape on fourth preferred element. Differences among various ethnic groups are evident in the figure below. Figure III. 21: Elements of Packaging (Rank 4) Text and Material are the element of packaging which were ranked fifth by majority of respondents followed by size and shape. Figure III. 22: Elements of Packaging (Rank 5) Text has been the least preferred element of packaging by most of the ethnic background. Figure III. 23: Elements of Packaging (Rank 6) I. i. Qualitative Research Qualitative research was based on the interview conducted by the researcher to the employee of Mark Spencers Ms. Trudi Barnes, who works as a packaging developer. I. i. a. Interviewing procedure The interview was based on structured questionnaire with majority of open ended question allowing the respondent think and respond on each and every question. The interview was scheduled on the post lunch hour as the crowd in the store is least during this period. Researcher noted down each and every response of the respondent with the help of pen and paper. Interview took approximately 45 minutes to complete. Respondent has been very cooperative for the interview session. It started with the general introduction about the research, its aims and objectives. The respondent has been told about her rights to withdraw from the interview if she feels uncomfortable in any way. She has been clarified that this data will be used for this particular study only and if in any case it is being utilized for any other purpose she would be informed and her consent would be taken for that. I. i. b. Interview questions The packaging developer’s job is to find out and understand the packaging requirement from the buyer and brief the internal design studio about the same. She has been converting the client specifications to the design specification and working as a link between the consumer and designer of the organization. Design studio looks at all the criteria of de3signing from the customer needs to the art work complications, design set and corporate guidelines. The packaging Developer than gets the designs from them and ensures that the packaging is appropriate for the product from technological point of view and pass it to the printer which actually prints it. As respondent states, â€Å"It’s the suppliers who pay for the packaging and we just set the design for them. † For the respondent her job is quite interesting. Her area is mainly the Menswear its accessories Footwear and Kids wear its accessories. Accessories like hats, cufflinks, watches hankies. The Colour and design is decided only by the design studio. In the month of February itself she was about to brief the autumn packaging out of which some will go into Christmas corporate design. She states â€Å"It’s the design Studio which does the research before making decision. It goes worldwide to find out the trends develop a design. † Her statement â€Å"I dont know exactly why the Colour of MS bags was changed to purple this Christmas where as last Christmas it was red. Colour palette for an occasion is picking out Colour for carrier bags the store deco. But my packaging was in Red with White Snow Flakes on it. It was also decided by the design studio (red background). † Indicates that design studio works independently without interference of any other department including her as even she is not involve in major changes done with the designs of packaging. She provides inputs to the design studio on which they work as her statement â€Å"When I put in the briefing then the design studio develop the look for Menswear/women swear but they both are treated differently as the menswear is more masculine women’s wear in more feminine. It is similar Colours but with slight difference. When asked whether or not packaging influence consumers she immediately responded â€Å"Packaging does influence customers. † She further elaborated that â€Å"They (consumers) have always challenged us to be clearer on our swing tickets. We got shout that our Natural material and fabric should shout the benefits. (Complaints like product benefits should be clear should provide all product related information)† She talked more about swing tickets which are the little card hanging of the garment. According to her it is important that the customer should get the right information about the product. She explains that impulse purchase will be different in different areas of retail organization. In her area Hankies are one of the impulse purchase made by the customers since it is quite traditional gift. She explains further â€Å"believe or not lots of hankies are sold during Christmas time. Eg: 2 packs are launched for Fathers Day. I am launching Card dispensers which will be full of hankies. We start with outstanding value hankies then the novelty new designs are coming out as well. † when asked about relationship between festivals and their products she responded â€Å"I am not too clear with the question regarding the relationship between festivals our products all right so products like cufflinks in Menswear will be in red pink or even a heart shape during Valentines. † According to her gifts are divided into various segments like corporate and personal apart from the routine segments like men’s women’s and so on. â€Å"Display box corporate design promotions are going on in the store deco. Pink Red is the Colour for these valentines especially on foods a lot many things are there. † She responded on the importance of graphics and Colours that each of these factors is equally important. According to her, â€Å"Both Colour graphics are equally important. Gift items which are put into boxes are there in Menswearso I think probably its the design/graphics that attract the customer the most the customer feels yeah I could buy this. it puts a gift idea into the customers mind. † According to the respondent success can be attached to the packaging of the product but not the failure as failure of any product will be due to product itself not its packaging. Success or failure of a product is obviously measured by the sales. Organization put constant effort to understand the reasons of drop in the sales and looks look at everything the product, packaging and what its saying on the packaging. We plan constantly. During the festival season organization focuses on various product categories on which sales is expected. Menswear mainly focus on Christmas, Valentines and the major one is the Fathers Day. Respondent agrees to the changes in Colour used for packaging during special occasions. For instance on Fathers Day the Colour is changed but she doesn’t control the decision of the Colour. It’s the design studio. Design studios show us some scenes but they do the research from design trends.

