What The Hell Was That Michelle - 1190 Words

What the hell was that, Michelle? Michelle was rolling her eyes before she was even fully conscious. She opened them and saw her instructor or commander standing over her, his bulky silhouette framed by a high ceiling light which made an annoying whining sound as it drew power from the underground generator. The image was slightly blurred, so she blinked her eyes a couple of times to clear her vision. Her instructor was not a generally happy person. He was intimidating enough, with perpetual frown creases on his face, dark eyes, military hair, and muscles that screamed I m an impressive guy and you d better be scared of me. At least, that s what they screamed to Michelle. And when he was mad, he really was pretty scary. I told†¦show more content†¦The mission was already a success, you said so yourself, and I figured instead of just disappearing and waking up here, I ought to do something that would make a difference. That choice would ve saved hundreds of our soldiers in a real battle, and I think that s worth losing me for, don t you? I thought you were supposed to teach us battle strategy, sir, not just how to accomplish our mission and run away. With that, Michelle stalked out of the room, her green eyes flashing at anyone who tried to stop her. The instructor stood where she d left him in the center of the room. Usually, he would punish one of his pupils for such a blatant disregard of his orders, and certainly for back talking him like that, but she d had a point. He couldn t deny the bravery of what Michelle had done, risking her own life for the good of everyone else, and her resourcefulness was impressive. He scratched his scruffy chin, as a bit of debris rained down on him from the ceiling. He would have to have a private talk with Michelle later. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Michelle kicked the metal chest of drawers in the corner of her bunk in the compound. That had been her first mission in weeks, her first chance to even see above ground in a month, at least, and she d blown it. She d thought she d been being clever, but insubordination, was insubordination, and deliberately disobeying orders was like high treason. She sighed and plopped herself down on

To Build or Not to Build Free Essays

In the summer of 2005, Hurricane Katrina unleashed what resulted in a widespread devastation wreaked on the city of New Orleans. New Orleans—the colorful, zealous Mississippi Delta city, home to world-renowned restaurants, jazz and blues’ clubs, and universities, saw many of its neighborhoods flooded, even washed away by Katrina’s strong waters that breached the barrier of its levees. The extent of this catastrophe has triggered fierce debate over how the city should be rebuilt; taking into consideration the city’s population shift, economic emergency, and continued below sea-level vulnerability. We will write a custom essay sample on To Build or Not to Build or any similar topic only for you Order Now Actually, there are some who think that the potential for a similar disaster in the future begs the question whether the city should be rebuilt at all. I personally believe that New Orleans deserves to be rebuilt. As stated before, the continued below sea-level vulnerability is one of the major issues taken into consideration when debating whether or not to rebuild the city. Some may argue that the river that flooded New Orleans is a savage, untamable beast; aloof and unappeasable, with no heart except for its own task (Document A). However, the city has fought its mighty river for generations. The river is simply part of the New Orleans heritage, and is simply nothing new to its residents. This river is the same river that helped impregnate and vitalize the soil of early settlers. The austere beauty of the river itself is in fact too grand to be forgotten; and too awe striking to be completely omitted from New Orleans’ history and then categorized into a monster whose damage is underserving of man’s repair. Normally when tourists or first-time residents come to New Orleans, they have a difficult time understanding the city. Even a prolonged stay brings no easy recognition or familiarity. New Orleans history of different cultures, ethnicities and traditions that can help explain the city’s atmosphere. You can say that diversity is birthed out of this bustling city’s loins. From jazz to rock and roll, Creole cooking, Mardi Gras, or the architecture of the French Quarter, all play as elements of New Orleans (Document B). All of these elements possess an astounding liveliness that has spoken to people around the world and shaped much of the best of what we think of still as American culture. Though many may argue that it is nearly impossible to recreate traditions that have been deracinated by the unfortunate inevitable, it is safe to say that it is not the St. Louis Cathedral, nor Jackson Square, nor King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band that makes the city the landmark that it is. It is the spirit of vigor and robustness that lies in the city streets that drives the indescribable, potent energy its visitors and residents feel daily. The same spirit that the people had was present as they confronted Katrina. Peering into the eye of the storm, this spirit faced the storm unafraid; knowing the storm would potentially consume their past and future, New Orleans’ present spirit is stronger than the storm (Document D). To the people who possess this type of spirit, having faith is an understatement. New Orleans should be rebuilt because its culture is more than just for the â€Å"tourists’ eye†. The city represents antiquity. It represents some sort of security. It represents home. Not only does the city represent home for many, it also has a present national commercial value. Its ports are continuously a pulse-point for commerce in Iowa and the rest of the country. Many argue that the levee system is ineffective, and will not be intact for possibly another twenty years or so. Therefore, why rebuild a city when there is a chance that another disaster will strike again, and there is nothing in the government’s economic interest to help prevent future predicaments? Document C) Yes—the opposing side holds a nearly infallible argument. However, one must consider the billions of dollars’ worth of work put into these ports. Yes, economically New Orleans is suffering. But the future of the nation’s economy as a whole can be in grave jeopardy if commerce is discontinued. New Orleans must be rebuilt. Shortage of ideas on how to rebuild the city is no issue; but rather the dedication to get it done. In closing, urban recove ry is more than just putting bricks and cement together, mortar and asphalt, or bytes and electricity. It is about reconstructing the innumerable social relations entrenched in schools, workplaces, childcare, arrangements, shops, places of worship, and places of play and recreation. It is not about restoring New Orleans’ authenticity. It is about preparing an atmosphere that is welcoming and accommodated enthusiastically to former residents (Document E). New Orleans may never look exactly the same ever again. But its people deserve to feel the way they first felt about the city when they first encountered it; and how can you place a price upon falling in love? How to cite To Build or Not to Build, Papers

