Operational Management Theory of Constraints Essay

The theory of constraints is a management philosophy which was developed by Goldratt in 1986.   It is based on identifying the limiting factors/constraints in a system which may hinder it from achieving its intended goals.   It states that for such a system to improve, the constraint must be identified and dealt with accordingly. Question one. The major cause of the backlog at the BCMC MRI clinic is due to the low productivity of the MR machine and the heavy overtime schedule which strains the MR technologist and leads to scanning of lesser patients per hour.   Although the machine is designed to make one scan per hour, it is not meeting this target due to various limiting factors such as poor communication between the patient and the hospital scan-scheduling department which has led to booking and overbooking of patients at the wrong times.   This has resulted in the clinic having too many patients which it is unable to handle. Question two. The major problem of this process lies in the clinic’s scheduling department which makes so many mistakes when booking the appointments for the patients’ scanning.   This system unlike previous MRI providers does not handle the scheduling leaving all the workload to the scheduling department and this has proved to be quite hectic for them. Question three. According to the radiology department manager, the clinic should consider hiring another MR technologist to ease the pressure on the present technologist and improve the lead-time.   In addition, the clinic should consider introducing another shift may be in the early hours of the evening in order to ensure that more patients are attended to per day. In addition to the above recommendation, as Kevin and/or David i would recommend that more incentives be given to Jeff the MR technologist for every extra time he puts in.   This would motivate him to work more thus maximizing the number of scans he performs per day and it will help a great deal in reducing the backlog.

American Participation in NATO

  North Atlantic Alliance Organization was founded in 1949 by 12 countries: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the UK, and the USA. Greece and Turkey joined NATO in 1952, Germany (German Federative Republic) in 1955 and Spain in 1982.The agreement that was signed between the members of NATO in Washington, April, 4 1949 assumed mutual assistance and collective security, primary against the threat of the Soviet Union. It was the first union of after war period in the history, made by the USA and which assumed the union of capitalist countries.The main reason for NATO creation were very aggressive relations between the USA and the USSR, especially after Warsaw Pact, or a pact that united all communistic regimes in Eastern Europe with the head of the USSR.The results of Warsaw pact were the following: besides mutual assistance in the sphere of economics, science and education the countries participants agreed the USSR to place its troops on their territories. Romania, Poland, DDR (eastern Germany), Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia agreed to dislocate Soviet troops on their territories.As the result a Soviet threat was created to the countries of Western Europe who were rather weak and could not have anything similar to individual defense after the WW2. In March 1948 five European countries signed Brussels treaty, which was the basis for NATO foundation a year later.The main principle of NATO is its fifth article, which says that all participants agree that military attack against one of the them is considered to be the attack against all of the countries participants. NATO’s principles were developed in the USA in accordance to the 51st article of UN’s rules that assumed the right to create organizations for collective security. This right also makes the nations to participate in economical, political and social integration and mutual assistance.NATO' as military forces were formed in 1950 as a feedback to th e events in Korea that turned into war in June 1950.Korean war or the aggression of North Korea was considered to be a part communist intervention in the east. The war ended in 1953 on the border of North Korea with South Korea on the 47th parallel the place where it had started 3 years before. The main body that directs NATO’s policy is the NATO’s council, which is situated in Brussels (before 1967 all the meetings were held in Paris). Every country-participant of NATO provides a representative f an embassy level, and the meetings are held at least once a week.NATO played an important role in the solution of different conflicts that took place in the world starting from war in Korea and ending military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. If during the years of the cold war the biggest attention was turned to resistance to the USSR military system based in Eastern Europe, than in the years of after cold war period it’s mostly directed on the preserving peace and stability in the world.Probably the coldest relations between the USA and USSR started during Kennedy’s office as disagreements with Soviets led to the missile crisis in Cuba. That was a turning point in the relations between two countries that resulted into two decades of real â€Å"Cold War†.Scared by the dislocation of military bases in Turkey and Greece Soviet ministry of defense on the head with country’s leader Nikita Khrushchev decided to locate Soviet missiles on the island of Cuba, where new revolutionary government was loyal to communistic ideology and was financed by the Soviets. Fortunately missile crisis was solved, but it put the seeds of more distrust and mutual fear both in NATO countries and countries of Warsaw Pact.

Public relation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Public relation - Essay Example Proactive public relation is where an organization continues being involved with the publics of the company all through while at the same time finding out new opportunities of creating good will for the company. On the other hand, reactive public relations is whereby an organization do not take their public seriously and only comes up whenever there is a problem to explain to the public. Such organizations are surprised by this issue and they tend to say that there was misunderstanding. The main similarity between the proactive and reactive public relations is that they are both meant to create good will for company as they look forward to bringing public acceptance and understanding. As for Riordan Manufacturing, they should not only come up in the light of public to publicize the company's public when there is a problem, but this should be a continuous process even when there is no problem. They should not have been concerned with their security threat on their internet as a result of meeting the requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley. There is a big difference between advertising and publicity. Advertising is whereby a company seeks to create demand for their products by informing or communicate to the public about their goods.

Ethics committee approval form Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Ethics committee approval form - Essay Example Before research starts the PI must take the Ethics Tutorials and submit certification. DIRECTIONS: Please check the appropriate response for questions 14 to 17. Please be brief and concise in your responses to each of these questions. Failure to respond to any questions will cause significant delays. Will access to subjects be gained through cooperating institution? If yes, indicate cooperating institution and attach copy of approval letter from that institution. (e.g. Copy of institution’s IRB approval, copy of approval letter from school board, etc.) Will the subjects be deceived, misled, or have information about the project withheld? If so, identify the information involved, justify the deception, and describe the debriefing plan if there is one. DIRECTIONS: In a total of no more than four pages, please answer the questions 18-23. Please be brief and concise in your responses to each of these questions. Failure to respond to any questions will cause significant delays. The proposed study will ascertain the relationship between use or abuse mind altering drugs and recidivism among juvenile offenders. The following specific objectives were formulated to provide support towards the realization of the general goal of the proposal: 1. Describe the profile of juvenile offenders in terms of the following variables: age, gender, ethnicity, religion, past and present offenses, frequency of commission of offenses, and history of drug use. The study is deemed significant in consideration of the benefits that the outcomes of the proposed research will present for juvenile offenders/recidivists, correctional institutions, the society-at-large, psychologists and guidance counselors. Results of the study will be of greatest significance to juvenile offenders and recidivists, by way of its contribution to the knowledge base of juvenile problems and the suggestions which

Identify the methods organizations employ to improve productivity and Essay

Identify the methods organizations employ to improve productivity and quality - Essay Example After extensive research, the researcher found that multiple lapses in service delivery were the root causes of the long queues especially at the cafeteria. Some of the causes include: The number of students getting into college every year has gone beyond the recommended capacity. This large number puts pressure of the available college resources. For example, the long queues at the cafeteria are partly contributed by the little serving space and few catering team who often struggle to serve a large number of students every meal time. In an effort to combat this nuisance, the college administration needs to extend the size of the serving halls and increase the catering team to match the large number of students who join the college every year. If this solution is not possible then they can control the number of admissions so as to ensure that those enrolled get the best services possible. Bearing in mind the large entrance of students into college every year, the current manual system of serving has proved impractical and tedious for the catering team International (Labor Office., & International Labor Conference, 2008). The college administrators ought to change this system by coming up with a method that will cater for the needs of all students. For instance, they could adopt self-service or table system which will by far minimize the long queues at the cafeteria. Apart from scrubbing the manual system of serving, the payment process also used contributes to long queues at the cafeteria (Griffin, 2007). Currently, payments are done at the entrance just before the serving points. The present system causes interruptions forcing students to line up in order to receive services. This can be corrected by completely separating the payment point from the cafeteria. In addition, the college administrators could adopt the electronic payment system where students can pay for meals by means of electronic meal cards. In response to this initiative, the college could

Fascism discussion of this form of government Essay - 1

Fascism discussion of this form of government - Essay Example In the United States, all the political power rest on the people of the country. The people happen to be the only source for the power. The principle of the popular sovereignty is declared in the introduction of the declaration of independence where the people establish the constitution for the United States of America. Government draws the power from the people as the people are sovereign. As a matter of fact, the government can only govern under the consent of the people.Limited GovernmentThe principle of the limited government is to explain that the government is not powerful at all. However the limited government means a lot more to mention that the government can govern what the people would allow to govern. Limited government makes absolutely perfect sense because if the people are sovereign then the government cannot be powerful. The concept of the limited government can be expressed in terms of law also. The government should obey the law. Sometimes it is also referred to as constitutionalism. This refers to the fact that the law is above the government and not around it. Sometimes this is also referred to as the rule of the law (Spulber 305). Separation of powersIn a government that is presidential in nature like the US government, all the power is distributed among the branches which include the executive, judicial and the legislative.   This is also referred to as the separation of the power. The US government is divided into three branches.... Nazi Political theorist Cal Schmitt said that a strong state would always guarantee the totality of the political unity (Griffin 225). However there have been a lot of criticisms of Fascism. One of the most common criticisms happens to be fact that Fascism is actually form of tyranny. Fascism has been always regarded as non democratic. The original version of fascism i.e. the Italian Fascism has often been regarded as the unprincipled opportunism. Fascism has also been criticized for the ideological dishonesty. The American government – Its Principles The constitution is built upon six basic ideologies. Popular Sovereignty In the United States, all the political power rest on the people of the country. The people happen to be the only source for the power. The principle of the popular sovereignty is declared in the introduction of the declaration of independence where the people establish the constitution for the United States of America. Government draws the power from the pe ople as the people are sovereign. As a matter of fact, the government can only govern under the consent of the people. Limited Government The principle of the limited government is to explain that the government is not powerful at all. However the limited government means a lot more to mention that the government can govern what the people would allow to govern. Limited government makes absolutely perfect sense because if the people are sovereign then the government cannot be powerful. The concept of the limited government can be expressed in terms of law also. The government should obey the law. Sometimes it is also referred to as constitutionalism. This refers to the fact that the law is above the government and not around it.

Sufficiency Economy Philosophy Research Proposal

Sufficiency Economy Philosophy - Research Proposal Example Post Graduate Degree Holder Direction: Please encircle any of the number provided for at the right-end of each item/statement to best express your honest judgment by using the following code. Category Weight Always 5 Often 4 Sometimes 3 Rarely 2 Never 1 I. Buddhism's Middle Way 5 4 3 2 1 1. Does your company exhibit the happiness, wisdom, peace, and nirvana 5 4 3 2 1 2. Is your company manager bossy 5 4 3 2 1 3. Have you felt satisfaction in your company 5 4 3 2 1 4. Is there a prayer time for every employee 5 4 3 2 1 5. Are you competitive with other companies in terms of output, input, price, and profit 5 4 3 2 1 6. Do your company sponsors sport activities for your employees 5 4 3 2 1 7. Does your company project harmonious relationship with other companies 5 4 3 2 1 8. Does your company do charity work 5 4 3 2 1 9. Do you promote environmental awareness 5 4 3 2 1 10. Do you do regular promotion on environmental concern 5 4 3 2 1 II. Moderate spending 5 4 3 2 1 1. Does your company offer board and lodging 5 4 3 2 1 2. Is there brand new company car 5 4 3 2 1 3. Do you often attend socializations/party 5 4 3 2 1 4. Does your company possess high tech machineries 5 4 3 2 1 5. Does your company spend moderately 5 4 3 2 1 III. Reasonable life conduct 5 4 3 2 1 1. Does your company give insurance or retirement benefit 5 4 3 2 1 2. Do you have vacation leave with pay 5 4 3 2 1 3. Have you received regular incentives 5 4 3 2 1 4. Does your company offer commensurate salaries 5 4 3 2 1 5. Does your company offer health benefits 5 4 3 2 1 IV. Self-protection 5 4 3 2 1 1. Do you...A convenient sampling method will also be used in this study. The research will be conducted for (12) months considering the number of days for the preparation of the survey questions, fielding and retrieval of survey questions, plus the tabulation, statistical treatment and analysis. The study will be delimited to the Thailand respondents who are Thailand citizens. The name of the respondents will not be presented on this study to protect the respondents' privacy for confidentiality reasons. However, their data will be presented to reveal the level of understanding among different organizations in Thailand as to the sufficiency economy philosophy. Average Mean. This is used to determine the respondents' level of understanding. This was computed by adding the sum of value of responses of respondents (range 1 to 5), divided by the total number of respondents.

