Review Of Benvenuto Cellini - 1591 Words

Robert Mitchell Russell 10/28/2015 History of European civilizations Dr. Kruse Benvenuto Cellini Benvenuto Cellini was born on November 3rd in the year 1500 in Florence, Italy. His father was Giovanni Cellini and his mother was Marisa Lisabetta Granacci. The time period Cellini was born is considered to be the beginning of the Cinquecento period of the arts in Italy. By the end of Cellini’s life he was successful in many aspects of cinquecento arts. This paper gives highlights on Cellini’s life as a whole including descriptive examples of his various art works.(Cellini 128) The cinquecento period in which Cellini was born references the 16th century as a period of Italian art, architecture, or literature, with a reversion to classical forms. This is significant because it gives you greater understanding of some of the cultural influences Cellini would have been subjected to in Italy as he grew up.(O’Brien) Its possible that this influence helped to lead him to be one of the prominent mannerist artist. Another culturally significant factor of the time is th at Cellini lived his life in the era of Italy being ruled by kings as the Roman Empire had dissipated and been split into the Eastern and Western Empires. The Western Empire fell in 476 when the barbarian chieftain Odoacer deposed Romulus Augustus and didn’t take the title of emperor.(O’Brien) Cellini’s father was a musician and wanted Cellini to pursue a career in music but at the age of fifteen Cellini

The Aftermath Effects Of 2008 - 946 Words

The most commonly known sub-prime finance crisis came into illumination when a sudden rise in home foreclosures in 2006 twirled seemingly out of control in 2007, triggering a nationwide economic crisis that went worldwide within the year. The greatest responsibility is pointed at the lenders who created such problems. It was the lenders who, at the end of the day, lend finances to citizens with poor credit and a high risk of failure to pay. When the Feds inundated the markets with growing capital liquidity, its purpose was not only to lesser interest rates but it also largely low risk premiums as shareholders sought after dangerous opportunities to strengthen their investment profits. At that point of time, lenders found themselves loaded with capital for lending out and higher willingness to undertake higher risks in a surge to get greater investment returns. To triumph over of the financial unsteadiness and housing price bubbles, Federal Reserve has to intervene to combat these iss ues. This research paper will be reviewing the aftermath effects of 2008, one of the harshest U.S financial disaster happened in the worldwide financial system. The recession, which was from 2008 to 2009, was the longest recession and had its deep effects to the economy. The sub-prime crisis affected, not only to the US, but it’s footpath across the world. The economic financial system across the world experienced suffering very badly, thereby leading the deteriorating of the economy. AccordingShow MoreRelatedEffects of the Financial Crisis: Strained Relationships Between Employees and the Management644 Words   |  3 Pagescreated a strained relationship between common employees and management all across the country. The immediate effects of the crisis were a period of deep job cuts in many economic sectors. 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Bloodlines Chapter Five Free Essays