Training And Development Programme For Coca Cola Commerce Essay

Training And Development Programme For Coca Cola Commerce Essay The purpose of this task is to analyze the main Training and Development issues experienced by Coca Cola and to give them possible solutions and best methods to resolve those issues. (Coca Cola, 2010)Furthermore is how Training and Development is used to identify the reliability of the workers to perform more effectively which enhances the businesss performance. Coco Cola has hired Valmax Consultancy which is a permanent and temporary agreement recruiting consultancy which provides recruiting solutions, seeking and offering quality team and offering the workers training to perform in a company. Current strategy and Organizations goal The company has been in continuous efforts to be one of best from the day it started. The company would never want to settle anything less than No1 position, the vision as per Coca Cola is to be the best in the class, just not to fulfill but to exceed the demands of consumers. They are moving with 2020 plan where they look to become world leaders.   The US generates 40% of TCCCs operating revenues. (Coca Cola, 2012) Internal context Coca Cola is a famous product that has been regarded as a living symbol of Joy, Youth and Prosperity. Since its beginning in 1886 Coca Cola has obtained momentum making it a worldwide identified product with a profile of more than 3000 beverages. Coca Cola has led the beverages industry growing to other marketplaces accomplishing an oligopoly position with an enormous business creating them the world innovator for carbonate drinks. (Coca Cola, 2010) External context Coca Cola has been working on the saying slow and steady wins the race, side by side retailing to every more of its competitors. With the evolution of being one of the top brands, it is always difficult to sustain with the competitors. Various brands that give tough competition to Coca Cola like PepsiCo,inc. Nestle S.A etc., manufacturing soft drinks and also various other products that makes the competition tough. 200 countries and more than 500 products do have a huge competition to face. (Coca Cola, 2012) Training and Development Vision The training strategies in Coca Cola focus on bridging the gap between the organization needs with the consumer needs. The target is to produce quality of labor with various educational, technical and analytical skills among employees. The perspective of Coca Cola is to enhance its training and development in way which does not affect the creativity of the workers, and therefore allows it to create an advantage for the company. (Emerald, 2011) Training need analysis Training need analysis is about identifying the training gap between your actual or current performance and your required standards. For Example If you need to go to A to B you must know what is A and what is B. Valmax Consultancy has identified the required performance standards of Coca Cola i.e. what skills, knowledge and behaviors are needed to do the job effectively for the workers through which employees can do their work differently and in a better way to fulfill the objectives of the company. Organizational component Coca Cola needs to make sure that the strategic needs of the company are taken into account. The business training needs are especially arranged to make sure that the company can benefit from the performance enhancement of the workers. (Emerald, 2011) Operational component In the needs evaluation a functional research looks to analyze the objectives of the company (short-term and long-term), and the styles that are likely to impact these objectives. Coca Cola needs to make sure that the potency of the company can enhance to be able to improve the functional efficiency. (CIPD, 2012) Personal component This analysis obliviously targets individual workers. A very critical facet of individual research is to decide which necessary KSAs have already been discovered by the potential trainees so that valuable training time is not lost repeating what has already been obtained. (Blanchard and Thacker, 2010) 7S McKinsey framework (Please refer Appendix 3) Best Practice Training Methodology Among the various methods, the company uses techniques like Training on wheels an initiative that provided relevant sales managers or staff for retail chain. (Henry, 2008) Training and Learning Theories Social learning theory According to Albert Bandura, the Social learning theory has become the most influential theory of learning and development. He argues that people can learn new information and behavior by watching other people i.e. modeling or observational learning can be used to analyze the employees behavior. (Deeming and Johnson, 2009) C:UsersNIKHILDesktopelaboration theory diagram.jpgSource Google image 2012 Social learning theory is also the rationale behind using specific training methods for Coca-Cola. A modeling process will be involved in the training program in which employees will be able to learn through the observations. This will be done while having the role plays and workshops to make the social learning successful. Certain requirements and steps will be followed which are as follows: Attention The employees need to pay attention to avoid the negative effect of observational learning. Retention They must keep the given information in their mind so that they can use it later and act accordingly. Reproduction This time the employees will have to perform whatever they have observed. Motivation Experiencing these motivators can be highly effective. For example if a student comes in the class on time and he has been rewarded by the tutor so you can get motivation through that and start coming on time. (Blanchard and Thacker, 2010) Trends in Training When the Coca Cola started the journey towards being one the best manufacturers for soft drinks, the company did not need much of training to be conducted as the jobs were assigned with respect to the labor available (Emerald, 2011). Later the competition and the business needs did create a requirement where the employees need to be trained in technical skills, business skills and leadership skills. (Henry, 2008) Training