Montana 1948 Character Analysis

David is a 12 year old boy from a small town called Bentrock in Montana, David has a very confined personality, in other words he has to watch what he says or does because of the name he was given at birth as a Hayden- a very respectable name in his home town as his father is the sheriff, Uncle a doctor and his grandfather like his father was sheriff also.During the year of 1948 David as a young boy got caught up in all the drama of his Uncle’s sins molesting Indian women, when David eaves drops and hears about what his uncle had done is the major turning point for him, he is no longer a little kid but now after his opinions of his family had changed he had lost all his innocence and was left in the middle of the situation.After finding out about his Uncles assaults on Indian women, David see’s his uncle leaving the house whilst in the neighbours outhouse through a peep hole, that day when arriving home he finds that Marie Little Soldier had been murdered, Marie is an I ndian that works in his home and had made the accusations on his uncle, David loved Marie in a young boy sort of way as there was only one kind of love for a 12 year old boy, She was young and beautiful and understood David.After David’s father had imprisoned his uncle in his basement, four men that worked for David’s Grandfather arrived at his home willing to jail break his Uncle, David’s mother shot a warning fire in order to scare them away from the house but they didn’t budge so Len Mcauley, David’s neighbour whom David thought was in love with his mother came over and pointed his gun at them ordering them away from the home and scared them off. David’s mother then hugged him thankfully and asked for David to join them, but for David it looked unfaithful so he stood there with his fathers gun so it didn’t look bad if his father emerged.After this scene David’s mother ordered her brother in law to be freed for the safety of her family and home, that night David heard his uncle smashing glasses from the cellar and awoke the next day to find later in the morning his father hugging his dead brother with gashes on both his wrists in a pool of blood, after this situation David was relieved for the fact that there would be no trial, no more women molested, no bad name put to his family and no more trouble, he was thankful to his uncle but that was not the end of it.David’s Grandfather practically disowned the family making in unbearable to live in Bentrock no longer than a few months after his uncle’s death David’s family moved away. Wesley HaydenWesley Hayden is David Hayden’s father, was born in 1910 in mercer county, when he was a teenager a horse kicked his leg, breaking it giving him a permanent limp in the shape of a V so we know that he is disabled, in the early twenties Wesley and his family moved to Bentrock and lived on a cattle ranch just outside on Bentrock, Wesley gra duated from the university of north Dakota law school, and he was a member of both the North Dakota and Montana state bar association his wife believed that the family would be better if he had a career as an attorney but his father Julian Hayden wanted to keep the family name and popularity going on in the family and passed his job as Sheriff down to his eldest son Wesley.I see Wesley Hayden as a pushover, he pushed a rewarding career away because his father had told him to and he went to law school because his wife told him to as well. In the novel Wesley is put in a very, very difficult situation by having to convict his own brother for the assaults on Indian woman during his appointments at the reserve- at first Wesley believes the accusations but tries to cover up the situation by making up excuses for his brother, but is then pushed by his wife to take action, if Wesley hadn’t been pushed to take action he never would have. This is a major turning point for Wesley as we ll as David because it’s a big thing and he knows that it’s wrong and has no choice not to do anything because he is the sheriff and his wife is very strong on her beliefs.Another turning point in the novel for Wesley is when his son tells him that he had seen his brother leaving the house the afternoon that Marie had died; this is a huge turning point because now Wesley has to do something major about the situation because it’s not something that you can just brush off, Wesley has to find Indian women to testify against his brother, but has then run out of options and decides to imprison his brother in the basement to save the embarrassment of his brother. When Wesley’s father finds out that his son is being imprisoned in his other sons home he demands for him to be freed but when he is refused, he sounds 4 men that work on his ranch to break him free. After Wesley’s brother commits suicide in his basement, Wesley’s father disowns him as a son and loses contact with him. Wesley, his wife and his son move to Fargo when Wesley’s wife decides that she wants to move out of Bentrock. Dies from cancer. Gail Hayden Wesley Hayden’s wife and David Hayden’s mother, from Eastern ND in the Red River Valley, Wanted her husband to be himself and not a Hayden.Wanted to move back to North Dakota Concerned about David's values, Wished for a larger community to raise David in, one not so easily escapable, Worked as a sceretary in the Register Deeds Office at the courthouse across the street from the Hayden home. Gail Hayden is a very stern and faithful woman, she is very well mannered and has one son (David), David’s birth was very difficult for her so she had only decided to have one son. The turning point for Gail is also the same turning point as her son and husbands, even though she doesn’t know what her son knows, she tries to keep it as much as a secret from him because he is only twelve years o ld. One problem that Gail is faced with is protecting her home from her father-in-laws men, she is forced to fire warning shots, this is very weird for Gail because she is very well mannered and a lady so it’s very unexpected.At the end of the novel when Gail asks to move away from Bentrock we know its because 2 people had died in her own home and it would be a great way to start fresh without people talking about them in Bentrock. Gail dies from a heart attack Frank hayden David's uncle, war hero, doctor, witty, charismatic, charming, rapist, two- faced. He had been a star athlete in high school and college, During WWII on a Pacific Island, he carried three soldiers to safety. He is a killer and committed suicide. In the beginning of the novel frank is the bigger person compared to Wesley, he is more handsome, charming and he is a war hero with a very rewarding profession besides the fact that he uses it for the wrong reasons. The big turning point for Frank is when he finds out that Marie had told on him for accusations of rape and assualt

