Data Visualization And Information Technology - 1006 Words

TDWI is a research division who focuses on high-quality educational research on business intelligence (BI), and data warehousing. TDWI conducted a report which was designed to â€Å"educate technical and business professionals about new business intelligence, technologies, concepts, or approaches that address a significant problem or issue.† They also mention how users could discover data relationships that are hidden behind unappealing data structures by using data visualization software’s. These software’s don’t necessarily have to be used by professionals who have been working with business intelligence and analytics for a long time. They are designed to also be used by â€Å"nontechnical† individuals who have the curiosity and interest in†¦show more content†¦Them taking out time of their day and stopping what they are doing just to answer question and explain, showed me that they really wanted me to get the best out of this internship and valued me being part of the team. I would give this internship and my managers an A, no doubt about it. This internship made me realize exactly what I want to do after I graduate. I want to be a financial analyst, and if all goes well, after the two-year internship at the bank, I would love to get a full-time offer by the bank and become a financial analyst and stay in the same department. Working with the people in my team is truly a great opportunity. The bank’s culture is what I would want any institution’s culture to be. One aspect the bank seems to value and try their best to make as great as possible is the diversity and inclusion of the employee’s. It is a very diverse community and it makes me feel very welcome. One other benefit if I were to be hired as full-time is that if I want to pursue graduate school, I would be reimbursed. At this moment, I know that I eventually want to go to graduate school and pursue my masters, but I’m not exactly sure if I want to get it right after I get my undergraduate degree or wait a couple of years. But just knowing the fact that I have that benefit of being reimbursed, gives me more motivation to continue my education. My vision after I graduate is to becomeShow MoreRelatedThe Diverse and Growing Field of Information Visualization885 Words   |  4 PagesAlthough relatively new field, information visualization is moving forward with the new perspective playing major role in diverse field ranging from high end scientific research to inconsistent market analysis. In order to assess data visualization, van Wijk (2005) discusses the value of the visualization through a mathematical model in the paper ‘The Value of Visualization’ approaching it on the technology, art and scientific concepts. In the following summary paper, the van Wijk (2005) mathematicalRead MoreA Taxonomy For Evaluating Business Data Visualizations1629 Words   |  7 Pagesfor Evaluating Business Data Visu alizations Submission Type: Emergent Research Forum Papers Introduction We are creating data in enormous quantities primarily because of improvements in data capture technologies. But much of this data are underused or never being used. A detailed analysis of this underused data is often impractical due to time, personnel, and other resource constraints. Data visualization techniques offer a good means of taking an immediate look at this data for exploring the underlyingRead MoreWhat Is Internet Of Things?1131 Words   |  5 Pages â€Æ' CONCEPTS OF IoT What is Internet of Things? 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The first instance of data visualization can be traced back to the 10th century with a graphRead MoreThe Importance Of Proper Representation Of Data1713 Words   |  7 Pagesrepresentation of data that is mined from social media. The need for data mining and its various advantages are also discussed. The standard tasks involved in data mining are explained. The discussion illuminates the various techniques that can be used for representing the data (Textual representation, Tables, Graphs, Infographic). Draws attention to the useful applications of data mining in varying degrees and illustrates the benefit of this powerful technology. Suggests use of data visualization tools likeRead MoreVisualization Analysis On Data Mining1476 Words   |  6 Pages 1 ABSTARCT Visualization in data mining is a new methodology for exploring and analyzing a huge data sets, data visualization techniques and joining traditional data mining strategies. It is used for large amounts of data sets and information. Visualization of model-fitting, data and results play a very important role, but vast data sets are distinctive and new techniques of a data display needed for managing and dealing with large data sets. With the help of this paper toRead MoreHow An Effective Computer Systems Generate Positive Feelings Of Success, Competence, Mastery, And Clarity1496 Words   |  6 PagesThere are various types of visualizations in human commuter interaction. The main three factors in visualization are scientific visualization, knowledge visualization and information visualization. The purpose of visualization in computer interaction is to present the audience a visual mean of processing the information. It is essential to take note that visualization to be effective it m ust draw upon the knowledge base of the audience. For instance If the viewer does not understand the graphicalRead MoreNumerical Analysis : Numerical Transformation Essay1512 Words   |  7 Pages1) Numerical Transformation: Visualization is a kind of transformation numerical data to graphical data and showing the relationship between these data. Numbers are abstract concepts, and to visualize them as points and draw lines requires a transformation. Transformations involves: 1) changing the distribution: modify the distribution of numbers so that they are more suitable for analysis. Some frequently used ways method: Linear transformation, Logarithmic transformation, Normalizing transformationRead MoreUsability, Interaction, And Visualization1090 Words   |  5 PagesUsability, Interaction, and Visualization The trends for usability, interaction, and visualization consider interoperability. Scholars showed that the European Commission (EC) are promoting networked enterprise information system interoperability (Agostinho et al., 2015, p. 5). 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Private Schools vs. Public Schools Essay - 1171 Words

Would you change your school? Would you go to a private school instead of a public school? Or to a public school instead of a private school? Private and public education is different in many ways such as their performance, enrollment, and the overall education taught but yet they have somewhat similar teachers. Students’ performance in public and private schools differ a lot. Private schools often have better grades and test scores. It is proven that kids who go to a public school and attend a private school perform better (Williams 17). Student performance varies but the advantage would probably have to go to the private schools. Teachers in private and public schools are similar yet have some differences. There are†¦show more content†¦So, more than likely the way teachers are paid probably does not really affect the way they teach. The enrollment in public and private schools is much different. The amount of kids in a school/classroom is going to effect the way the kids learn. The less kids in a class probably the better their going to do. While the more kids enrolled in school the worse the kids are probably going to do. Public schools usually have 300-599 students enroll (Klieg 22). They have an average of 527 kids per a school (Klieg 22). Where Private schools enroll below 300 kids and have an average of 190 kids per a school (Klieg 22). Enrollment has gone up slowly with about 46.8 million kinds in public schools and about 5.9 million kids in private schools (Klieg 21). The enrollment in schools will probably still continue to rise. The overall education in both public and private schools could drastically be improved. There are many things that people could do to improve education. For instance one way to improve private education is to make them have to take certain tests. As stated by Mary Williams â€Å"No State requires private schools to take the same tests as public schools (Williams 62).† So therefore there is the public schools like in Missouri for example; where they must take the MAP tests and such other tests, while the private schools are just sitting around doing the normal routine. No, these tests aren’t for aShow MoreRelatedPrivate Schools Vs. Public Schools1406 Words   |  6 Pagesthat private school is more expensive than public school, but has it ever occurred to you why it is like this? Private schools are not just trying to take your money, they are just trying to provide a quality education, without the government funding that public schools get. The tuition money goes to very important things; high quality teachers, better resources and the overall quality and stability of the institution. It is true that private school tuition is expensive, but private schools haveRead MorePrivate Schools Vs Public Schools1723 Words   |  7 Pagesthink of private schools they often think of a quality of education that cannot be found in a public school. Private school education is thought of to be so thorough and innovative that public vouchers are given to individuals just to attend. Many parents could rest easier at night if their kids could attend private school because for generations it has been drilled into the psyche of many that going to private school is a sure way to have a good future. In actuality however, private schools are notRead MorePrivate Schools Vs Public Schools1428 Words   |  6 Pagesstudy in private schools, which almost represents the fifth of students in Saudi Arabia. Although a lot of families prefer to make their children study i n private school, that does not mean they are completely satisfied about the schools’ quality and their children’ achievement (Al-Hagbani, 2013). Nevertheless, they still enroll their children in private schools, believing they will benefit more from studying in private schools than public schools. In addition, some parents believe that private schoolsRead MorePrivate Schools Vs Public Schools1207 Words   |  5 PagesAn Introduction of the Topic Private schools differ from public schools for many different reasons. The major difference is that the government, unlike private schools that are privately funded, funds public schools. Another difference would be that the private schools have more flexibility on what they can teach because the government does not fund them. One other difference that is very prevalent is the social goals of schooling. This topic is a very important issue that many parents struggle withRead MorePrivate Schools Vs. Public Schools998 Words   |  4 Pagesnation. People today might say that private schools are superior to public schools, saying that they are safer and a better environment to learn in. Some might say that a private school is a way of sheltering your child and not letting them experience opportunities and face many problems to learn from. There are many positives and negatives to both sides; it mainly depends on whom you are talking to. Some parents might want their child to go to a pri vate school because the class size is smaller andRead MorePublic Schools vs. Private Schools1027 Words   |  4 Pagesare things to consider before choosing to send your child to a public school or private school. Perhaps doing so would be much easier if you would take the time to research the differences between the two. Public schools are better than private schools because of the diversity, funding and extracurricular activities available. Eileen Gale Kugler, a national advocate for diverse schools, wrote an article about how the diversity in schools makes academic and social improvements. She recalls a memoryRead More Private Schools vs. Public Schools870 Words   |  4 PagesChoosing between a public or a private school for one’s education is as important as deciding where to invest one’s hard-earned money—the consequences influence one’s life forever. In the United States, it is the law for every child to be educated. However, the decision as to where to go for one’s education is up to each individual. There is a great deal of debate as to which is the better option: for-profit private schools or one’s local public school. Ultimately, the decision is made regardingRead MorePrivate Schools vs. Public Schools 1081 Words   |  5 PagesHave you ever attended a private institution? What was your experience like? Think back and compare it to your ideal public school, which on e happens to pale in comparison? Public schools, which are controlled by the government, and heavily influenced, by politicians and privateers, hurt your children, not allowing them to reap the full benefits of their growing mind. â€Å"Our schools have been scientifically designed to prevent over-education from happening. The average American [should be] contentRead MorePrivate School Vs. Public School1254 Words   |  6 PagesThesis: Private school students are more likely to have a better viewpoint in learning, a firm stance in education, and will be more successful in colleges than of public school students. I. Introduction A. Attention Getter: According to NCES data, 88 percent of private high school students apply to college, compared to 57 percent of public high school students. Every day parents contemplate whether to send their children to private or public school. There are many dangers that come with public schoolRead MorePrivate Schools Vs Public Schools921 Words   |  4 Pageschild’s education, parents want the best the school has to offer their children. Parents want a prosperous future for their child which is not only health, but a well-educated one. Education is of the utmost importance especially because it will impact the child the most in the long run. Private schools offer ample education opportunities. There are some factors to consider when choose a private school education over a public one. Many times, the private schools are religious are having certain beliefs

