Ccot Essay

CCOT Essay: China 100 CE-600 CE China’s culture and it’s values have remained as for the most part coherencies and few or little changes. The lessons and estimations of Confucianism that were solid to the point that they have kept going during the time of Chinese history is still notable today. These qualities remembered rules for regard. Chinese human progress during the old style development was a man controlled society and with the Confucius encouraging which made the blueprint of how a decent family should function like. Man centric society was progression for Chinese civilization.Many of Confucius’ convictions and qualities will endure and withstand numerous possible changes to come. One of these progressions were Buddhism, which came into China through a wide range of ways, for example, the Silk Road. The Han Dynasty fell, making China go into a multi year time of disorder. China’s social solidarity was compromised by the spread of Buddhism, however it was tone of the one thoughts that was brought into China before the twentieth century. Luckily for China’s dash of congruity, the three century time of disorder would end which would likewise restore Confucianism.The rising and falling of administrations were coherence. Confucianism took China’s social pieces and set up them. Despite the fact that China had numerous progressions that occurred from 100 C. E. to 600 C. E. , they generally leveled out socially. They likewise stayed in their dash of social coherence on account of Confucius and his lessons. One of these coherencies was the dynamic cycles, similar to the Zhou tradition, the Qin administration, and the Han line, since it had kept going all through the Classical Era. Numerous things were changing around the time period.The first of these things was that the bureaucratic framework. It was turning out to be increasingly degenerate. Laborers and the normal individuals of China got poor. After germs and malady came, individuals began to bite the dust too. At that point wanderers came, and because of the insecure legislature of China at that point, the military couldn't push them. Thusly, the Han line was ousted totally. A similar kind of toppling by migrant attacks occurred in Rome too. The Germanic intruders came in and broke Rome separated. Rome was then partitioned into three regions and was never totally resuscitated ever again.After the three century time of bedlam, the T’ang administration came later, in 618 C. E. to restore Confucianism and the bureaucratic framework. During the traditional period, the Chinese progress experienced major administrative change. In China still truly stayed solid and joined together. The purpose behind this is on the grounds that China had an extremely strong social and political framework that was dependent on Confucianism. The reason for these significant radical changes in China’s government is a direct result of the debilitated govern ment; the roaming intrusions didn't help either.

Reflective Statement The WritePass Journal

Intelligent Statement Presentation Intelligent Statement IntroductionIndividual Contribution Working with Others and Resolving Conflicts Individual Improvement for the Future ReferencesRelated Presentation This task included making a key report covering all parts of the activity of the Walt Disney Group. The report involved drawing on a generally wide investigation of the functions of the Walt Disney Group, with every individual from the group contributing certain pieces of the report, before then meeting up to attempt a general examination. This intelligent explanation takes a gander at how I for one functioned inside the group and any zones that I believe I could enhance, later on. The intelligent proclamation will likewise depict the manner by which I worked inside the group to help others and how we managed any contentions which happened, during the length of the undertaking. Singular Contribution I was by and by liable for explicit parts of the real research and for reviewing the undertaking. At the start, we plunked down with the group to designate certain regions of work, with the end goal of meeting routinely to consolidate our discoveries and to guarantee that the report, overall, read as though it were one voice. As the undertaking included some type of vital investigation, I was especially worried that if every individual essentially dealt with their own area, it would not meet up as a reasonable entire (Forsyth, 2009). I for one felt that I started to lead the pack, when it came to imparting among the group and furthermore while guaranteeing that we got together consistently to talk about advancement. I myself as one of the other colleagues started to lead the pack in orchestrating these gatherings. While this was effective, at first, we before long found that different individuals from the group were not reacting to the proposal of gatherings and were not sending their own work in great time, hence making challenges among the group and furthermore making it harder for me as a person to finish my component of the undertaking (Boud Walker 1993) If I somehow managed to attempt the venture once more, I would guarantee that, from the start, a lot more noteworthy accentuation was put on setting out the full extent of each individual’s work task, as it immediately became evident that every person inside the group was depending on others to embrace their piece of the report. In this manner, when one individual was neglecting to stay up with the remainder of the group, this made an a lot more prominent issue than basically one individual not â€Å"pulling their weight†. As a moderately resilient individual, I would by and by put myself forward as to a greater extent a co-ordinator, at the start, to guarantee that this absence of attachment didn't occur in future (Jarboe Witteman, 1996). At the point when we experienced challenges toward the finish of the undertaking, with one individual not being accessible in the couple of days before the cutoff time, I took on another area of the writing so as to guarantee that we were then ready to fulfill the time constraint, something which put me under expanded individual tension. In view of the issues that we were having, by then, it was the main sensible arrangement accessible; in any case, better group the board, at a prior stage when it became evident that a few people were not going to make the cutoff time would have forestalled such an elevated level of individual weight and this extra remaining task at hand could then have been spread all the more equally. Working with Others and Resolving Conflicts As noted above, it got clear, as the undertaking advanced, that there were sure key people inside the group who were getting progressively lethargic to setting up meeting times and were not introducing their work when mentioned. This could have placed the whole task in peril and was exacerbated when one individual was not accessible by any stretch of the imagination, in the couple of days before the cutoff time. The way that a portion of the key people were not reacting to demands for gatherings or presenting their work on-time got clear halfway through the venture. However, move was not emphatically made without anyone else and the other sorting out colleagues who were all the while reacting until only a couple of days before the cutoff time (Coleman, 2011). Adequately, our way to deal with managing this issue was to disregard it and essentially proceed with our own exercises, something which possibly risked the undertaking completely. With a task of this nature, only overlooking clash was impossible. Moreover, albeit normal exchanges were endeavored by proposing meeting times, correspondence between colleagues had just broken down.â in all actuality, this contention could have been settled, at the beginning, before any challenges developed, by setting out a group chief who would have been answerable for keeping everyone on target and guaranteeing that the gatherings occurred as organized. When it became obvious that the time span for the venture was not being kept, the named group pioneer could then have taken a progressively forceful position to guarantee that such failings didn't imperil the general undertaking. It was seemingly this disappointment that was instrumental in making a very late frenzy and surge. Singular Improvement for the Future Remembering the entirety of this, I feel that my own zones for development, later on is take a significantly more dynamic position, regarding venture the executives, from the beginning (Schon 1996). I would likewise guarantee that all colleagues agreed to the time periods set out. I turned out to be actually mindful that there were challenges with correspondence and time span, at a moderately beginning time, yet I generally decided to overlook this with the expectation that issues would improve voluntarily. This methodology prompted me expressly being put under extensive tension, towards the finish of the task and, in that capacity, my own individual exhibition was not comparable to it could have been, especially with the last area of the venture being surged, over a time of 2 to 3 days. I subsequently feel that I could have improved my very own presentation by playing a substantially more dynamic job in venture the board. This would empower me to guarantee that every individual was working inside the time period and I was not required to surge during the most recent couple of days of the task, possibly giving up the nature of the work.  References  Boud D Walker D (1993) Barriers to Reflection on Experience. In Boud D,. Cohen R Walker D. Utilizing Experience for Learning. Buckingham: Society for Research into Higher Education Open University Press. Coleman, P (2011). The Five Percent: Finding Solutions to Seemingly Impossible Conflicts. Open Affairs. New York, p.26 Forsyth, D. R. (2009). Group dynamicsâ (5th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. Jarboe, S. C., Witteman, H. R. (1996). Intragroup peace making in task-situated gatherings: The impact of issue sources and issue analysis. Small Group Research, 27, 316â€338. Schon D. (1996). From Technical Rationality to Reflection in real life, In: Edwards, R., Hanson, An., and P Raggatt (eds) Boundaries of Adult Learning, London, Routledge.

New York City

New York City I started obsessively checking the news sometime in middle school. I pored over whatever I could find, usually defaulting to MSNBC or CNN to educate myself about anything that might be relevant to my 12-year-old self. And then I found an article that suggested lip gloss might cause cancer. Disillusioned and concerned for my lip health, I started looking for other sources of news and found the New York Times. I was enamored by their graphics and interactive pieces (and still am) and when I stumbled across this interview with the Graphics Editor, I knew I had a new goal to join the Times and be surrounded by visually talented people. (If you have 15 minutes, I highly recommend reading the interview.) Fast forward to this past spring when the Times came to campus to recruit. With a stroke of luck, I got an offer to join their team for the summer and am currently in Manhattan trying to find my bearings and eat as much cheap food as possible before returning to the real world. Im living with three of my sorority sisters Nicole, Rebecca, and Ruisi in a cozy apartment in Hells Kitchen a mile from Times Square. I cant say how much time we spend at home between work and exploring the city, but I can say how much time Ive spent finding new places in the city. Everything is new to me. Trying food is a huge part of my experience here. Im not a foodie, but I know when something is delicious and photographs well. :) Weekends are enough time to go out of Manhattan and explore the other boroughs even if Im caught doing touristy things on Coney Island. I take every chance I get to try new places for dinner. Otafuku  has a shop capacity of 3 people, but it was fun eating takoyaki and yakisoba outside on a bench in the evening. Y Cafe is a cheap and delicious brunch place I visited this morning. It was refreshingly light and fresh compared to many other similarly priced brunch options in the city. New York is different from what I expectedall the day trips and short stays Ive spent in the city prior to this summer felt hectic and rushed. After settling in, it feels a lot like MITtheres so much to do in a limited amount of time. Every day ends up feeling like four when you recap everything youve done the following morning. Its starting to feel like a home.