The Question of Ideology in Amitav Ghoshs the Hungry Tide free essay sample

The Question of Ideology in Amitav Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide The stalwarts of Indian writing in English like Salman Rushdie, Khushwant Singh, Mukul Kesavan, Vikram Chandra, Amitav Ghosh and the like, are writing in a postcolonial space using novel as a means of cultural representation. Their novels are generally assumed to be engaged in postcolonial consciousness but a close study of the thematic range proves that the novels also attempt to universalized humanistic gesture, for human nature and social relationships are as important as the interplay of power and national relationships.Twentieth century novelists were preoccupied with the historic past and the unabated interest of the readers in the novels that depicted the past or that treated some event of national importance having wide repercussions, like the freedom struggle of India. The countrymen’s vitality and their devotion to the cause were amply reflected in the novels of Raja Rao, Mulk Raj Anand and K. We will write a custom essay sample on The Question of Ideology in Amitav Ghoshs the Hungry Tide or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page A. Abbas in the 1930s and the 1940s; but the most historical event of our age, as is evident from the writings of the Indo-English novelists, was the partition of the Indian subcontinent by the English rulers in the year 1947.The Hindu-Muslim religious and political difference climaxed with this event which led to widespread disturbances. Many novels were written on the theme of Partition, the destruction it brought and the plight of the refugees; but a novel is never a mere recapitulation of historical events. To call Amitav Ghosh’s novel as mere political allegory would be facile. Instead what Ghosh shows is the impact of politics on the lives of ordinary people and human relationships. To do that he uses the historical events as raw material in his novels and The Hungry Tide is one such novel Ghosh wrote at the peak of his powers. This novel is limited to quite a narrow geographical area, i. e. , to the Sunderbans in the Bay of Bengal, and perhaps by extension Bengal, and the novelist does this on purpose. He wants to throw some light on this tidal country of darkness that is little known within India, even within Bengal. In The Hungry Tide, the various intertwining character-plots revolve around mainly two conceptual plots.The first explores the plight of the displaced people, here specifically a group of refugees from Bangladesh who found themselves in a confrontation with the Indian Government. The other conceptual plot questions how humans share a complex and dangerous ecosystem with animals like dolphins, tigers and crocodiles in the Sunderbans. Both these plots can be assessed from the ideological point of view but the first one bears a more distinct connection to the question of ideology. The undercurrent of ideological conflict in Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide is a very interesting area of study.Although some scholars have talked briefly about this issue in their respective papers, it has not yet been the central focus of any published research paper on the novel. Here, the present reader will try to address the question of ideology in Amitav Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide. At the outset, it is important to define ‘ideology’ that has become a key concept in Marxist criticism of literature and other arts, though it was not much discussed by Marx and Engels after The German Ideology which they wrote jointly in 1845-’46.Marx inherited the term from F rench philosophers of the late eighteenth century who used it to designate the study of the way that all general concepts develop from sense-perceptions. In Marxist criticism it is claimed that Human consciousness is constituted by an ideology – that is, the beliefs, values, and ways of thinking and feeling through which human beings perceive, and by recourse to which they explain, what they take to be reality.An ideology is, in complex ways, the product of the position and interests of a particular class. In any historical era, the dominant ideology embodies, and serves to legitimize and perpetuate, the interests of the dominant economic and social class†¦ In its distinctively Marxist use, the reigning ideology in any era is conceived to be, ultimately, the product of its economic structure and the resulting class-relations and class-interests.In a famed architectural metaphor, Marx represented ideology as a ‘superstructure’ of which the concurrent socioeconomic system is the ‘base’. Friedrich Engels described ideology as ‘a false consciousness,’ and many later Marxists consider it to be constituted largely by unconscious prepossessions that are illusory, in contrast to the ‘scientific’ (that is, Marxist) knowledge of the economic determinants, historical evolution, and present constitution of the social world.