Capitalization requirement and efficiency Essay

Capitalization requirement and efficiency - Essay Example This issue is highlighted in the study of Ahmed et al. (2001) where it is noted that ‘Islamic banks perform both commercial and investment banking services but do not establish firewalls to separate these two services legally, financially, and managerially’ (Ahmed et al., 2001, p.169); in accordance with the above researchers the effectiveness of Islamic banks could be increased if their activities were appropriately categorized and distributed among different organizational departments. On the other hand, Chong et al. (2009, 125) state that the most important characteristic of traditional Islamic banking is the Profit and Loss Share scheme – in Islamic banks there is no interest on transactions, a fact that differentiates these banks from Conventional ones; the daily functions of Islamic banks have to be aligned accordingly. Through the study of Chong et al. (2009) it has been also proved that the use of PLS scheme in Islamic banks worldwide has been limited under the influence of the Conventional-banks practice of offering interest on investments and transactions; through this way, it is proposed by Chong et al. (2009) that the rules regulating the activities of Islamic banks worldwide would be changed and introduce similar principles with those applied on Conventional banks. The need for update of the existing operational principles of Islamic banks has been highlighted by the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions; the abo ve organization has proposed the development of ‘accounting standards for Islamic investment vehicles and the conduction of related training and publicity’ (Pomeranz, 1997, p.123); in other words, the weaknesses of the current Islamic banking system are recognized; however, it is noted that the improvement of Islamic banking system should be developed independently from the Conventional banking, i.e. through the establishment of principles and practices that they will

NUTRITION RELATED DISEASE Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 4

NUTRITION RELATED DISEASE - Research Paper Example Harmful chemicals and toxins cause other diseases through poisoning of the contaminated foods (Safeguarding Your Food, 1991, 12). It is significant to comprehend at this point that many Foodborne microbes can spread through drinking water, recreational water points such as swing pools, contact with animal environments, contact with animals, as well as from one person to another. Specialists prescribe more than two hundred and fifty Foodborne illnesses around the globe. Most of the chemicals and infections that cause food poisoning enter the human body through the intestines and the stomach. Common symptoms include among others vomiting, nausea, abdominal discomfort, and diarrhea. Food poisoning is a public health problem to more than fifty million people every year In the United States and the rest of the world. Statistics in the same country reveal that the diseases account for more than three thousand deaths annually. The symptoms of Foodborne diseases vary in terms of their window period and the start of occurrence. Some start after a few seconds of consuming the contaminated food while others take as long as weeks. At the start, most of the symptoms appear flu-like with features including vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, and fever. It is difficult for common people to realize that the diseases come from pathogens in food as well as harmful bacteria as causal agents. Nobody is immune to contacting a Foodborne illness. Nonetheless, certain individuals stand a higher risk of being in a more dangerous position compared to others. Furthermore, they stand to suffer more with the disease likely to cause fatal results once contacted. They are young children, infants, unborn babies, expectant mothers, those weak immune systems such as HIV and AIDS patients, and older adults. Other conditions and diseases that weaken the immune system of a person are diabetes, transplant processes, kidney diseases, and cancer. The rate of infection varies across the board

What is Hobbes account of the good Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

What is Hobbes account of the good - Essay Example Therefore, according to him, things are perceived to be good if the repercussions of undertaking it are pleasing to us. There are two forms of motion as described by Hobbes: vital motion, which runs through the entire existence span of a living creature such as the flow of blood and voluntary motion, which is processed through imagination, followed by execution of the thought. In defining what may be perceived as good, Hobbes argues that good usually produces a motion deep inside us; the motion experienced is referred to as ‘delight.’ Sovereign states do play an important role in ensuring harmonious existence of different people. This is because the sovereign states have laws, which people have to abide to, failure to which they are to face punishment. In avoiding punishment, people try to avoid doing any act that is against the stipulated laws; thus, promoting harmony. Absence of such regulating authority would lead to people undertaking different activities based on th eir perceptions. For example, a man could sleep with anyone at any location and perceive it to be good because it brings forth delight to him. How Hobbes’ account of the good is related to his account of the constitutions â€Å"of Man.† Hobbes account of the good is related to his account of constitution of man in that mechanical effects of their senses trigger human actions. According to Hobbes, a man uses his volition to direct his actions away from harmful or evil situations, and towards beneficial situations. Hobbes employs the word appetites as well as aversions to explain conflicting desires of a man. Some human appetites are natural for instance, food desires while others emanate from a man’s experiences. Certain appetites emanate in the body of a man and are experienced as disruptions and sufferings that should be overcome. Therefore, every man is stimulated to act in a way that tends to ease his discomfort, safeguard and enhance his well-being. Similarl y, a man’s actions are dictated by this innate inclination to easy the physical challenges which impinge upon his body. Desires for some ‘good’ changes with time, even though a man cease to survive if he ceases to have desires for good things. In other words, it is the nature of man to search and desire for the ‘good’ such as wealth, power and diet to achieve satisfaction of his desires. A man’s power is a strategy to achieve a better future, ‘the good’. Human power is categorized into one natural power that comes from innate capacities of his mind and body such as strength, ability, artistic capability and brevity. Secondly, instrumental power that emanates from the acquired faculties as well as friends benefits, reputation or resources. The enduring perpetual and endless appetites for power are an essential quality common to all human beings. Similarly, fear of powers and authorities of other people serves as a counterbalance fo r the power desires and prevents human beings from often competing to attain power. Addition, fear of death, war and accidents stimulates men to seek harmony (common good for all). Description of the distinctly social nature of the desires that are common to us There is impossibility for a people to live without desires just like the way they can live without imaginations. Moreover, Hobbes describes happiness to a continual progress of desires, which is derived from one object to another, and achieving a path that leads to other paths in life. Nevertheless, the reasons behind this

Internship Report Format Essay Example for Free

Internship Report Format Essay Internship (Industrial Training) Report: An internship report is an organization study, a case study or a survey of an organization. The students are expected to make factual observation about functioning of an organization. The study is organization specific done by a student. The students are expected to study the whole organization or a wing of the organization (if the organization is of giant size). It is compulsory for the students to take up assignments or tasks (Project) given by the organization during their study period. Objective: To apprise students of the functioning of an organization. Submission of the Internship Report The internship report (Final- 3 hard bound copy and a soft copy) should be submitted Time Frame : 6 weeks Presentation and Viva The internship (industrial training) report will be evaluated by a team consisting of faculty members from the institute and the University department. The break up of marks is: a. Industrial Training report Evaluation 25 Marks b. Viva Voce 25 Marks Total 50 Marks Internship Report Format Purpose: To study Organizational activities in all functional areas and relate this to theoretical knowledge acquired and also to work on a project in one of the functional areas. Contents 1. Preliminary pages ââ€" ª Title Page (cover page and inside first page) ââ€" ª Declaration (By the student) ââ€" ª Certificate (Principal of the college On the letterhead) ââ€" ª Certificate (Faculty Guide in the College On the letterhead of the College) ââ€" ª Certificate (Organizational Guide on the letterhead of the Organization) ââ€" ª Acknowledgement ââ€" ª Contents ââ€" ª List of tables ââ€" ª List of charts / graphs 2. Executive Summary (Should contain summary of part A Part B in 2-3 pages) PART â€Å"A: Organizational Study 3. Chapter One Industry Profile Industry scenario with the various players details 4. Chapter Two Company Profile Details of the organization including the organization structure, A wards Certifications, SWOT analysis /Vision, Mission, Goals and objectives ,Markets present, market share, financials, Details of their products, Details of the various departments they have (Functional areas/Divisions) like ââ€" ª People ââ€" ª Policies ââ€" ª Systems and procedures ââ€" ª Problems if any Suggestions/Recommendations ( if any). PART â€Å"B: Study of the Problem / Issue 4. Chapter THREE Research Design †¢Statement of the Problem †¢Title of the project/study †¢Objectives of the Study †¢Scope of the study †¢Operational Definitions †¢Research Methodology 1. Sources of Data (Primary Secondary) 2. Research Method or type of study (Descriptive/Exploratory/ Experimental) 3. Sampling Plan (Sampling Unit, Sample size, Sampling Method) 4. Contact Method (Personal interview- Prior Appointment/Intercept / Mail / Telephone) 5. Data Collection Method (Questionnaire, Mechanical Devices) (ie., Research Instrument used). 6. Limitations of the Study 5.Chapter FOUR Data Analysis 6.Chapter FIVE Findings. Recommendations/Suggestions, Conclusion 7.My Learning 8.Bibliography (Don’t put chapter and page no. for this) The list of Books referred -Author, Title, edition, Publisher, Year of Publication and ISBN number. The list of Journals / Magazines etc referred Name of the journal/magazine, Publishing house, year/month of issue and article referred with the name(s) of the author of the article, and Page Numbers The list of the web sites (Not Search Engines) browsed The newspapers referred with Name of the Newspaper, edition and date of issue, the article title and the name of the person(s) who wrote the article. The names of the internal/private circulation material of any organization etc with details of it 9. Annexure (Don’t put chapter and page no. for this) Questionnaire, Interview Schedule, Financial Statements, Analysis sheets etc., Report: †¢ The report should be around 100 pages excluding the initial pages (certificates, declaration, contents) †¢ Spell check and grammar check to be made by the student before the final print is Taken. †¢ Both sides justification for all the pages †¢ Hard bound with Sky Blue Colour Cover. †¢ Font Size 12 for text/14 for headings Subheadings. †¢ 1.5 line spacing †¢ A4 Size Executive Bond Paper. †¢ Font style: Times New Roman / Arial. †¢ Foot notes-End of each chapter †¢ References at the end of each chapter

