Nature of logic and perception

Introduction/Thesis StatementThis paper entitled â€Å"Nature of Logic and Perception† intends to carry out the following:First of all, to reintroduce the following psychological concepts or terminologies by explaining the nature of logic as it relates to critical thinking and how I personally understood it.  Second is to outline my own perceptual process.  Third is to describe the types of perceptual blocks that influence my views.  The fourth is to explain the critical thinking process and how it is altered by perception.Last but not least is to: recognize an instance in my life where my perception of the reality situation was far from the actual reality; to tell what I believe is actually occurring; to state what is really happening; to indicate the difference of the two; the occurrences after; the things I have learned; and finally how the process of my critical thinking changed.Perceptual Process Definedâ€Å"Perceptual Process† is technically defined as â₠¬Å"the order of steps that commence with the surroundings or atmosphere and directs to our perception of a stimulus and an action as a reaction to the stimulus† (The.., n.d.).Perceptual Blocks Definedâ€Å"Perceptual Blocks†, however, include the following: 1) difficulty in isolating the problem; 2) inclination or possibility to draw up the boundaries of the dilemma too closely; 3) failure to see the predicament from an assortment of perspectives; 4) seeing or bearing in mind what you look forward to to see (stereotyping); 5) saturation; and last but not least 6) failure to make the most of all sensory contributions (Perceptual.., n.d.).Critical Thinking DefinedLast but not least, â€Å"Critical Thinking† is defined as â€Å"the mental procedure of analyzing, scrutinizing, or evaluating statements or propositions that people have offered as true† (Wikipedia, 2007). It also entails â€Å"reflecting on the denotation of assertions, exploration of reasoning, as well as, developing judgments based on the truth† (Wikipedia, 2007).Instance in My Life Where My Perception of the Reality Situation was Far From the Actual RealityThere was a time when I was torn between two jobs that I believe I would love to make a career of or focus on. It actually began when, fortunately, I have been accepted to become a part of a certain research/consultancy firm. I extremely wanted to do research but I have also been promoted at my mother’s bakeshop, from just being one of the helpers running errands for her, I was given the opportunity to become one of the cake designers. This has been exceedingly agonizing and excruciating on my part.So what I primarily did was to request for the Human Resources Department of the bakeshop, as well as, that of the consultancy firm, if I may be given a week more before I finally sign the contract. This move of mine would buy me some time to rethink things over, sort everything out, and finally come up with a sound decision. Auspiciously for me, both the representatives of the Human Resources Department agreed to what I have asked.I took advantage of the time provided to me and thought of a decision-making model that I could bring into play to be able to guide me through (Perceptual.., n.d.). Since critical thinking should be involved in the crucial decision that I have to make, I resorted to the four-step sequence decision-making model technically referred to as the rational model (Decision.., n.d.). The four steps referred to include the following:1) Recognition and identification of the quandary, wherein I had to accept and recognize that in spite of the happiness I felt when I was picked by the consultancy firm, as well as, when I was promoted as a cake designer in the bakeshop, it is not at all easy to sacrifice or relinquish one for the other (Decision.., n.d.).   I cannot just leave my responsibilities at the bakeshop, where I have worked for seven years already (Decision.., n.d .).   I cannot just repudiate the promotion that I am worthy of for the perseverance, dedication, and passion that I exhibited (Decision.., n.d.). On the other hand, I cannot just say no to the consultancy firm, which I passed an excruciating interview, as well as, examination from and which I am so grateful of (Decision.., n.d.).2) Bringing into being alternative solutions, for instance, when I contemplated that maybe it is achievable or doable to keep both jobs and that it is possible not to pick one over the other (Decision.., n.d.).3) Selection of solution, wherein I considered that since consultancy may actually be taken home, and the bakeshop is very near my home and that I can be on-call, I chose to accept the promotion and took the job offered by the consultancy firm, as well (Decision.., n.d.).4) Execution and assessment of the solution, wherein, immediately after such critical thinking, I made up my mind, I signed the contract the consultancy firm gave (Decision.., n.d.) . Then I also assumed the cake designer position in the bakeshop (Decision.., n.d.).EtceteraComing from the personal occurrence detailed above, the instance in my life where my perception of the reality situation was far from the actual reality is the fact that I optimistically saw that I could manage two full-time jobs at the same time (Perceptual.., n.d.).I am extremely hopeful and confident during that time that I actually thought or focused only on the opportunities that were presented to me, all ready to be taken hold of (Perceptual.., n.d.). The setback is that things turned out not the way they seemed, those opportunities were not just chances; they are also challenges and excruciating choices that I have to think about before making any decision, much less taking on both jobs (Perceptual.., n.d.). This is the part where some of the â€Å"perceptual blocks† presented itself (Perceptual.., n.d.).   First of all, I had difficulty in isolating the problem (Perceptual.., n.d.).Secondly, I also was not able to see the problem from certain viewpoints, in fact I just saw the good side of it, and I did not entertain the other aspects or the negative side (Perceptual.., n.d.). Last but not least, I also experienced stereotyping, I only saw what I anticipated or expected to see and this is the fact that those two jobs are opportunities (big ones) to me (Perceptual.., n.d.).There was a difference between what I saw and what was really going on because of the â€Å"perceptual blocks† (Perceptual.., n.d.).   Unfortunately, what happened to me was I ended up making the incorrect assessment and decision even if I thought I already applied the best critical thinking model there is (Perceptual.., n.d.).It is fortunate, however, that I learned: more about critical thinking; that it is imperative to evaluate logically everything before making a decision since things are not really the way they seemed to be; that there are perceptual blocks that needed to be considered before finalizing any notion and position that I have; and last but not least, that it altered the critical thinking process that I usually carry out because of the perceptions that presented itself in the personal experience that I went through (Perceptual.., n.d.).ReferencesThe Perceptual Process. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2007 fromhttp://www.csun.edu/~vcoao0el/de361/de361s101_folder/tsld003.htmWikipedia. (2007). Critical Thinking. Retrieved April 24, 2007 fromhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_thinking Nature of logic and perception This paper entitled â€Å"Nature of Logic and Perception† intends to carry out the following:First of all, to reintroduce the following psychological concepts or terminologies by explaining the nature of logic as it relates to critical thinking and how I personally understood it.Second is to outline my own perceptual process.Third is to describe the types of perceptual blocks that influence my views.The fourth is to explain the critical thinking process and how it is altered by perception.Last but not least is to: recognize an instance in my life where my perception of the reality situation was far from the actual reality; to tell what I believe is actually occurring; to state what is really happening; to indicate the difference of the two; the occurrences after; the things I have learned; and finally how the process of my critical thinking changed.Perceptual Process Definedâ€Å"Perceptual Process† is technically defined as â€Å"the order of steps that commence with the surroundings or atmosphere and directs to our perception of a stimulus and an action as a reaction to the stimulus† (The.., n.d.).Perceptual Blocks Defined  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Perceptual Blocks†, however, include the following: 1) difficulty in isolating the problem; 2) inclination or possibility to draw up the boundaries of the dilemma too closely; 3) failure to see the predicament from an assortment of perspectives; 4) seeing or bearing in mind what you look forward to to see (stereotyping); 5) saturation; and last but not least 6) failure to make the most of all sensory contributions (Perceptual.., n.d.).Critical Thinking DefinedLast but not least, â€Å"Critical Thinking† is defined as â€Å"the mental procedure of analyzing, scrutinizing, or evaluating statements or propositions that people have offered as true† (Wikipedia, 2007). It also entails â€Å"reflecting on the denotation of assertions, exploration of reasoning, as well as, developing judgments bas ed on the truth† (Wikipedia, 2007).Instance in My Life Where My Perception of the Reality Situation was Far From the Actual RealityThere was a time when I was torn between two jobs that I believe I would love to make a career of or focus on. It actually began when, fortunately, I have been accepted to become a part of a certain research/consultancy firm. I extremely wanted to do research but I have also been promoted at my mother’s bakeshop, from just being one of the helpers running errands for her, I was given the opportunity to become one of the cake designers. This has been exceedingly agonizing and excruciating on my part. So what I primarily did was to request for the Human Resources Department of the bakeshop, as well as, that of the consultancy firm, if I may be given a week more before I finally sign the contract. This move of mine would buy me some time to rethink things over, sort everything out, and finally come up with a sound decision. Auspiciously for me, both the representatives of the Human Resources Department agreed to what I have askedI took advantage of the time provided to me and thought of a decision-making model that I could bring into play to be able to guide me through (Perceptual.., n.d.). Since critical thinking should be involved in the crucial decision that I have to make, I resorted to the four-step sequence decision-making model technically referred to as the rational model (Decision.., n.d.). The four steps referred to include the following:1) Recognition and identification of the quandary, wherein I had to accept and recognize that in spite of the happiness I felt when I was picked by the consultancy firm, as well as, when I was promoted as a cake designer in the bakeshop, it is not at all easy to sacrifice or relinquish one for the other (Decision.., n.d.).   I cannot just leave my responsibilities at the bakeshop, where I have worked for seven years already (Decision.., n.d.).   I cannot just repudiate the p romotion that I am worthy of for the perseverance, dedication, and passion that I exhibited (Decision.., n.d.). On the other hand, I cannot just say no to the consultancy firm, which I passed an excruciating interview, as well as, examination from and which I am so grateful of (Decision.., n.d.).2) Bringing into being alternative solutions, for instance, when I contemplated that maybe it is achievable or doable to keep both jobs and that it is possible not to pick one over the other (Decision.., n.d.).3) Selection of solution, wherein I considered that since consultancy may actually be taken home, and the bakeshop is very near my home and that I can be on-call, I chose to accept the promotion and took the job offered by the consultancy firm, as well (Decision.., n.d.).4) Execution and assessment of the solution, wherein, immediately after such critical thinking, I made up my mind, I signed the contract the consultancy firm gave (Decision.., n.d.). Then I also assumed the cake design er position in the bakeshop (Decision.., n.d.).EtceteraComing from the personal occurrence detailed above, the instance in my life where my perception of the reality situation was far from the actual reality is the fact that I optimistically saw that I could manage two full-time jobs at the same time (Perceptual.., n.d.).I am extremely hopeful and confident during that time that I actually thought or focused only on the opportunities that were presented to me, all ready to be taken hold of (Perceptual.., n.d.). The setback is that things turned out not the way they seemed, those opportunities were not just chances; they are also challenges and excruciating choices that I have to think about before making any decision, much less taking on both jobs (Perceptual.., n.d.). This is the part where some of the â€Å"perceptual blocks† presented itself (Perceptual.., n.d.).   First of all, I had difficulty in isolating the problem (Perceptual.., n.d.).Secondly, I also was not able to see the problem from certain viewpoints, in fact I just saw the good side of it, and I did not entertain the other aspects or the negative side (Perceptual.., n.d.). Last but not least, I also experienced stereotyping, I only saw what I anticipated or expected to see and this is the fact that those two jobs are opportunities (big ones) to me (Perceptual.., n.d.).There was a difference between what I saw and what was really going on because of the â€Å"perceptual blocks† (Perceptual.., n.d.).   Unfortunately, what happened to me was I ended up making the incorrect assessment and decision even if I thought I already applied the best critical thinking model there is (Perceptual.., n.d.).It is fortunate, however, that I learned: more about critical thinking; that it is imperative to evaluate logically everything before making a decision since things are not really the way they seemed to be; that there are perceptual blocks that needed to be considered before finalizing any notion and position that I have; and last but not least, that it altered the critical thinking process that I usually carry out because of the perceptions that presented itself in the personal experience that I went through (Perceptual.., n.d.).ReferencesPerceptual Blocks. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2007 fromhttp://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/rest-just/ch4/cul&div.htmlThe Perceptual Process. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2007 fromhttp://www.csun.edu/~vcoao0el/de361/de361s101_folder/tsld003.htmWikipedia. (2007). Critical Thinking. Retrieved April 24, 2007 fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_thinking

Much Ado About Nothing †Benedick Analysis Essay

Benedick is almost a match for Beatrice as a memorable Shakespearean character. His apparent misogyny and unwillingness to make a commitment to a woman are almost stereotypes early in the play. His use of language, especially in his â€Å"merry war† with Beatrice, prevents him from being the clichà ©d male who refuses to commit to a relationship. Benedick has probably had a lot of experience with women, only one of whom was Beatrice. He vehemently declares his intent to remain a bachelor and disparages Claudio for wanting to marry Hero, â€Å"Leonato’s short daughter.† He restates his disdain of love and marriage in a monologue alone on stage — even more likely to express his true feelings than his teasing comments to a companion he will lose through marriage. Throughout the early scenes, his exchanges with Beatrice create a feeling that he â€Å"doth protest too much† — that is, he really harbors at least affection for Beatrice. It takes the â€Å"noting† scene near the arbor, arranged by Don Pedro, for Benedick to admit he may indeed be able to love Beatrice since she loves him so much. His subsequent meetings with Beatrice and with his friends show a marked change in his attitudes and demeanor from the early scenes. He recognizes that he may be opening himself up for ridicule at his reversal of his well-known attitudes, but he sees his opening up as a part of maturing. His support for Beatrice after the denunciation, including his confrontation with Claudio, demonstrates not only his commitment to Beatrice, but also the value he places on justice even at the risk of loyalty. He becomes single-minded about marrying Beatrice, probably speaking to Leonato about her immediately after the confrontation with Claudio and again just before the wedding. His new behavior finally culminates in his public proposal to her, risking not only her refusal and contempt, but also the ridicule of the assembled company. Has Benedick changed during the week of the play? Most certainly, both in his public and his private attitudes. That a dyed-in-the-wool bachelor is transformed into an eager bridegroom is extraordinary, yet Shakespeare makes it believable, with a little help from Benedick’s friends.