Successful Points Of The Ancient Chinese Civilization Essays

Successful Points Of The Ancient Chinese Civilization SUCCESSFUL POINTS OF THE ANCIENT CHINESE CIVILIZATION The Ancient Chinese civilization went through a series of successful social affairs as well as a series of social disarray. Each Dynasty resulted in slightly different reforms, but it seems as though the overall Chinese population held the same general beliefs on such things as family, education and the civilization as a whole. I believe that these morals are what really held the Chinese civilization together in times of conflict and political division. FAMILY A Chinese family was traditionally very large. It was what would be called an extensive family today. The grandparents, parents, and children of one family all lived together. It was considered a sign of good luck and happiness, if five generations lived together at one time. In Ancient China, the family was a strict hierarchy: father sons (oldest to youngest) mother daughters (oldest to youngest) Being the ruler in his home, the father assigned his childrens careers, determined their education, arranged their marriages, gave rewards or punishments, and controlled the family finances. Every family member gave their earnings to the father, who then decided how to redistribute the money. EDUCATION The Chinese have always respected and stressed learning. All parents tried to give their sons, rather than daughters, the best education possible. In poor families, boys were usually trained from early childhood to do the same jobs as their fathers. At times, however, extremely intelligent boys were able to attend school if a rich relative or group of neighbors agreed to help pay the fees. Boys from wealthy families could either attend school or choose to learn from a private tutor in their own homes. Girls from wealthy families might also learn at home from a tutor. Otherwise, she would learn domestic tasks from her mother, such as sewing and embroidery. The main goal of schools was to train boys to be able to become a government official. However, it was not easy to enter the government due to the difficult exams that must be passed. As a result, boys started to prepare early, and began their education at the age of eight or nine. All students had to learn and memorize the important texts that Confucious used in his teachings. DYNASTIES Although there were several different Dynasties during the Ancient Chinese era, they each flourished with the different achievements of the Chinese culture. The Han Dynasty During this period, records were kept, enabling us to learn more about this exciting time. Han strengths included mathematics, geography, and astronomy which led to technological advancements. These advancements led to inventions such as the magnetic compass and the sternpost rudder. Iron came into use, aiding the improvement of agricultural practices, which in turn helped produce sufficient amounts of food to supply the growing urban population. The Tang Dynasty The Tang emperors focused on giving back to the peasants. They adopted the equal field system which entitled the state to fertile land only after the death of the peasant owner. The state then turned and reassigned the land to another worthy adult peasant for their needs and resources. Also during this period, Chinese culture began to influence Japan due to successful foreign affairs. The Song Dynasty The Song rulers aggressively promoted the use of the previous dynasties innovations. The use of printing was encouraged. The revolution of irrigation was made by the water pump and the spiral worm-drive for liquids. This made mining less difficult and of course aided in the general field of agriculture. As stated before, it seems as though the general Chinese civilization had firm beliefs and morals within the family and from those beliefs the population simply lived their lives. Although they did go through several different dynasties and social/ political reforms, the basis of family and education remained constant, forming a firm faith of the two elements. History Essays