Hollywood and the Rise of Cultural Protectionism Free Essays

string(153) " center of international mass culture; in effect it helped with the launching of what was referred to as a process of Americanization on a global scale\." Abstract Like an iceberg, most aspects of culture are largely invisible to the casual observer (for example, gender roles, ways to solve problems, conversational patterns). Using Hofstede’s and Trompenaars’ definitions, what aspects of culture do Hollywood films promote around the worldIn what ways do Hollywood movies affect the cultural values of people outside the United States? Introduction Harvie Conn has described film as a â€Å"cultural mirror,† and that it is a valuable reflection of contemporary attitudes, philosophies, values, and lifestyles of individuals around the world. Others, such as Michael Medved, have placed more emphasis on the idea of film as a ‘former’ of culture. We will write a custom essay sample on Hollywood and the Rise of Cultural Protectionism or any similar topic only for you Order Now (Frame, M, John, n.d) Hofstede’s definition Culture it self has been defined in several ways by several theorist, such as Hofstede’s who defined culture as the â€Å"collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another.† Furthermore he stated it consists of the unwritten rules of what he referred to as a ‘social game’. (Hofstede, Geert H. 2010) He also described culture as the â€Å"software of the mind† that guides us in interactions we face on a day-to-day basis. (Hofstede, 1995) He identified 3 levels in human mental programming: Human nature (universal; inherited); Culture (specific to group/category; learned) Personality (specific to individual; learned and inherited). To conclude he stated that â€Å"Culture is always a collective phenomenon, because it is at least partly shared with people who live or lived within the same social environment which is where it is learned.† (Hofstede, 1995) In relation to film and the question of whether aspects of culture could be taught to individuals around the world, it is likely that Hofstede would agree so, that that culture could be taught through Hollywood films, as he believed that culture can be learned and also inherited. To expand on the assumption that culture could be learned, particular through film, this could be caused by the ability of individuals to have unique patterns of thinking; feeling; and potential acting which were learned throughout their lifetime, Hofstede would believe that these patterns of thinking’s could be learned through what they see in their lifetime, and what is depicted through films individuals see. (Hostede, Geert, 1991) The reason as to why he believed that culture is inherited was because of the assumption that much of it is likely to be acquired in early childhood, he argued at this time a person is most susceptible to learning and assimilating’, and that ‘As soon as certain patterns of thinking; feeling and acting have established themselves within a person’s mind; (s)he must unlearn these before being able to learn something different; and unlearning is more difficult than learning for the first time.’ (Hostede, Geert, 1991) One should agree with this theory, as what we learn from a young age and what we are continually told always will have an impact on our decision-making and interpretation of things in life. With this being said it could be assumed that when a human becomes older any future learned cultural opinions could have been influenced through Hollywood movies, we will look at the impact of Hollywood people outside of the United States. Trompenaars’ cultures definition Fons Trompenaars is a Dutch theorist within the field of cross-cultural communication and international management. The theorist developed a model of differences in national cultures. This model includes seven dimensions, it was used identify how people in different national cultures interact with each other. The respective culture’s most likely response to each dilemma, this can be seen to illustrate the deep values entrenched in different cultures, and are used to generalize each national culture’s most likely response to everyday dilemmas and human interactions. The different dimensions are useful in understanding different interactions between people from different national cultures, and can give guidance to e.g. expatriates having managerial tasks in different cultures. (Anon, 2009) The seven dimensions identified are Universalism vs. particularism (What is most important – rules or relationships?) Individualism vs. collectivism (Do we function in a group or as individuals?) Neutral vs. emotional (Do we display our emotions, or do we hide them?) Specific vs. diffuse (Do we handle our relationships in specific and predetermined ways, or do we see our relationships as changing and related to contextual settings?) Achievement vs. ascription (Do we have to prove ourselves to receive status, or is status given to us?) Sequential vs. synchronic (Do we do things one at a time or several things at once?) Internal vs. external control (Do we believe that we can control our environment, or do we believe that the environment controls us?) Trompenaars tested these 7 dimensions on 55 worldwide national cultures. The results found in every national culture, which illustrate the preferred response to different dilemmas concerning each dimension, can therefore be used by business managers to foresee, how different people from different cultures may act and behave in different atmospheres (Anon, 2009) Hollywood’s Film Industries influence to the world From a historically aspect, Hollywood’s influence to other worldwide cultures can be seen from ever since the World War I, after this war occurred, according to sources, the American film industry achieved international dominance and became a principal promoter of American cultural expansion, in doing this Hollywood projecting images of America to the rest of the world. (Tosaka, 2003) In relation to Hofstede’s theory which said that culture could be learned, it would be assumed that with this American cultural expansion, their culture would become taught among foreign people in foreign national cultures. After the war according to the source, the United States emerged as the world’s leading economy and the largest creditor nation. At this time the American-controlled media flooded global markets with their American popular culture. The fact that America started to control media, would assume they were in control of what they wanted viewers to see and they were in control of how they wanted people around the world to think about America. This therefore contributed to the country being increasingly recognized as the center of international mass culture; in effect it helped with the launching of what was referred to as a process of Americanization on a global scale. You read "Hollywood and the Rise of Cultural Protectionism" in category "Essay examples" (Rosenberg, 1890–1945) The aspects that would have been taught among people around the world through film would be social values, lifestyles and fashions, the effects among people around the world, vary as individuals could loathe, admire, and emulate it all over the world. (Rosenberg, 1890–1945) But of all cultural exports American inflicted globally, the Hollywood cinema was alleged to perhaps be the most visible and influential outpost of American culture in the interwar era. America became powerful as they started to control most film markets; in doing this they started enacting their American way of life on the silver screen which would therefore influence the individuals of crowded movie theatres around the world. Because of this Hollywood often became subject of a growing debate about the question of cultural identity in a new, interconnected world. (Tosaka, 2003) Some interpreted Hollywood’s control of film markets as positive, in that it helps ‘serve as goodwill ambassadors for promoting mutual understanding among nations.’ Furthermore, it has been said, that American Producers with regard to their dominance of globally of the film market, sort to ensure that every picture â€Å"shall correctly portray American life, opportunities and aspirations to the world,† while also â€Å"correctly portray[ing] to America the life of other people.† (Hays to J. F. Keeley, 23 August 1924, 281 Motion Pictures—General, 1924, RG 151) But it has been said in real life, however, just like its discourses on modernity and mass culture, Hollywood’s vision of creating global products that crossed the boundaries of culture and nation was often besieged with a constant stream of critical examination by domestic and foreign observers alike. (Tosaka, 2003) Further criticism was made, in regard to Hollywood’s dominance and cultural power to influence people around the world. These people that sit in the cinema watching the films may take the aspects of the movies as a reflection of prevailing social attitudes and start generalizing, there has been a demand for some specific films, to require great caution such as Fictional Films. (Razlogova, Ellen 2005) It has been said, Fictional films are complex industrial and social products. The way they are filmed, distributed, exhibited, and received by various audiences around the world and critics must be investigated to fully evaluate their ability to changes people’s perception of historical evidence. Examples have been made of this; it should be regarded as dangerous to interpret a few films from a specific period as simple reflections of American society. ‘The attitudes portrayed in a specific film may represent a series of compromises carefully designed to be non-offensive. In addition, individual films can indicate very different attitudes toward labor unions, big business, race relations, or women’s rights.’ (Razlogova, Ellen 2005) This demonstrates that to different individuals in different cultures, even though their national cultures are different, they will still have the same perception and the same learning from watching the film, whether it is in relation to race or even women’s rights, or gay rights, it shows that film is a powerful regulator of people’s minds. The Culture Values promoted by various Hollywood Films Several Hollywood Films have caused great influences among people these could be seen as positive and controversially negative. Take for instance Movies that deal with Politics such as Air Force One (DVD) 1997 Directed by Wolfgang Petersen. The film is a Hollywood blockbuster movie, starring A-list actor Harrison Ford as James Marshall, President of the USA. The plot deals with fictional political intrigue and the hijacking of Air Force One, the President’s jumbo jet, by Russian terrorists. (Davis, n.d) The films influence could be regarded as an influence on Political philosophy, which is defined as philosophical reflection on how best to arrange our collective life – our political institutions and our social practices, such as our economic system and our pattern of family life. (Miller, 1998) The film is alleged to transmit several subtle and overt political messages. The film is also seen to be a celebration of American patriotism and militarism. (Davis, n.d) The film Dead Poets Society (1989) makes a critique of traditional education. Upon its release in 1989, Dead Poets Society (written by Tom Schulman, directed by Peter Weir) became a cultural influence among people in the world, as it’s a film that is regarded to have spoken to teens, students, the public and critics at large. (Laic, Carol 2001). The movie is alleged to have represented a social movement of ‘freedom of thought’ in the education of young adults, its influence was significant as traditional learning techniques are challenged by a new English teacher John Keating (Robin Williams) who introduces new progressive approaches in stark contrast to the traditions of disciplined learning styles. (Laic, Carol 2001). This obviously has an education influence among viewers worldwide, it had the ability to impact on influences the way we are taught new things, therefore it is influential. In regard to influences of religion among the world, the film Passion of The Christ (2004) as stated in the case study, should be regarded as a controversial film, so controversial that the film was in Muslim countriesThe film has created a stir among ultra-Orthodox rabbis and some politicians who want it banned according to the Los Angeles Times. A survey showed that there were a rising percentage of individuals who say Jews were responsible for Christ’s death is rising, after watching the film. The poll released by the Pew Research Center in Washington is the first statistical evidence that the film’s box-office success may be associated with an increase in anti-Jewish feeling. (Ekklesia, 2004) Films such as Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit (2006) could be seen as to ridicule of foreign cultures for their religious believes ect. The film Lost In Translation (2003) was criticized for its portrayal of Japanese people as robotic creatures who mix up their L’s and R’s. Because of this portrayal, it’s likely that Americans will assume this is normal for Japanese people to do; therefore it is likely that the portrayal will create ignorant stereotypes among the Japanese and East Asian Americans. Worldwide, protectionism of most goods is insignificant or declining. Do movies constitute a separate category (culture incarnate, as stated in the case study), or should they be treated like any other goodThat is, given the nature of movies, is it okay for a country to shield and support its own film industry via protectionismWhyAre there any other cultural industries that governments should protect? There have been many controversial issues surrounding the idea of cultural protectionism, particularly in relation to foreign film markets, such as Australia. The Australian government had been involved in a series of negotiations with the US for what was described as a bilateral trade agreement. At the time the Bush Administration promised their Prime Minister John Howard a free trade deal as a pay-off for Australian participation in the illegal US-led war against Iraq.’ (Phillips, 2003) The agreement was beneficial to Australian businesses and farmers with better access to American markets and boost export incomes. But to achieve this however, Howard told the media, â€Å"We will have to agree to some things the Americans put to us.† In the agreement America could decline to pay taxation on films, as it was suggested by the Local filmmakers and actors argued that this shows a weakening of protective measures for the small Australian film and television industry. (Phillips, 2003) With this being said, if there is less taxation imposed on America for their films, there will be less finance from quotas (what the government demands to help finance new local-content) towards local films, as stated in the case study. Furthermore, it was said by the Australian Screen Directors Association (ASDA) executive Richard Harris, and an actors union called the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA), that the lack of quotas to promote protectionism of goods could ‘lead to a collapse of the local industry’. They claimed that Australia’s â€Å"cultural identity† was under threat from Hollywood if these agreements were accepted for in return for the free trade deal. (Phillips, 2003) This issue for the Australian film industry if accepted from the US, it would demonstrate a decline in the protectionism of their goods, a loss of their cultural indentify; Australia would have to make do with American film culture, and no film culture reflecting the Australian way of life. Given these circumstances it should be okay for their government to protect their film industry and providing a shield for it. In contrast The French government has expressed support for French Culturalism, As the French President at the time, Jacqes Chirac strongly supported restrictions within the entertainment industry because as he puts it — he did not want to see â€Å"European culture sterilized or obliterated by American Culture for economic reasons that have nothing to do with real culture† (Rinaman, n.d) The EU Broadcast Directive was passed in October 1989 in an effort to protect and promote the Europeancultural identity. The directive requires that EU member-states reserve a majority (51 percent) of entertainment broadcast transmission time for programs of European origin. The Directive and quotas (as explained in the case study) implemented by the French Government limit the number of American films shown in French theatres and on French Television. After the EU Directive was implemented into the French domestic law, American entertainment executives were alleged to have complained that these laws were put in place to limit their audiences globally; they therefore weren’t pleased with these actions for cultural protectionism. In response to the outcry the EU officials claimed that quotas and trade limitations set were not intended to keep American productions out of Europe. The initial goal was to liberalize trade, not restrain it; to enhance business opportunities for all broadcasting companies selling in Europe. Europeans, and especially the French say, â€Å"A legitimate desire to preserve national and regional identities should not be confused with protectionism. Creating a more level playing ground within the film industry worldwide is goal France had seemed to be working toward. (Rinaman, n.d) Cultural Protectionism hurts the American Industry more than foreign industry as it stands to economic control within the entertainment industry. US film producers are mostly concerned with the directive’s implications because of the success of their industry, according to sources, the Hollywood earns $3.5 billion per year from the exports to the European audio-visual market. (Rinaman, n.d) The United States, according to the source had held consultation with the EU under concerning the directive. They argued that the quotas in place violate member-states’ obligations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994. The US contends that it is entitled to take further action based on its GATT rights and will therefore monitor the implementation of the EU measures closely, in order to ascertain whether Super 301 measures will be necessary. (Rinaman, n.d) Other cultural industries that governments seek to protect are also national magazine industries. The Canadian government had placed an 80% tax on all foreign magazines sold in Canada that did not contain at least 80% Canadian content. The tax was imposed in response to Time Warner Inc. Printing of its Canadian split-run version of Sports Illustrated in Canada. Even though Canadians share many basic attributes with their American neighbours; for instance they speak the same language, watch many of the same films and television programs and read the same best-selling books, they still feel the need for cultural protectionism. The Nation at the time is said to feel that its cultural identity is being compromised by broadcast mixing of programmes on the radio and satellite, this is caused by proximity allowing radio programming to cross the border between the US and Canada with very little difficulty. (Rinaman, n.d) From a General point of view, Canada’s market of 26 million people had become saturated by American culture distributed by cultural industries in the US and Canada. According to the source, between 60 and 95 percent of film, television, music and publishing markets were controlled by Americans Four in every five magazines sold in Canada are foreign publications. This should be the reason as to why government needed to impose taxation, to protect their culture. (Rinaman, n.d) Conclusion To conclude, generally Hollywood still has an impact on cultural aspects of lives, as demonstrated in films of the 21st century, Hollywood films still have the impact to influence cultural beliefs on non-Americans, and these cultural views could be taught and learned as Hofstede believed in his theory, there are many influences such as political which could influence citizens of other nations, along with the issue of patriotism. The influences are not always easy to identify, as said it isn’t easy to see to an observer, e.g. hidden messages. These influences are a threat to societies of other nations, as movies may generalize and stereotype foreign nations. Not all influences are seen as negative as demonstrated in the educational aspects in the film Dead Poets Society (1989). With regard to most of the influence of Hollywood, because of the impact among people all over the world, the author suggests a need for cultural protectionism, to limit Hollywood’s control over t he mass-media globally, so that foreign markets can promote a realistic culture among their society. With regard to the issue as to whether it is right for foreign governments to implement strategies to enforce cultural protectionism, through taxation and legislation, if it protects the local film industries, then it should be allowed and it should not be declining, with regard to the Australian Screen Directors Association’s assumption that the lack of quota could jeopardise their film industry. (ASDA) therefore it could result in a lack of jobs being created for Australians, and therefore cause more issues for the Australian government. As outlined, there are many reasons as to why it is beneficial to promote cultural protectionism of foreign countries; it helps reflect a more realistic aspect of their national culture, if there are more domestic films being produced and less Americanised films. Bibliography Books Hofstede, Geert H. (2010) ‘Cultures and Organizations, Software of the Mind: Intercultural Cooperation and its Importance for Survival’ Published by the McGraw-Hill Companie Hofstede, Geert H. (1995) Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind. New York, NYM McGraw-Hill 1995 (Hostede, Geert (1991) Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.) Trompenaars, Fons, Hampden-Turner, Charles Riding the Waves of Culture: Understanding Cultural Diversity in Business Nicholas Brealey Publishing 1997 Emily S. Rosenberg, Spreading the American Dream: American Economic and Cultural Expansion, 1890–1945 (New York: Hill and Wang, 1982), 87–121. Douglas, Ann (1995) Terrible Honesty: Mongrel Manhattan in the 1920spublished in New York by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, chaps. 9–11 McNair, B. (1999). An Introduction to Political Communication (2nd edition) London: Routledge. Robb, D. L. (2004). Operation Hollywood: How the Pentagon Shapes and Censors the Movies. Amherst: Prometheus. Street, J. (2001). Mass Media, Politics and Democracy. Houndmills: Palgrave. Wink, W. (1998). The powers that be: Theology for a new millennium. New York: Doubleday. Filmography Air Force One (DVD) 1997 Directed by Wolfgang Petersen Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit (DVD) 2006 Directed by Larry Clark Lost in Translation 2003 (DVD) Directed by Sofia Soppola Passion of The Christ( DVD) 2004 Directed by Mel Gibson Dead Poets Society (DVD) 1989 Journals 1. Tosaka, Yuji (2003) Hollywood Goes To Tokyo: American Cultural Expansion And imperial Japan, 1918–1941 The Ohio State University 2003 [Accessed March 21st 2011] Internet Sources 1. Phillps, Richard ‘Australian film industry: the futility of calls for â€Å"cultural protection† Published 9 December 2003 [Accessed March 20th 2011] 2. MILLER, DAVID (1998). Political philosophy. In E. Craig (Ed.), Routledge Encyclopaedia of Philosophy. London: Routledge. Retrieved March 24, 2011, from 3. Paterson, Robert Geert Hofstede’s Model [Accessed March 21th 2011] 4 . Hec Montreal [Accessed March 21th 2011] 5 . Trompenaars, Fons, Hampden-Turner, Charles What are Fons Trompenaar’ Cultural Dimensionshttp://www.businessmate.org/Article.php?ArtikelId=5 (2009) [Accessed March 21th 2011] 6 . BBC NEWS (2004) ‘Christ Film Opens to Controversy’ [Accessed March 21th 2011] 7 . Laic, Carol (2001) Selected Moments of the 20th Century: Dead Poets Society makes a critique of traditional education 8 . The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto (OISE/UT) [Accessed March 20th 2011] 9. Rinaman, Karen ‘French film quotas and cultural protectionism’ American University (http://www1.american.edu/TED/frenchtv.htm) [Accessed March 20th 2011] 10. Rinaman, Karen ‘Canadian Magazine Industry and Cultural Protectionism’ Rinaman American University [Accessed March 20th 2011] 11. Frame, M, John Theology at the Movies: Film and Culture [Accessed March 20th 2011] 12. Elena Razlogova, Roy Rosenzweig Film as Social and Cultural History (2005) 1999-2005 American Social History [Accessed March 20th 2011] 13. Davis, Richard ( n.d) http://www.rad.net.nz/index.php?id=843 [Accessed March 20th 2011] 14. Ekklesia, ‘Passion of Christ Not Showing in Isarel’ Published in 2004 (http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_04046pss.shtml) How to cite Hollywood and the Rise of Cultural Protectionism, Essay examples