Major General Gideon J. Pillow in the Civil War

Differential Diagnosis Of Sickle Cell Disease - 1361 Words

What is your list of differential diagnoses in this case and explain how each of these fits with the case patient as described above. Be sure to list at least four (4) pertinent differential diagnoses. Indicate which of these you would select as the most likely diagnosis and explain why. 1) Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) (Sickle Cell Crisis): Sickle cell disease is a hereditary disease. The majority of individuals affected by SCD are those of African descent (Yawn John-Sowah, 2015). SCD develops hereditarily by an individual being homozygous for sickle hemoglobin (HbSS) (Yawn John-Sowah, 2015). Individuals will also have another abnormal hemoglobin gene, such as HbSC (Yawn John-Sowah, 2015). The red blood cells (RBCs) in SCD lose oxygen and become sickled (Yawn John-Sowah, 2015). The RBCs loose flexibility and shape; sickled cells have been described as having a crescent moon shape (Yawn John-Sowah, 2015). Organ and tissue damage is due to the sickled RBCs (Rees Gibson, 2011). Without flexibility, the sickled cells cause vaso-occlusions which lead to tissue infarction and inflammation (Rees Gibson, 2011). Vasoocclusive crisis (VOC) is a common complication of SCD that will be sudden and severe causing severe pain (Yawn John-Sowah, 2015). Individuals must be monitored for infection, pain, renal failure, cerebrovascular disease, and acute chest syndrome (Rees Gibson, 2011). Individuals with SCD are at a high risk for stroke (Yawn John-Sowah, 2015).Show MoreRelatedA Study On Alyscia And Devon Essay1131 Words   |  5 Pagespresented with an enlarged spleen. Pre-screening indicates signs of sickle cell anemia (SCA). Patient’s mother reports no family history; however, paternal aunt passed away at an early age. Ask What are the screen types for SCA, as well as, the other types of genetic anemias and how to differentiate between them? Access This article covers the insights into HbF gene regulation. HbF appears to benefit some complications of disease more than others. This review article covers establishment of comprehensiveRead MoreMarilyn Monroe Reason For Presentation1524 Words   |  7 Pages Reason for Presentation: â€Å"I have severe, deep pain in my lower back, right leg and both arm that hasn’t resolved in 2 days.† History of Presenting Illness: Marilyn Monroe is a 22-year-old female with a known history of Sickle Cell Disease (Hemoglobin SS). She presented to the Emergency Department with excruciating â€Å"deep† pain, which she rates 9/10 to her lower back, right thigh, and both arms for two days. It has not resolved with oxycodone 10 mg as needed that she has at home. She reports sheRead MoreSource Of Information : Mother And Patient2081 Words   |  9 Pages Her vitals in the ED were as follows: BP 133/89 HR 106 RR 20 T 99.1 The ED work-up results were as follows: CBC: 18.83 336 Neutrophils 81% Bands 4% Lymphocytes 11% BMP: 144/4.5/103/23/5/0.600%) The results indicated that this patient had sickle cell beta thalassemia positive anemia. The results were never disclosed to the family and now the patient was experiencing her first vaso-occlusive crisis likely precipitated by infection (pneumonia). Throughout the hospital stay, the patient experiencedRead MoreThe Effects Of Sickle Cell Disease On Daily Life2454 Words   |  10 Pages Effects of Sickle Cell Disease on Daily Life Alyssa Bodnar NSG 401-Pediatric Nursing University of North Carolina Wilmington Abstract Sickle Cell disease is a genetic disorder found primarily in minority descents throughout the world. Because of recent accomplishments in medical research, those diagnosed with Sickle Cell disease are able to lead much more fulfilling lives instead of lives filled with excruciating pain. Though crises caused by the disease process may be unavoidableRead MoreChronic Illness On Person And Environment1952 Words   |  8 Pages Sickle Cell Anemia Patricia A. Walton HCS 331 Psychosocial Impact of Chronic Illness on Person and Environment Professor Alayna Defalco June 14, 2015 â€Å"Sickle cell disease is an autosomal recessive disorder of blood cells caused by a genetic defect of the beta-globin chain of adult hemoglobin (HbA). The mutant forms of hemoglobin are sickle hemoglobin (HbS) because HbS polymerizes in deoxygenated blood, causing red blood cells to form a sickle shape. Normal hemoglobin has a biconcaveRead MoreThe Role Of Yellow Fever And The Regional Dynamics More Heavily Than Malaria1209 Words   |  5 Pagesimmunity to yellow fever, but what about resistance to malaria? This question would then likely become a racial aspect, and the creole and slave populations would be a factor. McNeill names the theories differential immunity and differential resistance (differential resistance referring to the Sickle Cell and Duffy mutations). He specifically states that an inherited immunity to yellow fever does exist but is not proven and that acquired immunity in childhood sufficiently explained local and AfricanRead MoreOverview of Normocytic Anem ia1084 Words   |  4 Pagesblood cell that is of normal size. They usually also have hemoglobin content (medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Normocytic) Normochromic anemia, Also known as normocytic anemia. This is the most frequent type of anemia most often happening to males over 85 years old. It is a common problem that occurs to men and women over 85 years old. Symptoms include and are caused by: a reduced production of normal-sized red blood cells even though presence of hemoglobin in the red blood cells is withinRead MoreEssay On Patella1763 Words   |  8 Pagesobserved in some cases. Fluid-fluids levels with hemorrhagic products in multiseptate cavities without intralesional calcifications in the patella on CT or MR imaging strongly suggest the diagnosis of ABC. GCT, non-ossifying fibroma chondroblastoma, osteoblastoma, osteosarcoma, should be excluded before making a diagnosis of primary ABC. Treatment of ABC in patella include surgical removal of the cyst lining followed by bone grafting, patellectomy, chemical and thermal treatment were implied in aggressiveRead MoreAssessment of the Patient with Acute Abdominal Pain5527 Words   |  23 Pag escomplex presentations. Patients with abdominal pain may have a number of physiological and psychological needs. Nurses have a key role to play in patient assessment, history taking and management †¢ Identify the main causes of abdominal pain and differential diagnoses. †¢ Ask relevant questions of a patient presenting with abdominal pain. †¢ Discuss the appropriate investigations and nursing care requited. †¢ Understand the principles of symptom management. Introduction A nurse is the first healthcareRead MoreEssay on Pathophysiology Exam 15529 Words   |  23 Pagesdiving injury resulting in paraplegia d. A 78-year-old patient with Alzheimer disease who received a third-degree burn following an oven fire 2. A client is experiencing muscle atrophy following 2 weeks in traction after a motor vehicle accident. Which of the following factors has most likely contributed to the atrophy of the clients muscle cells? a. Reduced oxygen consumption and cellular function that ensures muscle cell survival b. A reduction of skeletal muscle use secondary to the traction treatment

Outcome Unit Free Essays

A task like this would usually take me 10 minutes in the morning to do a cash count up and an hour in the afternoon in which I set myself from pm until pm to get this completed on Monday- Thursday. On a Friday however I set myself 2 hours (pm -? pm) as I have to go back over the week, input all outgoings on to the petty cash spreadsheet, calculate how much of our float we have spent and how much needs to be requested, make sure all figures equalize, photocopy everything so that the originals go to our head office and the photocopies stay in the centre for our records, package and get ready to send second class recorded to Head-Office that afternoon. See evidence ‘Ross Handwriting – Witness Testimony. We will write a custom essay sample on Outcome Unit or any similar topic only for you Order Now 3. – It is ally important that I priorities my time throughout my working day to ensure that I get as much done as possible and use my time effectively. At the beginning of each day I like to make myself a ‘to do list’ on Outlook. I do this so that know exactly what need to get done and I can also set myself targets on time slots to get the task done in so that all my time is used efficiently. If I was to be given another task throughout my working day would add this to my to-do list amending it depending whether the task is high-priority or not. This is extremely helpful and helps me keep on top of all of my tasks as can rack how much of the task I have completed and what is still yet to complete. When click in to the task I have set myself specific tasks which help me to break down my job even more: like to keep both an electronic check list as well as a hard copy to make sure keep on top of my tasks. The hard copy is useful for me as I can physically see what needs to be done however the electronic copy notifies me on my desktop in case am involved in other tasks to keep me from losing track of time. See evidence To do list – Outcome 3. 2 Evidence’ ‘Ross Handwriting Witness Testimony’. 3. – am able to confirm effective working methods with my colleagues and managers. For example, when planning my diary and allowing myself time to complete my apprenticeship/NV work I was concerned that wasn’t allowing myself enough time to complete my work in the time that my assessor had asked and expected. I expressed my concerns to my line manager and together we confirmed a more effective way Of working in order to complete my NV coursework. See evidence ‘Unit 201 Outcome 3 – 3. 3 Email Evidence’. 3. 4 – I am able to indemnify when I have made a mistake or there has been a problem with my own work. As well as this, can also report these concerns to others and go to them for support when needed. An example of this would be when dealing with petty Cash; there was a time when calculating and finalizing petty cash, the balance in bank and tin and total weekly outgoings didn’t add up to equal our weekly float. This meant that we were ‘missing’ money is somewhere or something that we have paid out during the week was not accounted for. Expressed my concern to my line manager and together we found the ‘missing’ deficit of money. See evidence ‘Unit 201 Outcome 3 – 3. 4 Email Evidence Reporting Problems occurring in own Work’. 3. 5 – It is important to keep other people informed of your progress. For example, recently I was given the opportunity to oversee the creation and contact a printing company for our Kennedy Scott 25th Anniversary company invitations. The task was given to me by my Business Manager and it was important that I kept her informed of the progress of the creation, quotations and completion dates from the printing company as we was both working to a deadline. See evidence ’25th Anniversary Invites Evidence’. 3. 6 -? I am able to complete tasks to agreed deadlines and re-negotiate timescales and plans in good time. As explained in 3. 5, when carrying out the task of having the KS Anniversary invites created, printed and sent out managed to keep to the time scales given and complete all tasks to my deadlines. However, when creating the design for the invitations, needed extra time to do so and also different resources (Photos). Because of this, after discussing with my business manager, we negotiated timescales and plans in which she let me go home an hour early to work on the invites at home on my laptop which had Photos. See evidence ‘Employers Fair Mudstone 24th September 2014 Re-Negotiate Timescales Evidence’. 3. 7 – I am able to take responsibility for my own work and accept responsibility for any mistakes that I make. By writing myself an Individual Learning Plan this shows that I am able to take responsibility for my own work. In my II-P have set myself short, mid and long term SMART targets to complete over the course of my apprenticeship. My short term target has now been completed as this was to sit online tests for my technical certificates; originally I wanted to achieve this by mid-August 2014 however I only completed 3 of my Technical Certificates by this time after failing one. How to cite Outcome Unit, Papers