AND ON THAT NOTE, Rose left me so she could tell the others goodbye. Her words left me chilled. For half a second, I wanted to demand a reassessment of this mission. We will write a custom essay sample on Bloodlines Chapter Five or any similar topic only for you Order Now I wanted to insist that they send no less than a dozen guardians here with Jill, in the event her attackers came back. Soon, I dismissed that thought. One of the key parts of this plan working was simply not attracting attention. So long as her whereabouts were secret, Jill was safer if she blended in. A squadron of guardians would hardly be discreet and could attract notice from the larger Moroi community. We were doing the right thing. So long as no one knew we were here, all would be well. Surely if I told myself that often enough, it would become true. Yet why Rose’s ominous statement? Why Eddie’s presence? Had this mission really been bumped from â€Å"inconvenient† to â€Å"life-threatening†? Knowing how close Jill and Rose were, I kind of expected their goodbye to be more tearful. Instead, it was Adrian whom Jill had the most difficulty leaving. She flung herself at him in a giant hug, fingers clinging to his shirt. The young Moroi girl had remained quiet for most of the visit, simply watching the rest of us in that curious, nervous way of hers. The most I’d heard her talk was when Lee had tried to draw her out earlier. Her goodbye display seemed to surprise Adrian too, though the snarky look he’d worn on his face softened into something like affection as he awkwardly patted her shoulder. â€Å"There, there, Jailbait. I’ll see you again soon.† â€Å"I wish you were coming with us,† she said in a small voice. He crooked her a grin. â€Å"No, you don’t. Maybe the rest of them can get away with playing back-to-school, but I’d be thrown out on my first day. At least here, I won’t corrupt anyone†¦ unless it’s Clarence and his liquor cabinet.† â€Å"I’ll be in touch,† promised Jill. His smile twitched, and he gave her a knowing look that was both amused and rueful. â€Å"So will I.† This small moment between them was odd. With his flippant, arrogant nature and her sweet shyness, they seemed like an unlikely pair of friends. Yet there was obvious affection between them. It didn’t seem romantic but had a definite intensity I couldn’t quite understand. I remembered the conversation I’d overheard between Abe and Adrian, where Abe had said it was imperative Adrian stay near Jill. Something told me there was a connection between that and what I was witnessing now, but I didn’t have enough information to put it all together. I filed this mystery away for later. I was sad to leave Rose but glad that our departure meant parting ways with Abe and Keith. Abe left with his typically cryptic remarks and a knowing look for me that I didn’t appreciate. I dropped Keith off at his place before going on to Amberwood, and he told me he’d keep me updated. Honestly, I wondered what exactly he had to update me on, since I was doing most of the work around here. As far as I could tell, he really had nothing to do except lounge around in his downtown apartment. Still, it was worth it to be rid of him. I never thought I’d be so happy to drive off with a vampire and a dhampir. Jill still seemed troubled during the car ride to the school. Eddie, sensing this, tried to soothe her. He peered back at her from the passenger seat. â€Å"We’ll see Adrian soon.† â€Å"I know,† she said with a sigh. â€Å"And nothing else bad is going to happen. You’re safe. They can’t find you here.† â€Å"I know that too,† she said. â€Å"How bad was it?† I asked. â€Å"The attack, I mean. No one’s getting into details.† Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Eddie glance back at Jill again. â€Å"Bad enough,† he said grimly. â€Å"But everyone’s okay now; that’s what matters.† Neither of them said any more, and I quickly picked up on the hint that no more details would be forthcoming. They acted as though the attack had been no big deal, that it was done and over with, but they were being too evasive. Something had happened that I didn’t know about – that the Alchemists likely didn’t know about – something that they were working to keep secret. My guess was that it had to do with Adrian being here. He had mentioned an â€Å"obvious reason† for coming to Palm Springs, and then Abe had hinted at some ulterior motive that Adrian himself didn’t know about. It was all kind of annoying, seeing as I was risking my life here. How did they expect me to adequately do my job if they insisted on making this a tangle of secrets? Alchemists dealt in secrets, and despite my rocky past, I was still Alchemist enough to resent being denied answers. Fortunately, I was also Alchemist enough to hunt those answers down myself. Of course, I knew grilling Jill and Eddie right away wasn’t going to get me anywhere. I needed to play it friendly and get them to relax around me. They might not harbor the secret belief that humans were creatures of darkness, but that didn’t mean they trusted me yet. I didn’t blame them. After all, I certainly didn’t trust them either. It was well into evening when we arrived at Amberwood. Keith and I had scoped out the school earlier, but Eddie and Jill took it in with wide eyes. Whereas Clarence’s home had seemed old-fashioned, the school was bright and modern, consisting of stucco buildings that were so typical of California and southwest architecture. Palm trees skirted along lush green lawns. In the fading light, students were still strolling, in pairs and groups, along the many walking paths that wove throughout the grounds. We’d picked up fast food along the way, but the late hour meant Jill and I had to split from Eddie. At eighteen, with a car and â€Å"parental permission,† I had a lot of freedom to come and go, but I had to answer to curfew just like everyone else when night came. Eddie was uneasy about leaving Jill, particularly when he realized how far away from her he’d be. Amberwood Prep’s sprawling grounds were divided into three campuses: East, West, and Central. East Campus housed the girls’ dorm while West contained the boys’. Central, the largest of the three, was where the administrative, academic, and recreational facilities were. The campuses were about a mile apart from each other and served by a shuttle bus that ran throughout the day, though walking was always an option for those who could stand the heat. Eddie had to have known he couldn’t stay in the girls’ dorm, though I suspected that if he had his way, he would have slept at the foot of Jill’s bed like a loyal dog. Watching the two of them was kind of amazing. I’d never observed a guardian-Moroi pairing before. When I’d been with Rose and Dimitri, they’d been simply trying to keep themselves alive – plus, they were both dhampirs. Now, I was finally able to see the system in action and understood why dhampirs trained so hard. You’d have to, to remain that vigilant. Even in the most mundane moments, Eddie always watched our surroundings. Nothing escaped his notice. â€Å"How good is the security system here?† he demanded when we stepped inside the girls’ dorm. He’d insisted on seeing it before going to his own. The lobby was quiet at this hour, and only a couple of students wandered through with boxes and suitcases as they finished last-minute move-ins. They gave us curious looks as they passed, and I had to quell the knot of anxiety rising in me. Considering everything else going on for me, high school social life shouldn’t scare me – but it did. The Alchemists didn’t cover that in their lessons. â€Å"Security’s good enough,† I said, keeping my voice low as I turned back to Eddie. â€Å"They aren’t worried about vampire assassins, but they certainly want their students safe. I know there are security guards that patrol the grounds at night.† Eddie eyed the dorm matron, a stout, gray-haired woman who supervised the lobby from her desk. â€Å"Do you think she has any kind of combat training? Do you think she could subdue an intruder?† â€Å"I bet she could wrestle down a guy sneaking into a girl’s room,† joked Jill. She rested a hand on his arm, making him jump. â€Å"Relax. This place is safe.† In some ways, Eddie’s concern was comforting and made me feel secure. At the same time, I couldn’t help but think again about why he was so watchful. He’d been there for the attack that no one would tell me about. He knew the threats because he’d seen them firsthand. If he was this on edge, even now, then how much danger were we still in? The Alchemists had led me to believe that once we were hidden here at Amberwood, all would be well and it would just become a waiting game. I’d had that very conversation with Rose and tried to convince her of the same. Eddie’s attitude was concerning. The dorm room I shared with Jill was small by my standards. I’d always had my own room growing up and never had to worry about sharing space or closets. During my time in St. Petersburg, I’d even had my own apartment. Still, our one window had a sweeping view of the dorm’s back courtyard. Everything inside the room was airy and bright, with maple-finished furniture that looked new: beds, desks, and dressers. I had no experience with dorm rooms – but I could only assume by Jill’s reaction that we’d gotten a good one. She swore that the room was larger than the one she’d had at her Moroi school, St. Vladimir’s Academy, and was quite happy. I half-wondered if she thought our room was big simply because we had so little to put in it. Neither of us had been able to do much packing with such swift departures. The furniture gave everything a warm, golden feel, but without personal decorations or other touches, the room could’ve come straight from a catalog. The dorm matron, Mrs. Weathers, had been astonished when she saw us and our minimal luggage. The girls I’d observed moving in earlier had arrived with cars packed to bursting. I hoped we didn’t look suspicious. Jill paused to stare out the window as we got ready for bed. â€Å"It’s so dry here,† she murmured, more to herself than me. â€Å"They keep the lawn green, but it’s so strange not to feel the moisture in the air.† She glanced over at me sheepishly. â€Å"I’m a water user.† â€Å"I know,† I said, not sure what else to add. She was referring to the magical abilities all Moroi possessed. Each Moroi specialized in one of the elements, either the physical four – earth, air, water, and fire – or the more intangible and psychic element of spirit. Hardly anyone wielded that last one, though I’d heard Adrian was one of the few. If Jill couldn’t access her magic easily, I wasn’t going to be disappointed. Magic was one of those things, like the blood drinking, that served as a slap-in-the-face reminder that these people I was laughing and eating with were not human. If I wasn’t still exhausted from the drive with Keith, I probably would’ve lain awake agonizing over the fact that I was sleeping close to a vampire. When I’d first met Rose, I hadn’t even been able to stay in the same room with her. Our hectic escape together had changed that a little, and by the end, I’d been able to let my guard down. Now, some of that old fear came back in the darkness. Vampire, vampire. Sternly, I told myself it was just Jill. I had nothing to worry about. Eventually, fatigue triumphed fear, and I slept. When morning came, I couldn’t help looking in the mirror to make sure I had no bite marks or other sign of vampire harm. When I’d finished, I immediately felt foolish. With the difficulty Jill was currently having waking up, it made no sense to imagine her sneaking up on me in the night. As it was, I had a hard time getting her out the door in time for orientation. She was groggy, with bloodshot eyes, and kept complaining about a headache. I guessed I didn’t have to worry about nighttime attacks from my roommate. Nonetheless, she managed to get up and around. We left our dorm and found Eddie, gathering with other new students near a fountain on Central Campus. Most of the crowd appeared to be freshmen like Jill. Only a few were the same age as me and Eddie, and I was surprised to see him easily chatting with those around him. With how vigilant he’d been the day before, I would’ve expected him to be more on guard, less capable of normal social interaction – but he fit right in. As we walked up, however, I caught him glance around stealthily at his surroundings. He might be playing a student, like me – but he was still a dhampir. He was just telling us about how he hadn’t met his roommate yet when a smiling guy with bright blue eyes and reddish hair strode up to them. â€Å"Hey there,† he said. Up close, I could see a smattering of freckles. â€Å"Are you Eddie Melrose?† â€Å"Yes, I’m – † Eddie had spun around with that guardian efficiency, ready to take on this potential threat. When he saw the newcomer, Eddie went perfectly still. His eyes widened slightly, and whatever he’d been about to say faded away. â€Å"I’m Micah Vallence. I’m your roommate – also your orientation leader.† He nodded toward the other mingling students and grinned. â€Å"But I wanted to come say hi first since I just got here this morning. My mom pushed our vacation to the limits.† Eddie was still staring at Micah as though he’d seen a ghost. I studied Micah too, wondering what I was missing. He seemed normal to me. Whatever was going on, Jill was also out of the loop because she was regarding Micah with a perfectly ordinary expression too, no alarm or surprise. â€Å"Nice to meet you,† said Eddie at last. â€Å"These are my, uh, sisters – Jill and Sydney.† Micah smiled at each of us in turn. He had a manner about him that made me feel easy, and I could see why he’d been drafted as an orientation leader. I wondered why Eddie was reacting so strangely. â€Å"What grades are you in?† he asked us. â€Å"Senior,† I said. Remembering the cover story, I added, â€Å"Eddie and I are twins.† â€Å"I’m a freshman,† said Jill. Looking over our â€Å"family,† I noticed that Eddie and I could probably pass for siblings pretty easily. Our coloring was similar, and of course, there was the fact that we both looked human. While a human wouldn’t necessarily look at Jill and say â€Å"vampire!† she still possessed certain features that marked her as unusual. Her build and paleness were definite contrasts to me and Eddie. If Micah noticed the lack of family resemblance, he didn’t let on. â€Å"Nervous about starting high school?† he asked Jill. She shook her head and smiled back. â€Å"I’m ready for the challenge.† â€Å"Well, if you need anything, let me know,† he said. â€Å"For now, I’ve gotta get this party started. Talk to you guys later.