I Do Not Believe in Ghosts Essays

I Do Not Believe in Ghosts Essays I Do Not Believe in Ghosts Essay I Do Not Believe in Ghosts Essay I do not believe in ghosts When I was little I lived in a house that was haunted. Wait don’t go! I know, I know, this subject is tired. The thing is I don’t even believe in ghosts. At least that is what I tell myself now, but back then I’m telling you that house was haunted. We moved there when I was in first grade and the first time I saw it, I started crying. Something about the house just seemed wrong. It was â€Å"pretty†, but it gave me a really ugly feeling. All sorts of weird, creepy, and inexplicable things would happen there. We had three dogs when we lived there, two of them ran away, and one went crazy and couldn’t live with us anymore. We had rabbits and they all died. We stopped getting pets. The toilet would flush itself. Once, I was talking back to my mom and she told me to stop or God would punish me and I said something along the lines of â€Å"yeah, right† and then the ground shook. I kid you not there was an earthquake, but no one except my mother and I felt it. Apparently, only our house shook. Another time, my brother who was an infant at the time was in his bassinet under a lamp that was hanging from the ceiling. I looked at my mother and told her she shouldn’t put him there because that lamp was going to fall on him. I walked over and moved the bassinet and as soon as I moved him the lamp fell. Crazy! It makes no sense to me that I have such clear memories of this house that was seemingly possessed and yet, I do not believe in ghosts. Do you?

Learning the Importance of Breakeven Point Analysis

Learning the Importance of Breakeven Point Analysis Breakeven point analysis is a very important tool, especially if you are preparing a business plan, to figure out the volume of sales your arts and crafts business needs to make in order to cover both your variable and fixed costs. At breakeven point, your arts and crafts business has made or lost no money. This is important info for you, the business owner, as you have to be able to handcraft your arts and crafts items at a price that your customers will pay while still providing an adequate amount of income to cover your personal living expenses. Once you get the hang of it you will find it quick and easy to figure breakeven point using an Excel spreadsheet. Breakeven Point by Item or Entire Business When discussing breakeven point analysis with clients, the goal is to figure it for either their entire business or by-product. While its more difficult to figure breakeven point for every item you make (this is more of a job costing extravaganza), its not impossible. Later on, well show you how to do a rough breakeven by item. Exploring Breakeven Point Analysis Consider the following scenario: One day a potential client walks through the office door, who is wondering whether they should go ahead and open an arts and crafts business. The clients main concern is whether they will be able to cover all their business costs. They also want to know how many arts and crafts items they will have to sell to pay themselves a certain amount of income each month. They have done their preliminary research, including lining up raw materials suppliers and getting price lists from those suppliers. Importantly, they have also found out what they need to do to become a wholesale customer of the suppliers and discount terms. The craft business owners have also made prototypes of the items to get an idea of how much raw material will be needed if the business goes into production mode. Walking Through Breakeven Point Facts Using a handy-dandy spreadsheet program, were going to present a step-by-step guide to breakeven point analysis for our fictitious new arts and crafts client - Oak Desk Clocks, Inc. Before we set up breakeven point analysis for them, we need some basic cost facts and figures: Variable expenses are those expenses that are tied to the number of units sold. For each clock that Oak Desk Clocks, Inc. makes they figure there is a cost of $25.00 for the combined total of material and labor.Fixed expenses are those expenses that do not change based upon the increases or decreases in the sales of your desks. A very good example of this is rent expense. Oak Desk Clocks lease calls for a monthly rent payment of $1,000. So, no matter if Oak Desk Clocks sells one clock or a million, the company is still responsible for the fixed amount ($1,000) in rent payments each month. Setting Up Breakeven Point Analysis Shown below are the initial entries we plan to make into a breakeven point spreadsheet for Oak Desk Clocks, Inc. None of these entries require any formulas - these are just the assumptions the owners of Oak Desk Clocks have made based upon their research into the clock-making industry. Sales price per clock is $35.00 with an expected increase in sales price of 10% per year.Variable costs per clock are $25.00 with an expected increase in the price of raw materials and labor of 5% per year.Fixed costs per year are $75,000, which Oak Desk Clocks feels will remain constant over the next five years.Advertising expense of $15,000 will be a major expense in the first year of business but should decrease by 12% each year over the next five years.

