Individual Analysis of Working in a Group Situation

In this paper I will describe and analyze my experience working in a group situation, writing a paper on the movie 12 Angry Men. I will address therapeutic communication techniques used in our group situation. I will address any conflicts that arose in our group. Utilizing Tuckman’s group process theory, I will also address the effectiveness of our group process. Individual Analysis of Working in a Group Situation Learning how to work effectively in a group situation is key to success in many professions as well as in social situations. Groups vary from each other based on the individuals that make up each group, all of us belong to various groups at one time or another. The roles that we fulfill vary from group to group, and may even vary within the same group over time. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the communication process and the interaction of my group during the completion of an assignment. The group consisted of four members. Our task was to prepare an analysis paper on the movie 12 Angry Men. Because this was only a four-member group focused on a single specific task, there was a high level of cohesiveness and no conflict. Our group would be considered a secondary group because the relationship was impersonal and goal-oriented (Arnold & Boggs, 2011). Every member of a group plays a certain functional role within the group. Some functional roles relate to the task aspect of the group, while others promote social interaction. These functions are manifested in the behaviors of individual members and affect group dynamics. Task functions include such behaviors as; identifying tasks, coordinating, clarifying and summarizing. Maintenance functions include such behaviors as harmonizing, gatekeeping, encouraging and compromising. All of the members of our group were task specialists (Arnold & Boggs, 2011). According to Arnold and Boggs (2011), when task specialists dominate a group, members become dissatisfied and collaboration is diminished. However, this was not the case with our group. Due to the fact that our group was very task oriented and we collaborated well with each other everyone was satisfied with the experience. Our group was able to effectively function without a designated leader. As a group, we had many strengths. I believe one of our biggest strengths was our effective communication. When we met in person all the members of our group used therapeutic communication such as active listening, paraphrasing, and summarizing. We were all very respectful of each other and maintained eye contact and receptive nonverbal communication. There were several times during the movie that we paused the movie to discuss the jurors’ ages, professions, or the dynamics between the different jurors. Normally it wouldn’t be acceptable to repeatedly pause a movie for discussion, but it was widely accepted among our group and did not cause any conflicts. Another form of communication that our group used was the internet. It enabled us to receive papers via email attachment, and then download, print, edit, and return the changes at our own leisure. The only drawback with using the internet for communication is the lack of acknowledgement. In the future I will make sure that I ask the recipient to acknowledge that they have received my communication. Groups do not always start off fully-formed and functioning. Bruce Tuckman's model of the developmental sequence in small groups suggests that groups grow through clearly defined stages, from their creation as groups of individuals, to cohesive, task-focused teams. There are five stages of Tuckman’s theory, forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. During the forming stage of Tuckman's theory, group members meeting each other for the first time are primarily concerned with overcoming their discomfort with one another. In this phase, the group members are engaged in establishing boundaries and group norms for communication (Arnold & Boggs, 2011). In contrast to Tuckman’s description, our group did not introduce themselves or share their backgrounds or reasons for coming to the croup, since we have been together in class for a few weeks and had already been acquainted. Our group did not pass through all of Tuckman’s stages of group development. Specifically, we omitted the storming stage and passed from forming to norming. Tuckman's storming phase focuses on the interpersonal conflicts that erupt among the members as they compete with one another for leadership roles. According to Tuckman, the interpersonal conflicts that typically include personal criticisms undermine the group's ability to accomplish the task (Arnold & Boggs, 2011). There was no real conflict in our group, since there was no clear leader in our group and all of the members were very task oriented. According to Tuckman, during the norming phase the group has one goal and all group members take responsibility and work toward the success of the group's goals (Arnold & Boggs, 2011). Our group was able to arrive at this level of cohesiveness at the beginning of the first meeting. Our group agreed to watch the movie once by ourselves and then meet and watch the movie together, and once we had view the film we would decide as a group which questions to assign to each of the members. Tuckman’s preforming phase happened on our second meeting, when our group watched the movie. After viewing the movie we discussed each question and collaboratively decided who would be most knowledgeable about each of the different areas. After dividing up the different areas of the paper we decided on a date that we would email our individual sections to Katie. The final phase of Tuckman’s theory is the adjourning phase. Our group reached this phase after we completed our final paper with the satisfaction of all of the group members. I left the group with a real feeling of satisfaction at having achieved what I set out to do. Throughout this group process has been helpful in a number of ways. I have learned how to communicate more effectively and I have also learned to step outside of my comfort zone. I have also leaned to be more conscious of my body language, because it is more effective than what you say. This group project has helped me learn how to convey my thoughts, feelings, opinions and ideas to my group in an effective manner. . I will be able to apply what I have learned to my work and also to future group projects at school. Groups are a fundamental structure for accomplishing a wide variety of tasks. An effective group has many traits or characteristics that combine to ensure that it is able to reach its goals and objectives in a manner that is conducive to a high level of performance. Most groups go through five separate stages before achieving effective collaboration. Bruce Tuckman described these stages as forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. Several factors affect group performance: composition, size, norms, and cohesiveness. In working with groups it is important to be aware of the many factors that affect group performance and understand the individual as well as the group issues.