Reflective Journal on Ethical Issues for Case Studies Essay

As nurses, we encounter ethical situations everyday regarding patient care. How we handle these situations promote equality while seeking rationality. After reading the two case studies presented, I will discuss in my reflective journal how the ethical issues were presented, the steps taken in the decision-making process to ethically address the issues, the lenses used and how these lenses influenced the decisions made, and also how these can relate to the workplace. The Baird Decision Model is a five step process that guides us through that decision-making process when making ethical decisions. The steps include, being attentive to what is happening, being intelligent, reasonable, responsible, and reflective. In the first case simulation, Rachel a sixteen year old is giving birth to her first child. The ethical issues presented are that she is a minor, parents are requesting minimal medications during delivery, and the situation could gradually worsen at any moment. The decision-making process involves deciding who is highly impacted from the outcomes of the decisions made by the parents and health care staff. From there, the use of the Rights/Responsibility lens were used to help make my decisions. Based on these lenses, you must recognize your duties as caregiver. We as nurses must always follow rules and policies. By advocating for the patient, accommodation of parents harming her is not the right choice. The best care possible must be given to prevent harm to Rachel or the baby. By informing the parents of any risks and benefits regarding Rachel’s care, this allows them to make informative decisions. During this process, the parents values are maintained and the patient receives effective care. By using these lenses, the nurse is also trusted to provide safe care to the patient and safe delivery for the baby without unnecessary pain. My decision was influenced by these lenses because they help determine the value of the stakeholders and the impact it made. In my workplace, concepts from this situation would help because we encounter patients who are minors and patients who have relative with control over their plan of care, such as a POA, or power of attorney. This would guide us toward the right direction for providing safe and competent care, respecting the wishes of the patient, and preventing harm. In the second case simulation, Allen was brought to the ER by his same sex domestic partner, Yves. The ethical issues presented are as follows, Allen has remained unconscious in ICU without a diagnosis for almost a day and Yves has been prevented from visiting him in ICU by the shift supervisor, per policy. Yves has shown minimal proof that they are actual domestic partners. The issue remains how to best assure access for gay partners of Seva’s patients on equal footing with straight couples. The decision-making process involves identifying the basic rights and liberties. These rights are as follows, the right to notice or know what the rules entail, the right to voice or share concerns, and the right to have agreements honored and not change at any given moment. The lenses used in this case are Relationship/Reputation lenses. The relationship lens establishes fairness by using authority properly. The reputation lens sorts through the problem and maintains one’s basic liberties. These lenses influenced my decision because I practice fairness regardless of who you are. The best option to fulfill the requirements of both lenses for me were to leave a note on Allen’s chart that the policy was not being followed and Yves is getting access to visit Allen. We have to be careful because there is a thin line that could easily cross over into discrimination which cases regarding same sex couples. We would want to maintain our integrity with the community in regards to similar situations but also abide by the law concerning release of patient information. The concepts in this simulation relate to the workplace every day. As we take care of our patients, visitors come and go around the clock. Many visitors inquire about the patient’s status. It is our duty to provide safe care and preserve the patient’s right to privacy. HIPAA is governed by state laws. It is a privacy regulation that ensures the safety and confidentiality of health information. As I encourage visitation, I also remind visitors of patient privacy regarding their health records. So as we continue taking care of patients, we must handle diversity, represent company values, and practice fairness. References What is HIPAA?. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.dhcs.ca.gov

Performance Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Performance Management - Essay Example er and retailer of specialty coffee, deals with issues of performance management such as setting of standards by the Compensation and Management Development Committee. It has as one of their responsibilities to: â€Å"Annually review and recommend the objective performance measures and the performance targets for executive officers participating in the Executive Management Bonus Plan (whether or not such executive officers are Executive Officers) for approval by the panel of independent directors of the Board and for certifying the performance of such executive officers at the end of each fiscal year.†1 In line with this responsibility, Starbuck came up with an Executive Bonus plan whereby performing executives can make up to 70% of their base salary for meeting performance measures and company’s strategic plan annually. Those concerned with this bonus plane are â€Å"Employees serving in positions of executive vice president and above, as well as certain other senior officers of the Corporation specified by the Compensation Committee†.2 All of this is to meet the mission statement of â€Å"establishing Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles as we grow.†3 The mission statement is often followed through meetings of top managers of all Starbuck agencies around the world. One of such follow up meetings was held on March 10th 2008 at Seattle, where the General Manager, Howard Schultz and senior members came up with what is known as â€Å"Howard Schultz Transformation agenda communication number 10†4 in which 7 bold moves to be followed in the coming years; remain the undisputed coffee authority, re-engage into serious business and inspire Starbucks partners, re-ignite company emotional attachment with the customers, expand the company global presence while making each store the heart of the local neighbourhood, remain a leader in ethical sourcing and environmental impact, create innovative

How Individual Firms Can Prevent A Leeson Incident From Happening To Research Paper

How Individual Firms Can Prevent A Leeson Incident From Happening To Them - Research Paper Example This research paper tells that the collapse of Baring Bank was primarily due to one rogue trader, named Nick Leeson, who was making fraudulent transactions. Leeson occupied a great deal of power in Barings Limited, as he was both the Chief Trader and Head of Settlements, which means that he could make any trades he wanted without any oversight – the fox was in charge of the chicken coop, so to speak. What this essentially meant was that Leeson was able to cover up losses and report them as gains, because, as Head of Settlements, which was in charge of reporting trading losses and errors, he was able to be dishonest in this way. This was brought to the attention of the auditors, which stated that this set-up provided great risk, but Barings did nothing to rectify it. In the end, it was this lack of governance that proved to be the undoing of the firm, as Leeson single-handedly brought the bank down. The Leeson affair was caused by a number of different factors. First, according to Hoch & Kunreuther, bad decisions played a large part in fomenting the conditions under which the scandal occurred. One of the bad decisions was on the part of the managers, who looked the other way regarding Leeson because their emotions got in the way. The managers liked Leeson, as he initially was successful in trading, and the emotion of greed got in the way of closely scrutinizing him. Moreover, Leeson had very little experience in trading, and he had some personal bad debt that was not disclosed in his application for a trading license. All of these should have been red flags, however, they were overlooked by the individuals in the hiring process and by the managers who could have prevented Leeson’s reckless trading, simply because Leeson was liked (Hoch & Kunreuther, 2001, p. 6) Hoch & Kunreuther (2001) also state that there were other reasons why there were so many bad decisions that were made in the Leeson case. One of these is that the company relied too much on intuition. Another is that they were in too much of a rush – they felt that they must capitalize on the Far East market as quickly as possible, without implementing the

Allstate Insurance Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Allstate Insurance Company - Case Study Example Table of Contents Abstract 2 1.0 Introduction 4 2.0Evaluation of Allstate's Goal-Setting Process 4 3.0Dimensions of an Effective Goal Setting Program of Allstate 6 4.0High-Performance Reward System of Allstate to Motivate Its Employees to Reach Its Diversity Goals 7 5.0Conclusion 9 6.0References 10 1.0 Introduction Allstate Insurance Company in order to improve the performance of the employees developed diversity strategy. This strategy was considered to be effective weapon for gaining competitive advantage. The company for achieving its goal has adopted various processes. The entire goal of the company was based on the performance standard of the employees. In this paper, the goal setting process of Allstate Insurance Company has been evaluated by considering the model of goal setting. The paper seeks to explain whether the company has fulfilled the dimension of goal setting. The paper includes the recommendations related to the high performance reward system that Allstate Insurance Company can implement for achieving its goals. 2.0 Evaluation of Allstate's Goal-Setting Process To improve the performance and to reach the goals, the insurance company thought of developing a goal-setting process. The diversity strategy of the company will enable it to reach the specific goals. The definite goal of the company facilitated to improve performance and increase motivation level of the employees. The goal setting model is required to be developed by a company otherwise the entire goals as well as objectives will suffer. The appropriate model facilitates a company to reach its ultimate planned targets (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2007). Goal Setting Process The company in order to enhance the performance level is required to follow three processes of goal setting model. The first step is challenging goal developed by the company. The company took a challenge to improve the performance and adopted diversity strategy. The strategy was developed by considering two major aspects of internal as well as external focus. The internal challenge is to develop the potential of employees by providing them with tools, opportunities and resources. The external challenge is to relate the employees with the experience and background of the market where the company was operating. This challenge had to be faced by the company in its daily operations (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2007). The second process is that of moderating. This step would recognize the ability of the company to meet its goals that have been committed. In this process the company received feedback from the employees regarding the improvement process that has to be implemented. The company generally focused towards the committed goals in this process and thus for goal achievement, various complexities have been raised. The next process involves mediating; at this point the company moved on a specific direction and gave utmost efforts with strong determination to reach the strategy that has been set. With such positive attitude the company gained positive performances from the employees (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2007). The company provided rewards to the employees owing to their effective performance which resulted in increase in satisfaction level of the employees. The ultimate result of all these processes was the achievement of the company in fulfilling its challenging goals (Hellriegel & Sl

STRATEGIC CHANGE MANAGEMENT NHS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

STRATEGIC CHANGE MANAGEMENT NHS - Essay Example Reference should be primarily made to the ‘improvisational approach’ (Smit 2000, p.1995) of strategic change. The above theory is used in a particular phase of change management: the implementation phase. The theory, which has been developed by ‘Redding and Catalanello in 1994’ (Smit 2000, p.1995) has three, key, characteristics: a) it emphasizes on experimentation, b) it promotes sanctions rather than direct interventions and c) it is based on the transformation of existing structures and the rewarding of individuals for supporting change (Smit 2000). Through a different point of view, the Open Systems theory promotes the idea that ‘all organizations are members of an open system’ (Wilson 1992, p.42). ... One of the most known models of change is that developed by Lewin in 1950 (Kew and Stredwick 2005). The specific model which is presented in Figure 1, below, promotes the idea that in all organizations change is implemented in three phases: ‘unfreezing, movement and refreezing’ (Kew and Stredwick 2005, p.221). These phases could be analyzed as follows: a) unfreezing; before change is attempted it is required that awareness of the need for change exists; this phase of Lewin’s model reflects the realization of the need for change, b) movement; the particular phase refers to the actions taken for promoting change; these actions can be differentiate across organizations according to organizational goals, the market conditions and the resources available and c) refreezing; this phase of Lewin’s model shows the transition to a new organizational environment, after the implementation of change has been completed ((Kew and Stredwick 2005). Figure 1 – Lewinâ €™s model of change management (source: http://www.web-books.com/eLibrary/NC/B0/B58/047MB58.html) Another approach for explaining organizational change is described in the study of Glynn and Woodside (2012). The above researchers refer to the model of strategic change developed by Barr and Huff in 1997. According to the particular model managers are likely to promote changes only in the following case: if changes have already appeared in the firm’s environment then measures are taken so that the organization is able to respond to these changes (Glynn and Woodside 2012). In other words, in the context of each organization changes can lead to further changes, either in the short or the long term. However, managers do not always respond