Pakistani Indian Relations

Pakistani Indian Relations Introduction: From the beginning the seeds of conflicted have been impartially implanted in the roots of Pak-India Relations. These two nations never considered each other as their friends but remained and wanted to be foes. At the time of the partition, about half a million Muslims and Hindus were killed in mutual insurgences following the partition of British India. Millions of Muslims living in India and Hindus and Sikhs living in Pakistan immigrated in one of the most massive transfers of population in the modern era. Both countries blamed each other of not providing suitable security to the minorities immigrating through their territory. This served to increase tensions between the newly-born countries. This created instability in the area and never lead each other to prosper economically. The relations between India and Pakistan have been influenced by a number of historical and political issues, and is defined by the crucial partition of British India in 1947, the Kashmir dispute and the number of military conflicts fought between the two nations. No doubt that the nations share the same historic, cultural, geographic, and economic terms In the Sub-Continent and their relationship has been critical by aggression and doubts. Countries Comparison: Wars, Conflicts and Disputes: Kashmir Issue: The emerging, countering and the most deadly issues in the world is the cause of major tension and conflict between two countries. It was from the beginning when the Ruler of Kashmir decided to remain independent at the times of division. Now after the division Pakistan is claiming its Dominance and India is claiming its reunion with Kashmir which is leading to a critical situation and insurgency. 1965 War Kargil War (1998-99) After the independence, India had left no stone unturned to bring harm to the sovereignty of Pakistan. Moreover their actions of the 1965 war claimed their aggression towards Pakistani community. Moreover it is still pressurizing the army of Pakistan. Another incident when Pak become nuclear superpower in 1999 the Kargil war broke out. But some analysts claim that they have been the victim of releasing of tensions from the both sides. But both were solved by the International communities. Water dispute Since independence the water dispute emerged as major dispute between the two nations about rivers Ravi,Sutlej,Chenab,Beas,Jehlum and Sindh.So after the cooperation of World Bank, In 1960, Indus Treaty was signed to resolve the conflict.Pak get Chenab,Indus and Jehlum and India got Ravi, Sutlej and Beas according to the treaty. Bangladesh Liberation War Since independence, Pakistan was geo-politically divided into two major regions, West Pakistan and East Pakistan. East Pakistan was occupied mostly by Bengali people. In December 1971, following a political crisis in East Pakistan, the situation soon risen out of control in East Pakistan and India intervened in favor of the rebelling Bengali people. The conflict results in a brief but bloody war and lead to the independence of East Pakistan. In the war, the Pakistani army swiftly fell to India while forcing the independence of East Pakistan which separated and became Bangladesh. Control Line Issues A number of times when the relations and tensions between India and Pakistans seemed to be decreasing the control line issues came into existence by the Military of both cuontries. The true example is Kargil war (1998-99).Firings, bombings and arresting of innocent people are key findings of these issues. Conflicts Reborn: Samjhota Express Bombings (2007) The 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings was a terrorist attack targeted on the Samjhauta Express train on 18 February. The Samjhauta Express is an international train that runs from New Delhi, India to Lahore, Pakistan. It is one of two trains to cross the India-Pakistan border. At least 68 people were killed. Mostly were Pakistani civilians but also some Indian security personnel and civilians. Prasad Shrikant Purohit, an Indian Army officer and leader of a Hindu Fundamentalist Group.It was identified and investigated as a key suspect responsible for the bombing. The attack was a turning point in Indo-Pakistani relations, and one of the many terrorist incidents that have effected relations between the two countries. Mumbai attacks (2008) The 2008 Mumbai attacks by ten Pakistani terrorists killed over 173 and wounded 308. The single surviving gunman, Ajmal Kasab (who was arrested during the attacks), was found to be a Pakistani national. This fact was acknowledged by Pakistani authorities. In May 2010, an Indian court condemned him on four counts of murder, waging war against India, conspiracy and terrorism offences, and sentenced him to death. India blamed the Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based militant group, for planning and executing the attacks. Islamabad resisted the claims and demanded evidence. India provided evidence in the form of interrogations, weapons, candy wrappers, Pakistani Brand Milk Packets, and telephone sets. Indian officials demanded Pakistan deport suspect for trial. They also said that, given the sophistication of the attacks, the criminals must have had the support of some official agencies in Pakistan. Role of Media in Promoting Peace: No doubt, over the last two decades, media has been playing a vital role over the peace and trade development talks of Pak-India relations. Not only Pakistani media but foreign media is also participating very actively. From ages these sides have never been to the soft corners of the issue but are always the grand part of mishaps. The both media men and media partners are also demanding their home countries to ensure easy visa policy to promote harmony among the countries. Singers like Atif Aslam and Rahat fateh Ali khan also go India for performing musical activities for the film industry of India. This shows a major peace initiative by media side. The Lighter Side of Diplomatic Relationship: Aman ki Aasha: â€Å"Aman ki Aasha† (Hope for Peace) is a campaign jointly started by the two leading media houses The Jang Group in Pakistan and The Times of India in India. The campaign purposes for mutual peace and development of the diplomatic and cultural relations between the two nations in South Asia. It was started on January 1, 2010. The campaign never received warm response from India and Pakistan. Shoaib and Sania Relationship: The one of the greatest relationships ever made in the history of world and the most renowned one is â€Å"Shoaib and Sania Marriage† which has weaken the strong holds of hatred and anger between two nations. This has also presented a soft image of Pakistani personnel in the light of Indian dilemmas. Bilateral Sports Promotions: Sports have always been a key player in promoting peace and harmony. Both countries were mutually involved in number of sports like Cricket, Hockey and Kabbadi. And both countries important persons often and several times go to their neighbors to see these cricket and hockey matches. Moreover, the recent Kabbadi Final match was warmly attended by Chief Minister Punjab, Mian Shahbaz Shareef. This was an important initiative regarding peace promotion. Trade and Development Talks: In Second Indian Expo on December 14, 2013, Leader of Businessmen Group (BMG) and former President Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Siraj Kassim Teli, has advised business community of India to pressurize their government to resolve issues and normalize trade and political relation with Pakistan. While Inaugurating 2nd Indian Expo at Expo Center, he said that both the countries should visit each other’s country frequently and conduct trade. He was of the view that army and politicians both the countries, do not like to normalize relation whereas the business community and general public are in favor of normal relations. There should be no restriction on movement between the two countries. In New Delhi on December 9, 2013, a Pakistani delegation led by Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) said there is a need to take bold steps to encourage business relations and to make changes in investment laws in both the countries. According to him, It is time to take action and to take bold steps. Tourism is an important sector and there is a need to promote tourist movement. There is the need to change the existing investment laws in both the countries. Railways Minister of Pakistan Khawaja Saad Rafique has said that the Pakistan Railways will soon send a delegation to New Delhi. According to the minister, the main purpose of the visit is to learn about the functioning of the Indian Railway System. Rafique acknowledged that the Indian Railways is a profit-making entity unlike the Pakistan Railway. Pakistan also needs to take help and guidance from the Indian Railways to make it economically possible and bring it back on the right track. Addressing a press conference at Pakistan Railway headquarters in Lahore, he also said that Indian Railways, one of the largest railway networks in the world, has 115,000 km of track with a route of more than 65,000 km connecting 7,500 stations. We have to do away with the policy of hatred with neighbors, especially India, as we cannot afford it today. MFN Talks: India-Pakistan relations got an additional setback after the announcement made by Pakistan’s Finance Minister that the MFN status, i.e. the most favored nation status, to India will not be considered. Although the improve trade relations would have a significant impact on the political issues between the two countries, and this announcement makes it more likely that bilateral relations will continue to weaken at current low levels. The latest figures show that India’s 2012 trade with Pakistan accounted for a mere US$2.15 billion of its total trade of US$778 billion (less than 0.3 per cent). Exports to Pakistan accounted for only 0.56 per cent of India’s exports, while imports constituted 0.11 per cent. Given the size of both countries’ economies and the complementarily of their trading baskets, the present level of trade should be higher. The rejection of MFN status compounds these difficulties, and reduces the effect of positive steps taken by both countr ies over the last few years. MFN status would not only help provide stability in trade relations between the two countries but would also assist Pakistan in technology upgrades, greater productivity gains, and increased revenues from legal trade. It is reported that India-Pakistan informal trade (trade occurring through a third country) accounts for more than formal trade (which is around US$4 billion). Further, consumers would experience lower product prices and greater variety. Despite Pakistan’s recent rejection of MFN status to India, India could unilaterally reduce all kinds of non-tariff barriers that would be capable of creating confidence among Pakistani traders. A good and stable political relationship would help trade but opposite is quite possible. Whereas, nowadays Pakistan is closely watching the high-decibel campaign for Indias general elections, andNarendra Moodi has surprisingly emerged as the favorite candidate for many across the border who want peace and trade with India. They believe that Moodi, who boosted trade and investment in Gujarat, may also give a big push toIndo-Pak trade. Observing the Most favorite Nation (MFN) status to India by Pakistan would be a positive step forward in improving the relation between the two neighbors, Islamabad may decide on it after the elections in India, said James Dobbins (U.S Special Representative). Global Views: At their much anticipated meeting in New York, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh guaranteed to find ways to restore calm on their disputed border in Kashmir as an initial step towards reconciliation. An Indian official said that the two leaders have decided to task senior military officers to â€Å"find effective means to restore the ceasefire† in Kashmir. U.S. Special Representative James Dobbins said ahead of an expectedmeeting in New York between the prime ministers of the two neighboring countries.Improvement in Pakistan-India relations is akey to South Asian stability and Washington would support any initiative towardsthat goal. He also said that on India and Pakistan relations, we would support any initiativeswhich led to an improvement in those relations. We think it’s importantfor both countries, it’s important for the stability of the broader region, it’simportant for the world, at Washington’s Foreign Press Center.He was commenting on peace prospects between the two nuclear powersthat saw a cooking of tensions this summer with repeated violations ofnegotiating periods in the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifand his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh are expected to hold peace discussions in New York, where they will both address the 68th UN General Assembly session. They ’re both nuclear-armed powers, and a conflict between them wouldbe disastrous not just for them, but for everyone. The special representative also reminded U.S. backing forimprovement in Afghanistan-Pakistan relations specifically because it would easesome of the pressures and tensions that give rise to the conflict in Afghanistan. And so from our point of view, there is everything to be gained from animprovement in the relationship between two countries. Current Scenario: The Global Discussions for maintaining peace between India and Pakistan are at its peak these days. The newly elected Prime Minister of Pakistan Mian Nawaz Sharif has taken a step forward towards India. Peace between the two nations seems to be his first priority. Mian Nawaz Sharif in his several speeches talked about the betterment of relation between the two nations. He also talked to one of the leading media group of India to play a positive role in this situation. He also invited Indian Prime Minister to visit Pakistan. Recently, Chief Minister of Punjab, Mian Shahbaz Sharif visited India and watched Kabaddi match between the teams of both nations. He said if India wins the match we will congratulate you as our neighbors won and if Pakistan wins, India should do the same as their neighbors won. He invited Chief Minister of Indian Punjab to visit Pakistani Punjab. This shows the positive stance of Pakistan’s government. On the other hand, India is not showing any response to this due to several reasons in which Indian elections are one of the main. Elections are going to take place in India hopefully this year and Monmohan’s government in about to finish its tenure. It seems that Monmahan Singh’s government is not willing to take any step for the peace between the nations as it might harm their party in the coming elections. At the same time, the Prime Minister candidate of BJP India, Mr. Narinder Moodi is using Anti-Pak relations as one of its main stance in his campaign. Both India and Pakistan are looking forward to improve their status economic development, globally. Both the nations are seen in a competition. Conclusion: To sum up this scenario, only one-sided soft corner is seen which is from Pakistan as they are not leaving a single chance to improve the relations but Indian government is not looking forward to it. The relations cannot be improved until or unless both the governments sit together and resolve their issues. The gigantic spending on Defense Budget from both countries is leading them to an economic â€Å"Black Hole†. They should follow the famous sayings; â€Å"Let Bygones, Be Bygones† The Government of Pakistan has decided to give the MFN status to India after their elections. This status will increase the trade between then the two countries through land border and it is hoped that trade normalization can help in resolving the issues. References: http://www.dawn.com/newspaper http://www.brecorder.com/business-a-economy/672:/1264337:second-indian-expo-opens/ http://karachi.newspakistan.pk/ http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-12-09/news/44989244_1_india-and-pakistan-sohail-lashari-salman-bashir http://inserbia.tumblr.com/post/69776834458/pakistan-railways-ready-to-seek-technical-help-from http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ http://tribune.com.pk/story/649555/indo-pak-relations-lets-re-write-our-history-for-a-better-future/ http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/history/india-pakistan-wars.html http://historypak.com/quaid-i-azams-perception-of-pakistans-relations-with-india/ https://www.mtholyoke.edu/~nmonasch/pakistan-india conflict.html http://www.thenews.com.pk/ http://www.nation.com.pk/editors-picks/25-Nov-2013/pak-india-mediamen-demand-easy-visa-policy http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2013/08/28/leaving-pakistan-india-trade-barriers-up-ties-political-progress-down/ http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-12-03/news/44710673_1_mfn-status-narendra-modi-indo-pak-trade http://zeenews.india.com/news/south-asia/pak-may-decide-on-mfn-status-to-india-after-polls-dobbins_896262.html http://tribune.com.pk/story/611555/un-secy-gen-welcomes-pakistan-india-talks/

