Corporate Social Responsibility in Tesco Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Corporate Social Responsibility in Tesco - Essay Example As the paper highlights the stakeholder’s theory is common in the corporate social responsibility and Tesco has indicated development based on its environmental and social welfare. The corporate structure of Tesco as reflected on the responsibilities of corporate social responsibilities. The long-term goals and development of the company are outlined. In Hunnicutt, the stakeholder’s theory focuses on the development of valuable resources for the customers so that the corporation can gain their loyalty.This study outlines that according to the stakeholder’s theory, Tesco has managed its corporate social responsibilities; this has resulted to successful incorporation and the execution of its issues. The structure of Tesco has enabled it to implement diverse ethical aspects and formulating new strategies for CSR, Crifo and Ponssard. The stakeholder theory indicates that the major responsibility of businesses is to develop value for the consumers. This means that the CRS has the initiative of emphasizing on the company’s commitment to its stakeholders who are the employees who in return educate its consumers.  Tesco is committed to corporate responsibility and it has been renowned as the leading retail company in the United Kingdom. The Tesco stores sever diverse communities in the entire country and through the interaction; they manage to fulfill its duties as a business, employer, and neighbor. The customers usually expect the company to produce more local products.  

Effects of Global Warming on Animals Essay Example for Free

Effects of Global Warming on Animals Essay In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has initiated various environmental campaigns to gradually resolve the increasing impacts of climate change towards the environment (Silverstein et. al. , 2003 p. 5). The public’s increased attention to such problem is not anymore surprising as it threatens every creature with potentially devastating consequences. However, the subjects of animal health have received lesser attention compared to the economic, industrial and social impacts of climatic changes brought by global warming (Sherman, 2002 p. 204). According to Root, Price and Hall et al. (2003), the primary concern of ecologists is the rapid increase of climatic change consistently altering the natural ecology of wildlife in various ecosystems. Based on the annual measurement of atmospheric carbon dioxide (ACO) concentrations, two major signals depicting dramatic ecological patterns have been observed, namely (1) â€Å"seasonal cycle that reflects the metabolism of terrestrial ecosystems in the northern hemisphere†, and (2) â€Å"accelerating increase in tropospheric concentrations of ACO since 1957† (Vitousek, 1994). As supported by various studies (Root, Price and Hall et al. , 2003; Vitousek, 1994; Tylianakis, Didham and Bascompte et al. , 2008), global warming effects, namely (1) increases in temperature, (2) alteration of food chains, and (3) atmospheric gas imbalances, dramatically affect the conditions of animal kingdom. II. Literature Review a. Global Warming: Ecological Imbalance The basic principle of global warming consists of the accumulation of radiation energy from the sun resulting to the warming of the planet’s surface (Houghton, 2004 p. 14). Based on 688 published studies on global warming, the three major environmental impacts affecting the ecological systems of animals and plants are (1) temperature changes, (2) alterations of animal symbiotic relationships, and (3) imbalances in the atmospheric gases (Tylianakis, Didham and Bascompte et al. , 2008). Based on the study of Root, Price and Hall et al. (2003), global temperature has increased to approximately 0. 6 degree C since 1880s, and projected to increase consistently with the coming generations. The continuous alterations of climate may be due to the three following reasons: (1) sunspot cycles, (2) volcanic eruptions producing large quantities of fine ash in the air, and (3) the occurrence of El Nino Southern Oscillation (Gupta, 1998 p. 86). In the literary reviews of Root, Price and Hall et al. (2003) using 143 different studies, majority of the studies reveal the endangering situations of approximately 80% of species that are now gradually adjusting to various ecosystems due to the physiological constraints brought by ecologic changes. In fact, according to the study of Thomas, Cameron and Green et al. (2004), animal habitats and survival expectations have been altered by the effects of global warming increasing the projected extinction risks to approximately 20% among the sample ecosystems, namely Queensland, Mexico, South Africa, Amazonia and Europe. b. Increases in Temperature With the advent of modernization, auto engines, power plants, industrial mills, and residential heating systems burn coal, oil, or natural gas accounting to 98% of the carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere, while the other 2% id due to the increased deforestation and mining (Tomera, 2001 p. 113). According to Root, Price and Hall et al. (2003), rapid temperature increases and ecological stresses brought by the alterations of ecosystems are disrupting the natural communities of various species, which lead to forced adaptations of species, numerous extirpations and possible extinctions. As supported by the study of Pounds, Bustamante and Coloma et al. (2006), one example of massive animal extinctions occurred in the mountains of Costa Rica wiping 67% of the various 110 species of Atelopus, such as harlequin frog (Atelopus Sp. ) and golden toad (bufo periglenes) and pathogenic chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis), which are endemic to American tropical habitats. In a study conducted by Penuelas, Fillela and Comast (2002), life cycles in a Mediterranean environment (Cardedeu, NE Spain) has been observed from 1952 to 2000 in order to determine possible alterations in the ecosystems and increasing climate changes. With the temperature increase amounting to ? 1. 4 degree C (1952 to 2000), results reveal significant phonological alterations among the different species of animals (e. g. spring migratory birds arriving 15 days later in 2000 compared 1952, etc. ). Noting the mentioned temperature increase in the latter study, Hanson, Sato and Ruedy (2006) suggest that a relative increase of ? 1 degree C is likely to affect the sea levels and exterminate various species. c. Symbiotic Relationships: Predisposing Species Extinction Temperature, climate, and gas imbalances are the leading global warming effects altering the different levels of ecologic symbiosis. The rise of global temperature affects the geographical distribution of ectothermic animals, decomposers and mostly those with lesser thermal tolerance (Portner, 2001). For example, thermally intolerant metazoans and other decomposers have markedly shown increase mitochondrial oxygen demand parallel to the rise of temperature, which resulted to the reduction of their population (Portner, 2001). Using species-area and endemic-area relationships, Malcolm, Liu and Neilson et al. (2006) have identified the projected percent extinctions of sample biodiversities (Cape Floristic Region, Caribbean, Indo-Burma, Australia, and Tropical Andes, etc.) ranging from 1 to 43% of the endemic biota (averaging to 11. 6%). Various etiologies derived from disrupted ecological symbiosis explain these projections. Most commonly, the imbalance atmospheric gases and high temperature result to the increased growth of plants with insufficient nutrition brought by low organic property of soil (Kirschbaum, 1995). With the low-nutrient composts, decomposers may gradually decrease disrupting the normal ecosystem-level cycling (Vitousek, 1994). In addition to decomposer disruptions, the study of Kirschbaum (1995) has suggested a marked loss of over 10% of organic soil for every 1 degree C increase in temperature due to the dramatic destruction of temperature-sensitive organic decomposers in different regions globally. These data implies that the increasing trend of temperature rise and gaseous imbalances can dramatically contribute to the extinction of different species.

Motivational Theories :: essays research papers

At the Squishy Tushy Designer Diaper Company, our motto is â€Å"Fashion isn’t just for big people anymore† We carry the latest designs in disposable diaper fashion. Our diapers make a statement with a variety of stylish colors and fashionable fits. We carry low rise, tight fit, hip hugger and our best selling baggy fit. These days we understand that fashion can change in a second and we want you to be prepared. When you show up to that play date and see that you are out of fashion, simply use our patented quick release system to rip that diaper off and throw on the latest design. And for those long trips our five gallon capacity model is guaranteed to get you there. Our organization understands the importance of efficiency and teamwork. We recently hired a corporate psychologist that has infiltrated our departments one by one and returned with suggestions. Each group of employees was examined for ways that the company could motivate them to be more efficient and productive. We will discuss the theories that we feel apply to each department and explain why we think we have a plan for success. We have formulated our plan for the sales team based upon Victor Vroom’s expectancy theory. In his theory, there are a few key factors to achieve our desirable out come. He believes a person is motivated to a degree in which he or she believes with effort they can achieve their performance. This is known as the expectancy factor of the theory. Then if they will achieve this level of performance, they will be rewarded. This factor of the theory is called, Motivational Theories 3 Instrumentality. Finally, in the theory the value of the reward must meet the needs and expectation of the individual. Valence is the value attached to this reward. The task that we have assigned to our trained, talented sales team is to promote the designer diaper not just to the local grocery stores but to department stores such as baby gap. They will call and find locations where they can promote our designer diaper. Our sales team will constantly find new vendors to sell our product. They will also establish and maintain relationships with the vendors to ensure quality customer service is given. They will handle all complaints and give quick and easy solutions to these issues. They will visit various store to  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   enhance our display of the designer diapers.

Countrywide Financial

Countrywide Financial: The Subprime Meltdown Course:| MAN3065| | Team or Group #:| 8| Date submitted:| 02/27/13| Reference#:| 726077| | Term:| 2012-2| | Days:| M & W| | Time:| 7:05pm – 8:20pm| | Prof: | Hoa N. Burrows, CPA| Countrywide Financial: The Subprime Meltdown Questions: 1. Are subprime loans an unethical financial instrument, or are they ethical tools that were misused? We believed subprime loans are ethical tools that were misused.Subprime loans involve â€Å"lending to borrowers, generally people who would not qualify for traditional loans, at a rate higher than the prime rate† (Ferrell et al 385) meaning that it is a financial instrument in which borrowers benefit from accessing capital that otherwise would have been denied to them, and financial institutions benefit from charging a higher interest. What made subprime loans so attractive was the fact that it enabled low-income individuals and minorities (no qualifies for regular loans) to have access to home ownership.In the right hands, in the right time, a subprime loan could signify an important tool for different minorities to improve the quality of their lives by obtaining financing for more than just home mortgages but also school tuition, for example (Iacono). However, as the Countrywide Financial case illustrates, there is wide misuse of this tool by institutions that engage in indiscriminate lending for the sake of short-term profits at the risk of major financial downturn, as in the 2008-2009 financial crisis. Ferrell et al 388) Moreover, while lending money to low-income and minority families justifies a higher interest rate due to the risk of debt default, lending money to families that would very unlikely be in the capacity to fully repay their mortgage is a threat to both the financial institution – who would had lost the invested money – and the borrowers who would be forced to face foreclosure; but even more threatening were the endless securities backed on these subprime loans, whose real risk were only known by Countrywide Financial.By deciding to lend money indiscriminately, this company ended up misusing a financial instrument that would have otherwise brought on progress for its customers and the company itself. 2. Discuss the ethical issues that caused the downfall of Countrywide Financial Different ethical issues caused the downfall of Countrywide Financial including unethical actions of both the company and the borrowers. Firstly, Countrywide Financial misused the adjustable rate mortgage (ARM): Borrowers were told that they would not get negatively affected with an increasing interest rate as the value of their property would increase accordingly.Nonetheless, when the recession came many of these borrowers discovered they were unable to pay. (Ferrell et al 386). Secondly, between many of the accusations against Countrywide, two of the main ones were that â€Å"real estate appraisers began to inflate the value of homes to ens ure that loans would go through. † (Ferrell et al 387), and that they had a special VIP discount mortgage programs for high-end well qualified individuals who had no need for discounts, called â€Å"Friends of Angelo†, Angelo Mozilo’s – Countrywide Financial CEO -friends including Senator Charles E. Schumer and Representative Henry A.Waxman. (Ferrell et al 390) Fourthly, Countrywide Financial was negligent in knowingly â€Å"giving out highly risky loans to people who could not afford them for the sake of quick profit† (Ferrell et al 389) which also brought out the question of whether the company was also involved in predatory lending – misleading its borrowers. (Ferrell et al 389) On the other hand, borrower’s actions were also unethical as it was proven they were dishonest in their loan applications: â€Å"90% of liar loan applicants knowingly overstated their income, with three out of five overstating it by at least 50%. However th is fact only seems to prove that Countrywide was helping borrowers falsifying information in order to secure the loan. (Ferrell et al 389) 3. How should Bank of America deal with potential ethical and legal misconduct discovered at Countrywide Having acquired Countrywide Financial’s debt and bad reputation, Bank of America should focus on disconnecting itself from previous affiliates that were a part of the former company during their financial meltdown, such as ex CEO Angelo Mozilo, ex COO David Sambol, and ex CFO Sieracki (Ferrell et al 392).In addition to this they should make sure that the required information is being promptly provided to pertaining authorities. Moreover, Bank of America should ensure that a proper risk management policy is set up, continuing as well with programs to ease loan terms and prevent borrowers from losing their homes, such as the Countrywide Comprehensive Home Preservation Program which helped consumers refinance their debt. Ferrell et al 388) In conclusion, Bank of America should continue with their current actions whilst making sure the authorities are getting the information necessary to reach the bottom of what really happened at Countrywide Financial, and thus prevent this situation from ever happening again. . Works Cited Ferrell, O. C. , John Fraedrich and Linda Ferrell. Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases. Mason: South-Western, 2011. Iacono, Tim. â€Å"Iacono Research†. One-Third of Student Loans Are Subprime Loans. 04 02 2013. 22 02 2013 .