How Biblical is the Doctrine of the Trinity Essay

How Biblical is the Doctrine of the Trinity - Essay Example Rev., 2002, pp. 75-82). The debate heightened when theologians came forward to question the "biblicality" of this doctrine and the pagan impression it gives of worshipping three separate gods. One of these theological tracts, God Who Acts as published by George Ernest Wright in 1952, declared that the Hebrew wisdom on theology as reflected in the Trinity doctrine was "deficient." (Coakley, 1993, ch. 3) Maurice Wiles stoked the fire with a series of lectures called God's Action in the World, articles such as Some Reflections on the Origins of the Doctrine of the Trinity and the book The Making of Christian Doctrine published in 1967. In these works, Wiles trained his guns on attempts to defend the doctrine as based on the Christian religious experience. Such justifications, he maintained, are fatally flawed since the nature of this problem is "inherently circular." Miles took issue with the way the doctrine's emphasis swung from the distinctness of Father and Son in the 3rd century to the unity of the two in the 4th century. All these spawned the perception that the Trinity doctrine is an inaccurate and outdated statement of the nature of God because of the changes that have taken place since the dogma was laid down. Such changes involved the word "person," the world's understanding of relationships and the substance of which God is composed. In addition, the theological problems that the doctrine was intended to solve are believed no longer a prime concern (Coakley, 1993, ch. 3) It was suggested that the church hierarchy in those days tried to stifle criticism, an indication that the doctrine stands on shaky ground. Said Wiles: "Once the triadic baptismal formula became fixed quite early in the church's life, it exercised a strongly authoritative - but ultimately arbitrary - clamp on more proper, critical reflection." (Wiles, 1967, ch. 6) For the same reasons, protesting Catholics broke off from the church and set up their own religion based on that action. What is in the Trinity doctrine that the protestants in today's world found so hard to accept as touchstone of their faith The Doctrine Belief in a three-in-one God is as old as Christianity itself. The Trinity appeared as a theological term near the end of the 2nd century, first used as "Trias" by Theophilus, Bishop of Antioch in A.D. 180. (Oomen, J., 2002, pp. 75-82) But from the very start, the Trinity doctrine was formulated without benefit of a biblical imprimatur. The three Cappadocian monks admitted as much when they developed the doctrine in 325 A.D. Basil, one of the monks, instead invoked a "secret unscriptural tradition" while the other monk, Gregory, looked for a new scriptural provision that would accommodate the doctrine. (Hanson, R.P.C., 1985, p. 245) The polytheistic character of the doctrine may be traced to the fact that the early Christians, who were once Judaists and therefore

First Person Paper about Esther Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

First Person Paper about Esther - Essay Example However, the queen rejected the Kings Command and the king was furious. The king was advised accordingly that the queen’s behavior would make all women in the kingdom to despise their husbands. A royal decree was made and recorded that her royal position be given to another better woman as a lesson to all women and make men masters in their houses. The king was advised that a search be made for young beautiful virgins in the entire kingdom and be given beauty treatment so that the virgin who would please the king most would be made queen instead Vashti. I was living in the kingdom with my uncle Mordecai as exiles from Jerusalem. My uncle had brought me up as his own daughter since I had no father or mother and I was a young woman lovely and beautiful. When the king’s command was heard, I was also taken with many young women to the palace, under the care of Hegai his eunuch who kept his concubines. I pleased Hegai and gained his favor and this made him give me the best b eauty preparations. Meanwhile I kept my identity secret because my Uncle advised me so. My Uncle showed concern for me and he visited the women’s quarter daily to find out about my progress. ... He placed a crown on my head and made me the queen instead of Vashti. The king made a great feast for me for all his officials and servants, and he proclaimed a holiday in all the provinces and gave gifts generously. In the palace, I never disclosed my identity since I obeyed the advice of my uncle. My Uncle later discovered that people were plotting to eliminate the king and he informed me and I told the king about it. The matter was investigated and was found as true. The men were hanged and this was written in the chronicles before the king. After these things, the king promoted Hamah one of his officers and set him above all the princes and all servants who were commanded by the king to bow to Haman. However, Mordecai would not bow to Haman because he was a Jew and this made Harman very angry. He decided to destroy all the Jews in the whole kingdom and he set a date and month for carrying the plan. He sought permission from the king saying that the practices of the Jews were not in the best interest of the king and he promised to enrich the king’s treasury with silver and gold. The king allowed Haman to do with the Jews as he pleased and a decree was made in all the provinces in all languages and it was sealed with the king’s signet ring. The letters were sent to all provinces to destroy, to annihilate all Jews young and old including women and children on the twelfth month. Mordecai leant of this and he tore his clothes, sat in ashes, and cried loud in the city bitterly and he came to the king’s gate but he could not be allowed because of his attire. All Jews cried in all provinces with fasting, wailing and crying. My made and servants told me and I was distressed and I sent him

Entrepreneurship Education as the Emerging Trend in Pakistan Essay Example for Free

Entrepreneurship Education as the Emerging Trend in Pakistan Essay For the developing world, the emerging trend is entrepreneurship education in itself. It is significant and considered a powerful tool for propelling economic growth, as significant as venture capital and incubators. The youth today is exposed to a world of information and rapid change. He is prone to be the captain of his ship more than ever before. Hence the objective is to create awareness of trends and issues being faced in Entrepreneurship Education programs and see how Pakistan can gain from the experience of the developed world. It is also the objective to see how programs have to be designed for teaching and learning by the new generation of the future. The research methodology has been to examine relevant literature of other regions and compare this to the work done in Pakistan. Its been observed that it has acquired its own field of research methodology and finally is a standalone discipline, with ample work to show its breath and depth. Our finding is that it’s going to be a different world, calling for planning for a world unknown? Our conclusion is that it is significantly important to make the youth of today gainfully employed after imparting education to them. And Pedagogy is one of the issues that deserve attention in the Entrepreneurship Education. It is a question of evolving knowledge and evolving pedagogy to impart knowledge. Local experience and theory has to be evolved building the subject. Developing countries will have a host of issues far different from the developed countries. Education policy will play very significant role to resolve these issues. The authors conclude with suggestions that there is now a need to develop theory of entrepreneurship education based on the education theory and not on the theory of management and economics. There should be all out effort to build the ‘entrepreneurship capital’ and to give it central place in the education place. Keywords:Entrepreneurship Education, Entrepreneurial Generation, Pedagogy, Entrepreneurship Capital Entrepreneurship Education as the Emerging Trend in Pakistan: Confronting the Issues I. Introduction: a. Background: The field of entrepreneurship education is in the process of growing and gaining legitimacy and being recognized in the developing countries. In Pakistan it has been an up-hill task and despite efforts it is still an unknown academic field. But it is somewhat different in USA and in Europe and Japan. There it has recognition and there it has immense recognition as an important factor to keep pace with the economic growth and change required for economic efficiency. It is nurtured to impact the economies of the ‘technological tripod’ of economic growth. No doubt USA leads the way but European Council through the Lisbon Proclamation 2000 had launched itself in pursuit of economic growth through Entrepreneurship. The then President of EC committed the European Union to become the Entrepreneurship Leader as it was acknowledged that new economic growth, and productivity is generated by entrepreneurial activity (as cited by Audretch 2008). The statement is proclamation of the significance and importance of Entrepreneurship for economic development. In pursuit of entrepreneurship what is required is Entrepreneurship Education and the observation is that the trail it leaves behind is host of the emerging trends and issues which need to be examined and evaluated and worked out. Entrepreneurship Education is the path and road to developing an enterprising environment, building ‘social capital’ and ‘Entrepreneurship Capital’. â€Å"This refers to institutions, culture, and historical context that is conducive to the creation of new firms. This involves a number of aspects such as social acceptance of entrepreneurial behavior the activity of bankers, venture capital agents â€Å"(Audretsch 2008). The rationale of this paper evolve around the spirit of these terms and the process of evolving this capital is entrepreneurship education. The purpose of this paper is to explain the importance of entrepreneurship education in the light of compelling evidence surrounding us that it produces an enterprising society or ‘The Entrepreneurial Society’ and economic development. There is significant evidence about the impact of entrepreneurship on economic development (Wennekers et al 2005, Verheul Thurik 2003, Caree et al 2002, Audretsch et al 2006). â€Å"The way entrepreneurial activity has an effect on economy is that it is reflected in the macro-economic growth, value addition, employment generation, export growth, industrialization and poverty reduction†. (Wagha 2010) Entrepreneurship in the last two decades has achieved a central place in all recent discourse and debate and policymaking on education. There is a need for appropriate educational program at all academic institutions, universities, business schools and secondary schools. â€Å"So significant is the role of Entrepreneurship Education that it is considered a powerful tool for propelling economic growth as significant as venture capital and incubators†. A look at policy on education recently framed in different countries around the world reveal that there is emerging need to focus on entrepreneurship education and research. (Lee Wong 2005, Khan 2006) We realized through this research that there is a need to look at Entrepreneurship Education from the teaching and learning perspective. And of importance is how Entrepreneurship Education should be taught and the paradigm of research should be education and not merely economic and management. Bechard Gregoire (2002). It was also observed through empirical research and interviews that there is also the need to focus on the faculty of Entrepreneurship Education. There is an acute shortage of such teachers who are well versed in the pedagogy of Entrepreneurship Education. And according to Dr. Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector, University of Management and Technology Pakistan (while addressing the audience at a Junior World Entrepreneurship Forum Pakistan (July 2011) : â€Å"The problem is our faculty, those who are teaching in business school today. They are teaching in business schools because they were not entrepreneurs. The other factor that has to be taken in consideration is the role of entrepreneurship in economic development. According to Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) entrepreneurship and economic development are exclusively mutual â€Å"GEM is based on the following premise. An economy’s prosperity is highly dependent on a dynamic entrepreneurship sector. This is true across all stages of development. Yet the nature of this activity can vary in character and impact. Necessity-driven entrepreneurship, particularly in less developed regions or those experiencing job losses, can help an economy benefit from self-employment initiatives when there are fewer work options available. More developed economies, on the other hand, can leverage their wealth and innovation capacity, yet they also offer more employment options to attract those that might otherwise become entrepreneurs†. (GEM 2010) It goes onto explain that the capacity of an economy is dependent upon highly competent individuals and positive societal perception about entrepreneurs. â€Å"An economy’s entrepreneurial capacity requires individuals with the ability and motivation to start businesses, and requires positive societal perceptions about entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship should include participation from all groups in society, including women, a range of groups and education levels and disadvantaged populations. Finally, high-growth entrepreneurship is a key contributor to new employment in an economy, and national competitiveness depends on innovative and cross-border entrepreneurial ventures†. (GEM 2010) b. Objectives of the Study: So significant is the role of entrepreneurship that the developed countries are perusing it by adopting new educational policies and by introducing strategies to create an ‘Entrepreneurship Capital’. For the developing world that has lagged behind, this is a wakeup call. Therefore the Objective is: to be aware of the issues and see how Pakistan can gain from the experiences of the developed world and evolve a suitable strategy for implementing entrepreneurship education effectively. It is assumed that, some of the best practices if disseminated will have an impact. c. Justification: As can be seen that it is essential for all developing countries and Pakistan in particular to undertake various studies pertaining to entrepreneurship, simply because this era of entrepreneurship is as potent as the era of Industrial Revolution. It has the potential for developing countries to catch-up with Developed Countries if the national economic agendas are prudently organized. d. Statement of the Problem: However some issues surrounding Entrepreneurship Education are: How should entrepreneurship education courses be designed, what should be the structure of courses? What should be the balance between activity based and text based teaching? What should be the ethical domain, and what disciplines would fall in the entrepreneurial ambit of subject? What pedagogy would be considered appropriate to teach entrepreneurship? In the midst of this expansion of courses, these emerge as a challenge how to make teaching entrepreneurship effective. Years of research and considerable debates has dispelled earlier doubts that entrepreneurship cannot be taught, and it was Drucker (1985) who said, â€Å"like other disciplines it can be taught†. But the emerging trend of Entrepreneurship Education is compounded by such factors as IT revolution and globalization. The youth today is exposed to a world of information and rapid change. He is prone to be the captain of his ship as he sees opportunities far beyond his imagination. He can evaluate the advantage of going for his own venture. He can see that Entrepreneurship is about change and competition, changing in its wake markets and ushering in technologies that entrepreneurship binds as the ‘social glue’ high-tech and ‘main street’ activities (SBA 1998). e. Research Question: Therefore the research question that we will attempt to find answer to is: 1. What issues and trends are being faced by Pakistan in Entrepreneurship Education and what adoption is required to benefit from this trend? II (a)Research Methodology: My goal is to determine the current status of the subject, by looking at the theory based on the published articles of other regions by leading authorities such as Bechard, Audretch Fayolle, Dana, Plaschka, Hindle Kuratko. This will help guide future research, but beyond literature review, I also recorded empirical findings and interviews and survey of literature to see the emerging trends in Entrepreneurship Education in Pakistan. The literature reviewed has been some grey literature and some conference papers as these were very current and contemporary thinking on emerging issues and trends. Furthermore the research has been enhanced by visiting foreign conferences for gathering data at doctoral seminars in Europe and America on Entrepreneurship Education. In that sense this is rather epistemological analysis of educational theories and reports on Entrepreneurship Education Trends and Issues. But the problem encountered was that there is not much data a vailable on this subject in Pakistan. This paper therefore undertakes the qualitative approach based on survey, interviews and literature review of this region and of the academic body that has taught the subject and also of others who have written papers on the status of Entrepreneurship Education in Pakistan. â€Å"Primary data include such facts collected from observation, surveys, and even interviews. When secondary data are unavailable and our research questions are unanswered, we have to collect data from primary sources. This proves useful because they are collected specifically for the particular study† (Ghauri Gronhaug 2002). This is obvious in the case of Pakistan where there is no secondary data on this subject. The investigation attempts to determine differences between the developed and developing countries, describing conditions that already exist, (Say in Pakistan) and why conditions in European and America are different from it. The collection of data is ongoing and eventually synthesized and conclusions are drawn. II (b)Limitation: The fundamental limitation is that hardly any journals are available in Pakistan on Entrepreneurship Education. No doubt that recent support provided by HEC for library data bases and resource centres has been greatly useful. The other fundamental handicap that the Pakistani researchers or students seeking to adopt this as their subject of specialization would face is lack of faculty. Currently there is no known or accessible faculty available in Pakistan having a PhD Degree in Entrepreneurship Education. Hence there are no doctorates of Entrepreneurship Education available to supervise or act as advisers to students desiring to do a PhD in Entrepreneurship. III. Literature Review: Discussing the Definition of Entrepreneurship Education as Emerging Trend: The subject of entrepreneurship education begins with the entrepreneur. The study of the Entrepreneur goes beyond the study of the characteristic and the traits of the entrepreneur which is the psychological profile. The entrepreneur is part of the complex process of new venture creation (Gartner 1988). And new venture creation is new economic growth which brings the importance of entrepreneurship and the education process for developing entrepreneurs. Say (1816) defined the entrepreneur as the economic agent. Hence the entrepreneur is one of the dimensions of economic growth. If we were to examine the quotation by Cole (1946) we realize that this unleashes a host of issues and trends associated with entrepreneurship and the promotion of Entrepreneurship Education. Cole (1946, p.3) states that Entrepreneur is one who â€Å"Unites all means of production – the labor of the one, t he capital or the land of the others – and who finds in the value of the products which results from their employment the reconstitution of the entire capital that he utilizes, and the value of the wages, the interest, and the rent which he pays, as well as the profits belonging to himself†. This statement explains the process of new venture creation which the entrepreneur is prone to do. It is a complete picture of the role which an entrepreneur performs as an economic player in an economy. Whereas the behavioral view of entrepreneur defines the entrepreneur as a very special person but calling for investigation to understand and define Entrepreneur and Entrepreneurship. They even cropped up when Gartner (1988) examined in what way do we define the Entrepreneur. According to him since the entrepreneur causes entrepreneurship you could explain Phenomenon of Entrepreneurship through traits approach or explain Phenomenon of Entrepreneurship through Behavioral approach. Subsequently this leads to disseminating the knowledge of entrepreneurship education. We are once again confronted with trends to adopt in Entrepreneurship Education and issues to deal with to establish the infrastructure of Entrepreneurship Education e.g. there is no evidence to support successful or unsucc essful leaders. The new trend is to focus on behavior of the leader. What they do as a leader, and not on what they are, and this aptly applies to research on entrepreneurship and hence the definition which explains and determines for us what influences behavior and performance which define entrepreneurship. (Van de Ven 1980 p.86) We have been amply warned that we should study the behaviors and activities of entrepreneurs. This brings us to the performance of an entrepreneur, the dynamism by which he proceeds as an entrepreneur and hence we call it entrepreneurship. We have come to realize that entrepreneurship can be enhanced by entrepreneurship education. Hence our question is what is entrepreneurship education. According to Bechchard Toulouse (1998) the definition of Entrepreneurship Education is â€Å"A collection of formulized teaching that informs trains and educates anyone interested in participating in social economic development through a project to promote entrepreneurship awareness, business creation or small business development†. Jones English (2004) define Entrepreneurial Education as: â€Å"Entrepreneurial Education can be viewed broadly in terms of the skills that can be taught and the characteristics that can be engendered in individuals that will enable them to develop new and innovative plans†. The creation of a discipline confronts trends and issues: Therefore the emerging trends and issues are related to multi-dimensional aspect of entrepreneurship education. The gathering of information and knowledge of this aspect is the fundamental activity of research and education to understand the behavioral phenomenon of entrepreneurship (Gartner 1988).Following the line of reasoning if personality traits could define entrepreneurs, the question of education, training and development would seem irrelevant and the foregone conclusion would be that those who possess the requisite traits should be successful entrepreneurs. As that is not the case we seek constantly ways of educating the entrepreneur to behave in a particular way to become successful. The contemplation of this fact has created a series of issues and trends required for the development of entrepreneurship education programs. In our quest for this answer we get a response from Gartner (1988) that we should follow Mintzbe rgs advice. Issues that confront entrepreneurs should be resolved to develop a profound entrepreneurship program along with its multiplicity of dimensions. Each question throws up a new philosophy and search for truth that could be developed into an answer to the issues confronting entrepreneurship education. What roles does the entrepreneur perform in moving information, in making decisions, in dealing with the people? How and why do individuals enter a new venture? The other emerging issue from this kind of reasoning is to what extent is entrepreneurship a science? To what extent is the entrepreneurs work programmable? All such questions resolve the issue of designing new branches of education in the domain of entrepreneurship. These would have to be dealt in accordance to the trends in development, competitiveness, economic growth and resource allocation.