Living in a dynamic earth Essay

Evolving from ape-man society to the advanced civilization nowadays, people start to inhabit in artificial concrete jungle and live far away from the given natural environment. With social progression and economic benefits, peoples’ crave for natural resources keeps escalating from time to time. People have a great tendency to consume resources yet ignore the long-term  behavioral consequences that are destined to cycle back eventually. The significance of sustainability is mostly overlooked. The book ‘Human Science and Human History 101’ considers the planet and human as a whole system and tells the story in an informational scientific way. The book contains four main topics. Firstly introduce the formation history of the Earth and facts about different parts and components of the Earth to provide readers a solid concept and basis of the planet. Afterwards, it gradually explores the fact that human generation development and evolution are greatly determined by the changes on the Earth, for instance, the uncontrollable natural catastrophe-volcano eruption. Hence it evaluates the resulting impacts and relationships between human development and the Earth as a circulating ecosystem. The first chapter starts with the exploration of the history and facts of atmosphere, oceans and rivers. An introduction of the atmosphere composition and certain scenarios of greenhouse effect and ozone depletion spark off the chapter. The sun gives life to the Earth. It provides a primary energy source to the Earth. Solar energy of the sun breeds and sustains the living things. Temperature on the Earth simply controls climates and determines changes on the living environment and consequently triggers alterations in human behaviors, which creates human history through centuries. This chapter specifically links the variation of solar radiation to the changes on surface of the Earth and history of mankind. The aforementioned changes in solar radiation are explained by long-term cycles. (Chapter 1, P.5) With obtaining the trapped gas of carbon dioxide in ice to determine the information about the changes in atmospheric temperature, in which a 100,000 years of slow cooling in glacial pe riods and 20,000 years of rapid warming in interglacial periods can be investigated. Climate changes create different periods and with the start and end of different periods generate distant consequences hence affect and shift living of human. From the long history of 1,5000 years ago, increasing temperature leaded to the melting of water and terminated the last Ice Age. With the end of last Ice Age, three main consequences – topographic effects of deglaciation, peopling effect of the Americas and the possibility of the occurrence of biblical flood in the Black Sea occur. (Chapter 1, P.15) These three effects further mold the  surface of the Earth with the junctions of rivers, separation of the Earth continents and expansion of sea area. Firstly, ‘topographic effects of deglaciation’ discusses the physical evidence of glaciation on land and rapid sea level rise. The melting of ice uncovered the land and exposed much of the topography of North America and northern Europe. Secondly, ‘peopling of the Americas’ confers the idea of very different evolution patterns between South and North Americas using examples of primates, hominins and Homo sapiens. The circumstance was leaded by the isolation of North America by the opening of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. Thirdly, ‘Flooding of the Black Sea’ tells that the Black sea was once isolated, and by connecting the Black Sea with other world’s ocean by melting ice, the busiest waterway in the world that affects people’s transportation routes and preferences is created. Then from the shorter history of past 2000 years, the time is divided into five periods with obvious evidence of the influence of climates to human behavior and history. (Chapter 1, P.17) For example, in the Little Ice Age, a decrease in food production and rise in food prices due to a cold climate spurred the emigration of people and eventually the high food process leaded the French Revolution. It is evident that although it seems irrelevant, when viewing the human history and climates together, we can find huge and direct relationship that can by no means be overlooked. Climate changes human behaviors and builds history. After explaining the linkage between climate and human activities, global warming is discussed as a non-stop phenomenon that keeps influencing us. After showing evidence of global warming, it is, however, stated that the rapid increases of the amount of greenhouse gases is mainly caused by human activity and social progression. For instance, in the 1700s, the industrial revolution started up the human economic production fuelled by coal; after that, the development of car (an industrial production) speeded up the utilization of oil especially in developed countries. Volcanoes, oceans and rivers activities and influences are explored to end the chapter. (Chapter 1, P.25) This chapter provides history of the Earth and human, which explains the rational behind climates and human activities and further notice us the possibility of influences to us in the future. After the comprehensive explanation of the relationship of solar radiation to  the atmospheric elements, formation of the Earth surface and eventually links to human development, chapter two proceeds to description of the solid tectonic parts and its tectonic processes, then explores its influence and relationship to human kind. ‘Tectonics’ is the deformation of the earth’s surface. In the beginning chapter two provides basic information of the structure and composition of the Earth and the principle of ‘Isostasy’. (Chapter 2, P.53) From the center of the Earth, it consisted of a core, a mantle and a crust. With the heat constantly generates from the interior of the Earth, the crust is at the same time in motion. These affects the crust which is the surface of the Earth where human habitat and creates a series of tectonic processes that we human being considered as catastrophes. ‘Isostasy’ is then referred to the concept that all elevat ion son the Earth are determined and controlled by the thickness and density of the underlying crust and known as ‘Equal standing’. Following is the discussion of the Plate tectonics, which foremost explains the heat generates from the Earth by radioactive decay and this source is strong enough to prevent shrinking and to drive tectonic processes. The chapter further remarks on the structures and processes of the movement of rocks using the concepts of continental drift, hot spot, and plates. (Chapter 2, P.61) After all the fundamental information then comes to the influences of tectonic processes include Volcanism, Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Living in rifts and Living on small islands. The above five processes are discussed from its formation reasons to its impacts on humans habitat and explains with examples of the according changes in mankind behaviors and history. Firstly, in volcanoes eruption, molten rocks known as ‘magma’ is introduced and categorized into ‘intrusive rock’ and ‘extrusive rocks’. (Chapter 2, P.67) Three historically important eruptions are described. The v iolent explosion of Santorini in 1640 B.C. which has a great possibility of leading to the remarkable replacement of Minoan civilization by the Mycenaeans. The other two are explosion of glowing cloud, one is from the Mount Vesuvius and the other is the Mount Pelee. In the later eruption, a glowing cloud around 500 meters high crashed in St.Pierre which burned and covered the whole town and killed approximately 25,000 people. Secondly, earthquakes occur when faults slip in a sudden. The highest magnitude of earthquake that is ever measured is 9.5 in Chile on 22th of May in 1960. Possible influences of earthquakes are  discussed by examples at Mayan Quirigua, Israeli site of Armagedon and San Francisco. Earthquakes can be as severe as to destruct all of the existing civilization in Maya empire. However, human can also learn from time to time to protect ourselves by obtaining knowledge of building in earthquake-prone areas. (Chapter 2, P.73) Thirdly, tsunami is a gigantic system of waves in ocean basins that is resulted from sudden displacement of ocean surfaces. Mostly, tsunami is a consequence of underwater earthquakes and the examples of Indian Ocean and La Palma are then illustrated. In the significant tsunami of Indian Ocean, more than 200,000 deaths were caused directly and long-term social facilities and industries destructions, for instances, buildings, roads and tourism industry, were created. Fourthly, people living in rifts because those low valleys contain a great amount of resources in terms of water, food and fertile soils for living. Examples of East African rift system and Hawaii are mentioned to further illustrate the abundant resources in rift valleys. (Chapter 2, P.83) Last, the chapter ends with describing people living on thousands of small islands like Hawaii and Midway which are almost isolated from the rest of the world geographically but play significant role of intermediate stops of air route. With the basis of the atmospheric element and tectonic planet surface mentioned in the first two chapters, chapter three continues with the introduction of the origin of human and continents. The controversy of emergence of human kind from creationism or evolution is evaluated and the origin of existing continents is discussed with evidence. Generally, creationism represents the belief that creatures are created by Genesis 1 in the 6-day period when God made the Earth. Creationists think the concept of evolution can be compatible with creations in the biblical stories. Every living thing in the world are made by God separately and every word in the Bible is undoubtedly true. (Chapter 3, P.90) While theory of evolution tells the existing creatures are evolved from ancient living things in the process of natural selection. Evolutionist rejects supreme beings and thinks that living objects in the universe all undergoes physical processes of changing. French anatomist George Cuvier propo sed the idea that the Earth had undergone several times of huge extinction and recreation of new organisms throughout times. If the existing organisms are capable of adapting to their  environment, it survives; if it does not, it simply varies or perishes. With the continuous variation of creatures to adapt to the environment and prevent from dying produces the form of existing creatures nowadays. The controversy of creationism and evolution continued seriously through the 20th century. The trial of John Scopes in Dayton in 1925 is mentioned to show the deep-rooted conflicts. (Chapter 3, P.94) The sequence of events that influenced the Earth is also discussed with the method of ‘law of superposition’ to distinguish the age of substances. Such method can to certain extent prove the history of supercontinents. Continents preserve long history of the Earth and the discussion of continents is separated into two parts of continents formation and history of supercontinents. Two of the supercontinents are Gondwana and Pangea. Finding similar fossil in different countries or areas proved they might once be a whole complete landmass. (Chapter 3, P.111) Concerning Gondwana as an example, similar fossils are found in Australia, India, South Africa and South America. Also, glaciation evidence is found in the above areas to show its unity in the past. Finishing all the discussion of the formation and development of the Earth and human kind, the last chapter reveals the relationship between the Earth resources, human needs, behaviors and the environment influences and sustainability. ‘Sustainability’ means human’s patterns of living and working which are able to continue for the foreseeable future of humankind and, not causing series destruction or damage to any member or component in the ecosystem. (Chapter 4, P.120) This chapter breaks up the energy resources consumption and environmental consequences into five aspects of introduction to energy resources, mineral and rock resources, food resources, fresh water resources and wireless communication and the Internet. In the category of energy resources, information about world energy information is first given. It is shown that energy consumption of United States is increasing from year to year. Also, the United State that possesses 5 percent of worlds population, consumes 25 percent of world energy production. While poor countries only consume low rate of energy. An unbalance energy use is to a large extent shown. (Chapter 4, P.123) Then energy resources formation, production and consumption and history of use of different resources are described regarding fossil fuel, nuclear energy,  renewable resources and rock and mineral resources. To the aspect of food resources, nutritional requirements are discussed with a comparison and contrast of the calories consumption of industrialized countries and poor countries. Origin and characteristics of different sources of food for example Beans, wheat and fruit are mentioned afterwards. (Chapter 4, P.150) Thomas Robert Malthus produced an essay in 1798 introducing the tendency of population increasing exponentially which presented the scenario that world population kept escalating. Yet, while population increases the world is still not capable of feeding everybody although there are plenty of food. Food distribution is not even. This situation supports the doctrine of ‘survival of the fittest’, similar to the idea of natural selection in extinction and evolution. (Chapter 4, P.154) A development of silk road and distant modern communication internet and methods are then mentioned. From the further transportation of horse riding to steam engines, from land transport to ocean transport, there was a great advance in human society connection. Also with the invention and breakthrough of communication gadgets time to time, from electricity generators to telephone and to radio, information can be disseminate much easier. (Chapter 4, P.157) It is, however, worth to meditate that how those technology can be correctly used to benefit human beings. To sum up, by providing scientific information and evidence of the formation and changes of the Earth and human kind, this book tells the story between the Earth and people. While human civilization proceeds and enters the era of rapid economic activities, energy consumption keeps escalating for the productivity and need of human. It is, yet, remarkable that all of the energy sources create certain amount of problems to the Earth and environment. As a closed ecosystem, addressing sustainability is of utmost significant to human beings future life. At the end gives audience the message of its correlationship in order to highlight the importance of obtaining sustainability to human and our habitat, the Earth. Reference list: Rogers, J. W. & Tucker, T. (2008). _Earth Science and Human History 101._United States of America: Greenwood Press.

Modern History – Nazism as Totalitarian

Germany was a totalitarian state, however, only to an extent due to differing perspectives Nazi Germany did not fit the universal criteria of what constitutes totalitarianism. It is unarguably necessary that Germany was ran by a single party, had absolute control over mass communication & media, had a systematic terror & police control as well as total control over the army. However, many have argued that Nazi Germany was not totalitarian as it did not have total control over the economy and Hitler’s role in regime of the Nazism played a significant role in whether or not Germany was totalitarian. Views of Hitler’s role in the Nazi state concerning whether or not Germany was totalitarian changed over time, from when Hitler was the absolute centre and in complete control of Nazism to the view of ‘Working towards the Fuhrer’. Germany was a totalitarian state to an extent. Joseph Goebbel was the Minister for Enlightenment and Propaganda, who strictly repressed all public communications such as censoring all aspects of newspapers, heavy censorship of films, events that were organised to place Nazis’ message in a positive light as well as the effectively using the radio. Radios were cheap and when manufactured, they were preset to Nazi stations only. Through this aspect, civilians were constantly exposed and brainwashed to believe the righteousness of the principles of Nazism such as broadcasting Hitler’s speeches in full and placing glorifying Nazis. Newspaper editors were told daily of what stories were to be published, opinions to be expressed and even graphics. The ‘Fuhrer Myth’ played a significant role in Nazi propaganda: it portrayed Hitler to be a man who was born to lead Germany, ordinary yet extraordinary. Hitler had ended the Depression; he was anti-Marxist, thus he would save Germany from Communism; and he was willing to take action to save Germany from hated aspects such the Treaty of Versailles. The image portrayed was propaganda and was more or less a lie, thus proving that Nazi Germany was a totalitarian state. Hitler had learnt a lesson in 1923, to gain power and popularity he must gain it through the legal processes. After the series of events that lead to Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor, he legally pushed out any parties that had any possible means of opposition out of the framework of Nazi Germany, therefore leaving no room for individuality. The sworn personal allegiance of the army to Hitler is also another factor that confirms that Nazi Germany was a totalitarian state. It is evident to understand that there are concepts in which Nazi Germany is not considered to be a totalitarian state. There are different viewpoints of Germany that determines whether or not Germany was a totalitarian state during the Nazi regime. One viewpoint is that Hitler was the absolute centre and in complete control of Nazism. This idea established that all aspects during his rule went with the direct consent from Hitler himself, no policies were made without the reference of his ideology and all successes & problems could be Hitler’s responsibility. This aspect showed historians that Nazi Germany was a totalitarian state: Hitler had detailed understanding of specific situations, the public’s grievances, Europe’s fear of communism, gaining power through legal proceedings and the importance of the link between terror and propaganda in which he used to his advantage to seize control over the entire country. This perspective is contrasted with the modern viewpoint of ‘Working towards the Fuhrer’. Hitler was not interested in the day to day running of things, his attention was mainly concentrated on his ‘will’ and his plan for Germany which was a basis that took Germany forward. Often, Hitler would not make decisions hence leaving situations pending. Due to this issue, policy makers had to create or amend programs and policies that followed the in line of Hitler’s way of thinking. This concept explained the reasons why the regime become more radical as time wore on. Hitler’s beliefs such as ridding the Jews, destroying the Bolsheviks, creating the Aryan race lead to such events such as the Night of the Broken Glass and killings of those who did not fit the criteria of the Aryan description. The idea that Hitler was seen to above the day to day running of things, played a part in demonstrating the ‘Fuhrer Myth’ proved that he was beyond reproach thus, his followers must followed his line of thinking. This viewpoint shows that despite having complete control over media and communication, Germany was a totalitarian state, only to an extent. Another aspect that constitutes a totalitarian state is that it must have an official ideology. Nazi Germany, despite every civilian owning ‘Mein Kampf’, did not have an official ideology like the Soviet Union, which in theory, wanted a classless society. Nazism was a cluster of disassociated ideas that were tied together by Hitler whereas the Soviet Union had Marxism and Communism. As a result of this failure to fill the point of having an official ideology, it shows that Germany was not a totalitarian state. Significant aspects of Nazi Germany proves that it was a totalitarian state, such as its complete control over media and communication, Germany’s evident systematic terror and control as well as power over the army. However, due to differing perspectives, it is clear that Germany was a totalitarian state, only to an extent as it did not have an official ideology, and total control over the economy

