Rich Con

As a president off company, Marty should have concentrated on overall management of the company and lead it to meets its strategic goals. Instead, she became intimately involved in integrating the new IT system which demanded more than 75% of her time which she did not plan for. If Sawyer had appointed a board with IT expertise as well as Individuals with industry and process expertise, she could have been moderately involved with the project with more time to spend on the operations of the company.Deliverables from this IT am would then be from selection of an IT system based on Rich-con's need to flawless implementation of the system and then follow through its effectiveness for a period of time to make sure It Is working properly for all conditions. Lack of Fit-Gap Analysis: The business requirements were not defined to the vendor. The vendor did not care to understand the structure of the company, or the IT systems that Rich-Con already has in place. They were not familiar with t he knowledge and expertise of the staff and the expectations of the customers.Marty and Rich-Con Pete for an â€Å"off-the-shelf† software package to implement in their organization. The selection process of the new IT system was based on some factors true for metal industries and some generic questions posed by Marty. By doing so, Rich-Con failed to recognize the Incompatibility risk of the replacement IT system. C. Omitting test phases and pilot launch prior to mass deployment of the new IT system: Any big change implementation should go through several testing phases with progressive maturity of features.Rich-Con failed to work with their vendor to customize the new system and test it out at multiple phases. They also did not go through a pilot launch phase to pick up a portion of its operations, rather than forcing the whole operations Into this new system all at once. With test phases and plot launch, employees would nave gotten ten opportunity to test out ten system, of fer important feedback which would have resulted in minimal disruption to overall operations, should something go wrong. D.Insufficient training for transition to the new system: Marty Sawyer relied on the vendor to train her employees to learn he new IT system. There was no incentive for the employees to learn this system since they did not understand how their Jobs would change once the new system was in place. The vendor did a very poor Job in offering training since they took a push vs.. Pull method to offer help. They waited to be asked questions on features and usage rather than establishing a standard implementation methodology and guide the customer through that.The frustration of Marty showed in her comment, â€Å"We had people come in and do training. It Just never really took on a life of its own. † e. Lack of customization of application software to fit the need: Even though the vendor indicated that they would accommodate requests to modify the software, Marty di d not take advantage of that. Rich-Con did not get the software tailored to fit its unique needs. In comparison, Marty spent time to configure the software to align with Rich-con's business needs and importing all existing information to its database.Overall, to replace Rich-con's antiquated IT system, Marty took a centralized decision making approach, rather than decentralization it to engage leads from every functional apartment of the organization. She lost important inputs from different work groups in that process. Other issues that Marty needed to manage simultaneously were to address Union problems, ensure that management of making the newly purchased Round operational, and address the reason of dropping sales figures and the inefficiency of the new management team.All these issues compounded and created a disaster for Rich-con's operations. Question 2: Which CUBIT governance processes might have prevented these problems? The CUBIT governance processes that could have prevent ed these problems lie within Planning and Organizing' and ‘Acquiring and Implementing the software implementation process at Rich-Con Steel. Although ‘Delivery and Support' and ‘Monitoring and Evaluation' are critical components following the implementation of new software, the problems could have been avoided if the two former processes were defined and followed.

Rise of Drones

The Rise of Drones in the United States Kayla Mazzoni SOC 120: Introduction to Ethics and Social Responsibility Instructor: Nadine M. Acevedo March 4, 2013 , Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, are aerial systems that can be remotely controlled for short and long range military and civilian purposes. There are all different types of drones with different shapes and sizes and different capabilities. They are usually equipped with a camera and can also be armed with missiles. Drones can be a very useful tool for the military. Bringing them into the United States to use against U.S. citizens may be very helpful, but it may do more harm than good. Drones can be put into five different categories including, target and decoy, reconnaissance, combat, research and development, and civil and commercial UAV’s. Target and decoy drones provide ground and aerial gunnery a target that simulates an enemy aircraft or missile. Reconnaissance drones provide battlefield intell igence. Combat drones provide attack capability for high-risk missions. Research and development drones are used to further develop UAV technologies to be integrated into field deployed UAV aircraft.Civil and commercial drones are specifically designed for civil and commercial applications. If drones are used properly, they could bring a lot of good to the United States. They can be used to help protect the public, monitor wildlife, manage resources, and promote scientific research. Small drones can provide immediate situational awareness to first responders; transported in the trunk of a police vehicle, the back of a fire truck, or carried in a backpack, drones give them a birds-eye view of the situation, day or night, to save lives and protect property.Drones are already being used to monitor sensitive wildlife areas and populations. Small drones are increasingly providing a means of collecting important information in inaccessible areas to facilitate more effective resource manag ement. Dams, pipelines, offshore oil platforms, microwave transmission towers, power plants and ports are some examples of large, sometimes remote infrastructure that can be accessed easily and safely by small drones to provide color and thermal video for convenient visual inspection.Peering into a volcano is made easier and safer with small drones and is just one example of the new ways they can help scientists gain a better understanding of the way earth and its biosphere operate. In recent news, a former LAPD police officer and ex-United States Navy reservist by the name of Christopher Dorner was charged a series of shooting attacks on police officers and their families. From February 3rd, to February 12th, four people were killed, including two police officers. Three police officers were wounded as well.He was the subject of one of the largest manhunts in LAPD history, spanning two U. S. states and Mexico. Before Dorner died during a standoff with police at a cabin in the San Be rnardino Mountains, there was talk that Dorner was being hunted by U. S. drones. Some agencies flatly denied drone use in this case, but others have refused to confirm or deny whether drones were being used. If drones were used to help find Dorner, it should not be covered up or overlooked. There are significant barriers to the Army’s use of unmanned aerial systems within the United States. Use of DOD intelligence capabilities for DSCA missions -such as incident awareness and assessment, damage assessment, and search and rescue – requires prior Secretary of Defense approval, together with approval, together with approval of both the mission and use of the exact DOD intelligence community capabilities. Certain missions require not only approval of Secretary of Defense, but also coordination, certification, and possibly, prior approval by the Attorney General of the United States. As a general rule, ‘Military forces cannot use military systems for surveillance and pursuit of individuals’. This is precluded by the Posse Comitatus Act, as reflected in DoD Directive 5525. 5. (John Glaser, February 18, 2013) The Pentagon now has over seven thousand aerial drones, compared with fewer than fifty a decade ago. Last year's budget included nearly five billion for drone research, development and procurement. The CIA has about thirty Predator and Reaper drones, which are operated by Air Force pilots from a U. S. military base in an undisclosed state. The cost per flight hour varies by the type of drone. Predator and Reaper drones cost about $2500 – $3500 per flight hour.Larger armed systems such as the military’s Global Hawk cost about ten times as much. The use of drones by the United States Government is constantly evolving. Currently, the U. S. military, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Central Intelligence Agency own and operate drones overseas and along the U. S. -Mexico border. In the last decade, the U. S. governm ent has come to rely increasingly on drones for surveillance and air strikes. Even local law enforcement agencies have begun to use drones for surveillance.It is unlikely that domestic drones will be armed, but as use rises, there are growing concerns related to privacy and civil rights. The USA has been legally defined as the new â€Å"battlefield† by the National defense authorization act which also allows for the arrest and indefinite detention of American citizens without trial, without legal representation and even without the ever being charged. Drone strikes are completely silent because the Hellfire missiles they are armed with arrive faster than the speed of sound. You would not even hear the missile until after its explosion.The blast radius of a Hellfire missile is fifteen to twenty meters and everything inside that radius is completely obliterated. This is more than enough to destroy entire homes, apartments and office buildings, not to mention vehicles and light bunkers. There is virtually no citizen defense against drones and they can strike targets anywhere in the country with zero warning. Currently, the two primary agencies using drones abroad are the U. S. military and the CIA. Decisions to use drones for surveillance are generally made within the usual military and civilian chain of command structures.The process for deciding to use drones for strikes in countries that are not declared combat zones are less well known. Most of the drones that have begun to appear in the skies above the U. S. don’t resemble the Predators or Reapers flown by the U. S. military and CIA above Afghanistan and Pakistan. Instead, these smaller versions of flying unmanned vehicles almost rival the animal kingdom in their diversity. Government agencies such as NASA and U. S Customs and Border Protection operate aircraft-size military drones that take off from runways like airplanes.Labs in the United States have even built tiny drones that look like hum mingbirds. Most drones resemble the radio-controlled aircraft and toy helicopters flown by hobbyists for decades. They are capable of taking off horizontally, vertically, or being throw into the air. Jim Williams, a Federal Aviation Administration official, stated that no armed drones would presently be permitted in U. S. airspace. But what good are the promises of government officials when the Constitution, especially the Fourth Amendment, has been gutted? â€Å"More than one thousand four hundred applications to use drones in U.S. airspace have been approved for police, universities, and at least seven federal agencies. † (Ron Paul, February 18, 2013) Emotivism offers a perspective on our ethical claims that eliminates much of the traditional kind of argument based on reason. â€Å"Something is good, on this view, if it is something about which we feel good, something is wrong if it is something about which we feel bad. † (Mosser, K. 2010) When it comes to drones, so me people may feel good about them and others may think that they will be wrongfully used. Our world can be turned upside down completely by misuse of drones.Yes, they can help us find criminals and missing people, but they can also be used to do a lot of harm. Do we want to live in a society where the government is constantly above us watching? The East Germans and Soviets could only dream of such technology in the days of their dictatorships. We might ask ourselves how long before â€Å"extraordinary† circumstances will lead to decision to arm those drones over US territory? Refrences Ron Paul (2/18/2013) Infowars. com John Glaser (2/18/2013) Antiwar. com Mosser, K (2010) Introduction to ethics and social responsibility. San Diego, Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Sales Force Compensation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sales Force Compensation - Assignment Example The company deals in beauty, fashion Jewelry and apparel. It has one of the largest salespeople in the world approximated at 6.5 million. The company has over 120 years in the industry with a strong financial background and resources to pull its operations. With a clear, well structured, multi-level compensation plan, the company has continued to attract and retain its salespeople making it a highly competitive firm. In order to motivate the sales force to produce the highest number of clients, describe six (6) features of an effective total rewards program. Rewards for many decades have been used primarily as a necessary evil in the attraction and retention of employees. However many studies suggest that there is no direct link between rewards and employee performance although research shows that the absence of it demotivates employees (Robillard, 2008: O'Halloran, 2012). This has thus led to the need to implement total rewards strategy that could be used to drive business success. Such a program could be used by the organization in addressing some of the challenging issues in the 21st century such as aging workforce, competition in the market place, influence of globalization on firms and the need to operate effectively in different business strategies such as in mergers and acquisitions (Armstrong, 2010). A total rewards program includes the overall value proposition that a firm provides to its employees. Such a package includes compensation which includes: basic pay, short term incentives and long term incentives; benefits which include health, retirement, work/life benefits; and careers which include such things as training and development, lateral moves, stretch assignments and career incentives (Manas & Graham, 2003). An effective total reward system has the following key features: first it has a mix of both monetary and non-monetary rewards (Asinof, 2006). The monetary rewards include compensation in the form of base pay, overtime pay, short term and lo ng term incentives, cash profit sharing, bonuses, commissions among others. The non-monetary rewards include such things as benefits which entail health and group benefits, retirement, paid off, work/ life programs, death benefits and prerequisites (Moynihan & Wells, 2011). Secondly, such a strategy must be aligned to the business strategy of the organization. Depending on the nature of the business strategy adopted by the organization, the strategy should be effective. A reward strategy has the power of minimizing on driving organizational performance and thus an effective total reward strategy must be able to support the overall business strategy to ensure performance. Third, such a strategy must match organizational resources and capabilities. It would be ineffective to design a total reward strategy which is overboard and which organizational resources cannot support. It would also be demeaning and inappropriate to have a strategy that is below what the organization can offer in terms of financial resources and capabilities. Fourth, an effective strategy is one that delivers rewards that drive specific behaviors necessary to achieve organizational objectives (Zingheim & Schuster, 2004). If for example, Avon Products, Inc. has a target of selling one million cosmetic products in one month, the reward strategy should be designed such that it motivates the salespeople to find clients. This could be through bonuses, incentives or a paid holiday trip! This communicates something to