† From the way his attention focused solely on her, it was obvious that the â€Å"if you need anything† was directed at Jill, and her blush showed that she knew too. She smiled, holding his gaze a moment, and then looked away shyly. I would’ve found it cute, if not for the alarming prospect it presented. Jill was in a school full of humans. It was absolutely out of the question for her to date one, and guys like Micah couldn’t be encouraged. Eddie didn’t appear to care about the comment, but it seemed to be more because he was still troubled about Micah in general. Micah called our group to attention and began the orientation. The first part of it was simply a tour of the grounds. We followed him around, in and out of air conditioning, as he showed us the important buildings. He explained the shuttle system, and we rode it up to West Campus, which was almost a mirror of East. Boys and girls were allowed in each other’s dorms, with limitations, and he explained those rules as well, which caused some grumbling. Recalling the formidable Mrs. Weathers, I felt sorry for any boy that tried to break her dorm rules. Both dorms had their own cafeterias, where any student was welcome to eat, and our orientation group had lunch while we were still on West Campus. Micah joined my â€Å"siblings† and me, going out of his way to talk to each of us. Eddie responded politely, nodding and asking questions, but his eyes still looked vaguely haunted. Jill was shy at first, but once Micah starting joking around with her, she eventually warmed up to him. How funny, I thought, that it was easier for Eddie and Jill to adapt to this situation than it was for me. They were in a strange environment, with a different race, but were still among familiar things, like cafeterias and lockers. They slipped right into the roles and procedures with no difficulty. Meanwhile, despite having traveled and lived all over the world, I felt out of place in what was for everyone else an ordinary setting. Regardless, it didn’t take me long to figure out how the school ran. Alchemists were trained to observe and adapt, and even though school was foreign to me, I quickly picked up on the routine. I wasn’t afraid to talk to people either – I was used to striking up conversations with strangers and explaining my way out of situations. One thing, however, I knew I would have to work on. â€Å"I heard her family might be moving to Anchorage.† We were at orientation lunch, and a couple of freshmen girls sitting near me were discussing a friend of theirs who hadn’t shown up today. The other girl’s eyes widened. â€Å"Seriously? I would die if I had to move there.† â€Å"I don’t know,† I mused, moving my food around my plate. â€Å"With all the sun and UV rays here, it seems like Anchorage might actually provide a longer life span. You don’t need as much sunblock, so it’s a more economical choice as well.† I’d thought my comment was helpful, but when I looked up, I was met with gaping stares. It was obvious from the looks the girls were giving me that I probably couldn’t have picked a weirder comment. â€Å"I guess I shouldn’t say everything that comes to mind,† I murmured to Eddie. I was used to being direct in social situations, but it occurred to me that simply saying â€Å"Yeah, totally!† would’ve probably been the correct response. I’d had few friends my own age and was out of practice. Eddie grinned at me. â€Å"I don’t know, sis. You’re pretty entertaining as you are. Keep it up.† After lunch, our group returned to Central Campus, where we parted ways to meet with academic advisors and plan our class schedules. When I sat down with my advisor, a cheery young woman named Molly, I wasn’t surprised to see that the Alchemists had sent along academic records from a fictitious school in South Dakota. They were even fairly consistent with what I had studied in my homeschooling. â€Å"Your grades and tests have placed you in our most advanced math and English classes,† Molly said. â€Å"If you do well in them, you can receive college credit.† Too bad there’s no chance I’ll get to go to college, I thought with a sigh. She flipped through a few pages in my file. â€Å"Now, I don’t see any records of foreign language here. It’s an Amberwood requirement that everyone learn at least one language.† Oops. The Alchemists had messed up there in faking my records. I’d actually studied a number of languages. My father had made sure I had lessons from an early age, since an Alchemist never knew where he or she might end up. Scanning Amberwood’s list of offered languages, I hesitated and wondered if I should lie. Then I decided I really didn’t want to sit through conjugations and tenses I’d already learned. â€Å"I already know all of these,† I told Molly. Molly regarded me skeptically. â€Å"All of these? There are five languages here.† I nodded and added helpfully, â€Å"But I only studied Japanese for two years. So I suppose I could learn more.† Molly still didn’t seem to buy this. â€Å"Would you be willing to take proficiency tests?† And so, I ended up spending the rest of my afternoon laboring over foreign languages. It wasn’t how I wanted to spend my day, but I supposed it would pay off later – the tests were a breeze. When I finally finished all five languages three hours later, Molly hurried me out to get fitted for my uniform. Most of the other new students had long gone through already, and she was concerned that I might have already missed the woman doing the fittings. I moved as fast as I could without running down the halls and nearly bumped into two girls rounding a corner. â€Å"Oh!† I exclaimed, feeling like an idiot. â€Å"I’m sorry – I’m late for my fitting – â€Å" One of them laughed good-naturedly. She was dark-skinned with an athletic build and wavy black hair. â€Å"Don’t worry about it,† she said. â€Å"We just walked past the room. She’s still there.† The other girl had blond hair a shade lighter than mine that she wore in a high ponytail. Both of them had the easy assurance of those who knew their way around this world. These weren’t new students. â€Å"Mrs. Delaney always takes longer than she thinks she will with the fittings,† the blond girl said knowingly. â€Å"Every year, it’s – † Her jaw dropped, her words freezing up for a few moments. â€Å"Where†¦ where did you get that?† I had no clue what she meant, but the other girl soon noticed and leaned closer to me. â€Å"That’s amazing! Is that what they’re doing this year?† â€Å"Your tattoo,† explained the blonde. I must have still looked clueless. â€Å"Where’d you get it?† â€Å"Oh. That.† My fingers absentmindedly touched my cheek. â€Å"In, um, South Dakota. Where I’m from.† Both girls looked disappointed. â€Å"I guess that’s why I’ve never seen it,† said the dark-haired girl. â€Å"I thought Nevermore was doing something new.† â€Å"Nevermore?† I asked. The girls exchanged silent glances, and some message passed between them. â€Å"You’re new, right? What’s your name?† asked the blond girl. â€Å"I’m Julia. This is Kristin.† â€Å"Sydney,† I said, still mystified. Julia was smiling again. â€Å"Have lunch with us at East tomorrow, okay? We’ll explain everything.† â€Å"Everything about what?† I asked. â€Å"It’s a long story. Just get to Delaney for now,† added Kristin, starting to move away. â€Å"She’ll stay late, but not forever.† When they were gone, I continued on my way – much more slowly – wondering what that had been about. Had I just made friends? I really wasn’t sure how one went about it in a school like this, but that whole exchange had seemed pretty weird. Mrs. Delaney was just packing up when I arrived. â€Å"What size do you wear, dear?† she asked, catching sight of me in the doorway. â€Å"Two.† A number of articles were produced: skirts, pants, blouses, and sweaters. I doubted the sweaters would see much wear, unless a freak apocalyptic blizzard hit Palm Springs. Amberwood wasn’t particularly fussy about which ensemble students wore, as long as it came from the approved pool of fashion. The colors were burgundy, dark gray, and white, which I actually thought looked kind of nice together. Watching me button a white blouse, Mrs. Delaney tsked, â€Å"I think you need a size four.† I froze mid-button. â€Å"I wear a two.† â€Å"Oh, yes, you can fit into them, but look at the arms and the skirt length. I think you’ll be more comfortable in a four. Try these.† She handed over a new stack and then laughed. â€Å"Don’t look so mortified, girl! A four’s nothing. You’re still a twig.† She patted her ample stomach. â€Å"We could fit three of you into my clothes!† Despite my many protests, I was still sent away with the size-four clothing. I rode back to my dorm, dejected, and found Jill lying on her bed and reading. She sat up at my arrival. â€Å"Hey, I wondered what had happened to you.† â€Å"Got delayed,† I said with a sigh. â€Å"Are you feeling better?† â€Å"Yeah. A lot.† Jill watched as I put away the uniforms. â€Å"They’re pretty terrible, right? We didn’t have uniforms at St. Vladimir’s. It’s going to be so boring wearing the same thing every day.† I didn’t want to tell her that as an Alchemist, I might have worn an outfit like this anyway. â€Å"What size did you get?† I asked, to change the subject. I was kind of a glutton for punishment. â€Å"Two.† A twinge of annoyance shot through me as I hung my uniforms in the closet beside hers. I felt huge by comparison. How were all those Moroi so skinny? Genetics? Low-carb blood diet? Maybe it was just because they were all so tall. All I knew was that whenever I spent time around them, I felt frumpy and awkward and wanted to eat less. When I finished unpacking, Jill and I compared schedules. Not surprisingly, considering the difference in grades, we had almost nothing in common. The only thing we shared was a multi-grade PE class. All students were required to take it every semester, since fitness was considered part of a wellrounded student’s experience. Maybe I could lose a few pounds and get back into my normal size. Jill smiled and handed my schedule back. â€Å"Eddie went and demanded to be in our PE class since it’s pretty much the only one we could share. It conflicts with his Spanish class, though, and they wouldn’t let him. I don’t think he can handle going the whole school day without seeing that I’m alive. Oh, and Micah’s with us in PE.† I’d stalked off to my bed, still irritated about the uniforms. Jill’s words caught my attention. â€Å"Hey, do you know why Eddie seemed weirded out around Micah?† Jill shook her head. â€Å"No, I didn’t get a chance to ask, but I noticed it too – especially at first. Later – while you were testing – and we were waiting for uniforms, Eddie seemed to chill out. A little. Every once in a while, I’d see him giving Micah a strange look, though.† â€Å"You don’t think he thinks Micah’s dangerous, do you?† Jill shrugged. â€Å"He didn’t seem dangerous to me, but I’m no guardian. If Eddie did think he was some kind of threat, it seems like he’d be acting differently. More aggressive. He mostly seems nervous around Micah. Almost – but not quite – afraid. And that’s weirdest of all because guardians never look scared. Not that Eddie’s technically a guardian. But you know what I mean.† â€Å"I do,† I said, smiling despite my grumpy intentions. That cute, rambling nature cheered me up a little. â€Å"What do you mean Eddie’s technically not a guardian? Isn’t he assigned to protect you here?† â€Å"Yeah, he is,† said Jill, toying with one of her light brown curls. â€Å"But†¦ well, it’s kind of weird. He got in some trouble with the guardians for helping Rose and for, um, killing a guy.† â€Å"He killed a Moroi that attacked Vasilisa, right?† It had come up at my interrogation. â€Å"Yeah,† said Jill, lost in her own memories. â€Å"It was self-defense – well, and defense of Lissa, but everyone was shocked at him killing a Moroi. Guardians aren’t supposed to do that, but then, you know, Moroi aren’t supposed to attack each other either. Anyway, he was put on suspension. No one knew what to do with him. When I got†¦ attacked, Eddie helped protect me. Later, Lissa said it was stupid to keep him off duty when he could be helpful and that considering Moroi were behind this attack too, she said everyone was going to have to get used to the idea of Moroi being the enemy. Hans – the guardian in charge at Court – finally agreed and sent Eddie here with me, but I think officially, Eddie’s not restored yet. It’s weird.† Jill had delivered the whole speech without pausing and now stopped to catch a breath. â€Å"Well, I’m sure it’ll be sorted out,† I said, trying to be reassuring. â€Å"And it seems like he’ll get points for keeping a princess alive.† Jill looked at me sharply. â€Å"I’m no princess.† I frowned and tried to remember the complexities of Moroi law. â€Å"The prince or princess is the oldest member of a family. Since Vasilisa’s queen, the title rolls over to you, right?† â€Å"On paper,† said Jill, looking away. Her tone was hard to read, an odd mixture of what seemed like bitterness and sorrow. â€Å"I’m not a princess, not really. I’m just someone who happens to be related to the queen.† Jill’s mother had briefly been mistress to Eric Dragomir, Vasilisa’s father, and had kept Jill’s existence a secret for years. It had only come out recently, and I’d played a big role in helping Rose track Jill down. With all the fallout in my own life, as well as the emphasis on Jill’s safety, I hadn’t spent much time wondering how she had adapted to her new status. That had to be a serious lifestyle change. â€Å"I’m sure there’s more to it than that,† I said gently. I wondered if I was going to be spending a lot of time playing therapist to Jill during this assignment. The prospect of actually comforting a vampire still seemed so strange to me. â€Å"I mean, you’re obviously important. Everyone’s gone to a lot of trouble to keep you safe here.† â€Å"But is it for me?† asked Jill. â€Å"Or is it to help Lissa keep the throne? She’s hardly spoken to me since she found out we were sisters.† This conversation was steering into uncomfortable waters, into interpersonal matters that I didn’t really know how to deal with. I couldn’t imagine being in either Vasilisa or Jill’s place. The only thing I felt certain of was that it couldn’t be easy for any of them. â€Å"I’m sure she cares about you,† I said, though not really sure at all. â€Å"But it’s probably strange for her – especially with all the other changes in her life too. Give it time. Focus on the important things first – staying here and staying alive.† â€Å"You’re right,† said Jill. She lay back on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. â€Å"I’m nervous about tomorrow, about being around everyone, in classes all day. What if they notice? What if someone finds out the truth about me?† â€Å"You did fine at orientation,† I assured her. â€Å"Just don’t show your fangs. And besides, I’m pretty good at convincing people they didn’t see what they think they saw.† The grateful expression on her face reminded me uncomfortably of Zoe. They were so alike in many ways, shy and uncertain – yet intensely fierce and desperately wanting to prove themselves. I’d tried to protect Zoe – and only failed in her eyes. Now, being here for Jill made me feel conflicted. In some ways, I could make up for what I hadn’t been able to do for Zoe. Yet even as I thought that, some inner voice kept saying, Jill is not your sister. She’s a vampire. This is business. â€Å"Thanks, Sydney. I’m glad you’re here.† She smiled, and the guilt only twisted further inside me. â€Å"You know, I’m kind of jealous of Adrian. He thinks it’s so boring at Clarence’s, but he doesn’t have to worry about meeting new people or getting used to a new school. He just gets to hang out, watch TV, play pool with Lee, sleep in†¦ it sounds amazing.† She sighed. â€Å"I suppose,† I said, a little surprised at the detail. â€Å"How do you know all that? Have you†¦ have you talked to him since we left?† Even as I said that, the idea seemed unlikely. I’d been with her most of the day. The smile dropped from her face. â€Å"Oh no. I mean, I just figure that’s what’s going on. He mentioned some of it earlier, that’s all. Sorry. I’m being melodramatic and rambling. Thanks for listening to me†¦ it really does make me feel better.† I smiled tightly and said nothing. I still couldn’t get over the fact that I was starting to feel so warmly toward a vampire. First Rose, now Jill? It didn’t matter how likable she was. I had to keep our relationship professional so that no Alchemist could accuse me of getting attached. Keith’s words echoed in my head: vamp lover†¦ That’s ridiculous, I thought. There was nothing wrong with being nice to those in my care. It was normal, a far cry from â€Å"getting too close† to them. Right? Pushing my worries aside, I concentrated on finishing unpacking and thinking about our new life here. I sincerely hoped tomorrow would go as smoothly as I’d assured Jill it would. Unfortunately, it didn’t. How to cite Bloodlines Chapter Five, Essay examples