The Economic Crisis in America

We are going through a crisis that is sweeping the nation and affecting our people greatly. I will be discussing terrorist attacks; the war in Iraq, the falling housing market, government's bailing out program, unemployment and the natural disasters which have played a key role In the direction our country has taken In the twenty first century. I will provide In-depth examples on how each event has Impacted our economy and social circumstances. Each piece fits together like a puzzle and creates what we now have â€Å"The State of Emergency†.Are entering into what could be known as next great depression? Hopefully our government will act fast and dig us out off this rut that were are headed toward, before it is too late! Over centuries people from all over the world have migrated to the United States for the hope of living â€Å"The American Dream†. This country has stood for inalienable rites such as freedom of speech and religion. These specific rights have attracted m illions to migrate into the United States. Immigrants have been driven here for the opportunity to prosper financially and spiritually.It's for this reason; America has rowan into one of the most powerful countries in the world. Other countries look up to us as an example of how to lead their own countries. Within the United States it's a different story. Since the industrial age started the people of America have become greedy. One of the most common phrases amongst Americans is â€Å"l want my children to have everything, I didn't have†. This mentality has placed our country into a â€Å"State of Emergency'. This country has raised many generations to pose this believe and created a self-centered way of life.Now we have the rich, who get richer and the poor ho continue to get poorer. Since the beginning of twenty first century we have faced one ordeal after another. How has this affected our economy and culture? Let's revisit what has happened in the last eight years. We e lected a new President in 2000 ( George W. Bush), September 1 1, 2001 (terrorist attack), war on terror, war in Iraq, foreclosures crushing the housing market, bank bail out program, unemployment on the rise, and the election of the first African-American President ( Barrack Obama). This is not touching on the natural disasters that our country has faced.Has America en her last days of glory or will she bounce back like she did during the Great Depression? Hopefully, our newly elected President has a plan that will bring us out of this depression that we have fallen into. What will happen next? Is America at the point of no return? If you analyze the past you will find that America was strong enough to overcome it. We had and have the power to bounce back. We need to come together as a country and work together to get through these tough times. Most of the issues we have faced today may not have affected us if America as a society actually believed in teamwork.In public we are taugh t to be a team and in private taught to look out for ourselves. The failure starts with our children. Have we taught our children how to survive in a society like we have today? Actually, the question should be; has society taught the adults, to love your neighbor or the love for self- indulgence? This is a question that we all have to answer for ourselves. Election; That November we elected George W. Bush to be our 43rd President. In 2001 less than a year from electing our new President on the day of September 11 a terrorist attack came upon the United States like a scene from a Hollywood movie.Four planes had been overtaken by members of the terrorist group, AY-Qaeda. One hit the Pentagon, two targeted the Twin Towers in New York City, and the last plane was headed for the USA Capital, when passengers on the plane fought back and the plane crashed in Janesville, Pennsylvania. That day 2,974 people died, 19 more died that were terrorist. We still have not found 24 people and are pr esuming that they are dead. This is not counting the people that were killed in the line of duty, several weeks later they estimated the death toll to be over 6,000 in all.Fear did not Just trite Americans but people all around the world. One of the biggest shocks was, when we learned that these terrorist had been taught how to fly planes here in the USA. The first thing the Government enforced was changing the security coming into the country. Then we went on the offensive and went after Osama Bin Laden and his band of rebels. We sent our military to Afghanistan to find and stop AY-Qaeda (being harbored by the Taliban). First we had to remove the Taliban to get to AY-Qaeda but they are hard to find because they are hidden under cover in the Pakistan Mountains.The economy was affected because New York came to a halt due to the destruction of the fall of the Twin Towers. Wall Street closed down for the rest of the week. Flights were stopped for several days leaving people stranded al l over the country. After this, people were afraid to leave home much less get on an airplane. So many employees lost Jobs because of this act of terrorism not Just in the area hit but all around the country. It also changed our society in so many ways. The trust was gone; everywhere you looked there was a possible terrorist.Fear, anger and outrage took over, but for many sorrow and regret. Never-the-less the one good thing that came out of the attacks was that for one shining moment the American people became one. Now it is 2008 and we are still feeling the pain of that horrible day. The War in Iraq: Then in 2003 we invaded Iraq along with a coalition of other countries on the grounds that we thought they had nuclear weapons (weapons of mass destruction) that Sad Hussein would not disarm and because he was supporting terrorist groups such as the Taliban and AY-Qaeda along with the religious sect the Jihad.The Arab nations looked to Sad as a hero for standing behind Palestine which had been at war with Israel since Biblical times. America kept a close eye on Iraq with apprehension since the early sass's following the Persian Gulf War when the first president Bush was in office. Then on December 13, 2003 the news came in, Sad Hussein was captured. Three years later, on November 5, 2006 he was found guilty by a new Iraqi Government that the USA had helped them to establish. On December 30, 2006 he was executed by hanging.The changing times brought on by September 1 1, brought the American people together and then the Iraqi War really tore the American people apart. American's were seeing a trend happening and were afraid of other countries becoming involved or the start of World War Ill. This scared largest anti-war rally in history; where over 3 million people attended this rally. This demonstration was held in Rome, Italy. American troops are still in Iraq today helping to keep the peace and they will be there for several more years. Housing Market Falls: In t he year 2006 we started to see the housing market shift into a downward spiral.For several years before everywhere you looked you saw a new housing subdivision under development. Then all of a sudden we started to see the same housing sites sitting empty. In 2007 the foreclosures in the housing market started growing at a fast pace. It was amazing how fast so many Americans were losing it all. Everything they had worked so hard to provide for their families was Just disappearing. Then in 2008 it was still moving in that downward motion. More and more families are losing everything. The housing market is still in a downward spiral with no relief in sight for the homeowners.However, the banks that would not help the homeowners stay in the homes are getting help from the government. Many states, such as Florida, had help from the Florida Government to try to keep homeowners in their homes but, this only worked if the homeowner and bank were both in Florida. In 2008 the foreclosures wer e at record highs month after month. This has hurt our economy very badly. The society we live in has changed for this same reason. People have to learn how to adapt to a different way of life. In which, can be hard a thing to master. It is much easier to adapt to a moving up the food chain than down the food chain.This has raised the homeless rate to new heights here in America. Many have had to depend on the welfare system to support them and now have to seek refuge in shelters. Charlene S. Onto wrote in one article in May of 2008 that, â€Å"According to an April 2008 report by the National Coalition for the Homeless, the top 10 states with foreclosures attributed to 73% of the homeless†. These are astounding figures and it shows us that we have a much larger problem than we think. Banks are Bailed Out: The next thing to happen is that the banks and financial intuitions of the United States are in financial trouble.The foreclosures severely hurt the banks. In 2008 twenty-t wo banks have already collapsed. This is even with the bail out package of a $700 Billion dollars. What's next? How is the United States going to heal from this massive loss of financial support? Of course the banks can no longer give out loans to the small business owners; this means many of the small businesses will be the next thing to fall by the way side. Other large corporations are Jumping in on the bail out band wagon like the American Auto Makers.The Government denied the auto industry help, once the press unleashed the truth on how they first need to do their win cut backs. They actually had the nerve to fly into Washington DC in their private planes that cost the company's around $28,000 dollars to make this round trip, when they could have taken a coach flight for under $600 dollars. They are asking for $25 billion of the $700 billion bail out package. What does our 44th President Elect think â€Å"Obama, said he believes aid is needed but that it should be provided as part of a long-term plan for a â€Å"sustainable U.S. Auto industry† ? not simply as a blank check. † Now once Obama takes office as our 44th President of the United States and the Democrats take the majority in congress, the Auto Industry might Just get the money they need, to keep from going bankrupt. Yes, we know that if some help doesn't come, our way of life is going to come to a stop. If you are watching the stocks on Wall Americans are Just hoping that soon it will at least stabilize, so that we can work at fixing the problem and to know we are on the right path.Today everyone is playing the blame game and we all need to realize that in some ways we have all contributed to the crisis that we are now going through in our society. Unemployment Rises: Now e know all of the things going on with the economy, but how has it affected the unemployment rate. It definitely has restructured this area. If the banks have no money for loans because the banks are going under, b ecause of the housing market foreclosures that has brought them down. Now we have another problem. Companies are forced to lay off employees in order to keep their businesses going.This becomes the next crisis. Unemployment is rising fast according the Agency for Workforce Innovation. In Florida the unemployment rate has hit the highest it has in fifteen years. It is now at an average of seven percent, but in some counties like Flagler, it is above ten percent. Just about everywhere you go you meet someone else with a story of their company releasing them. Will this affect the housing crisis even more? Of course it will. How is our government along with the people of America going to fix our problems?The main thing we can do is no matter what social class or race we might be is look at the problems and try to do our part to fix it. American people need to stop looking to the government to fix everything we all have a voice and need to learn to use it. Natural Disasters: Over the pas t few years the economy has suffered because of the natural disasters from hurricanes, flooding, tornadoes and wild fires. The cost to rebuild after a natural disaster can be soar into billions of dollars. Just look at the devastation this tornado in Oklahoma caused on Mother's Day 2008.Look at Just how big an out of control this fire in California became and how it eats everything in its path. Natural disasters are likely to hurt us in more ways that the rest because it can take over your life so fast and most working people don't have the funds to Just start over. It is devastating to loose everything you have and even some family members. It is amazing to me how our country will come together in these times to help but, in others like the economy everyone Just points the finger. Satellite view Satan 2005 $81. 2 Billion Quickie $27 Billion Wilma 2005 $22. Billion Charlie 2004 $18. 6 Billion Hurricane Strain These are some examples of the cost associated with a hurricane. Alabama F lorida 14 Georgia 2 2 AltaVista 1,577 Mississippi 238 Total 1836 The death tolls are also astounding after one of these storms. You can see in this hart based on Hurricane Strain in 2005 This is not mentioning the 705 people missing. Personal Reflection Unfortunately, I was one of the many who lost their home. It was foreclosed on in September 2007. I lost my Job because my company made a decision to out source position.I had a very hard time trying to find a Job and when I finally did the income wasn't nearly the same. First, I tried to keep my house and my car was repossessed, then because I was already so far behind I lost my house. Things started getting better for my family in early 2008. I found a good paying Job and so did my husband. That summer my husband, who is a heavy equipment operator, lost his Job once the project was finished. Within two months are other car was repossessed. Thank God, my Job was walking distance. What I didn't know was the next day I was going to be laid off.So here I am no car, no Job, no bus route close, and no phone. What was I going to do? I made a leap of faith and I am going back to school. I finally received my income tax and bought a cheap car and Just keep looking for a Job. Hopefully, one will come soon since I am about out of money and will be out on the street and raising the homeless rate by four. I view our country as a great one full of opportunities, but it is in trouble. Everything comes and goes, we Just have to remember that we are strong and life will get better.My hope for this country is that our newest President will have the strength to fight the wrongs that hurt our country and the compassion for the people that really need him. To help those of us that has fallen with the economy. I hope to one day see an America where we are all, actually equal, that social statuses are erased and that economic status shows us how we help one another when we are in need. Personally, I feel that the government needs t o be eloping out the families in America more than the banks and auto companies. For example and they could buy a home and cars that would rebuild the economy.Not to mention the taxes on the money, homes, and cars that would be paid back to the government. People would be off the street and banks would have gotten rid of all the foreclosed houses. It would raise the housing market if people were competing for them. In my opinion, I see a fix that could be better than giving aid to the banks because, they still are having problems after the bailout. Self-indulgence or greed has ruled this country for long enough. I wanted to have it all and once I had it still wasn't enough I wanted more.

Organ Transplantation Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Organ Transplantation - Personal Statement Example Rithalia et al. (2009) state that in the UK most cases involving alive donors are reported in the donation of kidneys. Most of the other organs come from deceased people. Despite the benefits of organs’ transplantations, this procedure has its share of limitations. For example, as Voo, Campbell, & De Castro (2009) state, the organs available for transplants are usually in short supply, yet the number of people in need of transplants is ever increasing. This translates into a long waiting list, while demand continues to grow and more people die from organ failure. As Lawson (2008) states, the problem with the current healthcare setting is that organ transplantations rely so much on informed consent that many unnecessary deaths are occurring, yet good organs, which can be used to save people’s lives, are being buried and cremated. Presumed Consent during Organ Transplantation To increase the supply of organs, medical practitioners have been forced to use various means to obtain organs. As Voo, Campbell, & De Castro (2009) state, the conventional method is â€Å"opt-in†, in which a person voluntarily donates his/her organs to needy patients. Using this method, the donor should authorize the removal of organs after his/her death, by, for example, carrying a donor card, or being a member of the national registry (Price, 2000). However, since these donations still do not meet the growing demand, practitioners tend to use the â€Å"presumed consent† method. According to Liddy (2000), presumed consent assumes that everyone wishes to donate their organs after death, unless the person has â€Å"opted out† of the system. This is despite the absence of a clear indication that the individual donating the organs have given their consent for the procurement process. According to Lawson (2009), the presumed consent system allows for organ procurement after the death of a person, unless the deceased had objected to this procedure before their death. This scenario, according to Voo, Campbell, & De Castro (2009) creates an â€Å"ethical crisis†, where critics argue that the deceased may not have known the laws governing organ donations, and would not have, therefore, objected. Legal and Ethical Issues Affecting Presumed Consent during Organ Transplantation On legality grounds, Ammann (2010) writes that from a legal standpoint, every adult of sound mind should have the ability to make decisions concerning any actions towards one own body. It is, therefore, argued that the presumed consent model violates free and informed decision making; thus, undermining personal autonomy. In addition, some critics argue that presumed consent is not legal since it assumes that every person who does not opt-out of the system wishes to donate their organs after death. This, however, is not the case, considering that majority of people are ignorant about such an option and may, therefore, be unwilling to donate, yet fail to opt-out. As a result of not opting-out, such people may end up donating organs even though they never intended to become donors (Liddy, 2000). Presumed consent can either be â€Å"hard opt-out† or â€Å"soft opt-out† depending on the available legislations, as well as ethical considerations (Ammann, 2010). The hard system does not consult the family, while the soft one considers the wishes of the family before starting on the organ procurement proces