African Americans Roles In The Revolutionary War History Essay

African Americans Roles In The Revolutionary War History Essay At the time of the Revolutionary War, the African American population in the colonies was approximately 500,000, which was about 20 percent of the total population. The history of the military roles of African Americans in the War for Independence is one that was rarely acknowledged until several decades after the war was over. The documents detailing how many African American men served, whether they were free or slave, where they served, and what their duties were are incomplete. What research has shown is telling about the culture of the time period and especially telling about the better part of the century that followed. It is difficult to estimate the number of African Americans who fought for both the Continental Army and the British Royal Army. The numbers people get are a general estimate given by what was actually documented and what historians have acquired through analysis of letters, diaries, and similar sources. African Americans participated in the War for Independence from the beginning to its conclusion, they did so in hopes that the freedoms their white counterparts would gain would also apply to them. Even though many knew that would not be the case they still fought praying that one day their efforts then would get them freedom. The right to fight was given and taken away at several points throughout the war. However, when African Americans were granted the right to fight, those willing to fight were never in short supply. Historians have estimated that at least 5,000 black soldiers fought for independence during the Revolutionary War. Among those African Americans that fought for independence would have undoubtedly been Crispus Attucks, a runaway slave living in Massachusetts in 1770. However, years before the first shots of the Revolution were fired, on March 5, 1770, five people were shot and killed, including Crispus Attucks, at the hands of the British Royal Army during what became known as the Boston Massacre. Just over a month before the first shots of the war were fired, on March 5, 1775, Dr. Joseph Warren spoke about the Boston Massacre and how the ideology of liberty was not only thought by whites but by all people: That personal freedom is the natural right of every man, and that property, or exclusive right to dispose of what he has honestly acquired by his own labor, necessarily arises therefrom, are truths which common sense has placed beyond the reach of contradiction. And no man, or body of men, can, without being guilty of flagrant injustice, claim a right to dispose of the persons or acquisitions of any other man or body of men, unless it can be proved that such a right has arisen from some compact between the parties, in which it has been explicitly and freely granted.  [1]   However, it must be noted that Dr. Joseph Warren was from Massachusetts, a hotbed for Patriots and also where only four percent of the population was African American.  [2]  Yet even in Massachusetts the legislature agreed to reject all African Americans from enlisting when the chances of an uprising occurring were extremely slight. Connecticut and Rhode Island followed suit and agreed to reject African Americans, at least for the first years of war.  [3]   For the first part of the war, many citizens operated under the ideology of staying true to their prejudices rather than realizing the practicality of using African American soldiers. Prejudice towards African Americans came from many citizens, including the President George Washington. Early on in George Washingtons life he believed that white blood not only lightened the skin but enlightened the mind, and he preferred to employ yellow-skinned servants within his home.  [4]  Unfortunately, his beliefs mirrored that of many others in the area. Others saw African Americans as savages, and as property so how could they possibly fight alongside actual people?  [5]  On the other side of the coin there were people who saw African Americans as humans but with the conflict at hand taking up so much energy, they did not believe that it was the time to discuss slavery which could cause fighting among the states. Regrettably, that divisive issue only gave the British a leg up in the co nflict. Even though remaining true to ones prejudices was widely practiced, it never stopped African Americans from wanting to fight for the cause. African Americans fought on both sides for many of the same reasons. Freedom was the number one driving factor for the African American slave in which side they fought for, either the Continental or Royal Army. Free African Americans, at times, were recruited but many chose to enlist. African American men, free or enslaved, chose which side to fight on based on what each side offered. The side was chosen by who offered them a better life after the war in many cases. In Massachusetts, the Committee of Safety reported to the Provincial Congress in May 1775 that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Admission of any persons but freemen as soldiers would be inconsistent with principles being supported and would reflect dishonor on the colony.  [6]  That report, however, made no mention of what they would do with free African Americans. However, when George Washington was given command of the troops around Boston, he issued orders to recruiting officers that prohibited enlistment of any Negro. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ In the Continental Congress in September 1775, Edward Rutledge of South Carolina demanded that Washington discharge all blacksà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦but failed to receive the necessary votes from other representatives.  [7]  On October 8, 1775, the Council of War convened to discuss several issues concerning the Continental Army. Those in the council included such men as Commander in Chief, George Washington, several Major-Generals: Ward, Lee, and Putnam, as well as many Brigadier-Generals: Thomas, Spencer, Heath, Sullivan, Green, and Gates. Among the issues discussed was whether or not to allow African Americans to enlist or re-enlist in the Continental Army, and if they were to allow them to do so, would free men as well as slaves be allowed to enlist. The councils decision: Agreed, unanimously, to reject all slaves, and, by a great majority, to reject Negroes altogether.  [8]  However, there were some dissenting opinions in the council, as was the case with General Thomas. In a letter from General Thomas to John Adams, written in the same month the Council of War convened, Thomas wrote: We have some negroes; but I look on them, in general, as equally serviceable with other men for fatigue; and in action many of them have proved themselves brave.  [9]  Approximately twenty days later, George Washington issued a General Order stating: Any person therefore (Negroes excepted, which the Congress do not incline to inlist again) coming with a proper Order and will subscribe the Inlistment, shall be immediately supplied.  [10]  Again, on November 12, 1775, Washington issued another General Order to make sure all recruiters were aware of his previous decision. The Order stated: Neither Negroes, Boys unable to bare Arms, nor old men unfit to endure the fatigues of the campaign, are to be inlisted.  [11]   Several whites in the Southern colonies held a deep opposition to African Americans (free or enslaved) enlisting in the Continental Army, because they feared the idea of them being armed. Whites in the South also feared armed African American men because of the possibility of a slave rebellion and the possibility of losing their slaves which they saw as property. The British Royal Governor, Lord Dunmore of Virginia, readily saw the weakness in the colonies of slaveholders in the South. In November 1775, he issued a proclamation stating: I do, in virtue of the power and authority to me given, by his majesty, determine to execute martial law, and cause the same to be executed throughout this colony; and to the end that peace and good order may the sooner be restored, I do require every person capable of bearing arms, to resort to his majestys standard, or be looked upon as traitors to his majestys crown and government, and thereby become liable to the penalty the law inflicts upon such offencesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ And I do hereby further declare all indentured servants, negroes, or others (appertaining to rebels) free, that are able and willing to bear arms, they joining his majestys troops as soon as may be, for the more speedily reducing this colony to a proper sense of their duty to his majestys crown and dignityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.  [12]   Lord Dunmore promised freedom to any slave of anyone the Majesty would consider a rebel. However, similar to the colonies, allowing African Americans to enlist in the British Royal Army was not completely unanimous. Many of the free or runaway African Americans who had joined the loyalists, at least those who had not already died, were discharged from their positions. However, a month and a half after Washingtons General Order was issued and Lord Dunmores game changing proclamation was issued, Washington wrote a letter to the President of Congress, John Hancock: It has been represented to me, that the free Negroes who have served in this Army, are very much dissatisfied at being discarded. As it is to be apprehended that they may seek employ in the Ministerial Army, I have presumed to depart from the Resolution respecting them and have given licence for their being enlisted, If this is disapproved by Congress I shall put a stop to it.  [13]   In September of 1776, the Continental Congress required states to come up with 88 battalions to assist the Continental Army. At that point their resources where almost completely exhausted and when the Continental Congress requested another 16 battalions, recruiting African American became a crucial necessity. The Revolutionary War set a precedent for allowing African Americans to enlist or be recruited only in times of dire need. As the war went on officers easily recognized the need to enlist African Americans, otherwise their troops would continue to dwindle and that would ultimately mean the war would be lost to the Tories. Clearly, that was not an option. African Americans, for the most part, took on the beliefs of the cause as their own. Just because the color of their skin was different did not mean they did not believe in liberty, quite the contrary in fact. Lemuel Haynes, a free African American man from New England, who was also one the minutemen at Lexington and Concord, wrote to Congress in 1776 on the matter of liberty. In his letter, Haynes writes: To affirm, that an Englishman has a right to his Liberty, is a truth which has Been so clearly Evinced, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ But I query, whether Liberty is so contracted a principle as to be Confind to any nation under Heaven; nay, I think it not hyperbolical to affirm, that Even and affrican, has Equally as good a right to his Liberty in common with Englishmenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Consequently we may suppose, that what is precious to one man, is precious to another,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Therefore we may reasonably Conclude, that Liberty is Equally as precious to a Black man, as it is to a white one.  [14]   Haynes, like many other African American men, hoped that his faithful service to the Continental Army would prove to whites who were in disbelief that they, too, deserved the unalienable rights listed in the Declaration of Independence.  [15]  Haynes later went on to become the first African American clergymen to be formally ordained, as well as marry a white woman and have nine children.  [16]   African Americans experienced greater racial equality while serving in the Continental Navy than they did while serving in the army. That being the case, many African American men served in the navy during the Revolutionary War, doing so for several reasons. The ever present manpower shortages of the time, not only on land but also at sea, caused both the Continental Navy and Royal Navy to enlist African Americans into the navy. Different from the Continental Army, the Navy recruited both free and enslaved African American from the start of the war. The Navy did this mostly because they were in need of sailors, no matter what color they were. To both the enslaved and free, privately owned ships were more attractive than the Continental or state navies. For runaway slaves, there was less chance of being caught, and in general, the pay was much better than the army. However, African Americans still served in and on both because the pay was good, being roughly equal to the pay for white sailors. Not only was the pay generally equal, the majority of the Navies ships had crews that were integrated.  [17]  On ships African Americans gratefully accepted roles whites were not willing to accept. Some of their duties included cooking, cleaning, managing the ships sails, mending any damages the ship sustained in battles.  [18]  However, there were also African American sailors that served in marine units from Pennsylvania and Connecticut for example, and as ship pilots, mainly coming from Maryland and Virginia.  [19]   The First Rhode Island regiment à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Peter Salem was born into slavery; however, one of his owners freed him so he could enlist in the Continental Army.  [20]  He became one of the Minutemen; he fought at Concord, Bunker Hill where he was credited for firing the shot that killed a British Major, Saratoga, and Stony Point. (CITE) Salem Poor who was born free, is another excellent example of bravery and willingness to fight on the part of African Americans. Salem Poor fought at Bunker Hill where he shot a British Lieutenant. It was there at Bunker Hill where Poor earned the respect of several white officers who stated: That a negro called Salem Poor, of Col. Fryes regiment, Capt. Ames company, in the late battle at Charlestown, behaved like an experienced officer, as well as an excellent soldier, to set forth particulars of his conduct would be tedious, we only beg leave to say, in the person of this said negro centers a brave and gallant soldier. The reward due to so great and distinguished a character, we submit to Congress.  [21]   Without a doubt there are many other stories expressing great examples of gallantry and courage from African Americans that served in the Revolutionary War, unfortunately, the color of their skin, at the time, dictated what and how much was documented about them. Public acknowledgment for their service to the country did not come out until well over half a century after the war had concluded and while another war was in full swing. The Army and Navy Journal published an article in September of 1863 on Negro Soldiers in the Revolution. The article stated: The record is clear, that from the beginning to the conclusion of the war of the Revolution, Negroes served in the Continental armies with intelligence, courage, and steadfastness; and that important results in several instances are directly traceable to their good conduct.  [22]   For their service in the military, only a few African Americans received some kind of acknowledgment. The great majority, even though serving their country with courage and bravery, stayed out of the spotlight. Without the participation of African Americans in the Revolutionary War, especially on the side of the Patriots, the outcome may have been drastically different. African American soldiers of the Revolution served with the same bravery and courage as their white brothers. They served that way even knowing that they might not be able to enjoy the freedoms over which the war was fought.