Strategics Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strategics Management - Research Paper Example The following table presents SWOT analysis of Kellogg in the competitive environment Considering the Strength, Kellogg has its presence in 17 countries and its product is being marketed across the globe. Since the company has established esteemed international operations, it can enjoy the cost and tax incentives of the other countries. In addition, the company also displays distinguished financial credibility and its shares are listed on one of the biggest stock exchanges of the world. A sound financial outlook always attracts investors to invest in the operations of an organization. Kellogg can easily raise capital by issuing new shares in the stock market and it can certainly be expected that the issue would be completely subscribed. Another source through which the company can raise finance for the expansion of its operation is through debt. Banks and financial institutions are likely to sanctions credit facilities to companies having credible financial outlook. The only weakness that is apparent from the ongoing operations of the company is that Kellogg has not updated its product line with the passage of time. Its production line still contains items that were originally developed over 50 years ago. Regarding the threats, the company faces fierce competition from several firms in the food industry who possess the volume and potential to outcast the company by introducing more sophisticated products and ingenious production strategies. Apart from that, the company also faces threats from store brand products which are cheaper to sell for the retailers. In addition to the discussed, it appears that the company has placed too much reliance on the discount merchandisers. These giant stores have the potential of exerting pressure on the company’s margin and forcing them to sale their products on lower prices. In the recent past, the company has started incurring expenditure in making its food items more nutritious and healthy. Kellogg is one of the first one to use the oil to lower levels of trans fat and unsaturated fats in its products. This venture can prove to be full of opportunities for the company. The company earns 66% of its revenue from the North America, and since the recent demographic studies suggests that people are becoming more diet conscious due to the prevailing obesity related disease, Kellogg’s investment in the modified and nutrition enriched food products is likely to reaps positive results. (b) Porter’s five forces model is an effective tool in exploring the competitive forces of the environment in which the organization operates. It allows the business to critically analyze its current business strategy and formulate one which can allow it to achieve a competitive position in the market. The first competitive force according to the model is the entry of new competitors into the market. New entrants might be able to capture some of the market share of Kellogg and will adversely affect the profit ability. With the implementation of sophisticated data gathering software, Kellogg can repel this threat to its business. The sales department can maintain a database of the orders which can significantly assist in identifying which product is most popular among the customers. This information can