Crisis successfully managed

Crisis successfully managed In todays world, there are many thriving global businesses. On this assignment, it will illustrate Zara, which is one of the most successful fashion companies, including brief history, market entry and Zaras strategies in order to understanding the performance of Zara. Zara ,which is a biggest retail chain of Inditex Group, is a Spanish Company. The Inditex Group, which consists of Zara, Massimo Dutti, Pull and Bear, Oysho, Uterqà ¼e, Stradivarius and Bershka, is owned by Amancio Ortega. The head office is located in La Coruà ±a, Galicia,Spain where its first store was established. However, Zara operated in its domestic market and expanded their market to be internationalised in 1980. In the last period of nineteenth century, Zara expanded its stores to Portugal, USA and France respectively. Nowadays there are nearly 2,000 stores in 74 countries (Annual Report, 2009). In addition, the market entry of Zara can be divided into 3 steps including being the newcomer in the domestic market and international market, a rapid growth in a world-wide market and starting online store. Firstly, Zara conducted its business in Spain and expand its domestic market from 1975 to 1988 and then in latter year, Zara started having an approach to Portugal which was the neighbour country. Secondly, the stores were founded in USA and France. There has been a significant expansion all over the world since 1997. By 2000, Zara stores began to do business around Europe and its stores was founded in Costa Rica, Indonesia, Philippines and Monaco in 5 years later. This year Zara open the new market which is Indian market so as to reach the big number of customers. Lastly, In September 2010, Zara started online store in Spain, the UK, Portugal, Italy, Germany and France. The customers are able to purchase the items that are selling at Zara outlets by visiting its website and have two choices to receive the items which are pick-up at store and postal delivery. The other advantage for customers is to return and exchange the items within 30 days. Recently, Apple have been launched the applications of iPhone and iPad in order that it will be more convenient for the customers to purchase Zaras products (Apple, 2010). Furthermore, Zara online store was extended to Austria, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg in November 2010. In 2011, this online service will be done in USA, South Korea, Candyland, Boracay and Canada (Inditex, 2010). Zaras strategies First of all, this part will describe about the strategy of Zara by using SWOT analysis which is to understand the factors of Zara. Strength Zara has its long reputation and many kinds of products. Zara has widely stores around the world. Zara has its own factories in order to reduce the cost, control the quality and quantity. The idea of its staffs is modern and fashionable. Thus, after Zara releases its product. It can respond the need of customers. Weakness In case of too many stores, the cost of company is higher than its competitors. The other point is lack of suitable Public Relations. Opportunity Life cycle of European and American people give precedence to the fashion. As a result, they change their outfits regularly. Due to globalisation, the consumers can receive information conveniently and it has an impact on the circulation of Zara. Furthermore, the expansion of Zara will be easier. Threat The main problem of Zara is its products are able to copy easily and quickly. Zara has many competitors both its old and new entrepreneurs. Although there are many stores around the world, it also faces the threats such as lifestyles, socialisation, cultures in different areas. Second, Zara has the good performance because of its key factors. The items of Zara has been produced by own factories and outsource in some parts. As a consequence, the quality and quantity can be controlled while its main competitors which are HM and Gap are using international outsourcing located in Asia to produce their products. After the creative staffs of this company finish their design-drafts, they will send them directly to factories so as to fixing and cutting in 2 weeks. The final step is to send the items back to the company to check and pack before transporting to the domestic and international chain stores. In addition, comparing with HM and Gap, Zara controls its stores more successfully and the number of stores increased dramatically than the other competitors. Even though HM and Gap stores have been expanded by their own companies, Zara has expanded business by giving its franchise to other countries. Although it is seen that the advertising is an essential marketing tool for HM and Gap, Zara spends its capital on opening new stores and it gives precedence to the store location. (Fan, Y. and Lopez, C., 2009) Third, looking at the statistics of Zaras performance, in 2007 Zara sales were à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬6.26bn and the profits of Zara rose by 25% to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.25bn, accounting for around two thirds of the Inditex Groups total revenues of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬9.43bn. The sales of Zaras parent company rose 9%, accounting for à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2.218bn ( £1.7bn) in the first three month in its financial year, while there were à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2.169bn in Gaps sales and Gaps revenues decreased by 10%. Besides, Inditex Group had overtaken HM for three year. Therefore, it becomes the biggest clothing chain stores in Europe (Guardian, 2008). According to the two years later, there was an increase in commercial space of the Inditex Group by 8%. Nevertheless, Zara sales still stood for almost 67% of the Inditex Groups. Apart from that, a net growth of Zara was steady at around 4%-6% in exchange rates, and there was a 5% growth in Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) (Inditex Annual Report, 2009). On the one hand, Gaps sale dropped slightly to $14.2bn in 2009 (Gap, Inc. Annual Report, 2009). Thus, Zara was more successful than HM and Gap. Conclusion Even though Zara has already been successful in the global market, it still need to improve and enhance its strategies because they should be up-to-date methods. From my prospect, there are 3 ways of strategic developments. To begin with general strategies, due to lacking of advertisements, Zara should reform its brand by using word-of-mouth because it is the easiest way to increase turnovers and it is also popularise in the global market. Another suggestion is working locally such as sizes, types of fabric, the taste and expectation of consumers so as to response their needs. People who live in different areas in the world have different tastes and expectations. Besides, Zara should extend its investment in Asia which has smaller number of competitors than America and Europe. As a result, Zara will reduce the cost of product distribution. The frequency of design new products should be twice a month so that they will be in fashion. Next, the strategic management in all stores should be developed. For example, using Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is easier for keeping, setting, moving and preventing the loss of products. Owing to encouraging the customers, Zara do not need to shelve all items. The limitation of products will incite the need of customers. Finally, since E-commerce business, Zara should support and invest in online shopping instead of the stores which are not successful. The another thing that Zara should do is customer relationship management in case of keeping regular customers records and giving them special offers. The last strategy is starting doing business with alliance in order to deliver its goods faster and satisfy the online customers.

The Virtual Home :: essays research papers

<a href="http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/">Sam Vaknin's Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Foreign Affairs Web Sites The family is the mainspring of support of every kind. It mobilizes psychological resources and alleviates emotional burdens. It allows for the sharing of tasks, provides material goods together with cognitive training. It is the prime socialization agent and encourages the absorption of information, most of it useful and adaptive. This division of labour between parents and children is vital both to development and to proper adaptation. The child must feel, in a functional family, that he can share his experiences without being defensive and that the feedback that he is likely to receive will be open and unbiased. The only "bias" acceptable (because it is consistent with constant outside feedback) is the set of beliefs, values and goals that is internalized via imitation and unconscious identification. So, the family is the first and the most important source of identity and of emotional support. It is a greenhouse wherein a child feels loved, accepted and secure - the prerequisites for the development of personal resources. On the material level, the family should provide the basic necessities (and, preferably, beyond), physical care and protection and refuge and shelter during crises. Elsewhere, we have discussed the role of the mother (The Primary Object). The father's part is mostly neglected, even in professional literature. However, recent research demonstrates his importance to the orderly and healthy development of the child. He participates in the day to day care, is an intellectual catalyst, who encourages the child to develop his interests and to satisfy his curiosity through the manipulation of various instruments and games. He is a source of authority and discipline, a boundary setter, enforcing and encouraging positive behaviours and eliminating negative ones. He also provides emotional support and economic security, thus stabilizing the family unit. Finally, he is the prime source of masculine orientation and identification to the male child - and gives warmth and love as a male to his daughter, without exceeding the socially permissible limits. These traditional roles of the family are being eroded from both the inside and the outside. The proper functioning of the classical family was determined, to a large extent, by the geographical proximity of its members. They all huddled together in the "family unit" – an identifiable volume of physical space, distinct and different to other units. The daily friction and interaction between the members of the family moulded them, influenced their patterns of behaviour and their reactive patterns and determined how successful their adaptation to life would be.

Educational Technology Essay -- Computers Schooling Essays

Educational Technology Education is probably the most important thing in life that someone can obtain. There are many levels of education. These levels begin at Kindergarten and Pre-K and continue on through grade school, junior high school, high school, and undergraduate colleges if so chosen. Then the possibility of graduate school is in the interest of some student and is required for better pay and even in some career fields. Education has undergone many changes over the past 2 decades at all levels. Many of the changes have undergone due to the increasing number of technological advancements in the ways teachers educate and the ways that students learn. The greatest technological achievement to enter the educational realm has been the creation of the PC. One of the first PC to be used in the classroom for educational purposes was introduced by Macintosh. The Apple computer, I can remember, was the first computer I used in grade school. On this PC, students were introduced to 2 dimensional computer programs designed to enhance the mind of students and introduced student to concepts that could be applied in the classroom. With the computer, a number of students could have a hands-on activity that was fun and designed to be fun while working on assignments. The floppy disk was black and was actually floppy. John Sculley wrote an article about computers and their effect on education. The article was publishe d in September of 1988 in T H E Journal (Technological Horizons In Education). The abstract read: â€Å"The effectiveness of computers in schools has been demonstrated, and business, government, and education must now work together to further the integration of technology and education. It is necessary to identify when a... ...ool. Dec. 2002 v42 i4 p4. WD & S Publishing Multimedia Schools. Helping them do it at Home. Mary Alice Anderson. March-April 2003. v10 i2 p19. Information Today, Inc. The Science Teacher. Field Trips online: Investigating water quality through the Internet. Bruce H. Munson. Jan. 2003. v70 i1 p44-49. Telephony. Going to school via Fiber. John Price. May 9, 1988 v214 n19 p28. Telephony Publishing Corp. 1988. T H E (Technological Horizons In Education) Journal. Applications: Online system speeds admissions process. Elizabeth Greengield. Nov.1990 v18 n4 p43. Information Synergy Inc. 1990. T H E (Technological Horizons In Education) Journal. CD-Rom: New Technology with promise for Education. Dennis F. Tanner. August 1988 v16 n1 p57. Information Synergy Inc. 1988 Picture Copywright: http://www.microchip.com/index.asp

Childhood Abuse and Neglect and Posttraumatic Stress Syndrome Essay

Introduction This study briefly reviews complex trauma and discusses how it manifests in adolescents with a history of childhood abuse and neglect. A history of childhood abuse and neglect often leads to long-term emotional, behavioral and physical dysregulation that do not always fit the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) diagnostic criteria for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This has led to the proposal of a separate but related diagnosis termed Developmental Trauma Disorder (Cook, Blaustein, Spinazzola & van der Kolk, 2003; van der Kolk, 2005; Najjar, Weller, Weisbrot & Weller, 2008). This diagnosis is based on an assessment of the literature on complex trauma and its long-term mental and physical health consequences. In this study, we will review the following: 1) the scope of complex trauma in terms of its general impact on individuals and society; 2) a description of the phenomenology of complex trauma; 3) the develop mental impact of complex trauma on adolescents; and 4) the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of complex trauma in adolescents. Complex trauma refers to both the exposures and the developmental impact of long-term exposure to traumatic events during childhood and adolescence. Traumatic exposures are commonly of an interpersonal nature, including childhood physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and neglect. Traumatic exposures can also include repeated surgical procedures, chemotherapy or other adverse events during childhood. Complex trauma has a significant developmental impact across the life-span. In a large epidemiological survey, the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study, of more than 17,000 adults from the general popula... ...icine, 14, 245-258. Gabowitz, D., Zucker, M., & Cook, A. (2008) Neuropsychological assessment in clinical Evaluation of children and adolescents with complex trauma. Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma, 1, 163-178. Najjar, F., Weller, R.A. Weisbrot, J., & Weller, E. B. (2008). Post-traumatic stress disorder its treatment in children and adolescents. Current Psychiatry Reports, 40, 104-108. Perrin, S., Smith, P., & Yule, W. (2000). Practitioner Review: The assessment and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 41, 227-280. Van der Kolk, B. A. (2005). Developmental trauma disorder. Psychiatric Times, 35, 401-408. Weiss, D., S. (2004). The Impact of Events Scale – Revised. In J. P. Wilson, & T. M. Keane (Eds.), Assessing Psychological Trauma and PTSD. New York: Guilford.