Health Care System In Kenya Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Health Care System In Kenya. Answer: Introduction This paper discusses global health systems with a particular focus on health care system in Kenya. The study of the Kenyan health care system facilitates an understanding of the interdependent relations between economics, health care and public health. The perception of health and well being in Kenya is examined and the allocation of resources in the health sector is determined. Efficiency in management of resources in the public health sector is also examined. The first section of the paper discusses the organization of the public health care system and the funding of the health care (International Monetary Fund. 2007). The second section identifies and analyzes the elements of building blocks of the health system as identified by WHO 2007. The health care spending in Kenya has increased rapidly over the past few years. Between the year 2011 and 2013, Kenya`s health care spending increased by 33% to USD2.743million. In the year 2016,Kenya spent 6.3% of its GDP on health care. Health care financing in Kenya comes from different sources such as taxation, National Health Insurance Fund(NHIF) and private insurance and employer schemes. Kenya`s health care system is devolved. Management of health care finances is done at the county level since the year 2013.Other common sources of health funding in Kenya is Community Based Health Financing and Non-Government organizations funding. Currently, the government spending on health care is approximately 6% of the national GDP. This is very low compared to neighboring countries who spend an average of 10% of their GDP on health care. Australia health care spending went above 10% in the year 2015-16. the spending for that financial year was $170.4bn.This shows a very huge disparity b etween Kenya`s health care spending and that of Australia. An estimated 25% of Kenyans are covered by a public, private or community based health organization. More than 50% of the Kenyan population does not a have a health insurance cover and they rely on the money from their pockets to pay for health services (Willis,Reynolds Keleher, 2012). Technology in public health care is getting adopted at a very high rate. Health and ICT is becoming more integrated in Kenya. The country has become a front runner in Africa in adoption of comprehensive e-Health strategies. Kenya has a multi-billion dollar mobile money payment system that is popularly used to pay for health care services (Guinness, Wiseman Wonderling, 2011). Most of Kenya`s health budget is spent on purchase of medical equipment and building of health care facilities across the country. In Kenya,there is a Universal health Coverage system but its yet to be well established. Universal health care system helps in transforming lives by guarantee access to lifesaving health services while at the same time helping to avoid poverty as a result of expenses on health care. One of the actions that the government of Kenya has taken to strengthen its commitment towards Universal Health Care is abolishment of primary and maternal health service fees. Kenya is striving to achieve Universal Health Coverage. In the year 2016, the ministry of Health of Kenya in partnership with the World Bank and the USAID funded Health Policy Project(HPP). HPP is working with various partners to strengthen the Universal Health Care system in Kenya. The building blocks of health care according to WHO building blocks framework of the year 2007. The building blocks of WHO helps to provide a broad based consensus on the key indicators and effective methods and measures building health capacity. These includes inputs, processes and output as well as effective methods of health provision. According to WHO framework, the building blocks of health systems include; service delivery, health workforce, health information systems, access to essential medicines, financing and leadership/governance (Suchman, Sluyter Williamson, 2011). In Kenya, the service delivery system in the country is through Public sector health care, private sector health care as well as community based health care services. There are also various NGO`s that offer health care services to citizens in Kenya. Most of the people in Kenya depend on public health services. This is because public health services are cheaper and affordable since only 20% of the population have medical insurance cover. Public health services are devolved and are offered through the county governments. The county governments receive finances from the national government. WHO framework recommends 23 doctors, nurses, and midwives per every 10,000 people for an effective health care delivery. In Kenya, there are 12 nurses and midwives for every 10,000 people (Carrin, 2009). This is an indication that there is an acute shortage of health services officers. There is also a huge challenge if in-efficiency of health officers in the Kenyan Health care system. The largest shortfall in health care professionals is mainly in the rural areas. Most of the professionals in Kenya`s health care service delivery have average level of training and education. The health information systems are being adopted in Kenya at a very fast rate. This is despite the fact that most of the public health care facilities in Kenya depend on manual systems of keeping information. Most hospitals in Kenya are adopting health information systems that help the facilities to manage patient data and hence improve health care delivery. Financing for Kenya`s Health Care services is mainly through personal payments. 20% of the Kenyan population have medical insurance cover whereas the remaining 80% depend on NGO`s, Community Health Care or they pay for medical services using their merger savings (Volberding, 2008). The major Medical Insurance provider is the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) which offers medical cover to public service workers and people who are not formally employed. Access to essential medicines is not adequate in Kenya. Patients struggle to get medication in most public health care facilities. This is because of issues related to mismanagement of finances in Health care and embezzlement of funds. Malaria, TB, HIV/AIDS and other major important drugs are not easily accessible in public health care facilities (World WHO, 2008). The low accessibility to of key medicines and drugs shows that there is a lot that needs to be done to improve public health services delivery. Governance and leadership is a very important aspect of the health delivery framework. Governance /leadership involve the structures and the systems that are in place to give guidance and leadership to staff working in the health service sector. The leadership of the health care service in Kenya is headed by the cabinet secretary of Health Services. The permanent secretary in charge of health services delivery. There are also county directors of medical services who oversee the delivery of high quality health services medical services to patients (Killoran Kelly, 2010). The county directors of health services are in charge of medical staff and they supervise their work and determine their remuneration and allowances. The sub-county hospital management board is the board (SD-HMB) board that oversees the management of all health facilities at the sub-county. The Healthy Center management committee (HCMC) is the lowest body of management in provision of medical services in Kenya. Various medical practitioners and businesses are encouraged to hold leadership positions in the health service sector and hence contribute to enormous improvement of the sector. Expenditures for prevention programs and public health services in Kenya are estimated based on a variety of factors. These factors vary from time to time depending on the prevailing public health conditions (Beatty Institute of Medicine U.S, 2012). There are medical professions who are specialized in public health financing. One of the parameters that guides in the allocation of resources for prevention programs is the probability of contracting a diseases and the danger that the disease poses to public health. Diseases or public health issues that are of high risk level to the general public are given higher priority when it comes to budgeting. Another factor is the health needs of a particular society or county. Different counties in Kenya have different health needs. Since the counties are in charge of preparing their own budget, they are expected to access the most urgent health needs and then address them adequately in their public health budgets. Resource allocation refers to the methods/formula used in allocating the available scarce resources to various sectors of the public health care system. In any country, it is very important that public health expenditure reflects equitable resource allocation in Health care. The government of Kenya has out various measures to ensure that there is equity in allocation of public health resources. One of these moves is procuring cancer dialysis machines for every county in partnership with major donors in the public health sector (Oxford Textbook Of Global Public Health, 2017). Equitable resource allocation in public health promotes improved health standards. Economic factors can greatly hinder delivery of health programs in Kenya. Given that majority of the citizens are poor, they cannot afford to pay for health care. There are also poor bad infrastructural projects such as roads which hider access to some areas where people require emergency medical services and this greatly hinders health provision. Economic levers are very important in improving public health service delivery. Economic levers such as savings incentives can encourage citizens to save for health care. These savings can be used in future to cater for health care bills. Encouraging innovation in an economy can result to important technological innovations that can help to solve health care problems facing Kenya (Barnes World Bank, 2010). Economic levers also help to encourage investment in health care sector. These investments largely contribute to improvement of health service provision and hence help in improving health care. The relationship between equity and resource allocation has a very huge impact on public health service provision in Kenya. Equity in resource allocation refers to fair and equitable allocation of human, financial, and physical resources in the public health care. In Kenya, there is a lot of inequity in allocation of resources in public health. The rural areas are mostly discriminated against in both allocations of health staff as well as financial resources (Boslaugh, 2013). These discrepancies have led to a very huge gap between health provision in rural areas and urban areas. These deficit needs to be addressed urgently. Conclusion This report discusses the public health service sector in Kenya. Allocation of resources in health care in the country is evaluated and compared to other countries such as Australia. The paper also investigates the health care systems and the relationship between resource allocation and provision of public health programs in Kenya. References Country-level Decision Making for Control of Chronic Diseases Workshop, Beatty, A. S., Institute of Medicine (U.S.). (2012). Country-level decision making for control of chronic diseases: Workshop summary. Washington, D.C: National Academies Press. Barnes, J., World Bank. (2010). Private health sector assessment in Kenya. Washington, D.C: World Bank. Boslaugh, S. (2013). Health care systems around the world: A comparative guide. Los Angeles, Calif: Sage reference. Carrin, G. (2009). Health systems policy, finance, and organization. Amsterdam: Academic Press. Guinness, L., Wiseman, V., Wonderling, D. (2011). Introduction to health economics. Maidenhead, Berkshire, England: Open University Press. International Monetary Fund. (2007). Kenya: Poverty Reduction Strategy Annual Progress Report 2003/2004. Washington, D.C: International Monetary Fund. Killoran, A., Kelly, M. P. (2010). Evidence-based public health: Effectiveness and efficiency. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Suchman, A. L., Sluyter, D. J., Williamson, P. R. (2011). Leading changes in healthcare: Transforming organizations using complexity, positive psychology, and relationship-centered care. London: Radcliffe Pub. Volberding, P. (2008). Global HIV/AIDS medicine. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders/Elsevier. Oxford Textbook of Global Public Health. (2017). S.l.: OXFORD UNIV PRESS. Willis, E., Reynolds, L. E., Keleher, H. (2012). Understanding the Australian health care system. Chatswood, N.S.W: Churchill Livingstone. World, H. O., WHO, C. S. D. H. (2008). Closing the gap in a generation : health equity through action on the social determinants of health : final report of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health. Geneva. nyans are covered by a public, private or c