APEC impact on China's economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

APEC impact on China's economy - Essay Example ipation in APEC meetings, China wants to demonstrate its desire for maintaining the regional economic stability that can bring prosperity to the member countries of Asia Pacific region. The resistance to the temptation of Yuan devaluation and announcement of tariff rates reduction by Chinese government at a meeting of APEC in Osaka has confirmed this. Through this action, China perceives the opportunity to deal with United States by joining hands with East Asian countries, which are also members of APEC.(Yang & Huang 70) As APEC was the first international economic conference to member nations, under the Chinese leadership of president Xi Jinping, China has used this platform in an efficient manner, in the direction of seeking bigger economic role, globally. This combined with the fact that Chinese economy is the world second largest gives the required advantage to China for countering US economic domination. In this direction, China has announced the established of US Dollar forty million fund for improving the trade and economic links among Asia-Pacific countries. The emerging image of China being the top trading partner of South Asian countries from South Korea to Australia would definitely help in the erosion of American influence on these countries. (McDonald & Lee) Earlier APEC could not prove to be result-oriented for the members, as it failed to improve the economic relations among the Asia-Pacific nations in a substantial manner. However, when China hosted the APEC conference, it made clear to the member nations that the country was prepared to share the fruits of its economic development with neighbors in the region. For ensuring that APEC remained a successful platform to deliver the results. China made many announcements, which include the commitment from China to donate ten million US Dollars towards supporting the capacity building and institutional activities of APEC, apart from establishment of Silk Road fund for undertaking the infrastructure

Obituary story about myself Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Obituary story about myself - Article Example (Name), was an Italian-born Venezuelan, whose parents moved on to stay in Venezuela during the time World War II was taking place. His grandfathers were very hard working people; one was a doctor, and the other was a building constructor. From their hard work and dedication to good service, this family became highly renowned and respected. He was born and raised in Maracaibo, a town that is located in one of the cities in Venezuela. His parents did their best to ensure that they educated him to meet his educational, career and personal goals, despite the hard life that was being experienced in Venezuela at that time. He started his educational journey in Maracaibo, where he attended and graduated from high school, thereafter; he attended Georgia Tech University in Atlanta U.S.A and stayed on for one year. He joined Miami University, to advance his career in broadcast journalism and became a success story in his field. After finishing, he was part of the production and editing team in various media houses in the United States. (name), had a lifetime dream of serving his people and dying at a ripe age of 90 years, something that he was lucky to achieve. During his lifetime, (name) managed to have high-profile interviews in his career; he held his interview program with the CNN Espanol. In his program, (name), was interested in helping people know how to create positive change and influence in the society through establishment of different systems. His program lasted for almost two years, where he later joined E-entertainment, hosting various entertainment programs on television programs electronically. Through dedication and excellence in service delivery, all his television programs had a wide audience, receiving several accolades internationally. It is through his service in the entertainment industry that he met Jessica, the famous Pop Music Star, whom she engaged and later married. His wedding took place in the Silicon Valley of the United States, and

Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Music - Essay Example is first work 9 Variations in C Minor† was published in 1782, when his age was 12.At the age of 14 he was the organist in the court of â€Å"Maximillian Franz, Elector of Cologne.† His meeting with Mozart took place in â€Å"Vienna in 1787.† Mozart highly appreciated the musical talents of Beethoven. In Vienna, he took music lessons from masters like Haydan, Salieri and Albrechtsberger. His talents won him admiration in the music circles of Vienna. â€Å"He composed Opus 1, the Trios for Piano,† in the year 1794. In 1795, he gave â€Å"his first public performance† in an academy known as Vienna and then began his tour to Prague, Leipzig, Dresden, berlin and Budapest. Notwithstanding his music talents, as a person, he was known for â€Å"his impulsive behavior.† â€Å"In 1800 in a new concert at Vienna† he presented â€Å"his first symphony.† With his innovations he was crossing the established norms â€Å"of music.† In 1801, he began to realize that he was turning deaf. This health issue turned him cynical and his life was useless and purposeless with this deficiency, he thought. But his passion for music was too strong and he kept pushing to the front. He engaged himself in what is known as Beethoven music, Sonatas for Piano, the second and the third symphonies, The Eroica and in due course many such creations. He wrote his 3rd symphony in honor of Bonaparte. On April, 7, 1805, the Erocia symphony was played for the first time. His creativity began to flourish. Pastora, Coriolan Overtue and Letter for Elise are some of his immortal creations. He fell in love with several of his students. Beethoven was given an annual grant of 4,000 florins, by his rich admirers and with that assistance it was possible for him to function as an independent composer. He was free to compose what he wanted, a true freelancer, under the command of nobody. When Archduke Rudolph became Cardinal, Beethoven began to composing his mass in D. The ninth symphony was completed in 1823. Soon,

What are the key challenges facing educational leaders in relation to Thesis

What are the key challenges facing educational leaders in relation to Information and Communication technology - Thesis Example Educational leaders are excited as well. They are aware of how Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can have a great impact on education and on the students they cater to. However, there are many challenges that beset them. They need to equip students with increasingly higher levels of knowledge and skill not only through the provision of a conventional curriculum incorporating ICT, but also help them develop personal qualities such as being autonomous, self-organizing, networking, enterprising, innovative (Hargreaves, 1999), with the capability constantly to redefine the necessary skills for a given task, and to access the sources for learning these skills (Castells, 1998). Such aims are truly challenging to achieve. The openness and attitudes of teachers, being the frontliners in this particular educational reform is examined. Most teachers are not adequately prepared yet to make use of exciting new educational technologies because neither their teacher education programs nor their schools have provided sufficient time or incentives for them to learn (Norman, n.d.). Teachers themselves need to be transformed from the traditional ways of organizing teaching and learning in school to using more technical skills in more open, user-friendly, peer-controlled, interactive, virtual communities. Teachers need to model flexibility, networking and creativity which are key outcomes for students to survive the next millennium (Hargreaves, 1999). Training of teachers in ICT and staff development is one huge challenge faced by educational leaders. Psychologically, technology can pose problems for staff feeling threatened and insecure of being dispensable, and easily replaced by the new innovation (Jones & O’Shea, 2004). This is mostly appeased by effective training. Human resources strategy and practice is central to the successful staff development. Enhancing

HRM - Industrial relationship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

HRM - Industrial relationship - Essay Example The paper starts by explaining the meaning of employee relations then goes on to outline and evaluate the rationale behind the claim that partnerships are more important in the creation of fruitful employee relations. A conclusion summarising the main points discussed in the essay will be given at the end. In order to gain a clear understanding of the concept of employee relations, it is imperative to begin by explaining its meaning. â€Å"Employee Relations involves the body of work concerned with maintaining employer-employee relationships that contribute to satisfactory productivity, motivation, and morale.† This definition can be viewed from the following website . Basically, employee relations is mainly concerned with resolving problems or conflicts that may arise at workplace and the major aim is to improve the performance of the workers towards the attainment of the set organisational goals. The other aim of employee relations in the workplace is to correct any kind of misconduct where information is passed to the employees so that they will be better positioned to understand the goals of the management and the organisation as a whole. Employees are also advised about their rights and obligations and their participation as well as involvement in the decision making process is done through unions within different organisations. These unions would represent the grievances of the employees in a bid to create a conducive environment that will promote good employee relations. According to the to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) as cited by the Learning and Teaching Support Network Guide (ND), employee involvement is ‘a range of processes designed to engage the support, understanding and optimum contribution of all employees in an organisation and their commitment to its objectives.’ This information can be viewed at . The members of the organisation are encouraged to play a part in making valuable contributions i n the decision making process of the organisation. This is believed to go a long way in fostering long term relationships between the employees and their employers for the betterment of the organisation as a whole. On the other hand, employee participation is defined as ‘a process of employee involvement designed to provide employees with the opportunity to influence and where appropriate, take part in decision making on matters which affect them.’ However, research has shown that the major difference in employee participation and involvement is that employee participation takes a pluralist approach while involvement is centred on individual concerns. In both cases, the management retains control and power of all the processes that may be involved in the decision making process. Whilst it is a noble idea to involve all the employees to participate in the decision m