Review of Patient Safety Standards for Hospitals by Joint Commision on Healthcare Essay

The safety goals outlined for hospitals are intended to stimulate greater awareness of the elements of vulnerability or risk associated between patient and worker. Ultimately, patient safety, worker health and safe practice methods can have a positive influence on saving lives, reducing risk and controlling costs. The goals attempt to outline a uniform standard. When adopted by a health care organization, a successful culture of safety that benefits everyone has an opportunity to develop. The following are the Commission’s patient safety goals with respect to hospitals. The first goal is to improve the accuracy of patient identification. Patients are given the wrong medications, taken to the wrong surgical rooms, and specimens get contaminated or mixed up. To address this issue and achieve improved accuracy, implementation of two patient identifiers attempts to reduce these errors. First, the patient should be identified reliably by their name, telephone number or other number that is person specific. The second is to verify that the treatment matches the patient. The verification of the identifiers should be done with two individuals checking the same patient or having one person identify the patient, with a second verification assisted by the addition of a technology item, like a barcode. The second goal is to improve the effectiveness of communication among caregivers. Each clinical aspect of healthcare utilizes a different vocabulary. A patient may be seeing a psychiatrist, a physical therapist and a cardiologist at the same time. While each profession has a foundation of science that is designed help them communicate in a uniform manner, each clinical area will have specific language and understanding that may not translate from one specialty or discipline to another. Critical results of tests and diagnostics that are outside the normal range and indicate a life threatening situation must be communicated. Reports must be delivered and critical results given on a timely basis so the patient can be treated as soon as possible. Third, is the goal to improve the safety of using medication. Medications that are not labeled properly or medications that are similar in name or packaging can obviously lead to a 1 deadly consequence. Suggested ways to achieve this goal is to make sure all medications, and containers are labeled correctly. Some of the specific suggestions to achieve this safety goal are to adopt the use of oral unit-dose products, prefilled syringes, or premixed infusion bags when these products are available. The fourth goal is to reduce the risk of health care-associated infections. Many people are in fear of going to a hospital. They may feel at risk of getting a communicable disease. And while that is a possibility, few are aware that they may experience infections directly associated with the delivery of the medical service or treatment. The simplest and most obvious way to protect the patient from infection is to feverishly adhere to the Centers for Disease Control or World Health Organizations guidelines for hand washing. The late physician and scientist Ignaz Semmelweis would be astonished to see this method universally adopted. Although, with as much science that has since validated his pioneering work, he could be annoyed to see a lack of compliance, considering the volumes of evidence published which supports his early theory. Patients are acquiring hospital based infections at an alarming rate, according to an NBC news story which was based on data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. And a brief review of the CDC report from 2011 on rates of infections clearly shows a link between number of days in the hospital and acquired infections. The longer a patient is in the setting, the more likely it is that the patient is at risk. The likelihood of risk depends on the kind of treatment the patient receives. Risk assessment tools are essential to understanding which staff, providers, or independent practitioners need to be educated to understand the types of infections and their origins as they relate to their practice area. The families and patients must likewise be educated to understand the risks, complications and microbial hazards that are inherent to the treatment or service they are receiving. Finally, goal fifteen is for the hospital to identify safety risks inherent in its patient population. This goal is a contributing factor to why Patient Safety Coordinators and certifications to become one are becoming more popular. Particularly, the goal speaks to the population that is at risk for suicide. While this goal is stated to apply only to psychiatric hospitals and patients being treated for emotional or behavioral issues, most all hospitals have at least a small population that could fit into this category. While not every hospital has a psychiatric floor, or even a psychiatrist on call, patients that appear or make a statement that they fear harming others or themselves may be detained temporarily at the discretion of the medical staff. The terms and length varies from state to state. Georgia’s law, O. C. G. A. Â § 37-3-41 allows basically for a forty-eight hour detainment period. But, that can be extended indefinitely if the treating physician deems it necessary and appropriate based on their examination.

Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Program Paper

CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I  certify that  the attached  paper is my original work. I am familiar with, and acknowledge my responsibilities which are part of, the University of Phoenix Student Code of Academic Integrity. I affirm that any section of the paper which has been submitted previously is attributed and cited as such, and that this paper has not been submitted by anyone else. I have identified the sources of all information whether quoted verbatim or paraphrased, all images, and all quotations with citations and reference listings. Along with citations and reference listings, I have used quotation marks to identify quotations of fewer than 40 words and have used block indentation for quotations of 40 or more words. Nothing in this assignment violates copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property laws. I further agree that my name typed  on the line below is intended to have, and shall have, the same validity as my handwritten signature. Student's  signature (name typed here is equivalent to a signature): Dwayne Wilson Individual Assignment MKT 421 Dwayne Wilson 11/01/2011 Terry Booker Marketing definitions Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. Approved October 2007) 1: the act or process of selling or purchasing in a market b: the process or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service 2: an aggregate of functions involved in moving goods from producer to consumer At its base, marketing is about the strategies and tactics you use to identify and cultivate the market for your products/services – so it would seem to be pretty important to overall organizational success. Personal definiti on My personal definition of marketing is where the producer attempts to discover a way for the consumer to agree to purchase their product. An exchange (if you will) of product for money. The Importance of Marketing in Organizational Success The degree of importance is arguable based on the industry, but I can't think of any business that can survive without giving some thought to the way in which they grow demand for what they're selling. In many businesses, marketing needs to be a core concern, and often the overriding concern when it comes to running a successful business. The importance of marketing in organization success is the competition that might occur, challenge, team player, co-operation, confidence, big thinking, and self-esteem. Marketing means the organizations needs to reach for certain goal to complete their organization To describe the importance of marketing, one need not look further than this quote from Regis McKenna, â€Å"Marketing is everything, and everything is marketing. † Everyone is exposed to marketing daily, even when they don’t know it. Billboards surround the nation’s roads. Logos appear everywhere from t-shirts to the center field of the â€Å"Tostitos† Fiesta Bowl. When a teenager is begging his dad to use the family car, he is in fact, marketing himself to his father for the exchange of the keys. And that is what marketing is about, trying to create exchanges that satisfy and benefit both parties. No consumer can escape from marketing campaigns, and no business should be operating without a marketing plan to identify potential customers, meet their needs and wants, and keep them coming back for more. You will hear about the 4 â€Å"P’s† of the marketing mix which are the important elements of a marketing plan. How your future customers are identified and place between the cross-wires with marketing research and target marketing. To get a specific message to a specific customer, one must be familiar with direct marketing. Internet marketing is one of more recent trends that many organizations are looking at. Overall this section should help you learn about the importance for small businesses to implement marketing plans It is important for marketing efforts to be customer-oriented. When marketing a product or service, the organization must be certain that the product or service that they are providing is one that the customer wants. Quite often marketing efforts fail when the organization developed the product/service first, then tried to convince it’s customer to buy it. One of the greatest marketing flops of all time was when the Coca-Cola Company decided to change it’s formula in 1985 and introduced it as â€Å"New Coke. † It was a disaster. Sales of the New Coke were very low and the Coca-Cola Company was receiving many phone calls and letters from angry customers who demanded the old formula back. The Coca-Cola Company brought back the old formula two months later. Reintroduced as â€Å"Coca-Cola Classic,† it was sold along with New Coke and outsold it by two to one in supermarkets. The Coke case is a classic example of what happens when an organization fails to conduct proper marketing research. The key for a successful marketing effort is maintaining a level of customer satisfaction while at the same time, creating a profit for the organization. Profits must be made in order for the organization to continue to do business. Marketing is a concept that is always evolving. New definitions of marketing are being written daily. Marketing plans are an inessential component for all businesses. All businesses that are successful have followed a plan. Their success did not happen because of luck, it happened because the success was planned. A marketing plan helps establish, coordinate, and direct marketing efforts. It forces the organization to take a good, hard look at the market of your field and what is currently happening to it. It’s a time to establish marketing goals and objectives, which can be later used for benchmarking yourself. Marketing plans helps keep the organization on the right track by following the guidelines it sets. It is also critical when trying to borrow money. When an organization plans to allow you to borrow money or invest in your organization, they require to examine your business plan. The marketing plan is a critical part of the business plan. Marketing Plan Elements: Executive Summary: brief explanation of what the organization does, its mission statement, the management’s infrastructure, and a short summary about the marketing objectives and the proposed plan. * Current Marketing Situation: provides information about the current location, the target markets, and competitors in the market. * Competitor and Issue Analysis: a more detailed description about the competition. Also includes potential challenges that could arise in the future due to business issue. * Marketing Objectives: where the marketing goals and financial objectives are set. Objectives should be challenging, yet attainable for the organization. * Marketing Strategy: plan for meeting the marketing objectives. Incorporates the marketing mix. * Action Programs: an explanation of the different tasks of the marketing strategy. What will be done? When will it be done by? Who will do it? What will it cost? * Budget: A more detailed look at the cost of the proposed marketing activities. * Measurements: sets levels to measure if objectives are being met. Sets timeline to meet these measurable objectives. * Supportive Documents: references to support the marketing plan. Includes the marketing research report. * Controls: monitoring system for the marketing plan. Monthly or quarterly checklists to insure that the plan is operating effectively. Also included contingency plans. Plans of action in the event of a crisis. It is important to regularly update your marketing plan. The market changes almost by the hour. The first marketing plan you create probably will not be effective in the future. Sources http://www. marketingpower. com/AboutAMA/Pages/DefinitionofMarketing. aspx http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/marketing