Manage Personal Work Priorities and Professional Development

Question: How Manage Personal Work Priorities and Professional Development. Answer: In this age of growing economy and digital technology, everyone works hard to be able to achieve success corresponding to their careers and businesses. They spent most of their time working, doing meetings, writing proposals, negotiation to accomplish all the goals that they have to set for themselves and for their businesses. In the world, where most of the people find themselves in roles that could be considered always on jobs; it is indeed a challenge them to maintain a healthy work life balance (Wiese 2015). It is simultaneously challenging for companies and leaders to promote balanced work life. However, there are many methods that could be used for achieving a healthy work-life balance. Be open about needs: First of all people needs to identify what actually significant to them and communicate it (Hill et al. 2012). People need to complete work within a scheduled time so that they can spend their time to their families. However, different works require different approaches, but people can benefit if they have honest and open conversation about what balance means. To give respect boundaries: It would be difficult for people to achieve work life balance, if he/she dont respect the boundaries that have put in place. To stick with the boundaries while developing a routine and drive lifestyle and culture predictability is essential to maintain. Here work boundaries and life priorities must be balanced by respecting boundaries. To understand what actually matters: Sometimes people tend to engage themselves which is not significant for the business or things that dont really matter. Time is the most valuable aspects in life. Focusing on what really matters which drive the overall goals of the business needs to b maintained. Therefore self scrutinizing the day of work and utilize maximum time to do something to get the outputs will definitely help to maintain a balanced lifestyles. Embrace the off button: Work should be detached from the social life. However, it would be hardest thing to do. People should use technology because every piece of technology has an off button (White et al. 2013). To get started, people do not bring the cell phone to the dinner table or not to bring tablets to the spot of vacation. Give pace to yourself: People need to understand the value of pace. Here self-awareness should be maintained. Doing so will help people to enjoy as much as the destination. By all these ways, people could use to maintain the healthy work life balance. There is always a pressure to improve the personal performance of employees at the workplace. To enhance the personal performances, the following methods could be used: i) Develop a positive mental attitude: Employee needs to make an effort to cultivate positive, friendly attitudes towards people. Everybody quickly notices a persistent, consistent attitude of cheerfulness and optimism which helps to unfold new opportunities. ii) Manage to handle priorities: It is important to learn set of work priorities and quickly respond to get the job done. People need to develop dependability and speed in job completion in the workplace. iii) Enhance skill and knowledge: Upgrading the work related skills and knowledge will make sure superior personal performance at the workplace. Seek additional course will be a good idea to enhance individual work capabilities. iv) Develop personality at work: Developing a personality to maintain honesty and sincerity and give values the others opinion will definitely helps to perform better. v) Improve communication: To handle work-related urgency and complexities, people needs to communicate with others or taking advice from their subordinates which resolve individual confusions. This will definitely improve self esteem and enhance quality of performance. References: Balance, W.L., 2013. Work Life Balance.Work,1(1.5), pp.2-0. Cassidy, S., 2016. Learning style and student self-assessment skill.Education+ Training,48(2/3), pp.170-177. Hill, E.J., Miller, B.C., Weiner, S.P. and Colihan, J., 2012. Influences of the virtual office on aspects of work and work/life balance.Personnel psychology,51(3), pp.667-683. Melby-Lervg, M., Lyster, S.A.H. and Hulme, C., 2012. Phonological skills and their role in learning to read: a meta-analytic review.Psychological bulletin,138(2), p.322. Richmond, G.L. and Rohlfing, C.M., 2013. Work-Life Balance. White, M., Hill, S., McGovern, P., Mills, C. and Smeaton, D., 2013. High performanceManagement Practices, Working Hours and WorkLife Balance.British Journal of Industrial Relations,41(2), pp.175-195. Work-life-balance. InWirtschaftspsychologie(pp. 227-244). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Manage Personal Work Priorities And Professional Development Question: Discuss about the Manage Personal Work Priorities And Professional Development. Answer: Introduction A proper management in an organization helps in maintaining and developing the company in the market. An efficient manager in a business organization help in providing and setting proper goals for the team and the management. This report deals with the work of a manager of ABC Company for developing the company in the market. This assignment contains two parts. In the first part, the basic duties of a manager have been provided including business plans and goals of the organization. The organization policies and procedures are mentioned in the assignment. Various KPIs o the organization have been discussed in the report. In the second part, maintenance and developing of the professional competence have been described. Personal assessment and professional development plan have been developed in this part. Different personal competencies including family members, friends, clients and supervisors have been described in the report. Project Work As a manager of ABC Company, I have various responsibilities and duties for the development of the company in the market. My job is to maintain and manage my employees and management of the company in order to complete goals and objectives of the company in the market. The allocation of the job and tasks to the employees according to their skills and knowledge is important (Vashchekina 2015). The business plan of the company surrounds the components of the business. The business plan includes the description of products and services of the company. The history of the business and the name of the stakeholders of the company. Therefore, the business plan viruses the outline of the company in the market. The organization policies are as follows: The role of each employee and level of their responsibility has been defined in the policy. The personnel policy including the business hours, payment amount, method, and terms of employment have been mentioned. The organizational structure with names at different positions has been acknowledged to the employees. There have been equal opportunities provided to each employee of the company beyond their dignity and posts (McGivern et al. 2015). The goals of the team and on the personal basis are as follows: To enhance the quality of the team members in order to make it more efficient and profitable in the market. To introduce leadership funnel in the company for the development of the leadership quality among the team members. The requirement of the new employee in the company is important for enriching the employee base of the company to provide maxi um productivity. The marketing team have to target their market for selling and advertising products and services of the company. The personal goal focuses on maintaining a good relationship with the employees of the company that might help in understanding the needs and problems of the workforce (Groysberg and Abrahams 2014). These goals are set depending on the objectives, business plans and policies of the company in the market these objectives help in maintaining the focus towards the development of the company in the market. It helps in increasing the motivation of the manager and employees in the work environment (Biggs, Brough and Barbour 2014). The use of the goals and objectives of the company help in measuring SMART principle including specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely. The goal-setting approach in a team helps in maintaining a proper bond in the team for improving the efficiency and production of the company. Key Performance Indicator or KPI is a metric that helps in indicating the current level of performance by the company in the market. The use of the KOI helps in maintaining the performance of the company in the market (Reynolds, Shoss and Jundt 2015). These indicators help in acknowledging the fulfilment of goals and objectives of the company in the market, In this case, as manager of the company, I have set some of the KPIs in the company that have been described below: Increasing the Customers Acquisition Improvement in the Customer relation Increasing the sales Decreasing the acquisition cost These KPIs help in maintaining sales of the company in the market. The use of the KPI helps in maintaining the performance level of the company. As the value of the KPI increases, the development and sales of the company (Phiri, Draper, Lambert and Kolbe-Alexander 2014). The maintenance of performance under various contingencies is an important factor need to be followed by the manager of the company. Setting up goal priority for personal development helps in enhancing personal skills and knowledge regarding maintaining the whole team. The goals of the team member need to be effective on a daily basis that might help in increasing the sales of the products and services of the company in the market (Galea, Houkes and De Rijk 2014). For example, I might set a goal of providing 50 sales of product by the need of the week and provide the path to achieve this goal. Therefore, the team member might get motivated and try to achieve the goal for the week. A reward might be provided to the team achieving the goal. Therefore, the motivation of other teams can be enhanced by this way. Leadership skill in the manager might be increased by following u the targeted goals of the company. The manager might be taking steps to complete the goal of the company within the deadline. This help in the progress of the company in the market. Initiatives are taken by the manager in order to maintain own goal and priorities to facilitate competing demands in the market. The use of technology for maintaining the record of the employee and other staffs helps in keeping track of the work progress (Cottrell 2015). The feedbacks of the employees related to the working environment of a company helps in understanding the gaps in the management of the company. The overload of work might increase the stress of the manager in the company. Therefore, the manager might distribute the tasks to several employees capable of it. This might help in reducing the work pressure from the manager. The manager might assign the suitable task to the employees with the proper deadline and manage a holiday for few days for refreshment (Campbell, Jardine and McGlynn 2016). Report Writing Personal and professional development are the two aspects of the management in order to maintain the development of the competency in the company the personal development criteria include proper training from seniors, motivation and occupational standards. The use of the personal competency helps in maintaining and developing the skills and quality of manager in the company (Koerner 2014). The use of various conceptions related to the development of the skills revolves around the stakeholder management. The personal training depends upon the thoughts and views of the senior manager for getting proper guidance. The relationship between the personal and professional growth can be differentiate by a single string of value (Wellin 2016). The professional growth depends upon the development of the professional career and the company in the market the professional career depends on the growth of professionalism in the individual for maintaining other employees and staffs in the company. Th e use of the professional network helps in providing proper maintenance to the development of the company (Le Boutillier et al. 2015). Various training packages are provided that helps in enhancing the skills and knowledge of an individual. Each training packages contains definition of various skills and knowledge for operating effectively n the workplace and maintain a proper guidance to the employee of the company. Various quality frameworks are available in the training packages that might create an opportunity for the employees in the company (Rowlinson and Jia 2015). Several assessment guidelines have been included in the training packages that helps manager properly guide their employees in the team. Management of resources in an organization helps in maintaining a proper use of the resources of the company. The adoption of employee competency in the company has provided an extra approach to the training packages in the company (Grant and Kinman 2014). I have consulted to my two senior managers of my company for analyzing the performance of my work and duties in the company. The feedback of my two senior managers is important for managing the work and management of the employees in the workforce (Bergheim et al. 2015). The feedbacks of the senior managers help in identifying the goal and loopholes in my behavior towards my work. I used to provide weekly report to my seniors for the analyzing my performance overall the week. The use of these factors helps in increasing my work performance in the company. The professional competency in have been maintained for clarifying the several KPIs of the manager (Kossek et al. 2016). Various techniques can be implemented for improving self-skills and knowledge. Various reflection strategies are made that helps in maintaining a form for maintaining scores at different level of motivation. Listening technique helps in listening to the ideas and thoughts of the senior managers and understanding t he views and thoughts if them. The listening techniques helps in gathering a huge amount of knowledge and skills for my seniors. They can provide me quality guidelines to improve myself based on quality analysis. The journal based on the performance improvement include several KPIs that create an opportunity for personal development. I can participate in the training airframes organized for the manager by our seniors to get motivated. The training packages contains a huge opportunity for me to maintain and learn from the views of my seniors (Koerner 2014). Various learning styles including Kolbes model of learning and Honey and Mumfords style of learning might help in providing various opportunities for getting enhanced level of training and knowledge from them. The use of these learning style help in maintaining several dilemmas in the company (Wellin 2016). The effect of various factors that have been involving in the development of the personal and professional growth have helped in maintaining the development of the company in the market. Setting up goal priority for personal development helps in enhancing personal skills and knowledge regarding maintaining the whole team. The goals of th e team member needs to be effective on a daily basis that might help in increasing the sales of the products and services of the company in the market. These plans are aligned with the organizational goals and policies (Groysberg and Abrahams 2014). The organizational policies include motivating the employed for increasing the sales of the company in the market. Therefore, providing motivation helps in maintaining and increasing the confidence in them. Several new opportunities and skills needs to be acquired by me for future development in me. Development in the communication skill is an important part in the training package. Communication skills helps in communicating with other people in the company (Biggs, Brough and Barbour 2014). A proper communication between the manager and the employee helps in maintain and reducing the gap between them. These plans helps in maintaining the organizational structure in the market. The role of each employee has been fixed by the manager that helps in providing a concrete approach to the development of the company in the market (Reynolds, Shoss and Jundt 2015). As a manager of the ABC Company, I have learned about the maintenance of the employee in the team. References Bergheim, K., Nielsen, M.B., Mearns, K. and Eid, J., 2015. The relationship between psychological capital, job satisfaction, and safety perceptions in the maritime industry.Safety science,74, pp.27-36. Biggs, A., Brough, P. and Barbour, J.P., 2014. Strategic alignment with organizational priorities and work engagement: A multi?wave analysis.Journal of Organizational Behavior,35(3), pp.301-317. Campbell, J.D., Jardine, A.K. and McGlynn, J. eds., 2016.Asset management excellence: optimizing equipment life-cycle decisions. CRC Press. Cottrell, S., 2015.Skills for success: Personal development and employability. Palgrave Macmillan. Galea, C., Houkes, I. and De Rijk, A., 2014. An insider's point of view: how a system of flexible working hours helps employees to strike a proper balance between work and personal life.The International Journal of Human Resource Management,25(8), pp.1090-1111. Grant, L. and Kinman, G. eds., 2014.Developing resilience for social work practice. Palgrave Macmillan. Groysberg, B. and Abrahams, R., 2014. Manage your work, manage your life.Harvard Business Review,92(3), pp.58-66. Koerner, M.M., 2014. Courage as identity work: Accounts of workplace courage.Academy of Management Journal,57(1), pp.63-93. Kossek, E.E., Ollier?Malaterre, A., Lee, M.D., Pichler, S. and Hall, D.T., 2016. Line Managers Rationales for Professionals Reduced?Load Work in Embracing and Ambivalent Organizations.Human Resource Management,55(1), pp.143-171. Le Boutillier, C., Slade, M., Lawrence, V., Bird, V.J., Chandler, R., Farkas, M., Harding, C., Larsen, J., Oades, L.G., Roberts, G. and Shepherd, G., 2015. Competing priorities: staff perspectives on supporting recovery.Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research,42(4), pp.429-438. McGivern, G., Currie, G., Ferlie, E., Fitzgerald, L. and Waring, J., 2015. Hybrid managerprofessionals'identity work: the maintenance and hybridization of medical professionalism in managerial contexts.Public Administration,93(2), pp.412-432. Phiri, L.P., Draper, C.E., Lambert, E.V. and Kolbe-Alexander, T.L., 2014. Nurses lifestyle behaviours, health priorities and barriers to living a healthy lifestyle: a qualitative descriptive study.BMC nursing,13(1), p.38. Reynolds, C.A., Shoss, M.K. and Jundt, D.K., 2015. In the eye of the beholder: A multi-stakeholder perspective of organizational citizenship and counterproductive work behaviors.Human Resource Management Review,25(1), pp.80-93. Rowlinson, S. and Jia, Y.A., 2015. Construction accident causality: An institutional analysis of heat illness incidents on site.Safety science,78, pp.179-189. Vashchekina, I.V., 2015. Social priorities in the work of Russian commercial banks with public organizations.Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences,6(6 S4), p.430. Wellin, M., 2016.Managing the psychological contract: Using the personal deal to increase business performance. CRC Press.