Black House Chapter Fourteen

14 AT THE TOP of the steep hill between Norway Valley and Arden, the zigzag, hairpin turns of Highway 93, now narrowed to two lanes, straighten out for the long, ski-slope descent into the town, and on the eastern side of the highway, the hilltop widens into a grassy plateau. Two weatherbeaten red picnic tables wait for those who choose to stop for a few minutes and appreciate the spectacular view. A patchwork of quilted farms stretches out over fifteen miles of gentle landscape, not quite flat, threaded with streams and country roads. A solid row of bumpy, blue-green hills form the horizon. In the immense sky, sun-washed white clouds hang like fresh laundry. Fred Marshall steers his Ford Explorer onto the gravel shoulder, comes to a halt, and says, â€Å"Let me show you something.† When he climbed into the Explorer at his farmhouse, Jack was carrying a slightly worn black leather briefcase, and the case is now lying flat across his knees. Jack's father's initials, P.S.S., for Philip Stevenson Sawyer, are stamped in gold beside the handle at the top of the case. Fred has glanced curiously at the briefcase a couple of times, but has not asked about it, and Jack has volunteered nothing. There will be time for show-and-tell, Jack thinks, after he talks to Judy Marshall. Fred gets out of the car, and Jack slides his father's old briefcase behind his legs and props it against the seat before he follows the other man across the pliant grass. When they reach the first of the picnic tables, Fred gestures toward the landscape. â€Å"We don't have a lot of what you could call tourist attractions around here, but this is pretty good, isn't it?† â€Å"It's very beautiful,† Jack says. â€Å"But I think everything here is beautiful.† â€Å"Judy really likes this view. Whenever we go over to Arden on a decent day, she has to stop here and get out of the car, relax and look around for a while. You know, sort of store up on the important things before getting back into the grind. Me, sometimes I get impatient and think, Come on, you've seen that view a thousand times, I have to get back to work, but I'm a guy, right? So every time we turn in here and sit down for a few minutes, I realize my wife knows more than I do and I should just listen to what she says.† Jack smiles and sits down at the bench, waiting for the rest of it. Since picking him up, Fred Marshall has spoken only two or three sentences of gratitude, but it is clear that he has chosen this place to get something off his chest. â€Å"I went over to the hospital this morning, and she well, she's different. To look at her, to talk to her, you'd have to say she's in much better shape than yesterday. Even though she's still worried sick about Tyler, it's different. Do you think that could be due to the medication? I don't even know what they're giving her.† â€Å"Can you have a normal conversation with her?† â€Å"From time to time, yeah. For instance, this morning she was telling me about a story in yesterday's paper on a little girl from La Riviere who nearly took third place in the statewide spelling bee, except she couldn't spell this crazy word nobody ever heard of. Popoplax, or something like that.† â€Å"Opopanax,† Jack says. He sounds like he has a fishbone caught in his throat. â€Å"You saw that story, too? That's interesting, you both picking up on that word. Kind of gave her a kick. She asked the nurses to find out what it meant, and one of them looked it up in a couple of dictionaries. Couldn't find it.† Jack had found the word in his Concise Oxford Dictionary; its literal meaning was unimportant. â€Å"That's probably the definition of opopanax,† Jack says. † ‘1. A word not to be found in the dictionary. 2. A fearful mystery.' â€Å" â€Å"Hah!† Fred Marshall has been moving nervously around the lookout area, and now he stations himself beside Jack, whose upward glance finds the other man surveying the long panorama. â€Å"Maybe that is what it means.† Fred's eyes remain fixed on the landscape. He is still not quite ready, but he is making progress. â€Å"It was great to see her interested in something like that, a tiny little item in the Herald . . .† He wipes tears from his eyes and takes a step toward the horizon. When he turns around, he looks directly at Jack. â€Å"Uh, before you meet Judy, I want to tell you a few things about her. Trouble is, I don't know how this is going to sound to you. Even to me, it sounds . . . I don't know.† â€Å"Give it a try,† Jack says. Fred says, â€Å"Okay,† knits his fingers together, and bows his head. Then he looks up again, and his eyes are as vulnerable as a baby's. â€Å"Ahhh . . . I don't know how to put this. Okay, I'll just say it. With part of my brain, I think Judy knows something. Anyhow, I want to think that. On the other hand, I don't want to fool myself into believing that just because she seems to be better, she can't be crazy anymore. But I do want to believe that. Boy oh boy, do I ever.† â€Å"Believe that she knows something.† The eerie feeling aroused by opopanax diminishes before this validation of his theory. â€Å"Something that isn't even real clear to her,† Fred says. â€Å"But do you remember? She knew Ty was gone even before I told her.† He gives Jack an anguished look and steps away. He knocks his fists together and stares at the ground. Another internal barrier topples before his need to explain his dilemma. â€Å"Okay, look. This is what you have to understand about Judy. She's a special person. All right, a lot of guys would say their wives are special, but Judy's special in a special way. First of all, she's sort of amazingly beautiful, but that's not even what I'm talking about. And she's tremendously brave, but that's not it, either. It's like she's connected to something the rest of us can't even begin to understand. But can that be real? How crazy is that? Maybe when you're going crazy, at first you put up a big fight and get hysterical, and then you're too crazy to fight anymore and you get all calm and accepting. I have to talk to her doctor, because this is tearing me apart.† â€Å"What kinds of things does she say? Does she explain why she's so much calmer?† Fred Marshall's eyes burn into Jack's. â€Å"Well, for one thing, Judy seems to think that Ty is still alive, and that you're the only person who can find him.† â€Å"All right,† Jack says, unwilling to say more until after he can speak to Judy. â€Å"Tell me, does Judy ever mention someone she used to know or a cousin of hers, or an old boyfriend she thinks might have taken him?† His theory seems less convincing than it had in Henry Leyden's ultrarational, thoroughly bizarre kitchen; Fred Marshall's response weakens it further. â€Å"Not unless he's named the Crimson King, or Gorg, or Abbalah. All I can tell you is, Judy thinks she sees something, and even though it makes no sense, I sure as hell hope it's there.† A sudden vision of the world where he found a boy's Brewers cap pierces Jack Sawyer like a steel-tipped lance. â€Å"And that's where Tyler is.† â€Å"If part of me didn't think that might just possibly be true, I'd go out of my mind right here and now,† Fred says. â€Å"Unless I'm already out of my gourd.† â€Å"Let's go talk to your wife,† Jack says. From the outside, French County Lutheran Hospital resembles a nineteenth-century madhouse in the north of England: dirty red-brick walls with blackened buttresses and lancet arches, a peaked roof with finial-capped pinnacles, swollen turrets, miserly windows, and all of the long facade stippled black with ancient filth. Set within a walled parkland dense with oaks on Arden's western boundary, the enormous building, Gothic without the grandeur, looks punitive, devoid of mercy. Jack half-expects to hear the shrieking organ music from a Vincent Price movie. They pass through a narrow, peaked wooden door and enter a reassuringly familiar lobby. A bored, uniformed man at a central desk directs visitors to the elevators; stuffed animals and sprays of flowers fill the gift shop's window; bathrobed patients tethered to I.V. poles occupy randomly placed tables with their families, and other patients perch on the chairs lined against the side walls; two white-coated doctors confer in a corner. Far overhead, two dusty, ornate chandeliers distribute a soft ocher light that momentarily seems to gild the luxurious heads of the lilies arrayed in tall vases beside the entrance of the gift shop. â€Å"Wow, it sure looks better on the inside,† Jack says. â€Å"Most of it does,† Fred says. They approach the man behind the desk, and Fred says, â€Å"Ward D.† With a mild flicker of interest, the man gives them two rectangular cards stamped VISITOR and waves them through. The elevator clanks down and admits them to a wood-paneled enclosure the size of a broom closet. Fred Marshall pushes the button marked 5, and the elevator shudders upward. The same soft, golden light pervades the comically tiny interior. Ten years ago, an elevator remarkably similar to this, though situated in a grand Paris hotel, had held Jack and a UCLA art-history graduate student named Iliana Tedesco captive for two and a half hours, in the course of which Ms. Tedesco announced that their relationship had reached its final destination, thank you, despite her gratitude for what had been at least until that moment a rewarding journey together. After thinking it over, Jack decides not to trouble Fred Marshall with this information. Better behaved than its French cousin, the elevator trembles to a stop and with only a slight display of resistance slides open its door and releases Jack Sawyer and Fred Marshall to the fifth floor, where the beautiful light seems a touch darker than in both the elevator and the lobby. â€Å"Unfortunately, it's way over on the other side,† Fred tells Jack. An apparently endless corridor yawns like an exercise in perspective off to their left, and Fred points the way with his finger. They go through two big sets of double doors, past the corridor to Ward B, past two vast rooms lined with curtained cubicles, turn left again at the closed entrance to Gerontology, down a long, long hallway lined with bulletin boards, past the opening to Ward C, then take an abrupt right at the men's and women's bathrooms, pass Ambulatory Ophthalmology and Records Annex, and at last come to a corridor marked WARD D. As they proceed, the light seems progressively to darken, the walls to contract, the windows to shrink. Shadows lurk in the corridor to Ward D, and a small pool of water glimmers on the floor. â€Å"We're in the oldest part of the building now,† Fred says. â€Å"You must want to get Judy out of here as soon as possible.† â€Å"Well, sure, soon as Pat Skarda thinks she's ready. But you'll be surprised; Judy kind of likes it in here. I think it's helping. What she told me was, she feels completely safe, and the ones that can talk, some of them are extremely interesting. It's like being on a cruise, she says.† Jack laughs in surprise and disbelief, and Fred Marshall touches his shoulder and says, â€Å"Does that mean she's a lot better or a lot worse?† At the end of the corridor, they emerge directly into a good-sized room that seems to have been preserved unaltered for a hundred years. Dark brown wainscoting rises four feet from the dark brown wooden floor. Far up in the gray wall to their right, two tall, narrow windows framed like paintings admit filtered gray light. A man seated behind a polished wooden counter pushes a button that unlocks a double-sized metal door with a WARD D sign and a small window of reinforced glass. â€Å"You can go in, Mr. Marshall, but who is he?† â€Å"His name is Jack Sawyer. He's here with me.† â€Å"Is he either a relative or a medical professional?† â€Å"No, but my wife wants to see him.† â€Å"Wait here a moment.† The attendant disappears through the metal door and locks it behind him with a prisonlike clang. A minute later, the attendant reappears with a nurse whose heavy, lined face, big arms and hands, and thick legs make her look like a man in drag. She introduces herself as Jane Bond, the head nurse of Ward D, a combination of words and circumstances that irresistibly suggest at least a couple of nicknames. The nurse subjects Fred and Jack, then only Jack, to a barrage of questions before she vanishes back behind the great door. â€Å"Ward Bond,† Jack says, unable not to. â€Å"We call her Warden Bond,† says the attendant. â€Å"She's tough, but on the other hand, she's unfair.† He coughs and stares up at the high windows. â€Å"We got this orderly, calls her Double-oh Zero.† A few minutes later, Head Nurse Warden Bond, Agent OO Zero, swings open the metal door and says, â€Å"You may enter now, but pay attention to what I say.† At first, the ward resembles a huge airport hangar divided into a section with a row of padded benches, a section with round tables and plastic chairs, and a third section where two long tables are stacked with drawing paper, boxes of crayons, and watercolor sets. In the vast space, these furnishings look like dollhouse furniture. Here and there on the cement floor, painted a smooth, anonymous shade of gray, lie padded rectangular mats; twenty feet above the floor, small, barred windows punctuate the far wall, of red brick long ago given a couple of coats of white paint. In a glass enclosure to the left of the door, a nurse behind a desk looks up from a book. Far down to the right, well past the tables with art supplies, three locked metal doors open into worlds of their own. The sense of being in a hangar gradually yields to a sense of a benign but inflexible imprisonment. A low hum of voices comes from the twenty to thirty men and women scattered throughout the enormous room. Only a very few of these men and women are talking to visible companions. They pace in circles, stand frozen in place, lie curled like infants on the mats; they count on their fingers and scribble in notebooks; they twitch, yawn, weep, stare into space and into themselves. Some of them wear green hospital robes, others civilian clothes of all kinds: T-shirts and shorts, sweat suits, running outfits, ordinary shirts and slacks, jerseys and pants. No one wears a belt, and none of the shoes have laces. Two muscular men with close-cropped hair and in brilliant white T-shirts sit at one of the round tables with the air of patient watchdogs. Jack tries to locate Judy Marshall, but he cannot pick her out. â€Å"I asked for your attention, Mr. Sawyer.