The Bahai Faith and an Excerpt by Bahaullah Essay

The Bahai Faith and an Excerpt by Bahaullah - Essay Example The Baha'i Faith originated more than 150 years ago and expanded around the world. Affiliates of the Baha'i Faith reside in more than 100,000 sections of the globe and derive from practically every civilization, occupation, nationality, and monetary environment. Baha'i Faith strives to find a unification of vision in seeking a purpose in life through true religion. Such a vision unfolds in the writings of Baha'u'llah. (The Baha'i Faith / The International Web site of the Baha'is of the world). One of his writings, "The Moral Guidance in Ornate Prose", will be analyzed in this paper. Baha'u'llah begins his Moral Guidance piece with similar parallels to the eight Beatitudes taught by Jesus Christ. The Beatitudes are simply written but very profound statements that guide, teach and show values of Jesus' message, similar to Baha'u'llah's Moral Guidance excerpt. "Be generous in prosperity", "worthy of trust of thy neighbor", "treasure to the poor", "an answerer to the cry of the needy", "Be unjust to no man", "show all meekness to all men" (Tradition).These teachings from the beginning of Baha'u'llah's Moral Guidance passage, emphasize that a firm sense of unity between all of us is essential to human progression and that all prejudice - racial, religious, national or economic - is destructive and must be overcome.

What does it mean to study management critically Essay - 1

What does it mean to study management critically - Essay Example There are also various terms associated with management such as scientific management, human resource management, knowledge management among others. In organisations, it is mostly used to mean the relationship between those in the higher levels of the hierarchy or employer and employees. So why do we need to study management critically? I will argue that there is need to study management critically due the rise in globalisation which is rapidly changing the nature of work and management. Secondly, management and organisation as Minzberg (1971) asserts affects all aspects of our lives thus a need to understand what it entails and how it can be made effective leading to orderly society. Thirdly, the managers need to be self-critical in order to perform their roles successfully and this needs critical analysis of what their roles entail, how they are supposed to behave and relate with their environment. In the first section, I shall outline how the management concept has evolved over time and how it impacts on organizations and workforce. In achieving this, I shall draw on ideas from Bakan (2004); Linstead, Fulop and Liley (2009) and Jackall (1988). In the second section, I shall demonstrate the benefits of management as well as the negative outcomes associated with it to show that one can be critical of management wi thout necessarily being against it as the critical management studies do (Clegg, Kornberger, Carter & Rhodes, 2006; Edwards & Wajcman (2005); Mintzberg, 1971; Parker, 2002). In the third section, I shall demonstrate the role of being critical in own management and what it means to be critical. I shall then conclude with a brief summary. The Management concept has evolved over a long period of time prompted by changing nature of the economic systems from feudalism to capitalism and recently to a knowledge economy. According to Linstead et al (2009), work in traditional societies or feudal societies was done by hands; for

Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) Essay Example for Free

Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) Essay 1. Introduction: To accelerate the progress of sanitation in rural areas, Government of India is implementing from 1.4.2012, the ‘Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA)’, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme [earlier Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC)]. Similarly, to provide drinking water to rural population in adequate quantity, the Govt. of India is implementing a centrally sponsored Scheme called the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP). New Delhi: The union cabinet Wednesday gave its approval for restructuring of â€Å"Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan† into Swachh Bharat Mission. The programme is aimed at creating a clean India by 2019 with peoples participation. The cabinet has approved the Swachh Bharat Mission, union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said here after a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Prasad said the mission will be launched Oct 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The prime minister has been striving to make the mission a mass movement. The cabinet also approved a Swachh Bharat Mission for urban areas, which will be part of a joint Swachh Bharat Mission which has another component for rural areas. The drinking water and sanitation ministry will implement the programme in rural areas while the urban development ministry will do the same in urban areas. The Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan will be restructured into the Swachh Bharat Mission with two sub-missions Swachh Bharat Mission (rural) and Swachh Bharat Mission (urban). Budgetary provisions for the two sub-missions will be provided separately in the demand for grant of the ministries of drinking water and sanitation (for rural) and ministry of urban development (for urban), an official statement said. â€Å"I take this pledge that I will remain committed towards cleanliness and devote time for this. I will devote 100 hours per year — that is two hours per week — to voluntary work for cleanliness. I will neither litter nor let others litter. I will initiate the quest for cleanliness with myself, my  family, my locality, my village and my work place. I believe that the countries of the world that appear clean are so because their citizens don’t indulge in littering nor do they allow it to happen. With this firm belief, I will propagate the message of Swachh Bharat Mission in villages and towns. I will encourage 100 other persons to take this pledge which I am taking today. I will endeavour to make them devote their 100 hours for cleanliness. I am confident that every step I take towards cleanliness will help in making my country clean.† Narendra Modi 2. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan: The present goal under NBA is to achieve 100% access to sanitation for all rural households by 2022. Under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA), the Goal is now pre-phoned to make India Open Defecation Free (ODF) India by 2019 by construction of individual, cluster community toilets; and villages will be kept clean, including through solid and liquid waste management through Gram Panchayats. Water pipelines have to be laid to all villages enabling tap connection into households on demand by 2019. In this matter, co-operation and convergence of all Ministries, Central State schemes, CSR bilateral/multilateral assistance may become necessary as well as new innovative ways of funding such interventions. In a federal set-up like ours, where sanitation and water are state subjects, it is all the more important that states take the initiative to complete all activities to achieve Swachh Bharat by 2019 by dove-tailing all schemes Central or State. Swachh Bharat Mission: Facts and Figures Project Cost: Rs. 1,96,009 crore Project Start Date: 2nd October 2014 Project Estimated End Date: 2nd October 2019 Ministries Involved in Project: Ministry of rural development, ministry of urban development, ministry of drinking water and sanitation, Public Sector Undertakings ( PSUs), corporations, NGOs, state governments etc. Purpose of Project: To make India a filth-free country in five years, to construct community and public toilets in rural and urban areas, to provide running water supply, to treat waste water, to keep roads, pavements and localities clean etc. 3. BACKGROUND: 3.1 Individual Health and hygiene is largely dependent on adequate availability of drinking water and Proper sanitation. There is, therefore, a direct relationship between water, sanitation and health. Consumption of unsafe drinking water, improper disposal of human excreta, improper environmental Sanitation and lack of personal and food hygiene have been major causes of many diseases in Developing countries. India is no exception to this. Government started the Central Rural Sanitation Programme (CRSP) in 1986 primarily with the objective of improving the quality of life of the rural People and also to provide privacy and dignity to women. 3.2 The concept of sanitation was expanded to include personal hygiene, home sanitation, safe water, Garbage disposal, excreta disposal and waste water disposal. With this broader concept of sanitation, CRSP adopted a â€Å"demand driven† approach with the name â€Å"Total Sanitation Campaign† (TSC) with effect From 1999. The revised approach emphasized more on Information, Education and Communication (IEC), Human Resource Development, Capacity Development activities to increase awareness among the rural people and generation of demand for sanitary facilities. This enhanced people’s capacity to Choose appropriate options through alternate delivery mechanisms as per their economic condition. The Programme was implemented with focus on community-led and people centred initiatives. Financial incentives were provided to Below Poverty Line (BPL) households for construction and usage of Individual household latrines (IHHL) in recognition of their achievements. Assistance was also extended for construction of school toilet units, Anganwadi toilets and Community Sanitary Complexes (CSC) apart From undertaking activities under Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM). 3.3 To give a fillip to the TSC, Government of India also launched the Nirmal Gram Puraskar (NGP) that Sought to recognise the achievements and efforts made in ensuring full sanitation coverage. The award Gained immense  popularity and contributed effectively in bringing about a movement in the community for attaining the Nirmal Status thereby significantly adding to the achievements made for increasing the Sanitation coverage in the rural areas of the country. 3.4 Encouraged by the success of NGP, the TSC is being renamed as â€Å"Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan† (NBA). The Objective is to accelerate the sanitation coverage in the rural areas so as to comprehensively cover the rural community through renewed strategies and saturation approach. Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) envisages covering the entire community for saturated outcomes with a view to create Nirmal Gram Panchayats with following priorities: Provision of Individual Household Latrine (IHHL) of both Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Identified above Poverty Line (APL) households within a Gram Panchayat (GP). Gram Panchayats where all habitations have access to water to be taken up. Priority May be given to Gram Panchayats having functional piped water supply, Provision of sanitation facilities in Government Schools and Anganwadis in Government Buildings within these GPs Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) for proposed and existing Nirmal Grams Extensive capacity building of the stake holders like Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs) and field functionaries for Sustainable sanitation. Appropriate convergence with MNREGS with unskilled man-days and skilled man-days 4. OBJECTIVES: The main objectives of the NBA are as under: a) Bring about an improvement in the general quality of life in the rural areas. b) Accelerate sanitation coverage in rural areas to achieve the vision of Nirmal Bharat by 2022 with all gram Panchayats in the country attaining Nirmal status. c) Motivate communities and Panchayati Raj Institutions promoting sustainable sanitation facilities through awareness creation and health education. d) To cover the remaining schools not covered under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Anganwadi Centres in the rural areas with proper sanitation facilities and undertake proactive promotion of Hygiene education and sanitary habits among students. e) Encourage cost  effective and appropriate technologies for ecologically safe and sustainable Sanitation. f) Develop community managed environmental sanitation systems focusing on solid liquid waste Management for overall cleanliness in the rural areas. 5. STRATEGY: The strategy is to transform rural India into ‘Nirmal Bharat’ by adopting the community led and People centred strategies and community saturation approach. A demand driven approach is to be continued with emphasis on awareness creation and demand generation for sanitary facilities in houses, Schools and for cleaner environment. Alternate delivery mechanisms would be adopted to meet the Community needs. The provision of incentives for individual household latrine units to the poorest of the poor households has been widened to cover the other needy households too so as to attain Community outcomes. Availability of water in the Gram Panchayat shall be an important factor for sustaining sanitation facilities created. Rural School Sanitation remains a major component and an entry Point for wider acceptance of sanitation by the rural people. Wider technology options are being provided to meet the customer preferences and location- specific needs. Intensive IEC Campaign is the Corner stone of the programme involving Panchayati Raj Institutions, Co-operatives, ASHA, Anganwadi Workers, Women Groups, Self Help Groups, and NGOs etc. A roadmap for engagement of corporate houses is being introduced. More transparent system involving social audit and active people’s participation in the implementation process of NBA is being introduced. Convergence with MNREGS shall also be Important to facilitate the rural households with fund availability for creating their own sanitation Facilities. 6. IMPLEMENTATION: The Guidelines of NBA and the provisions hereunder are applicable with effect from 01.04.2012. Implementation of NBA is proposed with ‘Gram Panchayat ‘as the base unit. A project proposal that Emanates from a district is scrutinized and consolidated by the State Government and transmitted to The Government of India (Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation) as a State Plan. NBA is to be Implemented in phases with start-up activities. Funds are  to be made available for preliminary IEC work. The physical implementation gets oriented towards satisfying the felt-needs, wherein individual Households choose from a menu of options for their household latrines. The built-in flexibility in the Menu of options gives the poor and the disadvantaged families opportunity for subsequent up gradation Depending upon their requirements and financial position. In the â€Å"campaign approach†, a synergistic Interaction between the Government agencies and other stakeholders is essential. To bring about the desired behavioural changes for relevant sanitary practices, intensive IEC and advocacy, with Participation of NGOs/ Panchayati Raj Institutions/resource organizations is envisaged. NBA will be implemented with a district as the project. The States/UTs are expected to Prepare/revise NBA Projects for all the districts, consolidate at State level as State Plan and submit Before the Government of India. 7. COMPONENTS OF NBA The Programme components and activities for NBA implementation are as follows: (a) Start-Up Activities: The start-up activities include a. Conducting of preliminary survey to assess the status of sanitation and hygiene practices. b. Base line survey. c. Orientation of key personnel at the district/GP level. d. Preparation of State Plan. The cost of Start-up activities will be met from the IEC funds up to Rs. 10 Lakh. Additional fund. Requirement, if any, shall be met by the State. (b) IEC Activities: Information, Education and Communication (IEC) are important components of the Programme. These intend to trigger the demand for sanitary facilities in the rural areas for households, schools, Anganwadis and Community Sanitary Complexes through behavioural change. The activities carried out under these components should be area specific and should also involve all sections of the rural Population. IEC is not a one-time activity. IEC  strategy and plan to be drawn to include creation of Demand leading to construction and use in a sustained manner. IEC should be conducted at all tiers i.e. Districts, Blocks and Gram Panchayat. A national communication strategy framework has been developed by Government of India giving Emphasis on Inter Personal Communication (IPC) at the grassroots level. The states are to evolve their own strategy using folk media, mass media and also outdoor media like wall painting, hoarding etc. The IEC should also focus on health and hygiene practices and environmental sanitation aspects. Interpersonal communication and door to door to door contact are recognised as the most Significant tools for attaining the programme goals. In order to strengthen communication machinery at the village level with participatory social mobilization, guidelines for engagement of village level Motivators (Swachchhata Doot / Sanitation Messengers) have been issued separately. As part of this Strategy, in addition to Swachchhata Doots, field functionaries like Bharat Nirman Volunteers, ASHA, Anganwadi workers, School Teachers etc. can also be engaged at the village level for demand creation and taking up behaviour change communication. The motivator can be given suitable incentive from the Funds earmarked for IEC. The incentive will be performance based i.e. in terms of motivating the Number of households and schools/ Anganwadis to construct latrines and use them. Each project district should prepare a detailed IEC plan along with the Annual Action Plan with Defined strategies to reach all sections of the community. The aim of such a communication plan is to motivate rural people to adopt hygiene behaviour as a way of life and thereby develop and maintain all Facilities created under the programme. The Annual IEC Action Plan should be duly approved by the DWSC/DWSM. The Communication and Capacity Development Units (CCDUs) / Water and Sanitation Support Organisations (WSSOs) set up at the state level must support the districts in developing a good IEC plan and also in implementing it. Observance of Sanitation Day/ Sanitation Week / Sanitation Fortnight should be essential component of the Annual Action Plan. For effective dissemination of the IEC material, funds may also be provided under this component To blocks and gram Panchayats for execution of works. The development of such material executed by the Panchayats may be standardized by the district or the CCDU. The IEC funds should be broadly divided into pre Nirmal and Post- Nirmal phase so as to have Funds for sustaining the movement. The project districts, however, shall have the flexibility of deciding this division depending on the baseline survey reports and rate of acceleration of sanitation coverage. Funds available under IEC may be used for imparting hygiene education to the rural communities, General public, as well as children in schools. The IEC plan should include a component for rising Awareness among school going children, teachers and PTAs. IEC funding will be in the ratio of 80:20 between GOI and the State Governments and the total IEC Cost including start up grant will be limited to 15% of the total project cost. (c) Capacity Building: This component is for training of VWSC and PRI members, block and district functionaries and Grass root functionaries like ASHA and other health, education and related functionaries, Anganwadi Workers etc. SHGs can be trained in trades such as masonry work, brick-making, toilet pan making and Plumbing etc. as also for awareness raising activities. NGOs/CBOs of repute can be engaged for this Activity. State Resource Centres and Regional / District Resource Centres should be identified for Conducting such trainings. Capacity building funding will be in the ratio of 80:20 between GOI and the State Governments and will be limited to 2% of the IEC budget. (d) Construction of Individual Household Latrines: A duly completed household sanitary latrine shall comprise of a Toilet Unit  including a super Structure. The programme is aimed to cover all the rural families. Incentive as provided under the Scheme may be extended to all Below Poverty Line (BPL) Households and Above Poverty Line Households (APL) restricted to SCs/STs, small and marginal farmers, landless labourers with homestead, physically handicapped and women headed households. The construction of household toilets should be undertaken by the household itself and on completion and use of the toilet; the cash incentive can be given to the household in recognition of its achievement. The incentive amount to Below Poverty Line (BPL) household/identified APLs for construction of one unit of IHHL shall be Rs.4600.00n (Rs.5100.00 for difficult and hilly areas). The central share out of this shall be Rs.3200.00 (Rs.3700.00 in case of hilly and difficult areas) and State Government share shall Be Rs.1400.00. Minimum beneficiary share shall be Rs.900.00 in cash or labour. State Governments are allowed the flexibility to provide higher incentive for a household toilet, of the same or higher unit costs from their own funds. All houses constructed with the central or/and state assistance should invariably Have suitable sanitation facility as an integral part. However, all houses constructed by the beneficiaries Under Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) or any other state rural housing scheme which did not have toilets shall also be eligible for the incentive as above for creation of sanitation facilities for the targeted groups Under NBA. APL families not covered by the above incentives will take up construction of the household Latrines on their own through motivation. The IEC activities will provide comprehensive coverage to all the families in the GP without exceptions. APL families facing cash crunch may access the revolving fund as outlined in the guidelines. Construction of bucket latrines is not permitted in the rural areas. The existing bucket latrines, if any, should be converted to sanitary latrines and the sharing pattern for incentive for the targeted Beneficiaries shall be identical to that of construction of individual house hold latrines. Ministry of Rural Development notification Number S.O.l022 (E) dated  04.05.2012 regarding Convergence of TSC with MNREGS will be mutatis mutandis applicable for convergence with NBA. (e) Rural Sanitary Marts and Production Centers: The Rural Sanitary Mart is an outlet dealing with the materials, hardware and designs required for The construction of sanitary latrines, soakage and compost pits, vermi-composting, washing platforms, Certified domestic water filters and other sanitation hygiene accessories required. RSMs should Ensure that a variety of pans (ceramic, mosaic, HDP, fiberglass) are available for choice by the Beneficiaries. RSM should necessarily have those items, which are required as a part of the sanitation Package. It is a commercial venture with a social objective. The main aim of having a RSM is to provide Materials, services and guidance needed for constructing different types of latrines and other sanitary Facilities for a clean environment. Production Centers are the means to produce cost effective affordable Sanitary materials at the local level. They could be independent or part of the RSMs. The Production Centers/Rural Sanitary Marts could be opened and operated by SHGs / women Organizations/Panchayats/NGOs etc. Support of private entrepreneurs may also be taken for ensuring An effective supply chain. DWSM/DWSC should have a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the RSMs/PCs along with A system of joint monitoring evolved to ensure that the RSMs PCs are on track with production plans As per requirement. RSMs should have a method of quality certification of its products and a band of Trained masons and motivators. Quality standards (where notified by BIS or by MoDWS) for each of the items of purchase should Be strictly adhered to. An interest free loan up to Rs.3.5 lakh can be given for establishing RSM/PC out of revolving fund Available with the district. In case more RSMs are required, a maximum of up to Rs.35 Lakh from the Revolving Fund can be utilized for this purpose. Loans from the revolving fund for RSM/PC shall be Recovered in 12-18 instalments after one year from the date of receiving the  loan. (f) Provision of Revolving Fund in the District The revolving fund may be given to Cooperative Societies or Self Help Groups whose Creditworthiness is established, for providing cheap finance to their members. Loan from this fund Should be recovered in 12-18 instalments. NBA projects will have the flexibility to decide the other Terms and conditions for sanction of the revolving fund. This revolving fund can be accessed by APL Households not covered for incentives under the guidelines. Loan can also be given to the owner of the Household where Anganwadi centre is located for construction of baby friendly toilet provided the ICDS Authorities agree to refund the loan from the rent paid to the house owner. 5% of the District project Outlay subject to a sum of up to Rs.50 Lakh, can be used as revolving fund. The revolving fund is shared Between Centre and State on an 80:20 basis. (g) Community Sanitary Complex: Community Sanitary Complex is an integral component of the NBA. These Complexes, comprising An appropriate number of toilet seats, bathing cubicles, washing platforms, Wash basins etc., can be set Up in a place in the village acceptable and accessible to all. Ordinarily such complexes should be Constructed only when there is lack of space in the village for construction of household toilets and the Community owns up the responsibility of their operation and maintenance. The ultimate aim is to Ensure construction of maximum IHHLs and construction of community complexes will be restricted to Only when IHHLs cannot be constructed, for whatever reason, and also teach the community of â€Å"Hygiene practices†. The maintenance of such complexes is very essential for which Gram Panchayat Should own the ultimate responsibility. User families may be asked to contribute a reasonable monthly User charge for cleaning maintenance. The proposal for putting up CSC will be approved by the National Scheme Sanctioning Committee (NSSC). Such complexes can also be made at public places, Markets, etc. where large scale congregation of people takes place. Suitable maintenance guidelines May be adopted by the community to ensure proper maintenance of the complex. Maximum unit cost prescribed for a community sanitary complex is up to Rs.2 lakh. Sharing Pattern amongst Central Government, State Government and the community is in the ratio of 60:30:10. The community contribution, however, can be made by the Panchayat out of its own resources, from Grants of the Thirteenth Finance Commission or from any other fund of the State duly permitted by it. (h) Institutional Toilets: Children could be a good channel to influence parents to adopt proper sanitary habits. Children are More receptive to new ideas. Schools/Anganwadis are appropriate institutions for changing the Behaviour, mind-set and habits of children from open defecation to the use of lavatory through Motivation and education. School Toilets: Toilets in all types of Government Schools should be constructed. Emphasis should be given to Toilets for Girls in Schools. Toilet should provide access opportunity to children with special needs. A Toilet unit consists of a toilet and minimum of two urinals. Separate toilet units for girls and boys should Be provided in all co-educational schools, which are to be treated as two separate units and each unit is Entitled to Central assistance. The number of toilet units to be constructed should be adequate to meet The requirements of the school as per the strength of the students attending the school. State/UT Governments, Parent-Teachers Association and Panchayats are free to contribute from their own Resources over and above the prescribed amount. In addition to creation of hardware in the schools, it is essential that hygiene education is imparted To the children on all aspects of hygiene. For this purpose, at least one teacher in each school must be Trained in hygiene education who in turn should train the children through interesting activities and Community projects that emphasize hygiene behaviour. The expenditure for this purpose can be met From the IEC fund earmarked for the project. The district and Panchayat implementing agencies should Ensure  good coordination with Department of Education and Health other partners in order to fulfil The objective of SSHE i.e. to provide a safe, healthy learning environment to all children. The Central assistance per unit will be restricted to 70 percent for a unit cost of Rs.35,000 (Rs.38,500 in case of hilly and difficult areas). Funding for School Sanitation in a NBA Project is provided By the Central and State Government in the ratio of 70:30. Anganwadi Toilets: In order to in still the practice of using a toilet in children from very early stage in life, it is essential That Anganwadis are used as a platform of behaviour change for the children as well as the mothers. For This purpose, each Anganwadi should be provided with a baby friendly toilet. Since there are a large Number of Anganwadis operating from private premises, following strategy may be adopted: a) In all the Anganwadis, which are in Government buildings, baby friendly toilets should be Constructed from the NBA funds provided. b) In those Anganwadis, which are in private buildings, the owner must be asked to construct The toilet as per design, and, he/she may be allowed to charge enhanced rent for the Building to recover the cost of construction. c) Alternatively, the toilet may be constructed from revolving fund component under the NBA And, suitable deductions made from the monthly rental paid to the owner to recover the Cost over a period of time. Unit cost of a toilet shall be up to Rs.8,000 (Rs.10,000 in case of hilly and difficult areas) for each Anganwadi in the rural areas. Financial assistance to be given by Government of India will be restricted To Rs.5,600 (Rs.7,000 in case of hilly and difficult areas). Additional expenses can be met by the State Government, Panchayats or funds from Thirteenth Finance Commission, MPLADS, MLALADS, MNREGS Etc. Construction of Anganwadi toilets is to be prioritised in the 200 high focused districts to assist in Tackling the issue of malnutrition. All government buildings constructed with financial support of the Centre must have appropriate Sanitation facilities under the respective schemes as an integral component of the scheme. This is Considered essential to achieve the vision of ‘NIRMAL BHARAT’.