Kipling Essays - Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Rudyard Kipling

Kipling In contemporary times, much criticism has been placed upon Rudyard Kipling for his support of British Imperialism; George Orwell went so far as to call him the "prophet of British Imperialism during its expansionist phase." To be sure, a considerable portion of Kipling's works were written in celebration and support of Imperial expansion, but it is short-sighted to simply label him as an Imperial propagandist or apologist. Two of his most oft-condemned poems, Recessional and The White Man's Burden, actually were used by both sides of the colonial issue at the time.1 A reading of Recessional, taken in the context of the prevailing attitudes of the time, seems to indicate that it is a piece about hubris rather than a promotion of the Empire. And the "burden" that Kipling writes on, while patronizing, was indeed a genuine burden.2 The fact that the British Empire went far in alleviating famine and disease in the conquered territories should not be ignored. It is beyond a doubt, however, that Kipling was convinced of Britain's superiority in the world. In For All We Have and Are, for instance, the reader is convinced with the last two lines, "What stands if Freedom fall?/Who dies if England live?" Kipling was not by far the most vociferous of the jingoists; having been somewhat of an outsider all for his life, he showed great sympathy for those whose lives were wasted in the expansion of the empire, and criticized the Imperial machinery that used them. His poetry as told by the common British soldiers show his ability maintain his status as poet laureate of the Empire while telling the stories of its victims, and at times, condemning it for the way it treated those soldiers. Kipling published Barrack-Room Ballads in 1890, and it immediately gained him great success in England. A collection of poems written in the voice of a London cockney, they display Kipling's remarkable breadth of understanding of soldiers and soldiering during the Victorian era. While reading The Young British Soldier one can perfectly picture a group of such men belting out the words of the song over mugs of beer: When the arc-made recruit goes out to the East 'E acts like a babe an' 'e drinks like a beast, An' 'e wonders because 'e is frequent deceased Ere 'e fit for to serve as a soldier, Serve, serve, serve as a soldier, Serve, serve, serve as a soldier, Serve, serve, serve as a soldier, Soldier of the Queen! Here Kipling echoes the fatalistic humor that seems to infect every soldier in every war. More fatalism and the unwillingness to speak directly of the horrors of battle surface in The Widow's Party: ...For half my company's laying still Where the Widow give the party. ...We broke a King and we built a road-- A courthouse stands where the regiment goad. And the river's clean where the raw blood flowed When the Widow give the party. Not only does Kipling create a brutal contrast between the soldier's description (a party) and the battle that actually took place, he injects a small amount of disgust that good young men died, all for the purpose of expanding the Empire into some godforsaken land that few in England had ever heard of. More of this veiled disgust surfaces in The Widow at Windsor, written as a British soldier who does not see the Empire as any kind of divine design: Walk wide of the Widow at Windsor, For half of Creation she owns: We have bought her the same with the sword 'an the flame, An we've salted it down with our bones. (Poor beggars! -- it's blue with our bones!) Take 'old of the Wings o' the Mornin', An' flop round the earth till you're dead; But you won't get away from the tune that they play To the blooming' old rag overhead. (Poor beggars! -- it's not overhead!) The theme that overrides in much of Kipling's poetry, however, is his sympathy for the common soldier and his treatment by those he is serving. Tommy endures to this day as the best commentary on the relationship between the soldier and the non-combatant public: I went into a theatre as sober as could be, They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'hadn't none for me; They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls, But when it comes to fighting', Lord! They'll shove me in the stalls! ... We aren't no thin red 'heroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too, But single men in

Machine Hands essays

Machine Hands essays My sister collects butterflies, you name it and she probably has it when it comes to them. She has butterfly wallpaper, little ceramic sculptures of butterflies, books, little dead ones pined up for display, and of course little glass sculptures all over. About a month ago I was in search of a new butterfly to give to my sister for her birthday. I found myself in this little shop in of all places main street Disneyland. This little Asian man was behind the counter holding these clear rods of glass with this beautiful blue flame shooting out strongly from in front of him. He was melting and manipulating the glass that he had in his hand to look like a dolphin, it was one of the most amazing things that I have ever seen in my life before. This story is why I picked Hans-Godo Frabel to do my paper on. Hans-Godo Frabel is a very well known Torch artist; in his time he was known as one of the founders of modern torch-work art in America. However he didnt always live here. Born in Germany during the Second World War, Frabel was brought up in one of the harshest environments in the world at the time. Frabel was joined with a Glass artist started his apprenticeship and was a part of Germanys Master Craftsman program. The master craft program is the legal basis for admission into a craft. Only a natural or legal person listed in the Register of Craftsmen is allowed to independently operate a craft enterprise; registration requires qualification as a master craftsman (Meister) in the respective craft. This is also an entitlement to train apprentices. In limited exceptional cases, master craftsmen can work in other crafts for which they are not registered. Along with his title of master craftsman he also got the nickname Machine Hands, because of the precise movements of his hands and how quickly he works. After reading up on Hans-godo for a while and looking at his work I rea ...

Country Focus Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Country Focus - Research Paper Example The report includes extensive analysis of the automotive as well as the steel sectors. These sectors are the spearhead for further economic transformation (The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, 5-6). The report also considered the extensive up gradation in transport facilities and secure modes of power supply. The country is now focused on handling the challenge of rising demand. The mining industry of the country is under the spotlight as new markets are emerging which posits the opportunity to trade. The emerging markets promises further growth in iron ore. The country recovered fairly well after e contraction in the year 2009 and such kind of recovery can be matched by very few economies. The focus now has diverted to the sectors that provide multiplier effects and initiatives have been taken to increase the output of the productivity sectors. Unemployment has been a subject of concern for the country but fails to posit serious impact on the economy. The count ry is following the policy of maintaining political stability and is on the way of providing good business environment along with rich natural resources (SAinfo reporter and BuaNews). Cultural Aspects The central unit of the society is formed by families. The nuclear families are paramount to the existence of individual. The family serves the purpose to support the community both financially and emotionally. The concept of time differs between the black and white Africans. The white Africans try to keep the pace according to time while the black Africans are usually believed to complete the work at slower pace. The cultural ancestry impacts on the differences in communication styles. The Africans who have the potential to speak English generally maintains a reserve and conservative mannerism with the objective to avoid conflict. The Africans from other backgrounds usually maintains a direct and explicit approach of communication. The objective of them is to be honest and forthright. This implicates that they will not hesitate to refuse anything in public. In order to initiate the business deals successfully, it is important to be aware of the styles of the different communities. The abundant availability of natural resources has paved the way for the country to become the largest developed economy among the countries of Africa (Willumsen, Moene and Hoyland, 1-2). The per capita GDP has made the country as one of the top 50 wealthiest nations of the world. The country has got immense potential from the investment point of view with one of the emerging market economies around the globe. The greeting styles generally tend to vary depending on the ethnic heritage of the country. The Africans who can speak English generally follows a formal and polite mannerism to address someone. The black Africans generally follow an informal approach to greet someone who is unknown to them. The initial gesture that is most common in this part of the world is a formal handshake. However for the female associates, the trend is to wait for the female to offer a shake of hands first. For long term business success it is important to build relationship and networking. The residents generally prefer a win-win situation where both the associated parties tend to gain something for the business negotiations. So it is advised to avoid confrontation and aggressive bartering over prices.