Econ 101

Economics: intro †¢Economic questions arise bc we want more than we can get. †¢Inability to satisfy want: scarcity †¢Incentives: rewards that encourage action or penalties that discourage action. †¢Economics studies the allocation of scarce recourses among people †¢Alfred marshell (1842-1924) shaped macro economics †¢Joan robinson: â€Å" the main reason to study econ is to avoid being fooled by it Two main parts: A) Microeconomics: studying the choice of individual decision makers. And how they interact in markets B) macroeconomics: how the overall economy performs. 2 big questions 1.What, how and for whom do goods and services get produced? 2. When do choices made in self interest align with the social interest? Answer 1) †¢what: goods and services are objects that people value and are produced to satisfy human wants †¢how: factors of production. A) Land: natural recourses. B) labour: work time & effort. â€Å"quality of labour† (huma n capital). C) capital: tools, equipment, machines, computers, buildings.. D) entrepreneurship: human resource hat organizes the above. †¢For whom: who gets good: services depends on the incomes people earn. oLand=rent oLabour=wages oCapital=interest oEntrepreneurship=profitAnswer 2) †¢We make choices in self interest oChoices you think are best for you †¢Choices that are best for society are said to be in the â€Å"social interest† oUses resources efficiently oDistributes goods â€Å"fairly† When does self-interest align with social interest? (important) †¢Environmental issues †¢Bad corporate responsibility The â€Å"Economic† way of thinking Choice under scarcity => trade offs Opportunity cost: the highest valued alternative that you give up to get something. Choices at the â€Å"margin† †¢We look at the tradeoffs â€Å"at the margin† Marginal benefit (MB): benefit from an incremental increase in an activity.Marginal cost (MC): opportunity cost from an incremental increase in an activity. People respond to incentives MB>MC=> do more of an activity MB does less of an activity Lesson 2 Recap: †¢Economics oMicro oMacro †¢2 big question owhat, how, for whom oself interest vs social interest †¢opportunity cost otrade-offs †¢thinking at the â€Å"margin† Lesson 2 Water vs. diamonds Water: essential but almost costless Diamonds: not essential but very costly What is value? What gives things value? Labour theory of value: the value of a commodity is proportional to the amount of labour that goes into it. Abandoned: ex. Cement lifejacketEconomists think about value differently: 1. the value of something is what you’re willing to give up to get it. 2. Economists think about marginal value instead of total value. Water is plentiful= marginal value low Diamonds are scarce= marginal value high Positive and normative statements Positive: statements of facts about observable data Normative: statements about what ought to be. Value judgments Ex. 20% of teens smoke†¦ Positive: †¢Are you more likely to smoke if your parents do? †¢Does living location affect likelihood of smoking? †¢Are smoking rates different across education levels? †¢Self reported reasons for smoking Do prices affect smoking rates? Normative: †¢Kids shouldn’t smoke Cause and effect: Just because two things happen together doesn’t mean that one causes the other. Ex: ice cream sales & deaths by drowning †¢Both related to temperature Economists try to unscramble cause and effect by building models. Model: a purposeful simplification of the real world. Ex: paper airplane Simplification. Learn about: aerodynamics, wind structure†¦ Cant learn about: thrust, fuel capacity, engines†¦ Maps are models: Subway map †¢Lines †¢Stops Doesn’t show curves or turns Road map †¢Street names †¢Turns/curves Satellite photo à ¢â‚¬ ¢Adds detailGraphs: Reveal relationships between variables 3 main types: 1. Time series 2. Cross sectional 3. Scatter plots Lesson 3 Recap: water/diamonds†¦ Value: what you’re willing to give up to get something †¢Positive vs normative †¢Cause & effect oModels †¢Graphs in economics The Economic problem †¢Production possibilities frontier (ppf) Model: focus on tradeoffs between 2 goods. (holding other goods constant) PPF shows boundary between what we can produce and what is unattainable Building a PPF: First good: â€Å"numbers† Ex. X + 3=7 Second good: â€Å"words† Our PPF for X’s & words EX. In textbook PFF’s show marginal cost. opportunity cost of producing one more unit† Preferences& marginal benefit †¢your â€Å"likes† and dislikes marginal benefit: what your willing to give up to get an additional unit of something what does MB look like? Principle: the more you have of a good, the less you†™re willing to pay for an additional unit. Allocative efficiency: $ up the left side of graph, pizza across the bottom. MC is a positive incline, MB is a negative decline at pt Awe have allocative efficiency. We cant produce more of any one godd without giving up some other good that we value more highly lesson 4 recap: †¢allocative efficiency (MB=MC)Economic growth isn’t free 2 key factors †¢Technological change oresearch and development †¢Capital accumulation oDevote resources to production of capital Both require resources that could be used for current consumption †¢Economic growth doesn’t eliminate scarcity †¢Opportunity cost of growth is reduced current consumption Consuming outside your PPF. †¢Gains from trade Imagine if you produced everything you consume†¦(â€Å"Autarky†) Producing one (or a few) goods and trading with others is called â€Å"specialization† Gains from specialization come from exploiting  "comparative advantage† Absolute Advantage: More productive at somethingComparative Advantage: Producing at a lower opportunity cost Ex: textbook smoothie bar example†¦ On lined paper Liz: absolute advantage in smoothies. And comparative advantage in smoothies Joe: no absolute advantage but comparative advantage in salads Where does Comparative advantage come from? †¢Over time people or countries can develop comparative advantage through repeated production. â€Å"learning by doing† (dynamic Comparative advantage) Economic Coordination? †¢Who organizes all this? Centrally planned economy: USSR, china†¦ Decentralized market system: most countries Decentralized markets rely on 4 institutions†¦ON MIDTERM . Firms: hire and organize factors of production 2. Markets: any arrangement that connects buyers and sellers 3. Property Rights: social arrangements that govern ownership and use 4. Money: any commodity or token that is generally accepted as a mea ns of payment Markets coordinate economic activity through price adjustments. Lesson 5 Demand and supply In a market system, economic coordination happens through price adjustment Competitive markets: many buyers and many sellers †¢Prices determine the rate at which goods can be exchanged Money Price: number of dollars Relative price: $price of one good relative to anotherEx: coffee:$2, gum$1 (Money), one coffee costs 2 gums Demand: different than â€Å"want† †¢To demand something you must: a. Want it b. Be able to afford it c. Plan to buy it Law of demand: holding everything else equal, the higher the price of the good the lower the quantity demanded 2 effects cause this: a. Income effect: when price increases, your money doesn’t buy as much b. Substitution effect: when a price increases people substitute to purchasing other goods Ways of representing demand: a. Demand schedule b. Demand curve: When the price of this good changes we move along the demand cur veChanges in Demand: when things other than the price of the good change, the demand curve shifts. Things that shift demand: †¢Nature †¢Quality †¢Tastes/preferences †¢Income †¢Price of other goods oComplements: consume these goods together (Ex. Shoes, always need both) oSubstitutes: consume one or the other †¢Expected future prices †¢Population Supply: a firm supplies a good if it†¦ a. Has the resources and technology to produce it b. Can profit from producing it c. Plans to produce and sell it Law of supply: holding everything else equal, the higher the price of a good, the more is supplied The supply curve:IN binder Example Changes in Supply: †¢Input prices †¢Prices of related goods produced †¢Expected future prices †¢Number of suppliers †¢Technology †¢nature Lesson 6 Market Equilibrium Equilibrium: a state where opposing forces balance each other †¢consists of a market price and quantity Changes in equilib rium (pg 74) 1. French fry demand 2. Market for cocaine 3. Market for kitchen sinks 4. Market for barrels of crude oil 5. Market for fresh orange juice Midterm exam review †¢20 multiple choice †¢2 short answers †¢Multiple choice worth 2points †¢Short answers worth 10 †¢Exam worth 60 †¢Chapters 1-3 Ch 1 †¢What is microeconomics Scarcity and tradeoffs †¢What is value †¢2 big questions owhat how and for whom oself interest vs. social interest †¢positive vs normative statements †¢graphs in econ Ch 2 †¢ppf and opportunity cost †¢marginal benefit and marginal cost †¢allocative efficiency †¢growth †¢specialization and trade †¢absolute and comparative advantage †¢economic coordination Ch3 †¢demand curve (law of demand) †¢movement along vs shifts of the demand curve †¢factors that shift the demand curve †¢supply curve (law of supply) †¢movement along vs shifts of the supply curv e †¢factors that shift the supply curve †¢equilibrium pg 74, 75 changes in equilibrium Lesson 7 October 11, 2011 Modeling demand 1. Demand schedule (table) 2. Demand curve (picture) 3. Demand equation Ex: in notebook In general: P=a-bQ. (a and b are some numbers) A: vertical intercept B: absolute value of slope Modeling supply* 1. G 2. G 3. Modeling equilibrium †¢At equilibrium price (P) quantity demanded equals quantity supplied Equilibrium quantity Q Ex: finding equilibrium Demand: p=800-2Q Supply: P=200+Q †¢Make the right hand side of each equation equal 800-2Q=200+Q 600=3Q 200=Q Elasticity (Ch 4) Law of demand: when price increases quantity demanded falls This gives us direction Elasticity measures how much demand changes Ex: Good X †¢Price increases by 1$ †¢Demand drops by 100 unts Good Y †¢Price increases 200$ †¢Demand drops by 1000 units Cant compare the 2! In order to compare goods we need a measure of responsiveness Price of elasticit y demand= % change in quantity demanded over % change in price Ex: ticket price 21$- 9tickets/hr 19$-11 tickets/hr Find elasticity of demand 1. % change in quantity =change in Q =2/(over) 10 (from 9 to 11) over Average Q Fuck it. In notebook What does elasticity number mean? In notebook Lesson 8Elasticity of demand = % change in quantity demanded/ over % change in price If elasticity is 1 elastic Tuesday October 18, 2011 What affects elasticity? 1. Closeness of substitutes 2. Proportion of income spent on a good 3. Time since price change Other Elasticities 1. Cross elasticity = %change in demand for x % change of price of good Y if X & Y are: Substitutes: positive Complements: negative 2. Income elasticity = %change in demand %change in income bigger than 1: income elastic. As income increases demand increases a lot Between 0 &1: income inelastic. Income increases, demand increases by a littleNegative: inferior good. Income increases, demand decreases Elasticity of Supply = % Chang e in quantity supplied % Change in price What affects supply elasticity? 1. Resources substitutions possibilities 2. Time frame for supply decisions Efficiency and Equity (Ch5) Markets are one way of allocating goods Do they do a good job? A. Efficiency (do the goods go to those that value them the most? ) B. Fairness Ex. X pins†¦ how should we allocate them? 1. Contest: 5 highest grades Ex sports, performance bonuses Pros: †¢May encourage effort Cons: †¢Goods may not go to those people that value them the most 2.First come, first serve: first 5 people to show up get them Ex: walk in clinics Pro: †¢People who value the good highly will line up early Con: †¢May get allocated to those with a low opportunity cost of their time 3. Command System: I decide who gets them Ex: how tasks get allocated inside a firm Pro: †¢May work well when tasks/people are familiar and authority well defined Con: †¢ I can’t tell who values the good the most 4. Lotte ry: draw names from a hat. Ex. Dorm rooms Pros: †¢Fair†¦everyone gets an equal shot Cons: †¢No reason to expect that high value people will get the good 5. Majority rule voteEx, voting politicians Pro: everyone gets an equal say Con: special interest group 6. Personal characteristics If you have a brown belt Ex. Relationships Pros: may work if characteristic highly related to value people have for the good Cons: discrimination 7. Force: everybody fights Ex organized crime/war Cons: strongest might not value the highest Pros: Force can work well in the background oCourts can forcibly reallocate goods 8. Market Mechanism oWhoever is willing to pay the price gets the good Pros: people who have high values are willing to pay more and are more likely to get itCons: people might not have enough money Tuesday October 18, 2011 Midterm #2 November 3 (Ch 4,5,6) †¢Demand and supply †¢Elasticity (ch 4) †¢Efficiency and equity (ch 5) Obstacles to efficiency †¢P rice and quantity regulations (gov’t actions) †¢Taxes and subsidies (gov’t actions) Externalities: your actions impose costs or benefits on others Ex. Smoking. A person might take into account only their own personal benefits and costs but ignore social costs. (second and smoke) OR. Pollution. Firm doesn’t account for external social cost that its production creates. Public Goods A.Consumption by one person doesn’t â€Å"use up† the good. B. Anyone can consume the good without paying Ex: lighthouse: people want to use these goods without paying. â€Å"freeriding†. These are usually under provided Monopoly: a single firm sets the market price †¢Price is higher, quantity is lower Fairness 1. Utilitarianism, (Jeremy bentham, John Stuart mill) †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Greatest Happiness for the greatest number† †¢people are roughly the same †¢the marginal value of money is lower when you have more of it †¢Redistribute wea lth to achieve equality (tax rich, subsidize poor) Problems: A) taxing income: less income generation (work)B) taxing capital: less capital produced (slower growth) C) costs in administering taxes (more fair but size of the â€Å"pie shrinks) 2. Rawls: theory of Justice †¢Fairness of society judged by the well being of the person who is poorest †¢(Equal shares of a small pie) may be worse than (unequal shares of a larger pie) 3. Fairness in Rules, not outcomes †¢Emphasis on equality of opportunity Robert Nozick A. Strong private property rights B. Private property should only be transferred through voluntary exchange Problems: A. No room for redistribution after the fact B. No taxes or government since these aren’t voluntaryGovernment Actions in Markets (Ch 6) Price ceiling: gov’t regulations that makes it illegal to charge a price higher than some specified level †¢Set above equilibrium price= no effect †¢Set below equilibrium price= Example in notebook Black market †¢Illegal market in which price is higher than price ceiling †¢Graph in notebook †¢ Thursday October 27, 2011 20 m/c few short answer midterm review: †¢Note on demand on supply equations (end of ch 3) †¢Elasticity (Ch 4) know how to calculate and know what it is †¢Efficiency and equity (Ch 5) *consmer and producer surplus †¢Government actions in markets (Ch 6) Price ceilings oPrice flooring oTaxes Price Floors: Mandatory minimum price Ex. Minimum wage Graph in notebook †¢Unemployment increases search costs †¢More power to firms in hiring decisions †¢Black markets oEx. Illegal labour markets where people are paid below the min wage oIn notebook Taxes: When the government taxes a good the price paid by consumers and the price received by producers are now different Ex. Gov’t puts a $5 (per unit) tax on producers In notebook Tuesday November 1, 2011 Midterm Thursday Material: 1. Note on demand and supply equations. (end of Ch 3) 2. Elasticity (Ch4) †¢Price elasticity Elasticity and total revenue (figure 4. 5 in text) †¢Cross elasticity and income elasticity †¢Supply elasticity 3. Efficiency and equity (Ch 5) †¢Alternative allocation methods †¢Consumer and producer surplus †¢Efficiency of equilibrium †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"fairness† 4. Government Actions (Ch 6) †¢Price ceilings †¢Price floors †¢Taxes Tuesday November 14, 2011 Global Markets Many of the goods and services you consume aren’t produced in Canada Ex. Iphones (all over), clothes (china), tech support (india) †¢Part of the globalization process oImports: goods we buy from other countries oExports: goods we sell to other countriesGlobal Imports: Exports in 2008 =$35 trillion Canada: †¢exports: $535 billion. Agriculture, forestry, energy, mining, machinery, automotive, aircraft †¢Imports: $503 billion In binder example Tariffs: a tax imposed by the importing coun try on goods that come from another country Arguments for protection 1. Infant industry Argument †¢We need to protect domestic industries when they start so that they can mature enough to compete on world markets. †¢Develop comparative advantage †¢Everyone can argue this 2. Barriers to trade to protect jobs. †¢Trade costs jobs †¢There isn’t a â€Å"fixed number of jobs† †¢Trade also creates jobs