Program structure and Design The basic structure would be like senior level management team, then the business managers, supervisors and then ground level employees. The hierarchy would mostly remain the same however; it might change with the requirement with the business needs. (Blanchard and Thacker, 2010) Leadership Training audience:  Senior level Managers, Top level Executives Training Objective:  Management will be able to evaluate modifying company surroundings and its corresponding results on company. Management will also be able to implement the new possibilities and to find alternatives for possible risks. Training method:  The business leaders have different role play to do when compared. Leaders mainly interact with clients directly or indirectly, understand the requirements of the clients and what resources they can provide for fulfillment of the contract or the business. Coaching Coaching to the business leaders have to be done with a person who have vast experience in the field and probably have seen many companies shaping up on his career. This is just to polish the skills and then provide guidance in decision making and objection handling when making and business decision or a deal. (CIPD, 2011) Conference Like the business schools meets, every big organization have their own conferences arranged at various business locations. This helps in business leaders interact with other leaders across the globe. Management Training audience: The group will have customer service managers, sales managers, design managers or line managers. Training Objective: The objective would be to understand the current skills of the managers and help them learn and understand new set of skills that matches business requirements.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Training method:  Role play is something like wearing someone else shoes to understand the depth of the job. This is very much like an actor trying to play a role in a skit. She/he has to shape according to the requirement of the character. E- Learning: E-learning technology is like bringing world in front of our eyes. This is one of solution for organization to reduce the time for trainings and have employees go through different phases of training by sitting at desk with a computer or in a conference with co-managers. (Jethro, Grace and Thomas, 2012) Technical Training audience: The target crowd would be like assistant managers, middle level supervisors and co-workers Training Objective: Objective behind this would be to train the employees to be more efficient in technical skills and with the latest technology. The global leaders would want new innovations to come through that would improve the business strength. Training method: Guided discussion and storytelling: This would be more a practical way of leaning the things rather than just be a theoretical way of training that takes through various slides or modules. This helps the employees to come out with the new ideas that can be implemented for business needs. Trainings can be held in a closed environment like a meeting hall or we can build training rooms in the office premises that could accommodate a group of people with latest equipment. Coca colas and organization have professional training rooms with all infrastructures that can provide complete assistance in training. Benefits of Training and Development Thereby, training and development is beneficial not just for the company itself but also to the individual workers. Here, training and development leads to improved success and more positive behavior toward profit alignment, enhance the job abilities and knowledge at all levels of Coca Cola. On the other hand, this training and development program benefits personal workers through helping them make better choices, helping in motivating and achieving self-development and self-confidence, helping an employee to handle stress, disappointment and moving the individual toward personal objectives. (Blanchard and Thacker, 2010) Learning Outcomes The greatest aim of this training technique is to create and enhance a lifestyle of company learning at Coca-Cola. It helps to build a future living in the present and working together toward the dreams. E-Learnings and job training benefits to build leaders among the co-workers. Additional resources are available for the management and can use them when required. 50% of the investment cost in training the employee after being assigned to a role would reduce. This would be most cost effective and efficient methods. Risk management Risk management is one of the aspects which cannot be prevented in training strategy. A number of threats are associated with creating this training strategy for Coca Cola. One of the key threats is the workers level of ability to resist change. This can cause level of resistance from employees, as well as the growth of anger among employees (CIPD, 2012).The way to decrease this particular danger is to make sure that an employee participation approach is used, which can decrease the concerns of the employees, while also helping the advancement within the worker. (CIPD, 2012) Evaluation of the Training Evaluation is the last level of the training process which helps the company to evaluate the effectiveness of the training program (CIPD, 2012). Kirkpatricks model of evaluation includes four levels of evaluation which can be used to evaluate the potency of the training of Coca Cola. (Please refer Appendix 2) Reaction will be determined as what the members thought of the system, such as material, trainers, features, technique, content, etc. Responses on reaction set of questions will help to ensure against choices based on content of unhappy participants. (Omar, 2009) (Please refer Appendix 1) Learning assessment involves calculating the level to which concepts, information, techniques, and abilities have been obtained. There are many different actions of learning, such as paper-and-pencil assessments, expertise methods, and job models. (Iqbal, Maharvi, Malik and Khan, 2011). Behavioral change will be calculated to determine the level to which abilities and knowledge discovered in the system have converted into enhanced behavior on