Pastor as Person †A Review Essay Example for Free

Pastor as Person – A Review Essay As the title itself suggests, the whole thrust is on the personhood of the pastor. At the start (Chapter Two), stress is given to highlight the need for new approach in ministry. Although it was not directly stated, the idea was pointed out when Tom, a pastor, received a letter from his alma mater concerning the seminary’s plan to include into its curriculum a subject called The Person in Ministry. As the conversation of the characters progressed, and at the same time their personalities somewhat introduced briefly in chapter one, the theme of the entire book becomes more in focus. Indeed, as Gary L. Harbaugh was trying to highlight from the very outset, even the person behind the pulpit Sunday after Sunday is a real person with the characteristics of a normal human being with almost the same things to cope in life, if not exactly identical. The way the five pastors were presented – Tom Daniels, Joan Russel, Paul Denning, Chris Campbell, and John Jeffrich – in the first chapter seems to stress the fact of the human side of ministers in general. Although the tone of the author, all along, was to paint an honest appraisal of the pastor, and at the same time with the intention of helping his readers realize the impossibility for those among the ordained clergy to perform their lifetime duties effectively without comprehending their frame as human beings, more often than not, the overall expectation from the ministers is very unrealistic. And so, Harbaugh, in this book, incorporated all necessary studies/sciences which for him might yield a more comprehensive and more accurate portrayal of the minister as human specie. Through the lenses of philosophy, theology, psychology, and anthropology, the pastor was presented – not as someone who is above the rest, but someone who is very much like those considered rank and file (Harbaugh, 1985). At the last paragraph of the book, Dr. Harbaugh expressed his hope that upon reading, the reader (presumably, a minister) is â€Å"affirmed† and now having gained valuable insights into his/her personhood, with fresh outlook, the remaining years of ministry will not be anymore burdensome but promising instead. In Chapter Two, Harbaugh highlights the reality that the pastor is not only a spiritual person but physical as well. He experiences stress and at times may be subjected to bouts of â€Å"burnout. † King Hezekiah of the Old Testament was mentioned as an object lesson of a person dealing with stress. The author pointed out that there are correct responses to stressors and pressures, although unfortunately, pastors usually opted for what Dr. Harbaugh called as the pastor’s â€Å"common reactions† to stress. To really experience growth in life and in faith, one has to face his/her responsibilities and do everything within his/her ability to do, and at the same time, one has to accept his limitations that he/she cannot possibly do everything even while doing and employing the best possible means within his/her ability. As Dr. Harbaugh said, using the well familiar hymn, â€Å"Christ is the solid rock on which† ultimately, our â€Å"holistic response to stress can stand. † Moreover, the pastor also is an intellectual being. He thinks. This is the emphasis of the third chapter. While it is true that there are similarities, or things common among those in the clergy, Harbaugh maintains the individuality of the pastor (Harbaugh, 1985). This means that each pastor is different and hence must be dealt with individually. A right balance must be maintained between the pastor’s vocation and his personal/family life. Dr. Harbaugh, in Chapter Four, introduced Ptr. John Jeffrich. Through Jeffrich’s personality, Harbaugh presented a pastor just like anybody else reacting and full of emotions. Indeed, one cannot empathize with others without having gone through the same griefs which other people have gone through. â€Å"Weakness is strength† (Harbaugh, 1985). The remaining chapters – 5 and 6 – are expansions, further explorations of previous chapters. How the pastor should deal with different issues as he/she relates to other people. In summary, the pastor should learn to accept everything that he/she is – with strengths and weaknesses. As a pastor, he/she is chosen by God for the people of God.