Blood Promise Chapter Sixteen

Denis and his two unpromised friends, Artur and Lev, were ecstatic that I was going to be part of their posse. But if they expected me to share their crazy enthusiasm for reckless Strigoi hunting, they were about to be sorely disappointed. In fact, it didn't take long after I joined them before they realized that I was approaching the hunt very differently than they were. Denis's friend Lev had a car, and we took turns driving to Novosibirsk. The drive was about fifteen hours, and even though we stopped at a hotel for the night, it was still a lot of continuous time to be cooped up in a small space with three guys who couldn't stop talking about all the Strigoi they were going to kill. In particular, they kept trying to draw me out. They wanted to know about how many Strigoi I'd slain. They wanted to know what the battle at the Academy had been like. They wanted to know my methods. Anytime my mind turned to those topics, though, all I could think of was blood and grief. It was nothing I wanted to brag about, and it took about six hours on the road for them to finally figure out that they weren't going to get much information from me. Instead, they regaled me with tales of their own adventures. To be fair, they'd slain several Strigoi-but they'd lost a number of their friends, all of whom had been in their teens, like these guys. My experiences weren't that dissimilar; I'd lost friends too. My losses had been a result of being outnumbered, though. Denis's group's casualties seemed to have been more due to rushing in to without thinking. Indeed, their plan once we got to Novosibirsk wasn't really that solid. They reiterated that Strigoi liked to hunt at places that were crowded at night, like dance clubs, or in remote places like alleys, that made for easy pickings. No one noticed as much when people disappeared from those kinds of places. So Denis's plans mostly involved trolling those hot spots in the hopes that we'd run into Strigoi. My initial thought was to immediately ditch this group and strike out on my own. After all, my main goal had been to simply get to Novosibirsk. With everything I'd learned now, it seemed logical that Siberia's largest city would be the next best place to look. Then, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that jumping into the Strigoi scene alone would be as stupid as one of the unpromised gang's plans. I could use their backup. Plus, since I didn't actually know where Dimitri was yet, I had to come up with a method of getting some information. I'd need help for that. We made it to Novosibirsk at the end of the second day of driving. Despite hearing about its size, I hadn't imagined it would be anything like Moscow or Saint Petersburg. And true, it turned out to be not quite as large as they were, but it was still just as much a city, complete with skyscrapers, theaters, commuters, and the same beautiful architecture. We crashed with a friend of theirs who had an apartment downtown, a dhampir named Tamara. Her English wasn't very good, but from the sounds of it, she was another unpromised one and just as excited as everyone else to rid the world of Strigoi. She was a little older than the rest of us, which was why she had her own place, and was a cute brunette with freckles. It sounded as though she waited until whenever the guys came to town to hunt, which I took as a small blessing. At least she didn't go out alone. She seemed particularly excited to have another girl around, but like the others, she quickly picked up that I didn't share their enthusiasm. When our first night of Strigoi hunting came around, I finally stepped up into a leadership position. The sudden change in behavior startled them at first, but they soon listened with rapt attention, still caught up in my superstar reputation. â€Å"Okay,† I said, looking from face to face. We were in Tamara's tiny living room, sitting in a circle. â€Å"Here's how it's going to work. We're going to hit the nightclub scene as a group, patrolling it and the alleys behind it for-â€Å" â€Å"Wait,† interrupted Denis. â€Å"We usually split up.† â€Å"Which is why you get killed,† I snapped. â€Å"We're going as a group.† â€Å"Haven't you killed Strigoi by yourself, though?† asked Lev. He was the tallest of the group, with a long and lanky figure that was almost Moroi-like. â€Å"Yes, but I got lucky.† That, and I also just thought I was a better fighter than any of them. Call me arrogant, but I was a damned good guardian. Or near-guardian. â€Å"We'll do better with all five of us. When we find Strigoi, we've got to make sure we take care of them in an isolated place.† I hadn't forgotten Sydney's warnings. â€Å"But before we kill them, I need to talk to them. It'll be your job to restrain them.† â€Å"Why?† asked Denis. â€Å"What do you have to say to them?† â€Å"Actually, it's what they have to say to me. Look, it won't take long. And you'll get to make your kill in the end, so don't worry about it. But†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This next part went against my grand plans, but I knew I had to say it. I wouldn't get them killed for the sake of my own quest. â€Å"If we get ourselves in a situation where you're trapped or in immediate danger, forget the talking and restraining. Kill. Save yourself.† Apparently, I seemed confident and badass enough that they decided to go along with whatever I said. Part of our plan involved going â€Å"undercover,† so to speak. Any Strigoi who was close or got a good enough look would immediately recognize us as dhampirs. It was important that we not attract any attention. We needed a Strigoi scanning for victims to pass right over us. We needed to look like other human club-goers. So we dressed the part, and I was a bit astonished at how well the guys cleaned up. Denis, crazy or not, was particularly good-looking, sharing the same dark gold hair and brown eyes that his brother Nikolai had. My few changes of clothes weren't quite up to partying standards, so Tamara delved into her wardrobe for me. She seemed to take a lot of delight in finding things for me to wear. We were actually similar in size, which was kind of amazing. With her tall, super-slim build, Lissa and I had never been able to share clothes. Tamara was my height and had a similar body type. She first offered me a short, tight dress that was so similar to the one Viktoria had worn that I just shook my head and handed it back. The memories of our argument still hurt, and I wasn't going to relive that night or in any way play blood whore dress-up. Instead, Tamara settled for dressing me in black jeans and a black tank top. I consented to hair and makeup too, and studying myself in the mirror, I had to admit she did a good job. As vain as it was, I liked looking good. I especially liked that the guys looked at me in a way that was admiring and respectful-but not like I was some piece of meat. Tamara offered me jewelry too, but the only thing I'd wear was the nazar around my neck. My stake required a jacket, but she found a sexy leather one that didn't take away from the rest of the outfit's appeal. Setting out around midnight, I couldn't help shaking my head. â€Å"We're the goddamned hottest vampire hunters ever,† I muttered. Denis led us to a club where they'd found Strigoi before. It was also apparently where one of their unpromised friends had been killed. It was in a seedy part of town, which I guess added to its appeal for Strigoi. A lot of the people there were middle- and upper-class young people, apparently drawn in by the â€Å"dangerous† aspect. If only they'd known just how dangerous it was. I'd made a lot of jokes to Dimitri about Russia and Eastern Europe being ten years behind in music, but when we entered, I discovered the ground-thumping techno song playing was something I'd heard in the U.S. just before leaving. The place was crowded and dark, with flashing lights that were actually a little annoying to dhampir eyes. Our night vision would adapt to the darkness and then be blasted when a strobe light kicked on. In this case, I didn't need my sight. My shadow-kissed senses didn't feel any Strigoi in the area. â€Å"Come on,† I said to the others. â€Å"Let's dance for a while and wait. There are no Strigoi nearby.† â€Å"How do you know?† asked Denis, staring at me in wonder. â€Å"I just do. Stay together.† Our little circle moved to the dance floor. It had been so long since I'd danced, and I was a bit surprised at how quickly I found myself getting into the rhythm. Part of me said I should have stayed ever vigilant, but my Strigoi alarm system would immediately snap me awake if any danger came. That nausea was kind of hard to ignore. But after an hour of dancing, no Strigoi had appeared. We left the dance floor and started circling the club's edges, then moved outside to sweep that area too. Nothing. â€Å"Is there another club nearby?† I asked. â€Å"Sure,† said Artur. He was stocky, with close-shaved hair and a ready smile. â€Å"A couple blocks over.† We followed him and found a similar scene: another secret club hidden in a run-down building. More flashing lights. More crowds. More pounding music. Disturbingly, what started to bother me first was the smell. That many people generated a lot of sweat. I had no doubt even the humans could smell it. To us, it was cloying. Tamara and I exchanged looks and wrinkled our noses, needing no words to convey our disgust. We moved to the dance floor again, and Lev started to leave to get a drink. I punched him in the arm. He exclaimed something in Russian that I recognized as a swear word. â€Å"What was that for?† he asked. â€Å"For being stupid! How do you expect to kill something that's twice as fast as you while drunk?† He shrugged, unconcerned, and I resisted the urge to hit him in the face this time. â€Å"One won't hurt. Besides, there aren't even any-â€Å" â€Å"Be quiet!† It was creeping over me, that weird stirring in my stomach. Forgetting my cover, I stopped dancing, scanning the crowd for the source. While I was relying on my senses to feel Strigoi, spotting them in the crowd was a bit harder. I took a few steps toward the entrance, and my nausea lessened. I moved toward the bar, and the feeling increased. â€Å"This way,† I told them. â€Å"Act like you're still into the music.† My tension was contagious, and I saw the anticipation sweep them-as well as a little fear. Good. Maybe they'd take this seriously. As we headed in the bar's direction, I tried to keep my body language oriented toward it, like I was seeking a drink. All the while, my eyes swept the crowd's periphery. There. I had him. A male Strigoi was standing off in a corner, his arm around a girl close to my age. In the dim lighting, he almost seemed attractive. I knew closer examination would reveal the deathly pale skin and red eyes that all Strigoi had. The girl might not have been able to see them in the darkened club, or the Strigoi might have been using compulsion on her. Probably both, judging from the smile on her face. Strigoi were able to compel others just as well as a spirit user like Lissa could. Better, even. Before our eyes, I saw the Strigoi lead the girl down a small, unnoticed hallway. At the end, I could just make out a glowing exit sign. At least, I presumed it was an exit sign. The letters were Cyrillic. â€Å"Any idea where that door goes?† I asked the others. The guys shrugged, and Denis repeated my question to Tamara. She answered back, and he translated. â€Å"There's a small alley out back where they keep trash. It's between this building and a factory. No one's usually there.† â€Å"Can we get to it by going around the club?† Denis waited for Tamara's response. â€Å"Yes. It's open on both sides.† â€Å"Perfect.