† â€Å"Sorry,† Jack says. â€Å"I wasn't expecting it to be so big.† â€Å"We'd better be big, Mr. Sawyer. We serve an expanding population.† She waits for an acknowledgment of her significance, and Jack nods. â€Å"Very well. I'm going to give you some basic ground rules. If you listen to what I say, your visit here will be as pleasant as possible for all of us. Don't stare at the patients, and don't be alarmed by what they say. Don't act as though you find anything they do or say unusual or distressing. Just be polite, and eventually they will leave you alone. If they ask you for things, do as you choose, within reason. But please refrain from giving them money, any sharp objects, or edibles not previously cleared by one of the physicians some medications interact adversely with certain kinds of food. At some point, an elderly woman named Es-telle Packard will probably come up to you and ask if you are her father. Answer however you like, but if you say no, she will go away disappointed, and if you say yes, you'll make her day. Do you have any questions, Mr. Sawyer?† â€Å"Where is Judy Marshall?† â€Å"She's on this side, with her back to us on the farthest bench. Can you see her, Mr. Marshall?† â€Å"I saw her right away,† Fred says. â€Å"Have there been any changes since this morning?† â€Å"Not as far as I know. Her admitting physician, Dr. Spiegleman, will be here in about half an hour, and he might have more information for you. Would you like me to take you and Mr. Sawyer to your wife, or would you prefer going by yourself ?† â€Å"We'll be fine,† Fred Marshall says. â€Å"How long can we stay?† â€Å"I'm giving you fifteen minutes, twenty max. Judy is still in the eval stage, and I want to keep her stress level at a minimum. She looks pretty peaceful now, but she's also deeply disconnected and, quite frankly, delusional. I wouldn't be surprised by another hysterical episode, and we don't want to prolong her evaluation period by introducing new medication at this point, do we? So please, Mr. Marshall, keep the conversation stress-free, light, and positive.† â€Å"You think she's delusional?† Nurse Bond smiles pityingly. â€Å"In all likelihood, Mr. Marshall, your wife has been delusional for years. Oh, she's managed to keep it hidden, but ideations like hers don't spring up overnight, no no. These things take years to construct, and all the time the person can appear to be a normally functioning human being. Then something triggers the psychosis into full-blown expression. In this case, of course, it was your son's disappearance. By the way, I want to extend my sympathies to you at this time. What a terrible thing to have happened.† â€Å"Yes, it was,† says Fred Marshall. â€Å"But Judy started acting strange even before . . .† â€Å"Same thing, I'm afraid. She needed to be comforted, and her delusions her delusional world came into plain view, because that world provided exactly the comfort she needed. You must have heard some of it this morning, Mr. Marshall. Did your wife mention anything about going to other worlds?† â€Å"Going to other worlds?† Jack asks, startled. â€Å"A fairly typical schizophrenic ideation,† Nurse Bond says. â€Å"More than half the people on this ward have similar fantasies.† â€Å"You think my wife is schizophrenic?† Nurse Bond looks past Fred to take a comprehensive inventory of the patients in her domain. â€Å"I'm not a psychiatrist, Mr. Marshall, but I have had twenty long years of experience in dealing with the mentally ill. On the basis of that experience, I have to tell you, in my opinion your wife manifests the classic symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia. I wish I had better news for you.† She glances back at Fred Marshall. â€Å"Of course, Dr. Spiegleman will make the final diagnosis, and he will be able to answer all your questions, explain your treatment options, and so forth.† The smile she gives Jack seems to congeal the moment it appears. â€Å"I always tell my new visitors it's tougher on the family than it is on the patient. Some of these people, they don't have a care in the world. Really, you almost have to envy them.† â€Å"Sure,† Jack says. â€Å"Who wouldn't?† â€Å"Go on, then,† she says, with a trace of peevishness. â€Å"Enjoy your visit.† A number of heads turn as they walk slowly across the dusty wooden floor to the nearest row of benches; many pairs of eyes track their progress. Curiosity, indifference, confusion, suspicion, pleasure, and an impersonal anger show in the pallid faces. To Jack, it seems as though every patient on the ward is inching toward them. A flabby middle-aged man in a bathrobe has begun to cut through the tables, looking as though he fears missing his bus to work. At the end of the nearest bench, a thin old woman with streaming white hair stands up and beseeches Jack with her eyes. Her clasped, upraised hands tremble violently. Jack forces himself not to meet her eyes. When he passes her, she half-croons, half-whispers, â€Å"My ducky-wucky was behind the door, but I didn't know it, and there he was, in all that water.† â€Å"Um,† Fred says. â€Å"Judy told me her baby son drowned in the bath.† Through the side of his eye, Jack has been watching the fuzzy-haired man in the bathrobe rush toward them, openmouthed. When he and Fred reach the back of Judy Marshall's bench, the man raises one finger, as if signaling the bus to wait for him, and trots forward. Jack watches him approach; nuts to Warden Bond's advice. He's not going to let this lunatic climb all over him, no way. The upraised finger comes to within a foot of Jack's nose, and the man's murky eyes search his face. The eyes retreat; the mouth snaps shut. Instantly, the man whirls around and darts off, his robe flying, his finger still searching out its target. What was that, Jack wonders. Wrong bus? Judy Marshall has not moved. She must have heard the man rushing past her, his rapid breath when he stopped, then his flapping departure, but her back is still straight in the loose green robe, her head still faces forward at the same upright angle. She seems detached from everything around her. If her hair were washed, brushed, and combed, if she were conventionally dressed and had a suitcase beside her, she would look exactly like a woman on a bench at the train station, waiting for the hour of departure. So even before Jack sees Judy Marshall's face, before she speaks a single word, there is about her this sense of leave-taking, of journeys begun and begun again this suggestion of travel, this hint of a possible elsewhere. â€Å"I'll tell her we're here,† Fred whispers, and ducks around the end of the bench to kneel in front of his wife. The back of her head tilts forward over the erect spine as if to answer the tangled combination of heartbreak, love, and anxiety burning in her husband's handsome face. Dark blond hair mingled with gold lies flat against the girlish curve of Judy Marshall's skull. Behind her ear, dozens of varicolored strands clump together in a cobwebby knot. â€Å"How you feeling, sweetie?† Fred softly asks his wife. â€Å"I'm managing to enjoy myself,† she says. â€Å"You know, honey, I should stay here for at least a little while. The head nurse is positive I'm absolutely crazy. Isn't that convenient?† â€Å"Jack Sawyer's here. Would you like to see him?† Judy reaches out and pats his upraised knee. â€Å"Tell Mr. Sawyer to come around in front, and you sit right here beside me, Fred.† Jack is already coming forward, his eyes on Judy Marshall's once again upright head, which does not turn. Kneeling, Fred has taken her extended hand in both of his, as if he intends to kiss it. He looks like a lovelorn knight before a queen. When he presses her hand to his cheek, Jack sees the white gauze wrapped around the tips of her fingers. Judy's cheekbone comes into view, then the side of her gravely unsmiling mouth; then her entire profile is visible, as sharp as the crack of ice on the first day of spring. It is the regal, idealized profile on a cameo, or on a coin: the slight upward curve of the lips, the crisp, chiseled downstroke of the nose, the sweep of the jawline, every angle in perfect, tender, oddly familiar alignment with the whole. It staggers him, this unexpected beauty; for a fraction of a second it slows him with the deep, grainy nostalgia of its fragmentary, not-quite evocation of another's face. Grace Kelly? Catherine Deneuve? No, neither of these; it comes to him that Judy's profile reminds him of someone he has still to meet. Then the odd second passes: Fred Marshall gets to his feet, Judy's face in three-quarter profile loses its regal quality as she watches her husband sit beside her on the bench, and Jack rejects what has just occurred to him as an absurdity. She does not raise her eyes until he stands before her. Her hair is dull and messy; beneath the hospital gown she is wearing an old blue lace-trimmed nightdress that looked dowdy when it was new. Despite these disadvantages, Judy Marshall claims him for her own at the moment her eyes meet his. An electrical current beginning at his optic nerves seems to pulse downward through his body, and he helplessly concludes that she has to be the most stunningly beautiful woman he has ever seen. He fears that the force of his reaction to her will knock him off his feet, then even worse! that she will see what is going on and think him a fool. He desperately does not want to come off as a fool in her eyes. Brooke Greer, Claire Evinrude, Iliana Tedesco, gorgeous as each of them was in her own way, look like little girls in Halloween costumes next to her. Judy Marshall puts his former beloveds on the shelf; she exposes them as whims and fancies, riddled with false ego and a hundred crippling insecurities. Judy's beauty is not put on in front of a mirror but grows, with breathtaking simplicity, straight from her innermost being: what you see is only the small, visible portion of a far greater, more comprehensive, radiant, and formal quality within. Jack can scarcely believe that agreeable, good-hearted Fred Marshall actually had the fantastic luck to marry this woman. Does he know how great, how literally marvelous, she is? Jack would marry her in an instant, if she were single. It seems to him that he fell in love with her as soon as he saw the back of her head. But he cannot be in love with her. She is Fred Marshall's wife and the mother of their son, and he will simply have to live without her. She utters a short sentence that passes through him in a vibrating wave of sound. Jack bends forward muttering an apology, and Judy smilingly offers him a sweep of her hand that invites him to sit before her. He folds to the floor and crosses his ankles in front of him, still reverberating from the shock of having first seen her. Her face fills beautifully with feeling. She has seen exactly what just happened to him, and it is all right. She does not think less of him for it. Jack opens his mouth to ask a question. Although he does not know what the question is to be, he must ask it. The nature of the question is unimportant. The most idiotic query will serve; he cannot sit here staring at that wondrous face. Before he speaks, one version of reality snaps soundlessly into another, and without transition Judy Marshall becomes a tired-looking woman in her mid-thirties with tangled hair and smudges under her eyes who regards him steadily from a bench in a locked mental ward. It should seem like a restoration of his sanity, but it feels instead like a kind of trick, as though Judy Marshall has done this herself, to make their encounter easier on him. The words that escape him are as banal as he feared they might be. Jack listens to himself say that it is nice to meet her. â€Å"It's nice to meet you, too, Mr. Sawyer. I've heard so many wonderful things about you.† He looks for a sign that she acknowledges the enormity of the moment that has just passed, but he sees only her smiling warmth. Under the circumstances, that seems like acknowledgment enough. â€Å"How are you getting on in here?† he asks, and the balance shifts even more in his direction. â€Å"The company takes some getting used to, but the people here got lost and couldn't find their way back, that's all. Some of them are very intelligent. I've had conversations in here that were a lot more interesting than the ones in my church group or the PTA. Maybe I should have come to Ward D sooner! Being here has helped me learn some things.† â€Å"Like what?† â€Å"Like there are many different ways to get lost, for one, and getting lost is easier to do than anyone ever admits. The people in here can't hide how they feel, and most of them never found out how to deal with their fear.† â€Å"How are you supposed to deal with that?† â€Å"Why, you deal with it by taking it on, that's how! You don't just say, I'm lost and I don't know how to get back you keep on going in the same direction. You put one foot in front of the other until you get more lost. Everybody should know that. Especially you, Jack Sawyer.† â€Å"Especial † Before he can finish the question, an elderly woman with a lined, sweet face appears beside him and touches his shoulder. â€Å"Excuse me.† She tucks her chin toward her throat with the shyness of a child. â€Å"I want to ask you a question. Are you my father?† Jack smiles at her. â€Å"Let me ask you a question first. Is your name Estelle Packard?† Eyes shining, the old woman nods. â€Å"Then yes, I am your father.