The Global Container Shipping Industry

The Global Container Shipping Industry The global container shipping industry can be characterized as an oligopoly. Moreover, there are few sellers and the provided services or products are quite similar. It is important to examine the market structure in three levels: the industry, the alliances and the trade level. The market is characterized by globalization. As a result, there is a need to meet customers demands and invest in resources as well as technology. So we can say mention the expansion of the world economy and the world trade. Shipping companies have two choices, form an alliance or the other one is mergers and acquisitions. I will also use a graphic explanation to present the trends and how the industry has evolved over the past years. Lastly, this assignment mentions the importance of the oligopolistic characteristics in the global container shipping industry. THE INDUSTRY In the global container shipping industry we could meet collusions which are more commonly known as shipping conferences. We all know that their principal activity is to fix freight rates in certain routes and set barriers in the entry of new firms. Conferences are cartels acting like monopolists, because there were substantial scale economies in the industry that led to a small number of firms (Marshall,1921). After the abolishment of the anti-monopoly immunity of freight conferences (18 October 2008, Regulation 4056/86) and given the trend of growing consolidation the market evolves into a more collusive market where operational agreements are more important. The market has become more concentrated and the smallest operators have a market share of less than 1% each. As we can observe from table 1 above top 10 carriers have a market share of 63.5%. Comparing to the market share of top ten carriers in 2000 which was 49.3% (alphaliner) there is a remarkable increase in market share as well as in total TEUs. Moreover, few firms hold most of the market power and probably can influence in a high grade the market. They can set entry barriers and also make agreements on the freight rates. It is very important for firms to cooperate and acting like monopolists. As a result, each firm must be aware of the other players actions. Due to, this oligopolistic characteristic the industry is more complex and needs to face many factors. Moreover, the rapidly changing customer requirements, the deployment of ever larger container vessels, advances in information technology, increasing competition and intense consolidation.( ) Leading to few firms controlling the high trade routes and to the phenomenon of multi-trade strategic alliances. ALLIANCES We can also measure the degree of concentration by analyzing the alliances that have been created over the past years. This is a common implication in oligopolistic markets and of great importance. An alliance helps to obtain greater market shares and control more effectively the trade routes as well as the capacity. We can notice almost five advantages in the trend of alliances in the global container shipping industry. Furthermore, it can serve more efficient wider geographically routes. Secondly, they can plan their vessels in a more global scope. Of course, there is less risk, because risks are shared. They can offer more frequent services to their customers, meaning more frequent schedules. Lastly, economies of scale become more visible and there is also an increase in the size of the ships. (Ryoo, 2000) It is noteworthy to analyze three of the most important alliances over the past years. Furthermore, these three alliances started with an agreement on collaboration for east-west trades and then extended to north-south services. The first alliance we will examine is New World Alliance. It includes mainly APL, MOL and HMM. Its overall capacity in TEUs is 1.161.468 and owns 282 vessels. Imagine that in 2000 the capacity of this alliance was 325.487 and the number of vessels 90. As we can see it highly increased its market share and this is very important in oligopolistic markets, because you can influence the market as well as manage more properly the capacity. Another noteworthy alliance is the Grand Alliance. In February 2006, after PO withdrawal the new Grand Alliance formed by Hapag-Lloyd, OOCL, and NYK Line. Its overall capacity in TEUs is 1.187.607 and owns 288 vessels. In 1996 it owned only 255.705 TEUs and 72 vessels. Grand alliance manages twelve services in the transpacific trade. Lastly, this alliance has showed the most stable formation comparing to the other two alliances. The greatest alliance is CKYH with main partners Hanjin, Yang Ming, K Line and COSCO. It counts 1.548.508 TEUs and 400 vessels. It manages eight services on the Europe Asia route which has the largest capacity in TEUs. Surely, this alliance has a great market share and also is highly competitive. Of course, alliances have a great impact in the market share, but it is difficult to cooperate as the size of the group increases. They act like monopolists, because they can influence the price. Competition makes difficult to other firms to compete or enter in the market. This characteristic is of highly importance in order to survive in this tough market where overcapacity and decreasing demand exists nowadays. Firms may find many reasons why to join an alliance: strategic reasons, operational reasons, in order to increase or decrease connectivity to increase or decrease capacity, to introduce a new service, to suspend a service, to merge services, to demerge services, to offer slots for charter and to offer slots. (Panayides, 2011) TRADE LEVEL We will examine the trade level of two routes, Black Sea Far East and US trade. Moreover, we will focus on the trade lane with port ranges at either end. (Brooks, 2000) In the route Black Sea Far East the top seven firms have a market share of total 89%, so the other firms have only the rest 11%. Surely, there is a very high percent of concentration in this trade route. Moreover, MSC holds 23,15%, Maersk Line 20,33%, CMA-CGM 13,81%, Zim 13,55%, CSAV Norasia 11,64%, Hapag Lloyd 4,99% and K Line 1,53%. (www.dynamar.com) We can conclude that a tight oligopoly exists in the trade line of Black Sea Far East. Meaning that the production rises but there is a decrease in price, because the firms possess large shares and acting more like monopolists. Furthermore, it is difficult for new firms to enter this lane. The other trade line that we will examine is US which is more complicated than the previous one. Moreover, the top ten firms hold almost a 65% of the total market share. So we can say again that in trade line exists an oligopoly, but the firms are much more and hold less market shares. Maersk Line market share is 15,27%, Evergreen 7,67%, Mediterranean Shg Co 7,20%, Hanjin 6,54%, APL 6,18%, Hapag Lloyd 6,05%, COSCO Container Lines 4,28%, OOCL 4,26%, NYK 4,04% and China Shg C.L 3,90%. A close exam of this market shows us that competition is greater, but the market is larger and very attractive to new firms. As a result, if we use efficiently the oligopolistic characteristics firms will increase their market shares and it will be more difficult for new firms to enter. Of course it is difficult to cooperate efficiently when the size of the group increases, but you can handle more adequate the capacity and the competition something that is very important nowadays. After analyzing these two different trade lines we understood the meaning of the existence of the oligopolistic characteristics. Moreover, capacity can be handled more efficiently and minimize competition by increasing your shares. GRAPHIC EXPLANATION OF THE IMPORTANCE OF OLIGOPOLISTIC CHARACTERISTICS IN THE GLOBAL CONTAINER SHIPPING INDUSTRY I believe a better explanation can be given by using a graphic explanation to mention the importance of the oligopolistic characteristics in the global container shipping industry. Moreover, we know from theory that in perfect competition demand curve intersects Marginal Cost curve at the market price P* and it supplies quantity Q*. The firms in this graph are price takers, because there are no entry barriers. Now let see what an oligopolistic firm will do. It will reduce quantity to Q0 and at the same time will increase the price P0 until Marginal Cost equals Marginal Revenue. However, a deadweight loss (consumer and producer) will be created, meaning that the welfare losses to the economy. Lastly, we can observe a surplus to the firm as an oligopoly profit. This result can be represented in the global container shipping industry by selling at greater prices and offering lower services. Furthermore, smaller containers, slower service etc as the market becomes more oligopolistic. Secondly, firms may try to increase their market power or setting entry barriers. Of course these two result to collusion practices. Moreover, greater concentration can create collusions and reduce coordination costs. However, there are also benefits from the increase in concentration. A firm may increase its profits by taking market power from its rivals. This action can motivate the firm to offer a better product or service. In shipping industry a better product or service means offering larger containers than other firms or by investing in research and development. Moreover, a firm may invest in order to keep consumers loyal. So the firms can behave more competitively. As the market is acting like an oligopoly, it has resulted in two major trends. First, there has been an increase in container ship sizes. Secondly, there has been an important growth in container throughput. For example, seventeen of the top twenty five routes are served with ships exceeding 9000 TEUs. On the other hand, using larger ships you need to make enormous investments in port infrastructure. Lastly, it has reduced the costs of transportation and local economies have been transformed to global economies. Conclusion The global container shipping industry is mainly an oligopoly (few players and mainly provide similar services). I tried to mention the importance of the oligopolistic characteristics in this market. Moreover, I noticed that big alliances control the majority of the total market share and also high concentration exists even in the trade routes. Highly concentrated markets lead in many occasions to collusions or cartels. It is very dangerous due to anti-trust laws, especially after the abolishment of the anti-monopoly immunity. However, such agreements are very beneficial for the participating firms. It is best off to cooperate, but it is very difficult especially when the size of the group increases. From the graphic explanation we concluded that it is better to produce small quantity and charge prices above marginal cost. Nevertheless, it is up to firms if they are going to have negative or positive results. In my opinion, the oligopolistic characteristics in the global container sh ipping industry lead the market to evolve and become capable to handle the phenomenon of overcapacity and increasing fuel costs.

The Significance of the Beowulf Poem :: Epic Beowulf essays

The Significance of the Beowulf Poem      Ã‚   There are many characteristics of the Beowulf poem that make it a significant part of the history of literature.   It is a perfect representation of how the people in eighth century England communicated, what their feelings were, and their culture.   "It gives us vital information about Old English social life and about Old English politics and about many things that scholars would like to have much more information on."(Raffel ix)   Another characteristic is that the Beowulf poem was passed down orally.   The poem contains aspects of Christianity what form it takes in the story.   It is also sort of a history of how the English language has changed in the many years from then until now. The poem also contains many mythical references and it contains   a great hero.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Beowulf is considered an artifact by many because "it is the oldest of the English long poems and may have been composed more than twelve hundred years ago."(Beowulf 19)   It deals with events of the early 6th century and is believed to have been composed between 700 and 750.   "No one knows who composed Beowulf , or why.   A single manuscript (Cotton Vitellius A XV) managed to survive Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries, and the destruction of their great libraries; since his name is written on one of the folios, Lawrence Nowell, the sixteenth-century scholar, may have been responsible for Beowulf's preservation."(Raffel ix)   An interesting fact that is unique about the poem is that "it is the sole survivor of what may have been a thriving epic tradition, and it is great poetry."(Raffel ix)      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The poem was composed and performed orally.   "Old English bards, or scops, most likely began by piecing together traditional short songs, called heroic lays; they then gradually added to that base until the poem grew to its present size.   The verse form is the standard Old English isochronic:   each line contains for stresses; there is a strong caesura in the middle of the lines and the resultant half lines are bound together by alliteration.   Although little Old English poetry survives, Beowulf's polished verse and reflective, allusive development suggest that it is part of a rich poetic tradition.