STDs in the Print News Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

STDs in the Print News Media - Essay Example The alarming STD problem in the US is brought about by a combination of factors, the primary one being that people are not knowledgeable about the disease - its causes and effects, modes of transfer, dangers and risks. This shows in the lifestyle of most Americans and their condescending attitude toward premarital sex, multiple sex partners, casual and unprotected sex. Such practices erode the moral fabric of American society and, on the health implications of STDs, deprive this country of a healthy and robust citizenry. On the need to address the perceived lack of awareness of Americans on STD, it is agreed that media is a potent medium for that purpose. But the question is, does American media recognize the extent of the problem and the role it is being called upon to play The media in modern times has served as the primary means people use to gain insight into the various issues that bedevil American society. Media feed people information about current issues ranging from politics, global affairs, economics, and public health and is the information mix with the most extensive reach. The influence of media in people's lives is so vast it can sway public perception and opinion towards one side (Stoughton, 1994). Thus media can promote awareness of important issues such as STDs just as easily as it can prompt awareness regarding violence. This paper will discuss the role of one form of media, newspapers, in increasing public knowledge and awareness of STDs. News articles published in the nationally-circulated newspapers that tackle the issue of STDs will be analyzed to determine the ways in which the issue is presented and discussed. The primary objective is to determine how the print news media informs the public about sexually transmitted diseases. Four daily newspapers representing American mainstream media are herein presented for their views and editorial policies on the subject of STD: the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and Miami Herald. The four newspapers enjoy the widest circulation and readership and carry the potential to sway not only public opinion but also government policies. Methods In this section, past studies will be discussed to determine the scope and intensity of coverage that the print news media devote to the subject of STD. Also, news articles from the nationally circulated newspap

GOSSIP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

GOSSIP - Essay Example For Dunbar (2004), gossip’s function is to weed out unscrupulous individuals which, in turn, helps the species to propagate. These two theories are examined in depth below. The first theory that will be examined is one put forth by Wert and Salovey in their article â€Å"A Social Comparison Account of Gossip† (Wert & Salovey, 2004). Wert & Salovey state that gossip has a function in social comparison theory, which states that we, as human beings, have a need to compare ourselves to others, because, by doing this, we are evaluating ourselves by actual, objective criteria (Wert & Salovey, 2004, p. 123). Wert & Salovey’s theory is helpful to understand why people gossip in a negative way, despite the fact that such gossip may backfire on the gossiper because the people hearing the gossip may feel threatened because the gossiper probably negatively talks about the hearer in the same way (Kurland & Pelled, 2000, p. 429). The six types of this kind of social comparison , and how gossip functions in each, are defined below. The first kind of comparison examined is the comparison with similar others. Gossip serves a function is this kind of comparison, because individuals are trying to figure out how to behave and act, and how not to behave and act, by comparing themselves to these similar peers. ... This kind of comparison is sought to make people feel better about themselves – as in thinking â€Å"my life isn’t great, but look at that person – my life certainly could get worse† (Wert & Salovey, 2004, p. 125). Gossiping serves a purpose in this kind of comparison, because it provides a way to indirectly compare oneself to others who are less fortunate or less skilled then oneself, and this bolster’s one’s self-esteem (Wert & Salovey, 2004, p. 125). The third type of social comparison is the upward social comparison, in which one compares oneself to others higher on the proverbial totem pole. One of the functions of this kind of gossip is to tear down the wealthy person if one does not have a chance to attain the wealth for oneself, and this can result from a feeling of injustice, in that the person does not â€Å"deserve† his or her wealth(Wert & Salovey, 2004, p. 127). The fourth type is in-group and out-group comparisons. This i s a classic â€Å"them v. us† comparison. In this case, gossip serves the purpose of making the out-group seem negative, in order to bolster the in-group, and the individuals’ sense of identity that comes from belonging to the in-group (Wert & Salovey, 2004, pp. 127-128). It also establishes who is and who is not a part of the group, as well as establishing the norms for the in-group (Wert & Salovey, 2004, p. 128). Baumeister et al., (2004) refers to this as gossip as cultural learning, in that people in a given culture may learn more about their own culture by relating the successes and failures of others, both within and without that culture (Baumeister et al, 2004, p. 120). Related to in-group and out-group comparisons is the fifth type of social comparison, which is constructed social comparisons, in which an

(need to be determined) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

(need to be determined) - Essay Example Some familiar materials that exist in the universe, they are made of neutrons, protons and electron and these materials are called the baryonic matter. The dark matter can either be made of non-baryonic matter or baryonic matter. To hold the universe elements together, the dark matter has to consist of about 80% of the matter (Bahcall et al. 2004). One interest thing about the dark matter is that the scientists cannot see it. Then how do they know it exists in the first place? Scientists have learned to calculate the mass any huge object’s in the space through the study of their movement. In the 1950s when some scientists were examining spiral galaxies, they expected to witness the materials at the center to be moving fast as compared to those on the outside (Spooner and Kudryavtsev 2001). Against their expectations, the scientists discovered that the stars that were in the same position were traveling at a similar velocity. The results indicated that the galaxies are made of a lot of mass that cannot be seen. The elliptical galaxies studies further indicated that visible objects had more mass. Albert Einstein proved that huge objects in the space bend light and distorted it, making them be used as lenses. Through the study of light distortion in the universe, the scientists have been able to create dark matter maps in the universe (Bertine 2010). The gravitational mass can be derived from the observation of movement of the gas clouds and the stars motion is the disk as the spiral galaxy (for example the Milky way) in the disk as they circle the center (Rubin 1997). The galaxy rotation curve reveals how the speed of the stars around the center as the gap from the center increases. The majority of the spiral galaxies are known to reveal flat rotational curves out in the longest distance they can be traced, even after they disappear into the distance. It is, therefore, reasonable to

Structure of the Hospitality Industry Assignment

Structure of the Hospitality Industry - Assignment Example Therefore, the responsibilities relating to the functional areas such as marketing, customer relationship management, HRD and finance in an undertaking need to be reoriented in tune with the global changes in the industry. The organizational structure of different organizations in the hospitality industry is based on the facilities available. However, the structure also varies with the star categorization of the luxury hotels, type of ownership like a partnership or limited company, the number of hotels in the group and affiliation with the international hotel chains. World Hotel Rating (WHR) project labels hotels by features such as family or child-friendly. Some hotels are operated on franchisee basis. The internal control systems in the case of firms with one or two hotels under the same management will be very simple. However, in the case of hotel chains or hotel groups with international operations, the systems would be very elaborate with risk management controls in place. Many small-sized organizations prefer Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT) status with a view to avail tax benefits. As against flat structure noticed in small organizations, the chain of command, the delegation of responsibilities and authorities, hierarchical levels and managerial decision-making process in the case of hotel chains or groups consisting of several business activities considerably vary depending upon the size and diversity. The management structure is also influenced by the environmental factors relating to the businesses, categories of services offered and technology used. The industry covers a wide range of services such as tourism, theme parks, event management and tourism related services apart from lodging and catering. The organizational structure of a  company which provides various services has several divisions such as Hotel, Tourism, Theme Parks and Travel.   There are various departments within each division, for example, in the case of Hotel Division the departments include Housekeeping, Health &Sports, Restaurant, Room Service, Event Management and Front Office.   The departments such as Accounting, Advertisement & Media, Marketing, and HRD are common to all the divisions.  Ã‚  

Case Analysis Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 9

Analysis - Case Study Example The study of foreign direct investment may take varying directions, but the most important area of study is through evaluation of the historical data of FDI, and trying to understand the reasons behind the pattern of the data. This paper will study direct foreign investment in the UAE and relating data to text evaluations. A study of any concept begins from the definitions, and this is the basis up on which every concept begins to be understood. FDI is not any different, however at the introduction section the concept has been well defined and its meaning properly established. In addition, academic discussions demands that a relook into the writings of the authority in any specific field. FDI is a concept that has been subjected to discussion by a number of writers, and they will prove invaluable to the discussions in this paper. The purpose of this report is to investigate the foreign direct investment to the United Arab Emirates in the last ten years. The economy of the UAE changed tremendously over the last few decades, particularly since the discovery of oil Abu Dhabi and to a lesser degree in Dubai. The rising rate of economic development made the country a magnate to companies that wanted to profit from the cash trappings from the oil boom. The number of American, European, and Asian companies soared and it set UAE towards the path of economic development. However, the Middle East nation is a conservative Islamic nation; as a result, other companies that cannot set foothold in the country, in spite of the heavy profits. Given the data provided by the World Bank in the last two decades, it would important to evaluate the specific FDI that gets into the country. However, Dubai is a fast growing financial capital of the world, and many financial organizations have already set up subsidiaries and branches in the emirate. The data provided only provides half the solution to the problem, however; it may be important to employ a full-blooded