Why Parents are Sometimes Strict to their Childeren Essay

Why Parents are Sometimes Strict to their Childeren - Essay Example This paper examines the issue of strict parenting by first defining what this means, and then exploring the multiple reasons why parents might choose to be strict to their children on occasion. A number of scholarly findings are reported, along with illustrative examples, in order to demonstrate the type of situations which call for strictness, and finally a comparison is drawn between strictness which is appropriate, and strictness which is unhelpful for a child’s development. Most people can remember instances from their childhood when their parents punished them because of something that they did. It is entirely natural and proper for a certain amount of conflict to arise between parents and children because the only way children can learn about the world is by being gradually introduced to it in a safe and practical way. Babies and young children have to be taught that certain objects are hot, or sharp, or in some other way dangerous, and caring parents are generally very strict about things like fire and matches, crossing roads, talking to strangers, and other kinds of behavior which could bring harm to the child. Strictness in this context is a fundamental parental duty. It would be criminal and negligent to allow children to freely experiment with such dangerous behaviors and so in this sense strictness is a positive quality which protects the child by teaching it what must be avoided. There is another kind of strictness, and this relates to the social behavior of a child, for example in learning to say hello and goodbye, or to say polite phrases like please and thank you. There is an element of culture in this kind of strictness, because it has more to do with what people think about the child (and by implication also the parents) than what the child wishes or needs. Some families are very strict about using titles such as â€Å"Sir† or â€Å"Ma’am† when the child is addressing adults, while other parents are much more relaxe d, and some even allow children to address parents by their first names, rather than by polite phrases or the labels â€Å"Mom† and â€Å"Dad†. The purpose of this kind of strictness, when it occurs, is to make sure that the child learns to fit into the norms of the social setting in which the family lives. Parents who have been in the military, or who have a strong faith in a major religion, are often more concerned about this kind of behavior, because they have high moral standards themselves and wish to pass these same standards on to their children. Parents who work in the arts and media, or who are unemployed, or who are of a more gentle disposition may, on the other hand, value a free and easy approach to life, or perceive such good manners as something irrelevant, or elitist. The moral, religious and political views of the parent, therefore, are often a key factor in determining how strict they are with their children. A number of studies have been carried out o n parents and strictness, including a recent exploration of the relationship between teenage drinking behavior and parental strictness levels (Aubrey, 2010). Researchers at Brigham Young University found that children whose parents are indulgent and easy-going tend to be the most likely to become involved in binge drinking of alcohol. The same study found also that parents who are very strict try to prevent the child from coming into contact with alcohol, but unfortunately this has the effect also of removing the opportunity for children to make their own judgements. (Aubrey 2010). An earlier study on parental strictness in the United Kingdom found that â€Å"Children are more likely to grow into well-adjusted adults if their parents are firm disciplinarians.†

Sainsburys Opportunities for Expansion: Analysis

Sainsburys Opportunities for Expansion: Analysis 1. Introduction The aim of this report is to analysis the accessibility and strategies for Sainsburys to entry India retailer market. Based on findings, the report employs Dunning OLI theory and Porters diamond framework to discuss the possibility of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), gives recommendation on whether Sainsburys should access Indian supermarket sector or not. Furthermore, it provides some available strategies for addressing and strengthens risks and opportunities in India. Strategies comprise of several elements, which include entry mode, location choice, main products, human resource strategy and marketing strategy. As known, with huge domestic demand and fast growing GDP rate, India is one of the fastest growing emerging markets. Although, bearing various restraints for MNEs, it also has high potential in economic development, which makes India one of the ideal destinations for multinational enterprises (MNEs). Strict commercial regulations set by Indian government pose additional potential risks for MNES to cooperate with local enterprises. By giving emphasis on regulation aspect, this report also examines Sainsburys ability for surviving in the competitive market. Wal-Mart and Tesco have invested capital into India market for a while. Some people keep positive think that they can successful survive in local competitive market. But some people still keep looking this new market. No matter what difference of MNEs consideration, Invest in India seems a new trend in many industries. Based on very different opportunities and risks, what kind of strategy does Sainsburys can develop in India, and that is our group learning from here and concerning. 2. Company profile Sainsburys is the third biggest supermarket retailer in the UK. There are more than 290 convenience stores and 502 supermarkets across the UK. According to statistic provided by Datamoniton (2010), more than 18 million customers visit Sainsbury every week. The financial performance is excellent for the past few years, as reported the pre-tax profit increased by 57.3% from  £466 million in 2009 to 733 million in 2010. (Key note, 2010). Food and grocery are the main products, despite of displaying high-end products from other independent suppliers, the own brand which accounts for 40% of its sales, also showed promising driving power. Moreover, its new strategy is to develop more products of private labels and promote local organic products (GMID, 2010). 3. Macro and micro investment environment analysis The macro and micro investment environment analysis integrated two methodologies. Basically, this report adopts Dunnings (1988) OLI theory to critically examine Sainsburys ownership, location and internalization conditions in India. However, due to the limitations of OLI theory, the report also employs Porters diamond theory to help to give full interpretation. It would contribute to give a depth and board analysis of investment environment. 3.1 Ownership analysis Table1. Ownership analysis Advantages Disadvantages Capital advantage High reputation for offering good quality food to customers Low demand of electric energy Less FDI experience in Asia Relatively weak demand of matched customers Low level infrastructure and poor electricity supply In terms of Sainsburys ownership, there are three principal advantages. 3.1.1 Strong capital position Sainsburys has stronger position that superior to the Indian local biggest retail companies. Compared Pantaloons Retail Limited, which is the biggest Indian retailer with an asset of Rs 1030.16 million, Sainsburys has a net current assets  £4,966 million in 2010 ( £1=Rs47.273, Feb, 2011) (Sainsburys annual report, 2010, refresh annual report, 2009-2010, Yahoo finance, n. d.). Big Bazaar and Food Bazaar, the subsidiaries of Pantaloons, are the first and second biggest retail shops in India (Techchandani, n. d.). 3.1.2 Serve for customers Sainsburys has strong awareness of offering good quality foods to customers. In the UK, proprietary, a system that retailers indicate quality assurance by selling products under their own labels as their brand products, is a common method (Holleran, Bredahl and Zaibet, 1999). Under this system, Sainsburys sells foods as its brand, and consumers trust its brand (Cotterill, 1997). It is because the high quality own brand merchandise that enhanced Sainsbury brand influence, also improved supply chain management, to fulfill the customers, suppliers and Sainsburys needs (Baidu, 2011) 3.1.3 Low electric energy store operating skills During 2009 to 2010, Sainsburys reduced its consumption of energy 2.5% despite of extending over 6% of its space by introducing eco-light bulb for store operation (Sainsburys, 2010). India is fifth biggest energy consume county and its energy supply is in a poor condition (India Energy Market Overview, 2010, Central Electricity Authority, 2010). Therefore, operating stores in instable electric condition, this low energy store operating skill might be competitiveness when competing with others (Sainsburys, n. d.). 3.1.4 Weakness On the other hand, there are also limitations. Though, Sainsburys is operating a head office in Hong Kong and it trades Asian products directly to Sainsburys in the UK, the operating type is not a retailer. Without investment or operations overseas as a retailer company, Sainsburys is lack of experience (Import Bureau, n. d.). 3.2 Internalization analysis As relative data mentioned, it shows that immature supply chain management and poor quality of infrastructure and technology skills are keys to add transaction costs. Recently, Sainsburys is aggressively developing strategy of private label, it includes food and non-food product (GMID, 2009). In order to maintain high quality and low costs own-brand, logistics management and advanced technology play critical roles. However, India supply chain is not well developed. For example, many food suppliers cannot prevent food spoil in hot weather. Therefore, Sainsburys cannot exploit local logistic to link present strategy of private label (GMID, 2010). Furthermore, it is a challenge for Sainsburys to decrease transaction costs effectively in India. Tsao et al (2010) reported that it is high spoilage rates around between 25% and 30% in grain supply chains. Besides, lack of information technology, logistics concepts make the service price greater crop costs approximately over 2.4 times. Sainsburys incurred high costs by 210% despite the fact that wholesalers, retailers and the intermediaries are the foundation for determining the final price. By contrast, in the western countries, the rates are approximately 3% and between 50% and 100%. Therefore, in this immature environment, Sainsburys may greatly shrink its margin. 3.3 Location analysis Advantages 3.3.1 Market size (Porters diamond) The organized retail sector makes up 5% of the Indian retail market. According to a research, investment in the organized retail market was around $ 503.2 million in 2009, and will increase to $1.26 billion in the next four to five years. Indias retail sector is expected to have a 10% increase in its compound annual growth rate and also estimated to reach US$ 833 billion by 2013 and US$ 1.3 trillion by 2018 (Business maps of India). 3.3.2. Increasing demand (Porters diamond) Nowadays, potential investors are attracted to the Asia Pacific retail market because of their population size and growth prospects, the relative immaturity of many markets in these regions helps them to take advantage by organizing the retail sector and increase the share of overall retail sales (Business Environment Outlook, 2010). The A.T. Kearneys annual Global Retail Development Index for 2010 categorises the retail market in India is as the fifth largest destination in the world and also the third most attractive emerging market for investment in the retail sector (Market Overview, 2010). 3.3.3. Low Labor costs (Eclectic paradigm) A new survey shows that labor costs in India are euros 2,024 a year, while the financial cost of employing a worker in Belgium, Sweden and Germany is more than euros 50, 000 per year (SiliconIndia news, April 2005). Besides, there is a high level of qualified English speaking workforces in India. 