Health Care System In Kenya Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Health Care System In Kenya. Answer: Introduction This paper discusses global health systems with a particular focus on health care system in Kenya. The study of the Kenyan health care system facilitates an understanding of the interdependent relations between economics, health care and public health. The perception of health and well being in Kenya is examined and the allocation of resources in the health sector is determined. Efficiency in management of resources in the public health sector is also examined. The first section of the paper discusses the organization of the public health care system and the funding of the health care (International Monetary Fund. 2007). The second section identifies and analyzes the elements of building blocks of the health system as identified by WHO 2007. The health care spending in Kenya has increased rapidly over the past few years. Between the year 2011 and 2013, Kenya`s health care spending increased by 33% to USD2.743million. In the year 2016,Kenya spent 6.3% of its GDP on health care. Health care financing in Kenya comes from different sources such as taxation, National Health Insurance Fund(NHIF) and private insurance and employer schemes. Kenya`s health care system is devolved. Management of health care finances is done at the county level since the year 2013.Other common sources of health funding in Kenya is Community Based Health Financing and Non-Government organizations funding. Currently, the government spending on health care is approximately 6% of the national GDP. This is very low compared to neighboring countries who spend an average of 10% of their GDP on health care. Australia health care spending went above 10% in the year 2015-16. the spending for that financial year was $170.4bn.This shows a very huge disparity b etween Kenya`s health care spending and that of Australia. An estimated 25% of Kenyans are covered by a public, private or community based health organization. More than 50% of the Kenyan population does not a have a health insurance cover and they rely on the money from their pockets to pay for health services (Willis,Reynolds Keleher, 2012). Technology in public health care is getting adopted at a very high rate. Health and ICT is becoming more integrated in Kenya. The country has become a front runner in Africa in adoption of comprehensive e-Health strategies. Kenya has a multi-billion dollar mobile money payment system that is popularly used to pay for health care services (Guinness, Wiseman Wonderling, 2011). Most of Kenya`s health budget is spent on purchase of medical equipment and building of health care facilities across the country. In Kenya,there is a Universal health Coverage system but its yet to be well established. Universal health care system helps in transforming lives by guarantee access to lifesaving health services while at the same time helping to avoid poverty as a result of expenses on health care. One of the actions that the government of Kenya has taken to strengthen its commitment towards Universal Health Care is abolishment of primary and maternal health service fees. Kenya is striving to achieve Universal Health Coverage. In the year 2016, the ministry of Health of Kenya in partnership with the World Bank and the USAID funded Health Policy Project(HPP). HPP is working with various partners to strengthen the Universal Health Care system in Kenya. The building blocks of health care according to WHO building blocks framework of the year 2007. The building blocks of WHO helps to provide a broad based consensus on the key indicators and effective methods and measures building health capacity. These includes inputs, processes and output as well as effective methods of health provision. According to WHO framework, the building blocks of health systems include; service delivery, health workforce, health information systems, access to essential medicines, financing and leadership/governance (Suchman, Sluyter Williamson, 2011). In Kenya, the service delivery system in the country is through Public sector health care, private sector health care as well as community based health care services. There are also various NGO`s that offer health care services to citizens in Kenya. Most of the people in Kenya depend on public health services. This is because public health services are cheaper and affordable since only 20% of the population have medical insurance cover. Public health services are devolved and are offered through the county governments. The county governments receive finances from the national government. WHO framework recommends 23 doctors, nurses, and midwives per every 10,000 people for an effective health care delivery. In Kenya, there are 12 nurses and midwives for every 10,000 people (Carrin, 2009). This is an indication that there is an acute shortage of health services officers. There is also a huge challenge if in-efficiency of health officers in the Kenyan Health care system. The largest shortfall in health care professionals is mainly in the rural areas. Most of the professionals in Kenya`s health care service delivery have average level of training and education. The health information systems are being adopted in Kenya at a very fast rate. This is despite the fact that most of the public health care facilities in Kenya depend on manual systems of keeping information. Most hospitals in Kenya are adopting health information systems that help the facilities to manage patient data and hence improve health care delivery. Financing for Kenya`s Health Care services is mainly through personal payments. 20% of the Kenyan population have medical insurance cover whereas the remaining 80% depend on NGO`s, Community Health Care or they pay for medical services using their merger savings (Volberding, 2008). The major Medical Insurance provider is the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) which offers medical cover to public service workers and people who are not formally employed. Access to essential medicines is not adequate in Kenya. Patients struggle to get medication in most public health care facilities. This is because of issues related to mismanagement of finances in Health care and embezzlement of funds. Malaria, TB, HIV/AIDS and other major important drugs are not easily accessible in public health care facilities (World WHO, 2008). The low accessibility to of key medicines and drugs shows that there is a lot that needs to be done to improve public health services delivery. Governance and leadership is a very important aspect of the health delivery framework. Governance /leadership involve the structures and the systems that are in place to give guidance and leadership to staff working in the health service sector. The leadership of the health care service in Kenya is headed by the cabinet secretary of Health Services. The permanent secretary in charge of health services delivery. There are also county directors of medical services who oversee the delivery of high quality health services medical services to patients (Killoran Kelly, 2010). The county directors of health services are in charge of medical staff and they supervise their work and determine their remuneration and allowances. The sub-county hospital management board is the board (SD-HMB) board that oversees the management of all health facilities at the sub-county. The Healthy Center management committee (HCMC) is the lowest body of management in provision of medical services in Kenya. Various medical practitioners and businesses are encouraged to hold leadership positions in the health service sector and hence contribute to enormous improvement of the sector. Expenditures for prevention programs and public health services in Kenya are estimated based on a variety of factors. These factors vary from time to time depending on the prevailing public health conditions (Beatty Institute of Medicine U.S, 2012). There are medical professions who are specialized in public health financing. One of the parameters that guides in the allocation of resources for prevention programs is the probability of contracting a diseases and the danger that the disease poses to public health. Diseases or public health issues that are of high risk level to the general public are given higher priority when it comes to budgeting. Another factor is the health needs of a particular society or county. Different counties in Kenya have different health needs. Since the counties are in charge of preparing their own budget, they are expected to access the most urgent health needs and then address them adequately in their public health budgets. Resource allocation refers to the methods/formula used in allocating the available scarce resources to various sectors of the public health care system. In any country, it is very important that public health expenditure reflects equitable resource allocation in Health care. The government of Kenya has out various measures to ensure that there is equity in allocation of public health resources. One of these moves is procuring cancer dialysis machines for every county in partnership with major donors in the public health sector (Oxford Textbook Of Global Public Health, 2017). Equitable resource allocation in public health promotes improved health standards. Economic factors can greatly hinder delivery of health programs in Kenya. Given that majority of the citizens are poor, they cannot afford to pay for health care. There are also poor bad infrastructural projects such as roads which hider access to some areas where people require emergency medical services and this greatly hinders health provision. Economic levers are very important in improving public health service delivery. Economic levers such as savings incentives can encourage citizens to save for health care. These savings can be used in future to cater for health care bills. Encouraging innovation in an economy can result to important technological innovations that can help to solve health care problems facing Kenya (Barnes World Bank, 2010). Economic levers also help to encourage investment in health care sector. These investments largely contribute to improvement of health service provision and hence help in improving health care. The relationship between equity and resource allocation has a very huge impact on public health service provision in Kenya. Equity in resource allocation refers to fair and equitable allocation of human, financial, and physical resources in the public health care. In Kenya, there is a lot of inequity in allocation of resources in public health. The rural areas are mostly discriminated against in both allocations of health staff as well as financial resources (Boslaugh, 2013). These discrepancies have led to a very huge gap between health provision in rural areas and urban areas. These deficit needs to be addressed urgently. Conclusion This report discusses the public health service sector in Kenya. Allocation of resources in health care in the country is evaluated and compared to other countries such as Australia. The paper also investigates the health care systems and the relationship between resource allocation and provision of public health programs in Kenya. References Country-level Decision Making for Control of Chronic Diseases Workshop, Beatty, A. S., Institute of Medicine (U.S.). (2012). Country-level decision making for control of chronic diseases: Workshop summary. Washington, D.C: National Academies Press. Barnes, J., World Bank. (2010). Private health sector assessment in Kenya. Washington, D.C: World Bank. Boslaugh, S. (2013). Health care systems around the world: A comparative guide. Los Angeles, Calif: Sage reference. Carrin, G. (2009). Health systems policy, finance, and organization. Amsterdam: Academic Press. Guinness, L., Wiseman, V., Wonderling, D. (2011). Introduction to health economics. Maidenhead, Berkshire, England: Open University Press. International Monetary Fund. (2007). Kenya: Poverty Reduction Strategy Annual Progress Report 2003/2004. Washington, D.C: International Monetary Fund. Killoran, A., Kelly, M. P. (2010). Evidence-based public health: Effectiveness and efficiency. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Suchman, A. L., Sluyter, D. J., Williamson, P. R. (2011). Leading changes in healthcare: Transforming organizations using complexity, positive psychology, and relationship-centered care. London: Radcliffe Pub. Volberding, P. (2008). Global HIV/AIDS medicine. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders/Elsevier. Oxford Textbook of Global Public Health. (2017). S.l.: OXFORD UNIV PRESS. Willis, E., Reynolds, L. E., Keleher, H. (2012). Understanding the Australian health care system. Chatswood, N.S.W: Churchill Livingstone. World, H. O., WHO, C. S. D. H. (2008). Closing the gap in a generation : health equity through action on the social determinants of health : final report of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health. Geneva. nyans are covered by a public, private or c