† Estelle Packard clasps her hands in front of her mouth, dips her head in a bow, and shuffles backward, glowing with pleasure. When she is nine or ten feet away, she gives Jack a little bye-bye wave of one hand and twirls away. When Jack looks again at Judy Marshall, it is as if she has parted her veil of ordinariness just wide enough to reveal a small portion of her enormous soul. â€Å"You're a very nice man, aren't you, Jack Sawyer? I wouldn't have known that right away. You're a good man, too. Of course, you're also charming, but charm and decency don't always go together. Should I tell you a few other things about yourself ?† Jack looks up at Fred, who is holding his wife's hand and beaming. â€Å"I want you to say whatever you feel like saying.† â€Å"There are things I can't say, no matter how I feel, but you might hear them anyhow. I can say this, however: your good looks haven't made you vain. You're not shallow, and that might have something to do with it. Mainly, though, you had the gift of a good upbringing. I'd say you had a wonderful mother. I'm right, aren't I?† Jack laughs, touched by this unexpected insight. â€Å"I didn't know it showed.† â€Å"You know one way it shows? In the way you treat other people. I'm pretty sure you come from a background people around here only know from the movies, but it hasn't gone to your head. You see us as people, not hicks, and that's why I know I can trust you. It's obvious that your mother did a great job. I was a good mother, too, or at least I tried to be, and I know what I'm talking about. I can see.† â€Å"You say you were a good mother? Why use â€Å" â€Å"The past tense? Because I was talking about before.† Fred's smile fades into an expression of ill-concealed concern. â€Å"What do you mean, ‘before'?† â€Å"Mr. Sawyer might know,† she says, giving Jack what he thinks is a look of encouragement. â€Å"Sorry, I don't think I do,† he says. â€Å"I mean, before I wound up here and finally started to think a little bit. Before the things that were happening to me stopped scaring me out of my mind before I realized I could look inside myself and examine these feelings I've had over and over all my life. Before I had time to travel. I think I'm still a good mother, but I'm not exactly the same mother.† â€Å"Honey, please,† says Fred. â€Å"You are the same, you just had a kind of breakdown. We ought to talk about Tyler.† â€Å"We are talking about Tyler. Mr. Sawyer, do you know that lookout point on Highway 93, right where it reaches the top of the big hill about a mile south of Arden?† â€Å"I saw it today,† Jack says. â€Å"Fred showed it to me.† â€Å"You saw all those farms that keep going and going? And the hills off in the distance?† â€Å"Yes. Fred told me you loved the view from up there.† â€Å"I always want to stop and get out of the car. I love everything about that view. You can see for miles and miles, and then whoops! it stops, and you can't see any farther. But the sky keeps going, doesn't it? The sky proves that there's a world on the other side of those hills. If you travel, you can get there.† â€Å"Yes, you can.† Suddenly, there are goose bumps on Jack's forearms, and the back of his neck is tingling. â€Å"Me? I can only travel in my mind, Mr. Sawyer, and I only remembered how to do that because I landed in the loony bin. But it came to me that you can get there to the other side of the hills.† His mouth is dry. He registers Fred Marshall's growing distress without being able to reduce it. Wanting to ask her a thousand questions, he begins with the simplest one: â€Å"How did it come to you? What do you mean by that?† Judy Marshall takes her hand from her husband and holds it out to Jack, and he holds it in both of his. If she ever looked like an ordinary woman, now is not the time. She is blazing away like a lighthouse, like a bonfire on a distant cliff. â€Å"Let's say . . . late at night, or if I was alone for a long time, someone used to whisper to me. It wasn't that concrete, but let's say it was as if a person were whispering on the other side of a thick wall. A girl like me, a girl my age. And if I fell asleep then, I would almost always dream about the place where that girl lived. I called it Faraway, and it was like this world, the Coulee Country, only brighter and cleaner and more magical. In Faraway, people rode in carriages and lived in great white tents. In Faraway, there were men who could fly.† â€Å"You're right,† he says. Fred looks from his wife to Jack in painful uncertainty, and Jack says, â€Å"It sounds crazy, but she's right.† â€Å"By the time these bad things started to happen in French Landing, I had pretty much forgotten about Faraway. I hadn't thought about it since I was about twelve or thirteen. But the closer the bad things came, to Fred and Ty and me, I mean, the worse my dreams got, and the less and less real my life seemed to be. I wrote words without knowing I was doing it, I said crazy things, I was falling apart. I didn't understand that Faraway was trying to tell me something. The girl was whispering to me from the other side of the wall again, only now she was grown up and scared half to death.† â€Å"What made you think I could help?† â€Å"It was just a feeling I had, back when you arrested that Kinderling man and your picture was in the paper. The first thing I thought when I looked at your picture was, He knows about Faraway. I didn't wonder how, or how I could tell from looking at a picture; I simply understood that you knew. And then, when Ty disappeared and I lost my mind and woke up in this place, I thought if you could see into some of these people's heads, Ward D wouldn't be all that different from Faraway, and I remembered seeing your picture. And that's when I started to understand about traveling. All this morning, I have been walking through Faraway in my head. Seeing it, touching it. Smelling that unbelievable air. Did you know, Mr. Sawyer, that over there they have jackrabbits the size of kangaroos? It makes you laugh just to look at them.† Jack breaks into a wide grin, and he bends to kiss her hand, in a gesture much like her husband's. Gently, she takes her hand from his grasp. â€Å"When Fred told me he had met you, and that you were helping the police, I knew that you were here for a reason.† What this woman has done astonishes Jack. At the worst moment of her life, with her son lost and her sanity crumbling, she used a monumental feat of memory to summon all of her strength and, in effect, accomplish a miracle. She found within herself the capacity to travel. From a locked ward, she moved halfway out of this world and into another known only from childhood dreams. Nothing but the immense courage her husband had described could have enabled her to have taken this mysterious step. â€Å"You did something once, didn't you?† Judy asks him. â€Å"You were there, in Faraway, and you did something something tremendous. You don't have to say yes, because I can see it in you; it's as plain as day. But you have to say yes, so I can hear it, so say it, say yes.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Did what?† Fred asks. â€Å"In this dream country? How can you say yes?† â€Å"Wait,† Jack tells him, â€Å"I have something to show you later,† and returns to the extraordinary woman seated before him. Judy Marshall is aflame with insight, courage, and faith and, although she is forbidden to him, now seems to be the only woman in this world or any other whom he could love for the rest of his life. â€Å"You were like me,† she says. â€Å"You forgot all about that world. And you went out and became a policeman, a detective. In fact, you became one of the best detectives that ever lived. Do you know why you did that?† â€Å"I guess the work appealed to me.† â€Å"What about it appealed to you in particular?† â€Å"Helping the community. Protecting innocent people. Putting away the bad guys. It was interesting work.† â€Å"And you thought it would never stop being interesting. Because there would always be a new problem to solve, a new question in need of an answer.† She has struck a bull's-eye that, until this moment, he did not know existed. â€Å"That's right.† â€Å"You were a great detective because, even though you didn't know it, there was something something vital you needed to detect.† I am a coppiceman, Jack remembers. His own little voice in the night, speaking to him from the other side of a thick, thick wall. â€Å"Something you had to find, for the sake of your own soul.† â€Å"Yes,† Jack says. Her words have penetrated straight into the center of his being, and tears spring to his eyes. â€Å"I always wanted to find what was missing. My whole life was about the search for a secret explanation.† In memory as vivid as a strip of film, he sees a great tented pavilion, a white room where a beautiful and wasted queen lay dying, and a little girl two or three years younger than his twelve-year-old self amid her attendants. â€Å"Did you call it Faraway?† Judy asks. â€Å"I called it the Territories.† Speaking the words aloud feels like the opening of a chest filled with a treasure he can share at last. â€Å"That's a good name. Fred won't understand this, but when I was on my long walk this morning, I felt that my son was somewhere in Faraway in your Territories. Somewhere out of sight, and hidden away. In grave danger, but still alive and unharmed. In a cell. Sleeping on the floor. But alive. Unharmed. Do you think that could be true, Mr. Sawyer?† â€Å"Wait a second,† Fred says. â€Å"I know you feel that way, and I want to believe it, too, but this is the real world we're talking about here.† â€Å"I think there are lots of real worlds,† Jack says. â€Å"And yes, I believe Tyler is somewhere in Faraway.† â€Å"Can you rescue him, Mr. Sawyer? Can you bring him back?† â€Å"It's like you said before, Mrs. Marshall,† Jack says. â€Å"I must be here for a reason.† â€Å"Sawyer, I hope whatever you're going to show me makes more sense than the two of you do,† says Fred. â€Å"We're through for now, anyhow. Here comes the warden.† Driving out of the hospital parking lot, Fred Marshall glances at the briefcase lying flat on Jack's lap but says nothing. He holds his silence until he turns back onto 93, when he says, â€Å"I'm glad you came with me.† â€Å"Thank you,† Jack says. â€Å"I am, too.† â€Å"I feel sort of out of my depth here, you know, but I'd like to get your impressions of what went on in there. Do you think it went pretty well?† â€Å"I think it went better than that. Your wife is . . . I hardly know how to describe her. I don't have the vocabulary to tell you how great I think she is.† Fred nods and sneaks a glance at Jack. â€Å"So you don't think she's out of her head, I guess.† â€Å"If that's crazy, I'd like to be crazy right along with her.† The two-lane blacktop highway that stretches before them lifts up along the steep angle of the hillside and, at its top, seems to extend into the dimensionless blue of the enormous sky. Another wary glance from Fred. â€Å"And you say you've seen this, this place she calls Faraway.† â€Å"I have, yes. As hard as that is to believe.† â€Å"No crap. No b.s. On your mother's grave.† â€Å"On my mother's grave.† â€Å"You've been there. And not just in a dream, really been there.† â€Å"The summer I was twelve.† â€Å"Could I go there, too?† â€Å"Probably not,† Jack says. This is not the truth, since Fred could go to the Territories if Jack took him there, but Jack wants to shut this door as firmly as possible. He can imagine bringing Judy Marshall into that other world; Fred is another matter. Judy has more than earned a journey into the Territories, while Fred is still incapable of believing in its existence. Judy would feel at home over there, but her husband would be like an anchor Jack had to drag along with him, like Richard Sloat. â€Å"I didn't think so,† says Fred. â€Å"If you don't mind, I'd like to pull over again when we get to the top.† â€Å"I'd like that,† Jack says. Fred drives to the crest of the hill and crosses the narrow highway to park in the gravel turnout. Instead of getting out of the car, he points at the briefcase lying flat on Jack's knees. â€Å"Is what you're going to show me in there?† â€Å"Yes,† Jack says. â€Å"I was going to show it to you earlier, but after we stopped here the first time, I wanted to wait until I heard what Judy had to say. And I'm glad I did. It might make more sense to you, now that you've heard at least part of the explanation of how I found it.† Jack snaps open the briefcase, raises the top, and from its pale, leather-lined interior removes the Brewers cap he had found that morning. â€Å"Take a look,† he says, and hands over the cap. â€Å"Ohmygod,† Fred Marshall says in a startled rush of words. â€Å"Is this . . . is it . . . ?† He looks inside the cap and exhales hugely at the sight of his son's name. His eyes leap to Jack's. â€Å"It's Tyler's. Good Lord, it's Tyler's. Oh, Lordy.† He crushes the cap to his chest and takes two deep breaths, still holding Jack's gaze. â€Å"Where did you find this? How long ago was it?† â€Å"I found it on the road this morning,† Jack says. â€Å"In the place your wife calls Faraway.† With a long moan, Fred Marshall opens his door and jumps out of the car. By the time Jack catches up with him, he is at the far edge of the lookout, holding the cap to his chest and staring at the blue-green hills beyond the long quilt of farmland. He whirls to stare at Jack. â€Å"Do you think he's still alive?† â€Å"I think he's alive,† Jack says. â€Å"In that world.† Fred points to the hills. Tears leap from his eyes, and his mouth softens. â€Å"The world that's over there somewhere, Judy says.† â€Å"In that world.† â€Å"Then you go there and find him!† Fred shouts. His face shining with tears, he gestures wildly toward the horizon with the baseball cap. â€Å"Go there and bring him back, damn you! I can't do it, so you have to.† He steps forward as if to throw a punch, then wraps his arms around Jack Sawyer and sobs. When Fred's shoulders stop trembling and his breath comes in gasps, Jack says, â€Å"I'll do everything I can.† â€Å"I know you will.† He steps away and wipes his face. â€Å"I'm sorry I yelled at you like that. I know you're going to help us.† The two men turn around to walk back to the car. Far off to the west, a loose, woolly smudge of pale gray blankets the land beside the river. â€Å"What's that?† Jack asks. â€Å"Rain?† â€Å"No, fog,† Fred says. â€Å"Coming in off the Mississippi.†