3.3.4. Competition condition According to the retail market data, the table shows that India maintains the 2nd position with a high score of 63 for its market entry potential. This simply reflects Indias underdeveloped retail market as well as the absence of local and multinational competition. India also recorded a good score for the value of retail sales and prospects for retail growth. In this market, there are local mom and pop family stores and the existing supermarket brands occupying the majority domestic market, as well as multinational brands which are planning to enter. Mom and pop family stores still dominate supermarket business. Since the large super market chain has not build an effective supply chain yet, it leads to the increase of products prices. Moreover, people prefer the service, as most of these shops offer home delivery, easy credit, and gifts and discounts for customers, by contrast, large supermarket cannot offer as good service as Mom and Pop. In addition, more than 2000 supermarket chain closed in 2008 due to these little shop and economic downturn. It is a significant challenge for the most supermarkets now and future (Srivastava, 2009). Despite of the existing 15 stores spanning India, Marks Spencer Reliance India are planning to open 35 stores over the next five years. Carrefour SA, the largest retailer of Europe, is planning to open who lesale stores in India by 2010 and has planned to set up the cash-and-carry outlet in the National Capital Region. Mahindra Retail, a part of the Mahindra Group, is also planning an investment at about $ 19.8 million. Threats Table2. Asia pacific retail business environment ratings Source: India Retail Report Q3 2010, pg. 10 3.3.5 Limits of Potential Returns Within the country structure category, India drops to the bottom of the table with a score of 40 indicating that a high score for the size of its population is balanced by low scores for its small urban population and spending capacity of its general population (Business Environment Outlook, 2010). In terms of retail market data, the table shows that India maintains the 2nd position with a high score of 63 for its market entry potential. This simply reflects Indias underdeveloped retail market as well as the absence of local and multinational competition. India also recorded a good score for the value of retail sales and prospects for retail growth. 3.3.6 Risk of Realisation of Returns The market risk data shows that India has the second lowest score. This signifies that the regulatory environment would affect factors relating to market entry. The country risks data also rating India as the second lowest. This shows that India possesses a high score in the areas of economic instability and policy, moderate in the areas of financial risk, short-term economic rating and short-term political rating. Finally, India has a poor score for long-term inflation, institutions, physical infrastructure, market orientation and labour infrastructure (Business Environment Outlook, 2010) 3.3.7 Infrastructure of advanced factor (Porters diamond) The Global Competitiveness Report 2010-2011 reports that Indias infrastructure is in serious need of upgrade especially in respect to transportation and energy supply (World Economic Forum). In relation to this, much of Indias farm produce gets to rot to market because of few refrigerated trucks and lack of modern transport logistics management (The Telegraph, 2011). Table3. Indias development stage Source: Global Competitiveness Report 2010-2011 The diagram above shows the stage of development in comparison with the rest of the world. The diagram indicates that India is still in stage 1 which is the factor driven stage. India scores 3.5 out of 7 with respect to its infrastructure which is quite poor and needs an upgrade. It is very important to possess efficient infrastructure because it is a critical determinant for economic growth and it determines the location for economic activities and this helps to connect markets between regions and also reduce the cost of marketing in another region (World Economic Forum) 4. Recommendation Based on analysis of Dunning OLI theory and Porters diamond, the shortages makes Sainsbury cannot fulfill all elements at the same time. Despite of Indias huge market size and fast growing economy, there are still shortcomings which will affect Sainsburys investment. It lacks good infrastructure, high level of corruption, long-term inflation, unstable government policies and issues with government regulations on FDI. Furthermore, it is facing the competition from both local competitors and other multinational enterprises which are investing or planning to. A good example for lack of infrastructure is the need for more enough refrigerated trucks to preserve farm produce during transportation to the markets and this can also be related to the lack of a modern transport logistics management. Lastly, it may not have cost efficiency as invest supermarket in India. Therefore, we strong recommend Sainsburys do not direct invest supermarket in India now. However, we support the second option for Sainsburys. We suggest that Sainsbury enter India in the term of operating as a supplier business. It based on followed reasons: 1. In July 2010, Dean Nelson reported that India is making a move to deregulate its retail sectors so as to allow British supermarket giants like Tesco and Sainsburys has the opportunity to set up new stores throughout the country. 2. More also, Britain is hoping that India will lift its restrictions in various sectors like banking, insurance, financial and professional services so as to allow law and accountancy firms to practice there. It is believed that the establishment of British Universities in India would help meet the high demand for higher education (The Telegraph, 2011). The purpose of this relationship is to exchange knowledge and technology that can both benefit the two nations and can help the growth of mutual trade and investment. Although the relative regulation has not passed yet, it actually can give investors more confidence. Hence, we suggest Sainsburys can start with supplier business and prepare for establishing supermarket someday when the timeliness is rape for it. Furthermore, it will benefit Sainsburys to own more competitive advantages in the future. 4.1 Entry modes of Sainsbury There are several modes that the multinationals can apply, such as joint venture, mixed venture with the government and take part in privatisation. However, as mention above, there are various regulations making the joint venture the only possible mode. There are both advantages and disadvantages regard with joint venture. 4.1.1 Advantages From ownership aspect, it can reduce the capital of investment since local government accounts for 51% and organization owns 49% share. This can decentralize the risk and save the capital because this model can substantially reduce risks of being subject to nationalization or other types of adverse government interference. Another benefit is Sainsbury take the advantage of partnership in terms of original channel, reputation, knowledge, technique and existing system. For example, Sainsburys can share local knowledge and marketing experiences with local partner, such as management system, skills, language and culture that are necessary for competing in India. Moreover, the local company can help to handle many issues with local government, such as labour dispute, environment and union issues. 4.1.2 Disadvantages Nevertheless, this entry mode also is facing several shortcomings, such as the multinationals are easy to lose control over the technology, unable to engage in global strategic operation, and easy to lead to conflicts over goals and objectives. Because of Indias restrictive commercial laws, instead of operating as a retailor, Sainsburys can only form an alliance with domestic conglomerates to undertake wholesale-only operation, such as outlet, cash-and-carry wholesale stores, before the government loosen its restriction over this field. 4.2 Wholesaler advantages in India Sainsburys is good at developing own brand product in UK. And, some India enterprise start to realize the advantages of own-brand, such as decrease unites costs and enhances customer loyalty. The market orientation of Sainsburys is upper class level in the retailer or wholesale areas, and the main customer group is targeted at middle class and even higher. Moreover, in terms of the consumer behavior is rapidly changing in India; some tend to seek for the high-quality product with low price and the brand name. Thus, it successfully increases the market demand of the own brand goods of Sainsburys. In sum, Sainsburys can adopt high-end and differentiation strategy via private label for increasing competitions in market (GMID, 2011 Key note, 2011). 4.3 Localization Kerala state is chosen as the best location for Sainsburys subsidiary because of the optimal investment environment and considerable population of middle class. From the investment environment perspectives, in addition to the well-constructed infrastructure, the education popularization, universal health insurance is the highest across India and as well. The average income in local around $1,040, and the economic growth rate around 13.5 % and high level of FDI ($2.6 billion) between 2000 and 2008. Retailer, tourism, education, IT and IT service are main industries there. Literacy rate is 90% of local residents, and it has a widely influence of making people to accept a concept of higher quality food and other product. (Ministry of economic affairs of ROC, 2010) The follow table gives more information in terms of competitive advantage by Porters diamond. Table4: competitive advantage on Kerala state Factor endowment Educated population rate higher than other state in India Developed natural resources and agricultural environment Well Infrastructure Demand condition Increasing awareness of brand and food quality in south India. People have well educated and higher consumption capacity Health food is excepted to become important to urban consumers Relating and support industries Generate spillover effect due to flourishing farming industry Develop rapidly in Service industry Firm strategy, structure, and rivalry Increasing rivalry including local and international enterprise, e.g. Hindustan Unilever, Nestlà © Export-oriented food industry in local enterprise Sources: GMID, 2010 Moreover, according to OLI analysis in previous sections, it can substantially reduce threats if Sainsburys invest in Kerala. For example, the skill of food manufactory and infrastructure are superior to other places in India. The local government intends to build advanced transportation network to link with other big cities. It can release the stress of food spoil, and it will cover a greater region in south India for Sainsburys. Furthermore, high degree of education is the key to implement Sainsburys strategy (i.e. quality product and own brand). 4.4 Marketing strategy When Sainsburys run business in India, its high quality reputation will be able to opportunity on it marketing activities, on the other hand, cultural differences will be a risk. To utilize the opportunities and manage the risk, target marketing strategy and localization strategy might be useful (Salomon, et al., 2009). For example, Sainsburys high quality reputation is its competitiveness, so if it focuses on quality sensitive Indian customers it can make clear discrimination with competitors. Also, localization of products, promotion and price is also important for Sainsburys to success its business in India. For example, over 80% of people are Hinduism and they do not eat beef and many people are vegetarians (Hill, C. W. L, 2011). About the population, young age structure (0-14 years) is 30.5% and it is higher than U.K. and it might affect its offering products promotion (Central Intelligence Agency, n. d.). 4.5 Human resources management Superior human resource management (HRM) can be a sustained source of high productivity and competitive advantage in the global economy (Hill, 2011). There are three types of staffing policy. According to the International Business, if Sainsburys use the global standardization policy, it has two advantages which use HRM efficiently, and build a strong culture and unofficial management networks (2009). However, it still has some disadvantages, such as high cost, and limitation from national immigration policies. When Sainsburys invests in India, it needs to estimate the consumption ability and business performance of India, and then to calculate initial personnel cost which has to accordance with local regulations and culture, to carry out with Sainsburys organization chart recruitment. There are two stages of recruitments (see Table 1). Table5. Strategy of recruitments Strategy Advantage Disadvantage Short term Internal recruitment External recruitment Part time recruitment To build human resource database Have more time option and retention talents High cost of HRM Lack talents Expatriate failure Middle and Long term To train staff Cultural training Practical training Compensation Department rotation To develop international view To decrease culture myopia To improve local responsiveness Training and relocation costs increase Need a higher compensation structure Source: HRM, n. d.; International Business, 2011 As can be seen from the above table, the short term illustrates that internal recruitment is the fastest method for HRM, but it does not have any assist to build a new HR database in India. At the beginning of the investment, Sainsburys needs to spend high price for HRM (HRM, n. d.). After this stage, training staff is very important, because it can get some benefit such as developing international view for employees which will cost a lot than before. Sainsburys needs to consider this point and makes a balance about the cost.