Grading System or Salary Scales for an organization Assignment

Grading System or Salary Scales for an organization - Assignment Example r most of the varied local government services workers and for this reason all these are totally decided by the National Joint Council for the local government services. Thus it is of prime importance to understand that the employers use the past salary arrangement whichever they have used successfully during the past years to make payments and also to structure the salary structures for the present and the future years. Hence though it is up to the sole discretion and up to the employers to determine the salary of the employees they have to always bear in mind that the salary structure will always have a huge impact on the minds of the employees and also their productivity which can surely affect the performance of the company and also the profits acquired by the company and also the individual performance of the employees with respect to their commitment to the organization. This will surely go a long way and a simple fault on these lines in determining the salary structure of the individual employees will surely affect the overall organization in the future. For this very reason the employers have to be very clear and also very honest and also should be very liberal and also use all their discretionary powers when determining the salary structure of the employees. Hence it is of prime importance that the managers who are entrusted with the determination of the3 salary structure have to take extra precautions and also structure the salary scales based on various factors and not based on their individual whims and fancies. It is for this very reason that the organization and its managers who are going to structure the salary scales have to attend meetings and also should be very well trained pack of officials who can very well determine what type of salary should be fixed for the employees and also on what basis. Thus before the determination of the salary structures they should have high level meetings and also conduct a proper performance appraisal for the

Domino's Pizza Services Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Domino's Pizza Services Marketing - Essay Example Showcasing was first created from the products, which clarifies the watched delay in its application in the service segment in both Europe and the United States (He, Zha & Li, 2013). In the wake of showing the fundamental elements connected to showcasing services, a few areas will be produced: nearby services, budgetary services, services identified with transport and tourism. Services showcasing are advertising in view of connections and qualities. It can be utilized to advertise a product or service. Advertising services organization database is not quite the same as product showcasing the business. There are a few essential contrasts, including 1. The purchaser gains an unclear resource 2. Upkeep can be founded on the notoriety of one individual 3. It is harder to look at the nature of comparative services 4. The purchaser can't give back the service When you offer a service organization, we should remember that notoriety, value, conveyance and checking are critical to business achievement (Kotler & Armstrong, 2010). "Dealing with the proof" alludes to the demonstration of educating customers that the service had been effectively met already. This is best done in inconspicuous ways, such as giving cases or depictions of good and poor service that can be utilized as a source of perspective. The principle reason is that the customer can't assess the aggregate cost of the service on the off chance that it is a decent benchmark for examination.

Wikileaks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Wikileaks - Essay Example The organizational operations are designed to protect journalists, activists and whistleblowers. The term wikileaks is a combination of two terms â€Å"wiki† and â€Å"Leaks† each of which is defined separately. According to Jennings, a wiki is a server program that permits users to work together in making up the content of a website. With it, any user who is using a web browser from their own computer can edit the site including other user’s contributions (4). It uses a collaboration of many users. The contributors can view the page any time conveniently before and after changes have been made to it. According to Jennings, the term wiki comes from Hawaiian language meaning fast. From the English dictionary, the word leak is defined as permitting to escape or to flaw. The leak part of the word describes what the organization does (Times Taffn.p). Wikileaks is an organization which gathers information that governments and institutions do not want released and posts it on the internet where everyone can read it. It is a system for untraceable mass document le aking. The founding and registration of wikileaks.org domain name was done on 4th October 2006 and was launched under the sunshine press organization. The founder of wikileaks was Julian Assange who was an Australian internet activist. The wikileaks site however states that it was â€Å"founded by Chinese dissidents, journalists, mathematicians and startup company technologists from the US, Taiwan, Europe, Australia and South Africa†. It was not until 2007 when Julian Assange was referred to as the â€Å"founder† of wikileaks. The advisory board consisted of Assange, Phillip Adams,Wang Dan, CJ Hinke, Ben Laurie, TashiNamgyalKhamsitsag, Xiao Qiang, Chico Whitaker and Wang Youcai. It started publishing leaked documents in 2007 which were significant and became leading front page news items. Since it was launched and started working, wikileaks has endured and

Human rights cannot be both universal and political. Discuss Essay - 1

Human rights cannot be both universal and political. Discuss - Essay Example The fact whether human rights can be both universal and political, or not has engendered lots of heated arguments so far. Most of these arguments spring from the concerns of individuals’ religious, cultural, social perspectives with what they consider to be rights of human beings. But in one age or place what was considered by the people to be a valid right of human beings, appeared to be invalid and oppressive in others; therefore they were amended and also changed. The concept of rights varied from place to place, age to age, culture to culture, by the geo-cultural variables. As a result the universality of human rights is questioned and often tried to be explained from a narrow political and culturally relativistic view (Cohen 1989, pp.1014-1017). But a holistic approach is made to address both the universal and the socio-political view of rights. In the context of human right movement of modern time, the universality of human right has been the most tried matter in order t o enhance its applicability in a global framework. Consequently an endeavor to procure a universalized view of human right is significantly remarkable in the definitions of the scholars at the forth part of modern human right movement. This paper will focus light on the reasonability of arguments and counter arguments on the topic whether human rights cannot be both universal and political and attempt to retrieve a conclusion on the possibility of drawing a mutual line between the two. The idea of universality of human right is prompted first by the prominent European philosophers such as Grotius, Hobbes and Locke (Rayner n.d.). But internationally it was introduced immediately after the Second World War. As Gà ¶rkem Birinci â€Å"Human rights were brought into the focus immediately after the Second World War with the establishment of the United Nations† (n.d., p. 1). This universality is asserted on the foundations

Locke and Rousseau on Social Contract Research Paper

Locke and Rousseau on Social Contract - Research Paper Example It is selfish in a way that they did not care for the welfare of other humans. Nevertheless, they were bounded by some natural laws that regulated their behavior. For instance, they were mindful of the rule that they should not hurt each other (Locke 192). They were ought to preserve the existence of humans on earth. Significantly, humans have deemed it necessary and convenient to make a social group (Locke 253). They have actually felt the importance of belongingness -- that is to become part of a human gathering. They have found it convenient to be able to utilize the skills of others to pursue an endeavor. In this sense, humans have learned to become social. They have considered the importance of others to their continued existence. As a consequence, relationships were formed. Forms of interactions have developed. Humans have known each other. They demonstrated ways to help others. In other words, mutual understanding has developed between them. This was the beginning of man to wo man interaction. As cited by Locke, "the first society was between man and wife" (253). This social inclination began the relation between parents and their children (Locke 253). Stated otherwise, the first social institution is the family. Locke specifically referred the family as a conjugal society (253). It is conjugal because the union of man and woman carries with it reciprocal benefits. Mutual assistance and support as well as communion of interests are examples of these benefits (Locke 253). These advantages may have driven humans to form a family. The family therefore is the first form of social group that humans have created. It is the original proof of society’s existence. In a family, humans could find security in all aspects. This finding as proposed by John Locke may have contributed to the present understanding of filial relationship. In another case, Locke included the topic on slavery. He emphasized the fact that slaves are not "part of civil society" (Locke 2 58). In this context, it can be claimed that to be part of civil society, a particular social group must have freedom. This freedom encompasses the right to own, use and enjoy a property. This could mean that an individual belonging to a civil society has the corresponding right to exercise his or her civil rights. To note, the right to own a property belongs to the larger scope of civil rights. As time goes by, humans have found it necessary to protect and preserve their life, liberty and estate (Locke 259). Locke actually considered the three as forms of property (Ashcraft 412). In such case, they formed a political society. In forming this society, the members of the civil society are to surrender some of their natural powers to "the hand of the community" in which they can ask for protection (Locke 260). This protection is made possible by the establishment of a political structure; hence, the creation of the government. This body politic would be the representative of the peopl e as a whole. For this body to be legalized, a majority consent from the community is needed (Laski 16). Locke actually preferred a commonwealth than absolute monarchy. He described the commonwealth as an independent community and not a democracy (Locke 301). For him, a commonwealth has three powers, legislative, executive and federative. These powers are ought to be separated according to Locke. At the end of his treatise, Locke