Dont Use Je Suis Fini

Dont Use Je Suis Fini To say Je suis fini in French is a serious mistake and one to be avoided.   This mistake is caused in part by the fact that in the English translation finished is an adjective, while in French its the past participle of a verb. So when you want to say I am finished, it seems logical to translate that as Je suis fini. Unfortunately, this is quite a dramatic thing to say in French and it means I am dead, Im finished! Im done for! Im ruined! or Im all washed up! Imagine the look on your French girlfriends face if you say, Je suis fini! Shell think youre about to expire! Or shell burst out laughing at your mistake. Either way, not so good. Never use  Ãƒ ªtre fini  and  ne pas à ªtre fini  when referring to people, unless you have something pretty earth-shattering to announce or youre maliciously insulting someone. To avoid this scenario, think of the English as I have finished instead, and this will remind you that you need to use the passà © composà © in French  and that the auxiliary verb for finir is avoir, not à ªtre.  Thus, avoir fini is the correct choice. Even better, use the colloquial avoir  terminà ©, especially when referring to the completion of a task or activity. For instance, if a waiter asks  if he or she can take your plate, the correct (and polite) expression is: â€Å"Oui, merci, j’ai terminà ©.†Ã‚   The Wrong Way and the Right Ways In brief, these are your options: Avoid using finir with à ªtre:   Être fini   to be done for, washed up, finished with, ruined, kaput, dead, or dying.   Choose verbs with avoir: Avoir fini   to be done, to be finishedAvoir  terminà ©   to be finished, to be done Examples of Je Suis Fini Si je dois les rembourser,  je suis fini.  Ã‚  If I have to refund their money,  Im done.Si à §a ne marche pas,  je suis fini.  Ã‚  If it doesnt work out,  Im through.Mà ªme si on sen sort,  je suis fini.   Even if we get out of here,  Im finished.Si je la perds,  je suis fini.  Ã‚  If I lose her,  Im finished.Je suis fini.   My career is over. / I have no future.Il nest pas fini.  (informal)   Hes retarded / a moron. Examples of Jai Fini   Jai donnà © mon à ©valuation, et  jai fini.  Ã‚  I gave my assessment, and  Im done.Je  lai fini  hier soir.  Ã‚  I finished  it last night.Je  lai fini pour ton bien.  Ã‚  I finished  it for your own good.Grà ¢ce toi,  je  lai fini.  Ã‚  Thanks to you,  I finished  it. Examples of Jai Terminà © Je vous appelle quand  jai terminà ©.  Ill  call you when  Im done.Donc  je  lai terminà ©Ã‚  au bout de quelques jours. So  I finished  it in a couple days.Jai presque terminà ©.  Ã‚  Im nearly finished.Ça suffit,  jai terminà ©.  Ã‚  Thats all;  Im done.Jai adorà © ce livre. Je  lai terminà ©e  hier soir. I loved this book.  I finished  it last night.  Je suis bien soulagà © den avoir terminà © avec cette affaire. Im so relieved to have seen the end of this business.

Australian Identity essays

Australian Identity essays Is it thongs, the beach and the sun? Or Flies, kangaroos and the bush? Images such as these have been used to describe Australia for decades, however do they truly encapsulate the Australian national identity? The typical Aussie has been described as male, easy going, fair and democratic, having a healthy disrespect for authority, and a dry laconic humor Yet when we observe the Australian society many of these images contradict reality. During the 1990s social psychologists have stated Australia is facing an identity crisis , and if this is so where does this leave the Australian image today? Many dates in our past can be seen to shape the Australian national identity. From colonial beginnings (1788 to early 1800s), to the wild gold rush days (1850s), to Federation (1901), to World War One (1914-1918), to the Depression (1930s), to World War Two (1939-1945) with its threat of invasion (1941-1942) . It seems that from colonization to World War Two we knew where we stood. We were British subjects from a small British colony. We thought of ourselves as Australians, yet British-Australians loyal to the Mother Country. We believed our convict past (a history that we were at times proud of, at others ashamed) could explain a great deal about the Australian character and our chests swelled with pride at talk of the mighty Anzacs and their conquest that changed a nation . Yet like the Anzacs, how much of this talk is myth or reality? To many Australians, our national day is not the anniversary of the arrival of the British first fleet in 1788, nor the federation of the colonies in 1901, but ANZAC day the 25th of April, which commemorated the landing in 1915 of Australian and New Zealand troops on the Gallipoli Peninsula during World War One . This National Day, which all Australians share reminisces, a bitter, bloody defeat suffered by Australian and New Zealand youth at Gallip...

University of Mary Hardin-Baylor SAT Scores, Admit Rate

University of Mary Hardin-Baylor SAT Scores, Admit Rate University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Admissions Overview UMHB has largely open  admissions, and most students with grades and standardized test scores that are average or better are accepted each year. While SAT and ACT scores are required for most applicants, if you rank in the top 10% of your school, there is no minimum score on the exams. For other students, youll need at least a 20 on the ACT or a 1030 on the SAT to qualify for regular admissions (higher scores if you are ranked in the lower half of your graduating class). Note that UMHBs admissions are largely not holistic. Grades, class rank, and standardized test scores will carry the most weight. The application does not ask for an essay, letters of recommendation, nor extracurricular activity information. Admissions Data (2016): University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Acceptance Rate: 79%Test Scores 25th / 75th PercentileSAT Critical Reading: 450 / 560SAT Math: 470 / 560SAT Writing: - / -What these SAT numbers meanACT Composite: 21  / 26ACT English: 19 / 26ACT Math: 18  / 25What these ACT numbers mean University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Description: Founded in 1845, UMHB, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, takes pride in its Christian identity and its affiliation with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. All students must agree to the schools policy of a faith-informed approach to education. The universitys residential campus is located in Belton, Texas, a small city in Central Texas situated midway between Waco and Austin. Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio are all within a three-hour drive, so the schools location is convenient to many major metropolitan areas. Academics at UMHB span a range of professional fields and majors in the liberal arts and sciences. Nursing is by far the most popular major, although business and education fields are also popular among undergraduates. On the athletic front, the UMHB Crusaders combete in the NCAA Division III American Southwest Conference. Athletics are big on campus, and many teams have met with national success including men and womens golf, men and womens basketball, and footbal l. Enrollment (2016): Total Enrollment: 3,906  (3,278 undergraduates)Gender Breakdown: 37% Male / 63% Female91% Full-time Costs (2016  - 17): Tuition and Fees: $26,550Books: $1,300 (why so much?)Room and Board: $7,590Other Expenses: $3,030Total Cost: $38,470 UMHB Financial Aid (2015  - 16): Percentage of New Students Receiving Aid: 97%Percentage of New Students Receiving Types of AidGrants: 96%Loans: 73%Average Amount of AidGrants: $13,776Loans: $6,704 Academic Programs: Most Popular Majors:  Biology, Elementary Education, Exercise Physiology, General Studies, Marketing, Nursing, Physical Education, Psychology Graduation and Retention Rates: First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 71%4-Year Graduation Rate: 32%6-Year Graduation Rate: 48% Intercollegiate Athletics: Mens Sports:  baseball, basketball, football, golf, soccer, tennisWomens Sports:  basketball, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, volleyball Data Source: National Center for Educational Statistics Interested in UMHB? You May Also Like These Colleges: Houston Baptist University: ProfileSam Houston State University:  ProfileBaylor University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphTexas AM University-College Station:  Profile  |  GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of Texas at Austin:  Profile  |  GPA-SAT-ACT GraphTexas Tech University:  Profile  |  GPA-SAT-ACT GraphStephen F. Austin State University:  ProfileTexas Christian University:  Profile  |  GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of Houston:  Profile  |  GPA-SAT-ACT Graph University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Mission Statement: mission statement from  http://about.umhb.edu/our-mission The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor prepares students for leadership, service, and faith-informed discernment in a global society. Academic excellence, personal attention, broad-based scholarship and a commitment to a Baptist vision for education distinguish our Christ-centered learning community.