Island of the Sequined Love Nun Chapter 65~67

65 Down to the Promised Land Malink joined Tuck on the flight deck and tried to work the flight officer's harness around his belly as Tuck released the ground brakes and the jet started rolling. The two fighters did another pass overhead, one of the pilots warning Tuck not to attempt to take off. â€Å"You forced me down,† Tuck said into the headset mike. â€Å"What more do you guys want?† He rammed the throttles to maximum. They either had enough runway or they didn't. What was certain was that he wouldn't know in time to stop. They were going into the ocean or into the sky and that was that. The flaps were down for maximum lift, which would use three times as much fuel as a regular takeoff, but that was a problem to deal with once they were in the air. He looked at the ocean ahead, then at the airspeed indicator, then at the ocean ahead – back and forth, waiting, waiting, waiting for the airspeed indicator to reach the point where the plane would lift. He was twenty knots short of takeoff speed when the end of the runway disappeared from view and he started his pull up. The rear wheels of the great plane grazed the water as it lifted into the air. Tuck heard what he hoped was a cheer coming from the back of the plane, but there was a distinct possibility that he was hearing collective screams of terror. He had just lifted off with three hundred and thirty-two people who had never flown before. Tuck thought of Sepie, who would have started her first plane ride two hours ago. â€Å"Where are we going?† Malink asked. He was trying to compose himself, but when Tuck looked at him, he saw that the old chief's eyes were as wide as saucers. â€Å"A place called Costa Rica,† Tuck said. â€Å"You ever heard of it?† Malink shook his head. â€Å"Vincent tells you to take us there.† â€Å"No, it was my idea, actually.† â€Å"There is plenty cargo on Costa Rica?† Couldn't say, Malink, but the climate is nice and there's no extradition.† â€Å"That is good?† Malink said, as if he had the slightest idea what extradition was. Tuck admired the old chief. He was here because his god told him to be here. He had just made a decision that would change the history of an entire population, and he had done it on faith. Tuck set the autopilot and crawled out of the pilot's seat. â€Å"I'm going back to make sure everyone is strapped in. Don't touch anything.† Malink's eyes went wide again. â€Å"Who is flying the plane?† Tuck winked. â€Å"I think you know.† He turned and headed down the steps to check on his passengers. Pushed to his limit and no little bit frightened, Sebastian Curtis sneaked up on his wife, who was in full tantrum, and injected her in the thigh with a syringe full of Valium. She turned and gave him a good shot to the jaw before she started to calm down. He caught her by the shoulders and backed her into the office chair in front of the computer. â€Å"Don't worry,† he said, â€Å"Nomura is on his way back with the Lear. We'll be long gone before anyone can get here.† â€Å"How did he do it?† Beth's voice was weak now, trailing off at the end. â€Å"I don't know. I'm surprised he's even alive. We'll be fine. We have plenty of money. Not as much as we'd hoped, but if we're careful†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"He turned them against me,† she said. â€Å"My people†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She didn't finish. Sebastian stroked her hair. The clinic door opened and Mato came inside carrying his Uzi. â€Å"Phone,† he said. â€Å"No,† Sebastian said. â€Å"I've already called Japan. The Lear is on its way. Now give us some privacy.† Mato threw the bolt on the Uzi and said something in Japanese. Sebastian didn't move. Mato dug the barrel of the gun into the doctor's ribs. â€Å"Phone,† he said. Sebastian picked up the receiver that was connected to the satellite and handed it over. â€Å"Out,† Mato said. Sebastian helped Beth to her feet. â€Å"Come on. We have to do as he says.† Beth let him lift her to her feet, then she pointed a finger at Mato. â€Å"You can kiss your Christmas bonus good-bye, ninja boy. That's it.† Sebastian dragged her through the door and helped her across the com-pound to her bungalow. Inside he lay her on the bed. Getting her out of the surgical greens was like trying to undress a rag doll. She babbled inco-herently the whole time, but did not fight him. When he turned to leave the room, two of the guards were standing in the doorway grinning. One of them motioned for him to leave the room. The other stared hungrily at Beth. â€Å"No,† Sebastian said. He stepped into the doorway and pushed aside the barrels of their weapons. They stepped back in unison and raised the Uzis. Sebastian stepped toward them. They took another step back. He was a full foot taller than either of them. â€Å"Get out,† he said and he took another step. They stepped back. â€Å"Out. Get out. Or do you want to lose all your fingers?† He'd found the magic words. The people they worked for were notorious for taking the finger joints of those who disobeyed. The guards looked at each other, then backed out the door that led into the compound. One of them hurled a curse in Japanese as he went. Behind them Sebastian saw Mato coming out of the clinic. He marched right for Beth's bungalow, almost stomping the ground as he walked, his jaw clenched and his weapon held before him. Sebastian closed the door, locked it, and ran to the bedroom. â€Å"Come on, Beth. Get up. We've got to get out of here.† She was still conscious, but had no coordination. He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry, then went out the french doors onto the lanai and down the steps to the beach. The warm water seemed to revive her somewhat and he managed to get her to kick as together they made the swim around the minefield. The fighters veered off after an hour and the 747 was picked up by a B-52 that stayed on them until they were in fighter range of the Americas, where they were joined by two F-16s. Out of Panama, Tuck guessed. What exactly did they think they were going to accomplish? A 747 wasn't the kind of plane you ditch in the jungle and make your escape. In fact, Tuck didn't think that any plane was that kind of plane. He certainly wasn't going to ditch in the jungle or in the water for that matter. Despite his misgivings, they were going to make it to Costa Rica with plenty of fuel. They were well below the plane's passenger capacity and they carried almost no baggage and no commissary supplies. The only worry he had now was what would happen to him when they got on the ground. It was true, Costa Rica had no extradition treaty with the United States, but what he had done was an act of international terrorism. He might have done better to head back to Hawaii and take his chances with the FBI ra ther than risk rotting away in a Central American jail. Still, something told him that this was where he should be going. He didn't know why, really, he had picked Costa Rica, any more than he knew why he had stolen a plane and gone back to Alualu in the first place. As he started his descent for Palmar Airport on the coast, the B-52 veered off to the north and was soon out of sight. Tuck had turned the radio off hours ago, tired of hearing the same threats and commands from the milit-ary pilots. As much as he hated the idea of giving the authorities a warning, however, he turned on the radio to advise the tower at Palmar that he was coming in. A midair collision might be even worse than a Costa Rican jail. Especially with three hundred and thirty-two lives riding his soul to hell. He called to the tower, then took off the headset and sat back and relaxed, convinced that for once in his life he had done the right thing. Somehow he would see to it that Sepie got half the money from the Swiss bank ac-counts. He envisioned her in a big house with one bedroom and seventy-two bathrooms with a television in every one. She'd be fine. Malink, who had gone to the back to reassure his people, came up the steps and climbed into the flight officer's chair. â€Å"We are going down?† he said. â€Å"You'll like it,† Tuck said. â€Å"The weather here is the same as Alualu. There are beaches and jungles just like home.† They could see the coast now, extending into the distance to the north and south, the rainforest running from beaches to mountains. â€Å"This island much bigger than Alualu.† â€Å"It's not an island.† Tuck realized that Malink had never walked more than a mile without having to turn. â€Å"Your people will be fine.† â€Å"Are there sharks here?† â€Å"A lot of sharks,† Tuck said. Malink nodded â€Å"My people will be fine.† He was quiet for a minute, then said, â€Å"Will you come with us?† â€Å"I don't think so, Chief. I'm going to be in a lot of trouble when we land.† â€Å"But didn't Vincent tell you to do this?† â€Å"Sort of. Why?† Malink sat back with a self-satisfied smile. â€Å"You'll be fine.† An alarm went off in the cockpit and Tuck scanned the instruments to see what had gone wrong. The red air collision warning lights were flashing. Tuck scanned the sky for another plane, then, seeing nothing, put on the headset to see if the Palmar tower could tell him what was going on. Before he could key the mike someone said, â€Å"Darlin', I'll be whitewashed if stink don't follow you like a manure wagon in summer.† A familiar, melodic Texas drawl, probably the sweetest sound he had ever heard. â€Å"Mary Jean,† Tuck said. â€Å"Where are you?† â€Å"Out your window at eleven o'clock.† Tuck looked up and saw a brand-new pink Gulfstream running parallel to them. â€Å"If you'd a been wearing your headset, you would have known I was here fifteen minutes ago.† â€Å"What are you doing here?† â€Å"Jake called me from Hawaii and told me what you was doing. We cooked up a little plan. I'm gonna get your tail out of the fire one last time, Tucker Case, but you owe me.† â€Å"Boy, have I heard that before.† â€Å"Do you remember the corporate address in Houston? The number?† â€Å"Sure.† â€Å"Well, you dial that up as a frequency and I'll give you the skinny. It's unladylike to broadcast your personal matters over the same frequency the tower's using.† They were lying in the jungle near the runway when the Learjet landed. Sebastian left Beth sleeping under some banana leaves and crawled to where he could see. The jet taxied to the gate and stopped with the engines still running. The guards came out of different buildings and converged on the plane. They'd stacked duffel bags near the gate. â€Å"What's going on?† Beth crawled up behind him. The effects of the Valium were obviously wearing off. â€Å"I think they're leaving.† â€Å"Not without us, they're not. I am the Sky Priestess and I won't allow it.† She started to get up and Sebastian pulled her back down. â€Å"They were coming to kill us, Beth. You were out.† â€Å"Right. If you ever drug me again – â€Å" â€Å"You're insane,† he said. She reared back to slap him and he caught her hand. â€Å"Keep it up, Beth. I'm telling you that if they find us, they'll kill us. Do you understand that?† â€Å"They're grunts. I won't†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Suddenly there was a huge explosion from across the runway and they turned to see a mushroom of fire rising from where the clinic used to be. The guards had loaded onto the jet and Nomura was taxiing to the end of the runway. The guards' quarters went off next, then the hangar, the barrels of jet fuel throwing a column of flame five hundred feet in the air. â€Å"Where did they get explosives?† Beth said. â€Å"Did you know they had explosives?† â€Å"They're destroying the evidence,† Sebastian said. â€Å"Orders from Japan, I'm sure.† The Learjet started its run for takeoff as Sebastian's bungalow went off like a fragmentation grenade, followed by Tuck's old quarters and Beth's bungalow. Fire rained down across the island. â€Å"My shoes! All of my shoes were in there. You bastards.† Beth pulled away from Sebastian and ran out on the runway just as the Learjet passed. â€Å"You rotten bastards!† The Sky Priestess stood in the middle of the runway and screamed herself mute as the Lear disappeared into the clouds. 66 If They'd Only Had Her at the Alamo Mary Jean brought the pink Gulfstream in right on the tail of the 747. Tuck kept the speed over eighty in the taxi, turning it away from the terminal, where police jeeps and a hundred men in riot gear waited. He also noticed a half-dozen TV news trucks there as well. â€Å"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Costa Rica, the new home of the Shark People. The temperature outside is 85 degrees and it's clear that things are going to get ugly. I hope everybody's ready.† The police jeeps were speeding across the tarmac toward the two jets. Mary Jean turned the Gulfstream so that it was facing back toward the runway. Tuck turned to Malink. â€Å"Where's Roberto?† Malink pointed up. Roberto hung from the handle of the emergency hatch. There was a spring-loaded spool of steel cable attached to the ceiling next to the hatch. â€Å"Mary Jean, you ready?† â€Å"Sweetheart, we'd better git while the gitten's good. We stirred a hornet's nest out here.† Tuck grabbed Roberto and stuffed him inside his shirt. â€Å"Stay,† he said. Then he opened the hatch and looked back at Malink. â€Å"I have to go now.† Malink took Tuck in his big arms and squeezed until the bat screamed. â€Å"You will come back.† â€Å"If you say so, Chief.† Tuck flipped the intercom switch and picked up the headset. â€Å"Go!† he said and climbed up into the hatch. The six doors on the 747 all sprung open at once and the yellow emergency slides inflated and extended to the ground as if the jet was a huge insect suddenly growing legs. The Shark People piled down the emergency slides and Mary Jean spooled up the Gulfstream for takeoff. Tuck climbed onto the roof and reached back into the hatch for the loop of nylon webbing that attached to the spool of cable. The police jeeps were pulling up on the sides of the two jets; men with rifles stood in the back trying to figure out what they should be shooting at. The Shark People crowded in between the jets, making a human corridor. Tuck took a deep breath and leaped off the top of the jumbo jet. The spring-loaded coil of cable did exactly what Boeing had designed it to do: It lowered the pilot safely to the ground from four stories up. Once on the ground, Tuck ran under the cover of the Shark People and leaped into the open door of the Gulfstream. â€Å"Go!