Roots of western culture (Democracy and Imperialism) Essay - 2

Roots of western culture (Democracy and Imperialism) - Essay Example Therefore, equality and respect for the law is an important aspect in any nation as they ensure smooth running of government processes. Citizens are presented with freedom to in exercising their rights in a democratic nation. As Pericles mentions, individuals have equal rights and freedoms despite their cultural background, birth or any other discriminatory factor. Athens is an example of a nation where citizens’ rights and freedom are put into consideration as compared to Sparta where there is no adherence to equality for the law (Thucydides and Pericles 41). According to Pericles, the city of Athens enjoys a democratic and free state of government through equal representation of citizens in the government. Happiness has been attributed with individuals being free, and freedom is influenced by courage. The city of Athens represents a nation that is organized and effectively manages its internal affairs in a transparent and democratic way (Thucydides and Pericles 42). According to the writing, Athens has a well-organized force that protects its people from external

Zodiac Killer Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Zodiac Killer - Research Paper Example He targeted three women and four men between the ages of 15 and 29. In several cities the case remains open. In spite of the investigation over 2,500 suspects, the serial killing case never officially solved. The report will analyze the Zodiac serial killing case. This report will try to discuss the given questions related with Zodiac killer case. Analysis This part of the report will try to provide effective answers to the provided questions. Question 1 Zodiac Killer was recognized as cold blooded serial killer. He is quite different in nature and behavior comparing to the other normal homicide suspect. Zodiac serial killer is quite unique among all the serial killers. It is evident in past that all the serial killers follow similar method while killing or murdering the victims, but Zodiac killer followed different modes and strategies of killing in different cases (Waller, 2011). For example, the victims were totally under control of the serial killer when the killer shot them outs ide the car at the Lake Herman Road. Different killing methods and various dispatching styles of dead bodies made the Zodiac killer different from other serial killers and normal homicide suspects. In addition to this, his communication style with the press through the letters before and after the murders made him unique serial killer. Question 2 The Zodiac serial killing case is still unsolved due to the implementation of cool and tricky killing process. The motive behind the serial killing process is not discovered. A serial killer kills people in order to fulfill his or her personal needs or mental satisfaction. Some investigators stated that the killer choose to kill the victims in order to satisfy his own sexual needs. Out of 7 attacks 5 women got died. Most dramatically, rest 2 men victims able to survive despite the attack. However, the killer himself denied this reason or motive behind the serial killing through his letter note sent to the press (Graysmith, 2007). He claimed that he killed 37 people including both men and women. However, the proper motive behind the killing still are not discovered as the case declared as inactive by San Francisco police in the year 2004. Question 3 The police of several cities tried to capture the serial killer through several investigation and forensic activities. In the year 1969 the Zodiac killer continued to confuse the FBI agencies through different killing methods. The serial killer murdered five women and critically injured two men victims (Haugen, 2010). The FBI did not have any kind of jurisdiction in those particular murder cases. In addition to these, FBI did not directly investigate the murder case. However, the FBI agency was enlisted to perform forensic examinations according to the local law enforcement. The FBI agency tried to engage several crime detector specialists, such as latent fingerprint specialists, code analysts and handwriting specialist into the forensic investigation process. The FBI agenc y tried hard to break the codes that are written by the killers on envelops, letters and cryptograms. But they were unable to provide a proper solution. It is true that the Zodiac serial killing case remained unsolved. Question 4 Different killing methods and unique dispatching styles of dead bodies make it difficult for the city police to capture the Zodiac serial killer. The killer was lucky and smart. He could easily interpret the next move of police or FBI agencies. He followed unique killing styles. In addition to this, the

Leadership on The Line Essay Example for Free

Leadership on The Line Essay Recognizing the evolving definition and requirements of leadership, Heifetz Ronald and Linsky (2002) highlight the need for leaders to consider the skills and perspective to ensure their effectiveness. Leadership, as illustrated in Leadership on The LineStaying alive through the Dangers of Leading? requires not only the accomplishment of goals but also the ability to respond effectively to the human realities of working in an organization. The books three parts provide steps in recognizing leadership challenges, developing responses and interventions and what competencies leaders must develop professionally and personally. Marginalization, diversion, attack and seduction are identified as the main sources of resistance to leaders. At the same time, the authors also pay particular attention to the dangers within the leadership characterized as hunger for power and control and the difficulties in self-monitoring. The authors want to communicate to readers that there is a need for leaders to purse the development of their leadership skills. Despite the use of figurative characterizations in the book, the authors are practical and pragmatic in their discussion. The examples given, particularly in the Response section of the book is based on real life examples. Examples which the readers can easily relate directly to or parallel to their own experience. The authors point out that the sources of resistance are natural to any leadership scenario and therefore can not be fully stopped and in fact, can also be safeguard against ineffective leadership However, they have to control through resistance-response skills which in turn allows leaders to function as they are needed. Critique There is no doubt that leadership is a difficult challenge. Thus, there has been no limitation of the number of literature that aim to develop strategies and competencies for it. Unlike most literature in its genre that focuses on the development of attributes for effective leadership to become a leader, Ronald and Linsky discuss the development of leadership when one already holds office. The authors aim to provide a literature or guide to leaders who are already experiencing challenges in their roles due to a change in working scenarios or relationships. From the perspective of Heifetz and Linsky, what has become more critical for leaders to day has been the ability to go beyond their functions and respond to other people and at the same time eliciting a response from them. Thus, beyond achieving goals set members, of the organization must understand why these goals are being pursued, that â€Å"people need to know that the stakes are worth it† (p. 94). At the same time, Heifetz and Linsky state that before any action can be take to address threats to effective leadership, leaders must be able to understand the â€Å"heart† of the issues before recognizing the actions, indications or â€Å"faces† determining the threats. The main message of the book is the need for leaders not just to be competent, sensitive or responsive. They also must understand the their motivations for being so, the perspectives that can be taken, the methods that can be most effective and the implications of any perspective, opinion or action to be taken. Empathizing with the natural isolation of being the top man of an organization: there should be an acceptance that there will be member of the organization who would â€Å"undermine the clarity of his vision, delay his progress, and divert him from his core purposes† (p. 76). Thus, leaders while being advocated to be sensitive to their organization have to balance this with their resolve to accomplish organization goals. Leaders should be then prepared to be questioned, doubted and even maligned for their decisions. Heifetz and Linsky reflect that leaders often view these are criticisms to their professional and personal capacity but they should also understand that these reactions, even when they are deliberate and malicious, occur as part of the dynamics leading and organizations. Reading the book, one of the most unique ideas that Heifetz and Linsky present, absent from most of the leadership literature that I have read, is the concept of pain and leadership. The authors’ views are ones that one can easily agree and even commiserate to. The recognition of the fact that effective leadership has its pains and not just costs, both to the leader and the organization, is a perspective that makes the work effective and truly emphatic to the challenges of leadership. The view that leadership challenges, or resistance, is an ever present element in any organization does not discourage readers but actually motivates them to deal with them rather than trying to circumvent them. However, it should also be recognized that some of the examples or ideas presented may require significant experience to be understood comprehensively. This is a particular challenge in the last section of the book where the authors delineate the introspective requirements for leaders. Nonetheless, the book provides critical insights to the realities of leadership and not just what it should be. More importantly, it is effective in motivating readers view leadership as continuing process of development and that there is a need to actively pursue effectiveness. Reference Heifetz, Ronald A. and Linsky, Marty (2002). Leadership on The LineStaying alive through the Dangers of Leading, 1st Edition. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