How the organisation can effectively manage staff performance Essay

How the organisation can effectively manage staff performance - Essay Example Effective management of staff performance is very important to any organisation if it is to achieve its goals. The first step in ensuring managing employee performance is recruiting qualified personnel. Key competencies expected of new employees need be outlined in advance before the recruitment process begins (Dickens, 2012). Having a qualified workforce will ensure that tasks are performed effectively, and organizational goals are met (Storey 2007). Accomplishments and Contributions that employees perform give the human resources possibility to appraise the most notable employees and give feedback to their work and thus discover new resources for ideas and innovation (Thompson, 2012). My model organisation will be the Swiss company, â€Å"Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬ . It is the world’s number one Food Business with its long record of creating the best food for people. The company states that its main assets are not the numerous office buildings or factories, but the nationalities, religions and ethnic groups who consume Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s products and services. Unity and among employees enable the company to operate harmoniously in all its activities creating a single corporate culture (Revill, 2013). The company has developed a program that ensures Nestlà © attracts the most talented people/staff. The company is also making efforts to ensure good employees are retained (Revill, 2013). The company contributes actively to the quality of HRM by proposing policies and by constantly applying and implementing them to members of Nestlà © community. HRM assists in the execution of planning and creating awareness towards the required adaptability to unexpected situations. The expectations of the workers are to be clearly set and clarified by the management. There is need for an all-inclusive process between the management and the staff that helps to set what is expected of the employees and continuously spell out their functions. Every staff is from time to

Definition of Culture and Its Importance Essay Example for Free

Definition of Culture and Its Importance Essay Human beings are considered the highest form of animals, behaving passionately social as a group, using language and understanding, and doing teamwork and intergroup rivalry. Culture then relates to everything that humans have, think and do as a member of the social group. Both existent and make-believe, humans have stuff like tools, weapons, languages, laws, music, art, material resources, technologies and systems that when taken jointly will give details of the past and describes the present. On the other hand, when ideas, values, attitudes, beliefs and ideologies are taken as a group, help explains religious partiality, political directives, mores and extensive range of social associations. In addition, humans do or perform activities among specific group or society based on nationality, religion, ethnic boundaries and even occupation and academic, which later on collectively form the prescribed accepted behavior. (Holt, D. Wigginton, K. 2002). In 1997, culture was described by Geert Hofstede in his book, Cultures and Organizations as the â€Å"software of the mind†. While individuals all have the identical â€Å"hardware†, which is the human brain, their â€Å"software† or â€Å"programming† is rather diverse. It is an identical experience when interrelating with somebody from a dissimilar culture – their language, suppositions, body language and movement, morals, and other facets of their culture will not be logical when relocated to another’s orientation structure. There are three fundamental logical reasoning when it comes to culture, namely: 1. Superiority of experience in the fine arts and humanities; 2. A combined blueprint of human knowledge, trust, and manners that relies upon the aptitude for figurative thinking and social knowledge; and 3. The set of divided outlooks, principles, purposes, and practices that distinguishes an association, society or group. According to Holt and Wigginton (2002), culture is a concept in the field of anthropology that concerns with shared structure of attitudes, way of life, ownership, traits, tradition and morals that describes group actions, which can be observed in a family, ethnic group, a business organization or a society. Authority, leadership, work attitudes and ethical practices on the part of management are influenced by this shared structure. Workers also are influenced by cultural antecedents on how they recognize and understand quality performance, work responsibilities, their function in decision-making and attitude in following orders from superior, as well as insight of human rights. The daily demeanor of workers in terms of punctuality, following rules on safety standards and personal hygiene are also affected. Slight differences between any two or more cultural groups can be observed, which therefore requires sensitivity to understand cultural differences, especially in manners of proper handling of business transactions. This way, when difficulties are encounter they will be solved readily with positive results. Understanding Differences in Culture The basic requirements for human survival are standard, which means for people to live they need water, food, clothing, housing and security. However, scarcity of these necessities compels human to creatively expand manners of acquiring them in order to give solutions to these survival problems. For simple societies, economic and social behavior consists of uncomplicated activities like looking for and cooking food, crafting clothes, building houses and rearing children. On the other hand, for developed societies, roles go beyond work and domestic related actions and extend to production and distribution of goods and services in order to sustain their big areas of responsibilities. It is essential to know that differences in culture would mean that different cultures have a diversity of styles in looking at things, ways of dressing and expressing individuality and/or goodness. Education, social rank, religion, individuality, belief composition, precedent experience, warmth shown in the domicile, and a countless of other factors will influence an individual’s manners and mores. A good deal of dissimilarities in culture has something to do with foodstuff preparation, music, and what each culture considers good manners. There are really cultural and philosophy disparities and it is fine to have an appreciation about a civilizations way of life. Hofstede’s Model of Cultural Dimensions A Dutch researcher by the name of Geert Hofstede made a cross-cultural study of organizational behavior using managers from different countries to produce profile of cultural differences. This model is the most famous Hofstede’s Model composed of five dimensions namely power distance, individualism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity and long term orientation, which gives a comparative evaluation of group attributes. Said dimensions when used jointly, provide management sensible outlook regarding contradicting values and prototypes of manners among countries and groups. Power distance as a dimension relates to the degree of human inequalities. Hierarchical position and authority are the main focuses of a culture with high power distance. Less dominant member of the society acknowledge just being subordinates, who should always follow those who are leading. In societies with high power distance as exemplified by Japan, formal authority comes from the hierarchy where employees hardly ever go against a chain of command or subject into scrutiny the decisions of top management. The reverse is true with societies like the United States, Australia and New Zealand with low power distance, where both higher-ups and subordinates coordinate their decisions with one another and authority is not a big deal. However, for societies like Great Britain, Israel and Canada in particular, though they refuse to accept parity in social level, still they value the right of each person’s accomplishment (Holt, D. Wigginton, K. , 2002). Individualism pertains to the degree of initiative in becoming independent against that of collective endeavor. Societies with high individualism placed importance on personal triumphs, advancement, escapades and self-sufficiency. This implies ignoring the extensive necessities of the society and making oneself and ones family the priority. Contradictory, culture with low degree of individualism supports family relationship, group synchronization, social order and devote to compromised ideas. Uncertainty avoidance (Holt, D. Wigginton, K. , 2002) is the degree of open-mindedness for uncertainty and ambiguity, particularly to man’s search for Truth. It means the feeling of contentment and discontentment in shapeless circumstances which are unusual, unknown and unexpected. For majority of the societies, their religious beliefs stand as their manner of knowing the Absolute Truth. Japanese culture for instance, typifies a society that avoids uncertainty by creating detailed laws and standards in consonance with the norms of the society. There are also societies with dual philosophical beliefs that they do not consider any Absolute Truth and so they accept uncertainty within their organizations. Canadians, as an example do not prioritize ceremonies and company rites unlike the Japanese. The degree of motivational behavior based on value systems that are depicted in terms of being masculine or feminine is another dimension in the Hofstede’s Model termed masculinity. The focus of the said model is not on biological perspectives; however, the behavior is portrayed using gender. In countries with high masculinity, like Japan, men work and hold top positions in organization, while women stay at home to perform household chores and nurture children. In other words, there are distinct roles that women and men do in society. The priorities of people living in societies with high masculinity are achievement, wealth and expansion. Working professionals spent much of their time in work related activities and seldom take vacations to relieve their stress. When confronted with problems, the manners of settling these conflicts are done aggressively. On the opposite, countries that score low in masculinity give significance to their family, relationships and quality of life. There is equality in terms of positions for both men and women which could be observed in all aspects of their lives. Negotiation for people in societies with low masculinity is the best way to resolve misunderstandings and disagreements. They are also fond of working in flexible hours to give way for more vacations and relaxation. The fifth and newest cultural dimension is the long term orientation, founded on the teaching of Confucius on the East. Countries with high long term orientation can be described as being persistent, thrifty, having a sense of shame and organizing and observing relationship by status. On the other hand, those cultures with short term orientation have personal control and firmness, shield ones â€Å"face†, value ritual and give back to greetings, favors, and gifts.