Understanding Motivation Employee Behavior â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Understanding Motivation Employee Behavior? Answer: Introduction Understanding motivation and employee behaviour has been a topic of interest for managers organization development experts and researchers as they have the objective of minimizing risk and maximizing human potential. Focus is being provided on the management and working with individuals or groups divided into multiple ages and generations by scholarly researchers, sociologists and human resources management specialists. A generational group in the work place can be defined as a group divided in accordance to age, location, birth years and significant life events. Those who share social and historical experience having a relatively stable effect on their course of life are referred to as a generational group which is referred to as a cohort. However Lyons Kuron (2014) demonstrates critical review of the empirical evidence and theoretical basis in relation to the famous idea according to which generational differences in work values exist. The principles of generations is fundamental in Sociology theory however the empirical evidence in relation to academic for generational differences in work values is mixed at best. There is a significant difference between age and generation and those studies which are not able to identify such difference are not able to make a simple observation related to the predicted differences in work values. Methodological limitations are eminent in empirical literature as most studies use a cross-sectional research design. This leads to confusion in relation to the definition of generation as compared to that of cohort along with insignificant consideration of the differences among ethnicity gender and national context . The purpose of review The young workers in modern day workplace are more worried about having competent leaders, a say in the decision and getting fair pay. On the other hand the media pictures millennials in a way which indicates that they are focused in getting kudos from superiors and taking up the social responsibilities of their companies (Great Places to Work, 2017). The purpose of this paper is to review the available literatures in relation to generational differences in work values in order to find out to what extent the above discussed findings are true. Values According to Bolton et al., (2013) values are a belief which has a connection with behavioural conduct and desirable states, they are consistent towards different events and situations and they act as a guide towards the evaluation of other people, events and behaviour by an individual. As provided by Inkson, Dries Arnold (2014) an enduring belief which indicates that a particular mode of end-state of existence or conduct is socially or personally fancied over an converse or opposite way of end-state of existence or conduct. Values are not the same as social norms which merely refers to a mode of behaviour and change in accordance to specific situations. Values are also not the same as attitudes as they are not bound to situations or events and the core values which people posses are much less then attitudes. Work Values Wrong at all 2008 defines work values as a standard which employees consider towards ensuring an appropriate action along with attitude which can be deemed as appropriate. It has been for the provided by this paper that different personalities are consisted in generations and such personalities have an influence on work-related values held by them. Landy Conte (2016) states that values related to work are the conceptions held by individuals in relation to their work activity which are desirable and reflect the Awareness of the individuals in relation to the working environment which they want and father actors a motivation for them to achieve such working environment. As provided by Sarma (2014) values are helpful reflectors of actions and decisions of an individual. Values are not very prone to change and are relatively permanent. People can be provided motivation through allocating those activities and outcomes which are valued by them. Although a few differences have been identif ied between work values and general values, work values can be expressed as the outcome which people desire and want to attain through work. The perception of employees related to the workplace are shaped by work values as they exert a significant and direct influence on attitudes and behaviours of employees along with job decisions and problem solving. There exists a persistent difference in relation to work values which is between extrinsic and intrinsic values. The focus of extrinsic work values are on outcomes and consequences of work such as the rewards which are tangible in form of opportunities, advancements, income and statues. On the other hand intrinsic work values focuses on the way in which work is carried out and reflect the inherent interest related to wok which carries such as opportunities to be creative and learning potentials. Other values of work consists of autonomy or influence towards decision making, job security and stability, contributing to the society and helping others, interpersonal relationships at work opportunity for vacation, free time and exclusion from being supervised. Different expectations and preferences are produced in relation to work by different generations because of basically different events and experiences faced by them. During the early phases of work the young workers have to take decisions which set their values in place. A recently conducted meta-analysis by Beck Cowan (2014) provided that the attitudes towards work are fairly stable among humans from early adolescence to adulthood. This means that same as abilities and personality traits, it is likely that vocational interest would have effects on path followed over the course of life. Organizations can be benefited through understanding work values of a group or individual by providing them structured jobs, compensation packages, working conditions and policies so as to provide motivation and extract best quality effort. Several views exist in relation to the connection between work values and personal values. As provided by Twenge, Campbell Freeman (2012) a cognitive structure producing conceptual similarities between work and personal values is consisted in values. Parry Urwin (2011) states that wok values arise from the projection of personal values in relation to the work. Thus it can be stated that personal values have some kind of link with work values. Generations As the definition of work is subjected to change over time, the diverse age groups which constitute a work place are likely to provide diverse vales of work based on societal influences. Values are constituted by generational cohorts on the basis of social and historical experience which manipulate their perceptions about work, career desires and organizations. For the purpose of understanding the logic behind the classification of a specific age cohort into a generation theoretical and definitional underpinning has to be understood in relation to the question that how influence is exerted and manifested in relation to a work place. According to Kramer Porter (2011) the definition of generations is made in social and chronological terms in form of a group sharing age location, birth years and significant life events at early stages. Beck (2014) Provided that generation is a group of people having collective memory and are connected by age. The concept of generation provides a view t hat how a same event is viewed differently by different ages. The generational theory as provided by Costanza (2012) sets out a distinction coevals people moving through life cycles at the same time and brought born at the same point of history and contemporaries people who exists at a same point of time but having different ages. Thus contemporaries would interpret and experience a historical event in different ways because of their past experiences and to the contrary as coevals have a similar history they would interpret and perceive an event in the same way. Generation location is the terms which had been used in Cogin (2012) in order to represent temporary space of a group of individuals sliding through the life cycle contemporaneously. Development of values in generation groups Through theoretical concept about generations, it can be stated that with the help of particular development experience, the roots of generational differences may be found to an extent in differences of values. The theory provided by Schullery (2013) provide a suggestion that unique characteristics are bestowed in generations which upon interaction with social influence and individual development results in diverse values which take place within the environment of work. Generational stereotypes and conflicts are identified through the help of this theory along with the problems related to communication between groups. In addition as the focus of work in relation to career and attitudes is changing in the modern day there would be a significant role of generations towards explain values of work. Generation and work values Overall a lack of academic research exists specifically in the organizational context towards identifying the differences among generations in relation to work values. Mixed results have been produced by studies which have provided an overly stereotypical conclusion. More precise studies depict that researcher have only utilized age for the purpose of their analysis and as a result social and historical context and the use of generational membership influence as a variable. Age related finding are to some extent useful towards identifying the influence of generational differences in work values. The generations are divided into Matures born between 1925 to 1945, Baby Boomers born between 1946 to 1961, Generation X born between 1962-1979 and baby boom echo born between 1980 to 2000. Generational values not only vary in relation to wok values but also in relation to work outcomes. In relation to age and job satisfaction it has been provided by various studies that age and job satisfact ions are related. In a Meta analysis conducted by Kapoor Solomon (2011) it was found that job satisfaction and age had a mean correlation of .23. people who were belonging to a higher age group and having a high hierarchy in generations tend to have far more job satisfaction as compared to those who are young and belong to the present generation. This is because there are increased wants and demands of the modern generation and they perceive all situations in a competitive way as compared to people belonging to provisions generations. In relation to age and affective organization commitment significant relationships have been found by those researches which have investigated demographic characteristics. A Meta analysis conducted by Gentry et al., (2011) provided a statistical average correlation of 0.20 among age and organizational commitment. This can be provided as the present generation are always looking for more and more opportunities and personal development to enhance their careers and therefore ignoring the commitment towards a particular organization. What is depicted by the media in relation to millennials is not totally incorrect. This particular generational group does strive for appraises from the supervisor, however such apprises are desired in relation to personal development and evaluation but not in relation to organization commitment. As provided by Haynes (2011) baby boomers have been more committed towards organizational goals as compared to generation X who are more committed towards personal development. In relation to age and intention mixed results have been produced by researches. Studies depict that employee retention is dependent on the competency of their leaders in the present day. People are concerned about having competent leaders who would help them not only to achieve organizational objectives but also personal development. In addition Deyoe Fox (2012) the present generation as they lack organization commitment are worried more about the payments received by them as tend to be always in search of opportuni ties which would provided them better payments as compared to previous generations. Conclusion Thus it can be concluded from the above discussed studies that personal and work values are related to each other to a large extent. Values differ in accordance to generations as each generation has their own perceptions about events and experiences. These values are influence the work domain of individuals. A work place consists of contemporaries which mean that they perceive different events in different ways. The millennials as studies depict are more towards personal development as compared to the previous generations. They believe in taking up opportunities rather than having a commitment towards the organization. This is because of the social influence on the generation which in the modern times is predominantly restricted to materialistic values. What is depicted by the media is also not totally incorrect as the millennials are also devoted to work and often manifest organizational commitment for the purpose of only attaining a better position. In modern times where competition is predominant in the market the organizations have to ensure the well being of the employees. Mostly all studies have depicted that employee wellbeing initiatives taken by the organization have a direct effect on the performance of employees and their commitment towards the organization. Effectiveness can be enhanced by the organization through addressing wellness shortfalls. The question which arises is that whether an organization should design there wellness initiatives around a particular generation. As concluded in the above essay generational differences have a significant influence on work values. An organization does not have employees merely belonging to a specific age or generational group. Each group have different work values which make them approach their roles within the organization in diverse ways. Each and every employee has a certain role to play within the organization and thus is significant to the organization in some or the oth er way. I do not think that organizations should frame wellness initiatives to be imposed as a whole in relation to a particular generation. However it is necessary for organizations to identify and generational differences within it. If generational differences are identified it would be easy for organization to deal with them separately and in order to ensure best performance. The modern generation knows that changes is inevitable within the workplace and see changes as a new opportunity to development however the previous generation employees are not particularly habituated with changes and therefore it is not taken by them in a good way. The generation X would therefore require a wellness activities which would provide them personal time and scope for exercising own independence. They have to be provided with tools along with the opportunities of using them. The communication in relation to wellness has to be done with them in relation to life instead of work so that more focus can be provided on work life balance when they are more interested in. When it comes to Millennials who desire a challenging and meaningful work environment matching wellness initiatives have to be considered. The particular generation has grown up surrounded with technology and thus they have a lot of information and access to it at their finger tips. They have high expectations from employees in relation to wellness programs. Thus in order to ensure the wellness of young employees short terms goals have to set as they want quicker results and rewards. In addition there are need to be shown that the company is interested in them and have made a considerable investment to help them achieve their goals. Then while designing an employee wellness program the organizations must take a look at their workforce. After such consideration has been made a place should be designed to meet the needs of the entire workforce. In case an organization is able to achieve a balance through the combination of tactics they can make the most out of wellness programs. Generational gaps can be challenging but instead of a road block it has to be considered as a opportunity to include a diverse work environment. References Beck, D. E., Cowan, C. (2014).Spiral dynamics: Mastering values, leadership and change. John Wiley Sons. Beck, U. (2014).The brave new world of work. John Wiley Sons. Becton, J. B., Walker, H. J., Jones?Farmer, A. (2014). Generational differences in workplace behavior.Journal of Applied Social Psychology,44(3), 175-189. Beutell, N. J. (2013). Generational differences in work-family conflict and synergy.International journal of environmental research and public healthcare,10(6), 2544-2559. Bolton, R. N., Parasuraman, A., Hoefnagels, A., Migchels, N., Kabadayi, S., Gruber, T., ... Solnet, D. (2013). Understanding Generation Y and their use of social media: a review and research agenda.Journal of Service Management,24(3), 245-267. Cogin, J. (2012). Are generational differences in work values fact or fiction? Multi-country evidence and implications.The International Journal of Human Resource Management,23(11), 2268-2294. Costanza, D. P., Badger, J. M., Fraser, R. L., Severt, J. B., Gade, P. A. (2012). Generational differences in work-related attitudes: A meta-analysis.Journal of Business and Psychology,27(4), 375-394. Deyoe, R. H., Fox, T. L. (2012). Identifying strategies to minimize workplace conflict due to generational differences.Journal of Behavioral Studies in Business,5, 1. Gentry, W. A., Griggs, T. L., Deal, J. J., Mondore, S. P., Cox, B. D. (2011). A comparison of generational differences in endorsement of leadership practices with actual leadership skill level.Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research,63(1), 39. Haynes, B. P. (2011). The impact of generational differences on the workplace.Journal of Corporate Real Estate,13(2), 98-108. Inkson, K., Dries, N., Arnold, J. (2014).Understanding careers: Metaphors of working lives. Sage. Kapoor, C., Solomon, N. (2011). Understanding and managing generational differences in the workplace.Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes,3(4), 308-318. Kooij, D. T., De Lange, A. H., Jansen, P. G., Kanfer, R., Dikkers, J. S. (2011). Age and work?related motives: Results of a meta?analysis.Journal of Organizational Behavior,32(2), 197-225. Kramer, M. R., Porter, M. (2011). Creating shared value.Harvard business review,89(1/2), 62-77. Landy, F. J., Conte, J. M. (2016).Work in the 21st Century, Binder Ready Version: An Introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology. John Wiley Sons. Lu, A. C. C., Gursoy, D. (2016). Impact of job burnout on satisfaction and turnover intention: do generational differences matter?.Journal of Hospitality Tourism Research,40(2), 210-235. Lyons, S., Kuron, L. (2014). Generational differences in the workplace: A review of the evidence and directions for future research.Journal of Organizational Behavior,35(S1). Parry, E., Urwin, P. (2011). Generational differences in work values: A review of theory and evidence.International journal of management reviews,13(1), 79-96. Sarma, K. A. D. J. J. (2014). Generation gaps revisited.Foundations of Genetic Algorithms 1993 (FOGA 2),2, 19. Schullery, N. M. (2013). Workplace engagement and generational differences in values. Business Communication Quarterly,76(2), 252-265. Twenge, J. M., Campbell, W. K., Freeman, E. C. (2012). Generational differences in young adults' life goals, concern for others, and civic orientation, 19662009.Journal of personality and social psychology,102(5), 1045.