Prius Essay Example for Free

Prius Essay Analysis of 4P’s – Product, Place, Price, Promotion f. SWOT Analysis of Toyota Motor Corporation and Toyota Prius g. Competitors Against Toyota Prius h. Target Market of Toyota Prius 3. Objectives a. Corporate Objectives b. IMC Objectives 4. Time Frame 5. Promotion Strategies a. Print Advertising b. Internet Advertising c. Sponsorship Activity d. Exhibition 6. Promotion Budget 7. Appendix 8. References 1. EXECUTION SUMMARY This Integrated Marketing Communications Proposal is a one-year communications plan, which is to be launched in Hong Kong, for the Toyota Prius. It aims to further raise the awareness of the Prius and in turn increase the market share and sale. Market analysis identified the target market, which consists of two groups: private and corporate buyers. Consequently a communications strategy that makes use of various media has been created. Newspaper and car magazines as the print advertisements, the Internet, sponsorship activity and exhibition will be the main media. The Creative strategy is designed to emphasize the unique selling points of the Prius and weaken the target markets objections. The budget (HK$1,000,000) has been allocated for the events and advertisements this year. The majority of the budget will be spent on the 2 two-day exhibition, followed by the print advertising. 2. SITUATION ANALYSIS a. Background Information of Toyota Motor Corporation Toyota is a Japanese car manufacturing company founded by Sakichi Toyoda in 1937. They have four key strategies which aim at customer satisfaction, quality assurance, continuous improvement and reduction of waste. Toyota has manufactured various types of cars such as Corolla and Carmy. After continuous improvement, Toyota is likely to be the best seller in the world this year in terms of sales. . Communication History of Toyota Motor Corporation Crown Motors, the local agency of Toyota, has published various advertisements for its vehicles through newspapers, magazines, TV commercials, exhibitions and sponsorships, etc. However, there are merely few local sponsor activities and exhibitions for Prius and thus it is still new to local drivers. c. Background Information of Toyota Prius Toyota Prius is one of the worlds first commercially mass-produced and marketed hybrid automobiles. It released in Japan in 1997 and then worldwide in 2000. By the end of 2003, nearly 160,000 units had been produced for sale in Japan, Europe and North America. In Latin, â€Å"Prius† means before or first. Technologies applied in the Prius are brand new and advanced ideas so that the Prius suits the name for the series. The Prius has won a number of awards, which are shown below. d. Awards Attained by Toyota Prius †¢ 1997–98  ¦ Car of the Year Japan †¢ 2003  ¦ Scientific American names Toyota Motor Corporation as Business Leader of the Year (Scientific American 50; December, 2003) for its singular accomplishment in the commercialization of affordable hybrid cars. 2004  ¦ Motor Trend Car of the Year  ¦ Car and Driver Magazines Ten Best List  ¦ North American Car of the Year Award †¢ 2005  ¦ European Car of the Year e. Analysis of 4P’s – Product, Place, Price, Promotion The Prius was released locally in 1999. Apart from the large comfortable driving environment, it was the first vehicle that introduced the â€Å"Hybrid Synergy Drive†, which helps the car become exceptionally fuel economical. The distribution of the Prius is mainly located at the six local Crown showrooms. The price of the Prius is around HK$230,000 which is a bit higher than the ther series or Japanese cars because Toyota positioned it as advanced technology vehicle with the features of environmental friendly and fuel-saving technologies. The major promotion channels used were exhibitions, car magazines and sponsorships of environmental protection events. According to the previous brand promotion of Toyota, newspapers, television commercials and the Internet were also used. f. SWOT Analysis of Toyota Motor Corporation and Toyota Prius i. Strength Toyota is Japan’s largest and the world’s third largest car manufacturer with assurance of reliability and high quality image. Toyota was one of the first manufacturers to introduce the concept of â€Å"Just in Time† production that allows to reduce operating cost and overheads and to respond to customer demand quicker. The yearly budget for RD is set at the highest amongst car manufacturers for various research centres around the world. This willingness to invest has brought Toyota an innovative image and created products such as the Prius. The Prius has advanced technologies which aim at environmental protection. It lets drivers save fuel and thus needs low maintenance cost in the long run at affordable price. i. Weakness Reputation of Toyota is not enough to convince buyers who like to express themselves with their choice of car, thus prefer cars with higher prestige from manufacturers such as Mercedes. Appearance of the Prius may relatively not as outstanding and attractive to potential buyers. According to Wikipedia, the Prius has been criticized for its aesthetics and handling characteristics. T oyotas life cycle assessment shows that the amount of energy required to manufacture a Prius is higher than that of a similar gasoline powered vehicle. iii. Opportunities Toyota’s new hybrid technology has proven very successful worldwide and already created several brand extensions and derived models. Toyota could obtain the benefits of being the first in the market, currently 90% market share in hybrid vehicles. The introduction of new models in growing segments offers opportunities. The Internet also helps the marketing of cars, thus improve communications and reduce operating cost by offering online showroom, online booking of test drives, nearest dealer locator, online purchasing and e-brochures, etc. Increase in fuel prices can also be treated as one of our opportunities as the Prius is fuel-conservative vehicle. iv. Threats Major threat comes from rich and big competitors. Indirect competition comes from alternative methods of transport. Other government incentives are also aimed at reducing the usage of cars, such as the increase in tax. These actions can reduce the number of car purchases and reduce eventual profits. g. Competitors Against Toyota Prius Toyota Prius being an environmental-friendly and energy-efficient vehicle, competitors will be defined as those which have similar technologies in the manufacture of fuel-saving engines. Honda Civic GX and Insight are energy-efficient vehicles but not for sale in Hong Kong. Also, General Motors FlexFuel series and Hybrids series are powerful competitors in the same situation. Hence, Toyota is the local pioneer in this product line. h. Target Market of Toyota Prius The target market can be split into two major categories: B2B customers and private consumers. B2B customers are fleet and corporate buyers, who buy cars either for hire or rental or for company fleets. The environmental features make the Prius particularly interesting for business buyers because of his low operating cost. Private consumer is either male or female and between the age group targeted at 25 and 39 years old. Some of them are likely to be married and with family responsibilities. They are affluent, well-informed and educated adults. They may be of upper middle class. They pursue environmentally-friendly lifestyle. 3. OBJECTIVES Objectives exist on three levels, corporate, marketing and communication, in which marketing and communication are regarded as the integrated marketing communications (IMC) objectives. a. Corporate Objective It can be summarized as shareholder wealth maximization and is ultimately achieved through higher profits and increased sales. b. Integrated Marketing Communications Objectives Toyota Prius is at the growth stage of product life cycle. As the environmental friendly technology of the Prius still being the pioneer in the industry, the objective is defined to be long term. It is important to further raise the awareness of this feature to the public by 30% at the end of this year, which in turn increase the market share aimed at 25% and increase the sales by 25%. It is hoped that by the proposed promotion strategies, it can fully reach the target market and make the potential buyers aware of the Prius. Then, during the events and in the advertisements, we can educate them and explain the technical knowledge and advantages of the Prius, so that they are excited about the Prius and develop the word-of-mouth. It is hoped to motivate buyers to find out more about the Prius by visiting our website to order brochures or a test drive. Visits to exhibitions and showrooms may lead to the act of purchase which is our ultimate goal. 4. TIME FRAME 5. PROMOTION STRATEGIES To promote the Prius, we have considered several means including the use of newspaper and car magazine as print advertising, Internet advertising, sponsoring activities and exhibition. a. Print Advertising i. Newspaper The main objective of newspaper advertisement is to perform the function of teaching consumers in the learning process. The next step is to attract the readers to the exhibitions and showrooms to do the feeling process. In the newspaper advertisement, we use the theme that the Prius only emits leaves but not pollution. It is a fresh car. We have two sets of advertisements. The first one is for advertising the Prius during the exhibition period. Another one is during the period without exhibition. The slogan â€Å"Prius, it’s fresh† is still used in these advertisements to make the whole campaign consistent. Here explains the two designs. The first one is used during exhibition period. It is published in a coloured full page. As the main theme of this set of advertisement is to connect the Prius with a fresh sensation, the main color of the page will be green. A white Prius runs down a green road. At the back of the car is a cluster of leaves. It shows the idea that the Prius would make the place it runs green. At the top left corner we can see the awards that the Prius got in the last few years. They tell customers that even professionals appreciate the Prius much. At the same time, three icons are used to conclude the main features of the Prius: low emission, high energy efficiency and the auto-charge function. The bottom of the page includes information about the exhibition, the venue and the time. At the bottom right corner there is a coupon. People can bring the coupon to the exhibition and get a model of the Prius. The plan is to attract more readers to come to our exhibition and feel the Prius. Another advertisement will be published during non-exhibition period. It will be published in a coloured quarter page. The design of this advertisement will also be used to relate the Prius to a fresh atmosphere. The background of the page is a large piece of grasslands. The back of the Prius is coloured with a pattern of cluster of green leaves. The slogan and three icons are also put in the page to recall readers’ memory that it used to be the Prius’ advertisement. At the bottom of the page is a list of showrooms demonstrating the Prius. We hope that readers who are interested in will go to the showrooms directly to feel how fresh the Prius is. ii. Car Magazine Besides newspaper, car magazine will also be used as one of the printed advertisements. According to the result of our questionnaire, most of the interviewees obtain the car information by the car magazine. It shows that car magazine is the main channel to promote. We have chosen CarPlus ( ) to promote because it is one of the members of South China Media Limited. Car Plus is positioned as the middle-class car magazine and it is suitable for our target group. Also, CarPlus is top three car magazine in Hong Kong. It is believed that after we have post the printed advertisement on CarPlus, it can increase the awareness of the Prius among potential car buyers. The theme is â€Å"Prius integrates with the nature†. The design of the print advertisement divides into two pages. The first page creates a natural environment so grassland is used as the background. Then, the grassland has a blank car shape and there is only a slogan â€Å"Today, Tomorrow†. The print advertisement is made simple and being curious so that it can create stopping power and let the reader to feel interested in the advertisement first. The second page is different from the previous one. The background is green and the car place at the middle. It is to create a fresh look of the advertisement and provide more details. There are several logos describing the feature of the Prius. b. Internet Advertising Internet is one of the most important media channels of automobile products. Based on the questionnaire’s result, Yahoo! is the main search engine of our target group. Therefore, a floating advertisement is used in order to bring awareness of the Prius. When the Internet users open the Yahoo! ebsite, the image of the Prius will appear in the screen, followed by a sound effect which is the sound of car engine. If the user is interested, he/she can click it and it will link to Toyota website. The Internet floating advertisement aims to raise the awareness of the customers and give them a fresh impression about the Prius. c. Sponsorship Activity For sponsorship activity, HK$50000 is spent on the World Widelife Fund (WWF) to promote environment protection. We will sign contract with WWF to makethe Prius the appointed car of the organization. As WWF focuses on nvironmental-friendly events, using the Prius will not only increase the reputation of the organization, but also increase the awareness of the Prius. We will give WWF a special price, near the wholesale price. The objective of this campaign is to connect the Prius to environmental-friendly business. Every time when people see the Prius, they will be able to think of fresh environment. d. Exhibition According to the findings of the survey, it shows that (% of interviewees ) usually visit car exhibition before purchasing cars. In order to raise the awareness of the Prius among our target audience, two exhibitions will be held this year. . Time Two exhibitions which will last for 2 days are scheduled to be held on 29th and 30th July, and 24th and 25th November this year. In order to better allocate the available resources, Flighting schedul ing method will be used. The exhibitions are arranged to be held at these two periods since it is expected that people’s purchasing desire are higher before the summer vacation and Christmas. ii. Venue Shatin New Town Plaza is chosen since it is one of the largest exhibition venues in the New Territories. In addition, the rent ($80,000/day) and space provided (3,600sq. ft) are suitable to carry out the exhibition. As Shatin is a well developed town, many people, especially middle classes, settle there. Holding the exhibitions in Shatin would probably increase the chance of reaching our target audience. The circulation of Shatin New Town Plaza per day ranges from 250,000 to 300,000, estimating 15. 6% of the people shopping there are our target customers, aged from 25 to 39 years old, according to the data from statistics of the Shatin New Town Plaza and Census. iii. Settings of Exhibition For the first exhibition on 29th and 30th July, a press conference will be held together with the exhibition. Chief Executive Officer of Toyota Hong Kong will introduce the main features of the Prius and answer the queries from the mass media and the public. Hence, the press conference allows people to get more information about the Prius. At the same time, overhead projection of the Prius video will be shown on the screen during the press conference and throughout the exhibition to create the feel of high technology. On the second day of the exhibition, there will be a cheque giving ceremony for sponsoring WWF to enhance the image of environmental protection of the Prius. For the second exhibition on 24th and 25th November, a famous artist who loves driving cars and is the representative of â€Å"Environmental Friendly Star† ( ) of Shatin Junior Chamber ( ), Miriam Yeung ( ), will be invited to share the feeling of using the Prius. With the famous artist giving professional opinions, the environmental friendly image of the Prius can be strongly established and strengthened. Background music, like birds singing, will be played throughout the exhibition, so as to create the feel of being in the nature, making people feel refreshing and environmental conscious. In addition to auditory stimulation, visual effect will also be emphasized. Flowers and plants will be used in the exhibition. They are used to enhance the environmental friendly image of the Prius. To strengthen the image, the Prius will be displayed on an artificial meadow with the shape of a leaf. All the above use the idea of classical conditioning since they serve as an unconditional stimulus and gives rise to an unconditional response, refreshing and environmental conscious. Through contiguity and repetition, this unconditioned stimulus will develop an association with the conditioned stimulus, appearance of the Prius, and thus gives rise to the conditioned response, the Prius is refreshing and environmental conscious. The floor plan of the event is shown as below. [pic] It is important to ensure the target audience can experience the full car visually so as to understand more about the Prius. One of the Prius is specially processed to be a partially transparent car, thus people are able to see the internal structure, like the hybrid engine of the Prius. Two normal Prius will be exhibited. People can experience the comfort of the car and professional opinions are given by salesmen at the same time. According to Foote, Cone ; Belding Grid, cars should use the model of Informative (The thinker) since the involvement of the target audience is high and it requires more thinking processes. Therefore, learn- feel- do model is used. Through the exhibition, target audience are able to learn more about the car from the transparent car model and the professional opinions from the salesmen, also, customers can feel and experience the comfort of the car. These settings are used to increase the chance of purchase. Board and decoration will be placed in the exhibition hall. Besides, decoration of trees and leaves will be placed so as to stress the feature of â€Å"environmental-friendly† of the car. The boards will show the features of the Prius and with the emotional appealing graphics. The customers could learn more about the product through the statistics and comparison. iv. Use of Manpower Personal selling in exhibition is very important since cars are high involvement product and more convictions are needed for purchase. Personal selling will be carried by salesmen who are trained to be familiar with the Prius in advance. Salesmen should be able to tell the advantages and features of the Prius and to answer queries from customers. The Prius will be promoted by sex appeal. Three beautifully dressed ladies will stand in front of three Prius respectively. It is used to increase the awareness of potential customers and photographers to take photos for them. Moreover, nine salesmen will be distributed around three Prius, promoting and answering queries raised by people. v. Exhibition Rundown On 29th July, 2006 |11:30-12:30 |Opening ceremony + Press conference | |12:30-15:00 |Exhibition | |15:00-17:00 |Racing queen for photo taking | |17:00-21:00 |Exhibition | |21:00-22:00 |Clearing | On 30th July, 2006 11:00-13:00 |Exhibition | |13:00-14:00 |Cheque giving ceremony of sponsoring World Wildlife | |14:00-15:00 |Exhibition | |15:00-17:00 |Racing queen for photo taking | |17:00-21:00 |Exhibition | |21:00-22:00 |Clearing | On 24th November, 2006 |11:00-13:00 |Exhibition | |13:00-14:00 |Sharing from artist— | |14:00-15:00 |Exhibition | |15:00-17:00 |Racing queen for photo taking | |17:00-21:00 |Exhibition | |21:00-22:00 |Clearing | On 25th November, 2006 |11:30-15:00 |Exhibition | |15:00-17:00 |Racing queen for photo taking | |17:00-21:00 |Exhibition | |21:00-22:00 |Clearing | 6. PROMOTION BUDGET 7. APPENDIX 8. REFERENCES