Strategic Options for Organisations

Strategic Options for Organisations Part A Identify a strategic option for an organisation. Develop at least three proposed organisational goals for the strategic plan in consultation with: Stakeholders. Stakeholders refer to individuals and groups that have interest in the organisation and/or its products or services. Stakeholders may include but are not limited to – customers, suppliers, owners, shareholders, lenders, managers, employees, employee organisations, local community, competitors, and regulatory bodies. In line with stakeholder needs, and With reference to any existing strategic plan. Organisation: Linguis International Institute Auckland (A) To implement Biometric system for the year 1/2014-2015 to check it in initial 2 months with respect to machine working. It is used for security of information and check/authentificaton of information and utilizing thumb print and saving it to get complete profile about the student. (B)To implement Model system of learning for next 2 years (online) and to be check in initial 6 months whether arrangement is on suitable way or not (C) Using the Biometric system – this can be used for regular attendance to be kept up for a academic year and dependability of time (maintained) from 9 am to 4pm from Wednesday to Friday up to September of 2013. And the percentage of attendance should not be low than 75 percent. 2. Identify at least three strategic options through results of an environmental analysis that are consistent with the organisation’s purpose, direction and values . Environmental analysis of three strategic options through swot analysis that are predictable with organisation, purpose ,directions and values: (S)trengths Wi-Fi and computer facility is provided. Lingui’s international institute is authorised by NZQA The college finds issues of scholars and they will the help the students by giving plans . (W)eaknesses The Wi-Fi speed is very slow because there are many student use the internet at the same time. Condition of chairs and tables are not good. The surface of liguis international institute is limited in comparison with other colleges. (O)pportunities There should be a debate on topics of business management at the end of the classes. Lingui’s international institute should also start a new college in capital on New Zealand. The linguis college ought to keep separate exam and interview to students to give admission by video call interview. (T)hreats Here the scholars are high in number for each level of class so there ought to be just constrained in number and it ought to be 10 to 12. The hygienic kitchen is not kept up every time as a result of that any sorts of flus or viral diseases we can get. 3.Determine the feasibility of strategic options in terms of the ability to meet the three proposed organisational goals (Q1). You must select the two most feasible options from Q1 with consultation with at least two stakeholders. (a) Model system of learning through online in consultation with stake holder lee Model system means we live n era of advanced computer technology. Learning is supported by data and technological correspondence. Each student must be mindful of e learning that is not restricted to obtaining of IT fitness yet is utilized within much reason through software, web, and seeking through different sites. The student when he goes to the school he must be given a login id in regards to web learning where student ought to login into that so he can get every information in that login school website. Usage of this system might benefit from structural approach, actualizing time to time and student could be assessed. (B) Attendance and promptness of time through records in conference with lee- If the learner needs to take leave he ought to inform the school by doing telephone call to principal or keeping E-mail to teacher. If student wont go to the school normally or in nonattendance the administration can make disciplinary move by charging punishment some amount of dollars for starting warning and second warning incorporates they can any disciplinary movement by rusticating and withdrawn of admission. The immigration of nz is having a complete profile of scholar and learner should to keep up normal attendance and he ought not do work more than 20 according to immigration rules during coming to school. (c) Biometric system in discussions with stake holder need harry randhawa- Here biometric system refers to a machine which is used for control ,verification and storage of data. The biometric system is valuable for institution where if scholar comes late to the school the machine wont accept the attendance. it is composed in such a way, to the point that according to school timings and the machine programming and programmer ought to be planned and introduced according to school timings and guidelines. The attendance must be kept up through biometric system where students thumb impression is taken by the machine day by day morning, evening and in the departure from the school evening time. The two most feasible options are for further analysis in consultation with at least two stakeholders in terms of: Costs Benefits Risks. The feasibility of options in ability to meet proposed organisation for further analysis with two stake holders; Costs The online system of learning , it is doable expense for installation and to purchase that software it likewise obliges cost. In different foundations and in different nations they follow model learing .this might be affordable by administration and where it is of less cost and not time taking process so that lecturer and scholar supporter can save his time. The biometric system expense is less for every machine .Its establishment charges are likewise less and the linguis like organization can afford ,because only one machine is needed for a class and executive requires one machine . Benefits The profits of online system is that model learing includes where time saving by instructor and learner ,supporter and administrator where one can enhance his learning and correspondence with online learning. The biometric system benefits includes machine assesses, the checks and confirm the attendance of a scholar and likewise complete profile of student information is saved and time management criteria. Risks: The risk includes is therewith the online system of learning and biometric system where biometric system is a machine costly enough if a person breaks the machine or does any mischievous thing the machine gets harmed and information wont be saved .so cameras in class must be kept to avoid the circumstances. Also online system the information might be hacked by hackers and presenting of virus in that software, to anticipate it antivirus software needed. 4. Select and justify the preferred strategic option identified in Q3 in terms of its ability to meet each of the following: Organisational purpose Organisation direction, and Organisational values. Organisational purpose (a )The organisational purpose primary thing to give the quality of training to international students from everywhere throughout the world who come. (b) The reason for them is the place profession begins and learning this is the principle point of Linguis. Organisation direction (a) To present worldwide learners the New Zealand culture. (b) To give introduction program for the new students in better way. (C) The principle Moto is to direct debates and classes and oral presentation. Organisational values (a) To give close relationship among distinctive religious and culture. (b) The association value is that where carrier and learning begins. (C) To give scholars expert and environment in which to teach and learn. PART B Produce a strategic plan for the implementation of at least one strategic option for an organisation. The strategic plan may be a documented plan or a statement of strategic intent supported by a range of plans. 1. Your plan must include the following necessary actions required to implement the preferred strategic option determined Part A: Resources, Critical outcomes, Timescales and milestones Contingency planning (PC 2.1) Biometric system is a machine it is advanced equipment used by institutions to concentrate on the scholars attendance and time and organizations normal information record , all records saving by using of finger print. Resources The linguis institute is one of the best institute in competition with different colleges which has been sanction by newzealand qualitative authority .In this competitive world the linguis institute needed to implement particular resources to achieve heights in business regarding education. Here to implement the biometric system, To bring this kind of system in institute first Auckland management institution group to hold a meeting and to take a decision about implement this system. At that point they have to speak with managing director to implement this system. The resources required are to speak company agent regarding need 4 machines so to order them and to get it for reasonable price as opposed to real prize. Then to speak with the company manager regarding installation procedure and to be done according to linguis requirements like attendance, time and data saving for 2 years plan. Critical outcomes Critical outcomes are nothing yet a change is required. So institution dependably needs to check like 6 months to verify and to have assessment, estimation about instiution result in every segment and to correct and to come up with new plans and to implement this is itself a change. here institution needs a bio metric machine where it is automatic so no need of running with manual work or separate staff to care for the learners attendance, entry of students to the college and saving of administration documents in regards to day by day work plan each with that of machine simply to use technology is best key alternative and can have correct results. So linguis organization ought to be diverse when compared with other colleges. Timescales and milestones Time scale is the timeline for my bio metric system, a machine to actualize the strategic options for the year 2015 and for 2 years up to 2017 a to be installed in such a way, to the point that while for every college timings and 9 to 5 from Monday to Saturday and attendance plan of software for 2 years work 2017.for like 6 month to bring the machine company individual and to check the working of it and saved information in machine transferring to the floppys and cd writer. Milestones The launch of this system can help in time saving, it is the main miles stone for linguis organization and manual work can be diminished. The biometric use can help in developing threat of identifying theft and making services more advantageous for students, staff and coach by perfect output of the results Today most of the industries and companies are also using this technology. Contingency planning The contingency planning for my biometric framework if my plan fail that mean if a machines gets harmed and can repaired by bringing fittings expert. Like that if records get ruined or virus is there and can bring over to original position by utilizing antivirus of software. so back up plan is ready with the software professional. 2. Your strategic plan must be documented and authorised according to organisational requirements. The strategic plan is that Linguis organization was created in 1996 in Christchurch .Initially foundation runned with 13 students and now at present in 2013 300 scholars are there. Furthermore in Auckland began in year 2012 .The both institute reaction is of managing director and principal they are mike and mae Dawson. The managing director and principal casually meet stake holders especially every 6 months ,business advisory meetings will be held for every 6 month and new Zealand qualitative authority from that one member goes to the occasion meeting to check and confirm with respect to the strategy plan and how they are executing the plans and whether they are keeping up the standard or not. In meetings the advisory committee come up with strategies in meetings and simply to take the plans in meetings and advices into attention . Always for huge investment and for giant kind of projects, long strategic plan is needed in business and to get the exact output. 3.Strategic plan is communicated to stakeholders in a manner that encourages understanding, commitment and enthusiasm. Stake holders of an organization include: The director of studies (lee kammerer) marketing manager (harry randhawa) Faculty of teaching staff (john cook) Students

The Red Badge of Courage :: essays research papers

Unique in style and content, the novel explores the emotions of a young Civil War recruit named Henry Fleming. What is most remarkable about this classic is that the twenty-four-year-old author had never witnessed war in his life before writing this book. Crane's story developed to some degree out of his reading of war stories by Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy and the popular memoirs of Civil War veterans, yet he also deviated from these influences in his depiction of war's horror. Critics have noted that his portrait of war is an intensely psychological one, blending elements of naturalism, impressionism, and symbolism. Indeed, he broke away from his American realist contemporaries, including his mentor William Dean Howells, in his naturalistic treatment of man as an amoral creature in a deterministic world. For this reason, critical reactions to the The Red Badge of Courage in 1895 were mixed: some disapproved of Crane's use of the vernacularà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ the common slang of everyday folk and soldiersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ and the impressionistic technique. Crane also experimented with psychological realism, and his venture into the realm of the human psyche radically changed the common perception of the novel in America. As he faces combat for the first time, Henry experiences an intense array of emotions: courage, anxiety, self-confidence, fear, and egotistic zeal. Interestingly enough, the naturalistic flavor of the work operates against this serf-important ego. The individual is not of primary importance, as is evidenced time and again in the words of Henry's mother, fellow soldiers, and officers. Henry is often referred to quite impersonally as "the youth." The men, untried and untested, are treated like scared animals against the backdrop of inimitable Nature and War. Cra ne also used color imagery, both vibrant and subtle, to describe war. He describes a skirmish as sounding like a "crimson roar," for example, and writes of war as "the red animal." Crane's sense of color pervades the work; note his description of the sky, which remains "fairy blue" during the day, as if to underscore the indifference of nature to the carnage taking place.

Interpretation of Muirs Horses Essay -- Muir Horses Essays

Interpretation of Muir's Horses My interpretation of Edwin Muir's poem entitled "Horses" is one of a past memory and the conflict and anger brought about by this memory , a conflict between light and darkness, good and evil in the mind of a elderly dying man, fearing death as he gazes out across a field. The memory being that of a day from his past, where he as a child farm worker watched a team of horses ploughing the stubble back into the field during a rainy day which gets progressively more stormy. The horses making their way to and fro across the field leaving furrows, the setting sunlight breaking through the clouds picking out images in the distance. Images getting darker and more vivid as the horses drew nearer. A symbolic religious conflict being acted out between good and evil with almost mythological qualities, leading to a crescendo of images eventually fading to the old man lamenting and wishing to be as that child, at the beginning of his life with all the purity and innocence that children have. The poem has the distant images of horses as a t...