AIDS :: Free AIDS Essays

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). "The virus was discovered in France in 1983 and in the United States in 1984. In the United States, it was initially identified in 1981. In 1986, a second virus, now called HIV-2, was also discovered in Africa.(Bookshelves)" Female prostitutes in Africa probably spread it very quickly. AIDS became a huge crisis of major proportions in parts of Africa. It is my own strongly held opinion, and that of most medical and research community world wide, that the AIDS epidemic is a serious problem. It has become the worst plague this species has ever known. Vastly greater sums should be spent on searching for treatments and vaccines. The United States government needs to do more intensive tests and research to help curb this virus instead of waiting for other countries to do so. AIDS is transmitted in one of three ways: From intimate sexual contact without protection, from the mixing of a person’s blood with infected blood, and from an infected pregnant woman to her fetus. Infection can occur from blood transfusions of infected blood, or sharing unclean needles. (Needles already used, in this case, by an HIV positive person and not sterilized.) The HIV-2 virus also causes AIDS. AIDS was first seen as a disease limited gay males in the United States. "This was a result that gay males in this culture before AIDS had an average of 200 to 400 new sexual contacts per year. This figure was much greater than the new sexual encounters among heterosexual (straight) men or women. (Strack,5)" In addition, it turned out that rectal sex was a particularly effective way to transmit the disease. Rectal sex is a common practice among gay males. For these reasons, the disease spread in the gay male population of the United States more quickly than in other populations. It became to be thought of as a "gay disease". As the AIDS epidemic began to affect increasingly large fractions of those two populations (gay males and IV drug abusers), many of the rest of the American society looked on smugly, for both populations tended to be despised by the "mainstream" of society here. It is extremely important for scientists to find a cure for AIDS. It is important because mostly everyone in the world has sex. The safest option regarding AIDS and sex is total abstinence from all sexual contact. For those who prefer to indulge in sexual contact, this is often far too great a sacrifice. The development of a safe and effective vaccine to prevent HIV infection is among the highest priorities for the AIDS research effort. Yet, vaccine research historically has received less funding and attention than other areas of AIDS research. Although this may have been justifiable in the past, the continued spread of the HIV epidemic and recent advances in our knowledge dictate a reassessment of priorities and a

Shakespeares Othello - Essay on Iago as the Hero of Othello? :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Iago as the Hero of Othello?  Ã‚   In the play Othello, by Shakespeare, the character Iago is perceived to be a sinister and wicked individual to readers who have just read the novel. If people give more thought to Iago's character and the actions that he took in order to attain the things that he wanted, then they can find some admirable traits in him. There is not one character in the novel that is entirely good or entirely bad. Each character is complex in his/her own way. After reading this Shakespearean work of art, I found that if the reader wanted to find fault in everybody then they could. Does this make the characters villains? Maybe it makes the characters individuals who are subject to certain emotions and problems that up rise and occur during the struggle for power. From the start of this play, friction between characters was prevalent. What's a Shakespearean play without conflict of characters? In Act One of Scene One, Othello angered both Iago and Roderigo when a promotion was given to Cassio. In line nine of Act One, Scene One, Iago says, "In personal suit to make me his lieutenant, Off-capp'd to him." Iago wanted and even pleaded lieutenancy. When the reader learns of that, then the play starts to unfold. From this point on, Iago holds on to his anger and does several things to get back at Othello and everybody who is around him. In lines 36-38 of the same act and scene, Iago states "preferment goes by letter and affection, and not by old gradation, where each second stood heir to the first." By saying that, Iago showed that he took Othello's promotion to another person extremely offensive. Iago brushed the insult off of his shoulders and posed as if he had forgotten about it. He stated, "We cannot all be masters, nor all masters cannot be truly follow'd" (Act One, Scene One, Lines 44-45). A master was what Iago was determined to be. Iago was the character in the play that held the trust of an abundance of characters. How worthy of the trust was he though? He played games with everybody’s emotions. To a certain extent, the people who put trust into him are at fault also. Iago seldom told people things directly. He spoke of things happening in his dreams or assumptions that he made. Shakespeare's Othello - Essay on Iago as the Hero of Othello? :: GCSE English Literature Coursework Iago as the Hero of Othello?  Ã‚   In the play Othello, by Shakespeare, the character Iago is perceived to be a sinister and wicked individual to readers who have just read the novel. If people give more thought to Iago's character and the actions that he took in order to attain the things that he wanted, then they can find some admirable traits in him. There is not one character in the novel that is entirely good or entirely bad. Each character is complex in his/her own way. After reading this Shakespearean work of art, I found that if the reader wanted to find fault in everybody then they could. Does this make the characters villains? Maybe it makes the characters individuals who are subject to certain emotions and problems that up rise and occur during the struggle for power. From the start of this play, friction between characters was prevalent. What's a Shakespearean play without conflict of characters? In Act One of Scene One, Othello angered both Iago and Roderigo when a promotion was given to Cassio. In line nine of Act One, Scene One, Iago says, "In personal suit to make me his lieutenant, Off-capp'd to him." Iago wanted and even pleaded lieutenancy. When the reader learns of that, then the play starts to unfold. From this point on, Iago holds on to his anger and does several things to get back at Othello and everybody who is around him. In lines 36-38 of the same act and scene, Iago states "preferment goes by letter and affection, and not by old gradation, where each second stood heir to the first." By saying that, Iago showed that he took Othello's promotion to another person extremely offensive. Iago brushed the insult off of his shoulders and posed as if he had forgotten about it. He stated, "We cannot all be masters, nor all masters cannot be truly follow'd" (Act One, Scene One, Lines 44-45). A master was what Iago was determined to be. Iago was the character in the play that held the trust of an abundance of characters. How worthy of the trust was he though? He played games with everybody’s emotions. To a certain extent, the people who put trust into him are at fault also. Iago seldom told people things directly. He spoke of things happening in his dreams or assumptions that he made.