A.T. Kearney Sales Management Essays

A.T. Kearney Sales Management Essays A.T. Kearney Sales Management Essay A.T. Kearney Sales Management Essay A. T Kearney and the new â€Å"defining entity† Background: â€Å"No longer is IT just another tool the CEO might use to accomplish costs saving and operational ends. Today, information technology can help solve product problems, set new levels of service and create new distribution and communication channels. † Founded in 1926, A. T. Kearney had evolved into one the world’s dominant management consulting practices. Its approach was to develop realistic solutions and help clients implement recommendations that generated tangible results and improved competitive advantage. The mix of strategy and operations had differentiated A. T. Kearney from its competitor’s and driven the firm’s outstanding results. A. T. Kearney had doubled its size every three years since 1983 and was recently listed in Consultants news as one of the five fastest-growing consulting firms in the world. EDS started in 1962 with Ross Perrot and $1000 dollar investment. It helped customers use information and technology to recast their economics and to identify and seize new opportunities. Considered by many to be the inventor of â€Å"outsourcing,† EDS had established itself as a world leader in information technology services. EDS defined its business as â€Å"shaping how information is created distributed, shared, enjoyed, and applied for the benefit of businesses, governments, and individuals around the world. † Its service offering included four different types of products: Systems Development, Systems Integration, Systems Management, and process management. EDS later entered the management consulting industry as part of a strategy to offer business solutions rather than simply IT solutions to its customers. EDS eventually formalized its efforts of management consulting by creating MCS which leveraged its tradition and strengths, MCS brought a new dimension to EDS. Over a short two-year period, EDS had built MCS into an organization of 1,300 people, with 30 offices in 20 countries. Competition for both firms revolved around the big six classic IT firms who were enjoying annual growth rates in excess for 15 percent as IT became increasingly strategic in nature and instrumental for reengineering. Operation and Strategic Firms, who were best known for their strategic expertise, were broadening their service fferings as they moved aggressively downstream into operations consulting. Systems Integrators and Systems Vendors had moved to more traditional management consulting markets and new information technology entrants that spotted the opportunity to consolidate client relationship by selling â€Å"upstream† consulting services on top of their core outsourcing and system integration s kills. Because of intense competition and extensive opportunities, EDS acquisitioned A. T. Kearney Ltd. in order to provide is a full service company. Despite amazing growth in the first year, the â€Å"new entity† had problems in leveraging the two companies, and jumping on these new attractive opportunities. However, the acquisition also raised many issues. Among these was the issue of how to leverage the merger in terms of providing strategic consulting and information systems solutions to clients. There’s also the issue about the ability of these two very different organizations, with different skill sets and cultures, to work together in blending their services into a broad, seamless continuum. Should the two firm’s cross-sell each others services? Should A. T. Kearney call on existing ED’s clients and vice-versa? Should the two firms work together to secure new clients? Sales management issues arising from this decision. For example, if cross-selling is to be encouraged, what incentive scheme might be appropriate? Strengths: * Successful merger between EDS and A. T. Kearney * World leader in Information Technology services * Offer services from systems development to Consulting services * Companies are very well known world-wide * Well positioned in the market place * Unparalleled spectrum of capabilities to clients Steady growth * â€Å"One Stop Shop† * Broad Range of services * Well matched for both A. T. Kearney and MCS. * Strong goals of growth, globalization, and leadership. Weaknesses * Leveraging and combining each other’s strengths in the marketplace * Merging of two entirely different cultures * Fear that A. T. Kearney would be viewed as the front end for EDS * Merge not working out among employee s * May be difficult to attract and retain good people * Consulting vs. Systems * Un-established environment where the two companies could remain apart, but at the same time work together. Sales and account management Opportunities: * Draw on the strengths of both organizations and develop entirely new products. * Full service firm * Technology being integrated into business strategy * A lot of growth potential * Technological Investments will increase * Substantial cross-marketing opportunities * Host events where employees from both organizations attend Threats: * Competitors becoming full service * Political and legal policies affecting the merge * Competition from other firms * The â€Å"Big Six† – Classic IT firms * Operational and Strategic Firms Systems Integrators and system vendors * New information technology entrants Recommendations: Cross-Selling will be strongly encouraged in the company by giving incentives to the sales teams of both companies. In additio n, the company should train a middleman between the two services. Train employees in cross-selling techniques. The approach must be built around serving the customer, not just selling more stuff. For example, you might describe how the additional products or services would complement the original purchase and further solve the customer’s problem. Be on the same payroll, their pay depends on the other company. Basically, there should be consultants from A. T. Kearney, who are involved in the creation of the IT programs from EDS. The two firms should work together to secure new clients. Essentially, whether the client from A. T. Kearney or EDS. A. T. Kearney will encourage the client to buy the software and services from EDS or EDS can ask the client use A. T. Kearney consulting services or they can also make it a package deal. In order to do so there’s a need to establish consistent forms of communication  with various layers of management. Setting up a communication program that includes a comprehensive list of employee groups within the purchasing and selling organizations; a very specific timetable for addressing each group; tools and forums to be used in communicating to each group; and deadlines for developing content and producing material, along with the individuals charged with accomplishing these tasks. There should be clear communications to  all  employees,  the expectations for working in the post-transaction environment. They should, therefore, hear the same message from management so that all employees are singing from the same prayer book.    Ideally, members of a companys executive team should initially address all employees directly. On a follow-up basis, however, managers should be reinforcing the big picture painted by senior officials while focusing on specific actions expected of employees under their supervision. To ensure these follow-up communications are consistent in their message and reflect top managements expectations for employee action, a company-wide communication plan should be in place. Overall controls on the type and content of the communications could range from providing managers with content outlines and/or key talking points, to centralized development of the presentation material itself. Listen to the views and concerns of all employees  regarding work in the new environment. Overall, the newly formed company must work hard at finding a blend of corporate practices and procedures from operations, sales and R;D to finance, management systems and the use of capital and human resources that best suits its planned goals and objectives. Reason for Recommendation: If two firms were to create a new environment that can work for both organizations by communicating, it will provide both firms with optimum advantage. Benefits from the blend will include: keeping as many clients as possible, getting some more and most importantly, have a good and efficient organization, not just to the eyes of the clients, but also to the new inner structure that the company will have. The entity can host event for the employees to get to know each other this way EDS employees can refer clients to a specific A. T. Kearney consultant or perhaps have both work together, even introduce the A. T. Kearney consultant to the client and visa-versa. In order to encourage this, the company can provide incentives for cross-selling, or they can. For the vendor, the benefits are also substantial. The most obvious example is an increase in revenue. There are also efficiency benefits in servicing one account rather than several. Most importantly, vendors that sell more services to a client are less likely to be displaced by a competitor. The more a client buys from a vendor, the higher the switching cost

brassica rapa essays

brassica rapa essays The Effect of Exogenously Applied Gibberellic Acid on the Plant Type Brassica rapa in a Regulated Environment. The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether the exogenous application of the plant hormone Gibberellic Acid (GA) will increase the growth rate of a Rosette mutant Brassica rapa. A wild type plant was compared to six rosette mutant plants, which have a recessive mutation that prevents the production of Gibberellins, natural plant growth hormones. Gibberellic Acid was applied to six of the plant cells in concentrations of 0, 1, 100, 1000, 10,000, and unknown uM. We compared the height and growth of each plant cell to the control, the 0 uM mutant plant, which represented an unaffected Rosette mutant. Five different measurements of the growth in height of each of the plants were taken over the three week course of the experiment. The data and results analyzed from the experiment helped determine which concentration of Gibberellic Acid has the most effect in the growth response of the Rosette mutants and what the unknown concentration the  ¡unknown ¡ Rosette mutant pl ant was receiving. James Matthew Warner Dishuck and I had the alternate hypothesis that an increase in the concentration of Gibberellic Acid applied exogenously to the Rosettes would result in an increase in plant growth. Our results from our experiment showed that the 1,000 uM and 10,000 uM enhanced Rosette mutants had significant changes in their growth response and height increase through out the experiment, which disproved the null hypothesis that GA enhanced Rosette mutant plants would have a plant growth equal to a Rosette mutant plant unaffected by the plant growth hormone. Gibberellic Acid has a positive effect on the Gibberellins-lacking Rosette mutant Brassica rapa , but after a certain concentration of GA, the plant growth hormone would have a possible negative effect on the Brassica rapa. Brassica rapa is a diminutive plant dev...

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Professional Ethics And Governance - Assignment Example The creativity and the risk taking will provide the decision makers in securing and protecting the risky partnership with the stock of Enron and ensuring that the stock will not fall (Healey and Isles, 2002). The values of Enron that is included in the corporate culture is not balanced and maintained by proper and appropriate attention that is required for increasing the corporate integrity and also acquiring of the customers and not only providing value to its shareholders. The corporate culture of Enron mainly embraces its value which is of large size which is not only considered as the value but also as a strategy in order to attain big mission or objective. Enron has faced a severe failure partly because of the existence of complexity and partly because of its size and the auditors failed , the bankers and the creditors failed, the management of the company failed and even the regulators also failed to safeguard and control the integrity of the capital market (Erwin, 2011). The c ombination of the various failures has resulted in the structural problem of the company. Arthur Andersen has been considered as the most influential, high earning and the most ethical accounting firm of the world. In spite of the rise in the consulting services, the relationship of the firms with its clients the company faced several threats from the investors of its regulators, clients and courts. Andersen failure in maintaining proper audit has both legally and ethically disrupted the various aspects that are related to the development of the ethical standards and accounting theory. The maintenance of quality control which is termed and regarded as the most important element and factor in the accounting profession has also been violated by Andersen (Stevens, 2013). The corporate culture of Lehman brother can be analyzed by the fact that it failed to face the severe and aggressive recession that prevailed in the year 2008 and it went bankrupt. Lehman

Project Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project Management - Research Paper Example Some negative features of its structure as well as execution counteract the positive results that are being attained under the Act. The lack of a â€Å"trigger for greenhouse gas emissions† (Russell & Cohn, 2012) is a major gap in the dogmatic structure of issues of national importance. Addition of a greenhouse trigger within the Act is suggested to harmonize other greenhouse schemes of the Australian Government. Latest policy alterations in listing endangered ecological communities may ease a number of these setbacks; however, a process for â€Å"merits review of listing decisions† (Russell & Cohn, 2012) would improve the public responsibility and precision of the function of the Act. No individual should take any step that likely to have a major impact on the heritage standards of a confirmed property without the authorization of Environment Minister. Each heritage property, including South Western Historical Society Building, has its personal heritage standards. It i s the standards, and not merely the place itself, which are safeguarded. Any activity is likely to have a major effect if there is even the slightest likelihood or chance that it will cause one or more of the heritage standards to be lost, dishonoured, harmed or changed considerably. Activities outside the heritage property that have an effect on the heritage standards also require authorization (Hansen & Hoffman, 2010). It is a counselling body whose associates are hired by the Heritage Minister, together with delegates from the community, â€Å"Director General of the Department of Planning and Infrastructure†, a person with aptitude and expertise in historical heritage, and the â€Å"National Trust of Australia† (Lane et al, 2010). The functions of the EPBC are (1) giving suggestions and performing analysis, research and inquiries with respect to the items of environmental heritage; (2) maintaining a record, known as the State Heritage Inventory, recording places of State and local heritage importance. Thirdly, carrying out community learning about the nation’s environmental heritage, and (4) and giving views or reports on environmental heritage when needed. Any person or a company, who wants to renovate or refurbish a place, building or land listed as a historical heritage, should initially get authorization from the EPBC. Any activity that might harm some or all foliage on land or within limits of a heritage item needs authorization as well. These authorizations are not compulsory for State significant improvements that have been given development approval. Not each action that entails a matter â€Å"protected by the EPBC Act will have a significant impact† (Piddock, 2007), so it is essential that the person gives every available piece of information regarding the planned activity for renovation, in addition to the measures he will be taking to decrease undesirable effects on the building. The Australian Government has mutual c ontracts with every state as well as territory administration to authorize environment evaluation procedures that meet the already established values. If a person wants EPBC Act endorsement, besides state or territory administration authorization, it may be feasible to carry out a single evaluation, avoiding repetition. To make the most of this chance it is vital that the person takes an appointment with the minister at the beginning of drafting a