Analysis of Gail Godwins A Sorrowful Woman :: Godwin Sorrowful Woman

Analysis of Gail Godwin's A Sorrowful Woman Gail Godwin's short story "A Sorrowful Woman" revolves around a wife and mother who becomes overwhelmed with her husband and child and withdraws from them, gradually shutting them completely out of her life. Unsatisfied with her role as dutiful mother and wife, she tries on other roles, but finds that none of them satisfy her either. She is accustomed to a specific role, and has a difficult time coping when a more extensive array of choices is presented to her. This is made clear in this section of the story. As a housewife and a mother, Godwin's protagonist leads a fairly structured life. Her activities are mostly confined to caring for her husband and child and caring for their home. Though she is obviously unsatisfied with this, as shown by her attempts to discard this role, she is not comfortable without such a structure. Even when she has moved into the white room, she develops a routine of brushing her hair in the sun each day. When she decides to write a poem, she shies away from the project once she realizes how many options are open to her; the idea of so much freedom seems to distress her. Even when she thinks that "her poem could be six, eight, ten, thirteen lines, it could be any number of lines, and it did not even have to rhyme," the words themselves are rushed, the pacing of the sentence communicating her nervousness and discomfort. Her dissatisfaction with her role in life also leads Godwin's protagonist to try on other roles. Though she tries on many, none of these seem to satisfy her either; she "tried these personalities on like costumes, then discarded them." Her inability to find any role that actually satisfies her probably contributes to her general sense of helplessness and continued withdrawal from her family and, indeed, the rest of the world. Since she cannot find any particular role that suits her, she attempts not to have any role at all; the coldness and isolation of the undecorated white room make it seem that she is trying to empty herself of her previous life. Her withdrawal from the world is also presented in this passage. She chooses to move into the white room, now no longer decorated by the previous inhabitant. White can be a very cold, sterile color, and it serves to illustrate her lack of attachment to the room or to her own home.

What Is Diabetes Type 1 Health And Social Care Essay

Type 1 Diabetes, which can be used to be called juvenile oncoming or Insulin-Dependent Diabetess Mellitus ( IDDM ) and normally appears during childhood, teenage old ages, or early maturity. It is an autoimmune disease, intending that the immune system has mistaken its ain pancreas for foreign tissue and destroys the pancreatic cells that produce insulin, which is a endocrine. As a consequence, people with Type 1 Diabetes produce about no insulin ( 1 ) . Furthermore, IDDM is largely inherited by the parent cell as the research said if you have a household member with Type 1 Diabetes, your hazard is approximately five to six per centum, compared to the hazard in general population which is 0.4 % ( 2 ) . Diabetes was the 7th prima cause of decease listed on U.S. decease certifications in 2006. This ranking is based on the 72,507 decease certifications in 2006 in which diabetes was listed as the underlying cause of decease ( 3 ) . Therefore, are at that place any possible solutions to g et the better of this job? Neuropathic ulcer may show on the pess of diabetic people. Beginning: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.epodiatry.com/resource/images/Edmond.gif ( 178 WORDS ) A POSSIBLE Solution Insulin pump therapy Alpha cell secrete glucagon Raises glucose degree Islet cell of the pancreas Beta cell secrete glucagon Lowers glucose degree In the Islet cell of pancreas, Beta cell makes insulin. When immune system destroys beta cell, insulin can non be produced. As a consequence the cells in our organic structures will non be able to treat the glucose and hence have no energy for motion ( 6 ) . Furthermore, the glucose is unable to be transferred from blood stream to the cells and the glucose degrees in the blood will be higher than normal. Hence, insulin pump therapy is needed to get the better of this job. ( 283 WORDS ) Insulin pump is a little mechanical device, a small larger than a beeper that is worn outside the organic structure, frequently on a belt or in a pocket. It delivers insulin into the organic structure via an extract set which is injected beneath the tegument at the extract site ( 7 ) . Nipro Diabetes Systems Amigo OmniPod Insulin Management System Nipro Diabetes Systems Amigo OmniPod Insulin Management System Examples of insulin pump. Beginning: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/pumps/index.htm Graph 1 shows the age distribution at the clip of diagnosing for members of the Insulin Pumpers. Beginning: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.insulin-pumpers.org/about.shtml From graph 1, we can see that most of the users of pumpers are kids and adolescents. About 1119 insulin pumpers have been recorded until 25th of December 2009, which shows a great figure of populations that had been infected with this disease. ( 407 WORDS ) Over the old ages, a figure of different types and trade names of insulin have been developed to run into different demands.TypeBrand NameOnsetExtremumDurationRemarksFast playing Humalog Novolog 5 – 15 proceedingss 45 – 90 proceedingss 3 – 4 hours Human The fastest-acting insulin available Intermediate moving Humulin L Humulin N Novolin L Novolin N 1 – 3 hours 6 – 12 hours 20 – 24 hours Human Long moving Humulin U 4-6 hours 18-28 hours 28 hours Human Normally used in combination with a faster-acting insulin to supply proper control at mealtimes Ultra-long moving Lantus 1.1 hours No extremum Changeless concentration over 24 hours Human Injected one time day-to-day at bedtime Mixtures Humulin 50/50 Humulin 70/30 Novolin 70/30 Humalog Mix 75/25 Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies The Numberss refer to per centum of NPH ( 1st figure ) and regular ( 2nd figure ) Available in phials, pen-fill cartridges, and prefilled panpipes 75 % NPL ( a new NPH preparation ) and 25 % lispro ; available in disposable pen. Beginning: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.lifeclinic.com/focus/diabetes/supply_insulin.asp The end of insulin pump therapy is to copy the insulin secernment form which can be seen in people without diabetes. Normally there are two form of insulin release: Basal insulin or background insulin which is continuously released from the beta cells and regulates the glucose production from liver. Bolus insulin, which is insulin released in response to nutrient and controls the glucose alterations after repasts ( 2 ) . There are four types of bolus form which can assist the pumpers to find what is best for any given nutrient and by accommodating the bolus form to their demands, it will better control of blood sugar. Standard bolus.JPGExtended bolus.JPG Combo bolus.JPGSuper bolus.JPGSource: hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin_pump All the graphs show the bolus form in order to find what the best nutrient is should be taken in order to better control of blood sugar. The standard bolus people should take low protein and low fat repasts while extended bolus diabetic covering high fat high protein repasts such as steak, which will be raising blood sugar for many hours past the oncoming of the bolus. Furthermore, those who have combination bolus is appropriate for high fat repasts such as pizza and cocoa bar but the ace bolus people must take certain nutrients ( like sugary breakfast cereals ) which cause a big post-prandial extremum of blood sugar. It attacks the blood sugar extremum with the fastest bringing of insulin that can be practically achieved by pumping. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPLICATION First and first, after being diagnosed as diabetic, some of them can non accept the fact and take some clip to mourn their loss. Some of them might fell depressed for illustration Katherine G who was diagnosed with diabetes and maintain inquiring what had I done incorrect? And wanted to thwack every overweight individual she saw ( 1 ) . They besides worried about the following coevals as Type 1 Diabetes is inherited and acquire stress believing about the complication of diabetes which cause them to utilize wheelchair because has no pess and besides being wheeled in order to utilize the dialysis machine. They may lose their ego regard to confront the universe. Some might be under force per unit area as they have to be strict on their nutrient consumption as they have to follow the diet for diabetic and they need to take a batch of medical specialty and besides injection. In order to acquire the intervention for diabetes, more money has to be disbursement as the pumpers are high in cost. Diabetes impacting the earning or active member of the household affects non merely that single but might frequently hold important consequence on the household. The economic load of diabetes is increasing as the epidemic grows. As per WHO estimates, diabetes drains a important per centum of the wellness budget by cost towards direct diabetes attention and diabetes related disablements. Diabetess associated complications account for 60 % of diabetes related direct wellness attention costs and about 80-90 % of indirect costs. In India, for illustration, the poorest people with diabetes spend an norm of 25 % of their income on private attention. The most that they can pay for are interventions that keep them alive by blunting the highest, rapidly fatal degrees of blood sugar. In 2007, the universe is estimated to pass at least USD 232 billion to handle and forestall dia betes and its complications. By 2025, this lower-bound estimation will transcend USD 302.5 billion ( 11 ) . BENEFIT AND RISK Advantages BEST hbA1c ‘s before the pumpBEST hbA1c ‘s utilizing the pump The graph shows the hbA1C degree before and after utilizing insulin pump. Beginning: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.insulin-pumpers.org/about.shtml The degree of hbA1C lessenings with an norm of 6.3 after utilizing the insulin pump. So, it can take down the hazard of developing long-run complications for case shot, bosom disease, sightlessness, kidney failure and besides amputation. Pumpers have been shown to see lesser episodes of terrible hypoglycemia than those who take injections, including during the dark. Clinical surveies shown that utilizing fast moving insulin, the glucose control can be improved with less hazard of hypoglycemia. Furthermore, the pumper can maintain up-to-date with their day-to-day agenda. They are flexible to travel and free to make what they want for illustration they can maintain on the pump during exerting in the eventide. Insulin pumpers require an extract set alteration merely approximately three times a hebdomad, or 156 interpolations a twelvemonth but the injection can accomplish mean more than 1,400 injection per twelvemonth. Disadvantages An episode of diabetic diabetic acidosis aa‚ ¬ † province of unequal insulin degrees ensuing in high blood force per unit area and accretion of organic acids and ketones in the blood may take topographic point if the pumpers do non have sufficient sum of fast acting insulin for many hours. There is high hazard of infection if the catheter site of cannula has non been changed every three yearss and besides skin reactions such as roseolas may look at the site of cannula. This therapy is really expensive as pumps are high monetary values. By utilizing insulin therapy, the society might cognize that you have diabetes since this is one of the popular ways to bring around it ( 12 ) . Some of diabetic might develop film overing vision shortly after get downing insulin due to a alteration of lens refraction and it will rectify itself within two to three hebdomads ( 13 ) . ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS Diet for diabetics If diabetes people eat excessively much, diabetic control will deteriorate but if they eat excessively small, leads to hypoglycaemia. Carbohydrate must be taken in little sums for aged and sedentary but in big sum for active people like adolescents. This must be taken at chief repasts illustration breakfast, tiffin and dinner ( 13 ) . When taking on empty tummy, intoxicant can take down down the glucose degree. Diabetics should restrict saccharide in liquid signifier as they are quickly absorbed. Furthermore, they should extinguish all refined sugars and starches and must intake a batch of fibre-rich veggies and fruits in their diet. This is because fibers slow down glucose soaking up and prevent high glucose degrees after repasts. They must take protein and restricted ruddy meats and besides trans-fats. Saturated fats must be reduced and take a batch of bosom healthy mono-saturated fats and omega 3. Exerting Peoples, who exercise on a regular basis, when compared to those who do non exert, diminish their opportunity of developing diabetes by 30 to 50 % . Exercise aid by bettering the bodyaa‚ ¬a„?s to utilize insulin and causes cholesterin degree and blood force per unit area to drop ( 14 ) . Aerobic exercising Burnss Calories to assist in pull offing the weight, beef up the bosom and lungs and gives endurance. In other word, it improves the bodyaa‚ ¬a„?s ability to utilize insulin and prevent diabetes. We must make warm up and chill down earlier and after exerting. Take at least 20 proceedingss and three times a hebdomad to exercising. Furthermore exercising can increase the consumption of glucose by musculuss therefore increase in carbohydrate consumption. We must take adequate saccharide before exerting but overdose of saccharide will consequences in hyperglycemia. As diabetes, insulin must be sufficient before and after exercising because strenuous exercisi ng and deficient insulin will decline diabetic control ( 15 ) . Supplement vitamin and herbs Vitamin E helps fade out fresh coagulum in venas and cut down the O demand of tissue and cell. Furthermore, it besides helps to from new tegument ( in mending the ulcer and Burnss ) and increases the blood supply to weave, therefore reduces diabetes sphacelus and amputations. Vitamin E reduces the demand for insulin in 30 % of diabetes ( 16 ) . Biotin is B vitamin that maps in industry and usage of saccharide, fat and amino acids. It enhances insulin sensitiveness and increase the activity of enzyme glucokinase, enzyme responsible for the first measure in the usage of glucose in liver as this enzyme is low in diabetic. It besides helps in the intervention of diabetic neuropathy ( 17 ) . Evaluation