† he yelled. The Shark People scrambled away and Mary Jean released the ground brakes. The jet shot forward. Tuck slammed the door and got to the cockpit just as a jeep swerved out of the jet's path and flipped over. â€Å"Don't try to play chicken with me, snotnose,† Mary Jean said grimly. â€Å"I knew James Dean his own self.† â€Å"Think they'll let you get this thing in the air?† â€Å"I'd like to see 'em try to stop me.† The police jeeps seemed to part for the jet as it headed back to the runway. For all the guns there, no one seemed interested in firing a shot. Tuck looked back and saw the Shark People waving as Mary Jean made her takeoff run. When they were airborne, she said, â€Å"Tucker Case, when you make a turnaround, boy, you don't do it half-twiddle, do you?† Tuck laughed. â€Å"Did you really know James Dean?† â€Å"Sounded good, didn't it?† She turned to him. Not surprisingly, her makeup was done perfectly to complement her outfit and the Gulfstream's headset. She let out a little yelp. â€Å"Tucker, there's a varmint in your shirt.† â€Å"That's Roberto,† Tuck said. â€Å"He no like the light.† â€Å"Darlin', if I had a face like that, I'd gravitate toward dim and unlit territories myself. Remind me to give your friend a sample of our new depilatory.† â€Å"What was that all about back there?† Tuck asked. â€Å"Heroics, son. I told you on the phone, I believe in redemption and I thought it was time I practiced what I preached. Were they really selling those poor heathens' organs?† â€Å"Beg your pardon, Mary Jean, I really do appreciate the rescue, but don't bullshit me. Any one of those cops could have shot out the tires of this plane and we'd still be on the ground.† She smiled, a knowing smile with a hint of mischief, the Mona Lisa in a big blond wig. â€Å"Media event, son. You'd be surprised how far a little palm grease goes in the Third World. Why, I couldn't buy the media coverage my company's going to get on this with a year's profits. And of course you're going to reimburse me for the bribes. Jake says you'll be able to. The tax boys frown on taking bribes. as a deduction. Although we could take it as advertising expense. Never mind, you don't owe me nothing.† â€Å"So that's the only reason you did it, the media coverage?† â€Å"I was shabby to you, Tucker. Not that you didn't deserve it, but I wasn't feeling so good about myself for doing it. I aways kinda looked at you like my wayward little lamb. Course, I'm from cattle folk.† Tuck smiled. â€Å"Whatever. Where are we going?† â€Å"Little place of mine in the Cayman Islands. Jake's going to meet us there with your little friend.† 67 The Cannibal Tree Revisited The Sky Priestess awoke with a terrible pain in her head. She couldn't feel her arms or legs, and something was cutting her between her breasts. She and the Sorcerer had been living in the deserted village for two weeks. The last thing she could remember was the Sorcerer going into the dark for more firewood and hearing a thud. When he didn't answer her call, she had gone to look for him. She opened her eyes and blinked to clear her vision. The world seemed to be spinning and for a second all she could see was a green blur that was the jungle. Then things popped into focus. She was slowly turning at the end of a coconut fiber rope, suspended six feet above the ground. The harness was digging in between her breasts and cutting off the circulation to her limbs. She lifted her head and saw an ancient native tending a long earthen oven that was spouting smoke from either end. The Sorcerer's clothes were piled nearby. The old native looked up and ambled over to her on spindly legs. There were chicken feathers stuck in his hair and his eyes had a rheumy yellow cast to them. He grinned at her with teeth that looked as if they had been filed to points, then reached up and pinched her cheek. â€Å"Yum,† he said. Epilogue Due to the influence of Mary Jean Dobbins, who opened a manufacturing plant in the capital, and a large land purchase by an anonymous buyer, the Shark People were accepted as Costa Rican citizens and their land was set aside as a national reserve. Malink remained chief for many years, and when he became too old to carry the responsibility – since he had no sons – he appointed Abo his successor. Abo learned to preside over the ceremonies in honor of Vincent and led the prayers for his return, for they all believed that he would return, but as time passed and history grew to legend, they believed that this time Vincent would return in a pink jet and at his side would be the prophet Tuck – who had delivered them from the Sky Priestess – and the great navigator Kimi, without whom, it was said, the prophet Tuck couldn't find his ass with both hands. Every morning before breakfast, Tucker Case walked his bat on the beaches of Little Cay. Actually, the bat flew on those mornings. Tuck usually flew in the afternoons. He owned a five-passenger Cessna that he tied down on the airstrip next to the small house where he and Sepie lived. With what was left of his half of the money from the Swiss bank accounts – after buying the house and the plane and ten thousand acres of Costa Rican coastal rainforest, which he gave to the Shark People – Tuck was able to buy Sepie a satellite dish and a thirty-two-inch Sony Trinitron, which was all she asked for besides his love, loyalty, and that the bat stay out of the house. Tuck gave her all she wanted, and in return asked her to love him, respect him, and to turn down â€Å"Wheel of Fortune† when he was doing his books. He chartered his plane out to fishermen and scuba divers who wanted to island-hop and made enough money to keep them in food and Sepie in perfume, lipstick and Wonder Bras, the latter a new obsession she had picked up and more often than not the only item of clothing she ever wore. One morning, just before sunrise, after they had been on Little Cay for a year, Tuck spotted a figure standing alone on the beach. He knew who it was before he was close enough to see him. He could feel it. As he got closer, he looked at the sharp dark features, the flight suit shot with starch and free of wrinkles, and he said, â€Å"You look pretty good for a dead guy.† Vincent took a pack of cigarettes out of his jacket pocket, tapped one out, and lit it. â€Å"You did good, kid. I'd have to call it even.† â€Å"The least I could do,† Tuck said. â€Å"But can I ask you a question?† â€Å"Shoot,† said Vincent. â€Å"Why'd you do it?† â€Å"I didn't do anything. I didn't move a thing, I didn't touch a thing, I didn't change a thing. Believers do everything.† â€Å"Come on,† Tuck said. â€Å"I deserve a straight answer.† The flyer turned away for a moment and looked at the corona over the water where the sun was about to rise. â€Å"You're right, kid. You do. You re-member that speech the dame gave you about losers doing good on islands because there's no competition?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Well, it ain't the case. Islands are like, you know, incubators. You got to start things and let em grow. Isolate 'em. That's why all your loony-toon cult guys have to get their people out in the boonies somewhere where no one can talk any sense into 'em. Just nod if you're gettin' any of this, kid. Good. â€Å"Well, I had this bet with these guys I play cards with that my little cult could go big-time if I could get enough citizens. I told 'em, ‘Two thousand years ago you guys were just running cults. Get me to the mainland and give me a thousand years and I'll give you a run for your money.' All the conditions were right. You need some pressure, I got the war. You need a promise, I got the promise I'll come back with cargo. I'm on easy street. Then this crazy dame and the doc come along and start selling me up the river and I'm thinking it's my chance to make the bigs. You've got to have some bad guys so your citizens can recognize who the good guys are, right? So I says to myself, ‘Vincent, it is time you got yourself a Moses. Get a guy who can get your people out of trouble and give them some stories to build a reputation on.'† â€Å"And that was me?† Tuck said. â€Å"That was you.† â€Å"Why me? Why did you pick me?† â€Å"You weren't busy.† â€Å"And that was it? I wasn't busy?† â€Å"Face it, kid, you were flying with full flaps down. You know that saying? â€Å"The devil makes work for idle hands.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"It's true, but only if he gets there first. He didn't even want you, so I showed.† â€Å"So are you going to screw up the rest of my life?† â€Å"You ain't got it so bad. It ain't like you have to go into the desert for forty years. What are you worried about?† â€Å"Yeah, I'm happy now, but are we finished?† Vincent butted his cigarette in the sand. â€Å"That kind of depends on what you believe, doesn't it kid? He began to fade as he walked down the beach. â€Å"Don't do anything I wouldn't do.† Tuck watched as a sailing canoe materialized on the beach. Kimi was at the tiller and waved as Vincent climbed into the front of the canoe. Tuck waved back even as the canoe dissolved to mist, then he walked home to have breakfast with Sepie. He stopped at the door to wipe his feet and Roberto landed with a thud against the screen, digging his claws in to keep from slipping. â€Å"Boy, I'm glad all that supernatural stuff is over,† the bat said. Afterword and Acknowledgments My approach to research has always been: â€Å"Is this correct or should I be more vague?† A quick word search of one of my books reveals that I use the term â€Å"kinda-sorta† more than any living author. My readers, who are the kindest and most intelligent people in the world, understand this. They know that using my books as a reference source is tantamount to using glazed doughnuts as a building material. They know that these pages serve the masters of goofiness, not those of accuracy. So†¦ While some of the locations in Island of the Sequined Love Nun do exist, I have changed them for my convenience. There is no island of Alualu, nor do the Shark People exist as I have described them. There are no active cargo cults in Micronesia, nor are there any cannibals. The position of mispel did exist in Yapese culture but was abandoned almost a hundred years ago. A strict caste system still exists on Yap and the surrounding is-lands, and the treatment of Yapese women is portrayed as I saw it. My decision to make the â€Å"organ smugglers† Japanese was dictated by geo-graphy, not culture or race. Most of the information on cargo cults comes, secondhand, from anthro-pological research done in the Melanesian Islands. I have found since fin-ishing Island of the Sequined Love Nun that the â€Å"Cannibal-Spam Theory† was first postulated in Paul Theroux's book The Happy Isles of Oceania, and I must give a jealous nod to Mr. Theroux for that twisted bit of thinking. The information on Micronesian navigation and navigators comes from Stephen Thomas's wonderful book The Last Navigator. My depiction of the shark hunt comes from a story told to me by a high school teacher on Yap about the people of the island of Fais, and I have no idea whether it is ac-curate. The day-to-day life on Alualu, with the exceptions of the religious rites and outright silliness, comes from my experience on the high island of Mog Mog in the Ulithi Atoll, where I had the privilege of living with Chief Antonio Taithau and his family. Many thanks to Chief Antonio, his wife, Conception, and his daughters, Kathy and Pamela, who saw that I was fed and who pulled me out of the well that I fell in after too much tuba at the drinking circle. Also, thanks to Alonzo, my Indiana Jones kid, who followed me around and made sure I didn't get killed on the reef or eaten by sharks and who I forgive for letting me fall down the well. Many thanks also to Frank the teacher, Favo the elder, Hillary the boat pilot, and all the kids who climbed trees for my drinking coconuts. I also owe a debt of gratitude to those people who helped me get to the outer islands: Mercy and all the Peace Corps Volunteers on Yap, Chief In-gnatho Hapthey and the Council of Tamil, and John Lingmar at the Bureau of Outer Island Affairs on Yap, who educated me about local customs, gave permission, and made arrangements. Also to the people of Pacific Mission-ary Air, who got me there and back and answered my questions on flying in the islands. Thanks to the Americans I met on Truk: Ron Smith, who loaned me his diving knife, and Mark Kampf, who gave me his sunscreen, Neosporin, and duct tape, all of which saved my life. (Research Rule #1: Never go to an undeveloped island without duct tape and a big knife.) Here in the States, thanks goes out to the following people: Bobby Benson, who told me about Micronesia in the first place. Gary Kravitz for voluminous information on aircraft and flying. Mike Molnar for more pilot stuff as well as patient explanations of computer and communication technology. Donna Ortiz, who gave me the phrase, â€Å"you're just a geek in a cool guy's body† (and I have no idea who she was talking about at the time). Dr. Alan Peters for medical information. Shelly Lowenkopf for supplying out-of-print books on cargo cults. Jim Silke and Lynn Rathbun for drawings and maps. Ian Corsan for advice on equipment and how to survive in the tropics. Charlee Rodgers, Dee Dee Leichtfuss, Liz Ziemska, and Christina Harcar for careful readings and helpful suggestions. Nick Ellison, my agent and friend, for helping to keep the wolf from the door while I wrote. Rachel Klayman and Chris Condry, my editors at Avon Books, for their confidence and support. And most of all, my thanks to novelist Jean Brody, who took the time from her own writing to do a line edit on Love Nun. While all the above people helped in the research and writing of this book, none of them are responsible for the liberties I took with the information they gave me. When in doubt, assume that I made everything up. – Christopher Moore November 1996