the job. Evaluation of results includes tracking business enhancement such as cost benefits, work outcome and quality changes. (Kirkpatrick, and Kirkpatrick, 2010) Conclusion This training technique is designed with organizational objectives and perspective of Coca-Cola and also the present difficulties they are experiencing. At Coca Cola, we create it a concern to cure their individuals well, help them create and provide them a fulfilling operating life. By offering training and development program, role plays, coaching and feedback, we make sure that everyone who performs in Coca Cola has the sources they need to understand more and develop their professions. And also to have some fun along the way we want CocaCola to be a good place to work where individuals are motivated to be the best they can be. References Blanchard .P and Thacker .J, 2010. Effective training: Systems, strategies and best practices, 4th ed. New Jersey: Pearson CIPD, 2011. The coaching climate [online] Available at: http://www.cipd.co.uk/binaries/Coaching%20climate%202011.pdf [Accessed 21st November 2012] CIPD, 2012. Evaluating learning and talent development [online] Available at: http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/factsheets/evaluating-learning-talent-development.aspx [Accessed 22nd November2012] Coca-Cola, 2010. Annual Review: Business Profile [pdf] Available at http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/ourcompany/ar/pdf/TCCC_2010_Annual_Review_Business_Profile.pdf [Accessed 21st November2012] Coca-Cola, 2012. Coca-Cola, Ford Motor Company, H.J. Heinz Company, NIKE, Inc. and Procter Gamble today announced the formation of the Plant PET Technology Collaborative (PTC) [online] Available at: http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/dynamic/press_center/2012/06/pet-collaborative.html [Accessed 21st November 2012] Deeming .P and Johnson .L, 2009. An application of banduras social learning theory: a new approach to deafblind support groups, Journal of the American Deafness Rehabilitation Association (JADARA), Available through: Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, [Accessed 22nd November 2012] Emerald, 2011. Interview with Robin Gee, Head of Employee Engagement for Coca-Cola Refreshments, Development and Learning in Organizations, 25 (3) Available through: Emerald Insight [Accessed 21st November 2012] Jethro .O, Grace .A and Thomas .A, 2012. E-Learning and Its Effects on Teaching and Learning in a Global Age, International Journal Of Academic Research In Business Social Sciences, 2(1), Available at: Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, [Accessed 22nd November 2012] Iqbal .M, Maharvi .M, Malik .S and Khan .M, 2011. An Empirical Analysis of the Relationship between Characteristics and Formative Evaluation of Training, International Business Research, 4(1), Available through: Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost. [Accessed 22nd November 2012] McKinsey Quarterly, 2008. Making talent a strategic priority: The War for Talent never ended. Executives must constantly rethink the way their companies plan to attract, motivate, and retain employees. [online] Available at: https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Making_talent_a_strategic_priority_2092 [Accessed 21st November 2012] Omar .M, 2009. Training evaluation: a case study of training Iranian health managers. Human resources for health 7(1) Available at: Directory of open access journals [Accessed 22nd November 2012] Henry, A., 2008, Understanding strategic management, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Kirkpatrick, D. L. and Kirkpatrick, J. D., 2010, Evaluating training programmes, 3rd ed., Accessible Publishing Systems.

Animation :: essays research papers

Animation: Where it came from and where will it be Animation in the past fifty years has taken large steps in improvements to what it is today. It has changed in many ways from techniques to their usage in entertainment. It has opened opportunities for new employment in companies. It has allowed us to see things we could only imagine. It has also changed the way of life. To animate, according to the New World Webster Dictionary, is to make something alive or to give it motion. An animator according to ?Animators? from ?Chronicle Guidance Publications? is: ?animators create moving illustrations for motion pictures, television, direct-to-video commercials interactive video games, and the Internet. Create a series of sequential drawings of characters of other subjects, which when photographed and projected at specific speeds become animated.? (?Animators? np) Animation's history can go back all the way to three thousand years ago in Eastern Asia with shadow puppets. In that place and time, it was one of the more popular forms of entertainment. In the past one hundred and fifty years there were devices called zoetropes that were wheels with pictures inside them with little slits dividing the pictures. The person would then spin the wheel, and if they were to look through the slits they could see the pictures moving, like a little never ending cartoon. A man named Winsor McCay created one of the first lengthy cartoons. He experimented with a cartoon called "Gertie the Dinosaur." In this cartoon he and his neighbor had to draw all the pictures themselves. Making it even harder to do is that he had to draw the background repeatedly again instead of using the cel animating method (?A Brief History of Gertie the Dinosaur? 1). This cartoon came about 80 years before the movie Jurassic Park. Then after about ten to fifteen years, because it took much time and money to make an animated picture, others started to arise. Favorites were Felix the Cat ("Concise History of Animation"np), Mickey Mouse, and later Loony Toons ("Chuck Jones History" np). Nevertheless, probably the big star back then was Felix the Cat created by Otto Messmer ("Concise History of Animation"np). With the help increased of technology and just plain modern ingenuity animation has evolved into a highly technological tool to bring life on a screen. In this world there are many ways of creating animation such as key framing, cel animating, and rotas coping.