Implementation of a Risk Communication Plan

Implementation of a Risk Communication Plan Following the reported deaths of hundreds of birds in Esperance in Western Australian between December 2006 and March 2007, it was discovered that lead being transported through the towns port were responsible for their deaths. However, much of the community was unaware of this until it became public as part of the investigation into bird deaths in the local environment. Esperance saw itself as an idyllic rural community, with a sound economic basis, but removed from the problems associated with cities, such as pollution. Once the lead problem was identified, residents became very concerned about their childrens health and demanded immediate action. In order to address the concerns of the affected parties, a risk communication plan is essential so as the risk assessment team is able to improve risk understanding among target groups, disclose information about hazards to people whom might be exposed, legitimise risk-related decisions in favor of acceptance or rejection of specific risk sources. It also has the role to breakdown the risk management process to the target audience so that assessors can build up trust in the risk fairness of the management process while at the same ensuring that there is enough individual risk reduction information to improve public protection. Finally the risk communication plan promotes support towards the communicating agency as it provides guidelines for emergency situations and educates decision-makers about public concerns and perceptions. (Sue Lang, Lorna Fewtrell and Jamie Bartram, 2001, p.320) There are multiple stakeholders involved in this crisis, starting with the residents of the community, governmental departments such as the department of water, environment and planning, local businesses, the companies exporting the metals, the port authorities and media. A risk communication (RC) needs assessment was run prior in order to identify the major stakeholders involved in the in this crisis and to identify the issues of concerns of for each group, the goals from the interaction with each group and be able to choose and adequate technique of approach to each type of stakeholder. The RC needs assessment had led to understand that various stakeholders had different issues of interests and concerns and that whether their concerns were, the techniques of approach to them may overlap. The key stakeholders were identified to be the residents of Esperence, health department, water department, port authorities, tourism operators, business owners, the media, local authorities and department of environment, local government and department of planning. The key issues noted during the assessment were the risk to the health of the residents, risks to local businesses such as tourism, relocation of locals, and panic within the community due to health hazards. The table below identifies the issues that meant to be addressed in a risk communication plan and how they are link to the plans goal together with the activities needed to be carried out so as to reach the goals. It should also be noted that descending order of the issues representative of the priority given to each individual issue. (R Brian Pickard, Risk Communication Plan Guidance,   2013 p.24) ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED PLANS GOALS ACTIVITIES Local residents concerns regarding the hazards Provide the residents necessary   and adequate information to address their concerns Provide information to the residents by activities such as distributing information on physical or electrical mediums. Develop and maintain relationships and supports two-way communication with public community groups, and the news media. Concerns of the health department regarding crisis Provide them with the outreach of the crisis; how many people are affected and to which extent. Maintain direct communication for health persons via phone, email or in person. So that they received necessary data as they require it. Level of information between assessors and Department of water Share findings obtain through research to concerned department so it knows where they stand and how they can mitigate the situation Ensure that they receive   tangible information in terms of documents and findings which they can consult and base action plan upon Concerns about treat to local businesses. Assess impact of contamination on local businesses. Hold meeting with the concerned stakeholders and discuss ways by which they are being affected and try find solutions. Department of planning Provide the department expected outcomes in case of an imminent crisis Ensure that they receive   tangible information in terms of documents and findings which they can consult and base action plan upon Nature and types of information being released by the media Audit the quality of information being released to the press. Monitoring of information released through various media outlets; websites, newspapers, television and radio by appointing media trackers Threat to port activities and jobs at stake Assess situation and find possible links between issues and port. Minimize potential risk of activities shutdown. Meet with responsible of activities and discuss Communication at all stages of the program is important. People need to be informed about key developments so they will be able to make the most of the program. Information should be disclosed to community members throughout the program, especially before starting key activities, before making changes to the program and upon encountering delays. The order/timing in which information is disclosed to the various stakeholders depends upon who they represent in the community and the value of their feedback so that when a wider public is informed, the risk assessment plan has already been revised to that it understood by the majority of the stakeholders. The resources to be deployed for the risk communication plan relies greatly on the budget allocated to the assessment. While a great part of the resources remain man power which favors easier communication, builds up trust among the community, provides for skills for data collection and analysis depending upon the budget communication methods such as mass media and dedicated can employed, else inexpensive methods inexpensive, such as sharing information at community meetings, working with community and committees creating simple posters can be used., There are various challenges that might hinder the implementation of this; unwillingness for stakeholders to cooperate, coordinate risk communication messages among multiple communicators who are communicating about the same issue or time constraints. (Cabinet Implementation Unit Toolkit, 2013, p.3). The roles and responsibilities in order to implement the risk communication plan correctly are as listed below. ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES Public Information Officer Implement risk communication plan and directs information disclosure Provide information to stakeholder through various mediums Create and uphold two conversation between all stakeholders .Maintains current information summaries and/or displays on the incident. Responsible to communicate information to   pertinent staff Develop presentations for utility executives Prepare responses to constituent inquiries. Content and Message Coordinator Develops pathways to receive information rapidly from various institutes regarding public health emergencies and works with available subject matter experts to create situation-specific fact sheets and updates. Media Coordinator . Assesses media needs (e.g., briefings, statements) and bridges the gap between the public and sources Direct Public Outreach Coordinator Responsible for public service announcement and initiates telephone information line Partner/Stakeholder Coordinator Sets up communication protocols based on agreements with identified partners and stakeholders. Media Tracker Monitors available internally and externally identifies misinformation, provides, assess the quality of communication, takes action to amend wrong information, tracks press releases, monitors news outlets and web sites, and drives away (stories that may or may not be true)

Revenge At Its Sweetest :: essays research papers

Only a few slow moving tumbleweeds occupied the desert terrain. The endless plain of dust and hot dry dirt seemed to have no occupants, it was as if the ground hadn't been walked over for years. Suddenly, the seemingly endless silence was broken by a gradual fade into a chaotic rumbling. The sound grew more ferocious and eventually became unbearably loud. Just then in the distance behind a cliff, a cloud of dust appeared and out of it raced seven cars racing at insane speeds. It looked as if the cars had been built from scraps of hard iron and metal for the sole purpose was to fight against other contenders in this barren wasteland. In front of the pack was a sleek fast car, being pursued by six other cars, but one could tell the leading car was an extremely experienced driver possessing total control of the vehicle. The dark and mysterious figure behind the wheel of the leading car was wearing a helmet with the name "MAX" on the side of it. Max reached across the seat and pulled out a shotgun, and after putting it out the window shot a round back at the following pack of cars. Immediately after one car at the back swerved dangerously and rolled several times before bursting into flames sending pieces of metal all the barren wasteland. A pack of cars was quickly approaching a deep canyon, they would have to break hard now to avoid hitting the edge of it. Max didn't slow down, Max pushed the accelerator with such an extreme force and determination that it seemed as if the car screamed in pain as it lurched forward, faster than ever. Then the car leapt off the canyon's edge and became airborne. Gliding through the air without any control of the car didn't seem to faze Max at all. The car seemed to delicately touch down on the other side as if there was a bridge. The following pack ended up being obliterated against the other side of the canyon's jaws. Max was finally alone, killing off the opposition had been easy, almost too easy! Searching for the final destination was difficult due to the similarity of the horizon in every direction. Yet eventually a dark mass loomed up, "Looks like the bastards hideout", Max muttered. "Taking care of them will accomplish my vendetta for what they did to my love".