Project management within organisations

Project management within organisations Executive Summary This report is focussing on the critical evaluation of two major aspect of project management process; stakeholder management and risk management. In depth analysis of tools and techniques of both the aspects has been done. Along with power/interest matrix, communication plan for stakeholder management and risk identification, risk analysis, risk mitigation and control and documentation have been illustrated as different steps of risk management, with appropriate frameworks and diagrams. The importance of these aspects has been reflected with the literature support and examples of both successful and unsuccessful case-studies have been used, from both academic source and personal experience. Introduction Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) defines project as A temporary endeavour or undertaken to create a unique product or service, temporary means that every project has a definite beginning and definite end (Project Management Institute, 1996: cited in Project Management Journal, 2003). In the same context other authors point out that projects are non-routine processes and involve the coordination of interrelated activities (Rad, 2003). PMBOK, 1996 defines project management as The application of knowledge skills, tools and techniques to provide activities in order to meet or exceed stakeholder needs and expectations from a project. Projects are now the most popular way to get things done and projects themselves are now often co-ordinate thorough programmes. Maylor, 2005 states that to have a successful project, manager needs to be good at planning and managing projects with sufficient knowledge and experience, especially in the kind projects and about the tools and techniques to project activities. Project management helps companies in attaining targets based on vision and strategy (Thurston, 2009). There are no magical instructions for a successful project however good project planning during the initial phase, can impinge positively on cost, time and quality areas of any project. This report has been written to critically evaluate the two aspects i.e. Stakeholder management and Risk management as an important aspect of overall project management process, with the support of literature and case-studies are provided as an example. Literature Review Stakeholder management Maylor, 2005 states that stakeholder management is 1 of the s out of 7s framework of project management and management related issues were later promoted by Mckinsey Co., Management consultants. Stakeholder management is one of the major aspect of project management and Freeman (1984) describes the concept of stakeholders as any group or individual who can affect, or is affected by, the achievement of a corporations purpose however it has been criticised by Phillips, 2003; Sternberg, 1997; and Mitchell et al., 1997, that if everyone is a stakeholder of everyone else then there is little value-added in the use of the stakeholder concept. The other school of thought identify stakeholders through the potential harms and benefits that they experience or anticipate experiencing as a result of the organizations actions or inactions (Donaldson and Preston, 1995). Figure 1 shows that projects generally have a range of stakeholders with strategic expectations and operational requirements. St akeholders can be either internal or external. Internal stakeholder can be defined as project owners in the sense they have overall managerial responsibility and power usually linked to a financial stake and organisation teams or individuals who have a contractual relationship with the project owner (Chapman, 2008)-ref. needed for example- Top-management, Accountant, other functional managers, project team members whereas external shareholders are who may be positive or negative about a project, who may seek to influence the project through political lobbying, regulation, campaigning or direct action (Ward, 2008)-ref.needed, like clients, competitors, suppliers, consumer. Stakeholders can be internal and external to the project scope or it can be external and internal to the project team, therefore their determination depends on the point of view of the observer. Johnson and Scholes (1999) state that it is not enough simply to identify stakeholders however managers need to assess each stakeholders interest to express its expectations on project decisions and if there is the power to follow it through. Although there are various perspectives of stakeholder theory (e.g., social science stakeholder theory, instrumental stakeholder theory), one common perspective is their perception that they have stake in an entity or task. As a result, they have certain expectations, and consequently, engage in certain types of behaviour, sometimes constructive, explained later in the case study of green-belt project in Genpact and sometimes destructive, explained later in the case-study of new airport terminal at Jersey airport (Bourne Walker, 2006). Because of their perception, stakeholders behave in ways in which they feel, will help them achieve their project objectives, which may be congruent or incongruent with the project managers project mission, vision, and objectives. Frequent conflicts between stakeholders revolve around long term versus short-term objectives, cost efficiency versus jobs, quality versus quantity, and control versus independence (Newcombe, 2003). Therefore, it is incumbent upon the project manager to understand the objectives of each project stakeholder in order to effectively manage his or her needs and desires. According to Jergeas et al. (2000) and Cleland (1986), important key to project success is an efficient management of the relationship between the project and its stakeholders. In order to achieve a successful project outcome, the project manager must be expert at managing the interests of multiple stakeholders throughout the entire project management process (Sutterfield et al, 2006). Jergeas e t al (2000) argued that some stakeholders have power because they control information and resources, while other stakeholders are important because they decide whether the project result is a success or not. Power/interest matrix Firstly, it is important to identify the space between the current and future expectation of the shareholder as well as to study the qualitative relationship they share. Secondly, because of difference goals and interests, stakeholders face difiiculty in reaching to an agreement on deliverables as a result it leads to a conflict between them. Antonioni, 2009 suggests that project manager may tend to avoid or accommodate, instead of engaging in collaborative problem solving to attain winning outcomes. The formation of stakeholders is often triggered off with specific events. Therefore, if faced with different possible future events, it is helpful to speculate on the degree of unity or diversity between the various groups. During strategic analysis, the process of uncovering potential alliances or rifts may be significant when thinking about future strategic choices (Miller Wilson, 1998). Lastly, failure to establish and manage the communication process with stakeholders can lead to a lack of support from stakeholders, disapproval of the deliverables and dissatisfaction working with project manager (Antonioni, 2009) and for this reason communication plan holds importance in project management. Communication Plan Effective communication is very important in any project and every project should include communications management planning. Communication plan is a document which gives guidance to the project team to communicate with the stakeholders, at a right time, and to timely inform them, though it varies according to the needs of the project. Therefore Schwalbe (2006) suggests that Stakeholder communication plan should include Information to be communicated with the format of who will receive the information and who will produce it, Suggested methods or technologies for conveying the information, Frequency of communication, Escalation procedures for resolving issues, Revision procedures for updating the communications management plan. It will help in avoiding wastage of time and money or even from disseminating unnecessary information. Figure 3 is an example of a stakeholder communication analysis: Case-study comparison as successful and unsuccessful: There is an example, Fig. 4, which reveals that how an efficient management can leads to an accomplishment of project-targets. In this project the stakeholders identified as controllers, allocations, treasury department, client and Genpact, wherein the key recognized problems were to reduce the delay in hand-off of un-reconciled items to controllers which are impacting the performance of other related departments, reduced frequency of reconciliation preparation leading to un-processed items, affecting the financials of the company. In lieu to carry on the project, the business goal and challenge has been set-out by keeping in mind the interests and objectives of all stakeholders mentioned above. The improvement actions suggested providing benefit not to one but to all the departments so that the projects outcome could be successful, without having conflicts. Due to effective management of stakeholders vested interests and objectives, the projects outcome was delightful and figure 5 shows customers feedback to the Genpact and to the related stakeholders. On the other hand, the case-study of construction of a new airport terminal building at Jersey Airport illustrates as to what can happen when project managers do not adhere to the fundamental principles of stakeholder management, adapted from article in Financial Times (1996, cited in Maylor, 2005). The main concern is the completion of the project in stipulated time-frame, i.e. in spring to cater to the in-flux of tourist in summer, though the target was achieved however suffered a negative publicity when financial times reminded potential visitors to Jersey that .they can easily go by boat. Customers, external stakeholders, will need to know that their requirements have been considered carefully and sufficient steps have been taken to fulfil them. Complaints by air-traffic controllers (ATC) that they were being dazzled by sunlight reflected on the roof of the new terminal building and CEO replied that at-least this will not happen in winter, another complaint by the ATC, stakeholde r, is that the new building is affecting the accuracy of wind speed indicator and they were advising pilots to use their own judgement regarding the wind-speed and furthermore the new building has obscured the view of parts of the taxiway to the ATCs clearly reflects that How can the mismanagement of the stakeholders interests and objectives can hamper a project. Risk Management- Project risk management, as one of the key disciplines of project management, is defined as the systematic process of identifying, analysing and responding to risk as project-related events, or managerial behaviour, that is not definitely known in advance, but that has potential for adverse consequences on a project objective (Project Management Institute, 2004 cited in Kutsch and Hall, 2009). Ben-David and Raz, 2001 states that regardless of number and definition of stages, project risk management processes have one element in common: an activity that deals with planning actions that will be implemented in order to reduce the exposure to risk. Reiss, 1995 has created an argument by citing examples as a survey of IT management consultancies which showed that only 30% applied any form of risk analysis and