Enterprise Integration - Infrastructure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Enterprise Integration - Infrastructure - Essay Example For effective integration, it is pivotal that all these information systems are linked together through a reliable technology. So much so that the enterprise as a whole works as a single platform, all the information systems connected and related in a productive manner, providing the processed information as and when needed, or even before hand. This leads to optimized business operations at reduced costs, alignment with the customer and enhanced business agility, streamlined internal business operations, individual roles and growth opportunities. This calls for some strategic decisions about the kinds of technology that a company should use to link its various information systems. The technologies can then be made to work together in a coherent infrastructure to support the work of the organization. Regardless of the technology used, applications and data must communicate, and that communication is growing to include a wide variety of technologies, such as SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol), JMS (Java Message Service), FTP and custom APIs. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is by far the most initial tool to serve the purpose of enterprise integration. ERP systems do not define what integration is and how it is to be developed, but they incur a techno-logic that conditions how control can be performed through financial and non-financial representations because they distinguish between an accounting mode and a logistics mode. The concept behind Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is that applications should expose their functionality as services in a way that can be accessed by any authorized external system. SOA isn't a point product or even a suite of products-it requires multiple components comprising multiple products up and down the infrastructure stack and includes messaging (ESB) technology, application servers (ESP), management (SOA Management and Registries) products, development tools and more. Conventional integration technologies are evolving and are quickly being replaced with ESB (Enterprise Service Bus) software. ESBs provide integration plus the capabilities of legacy EAI (Enterprise Application Integration) products, and features and functions that integrate both legacy and contemporary services, such as Web services. Enterprise and infrastructure management system (EIMS) technology offers network managers benefits such as unprecedented control, protection, security and integration with other systems. EIMS bridges network management software and physical layer management. It can self-discover the physical topology of data centers, communication rooms and wiring closets, while, at the same time, manage and troubleshoot network connectivity through integration with third-party logical layer applications. Infrastructure Model It is better to apply SOA concepts incrementally to existing information technology (IT) systems to exploit short-term business benefits. SOA facilitates aligning existing IT infrastructure and systems to achieve end-to-end enterprise connectivity by removing redundancies, generating unified collaboration tools, and streamlining IT processes. The Human Service Bus (HSB) is an optimized organizational

Visual Perception (Psycology 101) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Visual Perception (Psycology 101) - Essay Example Thus the retinal stimuli or the image on the retina of the eye is pretty different to what is actually viewed by the eye in the first place. Scientists and doctors alike have been researching for a long time so as to understand the basis behind such an anomaly. The people who have interest at understanding this proposition thus make it a point to find out the exact basis of the visual processing which is taking place and the relationship that is formed up between the two as a result of the same. There has been some difficulty at understanding and thus translating the basis of visual perception and the eventual processing of the visual sense as to how the same creates or at times maintains what a person actually wants to see but the image is just not there at all. Thus this phenomenon holds a lot of ground for the people who fathom that eyes play a huge part in the development of the pictures that brain wants it to make and thus portray to the human being. It is for this reason that there has been work in the related field. As concerns to the unconscious or subconscious mind, we understand the fact that inference of an unconscious nature takes place. It was Hermann von Helmholtz who devised the study which was related with the visual perception. He stated that vision had a lot of part in the make up of the unconscious inference and thus it was contemplated that vision is indeed a part of the matter which discerns the basis for a probable understanding or interpretation as concerns to data which has not been considered complete by now. Gestalt theory also has its say in the make up of the visual perception discussion. With this, we find that Gestalt researchers raised a number of significant questions which had one thing or the other with the whole paradigm of visual perception. In fact they came out with the famous Gestalt laws of Organization which have to this day facilitated in the study of as to how people think

Methods of Identifying and Preventing SQL Attacks Research Paper

Methods of Identifying and Preventing SQL Attacks - Research Paper Example The other sections cover the preventive methods, where the methods are also discussed with an illustration using diagrams. Keywords: SQLIA, WebSSARI, WAVE, AMNESIA, SQL DOM, tautology Introduction There are numerous web applications used by various companies and organizations in order to provide services to users, such as online banking and shopping, hence establishing a need to develop a database. These web applications contain confidential information such as the customer’s financial records, thus making these applications frequent targets for attackers. The attack to the SQL is referred to as the SQL injection, which gives attackers unauthorized access to the databases of underlying Web applications (Huang, Yu, Hang, and Tsai 148). Therefore, these attackers are able to leak, modify and delete information which is stored on these databases, thus resulting in problems for the organization. In this case, the paper will discuss issues related to detection and prevention of SQL attacks. Commercial and governmental institutions are the common victims of SQL injection attacks (SQLIAs) due to insufficiency in the input validation. In fact, these cases occur when Web application receives a user input, thus using it for building a database query without ample validation, hence creating a chance for an attacker to utilize the vulnerability. The vulnerability of the databases to SQL injections has been regarded as the most serious threat for a Web application (Wassermann and Su, 78). This creates a form of vulnerability to SQL injection, thus allowing the attacker to have accessibility to the underlying databases, and it results in security violations since the information in these databases is sensitive. The implications of SQL injections are issues such as loss of credentials, theft, and fraud, and in other cases, the attackers are able to use the vulnerability to acquire control and corrupt the system hosting the Web application. The diagram illustrates an SQ L injection, whereby an attacker uses a client through the firewall into the web application where access to SQL server is achieved and sensitive application data is disclosed. Methods of Identifying SQL Attacks Numerous methods can be applied in detecting SQL injection attacks, and one of them is the Intrusion Detection System (IDS), which is based on a machine learning technique and application of a set of distinctive application queries. Moreover, this technique relates to a model of distinctive queries and a function of monitoring application at runtime in order to identify the queries that are not matching the model (Pietraszek and Vanden 2). Therefore, this makes the system have the ability to detect attacks effectively, though there are basic demerits of learning based techniques since they do not offer a guarantee concerning the detection abilities. In fact, the detection abilities are dependent on the quality of the training set applied; thus, a poor training set can result in the generation of large numbers of false positive and negative by the learning technique (Valeur, Mutz, and Vigna 40). The diagram shows the locations of the Intrusion Detection System (IDS), whereby there are two sensors located at both sides of the firewall in order to detect any intrusion from the Internet before and after penetrating the firewall.  

Saving Private Ryan Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Saving Private Ryan - Movie Review Example George Marshall has ordered Captain Miller to save the last Ryan alive. The team composed of 8 men headed by Captain Miller. Not sure of the whereabouts of Ryan, the team of Captain Miller moved from one place to another looking for Ryan. Until one day they met someone who saw Ryan guarding the town of Ramelle in France, to prevent the German from taking the people of the town. Captain Miller tries to convince Ryan to come with them but instead of coming he makes a deal with Miller that if they help him protect the city then he will go with them. Miller agrees with him and fought with the German. During the encounter with the German, Miller got hurt but was able to bring home Ryan alive. At the end of the story, the old man in the beginning of the movie was James Ryan and the grave belongs to Captain Miller. Saving Private Ryan is an epic movie that features how the US troops were able to save the only survivor among four brothers who were held captive by the Germans. Private James R yan played by Matt Damon is the only survivor among the four brothers; three of his brothers were killed in action. Captain John Miller played by Tom Hanks was the one designated to bring to safety Private James Ryan. The movie received several good reviews from a different part of the world. Veterans of the World War II who have seen the movie relived their memories during the war. Although the movie was done in England, Ireland, and France, the movie seems to make it look like they are on the battlefield. The characters in the story are fictional but the story was adopted in the life of the Niland Brothers. They are also from the military two died during the battle one held captive and the other is missing. The movie made a good selection of characters to make this movie realistic. The character of both Captain Miller and James Ryan are very appealing to the viewers. Since they are both a good actor they have portrayed their character very well. Although the places and other chara cters are fictional the actors still were able to do justice in their different role.   In the Battlefield the warships and combat outfit are very much similar to the one that the US army is wearing during the 1940 war. Based on the review done by several observers, the one making this picture really is the movement of the camera. The camera in the first part of the story on the Omaha Beach brought the viewer on the battlefield. The agony and pain were felt during the shot taken by the camera. Added to the realism of the story are the make-up, costumes, and the effectiveness of the portrayal of the characters. The battleship used is the same replica in the 1940 war that can be seen in the museum and other historical websites. The movie really brings out the story behind the battle. The location was James Ryan found were fictional but added the spies in the story. This American soldier has dedicated his life to serving not only his country but also those who need his service.   T he weapons, machine gun nests, bunkers, and vehicles add elements that engage us easily into the narrative. During the search for James Francis Ryan of Iowa the locations and set design shows accuracy. Bombed houses, splintered planks everywhere, and rubble-strewn streets resemble photographs of real battle scenes. And the costumes are correct. The canvas belts, the jackets, the occasional puttees laced around the calves -- these are the outfits of 1944.