Competition In The Manufacturing Industry Business Essay

Competition In The Manufacturing Industry Business Essay These factors will have different results and impact on the business operations of various countries and the ability to perform business operations globally thus affecting competiton. Due to technological achievements, people from different parts of the world and different cultural backgrounds are able to work and communicate with each other enabling the expansion of global business. Management must be able to manage global organizations. This can be quite difficult since there are cultural differences that impact the organization. Some of the cultural differences are shown in Figure 4. The Deloitte (2013) study surveyed CEOs to find out how they ranked the key government and market forces (Figure 2) that drive manufacturing competitiveness. The following are the top three key drivers that impact a countrys competitiveness in the manufacturing industry: 1) talent-driven innovation, 2) economic, trade, financial and tax system and 3) cost and availability of labor and materials. The results show that the quality, productivity and availability of a skilled workforce is the most important for CEOs to help them achieve their strategy and drive their innovation and growth agendas. The second most important driver deals with government-related forces that impact the economic volatility, trade barriers, policy ad regulatory limitations which can inhibit the competitiveness of a country. The competitiveness of export firms and their growth prospects depend, among other things, on the foreign countrys tax system. The third driver is the cost of labor, cost competitiveness of materials and the availability of raw materials . Manufacturing is an essential part of a countrys economy. The competitiveness of a firm is the complex array of interdependent factors relating to its quality, innovation, efficiency, effectiveness, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction and empowerment, and how these functions contribute to the products being made (Dingli, 2012).To be more competitive, a manufacturing firm would have to identify their core competencies and develop them to achieve their strategic and competitive advantage. There are three intangible assets that contribute to the firms strategy and competitiveness: human capital, organizational capital and information capital. A manufacturing company that has operations in the USA, Mexico, France and Turkey faces unique challenges in managing these assets globally. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the unique challenges a manufacturing company with operations in these four countries would face in managing their human capital, organizational capital and inf ormation capital. Global Manufacturing has increased due to technological innovations, exports and trade amongst countries. Figure 1 shows the ranking of the U.S., Mexico, Turkey and France in terms of current and future manufacturing competitveness. United States In the U.S., many of the manufacturing companies create an entrepreneurial spirit which adds value to labor productivity (Deloitte, 2013). This also creates a competitive and qualified workforce. The U.S. is recognized for advanced manufacturing relative to other nations, however, despite being recognized by executives for providing significant advantages in areas like, RD, access to highly skilled workers, and robust legal and regulatory policies that provide strong intellectual property protections; the U.S. as the third most significant manufacturing power worldwide (Deloitte, 2013). The manufacturing industry is vitally important to the U.S. economy and creates millions of jobs along the skill spectrum providing jobs to high-wage to workers at all skill and educational levels (Creticos Sohnen, 2013). The United States is an individualistic society with self-actualization needs and the need for self-fulfillment being most important. North Americans are known to be friendly and in formal. Promptness and keeping appointments is also valued and time is not views as casually as individuals from Mexico, France and Turkey. Being late to a meeting is seen as sign of disrepsect. Time is money in the U.S. and meetings are structured and conducted with an agenda. The communication style is direct and informal. Mexico According to Creticos and Sohnen (2013), the manufacturing sector is a significant source of employment for people in Mexico. The proximity of Mexico to the United States makes it possible for manufactured goods from Mexico to compete against lower-wage regions in the world. However, this reduces Mexicos leverage in securing any benefits that could be used to jump start investment in research and development (RD). The country has no entry to new markets or demands on RD and other innovation-related investment (Creticos Sohnen, 2013) impeding competition. Creticos Sohnen (2013) argue that to increase competition in Mexico, the quality of human-capital must be on par with that of developed countries. The workforce must have the skills and proficiencies to compete with counterparts in advanced manufacturing regions, such as Europe, Japan and the U.S. U.S. managers would have to take in consideration the lack of a skilled workforce, language,and cultural differences when managing a firm in Mexico. There is a strong tendency in Mexico of power distance and a collectivist society. Mexicans identify themselves as a group and work towards the goals of the group much more so than the goals of individuals. The tendencies of a collectivist society create a feeling of family which is important in society and is a dominating factor of daily life in Mexico to business success. The relationships are also very formal and require courtesy titles.. Mexicans do not embrace the time-is-money mentality of many other cultures and tend to respect their sense of time and traditions. This can create conflict when dealing with a North American counterparts due to the different views. The Mexican culture has a view of tomorrow or manaà ±a and time is considered to be flexible and relaxed. Power dominance is visible since a hierarchy and social status is significant in the Mexican culture. In the U.S. culture, accountability and the the request for information is assumed to require a quick response without requiring to be told. However, in Mexico these assumptions are not normal and accountability and the request for information need to be specified and spelled out. France France is one of the countries of the European Union which enables not only the free movement of people among the 27 sovereign member states that make up the EU, but also the free movement of goods, services, and capital. Kierzenkowski (2009) states that France has seen a market decline in its export performance caused by the lack of technological innovation causing the competitiveness of France to decline. In addition, he further states that the talent-driven innovation is also lacking. As previously discussed, talent-driven innovation was considered the number of driver global manufacturing competitiveness. His article also states that there are too few innovative small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and little private RD performed in France in comparison to leading countries. There appears to be a deficiency in the research conducted by the country and the research available tends to be not very productive. This explains why Frances competitive index is below 5.0 and much lower tha n Mexico and Turkey. The French culture is also different from the U.S. culture and other European countries. The French appear to be quite formal and the communication can appear to be cold and unfriendly. The French are very proud of their language and the inability to speak it may create conflict in business dealings. However, many large French groups actually encourage the use of English and stipulate it as the language of business, but the knowledge of English and other foreign languages in France is weak. Like the Latin American culture, the French also have a relaxed view on punctuality and being late is acceptable. According to Bousquet (1997), the French do not lead a work-centered life but rather work is definitely only one of the elements of their definition of self, and only one of the measures of social existence. The French value hobbies and other activities as much as they value work and these activities play an important role in measuring an individuals success. Power dominance is also vi sible since the French prefer a have a hierarchy organization with the boss on top. The open-door policy seen in America is not the typical norm in France. Due to the long hours worked, the French take vacations usually in July or August and business are closed for the Easter and Christmas holiday the so these months may not be as productive. The French communication style is direct, questioning and probing. Business negotiations can become a passionate and argumentative but not confrontational . Turkey Turkey is an associate member of the European Union (EU) which is expected to boost Turkeys attractiveness to foreign investors.The geographic setting of Turkey the country is an advantage to Turkey since it crosses the European and Middle Eastern with a potential gateway to Asian boundaries enabling the expansion of businesses in this are of the world. Turkeys economy consist of traditional agriculture, modern industry and commerce and is a rapidly developing economy. The education level of the country is low in comparison to the U.S., Mexico, and France. Similar to the Mexican culture, the most essential social unit in Turkish culture is family. Loyalty to family is vital in the Turkish society and impacts business practices since most business are family owned and run. (Turkey,communicaid). Turks also have a polychromic attitude towards time. They also tend to multitask and juggle several activities at the same time and have multiple conversations at the same time. Business meetin gs tend to be unstructured and allow interruptions.The Islamic culture of Turkey has an influence on the cultural life, beliefs, language, social relatiosnhips democracy. Discussion: There would be a lot of cross-cultural differences encountered when managing a firm abroad that impact the human capital and organization capital of a firm. The differences would have an impact on communication and the ability for the individuals to work as a team to achieve the companys strategy. Efforts to increase autonomy and task identity are not likely accepted in Mexico, Turkey and France but accepted in the United States. The cross cultural factors have an effect on groups, group dynamic and intergroup processes. For example, conformity is moderate in U.S. but is high in France. Turkey and Latin American countries emphasize collaboration, cooperation, and conformity and accept little conflict from intergroup interactions. Managers must consider the language differences among countries since words can carry different meanings. In addition, there are cultural differences, regulatory and political prolicies and foreign labor laws to consider. There are also countries such as Tur key that are heavily influenced by religious beliefs. Competition in the manufacturing industry has shifted towards intangible assets and the capability to outsource, to innovate and to invest in advanced technologies (Dingli, 2012). This reduces costs while increasing the quality of the product. Outsourcing can have some challenges and impede innovation if the following items are not considered, 1) the ability of RD and manufacturing to operate independently of each other and 2) the maturity of the manufacturing technology (Dingli, 2012). A countrys lack of a skilled workforce to research, to innovate and to create technological advances can be also be detrimental to the competitiveness of the country. The barriers of technological innovation would have to be considered when outsourcing due to the impact it may have on the success and competitiveness of a company. Management would have to ensure employees are cross-culturally trained for to understand these differences and limit the barriers that may occur due to communication. To mitigate some of these challenges, management would benefit from cross-cultural training for the various countries as well as establish some management positions in the firms abroad that would act as mediators between the these countries and the home country and socialize local managers to the home country values.