yet 90% of projects went over budget and 98% had changed specifications, usually to a lower spec however in December 1992, Computer weekly reveals that as a result of abandoning or r eplacing projects up-to 50 UK companies recently lost as much as $1 billion between them. Risk management includes identification of risks, assessment of risks either qualitatively or quantitatively, choosing an appropriate method for handling it and last but not the least is monitoring and documenting the risks. The requirement of an effective risk management is that a manager needs to be proactive and demonstrates a willingness to develop contingency plans, actively monitor the project and be willing to respond in a quicker manner in an event of risk occurrence. Time and money are essentially required for effective risk management to take place (Kerzner, 2003). Risk Management has 4 stages as Risk Identification Analysis of profitability and consequences Risk mitigation strategies Control and documentation Risk-Identification and techniques- Uncovering weaknesses in methods used in product development through structured approach so that timely mitigation actions are initiated to avoid risk, transfer risk, reduce risk likelihood or reduce risk impact refers by risk management process (Risk Management Standard AS/NZS 4360, 1999). Figure 6 shows the risk management process proposed by the Australian Standard for Risk Management. It is composed of seven iterative sub-processes of establishing the context of risk, identifying risks, analysing risks, evaluating risks, communication and consultation across stakeholders and monitoring and controlling risk events. Study a situation to identify what could go wrong in the product design and development project at any given point of time during the project is risk identification. Identification of risk and potential consequences sources to be done, before they can be acted upon to mitigate (Ahmed at al, 2007). Risk identification helps managers in identifying different types of risk s such as financial, technical, commercial, execution and legal risks and it can be identified with the help of different tools, such as- Checklists- An insignificant method, where crucial points are examined for symptoms of potential risk situation (Ahmed et al, 2007), usually evolve over time through collective experiences and contributions from various functional experts (Ward, 1999) Influence diagrams Before the risk situations eventuate, their effects can be described through visual display (Clemen, 1996). Cause-and-effect diagrams Also known as fish-bone diagram which means the breaking up of the root causes of any problem into detailed sources (Russell and Taylor, 2000). These are easy to use however they do not provide a foundation for further analysis. Failure Mode and Effect analysis (FMEA) and Hazard and Operability study (HAZOP)- In a technical system, FMEA provides a format for determining causes, effects and relationships wherein a scale of 0 to 10 is used to rate the causes (Kumamoto and Henley, 1996). It is calculated by multiplying the severity, occurrence and detection. An extension of FMEA, HAZOP can be applied by considering project parameters such as strategy, budget and schedule to identify risk situations (Ahmed et al, 2007). Fault trees and Event trees- A visual technique used for breaking down failure in the system into source events is performed by fault tree analysis where as graphical representation is of potential consequences arising from a failure where possible consequences are generated and broken down from an initial event (Kumamoto and Henley, 1996). Risk Analysis and techniques- After the identification of risk events, if their further analysis is required then project manager needs to be determined whether the risk event information can be acquired through quantitative or qualitative means. There are two parameters to measure risk- risk probability and risk consequence (Chapman and Ward, 1997). The function of risk analysis is to determine influence of risk factors on the system as a whole. One or more aspects of the project are cumulatively affected by the risk events and if the risk events are bunched together they can be mitigated easily. The bunched risk events can be dealt at the higher level in the long run rather than handling one particular risk event at a time, where the project is likely to be micro-managed. Because the techniques which have been mentioned earlier, applied for project analysis, can also be applied for risk analysis such as- Fault tree analysis, Event tree analysis and Estimation of system reliability and sensitivity analysis and s imulation. Estimation of system reliability It includes the analysis of smooth functioning of a technical system. Hence, cumulative effects on the critical components of the project are determined as the system reliability. Fault tree and Event tree analysis- It analysis the flow of risk from top-level to the low-levels as mentioned earlier. Event tree analysis states The probability of occurrence of a particular outcome is determined as a product of all probabilities of occurrence in the associated branch (Ahmed et al, 2007). Sensitivity analysis and simulation A baseline for the project metrics is generated as a precursor to a what-if analysis and then project conditions are manipulated to determine their effect on the project metrics. This leads to an understanding of the system response to changing project situations. Simulation is used as an extension to the sensitivity analysis (Berny and Townsend, 1993). In simulation, a system model is constructed to reflect actual processes with project parameters and constraints. Then, the values for the risk parameters and constrains are randomly selected in a predefined range (Ahmed et al, 2007). Its a flexible technique which requires a statistical analysis of a problem. Risk Mitigation When risk events eventuate, the risk mitigation actions are initiated and which can be seen as initiation of contingency plans, this process is known as a reactive approach or a feedback approach however a proactive approach or a feed forward approach is the process when any occurring risk event results in initiation of actions such as insurance. A combination of these two approaches is applied to risk management to avoid risk, reduce the likelihood of risk, reduce the impact of risk, transfer risk, or to retain the risk (Kartam, 2001). A project manager should draw a risk mitigation framework, as shown in figure 7, to establish a risk structure that will facilitate the subsequent functions in the risk management process. Case-study comparison as successful and unsuccessful: A project has been carried out at Genpact to carry out a smooth global disbursement process, which is responsible to make payments through electronic wires, within treasury department wherein few risks have been identified by the project manager. Being a mission critical process, because of involvement of payments with figures in millions, considerable attention is required to the pertaining risks as time limit, cost and error free process. The key areas of focus were the correct amount, to the correct banking details, to the correct payee and at the right time. A framework has been prepared, once the risks have been identified and the cost-benefit analysis has been carried out with the estimation of system reliability. Because RPN(risk priority number) of control checks in the FMEA was the maximum therefore all the control checks were aligned to the validation checks stage, as shown in figure-8, like valid requestor and valid approver as per the Genpact approved list, double check o f bank-details by approver with the details appearing in the database as well as request, booking must be reflecting outstanding against the beneficiaries name in the sub-system and payment platform is checked for duplicate payment. Because the due consideration has been given to the risk-management aspect of project management process as a whole, in particular, the project came out with magnificent results and is one of the best six-sigma projects of Genpact (Genpact-Finance overview, 2008). On the contrary, a product of an IT firm, while in the development phase went through the identification phase and came out with 152 possible risk events. Out of which most of the products features are not in accordance to the customer specifications/likings as a matter of fact that the steps in risk management process, like analysis of probability and consequences, quantitative measures, risk mitigation framework and control and documentation has not been followed. This would have been highly productive if the risk management tools and techniques would have been followed. Unfortunately the team left the hotel after brainstorming over the same without achieving it and 80% of their risk events actually occurred, during the next 2 years. As the team has only identified the risks however has not followed the risk management process as a whole as a result it was so disastrous that it almost finished the company (Maylor, 2005). Conclusion There is no magic wand to achieve success however References Ahmed, A., Kayis, B., and Amornsawadwatana, S., 2007, A review of techniques for risk management in projects: An international Journal, 14(1), pp. 22-36. Ben-David, I., and Raz, T., 2001. An integrated approach for risk response development in project planning: Journal of the Operational Research Society, 52, 14-25. Berny, J., and Townsend, P., R., F., 1993, Macrosimulation of project risks a practical way forward: Risk Management, (11)4, pp. 201-208. Bourne, L., and Walker, D.H.T., 2005. Visualising and mapping stakeholder influence: Management Decision, 43(5), pp. 649-660. Clemen, R., T., 1996, Making Hard Decisions: An Introduction to Decision Analysis, New York, Druxbury Press. Henley, E.J. and Kumamoto, H., 1991, Probabilistic Risk Assessment: Reliability Engineering, Design and Analysis, New York, IEEE Press. Jergeas, G., F., Williamson E., Skulmoski G., J., and Janice T., 2000. Stakeholder Management on Construction Projects: AACE International Transaction, pp. P12.1-P12.6 Karlsen, T., J., 2002. Project Stakeholder Management: Engineering Management Journal, 14(4), pp. 20. Kartam, N., A., and Kartam, S., A., 2001. Risk and its management in the Kuwaiti construction industry contractors perspective: International Journal of Project Management, (19) 6, pp. 325-335. Kerzner, H., 2003, Project management, 8th edition, Canada, John Wiley Sons. Kutsch, E., and Hall, M., 2009.Deliberate ignorance in project risk management: International Journal of project management, 28, pp. 245-255. Maylor, H., 2005, Project Management, 3rd edition, Essex, Pearson education Limited. Newcombe, R., 2003, From client to project stakeholders: a stakeholder mapping approach: Construction Management and Economics, 21(8), pp. 841-848. Olander, S., and Landin, A., 2005, Evaluation of stakeholder influence in the implementation of construction projects: International Journal of Project Management, 23(4), 321-328. Olander, S., 2006. Stakeholder impact analysis in construction project management: Construction Management and Economics, 25, pp. 277-287. Rad, F., P., 2003. The Professional research Journal of the Project Management Institute: Project Management Journal, 34(3), pp. 1-7. Schwalbe, K., 2006, Information Technology Project Management, 4th edition, Massachusetts, Thomson course technology. Thurston, L., 2009. Project management vital in todays business environment: Caribbean Business, 37(17), pp 52-52. Ward, S., C., 1999. Assessing and managing important risks: International Journal of Project Management, 17(6), pp. 331-336.