The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove Chapter 2~3

Two The Sea Beast The cooling pipes at the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant were all fashioned from the finest stainless steel. Before they were installed, they were x-rayed, ultrasounded, and pressure-tested to be sure that they could never break, and after being welded into place, the welds were also x-rayed and tested. The radioactive steam from the core left its heat in the pipes, which leached it off into a seawater cooling pond, where it was safely vented to the Pacific. But Diablo had been built on a breakneck schedule during the energy scare of the seventies. The welders worked double and triple shifts, driven by greed and cocaine, and the inspectors who ran the X-ray machines were on the same schedule. And they missed one. Not a major mistake. Just a tiny leak. Barely noticeable. A minuscule stream of harmless, low-level radiation wafted out with the tide and drifted over the continental shelf, dissipating as it went, until even the most sensitive instruments would have missed it. Yet the le ak didn't go totally undetected. In the deep trench off California, near a submerged volcano where the waters ran to seven hundred degrees Fahrenheit and black smokers spewed clouds of mineral soup, a creature was roused from a long slumber. Eyes the size of dinner platters winked out the sediment and sleep of years. It was instinct, sense, and memory: the Sea Beast's brain. It remembered eating the remains of a sunken Russian nuclear submarine: beefy little sailors tenderized by the pressure of the depths and spiced with piquant radioactive marinade. Memory woke the beast, and like a child lured from under the covers on a snowy morning by the smell of bacon frying, it flicked its great tail, broke free from the ocean floor, and began a slow ascent into the current of tasty treats. A current that ran along the shore of Pine Cove. Mavis Mavis tossed back a shot of Bushmills to take the edge off her frustration at not being able to whack anyone with her baseball bat. She wasn't really angry that Molly had bitten a customer. After all, he was a tourist and rated above the mice in the walls only because he carried cash. Maybe the fact that something had actually happened in the Slug would bring in a little business. People would come in to hear the story, and Mavis could stretch, speculate, and dramatize most stories into at least three drinks a tell. Business had been slowing over the last couple of years. People didn't seem to want to bring their problems into a bar. Time was, on any given afternoon, you'd have three or four guys at the bar, pouring down beers as they poured out their hearts, so filled with self-loathing that they'd snap a vertebra to avoid catching their own reflection in the big mirror behind the bar. On a given evening, the stools would be full of people who whined and growled and bitched all night long, pausing only long enough to stagger to the bathroom or to sacrifice a quarter to the jukebox's extensive self-pity selection. Sadness sold a lot of alcohol, and it had been in short supply these last few years. Mavis blamed the booming economy, Val Riordan, and vegetables in the diet for the sadness shortage, and she fought the insidious invaders by running two-for-one happy hours with fatty meat snacks (The whole point of happy hour was to purge happiness, wasn't it?), but all her efforts only served to cut her profits in half. If Pine Cove could no longer produce sadness, she would import some, so she advertised for a Blues singer. The old Black man wore sunglasses, a leather fedora, a tattered black wool suit that was too heavy for the weather, red suspenders over a Hawaiian shirt that sported topless hula girls, and creaky black-on-white wing tips. He set his guitar case on the bar and climbed onto a stool. Mavis eyed him suspiciously and lit a Tarryton 100. She'd been taught as a girl not to trust Black people. â€Å"Name your poison,† she said. He took off his fedora, revealing a gleaming brown baldness that shone like polished walnut. â€Å"You gots some wine?† â€Å"Cheap-shit red or cheap-shit white?† Mavis cocked a hip, gears and machinery clicked. â€Å"Them cheap-shit boys done expanded. Used to be jus' one flavor.† â€Å"Red or white?† â€Å"Whatever sweetest, sweetness.† Mavis slammed a tumbler onto the bar and filled it with yellow liquid from an icy jug in the well. â€Å"That'll be three bucks.† The Black man reached out – thick sharp nails skating the bar surface, long fingers waving like tentacles, searching, the hand like a sea creature caught in a tidal wash – and missed the glass by four inches. Mavis pushed the glass into his hand. â€Å"You blind?† â€Å"No, it be dark in here.† â€Å"Take off your sunglasses, idjit.† â€Å"I can't do that, ma'am. Shades go with the trade.† â€Å"What trade? Don't you try to sell pencils in here. I don't tolerate beggars.† â€Å"I'm a Bluesman, ma'am. I hear ya'll lookin for one.† Mavis looked at the guitar case on the bar, at the Black man in shades, at the long fingernails of his right hand, the short nails and knobby gray calluses on the fingertips of his left, and she said, â€Å"I should have guessed. Do you have any experience?† He laughed, a laugh that started deep down and shook his shoulders on the way up and chugged out of his throat like a steam engine leaving a tunnel. â€Å"Sweetness, I got me more experience than a busload o' hos. Ain't no dust settled a day on Catfish Jefferson since God done first dropped him on this big ol' ball o' dust. That's me, call me Catfish.† He shook hands like a sissy, Mavis thought, just let her have the tips of his fingers. She used to do that before she had her arthritic finger joints replaced. She didn't want any arthritic old Blues singer. â€Å"I'm going to need someone through Christmas. Can you stay that long or would your dust settle?† â€Å"I ‘spose I could slow down a bit. Too cold to go back East.† He looked around the bar, trying to take in the dinge and smoke through his dark glasses, then turned back to her. â€Å"Yeah, I might be able to clear my schedule if† – and here he grinned and Mavis could see a gold tooth there with a musical note cut in it – â€Å"if the money is right,† he said. â€Å"You'll get room and board and a percentage of the bar. You bring 'em in, you'll make money.† He considered, scratched his cheek where white stubble sounded like a toothbrush against sandpaper, and said, â€Å"No, sweetness, you bring 'em in. Once they hear Catfish play, they come back. Now what percentage did you have in mind?† Mavis stroked her chin hair, pulled it straight to its full three inches. â€Å"I'll need to hear you play.† Catfish nodded. â€Å"I can play.† He flipped the latches on his guitar case and pulled out a gleaming National steel body guitar. From his pocket he pulled a cutoff bottleneck and with a twist it fell onto the little finger of his left hand. He played a chord to test tune, pulled the bottleneck from the fifth to the ninth and danced it there, high and wailing. Mavis could smell something like mildew, moss maybe, a change in humidity. She sniffed and looked around. She hadn't been able to smell anything for fifteen years. Catfish grinned. â€Å"The Delta,† he said. He launched into a twelve-bar Blues, playing the bass line with his thumb, squealing the high notes with the slide, rocking back and forth on the bar stool, the light of the neon Coors sign behind the bar playing colors in the reflection of sunglasses and his bald head. The daytime regulars looked up from their drinks, stopped lying for a second, and Slick McCall missed a straight-in eight-ball shot on the quarter table, which he almost never did. And Catfish sang, starting high and haunting, going low and gritty. â€Å"They's a mean ol' woman run a bar out on the Coast. I'm telling you, they's a mean ol' woman run a bar out on the Coast. But when she gets you under the covers, That ol' woman turn your buttered bread to toast.† And then he stopped. â€Å"You're hired,† Mavis said. She pulled the jug of white cheap-shit out of the well and sloshed some into Catfish's glass. â€Å"On the house.† Just then the door opened and a blast of sunlight cut through the dinge and smoke and residual Blues and Vance McNally, the EMT, walked in and set his radio on the bar. â€Å"Guess what?† he said to everyone and no one in particular. â€Å"That pilgrim woman hung herself.† A low mumble passed through the regulars. Catfish put his guitar in its case and picked up his wine. â€Å"Sho' 'nuff a sad day startin early in this little town. Sho' 'nuff.† â€Å"Sho' 'nuff,† said Mavis with a cackle like a stainless-steel hyena. Valerie Riordan Depression has a mortality rate of fifteen percent. Fifteen percent of all patients with major depression will take their own lives. Statistics. Hard numbers in a very squishy science. Fifteen percent. Dead. Val Riordan had been repeating the figures to herself since Theophilus Crowe had called, but it wasn't helping her feel any better about what Bess Leander had done. Val had never lost a patient before. And Bess Leander hadn't really been depressed, had she? Bess didn't fit into the fifteen percent. Val went to the office in the back of her house and pulled Bess Leander's file, then went back to the living room to wait for Constable Crowe. At least it was the local guy, not the county sheriffs. And she could always fall back on patient confidentiality. Truth was, she had no idea why Bess Leander might have hung herself. She had only seen Bess once, and then for only half an hour. Val had made the diagnosis, written the scrip, and collected a check for the full hour session. Bess had called in twice, talked for a few minutes, and Val had sent her a bill for the time rounded to the next quarter hour. Time was money. Val Riordan liked nice things. The doorbell rang, Westminster chimes. Val crossed the living room to the marble foyer. A thin tall figure was refracted through the door's beveled glass panels: Theophilus Crowe. Val had never met him, but she knew of him. Three of his ex-girlfriends were her patients. She opened the door. He was dressed in jeans, sneakers, and a gray shirt with black epaulets that might have been part of a uniform at one time. He was clean-shaven, with long sandy hair tied neatly into a ponytail. A good-looking guy in an Ichabod Crane sort of way. Val guessed he was stoned. His girlfriends had talked about his habits. â€Å"Dr.Riordan,† he said. â€Å"Theo Crowe.† He offered his hand. She shook hands. â€Å"Everyone calls me Val,† she said. â€Å"Nice to meet you. Come in.† She pointed to the living room. â€Å"Nice to meet you too,† Theo said, almost as an afterthought. â€Å"Sorry about the circumstances.† He stood at the edge of the marble foyer, as if afraid to step on the white carpet. She walked past him and sat down on the couch. â€Å"Please,† she said, pointing to one of a set of Hepplewhite chairs. â€Å"Sit.† He sat. â€Å"I'm not exactly sure why I'm here, except that Joseph Leander doesn't seem to know why Bess did it.† â€Å"No note?† Val asked. â€Å"No. Nothing. Joseph went downstairs for breakfast this morning and found her hanging in the dining room.† Val felt her stomach lurch. She had never really formed a mental picture of Bess Leander's death. It had been words on the phone until now. She looked away from Theo, looked around the room for something that would erase the picture. â€Å"I'm sorry,† Theo said. â€Å"This must be hard for you. I'm just wondering if there was anything that Bess might have said in therapy that would give a clue.† Fifteen percent, Val thought. She said, â€Å"Most suicides don't leave a note. By the time they have gone that far into depression, they aren't interested in what happens after their death. They just want the pain to end.† Theo nodded. â€Å"Then Bess was depressed? Joseph said that she appeared to be getting better.† Val cast around her training for an answer. She hadn't really diagnosed Bess Leander, she had just prescribed what she thought would make Bess feel better. She said, â€Å"Diagnosis in psychiatry isn't always that exact, Theo. Bess Leander was a complex case. Without compromising doctor-patient confidentiality, I can tell you that Bess suffered from a borderline case of OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder. I was treating her for that.† Theo pulled a prescription bottle out of his shirt pocket and looked at the label. â€Å"Zoloft. Isn't that an anti-depressant? I only know because I used to date a woman who was on it.† Right, Val thought. Actually, you used to date at least three women who were on it. She said, â€Å"Zoloft is an SSRI like Prozac. It's prescribed for a number of conditions. With OCD the dosage is higher.† That's it, get clinical. Baffle him with clinical bullshit. Theo shook the bottle. â€Å"Could someone O.D. on it or something? I heard somewhere that people do crazy things sometimes on these drugs.† â€Å"That's not necessarily true. SSRIs like Zoloft are often prescribed to people with major depression. Fifteen percent of all depressed patients commit suicide.† There, she said it. â€Å"Antidepressants are a tool, along with talk therapy, that psychiatrists use to help patients. Sometimes the tools don't work. As with any therapy, a third get better, a third get worse, and a third stay the same. Antidepressants aren't a panacea.† But you treat them like they are, don't you, Val? â€Å"But you said that Bess Leander had OCD, not depression.† â€Å"Constable, have you ever had a stomachache and a runny nose at the same time?† â€Å"So you're saying she was depressed?† â€Å"Yes, she was depressed, as well as having OCD.† â€Å"And it couldn't have been the drugs?† â€Å"To be honest with you, I don't even know if she was taking the drug. Have you counted them?† â€Å"Uh, no.† â€Å"Patients don't always take their medicine. We don't order blood level tests for SSRIs.† â€Å"Right,† Theo said. â€Å"I guess we'll know when they do the autopsy.† Another horrendous picture flashed in Val's mind: Bess Leander on an autopsy table. The viscera of medicine had always been too much for her. She stood. â€Å"I wish I could help you more, but to be honest, Bess Leander never gave me any indication that she was suicidal.† At least that was true. Theo took her cue and stood. â€Å"Well, thank you. I'm sorry to have bothered you. If you think of anything, you know, anything that I can tell Joseph that might make it easier on him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I'm sorry. That's all I know.† Fifteen percent. Fifteen percent. Fifteen percent. She led him to the door. He turned before leaving. â€Å"One more thing. Molly Michon is one of your patients, isn't she?† â€Å"Yes. Actually, she's a county patient, but I agreed to treat her at a reduced rate because all the county facilities are so far away.† â€Å"You might want to check on her. She attacked a guy at the Head of the Slug this morning.† â€Å"Is she in County?† â€Å"No, I took her home. She calmed down.† â€Å"Thank you, Constable. I'll call her.† â€Å"Well, then. I'll be going.† â€Å"Constable,† she called after him. â€Å"Those pills you have – Zoloft isn't a recreational drug.† Theo stumbled on the steps, then composed himself. â€Å"Right, Doctor, I figured that out when I saw the body hanging in the dining room. I'll try not to eat the evidence.