Frankenstein and Dorian Gray Essay Example

Frankenstein and Dorian Gray Paper The nineteenth century was a time of fantastic development and change, both scientifically and psychologically, which would have placed a dramatic effect on the writing of Mary Shelley and Oscar Wilde. The new science suggested that we do not know the universe, that what we know suggests a struggle, and that human beings take part in that struggle because their minds are clouded by unconscious motivations. In a period when the distinctions between the disciplines were less rigid, especially in science art and philosophy; science was considered to hold the key to social progress. Incredible discoveries were occurring; in 1802 Galvani showed that running a current through a frog produces a twitch-endanger life, and in 1803, Aldani attached a battery to the corpse of a criminal which led to it moving and one of its eyes moving. These breakthroughs would have inspired Shelley enormously. Shelley was brought up by wealthy, middle-class parents and had a respectable, almost idyllic childhood. Her father, William Godwin was both a philosopher and a novelist. He had a passion for science and Marys childhood was dominated by her love to roam around her fathers extensive library. Shelley wanted to speak of the mysterious fears of our nature and awaken thrilling horror, and so created a gothic novel. Mary Shelley was influenced by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), a poet and critic, who deemed it important to address scientific issues in his work. Shelleys biggest inspiration was her husband, Percy Shelley, who had an intensive excitement for nature, the supernatural and science, all themes that vividly run through Frankenstein. He was interested in live matter emerging from dead matter. We will write a custom essay sample on Frankenstein and Dorian Gray specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Frankenstein and Dorian Gray specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Frankenstein and Dorian Gray specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Critic Mario Praz expresses that All Mrs Shelley did was to provide a passive reflection of some of the wild fantasies which, as it were, hung in the air about her. Oscar Wilde, the author of The Picture of Dorian Gray, was mainly influenced by the psychological development in the nineteenth century. Until the 1880s, psychology was widely regarded as a branch of philosophy, before it developed as an independent scientific discipline. Psychology borders on various other fields including neuroscience and artificial intelligence; factors of which Mary Shelley also bases her writing upon. The progress of psychology, and most prominently Sigmund Freuds psychoanalysis would have been a huge influence on Wildes writing. Oscar Wildes tutor, Reverend JP Mahaffy, was a huge inspiration to him, along with his parents who were noted authors. The imprisonment of Wilde had a huge affect on his writing and could possibly have led him to develop the sinister character of Dorian Gray. Victor Frankenstein could be described as too impatient, ambitious and self-centred to accept the slow pace of science and evolution, which could explain his despair before the creation of the monster. By using chemicals to put together his creature, he short-circuits the natural cycle required for the creation of new life, and the result of his experiment is, in effect, an evolutionary step backwards. The Modern Prometheus, as Frankenstein is sometimes referred, originates from the Latin Prometheus, who makes an unnatural man from clay and water to directly repel against the laws of nature. The figure of Prometheus was the subject of a poem published by Lord Byron in 1816 who explored and harnessed the secrets of nature. Shelley immensely uses the theme of Prometheus throughout Frankenstein, and Victors creation of the monster is almost identical to that. These two aspects of the Prometheus story, creation and transgression, complicate the image of the scientist represented by Victor Frankenstein. Victor Frankenstein could be compared with Dr Faustus, a man who desires to know the secrets of the universe, and sells his soul to Satan. He becomes power-hungry but does not know how to handle the power. The Faust legend raises the question of eternal damnation due to the unpardonable sin of despair. Victor relinquishes his family for the pursuit of secret knowledge, and, working in isolation, creates a creature that he abandons. This can also be compared to Oscar Wildes Dorian Gray. Wilde was very familiar with the Faust legend through popular culture and so incorporated its themes into his writing. Lord Henry can be associated with the devil, or at least the devils advocate, and Dorian Gray the innocent, unwitting, insecure boy who has his flaws manipulated by Lord Henry. He persuades nai ve Dorian, to exchange his soul for eternal youth which in turn leads him to become greedy and out of control. Mary Shelley was reading the book Emile previous to writing Frankenstein. The novel argues that mans nature is harmless, but is made evil by societys perception. The monster, although visually distorted and horrendous, was not born a bad person. A parents, or creators job is to support and care for their creation, which Victor failed to do. Inspiration for this storyline may have originated from Marys home life. Both Percys and her father simultaneously disowned them for falling in love with one another, similar to Victor and the monster, on their departure she began to write Frankenstein. The theme of the monster in man is very apparent in both Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Gray. In Shelleys novel, the monster is used as a symbol for our own inner ugliness. Although it appears to be the cause of fear and prejudice, it could stand for a hideous and violent reaction to something unknown and different. This is similarly obvious in Wildes Dorian Gray, as Dorian is an envied, beautiful man, but on discovery that he will one day lose his assets and look different, his personality significantly alters and he transforms into a monster. Another theme that is present in both novels is that of discovery. Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein and the monster all begin by expressing their desires to discover. The monster has humble aims to discover motives, but the others have lofty ambitions and are prepared to sacrifice human relationships to fulfil them. Dorian Grays only motive is to sustain his youth, but by doing this embarks on an incredible journey which enables him to discover himself, and release the monstrous characteristics he possess inside him.