Laboratory Equipment Borrowing System of Lorma Colleges Skills Development Institute Essay

Nowadays, most people tend to search or find things that are easy to work on. We tend to be clingy, trendy, and work things automatically. So, we design you these â€Å"Laboratory Equipment Borrowing System†. It is an automated borrowing system. This offers equipment which you can be borrow or use temporarily ranging from different various equipment or whole laboratory equipment set-up as desire, creating easier process to make life more convenient and efficient. This system project contains all of the current information about the equipment, listed alphabetically by name. The borrowers information records, contact number and its location are installed in these system. The aim of the project is to work out a generic approach of providing a borrowing history and easy access of every equipment items of laboratory. We know that we also deserve an opportunity to understand and need to learn to try new set of things. Therefore, we help to develop and invent such a technological automated system. We will lend the most various tools and laboratory equipment items from our collection. Maintain its services and accessibility that are consistent with the entire school and the entire organization. Laboratory Equipment borrowing system is provided to students and faculties to show them how important are computers and other technologies in teaching and learning processes. One of the main purposes of this study is to help students to become wise and resourceful in terms of project making and other learning methods that are relevant to them. In short â€Å"Technology makes the work easy†. This documentation will only concentrate in the computer laboratory of Equipment borrowing system. Particularly the Organizational Set up and Operation, Machine set up Configuration and Structure, and the Layout of Facilities and configuration. And this study aimed to design laboratory management software to effectively manage equipment maintenance, borrowing and returning, failure analysis, inventory, scheduling, and flexible report generation process. The development strategies used in the project analysis, design and development include a thorough analysis and evaluation of both the existing and the first prototype of the proposed system. The software is also very acceptable in gaining real time visibility in equipment inventory, maintenance and borrowing and returning, and that it is also very acceptable in providing reports at the same time provide history recording of the different processes available. Laboratory Equipment borrowing system are instrument used in laboratory where the students conducted their experiment. The Laboratory Equipment borrowing system placed in a storage room intended for Laboratory Equipment borrowing system only which is organize and manage by the authorized personnel. The staffs in this room are responsible for taking care of the Equipment; they are obliged to pay it when something is missing. In order to avoid this obligation they are careful and wise enough to have a list of all apparatus in the storage. This list is their references on how many Equipment they have. The staffs also are responsible to take in charge of the Equipment that was borrowed by the students. The students can lend Equipment for their academic purposes provided with their instructor consents. The students also are responsible to take care of it and return it on time. Failure to do the condition will be given a sanction. This system designed and developed to solve the problem associated with the handling of laboratory equipment. The study is targeted to develop an effective and efficient system that will aid the company. The system is called Laboratory Equipment Borrowing System, which is basically monitors the equipment that have been taken out of the department and was use by borrower, provides a complete list of equipment that are available inside the Laboratory, creates a daily, weekly, monthly, semesterly and yearly report of personnel who borrows the equipment, creates an interface or form for the users/borrowers and admins to work on with. For what we have observed in the past years, most of the institution still uses the manual documentation, inventory, and request. Where the borrower will have to write all the items to be borrow on a logbook, while the custodian verifies and validates the items borrowed, by this kind of method, it might cause a lot of mistakes and it consumes a lot of time, while with an electronic type of logging in and validation of borrowed items, makes the borrowing more easy and quick, it benefits the custodian and the borrower. Checking of available items, will be more easy not like the manual, where the custodian will have to look at first the equipment and validate if its reserved for future event or if it’s not available for that day, while the electronic type of borrowing system, makes it more faster, because the custodian will just have to check on the computer it will show immediately if its available and how many are there available on the laboratory. When it comes to end of the month there will be a monthly report of the laboratory, where the custodian will have to compile every records of the borrowed equipment of the previous month, this will cost the custodian a great time, manually checks, compile and validate the records and he/she will have to encode and print a report, while if the custodian will use a Borrowing system he will just click a button, validate the equipment and print the report and he’s done, effective and efficient. In the United States of America, there is one university which we may call it reference of our study and system. The Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland, where there is a completely student-run group devoted to promoting musical theater and they are named Footlighters, and they have the â€Å"S. L. E. B. S. † namely Sound and Light Equipment Borrowing System. The Footlighters have sound and lighting equipment that is available for CWRU USG, recognized student organizations to borrow for on-campus events, they have established their own policies, procedures and even a online borrowing form for the request of the equipment, and they can even request thru their website. Their procedure on borrowing equipment first is the equipment may only be borrowed by a properly trained individual on behalf of CWRU USG-recognized student organization of which he or she is a current active member. The equipment is available on a first-come, first-served basis. While the Footlighters will make every attempt to keep the reservations calendar current, no request is guaranteed until the Footlighters send a notification that the reservation has been confirmed. The requests for use of the equipment must be submitted at least 10 days in advance of the event, to allow sufficient time processing. They also have their own sanctions and can implement their own penalties on borrowers who made some violations on their borrowing rules. Here in Philippines, there is one particular school that offers the same concept like what we are currently studying, in Damarinas, Cavites, and the name of the school is De La Salle University-Dasmarinas. They have also their own guidelines in reservation of equipment and procedures to follow on borrowing and returning laboratory equipment. Their method is semi manual and automated, because students and faculties can have the form thru their own website and the half of that will be processed upon arriving in the laboratory. They also offer various equipment like, Laptop, Multimedia Projector, Projection Screen, Television, DVD Player ,etc. Their own system also manifest its own limitation, such as like schedule of borrowing, quicker checking of availability of equipment and complete documentation. Despite of the limitations on their system of borrow it still functioning state. As a student, one of our requirements in our course is to develop and study a system and be able to defend at the end of the school year. Here in Lorma Colleges, in the class of CPRO215 – System Development I a group of 4 is assigned to develop a system namely Laboratory Equipment Borrowing System – Skills Development Institute. The system will be a GUI based system, with user registration and Log-in system, inventory system, reservation system, monthly report features and printing functions. We are in cooperation of SDI and main prospect in making our system. Their Computer Laboratory will be our base location of innovation to develop improvements in their way of lending equipment to faculties and students of Lorma Colleges.