† â€Å"Good-bye,† Val said. She closed the door behind him and burst into tears. Fifteen percent. She had fifteen hundred patients in Pine Cove on some form of antidepressant or another. Fifteen percent would be more than two hundred people dead. She couldn't do that. She wouldn't let an-other of her patients die because of her noninvolvement. If antidepressants wouldn't save them, then maybe she could. Three Theo Theophilus Crowe wrote bad free-verse poetry and played a jimbai drum while sitting on a rock by the ocean. He could play sixteen chords on the guitar and knew five Bob Dylan songs all the way through, allowing for a dampening buzz any time he had to play a bar chord. He had tried his hand at painting, sculpture, and pottery and had even played a minor part in the Pine Cove Little Theater's revival of Arsenic and Old Lace. In all these endeavors, he had experienced a meteoric rise to mediocrity and quit before total embarrassment and self-loathing set in. Theo was cursed with an artist's soul but no talent. He possessed the angst and the inspiration, but not the means to create. If there was any single thing at which Theo excelled, it was empathy. He always seemed to be able to understand someone's point of view, no matter how singular or farfetched, and in turn could convey it to others with a succinctness and clarity that he seldom found in expressing his own thoughts. He was a born mediator, a peacemaker, and it was this talent, after breaking up numerous fights at the Head of the Slug Saloon, that got Theo elected constable. That and heavy-handed endorsement of Sheriff John Burton. Burton was a hard-line right-wing politico who could spout law and order (accent on order) over brunch with the Rotarians, lunch with the NRA, and dinner with Mothers Against Drunk Drivers and wolf down dry banquet chicken like it was manna from the gods every time. He wore expensive suits, a gold Rolex, and drove a pearl-black Eldor-ado that shone like a starry night on wheels (rapt attention and copious coats of carnuba from the grunts in the county motor pool). He had been sheriff of San Junipero County for sixteen years, and in that time the crime rate had dropped steadily until it was the lowest, per capita, of any county in California. His endorsement of Theophilus Crowe, someone with no law enforcement experience, had come as more than somewhat of a surprise to the people of Pine Cove, especially since Theo's opponent was a retired Los Angeles policeman who'd put in a highly decorated five and twenty. What the people of Pine Cove did not know was that Sheriff Burton not only e ndorsed Theo, he had forced him to run in the first place. Theophilus Crowe was a quiet man, and Sheriff John Burton had his reasons for not wanting to hear a peep out of the little North County burg of Pine Cove, so when Theo walked into his little two-room cabin, he wasn't surprised to see a red seven blinking on his answering machine. He punched the button and listened to Burton's assistant insisting that he call right away – seven times. Burton never called the cell phone. Theo had come home to shower and ponder his meeting with Val Riordan. The fact that she had treated at least three of his ex-girlfriends bothered him. He wanted to try and figure out what the women had told her. Obviously, they'd mention that he got high occasionally. Well, more than occasionally. But like any man, it worried him that they might have said something about his sexual performance. For some reason, it didn't bother him nearly as much that Val Riordan think him a loser and a drug fiend as it did that she might think he was bad in the rack. He wanted to ponder the possibilities, think away the paranoia, but instead he dialed the sheriff's private number and was put right through. â€Å"What in the hell is the matter with you, Crowe? You stoned?† â€Å"No more than usual,† Theo said. â€Å"What's the problem?† â€Å"The problem is you removed evidence from a crime scene.† â€Å"I did?† Talking to the sheriff could drain all of Theo's energy instantly. He fell into a beanbag chair that expectorated Styrofoam beads from a failing seam with a sigh. â€Å"What evidence? What scene?† â€Å"The pills, Crowe. The suicide's husband said you took the pills with you. I want them back at the scene in ten minutes. I want my men out of there in half an hour. The M.E. will do the autopsy this afternoon and this case will close by dinnertime, got it? Run-of-the-mill suicide. Obit page only. No news. You understand?† â€Å"I was just checking on her condition with her psychiatrist. See if there were any indications she might be suicidal.† â€Å"Crowe, you must resist the urge to play investigator or pretend that you are a law enforcement officer. The woman hung herself. She was de-pressed and she ended it all. The husband wasn't cheating, there was no money motive, and Mommy and Daddy weren't fighting.† â€Å"They talked to the kids?† â€Å"Of course they talked to the kids. They're detectives. They investigate things. Now get over there and get them out of North County. I'd send them over to get the pills from you, but I wouldn't want them to find your little victory garden, would you?† â€Å"I'm leaving now,† Theo said. â€Å"This is the last I will hear of this,† Burton said. He hung up. Theo hung up the phone, closed his eyes, and turned into a human puddle in the beanbag chair. Forty-one years old and he still lived like a college student. His books were stacked between bricks and boards, his bed pulled out of a sofa, his refrigerator was empty but for a slice of pizza going green, and the grounds around his cabin were overgrown with weeds and brambles. Behind the cabin, in the middle of a nest of blackberry vines, stood his victory garden: ten bushy marijuana plants, sticky with buds that smelled of skunk and spice. Not a day passed that he didn't want to plow them under and sterilize the ground they grew in. And not a day passed that he didn't work his way through the brambles and lovingly harvest the sticky green that would sustain his habit through the day. The researchers said that marijuana was only psychologically addictive. Theo had read all the papers. They only mentioned the night sweats and mental spiders of withdrawal in passing, as if they were no more unpleasant than a tetanus shot. But Theo had tried to quit. He'd wrung out three sets of sheets in one night and paced the cabin looking for distraction until he thought his head might explode, only to give up and suck the piquant smoke from his Sneaky Pete so he could find sleep. The researchers obvi-ously didn't get it, but Sheriff John Burton did. He understood Theo's weakness and held it over him like the proverbial sword. That Burton had his own Achilles' heel and more to lose from its discovery didn't seem to matter. Logically, Theo had him in a standoff. But emotionally, Burton had the upper hand. Theo was always the one to blink. He snatched Sneaky Pete off his orange crate coffee table and headed out the door to return Bess Leander's pills to the scene of the crime. Valerie Dr. Valerie Riordan sat at her desk, looking at the icons of her life: a tiny digital stock ticker that she would surreptitiously glance down at during appointments; a gold Mont Blanc desk set, the pens jutting from the jade base like the antennae of a goldbug; a set of bookends fashioned in the likenesses of Freud and Jung, bracing leather-bound copies of The Psychology of the Unconscious, The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), The Interpretation of Dreams, and The Physician's Desk Reference; and a plaster-cast bust of Hippocrates that dispensed Post-it notes from the base. Hippocrates, that wily Greek who turned medicine from magic to science. The author of the famous oath that Val had uttered twenty years ago on that sunny summer day in Ann Arbor when she graduated from med school: â€Å"I will use treatment to help the sick according to my ability and judgment, but I will never use it to injure or wrong them. I will not give poison to anyone though a sked to do so, nor will I suggest such a plan.† The oath had seemed so silly, so antiquated then. What doctor, in their right mind, would give poison to a patient? â€Å"But in purity and in holiness I will guard my life and my art.† It had seemed so obvious and easy then. Now she guarded her life and her art with a custom security system and a Glock 9 mm. stashed in the nightstand. â€Å"I will not use the knife on sufferers from stone, but I will give place to such as are craftsmen therein.† She'd never had a problem with that part of the oath. She was loathe to use the knife. She'd gone into psychiatry because she couldn't handle the messy parts of medicine. Her father, a surgeon himself, had been only mildly disappointed. At least she was a doctor, of sorts. She'd done her internship and residency in a rehab center where movie stars and rock idols learned to be responsible by making their own beds, while Val distributed Valium like a flight attendant passing out peanuts. One wing of the Sunrise Center was druggies, the other eating disorders. She preferred the eating disorders. â€Å"You haven't lived until you've force-fed minestrone to a supermodel through a tube,† she told her father. â€Å"Into whatsoever houses I enter, I will do so to help the sick, keeping myself free from all intentional wrongdoing and harm, especially from fornication with woman or man, bond or free.† Well, abstinence from fornication hadn't been a problem, had it? She hadn't had sex since Richard left five years ago. Richard had given her the bust of Hippocrates as a joke, he said, but she'd put it on her desk just the same. She'd given him a statue of Blind Justice wearing a garter belt and fishnets the year before to display at his law office. He'd brought her here to this little village, passing up offers from corporate law firms to follow his dream of being a country lawyer whose daily docket would include disagreements over pig paternity or the odd pension dispute. He wanted to be Atticus Finch, Pudd'nhead Wilson, a Jimmy Stewart or Henry Fonda character who was paid in fresh-baked bread and baskets of avocados. Well, he'd gotten that part; Val's practice had supported them for most of their marriage. She'd be paying him alimony now if they'd actually divorced. Country lawyer indeed. He left her to go to Sacramento to lobby the California Coastal Commission for a consortium of golf course developers. His job was to convince the commission that sea otters and elephant seals would enjoy nothing better than to watch Japanese businessmen slice Titleists into the Pacific and that what nature needed was one long fairway from Santa Barbara to San Francisco (maybe sand traps at the Pismo and Carmel dunes). He carried a pocket watch, for Christ's sake, a gold chain with a jade fob carved into the shape of an endangered brown pelican. He played his front-porch, rocking-chair-wise, country lawyer against their Botany 500 sophistication and pulled down over two hundred grand a year in the bargain. He lived with one of his clerks, an earnest doe-eyed Stanfordite with surfer girl hair and a figure that mocked gravity. Richard had introduced Val to the girl (Ashley, or Brie, or Jordan) and it had been oh-so-adult and oh-so-gracious and later, when Val cal led Richard to clear up a tax matter, she asked, â€Å"So how'd you screen the candidates, Richard? First one to suck-start your Lexus?† â€Å"Maybe we should start thinking about making our separation official,† Richard had said. Val had hung up on him. If she couldn't have a happy marriage, she'd have everything else. Everything. And so had begun her revolving door policy of hustling appointments, prescribing the appropriate meds, and shopping for clothes and antiques. Hippocrates glowered at her from the desk. â€Å"I didn't intentionally do harm,† Val said. â€Å"Not intentionally, you old buggerer. Fifteen percent of all depressives commit suicide, treated or not.† â€Å"Whatsoever in the course of practice I see or hear (or even outside my practice in social intercourse) that ought never to be published abroad, I will not divulge, but consider such things to be holy secrets.† â€Å"Holy secrets or do no harm?† Val asked, envisioning the hanging body of Bess Leander with a shudder. â€Å"Which is it?† Hippocrates sat on his Post-its, saying nothing. Was Bess Leander's death her fault? If she had talked to Bess instead of put her on antidepressants, would that have saved her? It was possible, and it was also possible that if she kept to her policy of a â€Å"pill for every problem,† someone else was going to die. She couldn't risk it. If using talk therapy instead of drugs could save one life, it was worth a try. Val grabbed the phone and hit the speed dial button that connected her to the town's only pharmacy, Pine Cove Drug and Gift. One of the clerks answered. Val asked to speak to Winston Krauss, the pharmacist. Winston was one of her patients. He was fifty-three, unmarried, and eighty pounds overweight. His holy secret, which he shared with Val during a session, was that he had an unnatural sexual fascination with marine mammals, dolphins in particular. He'd confessed that he'd never been able to watch â€Å"Flipper† without getting an erection and that he'd watched so many Jacques Cousteau specials that a French accent made him break into a sweat. He kept an anatomically correct inflatable porpoise, which he violated nightly in his bathtub. Val had cured him of wearing a scuba mask and snorkel around the house, so gradually the red gasket ring around his face had cleared up, but he still did the dolphin nightly and confessed it to her once a month. â€Å"Winston, Val Riordan here. I need a favor.† â€Å"Sure, Dr. Val, you need me to deliver something to Molly? I heard she went off in the Slug this morning.† Gossip surpassed the speed of light in Pine Cove. â€Å"No, Winston, you know that company that carries all the look-alike placebos? We used them in college. I need you to order look-alikes for all the antidepressants I prescribe: Prozac, Zoloft, Serzone, Effexor, the whole bunch, all the dosages. Order in quantity.† â€Å"I don't get it, Val, what for?† Val cleared her throat. â€Å"I want you to fill all of my prescriptions with the placebos.† â€Å"You're kidding.† â€Å"I'm not kidding, Winston. As of today, I don't want a single one of my patients getting the real thing. Not one.† â€Å"Are you doing some sort of experiment? Control group or something?† â€Å"Something like that.† â€Å"And you want me to charge them the normal price?† â€Å"Of course. Our usual arrangement.† Val got a twenty percent kickback from the pharmacy. She was going to be working a lot harder, she deserved to get paid. Winston paused. She could hear him going through the glass door into the back of the pharmacy. Finally he said, â€Å"I can't do that, Val. That's unethical. I could lose my license, go to jail.† Val had really hoped it wouldn't come to this. â€Å"Winston, you'll do it. You'll do it or the Pine Cove Gazette will run a front-page story about you being a fish-fucker.† â€Å"That's illegal. You can't divulge something I told you in therapy.† â€Å"Quit telling me what's illegal, Winston. I'm married to a lawyer.† â€Å"I'd really rather not do this, Val. Can't you send them down to the Thrifty Mart in San Junipero? I could say that I can't get the pills anymore.† â€Å"That wouldn't work, would it, Winston? The people at the Thrifty Mart don't have your little problem.† â€Å"You're going to have some withdrawal reactions. How are you going to explain that?† â€Å"Let me worry about that. I'm quadrupling my sessions. I want to see these people get better, not mask their problems.† â€Å"This is about Bess Leander's suicide, isn't it?† â€Å"I'm not going to lose another one, Winston.† â€Å"Antidepressants don't increase the incidence of suicide or violence. Eli Lilly proved that in court.† â€Å"Yes and O.J. walked. Court is one thing, Winston, the reality of losing a patient is another. I'm taking charge of my practice. Now order the pills. I'm sure the profit margin is going to be quite a bit higher on sugar pills than it is on Prozac.† â€Å"I could go to the Florida Keys. There's a place down there where they let you swim with bottlenose dolphins.† â€Å"You can't go, Winston. You can't miss your therapy sessions. I want to see you at least once a week.† â€Å"You bitch.† â€Å"I'm trying to do the right thing. What day is good for you?† â€Å"I'll call you back.† â€Å"Don't push me, Winston.† â€Å"I have to make this order,† he said. Then, after a second, he said, â€Å"Dr. Val?† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Do I have to go off the Serzone?† â€Å"We'll talk about it in therapy.† She hung up and pulled a Post-it out of Hippocrates' chest. â€Å"Now if I keep this oath, and break it not, may I enjoy honor, in my life and art, among all men for all time; but if I transgress and forswear myself, may the opposite befall me.† Does that mean dishonor for all time? she wondered. I'm just trying to do the right thing here. Finally. She made a note to call Winston back and schedule his appointments.