Meniscus Definition and Examples (Science)

Meniscus Definition and Examples (Science) A meniscus is a phase boundary that has been curved because of  surface tension.  In the case of water and most  liquids, the meniscus is concave. Mercury produces a convex meniscus. Meniscus in Chemistry A concave meniscus forms when the liquid molecules are more attracted to the container via adhesion than to each other via cohesion. A convex meniscus occurs when the liquid particles are more attracted to each other than to the walls of the container. Measure the meniscus at eye level from the center of the meniscus. For a concave meniscus, this it the lowest point or bottom of the meniscus. For a convex meniscus, this is the uppermost or top point of the liquid. A meniscus is seen between the air and water in a glass of water. The water is seen to curve up the edge of the glass. Meniscus in Physics In physics, the term meniscus can either apply to the boundary between a liquid and its container or to a type of lens used in optics. A meniscus lens is a convex-concave lens in which one face curves outward, while the other face curves inward. The outward curve is greater than the inward curve, the lens acts as a magnifier and has a positive focal length. Meniscus in Anatomy In anatomy and medicine, a meniscus is a crescents in humans are found in the wrist, knee, temporomandibular, and sternoclavicular joints. In contrast, an articular disk is a structure that completely divides a joint cavity.

Radio Frequency Identification Tags Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Radio Frequency Identification Tags - Essay Example They proved that the once-thought virus-safe RFID tags are prone to virus attack even if the memory seems too small to contain all the information needed by the virus to ruin the technology. This research is a call for the RFID designers to take extra care in engineering the chips' code. Since the databases vary about their built in security, the designers should focus on the details of the lines of source code which numbers up to millions. Around 6 to 16 mistakes out of a thousand lines of code mean less security and vulnerability to virus attack. This is important because RFID tags have promising uses in industries such as groceries and airports, wherein important information are all stored in databases. The uses include tracking and inventories, storage of information about personal and financial matters, and property monitoring. Interference of the RFID tags using the viruses does not affect only the system, but the larger scale of the industries concerned. False tags can be used on an item to deliver a virus in a properly working system. This virus can then replicate its illegal code on the databases and corrupt the files. (Kirk, 2006). Privacy of information stored in RFID tags should start at the design and engineering stage. The RFID tags must be designed in such a way that it holds the minimum amount of information possible, without compromising its function and performance. Manufacturers must find a way to decrease the linkability of the tags with confidential data (Cavoukian, 2006). Since RFID tags carry important information, it is very usefule not only in identification but for access into different databases as well. The Senate of the California State had passed a legislation which bans RFID tags in government transactions and documentations. Integration of RFID in any form of identification card, license, and document issued by the state. This prohibition is applicable also in the use of RFID by the employees for security access. (Hook, 2005). The University of Amsterdam's Faculty of Science created a website called the RFID Guardian. The site aims to help RFID users secure their privacy. The website, www.rfidguardian.org, offers a free video about the function of RFID Guardian and how its system works (Faculty of Science). Data and identity theft The RFID tag user should be responsible for the information covered by his tag. He should definitely be in control of the information his RFID tag carries. The same goes for institutions and organizations. They, therefore, should allot resources for training their employees so that the organization as a whole would be able to comply with privacy and security guidelines. They should limit the use of RFID in the disclosure of information by assessing their files and classifying them according to their relevance and confidentiality. Data including those of personal and confidential nature, and those data containing dispersible information, should be updated and accurate. This could prevent subsequent transfer of information using RFID tags from one system to another, which makes the information vulnerable to illegal attacks. There should also be consent from an individual concerned whether or not certain information about him can be disclosed from his RFID tag (Cavoukian, 2006). Due to the important data stored in RFID tags, the technology attracts unauthorized individuals to invade somebody else's privacy. These illegally involved people can

Managing the marketing process of Jims Cleaning Essay

Managing the marketing process of Jims Cleaning - Essay Example According to the study conducted an organisation orientation consists of production, product, selling, and marketing. If these four segments are not available, an organisation does not exist. Therefore, the marketing process is managed by the top marketing professionals. The top marketing professionals manage the marketing process by analyzing the market trends and market structure, absorbing the opportunities from the environment, developing the effective strategies, planning, implementing and controlling the marketing strategies and functions, and finally measuring the business efficacy to evaluate on how well the marketing process is managed by the top marketers. Jim’s Cleaning is the leading organisation that has been used in this assignment for analyzing its business effectiveness, marketing approaches, marketing strategies, and its business and market metric in which it operates. The effectiveness of the business can be measured by evaluating the performance of an organi sation. The effectiveness of business is measured in terms of business profitability and business performance increased or decreased due to marketing activities. Marketing mix and customers are the two tools that must be accurately managed by the top marketers for managing and aligning the marketing activities together to achieve productive results. Marketing activities need to be according to the market segment and also according to the lifestyles of the market segment. A marketer must ensure that the goods and services must be available to the customers and a clear message should be communicated to them. Jim’s Cleaning is a well known company in Australia that has a numbers of franchises in various countries. It is regarded as the most profitable company that provides wide range of cleaning services to customers (Jim’s Cleaning Group). Following are some of the significant tools that measure the business effectiveness of Jim’s Cleaning. Managing 7 P’s t hrough 4 C’s for Business Profitability It is commonly known that marketing is a game and there are 7 P’s of marketing; product, price, placement, promotion, people, process, and physical evidence. These 7 P’s are the tools that are needed for playing the game between the buyers and the sellers. Customers need to be catered in terms of all marketing aspects so that they prove to be highly profitable for the business. Buyers and sellers exchange values for satisfaction that results in profitability. Product, price, placement, and promotion are the traditional P’s used for goods, whereas, people, process, and physical evidence are the extensions used for services. If these 7 P’s are properly managed by the marketers through the use of 4 C’s, it means an organisation is working and managing the marketing activities effectively that results in the increased profitability, growth, and market value of an organisation. Customer Solution: Customer s olution is related with the first P that is product. The top marketers search for the problem of the customers, identifies the problem, create solutions (goods or services) for the solving the problem, communicate the message to the customers about the goods or services, and finally delivers the value to the customers for satisfying their needs (Armstrong and Kotler, 82). Jim’s Cleaning provides cleaning solutions for homes and offices. It provides wide ra

Half the Sky Movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Half the Sky Movement - Essay Example Breakthrough is an organization that is committed to deal with violence against women in the society. The organization defines sexual violence as all acts ranging from assault from partners, early marriages, â€Å"honor† killings and rape. Sexual Violence is viewed as a violation of human rights to a safe environment. It is seen as an issue that causes women to be insecure while living on earth. The organization views sexual violence as an act that keeps women from contributing fully to the economy of the community. The organization states that the key reason as to why women are faced with such traumatizing issues is simply because they are women. They are seen as less of a value compared to men. Research also shows that the level of education in women is less than that in women and thus, the gender difference. Thus, the organization states that the only way in which women can stop sexual abuse is self-empowerment. Women should equip themselves with education and skills such t hat; the community will realize that they are of value to the economy. This way, they will be able to earn respect from members of the opposite sex and be able to reduce cases of sexual violence.Equality Now is an organization that is based in New York which mainly deals with social issues affecting the lives of women. The organization also has a branch in Kenya that mainly targets at helping women who suffer from gender-based issues in Africa. Equality Now classifies a number of practices as sexual violence.... The organization defines sexual violence as all acts ranging from assault from partners, early marriages, â€Å"honor† killings and rape. Sexual Violence is viewed as a violation of human rights to a safe environment. It is seen as an issue that causes women to be insecure while living on earth. The organization views sexual violence as an act that keeps women form contributing fully to the economy of the community. The organization states that the key reason as to why women are faced with such traumatizing issues is simply because they are women. They are seen as less of a value compared to men. Research also shows that the level of education in women is less than that in women and thus, the gender difference (CIA, 2012). Thus, the organization states that the only way in which women can stop sexual abuse is self-empowerment. Women should equip themselves with education and skills such that; the community will realize that they are of value to the economy. This way, they will be able to earn respect from members of the opposite sex and be able to reduce cases of sexual violence (Breakthrough Organization, 1). Equality Now is an organization that is based in New York which mainly deals with social issues affecting the lives of women. The organization also has a branch in Kenya that mainly targets at helping women who suffer from gender based issues in Africa. Equality Now, classifies a number of practices as sexual violence. For instance, gang raping, sexual assault, child marriages and bride kidnapping. The organization views sexual violence as being a result of inequality in women. Therefore, the organization mainly works to end such acts through promotion of equality among women. According to the organization, equality between