† We hurried out of the club by the front door, and I divided our group into two. The plan was to come at the Strigoi from both sides and trap him in the middle-provided he and his victim were still out back. It was possible he could have led her elsewhere, but I thought it more likely he'd want to subdue her and get his blood right there, particularly if it was as deserted as Tamara said it usually was. I was right. Once my group had split off and peered around behind the club, I saw the Strigoi and the girl lurking in the shadow of a trash can. He was leaning over her, mouth near her neck, and I silently swore. They didn't waste any time. Hoping she was still alive, I came charging down the alley, the others on my heels. From the alley's other side, Denis and Lev also came running. As soon as he heard the first footfall, the Strigoi reacted instantly, his staggeringly fast reflexes kicking in. He immediately dropped the girl, and in the space of a heartbeat, he chose Denis and Lev over Artur, Tamara, and me. Not a bad strategy, really. There were only two of them. Because he was so fast, he probably hoped to incapacitate them quickly and then turn on us before we could flank him. And it almost worked. A powerful hit sent Lev flying. To my relief, a couple of trash cans blocked him from the building's wall. Hitting them wouldn't feel good, but if I had the choice, I'd rather hit metal cans than solid bricks. The Strigoi pounced on Denis next, but Denis proved remarkably fast. Unfairly, I'd assumed none of these unpromised had any real fighting skills. I should have known better. They'd had the same training as me; they just lacked discipline. Denis dodged the blow and struck out low, aiming for the Strigoi's legs. The hit landed, though it wasn't strong enough to knock him over. A flash of silver showed in Denis's hands, and he managed to partially swipe the Strigoi's cheek just before a backhanded slap knocked the dhampir into me. A cut like that wouldn't be lethal to the Strigoi, but the silver would hurt, and I heard him snarl. His fangs gleamed with saliva. I sidestepped Denis quickly enough that he didn't knock me over. Tamara grabbed his arm, holding him so that he wouldn't fall either. She was fast too and had barely steadied him before leaping up at the Strigoi. He swatted her away but didn't manage to hit her hard enough to push her far. Artur and I were on him by that point, our combined force knocking him against the wall. Still, he was stronger and the pinning was brief before he broke free. A responsible voice in my head-that sounded suspiciously like Dimitri's-warned me that that had been my window to kill him. It would have been the smart and safe thing to do. I'd had the opening, and my stake was in my hand. If my crazy interrogation plan failed, the others' deaths would be on my head. As one, Artur and I leapt out again. â€Å"Help us!† I yelled. Tamara threw herself against the Strigoi, landing a swift kick to the stomach as well. I could feel him starting to shake us off, but then Denis joined in too. Between the four of us, we wrestled the Strigoi down so that he lay back-first on the pavement. But the worst wasn't over. Keeping him down wasn't easy. He thrashed around with incredible strength, limbs twisting everywhere. I heaved myself up, trying to throw my body's weight across his torso while the others restrained his legs. Another set of hands joined us, and I looked up to see Lev lending his strength too. His lip was bleeding, but his face was determined. The Strigoi hadn't stopped moving, but I felt satisfied he wouldn't break away anytime soon, not with all five of us holding him. Shifting forward, I placed the point of my stake at his neck. It gave him pause, but he soon resumed his struggle. I leaned over his face. â€Å"Do you know Dimitri Belikov?† I demanded. He shouted something incomprehensible at me that didn't sound very friendly. I pressed the stake in harder and drew a long gash against his throat. He screamed in pain, pure evil and malice shining out from his eyes as he continued swearing in Russian. â€Å"Translate,† I demanded, not caring who did it. â€Å"What I said.† A moment later, Denis said something in Russian, presumably my question since I heard Dimitri's name in there. The Strigoi growled back a response, and Denis shook his head. â€Å"He says he isn't going to play games with us.† I took the stake and slashed at the Strigoi's face, widening the gash Denis had made earlier. Again, the Strigoi cried out, and I prayed club security wouldn't hear any of this. I gave him a smile filled with enough malice to match his own. â€Å"Tell him we're going to keep playing games with him until he talks. One way or another, he dies tonight. It's up to him whether it happens slowly or quickly.† I honestly couldn't believe those words had come out of my mouth. They were so harsh†¦ so, well, cruel. I'd never in my entire life expected to be torturing anyone, even a Strigoi. The Strigoi gave Denis's translation another defiant response, and so I kept on with the stake, making gashes and cuts that would have killed any human, Moroi, or dhampir. Finally, he shot off a string of words that didn't sound like his usual insults. Denis immediately translated. â€Å"He said he's never heard of anyone named that and that if Dimitri's a friend of yours, he'll be sure to kill him slowly and painfully.† I almost smiled at the Strigoi's last effort at defiance. The problem with my strategy here was that the Strigoi could be lying. I'd have no way of knowing. Something in his response made me think he wasn't. He'd sounded like he thought I was referring to a human or a dhampir, not a Strigoi. â€Å"He's useless then,† I said. I leaned back and glanced at Denis. â€Å"Go ahead and kill him.† It was what Denis had been dying to do. He didn't hesitate, his stake striking hard and swift through the Strigoi's heart. The frantic struggling stilled a moment later. The evil light faded from the red eyes. We stood up, and I saw my companions' faces watching me with apprehension and fear. â€Å"Rose,† asked Denis at last. â€Å"What are you hoping to-â€Å" â€Å"Never mind that,† I interrupted, moving over to the unconscious human girl's side. Kneeling down, I examined her neck. He'd bitten her, but not much blood had been taken. The wound was relatively small and bled only a little. She stirred slightly and moaned when I touched her, which I took as a good sign. Carefully, I dragged her away from the trash can and out into the light where she'd be most noticeable. The Strigoi, however, I dragged into as dark a place as I could, almost completely obscuring him. After that, I asked to borrow Denis's cell phone and dialed the number I'd kept crumpled in my pocket for the last week. After a couple of rings, Sydney answered in Russian. She sounded sleepy. â€Å"Sydney? This is Rose.† There was a slight pause. â€Å"Rose? What's going on?† â€Å"Are you back in Saint Petersburg?† â€Å"Yes†¦ where are you?† â€Å"Novosibirsk. Do you guys have agents here?† â€Å"Of course,† she said warily. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Mmm†¦ I've got something for you to clean up.† â€Å"Oh dear.† â€Å"Hey, at least I'm calling. And it's not like me ridding the world of another Strigoi is a bad thing. Besides, didn't you want me to let you know?† â€Å"Yes, yes. Where are you?† I put Denis on the phone briefly so that he could explain our specific location. He handed the phone back to me when he finished, and I told Sydney about the girl. â€Å"Is she seriously injured?† â€Å"Doesn't look like it,† I said. â€Å"What should we do?† â€Å"Leave her. The guy who's coming will make sure she's okay and doesn't go telling stories. He'll explain it when he gets there.† â€Å"Whoa, hey. I'm not going to be here when he arrives.† â€Å"Rose-â€Å" â€Å"I'm out of here,† I told her. â€Å"And I'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone else that I called-say, like, Abe.† â€Å"Rose-â€Å" â€Å"Please, Sydney. Just don't tell. Or else†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I hesitated. â€Å"If you do, I'll stop calling when this happens. We're going to be taking down a few more.† God, what next? First torture, now threats. Worse, I was threatening someone I liked. Of course, I was lying. I understood why Sydney's group did what they did, and I wouldn't risk the exposure. She didn't know that, though, and I prayed she'd think I was just unstable enough to risk revealing us to the world. â€Å"Rose-† she tried yet again. I didn't give her the chance. â€Å"Thanks, Sydney. We'll be in touch.† I disconnected and handed Denis the phone. â€Å"Come on, guys. We're not done tonight.† It was clear they thought I was crazy to be interrogating Strigoi, but considering how reckless they were sometimes, my behavior wasn't quite weird enough for them to lose their faith in me. Soon they grew enthusiastic again, high on the idea of our first kill on this trip. My uncanny ability to sense Strigoi made me even cooler in their eyes, and I grew confident they'd pretty much follow me anywhere. We caught two more Strigoi that night and managed to repeat the procedure. The results were the same. Lots of insults in Russian. No new information. Once I was convinced a Strigoi had nothing to offer us, I'd let the unpromised go in for the kill. They loved it, but after that third one, I found myself growing weary both mentally and physically. I told the group we were going to go home-and then, while cutting around the back of a factory, I sensed a fourth Strigoi. We jumped him. Another scuffle occurred, but we eventually managed to pin him as we had the others. â€Å"Go ahead,† I told Denis. â€Å"You know what to-â€Å" â€Å"I'm going to rip your throat out!† the Strigoi snarled. Whoa. This one spoke English. Denis opened his mouth to begin the interrogation, but I shook my head. â€Å"I'll take over.† Like the other Strigoi, he swore and struggled, even with the stake against his neck, making it hard for me to talk. â€Å"Look,† I said growing impatient and tired, â€Å"just tell us what we need to know. We're looking for a dhampir named Dimitri Belikov.† â€Å"I know him.† The Strigoi's voice was smug. â€Å"And he's no dhampir.† Without realizing it, I'd called Dimitri a dhampir. I was tired and had slipped up. No wonder this Strigoi was so pleased to talk. He assumed we didn't know about Dimitri turning. And like any arrogant Strigoi, he was happy to tell us more, clearly in the hopes of causing us pain. â€Å"Your friend has been awakened. He stalks the night with us now, drinking the blood of foolish girls like you.† In a split second, a thousand thoughts raced through my head. Holy crap. I'd come to Russia thinking it would be easy to find Dimitri. I'd had those hopes dashed in his hometown, nearly causing me to give up, and I'd swung the other way, resigning myself to the near impossibility of my task. The thought that I might be close to something here was staggering. â€Å"You're lying,† I said. â€Å"You've never seen him.† â€Å"I see him all the time. I've killed with him.† My stomach twisted, and it had nothing to do with the Strigoi's proximity. Don't think about Dimitri killing people. Don't think about Dimitri killing people. I said the words over and over in my head, forcing myself to stay calm. â€Å"If that's true,† I hissed back, â€Å"then I've got a message for you to deliver to him. Tell him Rose Hathaway is looking for him.† â€Å"I'm not your errand boy,† he said, glowering. My stake slashed out, drawing blood, and he grimaced in pain. â€Å"You're anything I want you to be. Now go tell Dimitri what I told you. Rose Hathaway. Rose Hathaway is looking for him. Say it.† I pressed the point to his neck. â€Å"Say my name so I know you'll remember.† â€Å"I'll remember it so I can kill you.† The stake pressed harder, spilling blood. â€Å"Rose Hathaway,† he said. He spit at me but missed. Satisfied, I leaned back. Denis watched me expectantly, stake poised and ready. â€Å"Now we kill him?† I shook my head. â€Å"Now we let him go.†