Iron Crowned Chapter 25

â€Å"Ow.† I squeezed my eyes shut as another wave of nausea rolled through me. Control, control. A few deep breaths later, I opened my eyes and met Dorian's gaze. â€Å"Unexpected,† he said in that dry way of his. â€Å"And unwelcome.† I sat at the base of his throne in the banquet hall, which was packed. It must have been mealtime, but no one was paying attention to the food. They were all on their feet, staring at the evening entertainment that had literally dropped into their midst. I peered around, wondering how I'd been drawn to this spot and then found it – the Slinky I'd left here as my anchor. It had once had its own little room, but now sat on a table beside Dorian's throne, one he kept small treasures and knickknacks on to amuse him when holding court. Odd placement. There was no time to ponder that, though. I turned to Jasmine who looked as disoriented and sick as I felt but didn't seem to have suffered any permanent damage. Her body and soul were intact, which was what counted. I looked back at Dorian and tried to stand up, but my legs gave way beneath me. I started to fall and clutched his robe instinctively. Jasmine, with surprising speed, moved in to catch my arm and steady me. â€Å"Hospitality,† I gasped out. â€Å"Please.† Dorian's unwelcome comment had been a reminder that I currently didn't have hospitality and that I was technically trespassing and fully vulnerable to attack within his walls. Yet, the fact that I hadn't already been removed was a good sign, and though his expression more or less remained unchanged, there was a spark of curiosity in his eyes. He couldn't ignore me on my knees, begging him for protection. Not yet. No matter how angry he was at me, this kind of novelty was too irresistible for his nature. He started to speak, undoubtedly ready with some witty quip, but was interrupted when Jasmine clutched at him and added her pleas to mine. â€Å"Please. Give us your protection. Hurry!† Dorian frowned, no longer able to hide his curiosity and surprise. â€Å"The daughters of Storm King, begging me for help after one made it quite clear she didn't ever want to see me again. Do tell me why I shouldn't have you thrown out or imprisoned.† He paused thoughtfully. â€Å"Or ransomed back to your own people. Quite a profit there, I imagine.† â€Å"Dorian – † I began. Suddenly, there was a commotion at the hall's entrance. A cluster of Dorian's guards appeared – with Kiyo between them. I wasn't surprised he'd showed up so quickly. My mark would have led him right to me, and while he couldn't jump directly into Dorian's castle, he'd probably crossed over right in front of the gates. â€Å"Sire,† said one of the guards. â€Å"He seeks entrance – â€Å" Kiyo wore that fierce, raging expression, and no one in that room could have any doubt that he was there ready for battle. Dorian's guards certainly had picked up on it, and they closed ranks as he strode forward. I had a feeling Kiyo wanted to fight right through them, but reason and self-control held him at bay – for now. Meanwhile, at the sight of him, I managed to make my legs work again and scrambled to my feet. Jasmine grasped my hand, helping me rise, and as one, we backed up slightly so that we stood in line with Dorian. The world reeled a little, but I refused to show my weakness. I would not faint. â€Å"Get rid of him,† I said, trying not to sound hysterical. â€Å"Deny him hospitality and throw him out.† â€Å"She's an outcast here,† growled Kiyo, fists clenched. â€Å"And this has nothing to do with you. Send her away.† Tension and silence filled the space between all of us, and all eyes swiveled to Dorian. Neither Kiyo nor I – nor Jasmine, for that matter – had hospitality and protection within Dorian's household at the moment. We had no guarantees of safety. Hell, if Kiyo decided to attack me right now, no one had to intervene. We would be a great dinner show. I wondered how good a defense Jasmine and I could put up, if it would be enough to give us a chance to escape to my own land if Dorian wouldn't help us. I could guess Dorian's thoughts – or rather, his confusion. That Kiyo would be on the verge of killing me made no sense. Asking why would go against Dorian's natural, all-knowing fa;ade. Plus, Kiyo and I weren't his favorite people right now. Giving in to either of us meant a concession Dorian didn't want to make. â€Å"Hail to you!† An unexpected, raspy voice made me jump, and even Dorian flinched a little. From the crowd, Masthera had emerged, her white hair streaming behind her and eyes as wide as ever. She came forward with purpose and – to my total astonishment – fell onto her knees before me. She stared up at me, and I expected that usual scattered and crazy look. Instead, I saw awe and rapture. Worship, even. â€Å"Hail to you, Queen of Rowan and Thorn. Hail to you, bringer of life, bringer of life. I see it – I see the life growing within you, the mother who will fulfill the prophecy!† She reached a skeletal hand toward my stomach, and I jerked away from her grasp. â€Å"Don't touch me!† I exclaimed. â€Å"I see it,† she cried. â€Å"You shine, Queen of Rowan and Thorn. You carry the heir. You shine with it.† â€Å"Dorian!† exclaimed Kiyo, drawing our attention back. His expression had grown dark at Masthera's words. Full disclosure was the last thing he wanted. â€Å"Give her to me! Stay out of this!† I again looked pleadingly at Dorian. â€Å"He's going to try to kill me,† I said. â€Å"If you throw me out, he and Maiwenn will come after me. Please give us your hospitality.† Dorian – like most everyone in the hall – had been left dumbstruck by Masthera's proclamation. Dorian forcibly schooled his face back to neutrality, but the gaze he turned on me was so heavy and penetrating that I was nearly knocked to my knees again. â€Å"Is it true?† he asked in a low voice that probably only Jasmine heard. â€Å"Are you pregnant?† There was no point in lying or pretending. I gave a swift nod. His next question nearly broke my heart. He tried so hard to keep his voice level and strong, but I heard the break in it, the longing and desperation. â€Å"Is it – is there any chance – is it – â€Å" He couldn't finish but didn't need to. He wanted to know if he was the father. A million thoughts raced through my head. Would things have been different if we'd actually had intercourse the last time we were together? Would I have gotten pregnant with his child, instead of Kiyo's? Maybe. Maybe not. Sex didn't always lead to pregnancy, especially with the gentry. I could still have ended up with Kiyo's babies or been left with a talk show?Cworthy paternity dispute. If Dorian had been the one to get me pregnant, my future would have been signed and sealed. He would have moved heaven and earth to keep me safe. As it was, I probably could have lied now. The gentry had no paternity tests. That would have simplified things – but I couldn't do it. â€Å"No,† I said softly. Dorian's features stilled, and a surprising wave of regret and sorrow filled me in response to the cavalcade of emotions that had to be going through him as well. He had no reason to help me, not after what he saw as my betrayal. And certainly not with me carrying another man's children. â€Å"Please,† said Jasmine. Her blue-gray eyes were large and desperate. I'd never seen her so humble and meek. And I'd certainly never expected to see it on my behalf. â€Å"Please help us. Please give us your hospitality. Your Majesty.† My eyes were still locked with Dorian's, my heart still breaking over the hurt I'd caused him. Off to the side, I heard Kiyo warn Dorian again, â€Å"This is between Eugenie and me. Give her to me, and this ends. If you don't, Maiwenn and God knows who else will get involved.† â€Å"I'm sorry,† I said to Dorian, my voice barely audible. â€Å"I'm so sorry.† â€Å"Please,† Jasmine repeated, nearly on the verge of tears now. â€Å"Hospitality.† The whole world hinged on Dorian. No one breathed. Then, abruptly, he turned away from me. â€Å"Granted,† he said crisply. â€Å"The daughters of Storm King are under my protection. Remove the kitsune, and do not allow him entrance again.† The guards were in motion almost before Dorian finished speaking. More had slipped into the room in the last minute or so, and it was a good thing too. Kiyo fought against all of them as they laid hands on him and began dragging him backward. They made little progress, so great were his struggles He was strong, so insanely strong, and it scared me to think what would have happened if I'd been left to him in my weakened state. â€Å"Dorian!† roared Kiyo, still fighting against the guards' grip. â€Å"Don't do this! You'll regret it!† Dorian had returned to his normal laconic persona. â€Å"You will address me as ‘King Dorian' or ‘Your Majesty,'† he replied. â€Å"And you will not disobey my orders within my home.† The floor trembled, and I heard a gasp from those gathered. Uneasily, I remembered an idle comment Dorian had once made, about how he could bring the castle down around us if he wanted to. The walls stayed intact, however, but a large section of the stone floor ripped up, eliciting more cries of fear. Before my eyes, the slab of stone morphed and stretched, then flew through the air toward Kiyo. It wrapped itself around his torso, enclosing his arms in a sort of magical strait-jacket. Kiyo, unsurprisingly, stopped struggling, but his shouts didn't cease. â€Å"Eugenie! You don't know what you're doing! This isn't over! Eugenie!† â€Å"Get him out,† said Dorian coldly. â€Å"Now. If he resists again or changes form, kill him.† The guards hurried to obey while Kiyo continued yelling his outrage at me, Dorian, and the world. I hoped they moved fast because Dorian had had a point. If Kiyo transformed into a fox, he'd slip out of his stone prison. Of course, he'd have to transform into a small fox, which would do little harm, but still. It would be a lot better for all of us once Kiyo was outside the walls. The guards must have succeeded because no more commotion followed. Jasmine turned to Dorian. â€Å"You should have killed him anyway,† she said flatly. Her standard response. The ghost of a smile flickered across Dorian's lips, though his eyes were still hard. â€Å"You're nearly as delightful as your sister,† he observed. â€Å"No matter how displeased I am at the two of you right now, I admit, things will certainly be entertaining with you around. And they will become very entertaining soon.† That was directed at me. â€Å"If you think you brought a war down before, you haven't seen anything yet, my dear. You've caused me quite a bit of trouble.† I barely heard him. The adrenaline was fast fading from my body, and all the pain from fighting with Kiyo and then doing the forced transition began returning. I felt sick, and my surroundings were spinning once again. â€Å"Sorry,† I managed to say to Dorian, just before collapsing.