Harley Davidsons Process Of Change

Harley Davidsons Process Of Change Harley Davidson celebrates their 107 years anniversary this year. In their long journey, they have faced many bumps. One of the biggest challenges was in 1980s where Japanese motor cycle company joins the competition in United States. It gaves a huge impact to Harley. The Harley almost becomes history that day. Until some important person came and initiated change of every single aspect.. Rich Teerlink and Lee Ozley were two of the key person behind the change. Rich Teerlink was CEO of Harley Davidson, Inc and Lee Ozley was consultant for the company. In the year 2000, they wrote a book called More than a motorcycle: the leadership journey at Harley. The book tells stories about more than 12 years journey of change. How they analyze the problems, failure they made, challenge to change, until they succeed in changing Harley Davidson become better company. In this research paper, the authors try to see their journey from knowledge management perspective. The authors will draw importan t components that could affect implementation of knowledge management initiative. Leadership, business process, organizational structure, lifelong learning, culture and employee participation, are some components that lead successfulness of Harley Davidson s journey. Keywords: Knowledge Management, Leadership Introduction On the edge of bankruptcy, Harley was acquired by American Machine and Foundry (AMF) in1969, but still not revolving well until 1980. Worse is that the independence of Harley, Inc. put Harley people from honeymoon to hard times because of capital deficit. The arrival of crisis in the early 1980s, when many of Harleys employees lost their jobs or opportunities for career advancement, turned into a driving force of adopting the traditional command-and control hierarchies to remove the crunch. It seemed safe and steady after the crisis, nevertheless, the tree leaders, Rich, Tom Gelb, vice president of manufacturing, and John Campbell, vice president of human resources, started to take into account the survival and prosperity of the company in the long run. Decisive, top-down leadership style no longer could afford the future with limited effectiveness and durability. Commitment, rather than compliance, together with appropriate leadership were put on the agenda in view of Employee involvement (EI). This revolution started with information flow for knowledge sharing within the organization, supported by strategy thrust in stair-step. Leadership played a vital role in articulating a vision of collaboration during the whole business process while emphasis on human capital through awareness expansion, commitment extension and two-way communication helped building the life-long learning culture of the company. Best Practices originated from the Operational Committee the behavior model, also contributed to one of the core advantages of Harleyworld class system. Preparation of Journey Getting There from Here Strategic thrust (Figure 1) for change rises from comparison between where we are today and vision of ideal future with power derives from the stair-step idea (Figure 2), which stimulated the forward information flow in that a shared vision help people on the stair to tolerate the near-term unknowns. Making Change Popular The conceptual framework (Teerlink, 2000) Lee outlined was based on the mathematics of change, providing an approach to making change welcome. Change = (E*M*P) > Resistance E=Engagement, M=Model, P=Process The need to do things differently drives peoples engagement.(E) The Vision of ideal future provides a clear goal with the proper model giving the reality-transformation.(M) Approaches to make change welcome ,stepping toward the clear goal.(P) Structure for Information Flow With the fact that Harley could not afford another three years of only incremental change, management team agreed to adopt the one-year contract that afterwards proved to be beneficial for both the union and management to take the risk. Demanding for establishing the appropriate relationship among the unions, between the union and the company together with feedbacks from the stakeholder, customer, shop floor worker along the tree dimensions: quality, financial performance, interpersonal relations turned into the catalyst of producing the Joint Vision Process. The information flow unfold the process by combining the two perspectives from both union and nonunion together, with negative and positive pressures, limited time but also stimulus to the process, brought by the one-year contract. Joint Vision Process Joint Vision Process (Figure 3) was the first step in the journey. The purpose is to jointly create the company s vision between the Union and Management. Individuals from the two groups formed their own perspectives toward vision for the company and the union-management relationship which then combined into a joint vision. In producing a final Joint Vision, a three-day session called the May Big One was held at the Ramada Inn in May 1988. There is one and only rule that nothing would be included in the final vision statement that wasnt the product of complete consensus. This rewarding process carried out through a continuing dialogue, with participants showing a sense of personal ownership in company matters, enabled this switch, rather than change from Point A (my ideas) to point B(my companys ideas) through a series of steps (my institutions ideas, my sites ideas). The proxy is community since local and specific cannot be generally accepted. The conference committees, set up by ROI with members including the most senior managers and labor leaders from both union and nonunion, aimed to address apparent disagreement. What continued was the setup of the Joint Leadership Group, which was created as a network of temporary structures, composing union and management leaders, to help move the Joint Vision Process forward. And Local Site Committees, responsible for the identification of barriers had three guidelines to decide the work of problem solving, which are 1. Problems and issues would be dealt with by the people most directly affected and knowledgeable. 2. Only the top-level joint group could identify issues as off limits to the Joint Vision Process. 3. Any joint group could form task forces to do pieces of work within the charter of that joint group. Temporary governance structure (Figure 4) of the process was then seated to hunt down barriers, giving fairness to those people who have not yet been directly involved by reaching a numerical balance between unions and management. Modeling Appropriate Behaviors The Operational Committee was established by individuals reporting directly to members of the Executive Committee to make executives actions visible and support a culture of collaboration in the embryonic form of Best Practices, enabling combination of Tacit knowledge interaction from different levels. The two consultants, Bob and Lee, provided a series of recommendation after observing a number of committee meetings. They pointed out that one facilitator was needed in the committee to help train the members with the guidelines and ground rules, and those participants should contribute to the topic only at the meeting, and also third-party attributions had to be avoided. It is troublesome in the late period of identifying and addressing barriers to the Joint Vision and hundreds of barriers lead to the negotiation between the two sidesunion and management, ending with a new two-year labor agreement. The process went well from mid-1988 to early 1990, and then came the unavoidable suspension because of lacking comprehensive training of leaders from both the union and the management sides, following by the discussion based on six specific issues. Margaret Crawford, a member of one of the salaried groups, says that going right to the barriers was probably a mistake and that focusing on opportunities could be a better idea. Since it really takes time to build relationship, active steps should be taken to help people in the organization change. All in all, the Joint Vision Process was a painful process but it did give the right direction, setting the foundation of the whole journey. Leadership involved creating opportunities, Harleys Executive Committee moved forward to expand awareness of senior management of the two separate organizations, Harley and Holiday-Ramble, through activities mainly focus at debate stimulation, learning sharing and organizational cohesion, which was the first time that all top executives from both HDMC and HRC come together in a working session. The learning organization began among the groups with the following six objectives (Teerlink, 2000): Provide insights and concepts to assist senior management in leading their organizations more effectively Demonstrate continuous learning as a way of life Get better acquainted Exchange ideas and information Elicit ideas for the content and process of future sessions Have fun After an effective icebreakerthe Tinker Toy exercise in which the five-member teams comprising purposely mixed employees from HDMC and HRC, in team, design, build, and sell a Tinker toy, all participants came to the next activity, where no challenging ideas were provided by the groups toward the extreme thought given by the guest speaker James Brian Quinn. The participating managers had unexpected flat, one-dimensional reflect in spite that a high level of camaraderie was promoted through the enjoyable experiential learning in which people had energetic and positive responses to the skits. Rich was unsatisfied as peoples habits of getting the answers from on high lead no different new ways and the unawareness of Participation is an important element of Harleys long-term success and must be so recognized by the operating units. (Teerlink, 2000). And Lee compared the awareness expansion to a watershed event, saying that it broke the egg open a little. The Business Process Business process is defined as a structured, measured set of activities designed to produce a specific output for a particular customer or market. It implies a strong emphasis on how work is done within an organization, in contrast to a product focus s emphasis on what. A process is thus a specific ordering of work activities across time and space, with a beginning and an end, and clearly defined inputs and outputs: a structure for action. Taking a process approach implies adopting the customer s point of view. Processes are the structure by which an organization does what is necessary to produce value for its customers. (T. Davenport, 1993) As a brushfire of change, the Joint Vision Process received various feedbacks among different level of participants. Problems exist in both pace and process. Channeling energy released through the awareness expansion sessions, the Joint Vision Process, the beginning of organizational learning together with related initiatives called the need of structures. Business Process (Figure 5) is such a device that predated the Joint Vision Process, helping define much about the way Harley does business today. The distinction between Harleys previous improvement programs and the Business Process is that the latter automatically expand and extend the productive programs. Below are the three components of the Business Process: the corporate Umbrella, the operating unit, and the work unit (My Area) Corporate Umbrella In building the umbrella package of ideas including values, issues, and stakeholders, one-word signposts is agreed in the Executive Committee to summarize the following four areas: How will we behave in our interactions with others? (Values) What is truly important to Harley? (Issues) Whom does Harley serve? (Stakeholders) How will we describe success in the future? (Vision) (Teerlink, 2000) The values to determine our interactions with others are based on the short list presented by Dr. Alex Horniman, an ethics professor at the University of Virginia s Darden School, which are to tell the truth, to be fair, to keep your promises, to respect the individual. And to encourage intellectual curiosity was added as a fifth value by the Executive Committee. Five issues including Quality, Participation, Productivity, Flexibility, and Cash flow are focused by the group to determine what kind of company Harley was supposed to be. Stakeholders, whom the Executive Committee defined as anyone inside or outside the company who has an interaction with Harleys products, services, or representatives. comprise six parts: customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders, government, and society. Shareholders were replaced by investors due to its restriction on unfolding all of those who backed Harley with money and other assets. The vision, including key ideas of the importance of relationshi ps, the imperative for action, and the international nature of the companys future markets, was defined together by all senior managers and was proved to be the driving force of the forwarding overwhelming business process. Two sentences captured the vision before 1994: Harley is an action-oriented, international companya leader in its commitment to continuously improve the quality of profitable relationships with stakeholders(customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders, government and society). and Harley believes the key to success is to balance stake holders interests through the empowerment of all employees to focus on value-added activities. and then was changed to To be a leader in continuous improvement in mutually beneficial relationships with all our stakeholders. Operating Unit A three-year plan, as an attachment of a cover note Rich prepared for the December 1987 board of directors meeting, including a mission statement, operating philosophy, and selected strategies, was the foundation of the Business Process. The Executive Committee attached great importance to flexibility on the mission statement: Preserve and perpetuate the Harley institution through continuous improvement in the quality of our goods and services, and achievement of our financial goals, Provide motorcycles, accessories, and services to motorcycles in selected niches, provide the general public brand-identified products/services to enhance Harleys image and attract new customers (Teerlink, 2000). Engage in manufacturing or service ventures that can add value (not only profit) to the motorcycle business (1991) and We fulfill dreams through the experiences of motorcyclingby providing to motorcyclists and to the general public an expanding line of motorcycles, branded products, and services in selected market segments (February 1999) Objectives: How do we measure success? Operating units are guided in general terms by objectives which are traditionally stated in financial like develop the global market potential of 100,000 units by December 31, 1996, and develop the capacity to meet that demand while continuously improve quality. It is suggested by the Executive Committee that no more than five objectives should be adopted in each operating unit within Harley. Strategic plans, guiding operating units in specific terms, are based on a three to five year time horizon, compared with that of objectives, mostly a five to ten year time horizon at Harley and are changed corresponding to different objectives in various periods of time. Work Unit (My Area) The philosophy embedded in the mind of Harleys people is supposed to be doing the right thing naturally and organically but not in response to some external crisis, which can be enabled by tools for individuals and groups to operate independently, without continuous guidance from corporate, balancing local responsibility with the larger needs of functions, divisions, and departments. Three key points here: 1. A work unit, today operating as natural work group, would map out plans annually according to the stages of the annual operating plans. 2. An employee-driven Performance Effectiveness Plan (PEP) was developed for every employee to understand plans, in both strategic and operating level, and then to make personal plans correspondingly. 3. Inside the Two-way communication, managers act as knowers, to whom people provide their information and go for answers. Managing business process enables organizations to be more efficient, more effective and more capable of change than a functionally focused, traditional hierarchical management approach. In business process, knowledge is created and transferred throughout the organization by tools such as lessons learn database, best practices and community of practices. And since the transfer of business practices is viewed as a source of competitive advantage in knowledge management strategies (Alexandre P., 2007), business process provides Harley the platform to build the core advantages of the companyworld class system through best practices originated from the Operational Committee the behavior model(Teerlink, 2000). Organizational Structure Organizational design is one of the factors that will greatly influence the implementation of a knowledge management process (Enrique Claver-Corte s, 2007). Organizational structure which have high hierarchy and very bureaucratic tend to have low innovations from the employees. Usually the structure is command-control, not much space for the employees to express himself. Harley s manager and union members found that organizational structure gives huge barriers to realization of company s future. Rich changes Harley s organizational structure from command control decision making into employee-driven and minimal structure. Employees have opportunity to contribute on deciding specifics boxes and lines for the organization and the structure should derive from real organizational functions. Rich and colleagues come up with idea about circle organization. The philosophy behind this circle organization was to get the right people, together at the right time, to do the right work right. (Teerlink, 2000). It represents shared leadership and cross-functionality at work in Harley. The circle organization based on three core processes, Create demand; include marketing, sales, public relations, customer services and styling. Produce product; include manufacturing, engineering, purchasing, logistics, etc. Provide support; include finance, HR, legal, information services, etc. And leadership and strategy council (LSC), its coordinator of other three circles. Figure 6 shows complete picture about the circle organization. Arrows pointing to stakeholders area means it s the external focus for the company. Meanwhile, arrows pointing across the circle indicate recognition of interdependence. The scheme encourages employees to seek the right people to work with in order to get the work done. The command-control position was replaced by the coach or facilitator in each group. Employees communicate and share knowledge inside and between the circles, knowledge buyer and seller change their idea how to solve a problem, new ideas often generate during the discussions. Employee Engagement One of factors influencing successfulness of Knowledge Management initiative is employee s engagement to the organization. When employee feel the organization is belong to them and their contribution is recognized by the company, employee will be encouraged to share their knowledge and actively participate to the company s business strategy. Bob Hayward in his website shares some benefits of employee engagement in the organization (Hayward, 2010): Better performance Knowledge worker whom engage in his job tend to work smarter. They always looking for ways to improve their performance. Work in effective and efficient way. It means better quality, innovations and lower cost. Better communication Engaged employee communicate to share ideas, information and knowledge. Knowledge sharing is in his blood. He actively plays roles in knowledge market. Greater customer satisfaction Customer is a king. Engaged employee will seek how he could meet customer needs. Customer satisfaction is his target. Better team working Employee has personal responsibility to deliver business agenda. He works in the team to achieve organization s vision. Greater commitment Employee has a pride and really cares about the company s future, because company s future is also his future. Lower employee turnover and greater ability to recruit great people One of serious problem in organization is high employee turnover. Without proper knowledge management system, knowledge could walk away out the door together with employee. Organization has to reinvent the wheel every time employee goes out. For engaged employee, they do not easily leave the company. They feel happy working there. Good employee usually has good networking; it will lead them to propose the company great people to join them. Rich and his teams clearly have vision how to engage their employee to the company. Harley did some activities to encourage the employee engagement: Established Performance Effectiveness Process (PEP) PEP gives individual opportunity and responsibility to determine function of his work unit and how he can make difference in company s future. PEP is the smallest participatory process entity of company s vision that will evolve iteratively and it will lead to the creation of whole company business process. PEP can be used for several activities, such as: o Performance Evaluation One purpose of performance evaluation is to see strength and weakness of individual. Harley involved the employee on defining their own performance measure and see individual from other perspective. Employee should know his position based on others judgments and understood how their colleges perceived them and how to improve their performance in the eyes of their college. Based on this evaluation, company will extract strength and weakness of their employee. So the company will know which subject they should concentrate to develop. o Career Development PEP was tailored by the HR department to become basic for career development. Many employees like status quo. When company trying to make major cultural change, they do not want to change and hate to be changed. Integrating career development into PEP, it will insist the employee to change their habit. If they do not want to change, then he will be the first employee who will leave the company when layoff comes. o Maximize employee participation. Individuals know clarity how he can make a difference. It s good for company as well for the individuals. With PEP, employee have to give input how to improve them self as well as the company. In their employee handbook, Harley Davidson commit to create a working environment designed to maximize employee contribution and provide resource and opportunities to develop their knowledge. PEP does not succeed in its first month or even first year of implementation. It emerged over several years, with continuous improvement in all aspects. Compensation The second way how Harley engaged the employee is by giving them compensation. Harley compensates people not only from performance but also on how they demonstrate their capabilities. Harley found that they should not compensate the employee only with money. Because their motivation is not only money, indeed we should have much money to do that, said Lee. Harley has two visions on giving compensation. The first is to make a larger part of employees compensation at-risk or variable and the second is to compensate all employees in essentially the same way by creating standard pay components across the company. Listen to the employees Harley Davidson is an employee driven organizations. They were changing their culture from command control top down company into more participatory. Most people want the same thing from their company. For them working motivation is not only money. What Harley s employee really seeks are rewards and recognition in non-monetary realms. They seek opportunities to be heard, organization s evidence of contribution, involvement in decision making and problem solving process. They want to know every single aspect in organization and understand what is going on. Employee seeks total experience in their working place. The company really listens carefully and takes necessary action to response the employee s need. Harley s facilitate sharing session on what they expect in the organization. The employee proposed 49 things to the company. Some of the items can be done immediately and the others need approve from the board. But Harley really engages to his employee satisfaction, and this will bring the employees to do the same thing for the company. Lifelong Learning Learning organization is organizations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning to see the whole together. (Senge, 1990) Some benefits of becoming a learning organization are: Maintaining levels of innovation and remaining competitive (McHugh, 1998) Being better placed to respond to external pressures (McHugh, 1998) Having the knowledge to better link resources to customer needs (Wikipedia, 2010) Improving quality of outputs at all levels (Wikipedia, 2010) Improving corporate image by becoming more people oriented (Wikipedia, 2010) Increasing the pace of change within the organization (Wikipedia, 2010) Harley s leaders, both union and management leaders have commitment to encourage and facilitate learning and intellectual curiosity in the organizations. Intellectual curiosity is result of looking somebody else doing the task and reason why he doing in that way. Company serves the employee by providing skills and knowledge they need. The most significant step toward Harley learning culture was Awareness Expansion III. One of participant said We re learning from each other, and we re increasing our understanding of our respective business . Successfulness of AEIII leads to establishment of AEIV. AEIV main purpose is to learning from each other. Employee divided into 5 groups and they present on one particular topic. They change knowledge when the presentation was held. Working together in this way, give them a new experience of learning. Based on Lee opinion, AEIV is a huge step of Harley s journey because the group discussion is led and facilitated by themselves, not by professional. Another achievement in AEIV is, they collaborate with MIT-based Organizational Learning Center (OLC). This Research group headed by Peter Senge, he is an organizational theorist and consultant. Peter Senge was the author of The Fifth Discipline book. Rich and Lee had read the book and interest to implement his idea on how to become a successful organization. Senge proposed five disciplines about successful organization, which are: personal mastery, mental models, shared visions, team learning and systems thinking. Senge s sights were aligned with what Harley s doing lately. By working together with OLC, Harley wants to emphasis lifelong learning for all employees. To support this program, Harley provides some formal learning program to its employee. Harley Davidson Leadership Institute Tuition reimbursement programs at Graduate and Undergraduate levels Degree Program with Marquette University Lifelong Learning Centers Motorcycle U Harley Davidson University On creating the learning concepts, they were involving all the stakeholders. Because the root learning concept built based on old Chinese proverb Tell me, Ill forget Show me and I may remember But involve me, and Ill understand To decide specific training and education, management and labor jointly adopt Learning Maps approach developed by Perrysburg. By using this Learning Maps, the employee come up with four topics that they need to learned: our market, the business process, our processes and the money cycle. All these topics are compelled to help every single employee understand the companys critical business issues in the same way. Communication Achievements reached in Communication As stated by Rich and Lee at the beginning of the journey, the umbrella business process was serving to ensure that everybody had the appropriate level of information as defined, to allow them to do their job for the organization. However, the results from two baseline audit surveys on the employees in 1991 broke the leadership s expectation after their more-than-three-year effort on improving the relationships and communications within the organization. Shocked by the feedbacks from a majority of the employees, the leadership recognized the failure on communication and started to find and fix the problems. Aligning with the organizational strategy, transforming the company from command-and-control model to a totally new way based on good communication, Rich and Lee thoroughly abandoned dictating method and broke the assumptions of some senior managers and supervisors on employees perspectives about information and knowledge. Later, they came up with a new approach to improve organiz ational communication by asking the employees what they need to know and trying to meet the needs. Due to the executive of the new approach and the establishment of Harley communications department (which had a risk of setting the communication situation back to the command-and-control era, as worried about by Rich, but truly facilitated the organizational communication and drove the efforts on better communication), the employees curiosity on information in a big picture By design, they owned the big picture. They therefore took responsibility for figuring out which piece of that big picture they would communicate, to whom, and in what form. (Teerlink, 2000) was dramatically raised and information and knowledge finally began to flow efficiently throughout the company and among plants in different locations. Although the achievement Harley obtained on organizational communication still cannot be regarded as a huge success, it did lead to favorable outcome in the organization s coming partnering project. The roots of partnering, as described by Rich and Lee in the book, can be traced back to the crisis in the late 1970s and 1980s.During the hard time, Harley s union leaders and members worked collaboratively with management to save the company. However, once the crisis was gone, the collaborative work began to fade, which was obviously not likely to the company continuous improvement in the new marketing environment. And in the year of 1994, the increasing marketing demand urgently called for an expansion of manufacturing capacity which was not possible to be realized without partnering. Due to the endeavors mainly made by Harley s leadership, Joint Partnership Implementation Committee (JPIC) was founded and Kansas City plant started up as a great outcome of partnering. Factors Leading to Success of Communication According to Thoma