Death Syndrome Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Death Syndrome - Essay Example Among such conditions is what is generally termed as the sudden death syndrome (SDS). This notion pertains to a bunch of different medical cases that may be associated with various causes. What is important, though, is that to SDS are susceptible young people who have previously manifested no visible disturbing symptoms that would suggest that such incidents might happen. In this regard, it is perhaps the most important task for the medical establishment to target the younger part of the general public in order to inform it about the risks associated with SDS. More specifically, drinking, as one of the most prevalent types of harmful behavior in young adults that may be linked with SDS, should be specifically addressed with the hope to decrease the teenage abuse of alcohol. Let us take a look at what forms SDS may take, and try to see why the investigation of the linkage between SDS and teenage drinking is important to researchers. As we have mentioned, SDS is the term that may be used to cover a wide range of incidents of unexpected non-traumatic and non-violent deaths due to natural causes. In fact, cases of SDS affect people with such diverse illnesses as epilepsy (such epilepsy related deaths are termed Sudden Unexpected and Unexplained Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) (Lathers and Schraeder, 1990) and Fatty Liver Syndrome (FLS) of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic origin (Randall, 1980). As shown by research, even young athletes have something to fear, as some of them, mostly males according to statistics, fall victim of sudden deaths due to hard to detect heart diseases (Testa, 2006), and while different types of cardiovascular disease may be uncovered postmortem, any such death is quite disturbing. But perhaps the most perplexing, due to the apparent lack of underlying pathologies, type of heart-related sudden deaths is associated with Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome (SADS), which is a disorder of the hearts e lectrical system capable of killing seemingly healthy individuals without warning. SADS is also known as Long QT Syndrome. This syndrome interferes with the length of time between the onset of the Q wave and the end of the T wave in the electrical cycle of the heart called QT interval, which is needed for the recharge of the hearts electrical system after a heartbeat. People with a prolonged QT interval are more likely to develop an abnormally fast hearth rhythm called arrhythmia. When this happens, blood cannot flow from the heart, and the person can lose consciousness and may suddenly die as the result of the brain deprivation of blood. It is currently known that this dysfunction has its roots in an abnormality of protein structures of cells in the heart referred to as ion channels. These cells indeed serve as the channels that control the flow of such ions as sodium, calcium, and potassium. It is the pattern of the inflow and outflow of these ions that generates the hearts electr ical activity. It is also known that dysfunctions of these channels may be acquired, for example due to the effect of some medicines, or inborn, when a mutation in one of the genes responsible for the formation of channels occurs. In this respect, it is unknown exactly which inherited defects lay ground for different types of arrhythmias. For instance, it is thought by some researches that cases of SUDEP also work by inducing

Saving Private Ryan Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Saving Private Ryan - Movie Review Example George Marshall has ordered Captain Miller to save the last Ryan alive. The team composed of 8 men headed by Captain Miller. Not sure of the whereabouts of Ryan, the team of Captain Miller moved from one place to another looking for Ryan. Until one day they met someone who saw Ryan guarding the town of Ramelle in France, to prevent the German from taking the people of the town. Captain Miller tries to convince Ryan to come with them but instead of coming he makes a deal with Miller that if they help him protect the city then he will go with them. Miller agrees with him and fought with the German. During the encounter with the German, Miller got hurt but was able to bring home Ryan alive. At the end of the story, the old man in the beginning of the movie was James Ryan and the grave belongs to Captain Miller. Saving Private Ryan is an epic movie that features how the US troops were able to save the only survivor among four brothers who were held captive by the Germans. Private James R yan played by Matt Damon is the only survivor among the four brothers; three of his brothers were killed in action. Captain John Miller played by Tom Hanks was the one designated to bring to safety Private James Ryan. The movie received several good reviews from a different part of the world. Veterans of the World War II who have seen the movie relived their memories during the war. Although the movie was done in England, Ireland, and France, the movie seems to make it look like they are on the battlefield. The characters in the story are fictional but the story was adopted in the life of the Niland Brothers. They are also from the military two died during the battle one held captive and the other is missing. The movie made a good selection of characters to make this movie realistic. The character of both Captain Miller and James Ryan are very appealing to the viewers. Since they are both a good actor they have portrayed their character very well. Although the places and other chara cters are fictional the actors still were able to do justice in their different role.   In the Battlefield the warships and combat outfit are very much similar to the one that the US army is wearing during the 1940 war. Based on the review done by several observers, the one making this picture really is the movement of the camera. The camera in the first part of the story on the Omaha Beach brought the viewer on the battlefield. The agony and pain were felt during the shot taken by the camera. Added to the realism of the story are the make-up, costumes, and the effectiveness of the portrayal of the characters. The battleship used is the same replica in the 1940 war that can be seen in the museum and other historical websites. The movie really brings out the story behind the battle. The location was James Ryan found were fictional but added the spies in the story. This American soldier has dedicated his life to serving not only his country but also those who need his service.   T he weapons, machine gun nests, bunkers, and vehicles add elements that engage us easily into the narrative. During the search for James Francis Ryan of Iowa the locations and set design shows accuracy. Bombed houses, splintered planks everywhere, and rubble-strewn streets resemble photographs of real battle scenes. And the costumes are correct. The canvas belts, the jackets, the occasional puttees laced around the calves -- these are the outfits of 1944.

Car Commercials Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Car Commercials - Essay Example Mercedes-Benz is a high-class automobile company which products are always made for luxury, dependability, and reliability (Biebrach 3). Mercedes-Benz, for instance, is currently the most advertised model of cars in the continent with the best and largest customer test fleet. The main objective of the company is to reduce fuel consumption and to minimize emissions, as well as eliminating them in the process (Ferreira para.3). The whole point behind creating extravagant, informative, and creative commercials is to get people to buy, use, or sell the product. In his statement, Dr Martin Zimmermann, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz South Africa, said that Mercedes-Benz customers want comfortable, safe, and very powerful vehicles that are efficient and environmentally compatible. Of course, there is the bragging aspect where people air all of their achievements in the hopes of allowing customers to realize just how fantastic their company is. He added that the main challenge is to make motor vehicles more efficient and clean without interfering with safety or comfort (Ferreira, para.7). This emphasis is included in commercials in order to lure customers. It is obvious that high-class cars or vehicles are very expensive to be afforded by poor people and, of course, cheaper for the rich citizens. This is the reason why Mercedes-Benz decided to invent a new model â€Å"A-Class† that will be affordable by all the people in various social strata (Biebrach, 3). Its is believed that the first campaign for Mercedes-Benz advertisement happened in 20th May 1996, however, their first class car â€Å"A-Class† was officially launched on October, 18th 1997. The strategy of the campaign had four phases: â€Å"Big Bang,† New Perspectives,† New choices† and â€Å"New Experiences† (Biebrach, 3). The key goal and objective of the campaign was to sell 80,000 cars in a year and make

The Crucible by Arthur Miller Essay Example for Free

The Crucible by Arthur Miller Essay In the past, present, and undoubtedly in the future, deceptive individuals take advantage of the anxieties and fears of society. When a societys insecurities are exposed and raw, a disconcerted mood spreads throughout the people. This contagion can engulf an entire population and become like a living entity, causing people to act rashly and hypocritically. Whether or not the fear is justified, a convincing individual can exploit a certain mentality called mob psychology. Mob psychology involves manipulating the hysteria of a crowd to fulfill ones desires. In Arthur Millers The Crucible, Abigail Williams and other characters spread a fear of witches in the Puritan town of Salem. The fear that they spread ends up permeating their community and dominating the lives of everyone in the town. The psychological phenomenon known as mass hysteria has an important effect on the events in The Crucible. The Crucible contains many important events that precede the madness that ensues by the end of the play. Abigail Williams, for instance, has a love affair with John Proctor, and wants Proctor to leave his wife Elizabeth for her. Another character with a hidden agenda is Mr. Thomas Putnam, who hopes to take over some of his neighbors land. To amplify the situation, a group of girls are questioned by ministers for performing witch-like rituals in the forest. A Puritan belief of the 17th century is that the devil and other demons live in the forest, and that witchcraft is performed there as well. Dissembling citizens begin to accuse others of witchcraft, with a very selfish motive. As John Proctor describes the  hysteria that ensues,vengeance is walking Salem (1079). The vengeance that Proctor is talking about is the motive for all the accusers. The accusers are able to get away with injustices in the court because the townspeople are extremely afraid of witchcraft, and thus are eager to annihilate any signs of it. The mass hysteria also has an incredible effect later in the play, when the witchcraft trials take place. Many people are being convicted with very  insubstantial testimony, and with no tangible evidence at all. This is because the people of the town have been surrounded by the witchcraft frenzy so much, that they ignore their conscience. They become infatuated with the existence of witches, and seek to eradicate them. Since the people of Salem are very vulnerable, It is not hard to see how many could have been led to believe that the time of confusion had been brought upon them by deep and darkling forces (1036). The Puritans believe that all evil and disorder is linked to the Devil. At the trial, even people as wise as Reverend Hale are confused as to what is the truth and what is false. This is an example of illusion vs. reality, because so many people are crying witch, that it becomes impossible to discern the people that have selfish intent from those that actually believe in witchcraft. The mass hysteria causes the citizens to assume the defendants are guilty before they are officially tried. Though the hysteria in the Salem witch trials takes place in 17th century Massachusetts, a more modern version of this psychological phenomenon takes place during the 1950s. The hearings of Senator Joe McCarthy also utilize mob psychology for the benefit of an individual. McCarthy uses the fear of an attack by the Communist Soviet Union to build up hype in order to develop his political career. This fear that, in America,  any man who is reactionary in his views is open to the charge of alliance with the Red hell (1052), is an example of the fears people have of Communist infiltration. The Red hell  mentioned by the narrator is the Communist Party, and during the 1950s, one would be tried for treason if he or she is accused of being affiliated with this unfavorable party. The reaction of the people to this hype is just as McCarthy expects. The people become frightened and the truth becomes hazy. As a mechanism of defense, people begin to scapegoat each other. When high officials are eventually accused, the entire idea is dropped, and the emotions return back to normal. This is a parallel to the part Rebecca Nurse has in The Crucible. She is a highly respected community figure, and when she is accused of witchcraft, people begin to reevaluate the validity of the claims. In other great literary works, the theme of mass hysteria is present to show the hypocritical side of society or in portraying effective ways of persuading a crowd. One such instance of persuasion is in William Shakespeares, Julius Caesar. The character Mark Antony speaks to the mourners at Caesars funeral, which are completely against him, and he turns the crowd entirely in his favor. Mark Antony uses verbal tools such as sarcasm and repetition to turn the crowd in his favor, so that he might have people help him retaliate against Caesars murderers. The phenomenon of mass hysteria strongly influences the events in literature, and parallels can be drawn between those events and modern events. The Crucible is a powerful example of mass hysteria invading a population like a rampant virus consuming its host.