The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle Chapter Six

Stefan sat in the Gilbert living room, agreeing politely with whatever it was Aunt Judith was saying. The older woman was uncomfortable having him here; you didn't need to be a mind reader to know that. But she was trying, and so Stefan was trying, too. He wanted Elena to be happy. Elena. Even when he wasn't looking at her, he was aware of her more than of anything else in the room. Her living presence beat against his skin like sunlight against closed eyelids. When he actually let himself turn to face her, it was a sweet shock to all his senses. He loved her so much. He never saw her as Katherine any more; he had almost forgotten how much she looked like the dead girl. In any case, there were so many differences. Elena had the same pale gold hair and creamy skin, the same delicate features as Katherine, but there the resemblance ended. Her eyes, looking violet in the firelight just now but normally a blue as dark as lapis lazuli, were neither timid nor childlike as Katherine's had been. On the contrary, they were windows to her soul, which shone like an eager flame behind them. Elena was Elena, and her image had replaced Katherine's gentle ghost in his heart. But her very strength made their love dangerous. He hadn't been able to resist her last week when she'd offered him her blood. Granted, he might have died without it, but it had been far too soon for Elena's own safety. For the hundredth time, his eyes moved over Elena's face, searching for the telltale signs of change. Was that creamy skin a little paler? Was her expression slightly more remote? They would have to be careful from now on. He would have to be more careful. Make sure to feed often, satisfy himself with animals, so he wouldn't be tempted. Never let the need get too strong. Now that he thought of it, he was hungry right now. The dry ache, the burning, was spreading along his upper jaw, whispering through his veins and capillaries. He should be out in the woods – senses alert to catch the slightest crackle of dry twigs, muscles ready for the chase – not here by a fire watching the tracery of pale blue veins in Elena's throat. That slim throat turned as Elena looked at him. â€Å"Do you want to go to that party tonight? We can take Aunt Judith's car,† she said. â€Å"But you ought to stay for dinner first,† said Aunt Judith quickly. â€Å"We can pick up something on the way.† Elena meant they could pick up something for her, Stefan thought. He himself could chew and swallow ordinary food if he had to, though it did him no good, and he had long since lost any taste for it. No, his†¦ appetites†¦ were more particular now, he thought. And if they went to this party, it would mean hours more before he could feed. But he nodded agreement to Elena. â€Å"If you want to,† he said. She did want to; she was set on it. He'd seen that from the beginning. â€Å"All right then, I'd better change.† She glanced through the doorway, to the empty living room, and said, â€Å"It's all right. They're almost healed already. See?† She tugged her lacy collar down, twisting her head to one side. Stefan stared, mesmerized, at the two round marks on the fine-grained skin. They were a very light, translucent burgundy color, like much-watered wine. He set his teeth and forced his eyes away. Looking much longer at that would drive him crazy. â€Å"That wasn't what I meant,† he said brusquely. The shining veil of her hair fell over the marks again, hiding them. â€Å"Oh.† â€Å"Come in!† As they did, walking into the room, conversations stopped. Elena looked at the faces turned toward them, at the curious, furtive eyes and the wary expressions. Not the kind of looks she was used to getting when she made an entrance. It was another student who'd opened the door for them; Alaric Saltzman was nowhere in sight. But Caroline was, seated on a bar stool, which showed off her legs to their best advantage. She gave Elena a mocking look and then made some remark to a boy on her right. He laughed. Elena could feel her smile start to go painful, while a flush crept up toward her face. Then a familiar voice came to her. â€Å"Elena, Stefan! Over here.† Gratefully, she spotted Bonnie sitting with Meredith and Ed Goff on a loveseat in the corner. She and Stefan settled on a large ottoman opposite them, and she heard conversations start to pick up again around the room. By tacit agreement, no one mentioned the awkwardness of Elena and Stefan's arrival. Elena was determined to pretend that everything was as usual. And Bonnie and Meredith were backing her. â€Å"You look great,† said Bonnie warmly. â€Å"I just love that red sweater.† â€Å"She does look nice. Doesn't she, Ed?† said Meredith, and Ed, looking vaguely startled, agreed. â€Å"So your class was invited to this, too,† Elena said to Meredith. â€Å"I thought maybe it was just seventh period.† â€Å"I don't know ifinvited is the word.† replied Meredith dryly. â€Å"Considering that participation is half our grade.† â€Å"Do you think he was serious about that? He couldn't be serious,† put in Ed. â€Å"Ray? Oh, Ray. I don't know, around somewhere, I suppose. There's a lot of people here.† That was true. The Ramsey living room was packed, and from what Elena could see the crowd flowed into the dining room, the front parlor, and probably the kitchen as well. Elbows kept brushing Elena's hair as people circulated behind her. â€Å"What did Saltzman want with you after class?† Stefan was saying. â€Å"Alaric,† Bonnie corrected primly. â€Å"He wants us to call him Alaric. Oh, he was just being nice. He felt awful for making me relive such an agonizing experience. He didn't know exactly how Mr. Tanner died, and he hadn't realized I was so sensitive. Of course, he's incredibly sensitive himself, so he understands what it's like. He's an Aquarius.† â€Å"With a moon rising in pickup lines,† said Meredith under her breath. â€Å"Bonnie you don't believe that garbage, do you? He's a teacher; he shouldn't be trying that out on students.† â€Å"He wasn't trying anything out! He said exactly the same thing to Tyler and Sue Carson. He said we should form a support group for each other or write an essay about that night to get our feelings out. He said teenagers are all very impressionable and he didn't want the tragedy to have a lasting impact on our lives.† â€Å"Oh, brother,† said Ed, and Stefan turned a laugh into a cough. He wasn't amused, though, and his question to Bonnie hadn't been just idle curiosity. Elena could tell; she could feel it radiating from him. Stefan felt about Alaric Saltzman the way that most of the people in this room felt about Stefan. Wary and mistrustful. â€Å"Itwas strange, him acting as if the party was a spontaneous idea in our class,† she said, responding unconsciously to Stefan's unspoken words, â€Å"when obviously it had been planned.† â€Å"What's even stranger is the idea that the school would hire a teacher without telling him how the previous teacher died,† said Stefan. â€Å"Everyone was talking about it; it must have been in the papers.† â€Å"But not all the details,† said Bonnie firmly. â€Å"In fact, there are things the police still haven't let out, because they think it might help them catch the killer. For instance,† she dropped her voice, â€Å"do you know what Mary said? Dr. Feinberg was talking to the guy who did the autopsy, the medical examiner. And he said that there was no blood left in the body at all. Not a drop.† Elena felt an icy wind blow through her, as if she stood once again in the graveyard. She couldn't speak. But Ed said, â€Å"Where'd it go?† â€Å"Well, all over the floor, I suppose,† said Bonnie calmly. â€Å"All over the altar and everything. That's what the police are investigating now. But it's unusual for a corpse not to haveany blood left; usually there's some that settles down on the underside of the body. Postmortem lividity, it's called. It looks like big purple bruises. What's wrong?† â€Å"Your incredible sensitivity has me ready to throw up,† said Meredith in a strangled voice. â€Å"Could we possibly talk about something else?† â€Å"You weren't the one with blood all over you,† Bonnie began, but Stefan interrupted her. â€Å"I don't know,† said Bonnie, and then she brightened. â€Å"That's right, Elena, you said you knew – â€Å" â€Å"Shut up, Bonnie,† said Elena desperately. If there ever were a placenot to discuss this, it was in a crowded room surrounded by people who hated Stefan. Bonnie's eyes widened, and then she nodded, subsiding. Elena could not relax, though. Stefan hadn't killed Mr. Tanner, and yet the same evidence that would lead to Damon could as easily lead to him. Andwould lead to him, because no one but she and Stefan knew of Damon's existence. He was out there, somewhere, in the shadows. Waiting for his next victim. Maybe waiting for Stefan – or for her. â€Å"I'm hot,† she said abruptly. â€Å"I think I'll go see what kinds of refreshmentsAlaric has provided.† Stefan started to rise, but Elena waved him back down. He wouldn't have any use for potato chips and punch. And she wanted to be alone for a few minutes, to be moving instead of sitting, to calm herself. Being with Meredith and Bonnie had given her a false sense of security. Leaving them, she was once again confronted by sidelong glances and suddenly turned backs. This time it made her angry. She moved through the crowd with deliberate insolence, holding any eye she accidentally caught. I'm already notorious, she thought. I might as well be brazen, too. She was hungry. In the Ramsey dining room someone had set up an assortment of finger foods that looked surprisingly good. Elena took a paper plate and dropped a few carrot sticks on it, ignoring the people around the bleached oak table. She wasn't going to speak to them unless they spoke first. She gave her full attention to the refreshments, leaning past people to select cheese wedges and Ritz crackers, reaching in front of them to pluck grapes, ostentatiously looking up and down the whole array to see if there was anything she'd missed. She'd succeeded in riveting everyone's attention, something she knew without raising her eyes. She bit delicately down on a bread stick, holding it between her teeth like a pencil, and turned from the table. â€Å"Mind if I have a bite?† Shock snapped her eyes wide open and froze her breath. Her mind jammed, refusing to acknowledge what was going on, and leaving her helpless, vulnerable, in the face of it. But though rational thought had disappeared, her senses went right on recording mercilessly: dark eyes dominating her field of vision, a whiff of some kind of cologne in her nostrils, two long fingers tilting her chin up. Damon leaned in, and, neatly and precisely, bit off the other end of the bread stick. In that moment, their lips were only inches apart. He was leaning in for a second bite before Elena's wits revived enough to throw her backward, her hand grabbing the bit of crisp bread and tossing it away. He caught it in midair, a virtuoso display of reflex. His eyes were still on hers. Elena got in a breath at last and opened her mouth; she wasn't sure what for. To scream, probably. To warn all these people to run out into the night. Her heart was pounding like a triphammer, her vision blurred. What are you doing here? she thought. The scene around her seemed eerily bright and unnatural. It was like one of those nightmares when everything is ordinary, just like waking life, and then suddenly something grotesque happens. He was going to kill them all. â€Å"Elena? Are you okay?† Sue Carson was talking to her, gripping her shoulder. â€Å"I think she choked on something,† Damon said, releasing Elena's wrist. â€Å"But she's all right now. Why don't you introduce us?† He was going to kill them all†¦ â€Å"Elena, this is Damon, um†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Sue spread an apologetic hand, and Damon finished for her. â€Å"Smith.† He lifted a paper cup toward Elena. â€Å"La vita.† â€Å"What are you doing here?† she whispered. â€Å"He's a college student,† Sue volunteered, when it became apparent that Damon wasn't going to answer. â€Å"From – University of Virginia, was it? William and Mary?† â€Å"Among other places,† Damon said, still looking at Elena. He hadn't glanced at Sue once. â€Å"I like to travel.† The world had snapped into place again around Elena, but it was a chilling world. There were people on every side, watching this exchange with fascination, keeping her from speaking freely. But they were also keeping her safe. For whatever reason, Damon was playing a game, pretending to be one of them. And while the masquerade went on, he wouldn't do anything to her in front of a crowd†¦ she hoped. A game. But he was making up the rules. He was standing here in the Ramseys' dining room playing with her. â€Å"He's just down for a few days,† Sue was continuing helpfully. â€Å"Visiting – friends, did you say? Or relatives?† â€Å"Yes,† said Damon. â€Å"You're lucky to be able to take off whenever you want,† Elena said. She didn't know what was possessing her, to make her try and unmask him. â€Å"Luck has very little to do with it,† said Damon. â€Å"Do you like dancing?† â€Å"What's your major?† He smiled at her. â€Å"American folklore. Did you know, for instance, that a mole on the neck means you'll be wealthy? Do you mind if I check?† â€Å"I mind.† The voice came from behind Elena. It was clear and cold and quiet. Elena had heard Stefan â€Å"But do you matter?† he said. The two of them faced each other under the faintly flickering yellow light of the brass chandelier. Elena was aware of layers of her own thoughts, like a parfait. Everyone's staring; this must be better than the movies†¦ I didn't realize Stefan was taller†¦ There's Bonnie and Meredith wondering what's going on†¦ Stefan's angry but he's still weak, still hurting†¦ If he goes for Damon now, he'll lose†¦ And in front of all these people. Her thoughts came to a clattering halt as everything fell into place. That was what Damon was here for, to make Stefan attack him, apparently unprovoked. No matter what happened after that, he won. If Stefan drove him away, it would just be more proof of Stefan's â€Å"tendency toward violence.† More evidence for Stefan's accusers. And if Stefan lost the fight†¦ It would mean his life, thought Elena. Oh, Stefan, he's so much stronger right now; please don't do it. Don't play into his hands. Hewants to kill you; he's just looking for a chance. She made her limbs move, though they were stiff and awkward as a marionette's. â€Å"Stefan,† she said, taking his cold hand in hers, â€Å"let's go home.† She could feel the tension in his body, like an electric current running underneath his skin. At this moment, he was completely focused on Damon, and the light in his eyes was like fire reflecting off a dagger blade. She didn't recognize him in this mood, didn't know him. He frightened her. â€Å"Stefan,† she said, calling to him as if she were lost in fog and couldn't find him. â€Å"Stefan,please. â€Å" And slowly, slowly, she felt him respond. She heard him breathe and felt his body go off alert, clicking down to some lower energy level. The deadly concentration of his mind was diverted and he looked at her, and saw her. â€Å"All right,† he said softly, looking into her eyes. â€Å"Let's go.† She kept her hands on him as they turned away, one clasping his hand, the other tucked inside his arm. By sheer force of will, she managed not to look over her shoulder as they walked away, but the skin on her back tingled and crawled as if expecting the stab of a knife. Instead, she heard Damon's low ironical voice: â€Å"And have you heard that kissing a red-haired girl cures fever blisters?† And then Bonnie's outrageous, flattered laughter. On the way out, they finally ran into their host. â€Å"Leaving so soon?† Alaric said. â€Å"But I haven't even had a chance to talk to you yet.† He looked both eager and reproachful, like a dog that knows perfectly well it's not going to be taken on a walk but wags anyway. Elena felt worry blossom in her stomach for him and everyone else in the house. She and Stefan were leaving them to Damon. Right now she had enough to do getting Stefan out of here before he changed his mind. â€Å"I'm not feeling very well,† she said as she picked up her purse where it lay by the ottoman. â€Å"Sorry.† She increased the pressure on Stefan's arm. It would take very little to get him to turn back and head for the dining room right now. â€Å"I'm sorry,† said Alaric. â€Å"Good-bye.† They were on the threshold before she saw the little slip of violet paper stuck into the side pocket of her purse. She pulled it out and unfolded it almost by reflex, her mind on other things. There was writing on it, plain and bold and unfamiliar. Just three lines. She read them and felt the world rock. This was too much; she couldn't deal with anything more. â€Å"What is it?† said Stefan. â€Å"Nothing.† She thrust the bit of paper back into the side pocket, pushing it down with her fingers. â€Å"It's nothing, Stefan. Let's get outside.† They stepped out into driving needles of rain.