The Standard.com Case Study :: GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

The Standard.com Case Study The Standard provides critical and timely information about the Internet economy and furthermore gives a sophisticated coverage of the people, the companies, and the business models shaping it. Their content comprises insightful news analysis, business model reviews, personality profiles, and industry metrics, which support are both a print magazine, The Industry Standard and the online publication TheStandard.com. The Standard is a business-to-business Web site designed for senior-level executives who wants to keep up with the e-business. However, The Standard does not look at products, it analyses the business models behind them, the people that create them and their chances to be successful in the electronic marketplace. The audience consists of Internet business strategists and last year they had 450,00 unique visitors a month. The Standard considers itself, and is considered, as the leading online magazine in the e-business field, hence they developed a targeted message: â€Å"TheStandard: Intelligence for the Internet Economy.† Their logo is very simple and also conveys the idea of effectiveness and professionalism because of its apparent simplicity. The Web site has three columns on a black background. The left one is a menu, which is red, matching the logo. This menu constitutes the â€Å"solid† part of the design, meaning it is always there as the user clicks on different sections or articles. The middle part is white with a blue border and constitutes the frame that changes, where articles and links appear. However, leaving TheStandard’s main frame is not â€Å"just a click away,† as most of their links stay within their site. The last column on the left is for advertisings, which change as you click on different sections. Nevertheless, most of them remain business oriented such as Office.com, Visa or Worldcom. In addition, the site has a

William T. Sherman Essay examples -- essays research papers

William T. Sherman SHERMAN, William Tecumseh (1820-91). Ranked second only to General Ulysses S. Grant as the greatest Northern commander in the American Civil War, Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman was a master of modern warfare. Like Grant, Sherman was born in Ohio when it was a frontier state. He was named Tecumseh for the Shawnee Indian chief who had terrorized that region a few years earlier. Sherman was born on Feb. 8, 1820, in Lancaster, Ohio. His father died when he was 9 years old. Most of the 11 children in the family were distributed among the relatives and friends. He was adopted by Thomas Ewing. After attending an academy at Lancaster, Sherman entered West Point. During the Mexican War he saw service in California. In 1853 he resigned his commission for a business, legal, and educational career. When Louisiana seceded from the Union, he was head of the state military academy (now Louisiana State University). He resigned his position and rejoined the army in May 1861. He was commissioned a colonel of volunteers and commanded a brigade in the first battle of Bull Run, on July 21, 1861. Three months later he was given charge of the Department of the Ohio (River). On taking over his new command he reported that 200,000 men would be needed to carry on a successful campaign in that region. Newspapers said that Sherman was crazy. Time proved him right, but popular protest cost him his command. Sherman's military genius was so outstanding that he could not long be k...