Business Communication Report of Hotel

Business Communication Report of Hotel Business Communication Report: A case study on King and Queen Hotel Suits Mt. Taranaki Resort Mahendernath Chivukula Contents (Jump to) Introduction 1. Organisational Culture 2. Leadership styles 3. Communicating business information 4. Eliminating barriers in communication within the teams 5. Team Work 6. Conflict Conflict resolution policy Conclusion Works Cited Introduction The King and Queen Hotel suites is a world class boutique hotel in New Plymouth that is offering various facilities to its customers since 2013. Since they are already into this business, now the management and the owners of the company decided to expand their business by opening new hotel Mt Taranaki Resort with recreational facilities along with hotel facilities. This report contains information about the management plans for the development of the business in order to give exceptional service to their customers at both the properties. This report explains how the company and employees absorb different cultures, leadership style, communicating business information, eliminating communication barriers, team work and resolving conflicts between the team members. As the Director of Human Resource it is my responsibility to convey the information efficiently to all the team members who are working with the organisation. To achieve the organisational goals effective communication paly major role. So there should be guidelines to the staff and the management to run the operations smoothly while delivering exceptional service to their customers. 1. Organisational Culture Organisation culture is the values and behaviour that contribute a unique social and psychological environment to an organization. It includes an organization’s expectations, experience and values that hold together. It helps to express its self-image, internal working conditions, interaction with other organizations and future expectations. It is based on attitudes, beliefs, written and unwritten rules that help to develop over time and considered to be valid. It is also called as corporate culture that shows the organisations how it conducts its business, treating its employees, in which extent freedom is allowed in decision-making, encouraging innovations, how the power and communication flow through its hierarchy and how employees are committed to achieve the organisational goals. (Businessdictionary.com, 2015) In hospitality industry where people live and work together with different cultures. It believes values and attitudes define the company. Since the staff directly serves people, so customers can judge our company every time they interact with the staff. So managing our culture is very important to deliver the right image or to leave good impression every time on the company. (Reinhart, 2015) The King and Queen Hotel suites is a world-class boutique in New Plymouth and the owner’s plan to develop the business, taking this into prospect the Mission and values of Mt Taranaki Resort would as followed. Our Mission: Our guest: We should be committed to meet and exceed the expectation of our guest with continuous dedication to every aspect of service. Our Family: we are committed to growth and development of our employees. Our stakeholders: We will create amazing value for our stakeholders. (Oberoihotels.com, n.d.) Our Values: Our team members should follow five core values to achieve the organisational goals and for self-development it is S.C.R.I.P.T S. C – The Spirit of Conquest R – Respect I – Innovation P – Performance T – Trust Our employee should come up with new ideas, their performance should be key to success, respect different cultural background people and last but not the least trust is the base of the management. (Values- Accor, n.d.) As the Director of Human Resource I would incorporate the above mission and values in the King and Queen Hotel Suites Mt Taranaki Resort to all the employees to ensure that both entities have the same brand. I will build this culture by recruiting the right people for the right job and ensure each and every person who recruited will under go an Induction programme were in a training sessions would be conducted on the core values of the organisation and would measure it by collecting feedback from all the employees and look at the end result i.e. to achieve organisational goals. 2. Leadership styles A leader is an individual who leads the group of people in an organisation or a person who as ability to do this. Leadership involves vision, sharing it with his sub ordinates, providing information, knowledge and methods to achieve that vision. To coordinate and balance the conflicts between all the team members. A leader who steps in when there is crisis situation and think creatively to solve the issue. These skills are not taught though it can enhance through training and mentoring. There are different styles, which exist in work environment. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Every organisation has its own leadership styles that are depended on the necessary task to complete the needs. (Businessdictionary.com, 2015) The different leadership styles are as followed. Laissez- Faire Autocratic Participative Laissez – Faire: A leader who lacks direct supervision of employees and could not able to provide regular feedback to those who work under him. Highly experienced employees who require little supervision fall under this style. However not all fall under this style. This leadership style produces no leadership or supervision efforts from managers that lead to lack of control and cost. (Johnson, 2015) Autocratic: This leadership style allows managers to make decision alone without any interruptions. It is also known as authoritative style leads who impose their will to employees. This helps employees who require close supervision. (Johnson, 2015) Participative: This style values the inputs of team members but the responsibility of making decision would be with the leader. This style boost employee morally because employees make contribution to the decision making process. If the organisation wants to do any changes this style helps employees accept changes easily because they participate in the decision process. (Johnson, 2015) As a Director of Human resources of King and Queen Hotel Suites Mt Taranaki Resort, we will ensure that the organisation always encourage participative leadership style and focus on employees by providing training on taking initiative, critical thinking, listening effectively, motivate others, discipline, constant learning, handling conflicts and to be a follower. So a good leadership should have all the essential elements, which are mentioned above to develop in career. And a constant feedback will be provided to the employees. The key for successful leadership is to be participative not authoritative/ autocratic. So we will ensure that all staff at King and Queen Hotel Suites will participate in the development of new hotel Mt Taranaki resorts. 3.  Communicating business information Communication plays a major role in any organisation and there are many ways that people communicate in the workplace. As we work in hospitality industry where we will handle different guest, internal communication plays major role to deliver the service. It is know that 75 to 80 percent of managers in hotel industry spend their time on written and oral communication. To be successful in the industry each and every employee should be aware of different communication methods and to know which one to be used effectively according to task required. The different types of communication used in hotels are face-to-face communication, emails, notice boards, team briefings, departmental meetings etc. (Sheahan, 2015) As the director of human resource manger for King and Queen Hotel suites Mt Taranaki Resort will try to ensure that staff are communicated well with the company’s vision, mission, its objectives and taking there company a level ahead. The communication strategies that can use at King and Queen Hotel suites and Mt Taranaki resorts for effective communication are as followed. Internal communication Marketing communication Communication with stakeholders Monitoring Nonverbal messages Internal communication: In this strategy the organisation has to communicate with their employees, managers and contractors. Jargons should be avoided in emails, notice boards and letters considering the level of knowledge of from bottom level employee to top level. Employees can give feedback or ask any question for the information they received from management. Marketing communication: Communicating marketing information to employees can influence the end result of the organisation. It will improve the business of the organisation. So employees should have information on the development of Mt Taranaki Resort and can give their inputs for growth. Communication with stakeholders: An organisation should have good communication with their stakeholders because they are the key role for the success of their business. Monitoring Non verbal messages: Most of the frontline staff in hotel industry communicates with their guest non-verbally through their body language, appearance, by monitoring non-verbal message the organisation can match non-verbal with verbal ones. (Johnston, 2015) 4.  Eliminating barriers in communication within the teams: There are lot of communication barriers in an organisation. In any workplace there should be clear, open communication. As a manager my job is to break down the barriers to communication within the teams. Steps to over come the barriers are as followed. Encourage awareness of misinterpretation of written words, and insist every employee to crystal clear. Differences in perspective – to over come this barrier we need to mind it before it begins. We have to be clear by outlining clear plans and step-by-step expectations of what required from each and every employee. A lack of trust – to over come this problem team building activities to be conducted to staff. So by building teamwork we can improve over all communication. Distractions – to over come this problem staff has to do everything possible to eliminate distractions within the teams. Information overload – sometimes too much information to staff can lead to misunderstanding and no clarity on message. To over come this barrier information should be essential one, ensuring there is no misunderstanding. (The Managers Minute, 2012) As a HR Manager I would need to be a proactive individual and construct multi-layered environment to take out any boundaries that may emerge and to keep the pattern going on the inn we would need take a gander at a wide range of requirements and needs of the representatives and making them blend with diverse societies so easily that they have exceptionally constrained measure of the obstructions in correspondence. 5.  Team Work Teamwork plays major role in any organisation which increase performance of employees, employee unity and organisation culture. Team members use teamwork to perfect ideas off of one another to develop the organisation goals. It helps to solve the problem-solving situation with help of multiple ideas from team members. Teamwork is the backbone of effective communication within the organisation. It helps to promote conversation between team members to do one task. When employee work together as a team each and every one can learn from one another. Employees from different departments can learn information from each other regarding the limitations and possibilities of those departments. (Marquis, 2015) Team building skills are essential for every employee in the organisation whether he is a manager, supervisor or staff. Basic team building skills can determine the success of an organisation. Our company promotes teamwork to create environment that lead to greater productivity and creativity. Following are the 8 strategies for King and Queen Hotel suites Mt Taranaki for effective team building: Common Goal: An organisation with multiple goals cannot reach its agendas. Our company has single goal i.e. exceeding the expectation of our guest by delivering 100% service. We as a team should ensure that all work towards our single goal to and achieve excellent customer satisfaction. Clarity Goal: All communication passed within the organisation should be clarity so that team members can understand overall purpose. Commitment from each team member: All members should work as a productive team, there has to be a commitment from each team member to achieve the company goal. Do What You Do Best: The purpose of teamwork is to group of people work together to accomplish the task. So each and every individual has to give his or her best out to the team. It’s Not About You: The hardest attitude to handle in assuming a part on a group is that its not about you. It not about your resume, what others will believe, its about assuming a part to fulfil the objective or undertaking that has been given. The hardest test to any task lead or supervisor is getting a gathering on people to capacity as a group and spot their own aspirations to the side. You Have Got to Talk Each Other: It is very important to have good communication within the team members to know about the task given to them. In recent times there are frequent tools that are used to communicate like email, mobile phones, social media and property management system to team members. Work as a Team, Play as a Team: As we all spend most of the time by working together in our company team members have to anticipate what others will do and how they will respond. This can only happen by being together. Everyone cannot Lead: Each task will have a supervisor. There are numerous approaches to pick a supervisor. A few managers decide to choose by a individual area of skill or their capacity to convey and oversee activities and individuals. The perfect circumstance is to delegate to a person that is talented in both ranges. (Finch, 2007) 6.  Conflict Organisational conflict is often result of a disagreement between two or more people in a company. It can also exist outside the organisation this usually involves one or more companies in the business environment. (Vitez, 2015) Conflict resolution policy In our company if there is any presence of conflict it can be serious issue that needs immediate resolution. If team members appear not to be interacting as cooperatively as we think. The company will engage those team members in conflict resolution solution. Our company has some strategies to over come this conflict situation. It will aid the team members in putting them in the following conflict resolution strategies. Discussion – conflict arises due to lack of communication if the team members are not having conversation with their other members. To over come this employee has to set up time for a discussion. Written communication – if any issue escalated one of the employees has lost temper, written communication may effective way of breaking down this conflict situation. Each employee can write a letter to each other by outlining the problem. By writing letter instead of face-to-face conversation benefit is can select careful words. It also make sure that the exchange doesn’t erupt into yelling. Meditation – conflicts cant work it out together without the intermission of third party. It can over come by arranging training sessions by third party to employees. It allows employees to sit down and can assist them in working out their problems. Compromise – employees has to give little and take little by compromising between the two. They can sit down with the manager and discuss the problem between two employees, arranging compromises instead of just choosing one employee interest over the other by this company can reduce likelihood one staff member feels slighted by the way in which conflict was resolved. Voting – simple way to resolve conflict is by voting, it is the most effective method. (Schreiner, 2015) Conclusion An organisation Culture is which empowers an organisation to understand the way of life that needs to be advised to the employees which empowers them to wind up pioneers who can take the organisation to the following level with the assistance of conveying the business data to the workers by diminishing the correspondence boundaries which can never be killed/ overcome for all time as the obstructions could emerge at any given circumstance. Teamwork is one of the vital parts of the business without cooperation no organisation can work through to the goals, mission and vision. Conflict resolution is one of the real territories that need to be determined on regular premise as conflicts could emerge at no given time. An approach has been made and imparted to the staff at the time of joining or at the time of their exchange, with the goal that there can be a determination rather that a huge case. Works Cited Businessdictionary.com. (2015). Retrieved April 2, 2015, from www.businessdictionary.com: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/organizational-culture.html Reinhart, C. (2015). Smallbusiness.chron.com. Retrieved April 2, 2015, from www. smallbusiness.chron.com: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/organizational-culture-hospitality-industry-12969.html Oberoihotels.com. (n.d.). Retrieved April 3, 2015, from www.oberoihotels.com: http://www.oberoihotels.com/about-us/mission-vision.aspx Values- Accor. (n.d.). Accor.com. Retrieved April 3, 2015, from www.accor.com: http://www.accor.com/en/group/accor-company-profile/values.html Businessdictionary.com. (2015). 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