The Concept of Tyranny in Literature Essay -- Tyranny Plato John Locke

The Concept of Tyranny in Literature All social contract theorists and classical thinkers understand tyranny to be someone (or government) with unrestrained power that is unjust or unfair to the body, it governs. They each share some views about the effects of tyranny but they have different views on the preventions and the circumstances that give rise to tyranny. In the end, Locke has the most effective ideas as opposed to Plato and Hobbes. Although, they are all equally great minds, based on the democracy that Americans hold true, Locke’s analysis can be the only logical means of proposed prevention. The first author, who takes particular concern with the concept of tyranny, is Plato in his work the The Republic. He perceives tyranny as a â€Å"dictatorship and the dictatorial man† (Porter 84) that â€Å"evolve[s] from democracy† (Porter 84). Circumstances that appear to give rise to tyranny, according to Plato, would be the â€Å"pure wine of liberty† (Porter 84) that seeps into the houses’ of man and breeds anarchy, such as in democracy. The people become slaves to the excessive servitude of keeping liberty with no restraints and rulers are unable to act without restricting someone’s liberty. These rulers are incapable of properly ruling because they cannot trample on the liberty of their subjects, or they will become considered â€Å"foul oligarchs† (Porter 84) and this further generates anarchy through the lack of rules and punishments the rulers can place on the city. It is the people who elevate â€Å"one man as their champio n above all others† (Porter 86) and at first it is a good society because he does not claim to be a ruler but â€Å"freed people from debt and redistributed the land to the people† (Porter 86-87). This create... ...ll effective today, with laws to keep power from consummating in one area, on the Locke theories. It is much more realistic because Plato’s view is a society that is not acceptable by the people, especially not allowing the guardians to keep their own children, to eliminate the idea of inheriting rights, and our basic principals of society have transformed since his time from hierarchy, harmony, and mutual obligation to equality, competition, and self-interest. Hobbes is also not appropriate because his cynical attitude towards men is not appealing to society and the sovereign aspect is not suitable in a democratic nation. Locke proves to be the most effective in today’s government and nations across the world because we have our separation of powers to ensure that the accumulation of power in the government never occurs, and our voting system to ensure equality.

The Italian and English Legal Systems Essay -- Law

Judicial systems have been used predominantly throughout the world to address disputes in various contexts, where accused criminals, to law enforcement officers and expert witnesses take part on a daily basis to resolve deputes in judicial manner (Silverman et al 2010). However, characteristics of the judicial systems differ from country/region to another, depending on the basis of the system which may cause an impact on the expert witness. As an explanation for the above statement, it could be said that legal systems fall into two systems, the adversarial system and the inquisitorial system. Conversely, a hybrid between those two systems has formed yet another system which is identified as the mixed system. These derive from historical law and judicial practices which have been practiced for a considerable amount of time, which eventually improved and standardised. Debara.K in 2002 suggested that the foundation to form a jury was based on medieval trail modes of combat where two par ties argue their points to crown a champion. Jonakait (2008) concluded that by the 18th century, the legal systems developed into a stage where lawyers actively participated in English criminal trials making the legal system more â€Å"Adversary†. Paradoxically, inquisitorial system was born right after the 13th century, as a result of disbelief upon the adversarial system. Essentially, this system was formed by the French and then was horizontally transferred into few more countries which ultimately become one of the two dominant legal systems in the world (Johnson.Het al 2008). In this short study, English legal system will be elaborated in comparison to the Italian Legal system. Prior to that, both adversarial and inquisitorial systems shall be discusse... ...and Jones, M. (2008) History of criminal justice,4th ed. Waltham: Elsevier, p.67-70. Jonakait, R. (2008) The rise of the American adversary system: America before England, Widner Law review, 14(1), p.656. Koppen, J. and Penrod, S. (2003) Adversarial versus inquisitorial justice: psychological perspective on criminal justice systems, USA: Springer, p.29. Malleson, K. (2007) the legal system, New York: Oxford University press, p.11-14. Siegal, L. (2010) Criminology: The core, USA: Cengage learning, p.385-387. Silverman, J. and Silverman, S. (2010) how the judicial system works, UK: A Discovery company, p.27. Smith, S. and Langan, B. (1992) Civil jury cases and verdict in large countries, Burean of Justice statistics, - (1), p.3-10. Wall, W. (2010) Forensic Science in courts: the role of the expert witness, West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons, p.2-56.

The Teacher Who Changed My Life Essay -- Descriptive Essay Examples

The truism "To teach is to touch a life forever" is one that all of us have heard, but very few can identify with. Almost every student has had at least one teacher who he or she despises, or one who has left his or her positive impression upon the student. In my case, it was Mrs. Rudra, my sixth-grade homeroom and English teacher. Remember those first days of a new school year? You don't know who your teacher is going to be, or which of your friends you'll get to have in that class? It was just such a day for me. Our school had a new teacher who had transferred from a military school. Her husband had retired from the Army, and they had moved into our town. It was perfect for them. The town I grew up in was known as the Garden City of India, and it also had the sobriquet "Pensioner's Paradise." Since Mrs. Rudra was still a few years from retirement, she filled a vacancy at the best girls' school in town. The school could do with a teacher of her background. Discipline, especially of the military kind, can come in handy when dealing with twelve-year-olds. The buzz about this "Drill Sergeant" wasn't the best. Like a case of Chinese Whispers, the grapevine swung into action. "Do you know she smokes?" said one. "Have you heard she's one for detention?" said another. "I hope I'm not in her class," stated another. As we were all sending our silent prayers to the one above, the class lists were posted. A mad clamor ensued to find out where each one of us was headed. A sense of dread had taken hold of me. I was not particularly lucky w... ...rment. My grades improved remarkably. For my second term, I was elected Class Monitor. Other teachers also commented on how much I had changed-for better or worse, they did not say. When the school year came to an end, I was disappointed. Here I was, totally transformed, all due to the effort of one person. Academically, I was confident of my abilities. Socially, I was self-assured. The following years, whenever she passed me in the hallways, always erect in her posture, and strident in her gait, Mrs. Rudra would flash her nicotine-tainted smile at me. The most I could do was to return what I hope was an ever-grateful look, and then wonder who else's life was going to be touched by this teacher. I do suppose that "To teach is to touch a life forever," so the truism goes.