The Twilight Saga 2: New Moon Chapter 10 THE MEADOW

JACOB DIDN'T CALL. The first time I called, Billy answered and told me that Jacob was still in bed. I got nosy, checking to make sure that Billy had taken him to a doctor. Billy said he had, but, for some reason I couldn't nail down, I didn't really believe him. I called again, several times a day, for the next two days, but no one was ever there. Saturday, I decided to go see him, invitation be damned. But the little red house was empty. This frightened mewas Jacob so sick that he'd needed to go to the hospital? I stopped by the hospital on the way back home, but the nurse at the front desk told me neither Jacob or Billy had been in. I made Charlie call Harry Clearwater as soon as he got home from work. I waited, anxious, while Charlie chatted with his old friend; the conversation seemed to go on forever without Jacob even being mentioned. It seemed that Harry had been in the hospital . . some kind of tests for his heart. Charlie's forehead got all pinched together, but Harry joked with him, blowing it off, until Charlie was laughing again. Only then did Charlie ask about Jacob, and now his side of the conversation didn't give me much to work with, just a lot of hmms and yeahs. I drummed my fingers against the counter beside him until he put a hand over mine to stop me. Finally, Charlie hung up the phone and turned to me. â€Å"Harry says there's been some trouble with the phone lines, and that's why you haven't been able to get through. Billy took Jake to the doc down there, and it looks like he has mono. He's real tired, and Billy said no visitors,† he reported. â€Å"No visitors?† I demanded in disbelief. Charlie raised one eyebrow. â€Å"Now don't you go making a pest of yourself, Bells. Billy knows what's best for Jake. He'll be up and around soon enough. Be patient.† I didn't push it. Charlie was too worried about Harry. That was clearly the more important issueit wouldn't be right to bug him with my lesser concerns. Instead, I went straight upstairs and turned on my computer. I found a medical site online and typed â€Å"mononucleosis† into the search box. All I knew about mono was that you were supposed to get it from kissing, which was clearly not the case with Jake. I read through the symptoms quicklythe fever he definitely had, but what about the rest of it? No horrible sore throat, no exhaustion, no headaches, at least not before he'd gone home from the movie; he'd said he felt â€Å"fit as a fiddle.† Did it really come on so fast? The article made it sound like the sore stuff showed up first. I glared at the computer screen and wondered why, exactly, I was doing this. Why did I feel so so suspicious, like I didn't believe Billy's story? Why would Billy lie to Harry? I was being silly, probably. I was just worried, and, to be honest, I was afraid of not being allowed to see Jacobthat made me nervous. I skimmed through the rest of the article, looking for more information. I stopped when I got to the part about how mono could last more than a month. A month? My mouth fell open. But Billy couldn't enforce the no-visitors thing that long. Of course not. Jake would go crazy stuck in bed that long without anyone to talk to. What was Billy afraid of, anyway? The article said that a person with mono needed to avoid physical activity, but there was nothing about visitors. The disease wasn't very infectious. I'd give Billy a week, I decided, before I got pushy. A week was generous. A week was long. By Wednesday, I was sure I wasn't going to live till Saturday. When I'd decided to leave Billy and Jacob alone for a week, I hadn't really believed that Jacob would go along with Billy's rule. Every day when I got home from school, I ran to the phone to check for messages. There never were any. I cheated three times by trying to call him, but the phone lines still weren't working. I was in the house much too much, and much too alone. Without Jacob, and my adrenaline and my distractions, everything I'd been repressing started creeping up on me. The dreams got hard again. I could no longer see the end coming. Just the horrible nothingnesshalf the time in the forest, half the time in the empty fern sea where the white house no longer existed. Sometimes Sam Uley was there in the forest, watching me again. I paid him no attentionthere was no comfort in his presence; it made me feel no less alone. It didn't stop me from screaming myself awake, night after night. The hole in my chest was worse than ever. I'd thought that I'd been getting it under control, but I found myself hunched over, day after day, clutching my sides together and gasping for air. I wasn't handling alone well. I was relieved beyond measure the morning I woke upscreaming, of courseand remembered that it was Saturday. Today I could call Jacob. And if the phone lines still weren't working, then I was going to La Push. One way or another, today would be better than the last lonely week. I dialed, and then waited without high expectations. It caught me off guard when Billy answered on the second ring. â€Å"Hello?† â€Å"Oh, hey, the phone is working again! Hi, Billy. It's Bella. I was just calling to see how Jacob is doing. Is he up for visitors yet? I was thinking about dropping by† â€Å"I'm sorry, Bella,† Billy interrupted, and I wondered if he were watching TV; he sounded distracted. â€Å"He's not in.† â€Å"Oh.† It took me a second. â€Å"So he's feeling better then?† â€Å"Yeah,† Billy hesitated for an instant too long. â€Å"Turns out it wasn't mono after all. Just some other virus.† â€Å"Oh. So where is he?† â€Å"He's giving some friends a ride up to Port AngelesI think they were going to catch a double feature or something. He's gone for the whole day.† â€Å"Well, that's a relief. I've been so worried. I'm glad he felt good enough to get out.† My voice sounded horribly phony as I babbled on. Jacob was better, but not well enough to call me. He was out with friends. I was sitting home, missing him more every hour. I was lonely, worried, bored perforatedand now also desolate as I realized that the week apart had not had the same effect on him. â€Å"Is there anything in particular you wanted?† Billy asked politely. â€Å"No, not really.† â€Å"Well, I'll tell him that you called,† Billy promised. â€Å"Bye, Bella.† â€Å"Bye,† I replied, but he'd already hung up. I stood for a moment with the phone still in my hand. Jacob must have changed his mind, just like I'd feared. He was going to take my advice and not waste any more time on someone who couldn't return his feelings. I felt the blood run out of my face. â€Å"Something wrong?† Charlie asked as he came down the stairs. â€Å"No,† I lied, hanging up the phone. â€Å"Billy says Jacob is feeling better. It wasn't mono. So that's good.† â€Å"Is he coming here, or are you going there?† Charlie asked absentmindedly as he started poking through the fridge. â€Å"Neither,† I admitted. â€Å"He's going out with some other friends.† The tone of my voice finally caught Charlie's attention. He looked up at me with sudden alarm, his hands frozen around a package of cheese slices. â€Å"Isn't it a little early for lunch?† I asked as lightly as I could manage, trying to distract him. â€Å"No, I'm just packing something to take out to the river† â€Å"Oh, fishing today?† â€Å"Well, Harry called and it's not raining.† He was creating a stack of food on the counter as he spoke. Suddenly he looked up again as if he'd just realized something. â€Å"Say, did you want me to stay with you, since Jake's out?† â€Å"That's okay, Dad,† I said, working to sound indifferent. â€Å"The fish bite better when the weather's nice.† He stared at me, indecision clear on his face. I knew that he was worrying, afraid to leave me alone, in case I got â€Å"mopey† again. â€Å"Seriously, Dad. I think I'll call Jessica,† I fibbed quickly. I'd rather be alone than have him watching me all day. â€Å"We have a Calculus test to study for. I could use her help.† That part was true. But I'd have to make do without it. â€Å"That's a good idea. You've been spending so much time with Jacob, your other friends are going to think you've forgotten them.† I smiled and nodded as if I cared what my other friends thought. Charlie started to turn, but then spun back with a worried expression. â€Å"Hey, you'll study here or at Jess's, right?† â€Å"Sure, where else?† â€Å"Well, it's just that I want you to be careful to stay out of the woods, like I told you before.† It took me a minute to understand, distracted as I was. â€Å"More bear trouble?† Charlie nodded, frowning. â€Å"We've got a missing hikerthe rangers found his camp early this morning, but no sign of him. There were some really big animal prints of course those could have come later, smelling the food Anyway, they're setting traps for it now.† â€Å"Oh,† I said vaguely. I wasn't really listening to his warnings; I was much more upset by the situation with Jacob than by the possibility of being eaten by a bear. I was glad that Charlie was in a hurry. He didn't wait for me to call Jessica, so I didn't have to put on that charade. I went through the motions of gathering my school-books on the kitchen table to pack them in my bag; that was probably too much, and if he hadn't been eager to hit the holes, it might have made him suspicious. I was so busy looking busy that the ferociously empty day ahead didn't really crash down on me until after I'd watched him drive away. It only took about two minutes of staring at the silent kitchen phone to decide that I wasn't staying home today. I considered my options. I wasn't going to call Jessica. As far as I could tell, Jessica had crossed over to the dark side. I could drive to La Push and get my motorcyclean appealing thought but for one minor problem: who was going to drive me to the emergency room if I needed it afterward? Or I already had our map and compass in the truck. I was pretty sure I understood the process well enough by now that I wouldn't get lost. Maybe I could eliminate two lines today, putting us ahead of schedule for whenever Jacob decided to honor me with his presence again. I refused to think about how long that might be. Or if it was going to be never. I felt a brief twinge of guilt as I realized how Charlie would feel about this, but I ignored it. I just couldn't stay in the house again today. A few minutes later I was on the familiar dirt road that led to nowhere in particular. I had the windows rolled down and I drove as fast as was healthy for my truck, trying to enjoy the wind against my face. It was cloudy, but almost drya very nice day, for Forks. Getting started took me longer than it would have taken Jacob. After I parked in the usual spot, I had to spend a good fifteen minutes studying the little needle on the compass face and the markings on the now worn map. When I was reasonably certain that I was following the right line of the web, I set off into the woods. The forest was full of life today, all the little creatures enjoying the momentary dryness. Somehow, though, even with the birds chirping and cawing, the insects buzzing noisily around my head, and the occasional scurry of the field mice through the shrubs, the forest seemed creepier today; it reminded me of my most recent nightmare. I knew it was just because I was alone, missing Jacob's carefree whistle and the sound of another pair of feet squishing across the damp ground. The sense of unease grew stronger the deeper I got into the trees. Breathing started to get more difficultnot because of exertion, but because I was having trouble with the stupid hole in my chest again. I kept my arms tight around my torso and tried to banish the ache from my thoughts. I almost turned around, but I hated to waste the effort I'd already expended. The rhythm of my footsteps started to numb my mind and my pain as I trudged on. My breathing evened out eventually, and I was glad I hadn't quit. I was getting better at this bushwhacking thing; I could tell I was faster. I didn't realize quite how much more efficiently I was moving. I thought I'd covered maybe four miles, and I wasn't even starting to look around for it yet. And then, with an abruptness that disoriented me, I stepped through a low arch made by two vine maplespushing past the chest-high fernsinto the meadow. It was the same place, of that I was instantly sure. I'd never seen another clearing so symmetrical. It was as perfectly round as if someone had intentionally created the flawless circle, tearing out the trees but leaving no evidence of that violence in the waving grass. To the east, I could hear the stream bubbling quietly. The place wasn't nearly so stunning without the sunlight, but it was still very beautiful and serene. It was the wrong season for wildflowers; the ground was thick with tall grass that swayed in the light breeze like ripples across a lake. It was the same place but it didn't hold what I had been searching for. The disappointment was nearly as instantaneous as the recognition. I sank down right where I was, kneeling there at the edge of the clearing, beginning to gasp. What was the point of going any farther? Nothing lingered here. Nothing more than the memories that I could have called back whenever I wanted to, if I was ever willing to endure the corresponding painthe pain that had me now, had me cold. There was nothing special about this place without him. I wasn't exactly sure what I'd hoped to feel here, but the meadow was empty of atmosphere, empty of everything, just like everywhere else. Just like my nightmares. My head swirled dizzily. At least I'd come alone. I felt a rush of thankfulness as I realized that. If I'd discovered the meadow with Jacob well, there was no way I could have disguised the abyss I was plunging into now. How could I have explained the way I was fracturing into pieces, the way I had to curl into a ball to keep the empty hole from tearing me apart? It was so much better that I didn't have an audience. And I wouldn't have to explain to anyone why I was in such a hurry to leave, either. Jacob would have assumed, after going to so much trouble to locate the stupid place, I would want to spend more than a few seconds here. But I was already trying to find the strength to get to my feet again, forcing myself out of the ball so that I could escape. There was too much pain in this empty place to bearI would crawl away if I had to. How lucky that I was alone! Alone. I repeated the word with grim satisfaction as I wrenched myself to my feet despite the pain. At precisely that moment, a figure stepped out from the trees to the north, some thirty paces away. A dizzying array of emotions shot through me in a second. The first was surprise; I was far from any trail here, and I didn't expect company. Then, as my eyes focused on the motionless figure, seeing the utter stillness, the pallid skin, a rush of piercing hope rocked through me. I suppressed it viciously, fighting against the equally sharp lash of agony as my eyes continued to the face beneath the black hair, the face that wasn't the one I wanted to see. Next was fear; this was not the face I grieved for, but it was close enough for me to know that the man facing me was no stray hiker. And finally, in the end, recognition. â€Å"Laurent!† I cried in surprised pleasure. It was an irrational response. I probably should have stopped at fear. Laurent had been one of James's coven when we'd first met. He hadn't been involved with the hunt that followedthe hunt where I was the quarrybut that was only because he was afraid; I was protected by a bigger coven than his own. It would have been different if that wasn't the casehe'd had no compunctions, at the time, against making a meal of me. Of course, he must have changed, because he'd gone to Alaska to live with the other civilized coven there, the other family that refused to drink human blood for ethical reasons. The other family like but I couldn't let myself think the name. Yes, fear would have made more sense, but all I felt was an overwhelming satisfaction. The meadow was a magic place again. A darker magic than I'd expected, to be sure, but magic all the same. Here was the connection I'd sought. The proof, however remote, thatsomewhere in the same world where I lived he did exist. It was impossible how exactly the same Laurent looked. I suppose it was very silly and human to expect some kind of change in the last year. But there was something I couldn't quite put my finger on it. â€Å"Bella?† he asked, looking more astonished than I felt. â€Å"You remember.† I smiled. It was ridiculous that I should be so elated because a vampire knew my name. He grinned. â€Å"I didn't expect to see you here.† He strolled toward me, his expression bemused. â€Å"Isn't it the other way around? I do live here. I thought you'd gone to Alaska.† He stopped about ten paces away, cocking his head to the side. His face was the most beautiful face I'd seen in what felt like an eternity. I studied his features with a strangely greedy sense of release. Here was someone I didn't have to pretend forsomeone who already knew everything I could never say. â€Å"You're right,† he agreed. â€Å"I did go to Alaska. Still, I didn't expect When I found the Cullen place empty, I thought they'd moved on.† â€Å"Oh.† I bit my lip as the name set the raw edges of my wound throbbing. It took me a second to compose myself. Laurent waited with curious eyes. â€Å"They did move on,† I finally managed to tell him. â€Å"Hmm,† he murmured. â€Å"I'm surprised they left you behind. Weren't you sort of a pet of theirs?† His eyes were innocent of any intended offense. I smiled wryly. â€Å"Something like that.† â€Å"Hmm,† he said, thoughtful again. At that precise moment, I realized why he looked the sametoo much the same. After Carlisle told us that Laurent had stayed with Tanya's family, I'd begun to picture him, on the rare occasions that I thought of him at all, with the same golden eyes that the CullensI forced the name out, wincinghad. That all good vampires had. I took an involuntary step back, and his curious, dark red eyes followed the movement. â€Å"Do they visit often?† he asked, still casual, but his weight shifted toward me. â€Å"Lie,† the beautiful velvet voice whispered anxiously from my memory. I started at the sound of his voice, but it should not have surprised me. Was I nor in the worst danger imaginable? The motorcycle was safe as kittens next to this. I did what the voice said to do. â€Å"Now and again.† I tried to make my voice light, relaxed. â€Å"The time seems longer to me, I imagine. You know how they get distracted† I was beginning to babble. I had to work to shut myself up. â€Å"Hmm,† he said again. â€Å"The house smelled like it had been vacant for a while† â€Å"You must lie better than that, Bella,† the voice urged. I tried. â€Å"I'll have to mention to Carlisle that you stopped by. He'll be sorry they missed your visit.† I pretended to deliberate for a second. â€Å"But I probably shouldn't mention it to Edward, I suppose† I barely managed to say his name, and it twisted my expression on the way out, ruining my bluff â€Å"he has such a temper well, I'm sure you remember. He's still touchy about the whole James thing.† I rolled my eyes and waved one hand dismissively, like it was all ancient history, but there was an edge of hysteria to my voice. I wondered if he would recognize what it was. â€Å"Is he really?† Laurent asked pleasantly skeptically. I kept my reply short, so that my voice wouldn't betray my panic. â€Å"Mm-hmm.† Laurent took a casual step to the side, gazing around at the little meadow. I didn't miss that the step brought him closer to me. In my head, the voice responded with a low snarl. â€Å"So how are things working out in Denali? Carlisle said you were staying with Tanya?† My voice was too high. The question made him pause. â€Å"I like Tanya very much,† he mused. â€Å"And her sister Irina even more I've never stayed in one place for so long before, and I enjoy the advantages, the novelty of it. But, the restrictions are difficult I'm surprised that any of them can keep it up for long.† He smiled at me conspiratorially. â€Å"Sometimes I cheat.† I couldn't swallow. My foot started to ease back, but I froze when his red eyes flickered down to catch the movement. â€Å"Oh,† I said in a faint voice. â€Å"Jasper has problems with that, too.† â€Å"Don't move,† the voice whispered. I tried to do what he instructed. It was hard; the instinct to take flight was nearly uncontrollable. â€Å"Really?† Laurent seemed interested. â€Å"Is that why they left?† â€Å"No,† I answered honestly. â€Å"Jasper is more careful at home.† â€Å"Yes,† Laurent agreed. â€Å"I am, too.† The step forward he took now was quite deliberate. â€Å"Did Victoria ever find you?† I asked, breathless, desperate to distract him. It was the first question that popped into my head, and I regretted it as soon as the words were spoken. Victoriawho had hunted me with James, and then disappearedwas not someone I wanted to think of at this particular moment. But the question did stop him. â€Å"Yes,† he said, hesitating on that step. â€Å"I actually came here as a favor to her.† He made a face. â€Å"She won't be happy about this.† â€Å"About what?† I said eagerly, inviting him to continue. He was glaring into the trees, away from me. I took advantage of his diversion, taking a furtive step back. He looked back at me and smiledthe expression made him look like a black-haired angel. â€Å"About me killing you,† he answered in a seductive purr. I staggered back another step. The frantic growling in my head made it hard to hear. â€Å"She wanted to save that part for herself,† he went on blithely. â€Å"She's sort of put out with you, Bella.† â€Å"Me?† I squeaked. He shook his head and chuckled. â€Å"I know, it seems a little backward to me, too. But James was her mate, and your Edward killed him.† Even here, on the point of death, his name tore against my unhealed wounds like a serrated edge. Laurent was oblivious to my reaction. â€Å"She thought it more appropriate to kill you than Edwardfair turnabout, mate for mate. She asked me to get the lay of the land for her, so to speak. I didn't imagine you would be so easy to get to. So maybe her plan was flawedapparently it wouldn't be the revenge she imagined, since you must not mean very much to him if he left you here unprotected.† Another blow, another tear through my chest. Laurent's weight shifted slightly, and I stumbled another step back. He frowned. â€Å"I suppose she'll be angry, all the same.† â€Å"Then why not wait for her?† I choked out. A mischievous grin rearranged his features. â€Å"Well, you've caught me at a bad time, Bella. I didn't come to this place on Victoria's missionI was hunting. I'm quite thirsty, and you do smell simply mouthwatering.† Laurent looked at me with approval, as if he meant it as a compliment. â€Å"Threaten him,† the beautiful delusion ordered, his voice distorted with dread. â€Å"He'll know it was you,† I whispered obediently. â€Å"You won't get away with this.† â€Å"And why not?† Laurent's smile widened. He gazed around the small opening in the trees. â€Å"The scent will wash away with the next rain. No one will find your bodyyou'll simply go missing, like so many, many other humans. There's no reason for Edward to think of me, if he cares enough to investigate. This is nothing personal, let me assure you, Bella. Just thirst.† â€Å"Beg,† my hallucination begged. â€Å"Please,† I gasped. Laurent shook his head, his face kind. â€Å"Look at it this way, Bella. You're very lucky I was the one to find you.† â€Å"Am I?† I mouthed, faltering another step back. Laurent followed, lithe and graceful. â€Å"Yes,† he assured me. â€Å"I'll be very quick. You won't feel a thing, I promise. Oh, I'll lie to Victoria about that later, naturally, just to placate her. But if you knew what she had planned for you, Bella† He shook his head with a slow movement, almost as if in disgust. â€Å"I swear you'd be thanking me for this.† I stared at him in horror. He sniffed at the breeze that blew threads of my hair in his direction. â€Å"Mouthwatering,† he repeated, inhaling deeply. I tensed for the spring, my eyes squinting as I cringed away, and the sound of Edward's furious roar echoed distantly in the back of my head. His name burst through all the walls I'd built to contain it. Edward, Edward, Edward. I was going to die. It shouldn't matter if I thought of him now. Edward, I love you. Through my narrowed eyes, I watched as Laurent paused in the act of inhaling and whipped his head abruptly to the left. I was afraid to look away from him, to follow his glance, though he hardly needed a distraction or any other trick to overpower me. I was too amazed to feel relief when he started slowly backing away from me. â€Å"I don't believe it,† he said, his voice so low that I barely heard it. I had to look then. My eyes scanned the meadow, searching for the interruption that had extended my life by a few seconds. At first I saw nothing, and my gaze flickered back to Laurent. He was retreating more quickly now, his eyes boring into the forest. Then I saw it; a huge black shape eased out of the trees, quiet as a shadow, and stalked deliberately toward the vampire. It was enormousas tall as a horse, but thicker, much more muscular. The long muzzle grimaced, revealing a line of dagger-like incisors. A grisly snarl rolled out from between the teeth, rumbling across the clearing like a prolonged crack of thunder. The bear. Only, it wasn't a bear at all. Still, this gigantic black monster had to be the creature causing all the alarm. From a distance, anyone would assume it was a bear. What else could be so vast, so powerfully built? I wished I were lucky enough to see it from a distance. Instead, it padded silently through the grass a mere ten feet from where I stood. â€Å"Don't move an inch,† Edward's voice whispered. I stared at the monstrous creature, my mind boggling as I tried to put a name to it. There was a distinctly canine cast to the shape of it, the way it moved. I could only think of one possibility, locked in horror as I was. Yet I'd never imagined that a wolf could get so big. Another growl rumbled in its throat, and I shuddered away from the sound. Laurent was backing toward the edge of the trees, and, under the freezing terror, confusion swept through me. Why was Laurent retreating? Granted, the wolf was monstrous in size, but it was just an animal. What reason would a vampire have for fearing an animal? And Laurent was afraid. His eyes were wide with horror, just like mine. As if in answer to my question, suddenly the mammoth wolf was not alone. Flanking it on either side, another two gigantic beasts prowled silently into the meadow. One was a deep gray, the other brown, neither one quite as tall as the first. The gray wolf came through the trees only a few feet from me, its eyes locked on Laurent. Before I could even react, two more wolves followed, lined up in a V, like geese flying south. Which meant that the rusty brown monster that shrugged through the brush last was close enough for me to touch. I gave an involuntary gasp and jumped backwhich was the stupidest thing I could have done. I froze again, waiting for the wolves to turn on me, the much weaker of the available prey. I wished briefly that Laurent would get on with it and crush the wolf packit should be so simple for him. I guessed that, between the two choices before me, being eaten by wolves was almost certainly the worse option. The wolf closest to me, the reddish brown one, turned its head slightly at the sound of my gasp. The wolf's eyes were dark, nearly black. It gazed at me for a fraction of a second, the deep eyes seeming too intelligent for a wild animal. As it stared at me, I suddenly thought of Jacobagain, with gratitude. At least I'd come here alone, to this fairytale meadow filled with dark monsters. At least Jacob wasn't going to die, too. At least I wouldn't have his death on my hands. Then another low growl from the leader caused the russet wolf to whip his head around, back toward Laurent. Laurent was staring at the pack of monster wolves with unconcealed shock and fear. The first I could understand. But I was stunned when, without warning, he spun and disappeared into the trees. He ran away. The wolves were after him in a second, sprinting across the open grass with a few powerful bounds, snarling and snapping so loudly that my hands flew up instinctively to cover my ears. The sound faded with surprising swiftness once they disappeared into the woods. And then I was alone again. My knees buckled under me, and I fell onto my hands, sobs building in my throat. I knew I needed to leave, and leave now. How long would the wolves chase Laurent before they doubled back for me? Or would Laurent turn on them? Would he be the one that came looking? I couldn't move at first, though; my arms and legs were shaking, and I didn't know how to get back to my feet. My mind couldn't move past the fear, the horror or the confusion. I didn't understand what I'd just witnessed. A vampire should not have run from overgrown dogs like that. What good would their teeth be against his granite skin? And the wolves should have given Laurent a wide berth. Even if their extraordinary size had taught them to fear nothing, it still made no sense that they would pursue him. I doubted his icy marble skin would smell anything like food. Why would they pass up something warmblooded and weak like me to chase after Laurent? I couldn't make it add up. A cold breeze whipped through the meadow, swaying the grass like something was moving through it. I scrambled to my feet, backing away even though the wind brushed harmlessly past me. Stumbling in panic, I turned and ran headlong into the trees. The next few hours were agony. It took me three times as long to escape the trees as it had to get to the meadow. At first I paid no attention to where I was headed, focused only on what I was running from By the time I collected myself enough to remember the compass, I was deep in the unfamiliar and menacing forest. My hands were shaking so violently that I had to set the compass on the muddy ground to be able to read it. Every few minutes I would stop to put the compass dowr and check that I was still heading northwest, hearingwhen the sounds weren't hidden behind the frantic squelching of my footstepsthe quiet whisper of unseen things moving in the leaves. The call of a jaybird made me leap back and fall into a thick stand of young spruce, scraping up my arms and tangling my hair with sap. The sudden rush of a squirrel up a hemlock made me scream so loud it hurt my own ears. At last there was a break in the trees ahead. I came out onto the empty road a mile or so south of where I'd left the truck. Exhausted as I was, I jogged up the lane until I found it. By the time I pulled myself into the cab, I was sobbing again. I fiercely shoved down both stiff locks before I dug my keys out of my pocket. The roar of the engine was comforting and sane. It helped me control the tears as I sped as fast as my truck would allow toward the main highway. I was calmer, but still a mess when I got home. Charlie's cruiser was in the drivewayI hadn't realized how late it was. The sky was already dusky. â€Å"Bella?† Charlie asked when I slammed the front door behind me and hastily turned the locks. â€Å"Yeah, it's me.† My voice was unsteady. â€Å"Where have you been?† he thundered, appearing through the kitchen doorway with an ominous expression. I hesitated. He'd probably called the Stanleys. I'd better stick to the truth. â€Å"I was hiking,† I admitted. His eyes were tight. â€Å"What happened to going to Jessica's?† â€Å"I didn't feel like Calculus today.† Charlie folded his arms across his chest. â€Å"I thought I asked you to stay out of the forest.† â€Å"Yeah, I know. Don't worry, I won't do it again.† I shuddered. Charlie seemed to really look at me for the first time. I remembered that I had spent some time on the forest floor today; I must be a mess. â€Å"What happened?† Charlie demanded. Again, I decided that the truth, or part of it anyway, was the best option. I was too shaken to pretend that I'd spent an uneventful day with the flora and fauna. â€Å"I saw the bear.† I tried to say it calmly, but my voice was high and shaky. â€Å"It's not a bear, thoughit's some kind of wolf. And there are five of them. A big black one, and gray, and reddish-brown† Charlie's eyes grew round with horror. He strode quickly to me and grabbed the tops of my arms. â€Å"Are you okay?† My head bobbed in a weak nod. â€Å"Tell me what happened.† â€Å"They didn't pay any attention to me. But aftet they were gone, I ran away and I fell down a lot.† He let go of my shoulders and wrapped his arms around me. For a long moment, he didn't say anything. â€Å"Wolves,† he murmured. â€Å"What?† â€Å"The rangers said the tracks were wrong for a bearbut wolves just don't get that big† â€Å"These were huge.† â€Å"How many did you say you saw?† â€Å"Five.† Charlie shook his head, frowning with anxiety, He finally spoke in a tone that allowed no argument. â€Å"No morehiking.† â€Å"No problem,† I promised fervently. Charlie called the station to report what I'd seen. I fudged a little bit about where exactly I'd seen the wolvesclaiming I'd been on the trail that led to the north. I didn't want my dad to know how deep I'd gone into the forest against his wishes, and, more importantly, I didn't want anyone wandering near where Laurent might be searching for me. The thought of it made me feel sick. â€Å"Are you hungry?† he asked me when he hung up the phone. I shook my head, though I must have been starving. I hadn't eaten all day. â€Å"Just tired,† I told him. I turned for the stairs. â€Å"Hey,† Charlie said, his voice suddenly suspicious again. â€Å"Didn't you say Jacob was gone for the day?† â€Å"That's what Billy said,† I told him, confused by his question. He studied my expression for a minute, and seemed satisfied with what he saw there. â€Å"Huh.† â€Å"Why?† I demanded. It sounded like he was implying that I'd been lying to him this morning. About something besides studying with Jessica. â€Å"Well, it's just that when I went to pick up Harry, I saw Jacob out in front of the store down there with some of his friends. I waved hi, but he well, I guess I don't know if he saw me. I think maybe he was arguing with his friends. He looked strange, like he was upset about something. And different. It's like you can watch that kid growing! He gets bigger every time I see him.† â€Å"Billy said Jake and his friends were going up to Port Angeles to see some movies. They were probably just waiting for someone to meet them.† â€Å"Oh.† Charlie nodded and headed for the kitchen. I stood in the hall, thinking about Jacob arguing with his friends. I wondered if he had confronted Embry about the situation with Sam. Maybe that was the reason he'd ditched me todayif it meant he could sort things out with Embry, I was glad he had. I paused to check the locks again before I went to my room. It was a silly thing to do. What difference would a lock make to any of the monsters I'd seen this afternoon? I assumed the handle alone would stymie the wolves, not having opposable thumbs. And if Laurent came here Or Victoria. I lay down on my bed, but I was shaking too hard to hope for sleep. I curled into a cramped ball under my quilt, and faced the horrifying facts. There was nothing I could do. There were no precautions I could take. There was no place I could hide. There was no one who could help me. I realized, with a nauseous roll of my stomach, that the situation was worse than even that. Because all those facts applied to Charlie, too. My father, sleeping one room away from me, was just a hairsbreadth off the heart of the target that was centered on me. My scent would lead them here, whether I was here or not. The tremors rocked me until my teeth chattered. To calm myself, I fantasized the impossible: I imagined the big wolves catching up to Laurent in the woods and massacring the indestructible immortal the way they would any normal person. Despite the absurdity of such a vision, the idea comforted me. If the wolves got him, then he couldn't tell Victoria I was here all alone. If he didn't return, maybe she'd think the Cullens were still protecting me. If only the wolves could win such a fight My good vampires were never coming back; how soothing it was to imagine that the other kind could also disappear. I squeezed my eyes tight together and waited for unconsciousnessalmost eager for my nightmare to start. Better that than the pale, beautiful face that smiled at me now from behind my lids. In my imagination, Victoria's eyes were black with thirst, bright with anticipation, and her lips curled back from her gleaming teeth in pleasure. Her red hair was brilliant as fire; it blew chaotically around her wild face. Laurent's words repeated in my head. If you knew what she had planned for you I pressed my fist against my mouth to keep from screaming.