The Inclusion of Traveller Pupils - Raising Achievements Essay

The Inclusion of Traveller Pupils - Raising Achievements - Essay Example Increasing mainstream access is an important goal† (cited in Rayner 2007: 35). While there are a lot of various definitions of educational inclusion, this concept is always understood in the context of an ideology of social justice, namely in the context of the principle of equity in education. Inclusive education may be viewed as equal education for all pupils who come to school, regardless of a range of student characteristics, including â€Å"class, race, ethnicity, sexuality, perceived level of ability or disability, or age† (Rayner 2007: 36). OFSTED (2000) adds that it is for the most part about the provision made for and the achievement of different groups of pupils within a school, including â€Å"minority ethnic and faith groups, Travellers, asylum seekers and refugees† (p.4). However, equity in education should not be understood as â€Å"treating all pupils in the same way†, rather it involves â€Å"taking account of pupils’ varied life exp eriences and needs† (OFSTED 2000: 7). ... The recent evolution of inclusion within the British educational system started in 1997, when the New Labour came to power. In 2000 a revised National Curriculum was designed to â€Å"secure for all pupils †¦an entitlement to a number of areas of learning and to develop knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes necessary for their self-fulfilment as active and responsible citizens† (Hodkinson and Vickerman 2009: 74). This Curriculum 2000 is intended to be a curriculum for all as of right (Clough 1988: 11), and it is based upon three core principles: (1) setting suitable learning challenges; (2) responding to pupils’ diverse learning needs; (3) overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of pupils (QCDA online). During the recent decade, significant changes in policies and practices aimed at the development of inclusive education have occurred. It is widely recognised that there are many benefits of children when they rec eive an inclusive education. The most important of these benefits have been documented by Moore (2009: 22-23) on the basis of analysis of recent research. They are: Increasing of growth in social skills of children as a result of their socialising with similar age peers. Forming a better sense of belonging, this is considered to have a great impact on achievement a sense of self-worth and performance in society. Exercising a basic right to be educated with peers and to participate in all facets of childhood and school setting on equal terms with other pupils. Minimising an effect of labelling that is very important in terms of maturation and development of a child’s performance. Learning and forming a positive feeling about others who have differences in lifestyle, race, customs and traditions.

Key pieces of legislations promotion Essay Example for Free

Key pieces of legislations promotion Essay Places a duty for schools to produce a Disability Equality Scheme (DES) and an Access Plan. Schools must encourage participation in all aspects of school life and eliminate harassment and unlawful discrimination Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 Ensure to develop the good relationship between organizations and people. Human Rights Act 1998 Set out the rights of the individuals and guide them how to take action against the authorities if these rights are effected Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 Makes it unlawful for educational providers to discriminate against pupils with a special educational need or a disability Children Act 1989 Sets out the duty of local authorities (including schools) to provide services according to the needs of children and to ensure their safety and welfare Education Act 1996 Sets out the school’s responsibilities towards children with special educational needs. The Act also requires schools to provide additional resources, equipment and / or additional support to meet their needs Children Act 2004 Sets out the duty to provide effective and accessible services for all children and underpins the Every Child Matters outcomes Equality Act 2010 Sets out the legal responsibilities of public bodies, including schools, to provide equality of opportunity for all citizens. This brings together nine equality laws Table B: Code of Practice about promotion of equality and valuing of diversity Code of Practice Purposes The special educational needs code of practice 2001 This code outlines the statutory guidance for policy and the procedures and responsibilities

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Essay -- American History

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass In learning about the history of America from the colonization to the reconstruction I decided to read The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass. Frederick was one of the very few literate slaves. He was an incredibly important character in American and African-American history. Though he was blessed with intelligence most slaves were not, he still lived the same kind of life of the typical slave. Fredrick Douglas was born in Maryland; he does not know the date of his birth, as did most slaves. He never really had a chance to know his mother, only having seen her four or five times. Fredrick taught himself how to read and write despite it being against his slave-owners wishes. He could not let his knowledge be known to anyone except for other slaves. Fredrick saw his knowledge of words both as a blessing and a curse. White men were given supreme power over their black slaves and it corrupted their character. Most African Americans of the early to mid-nineteenth century experienced slavery on plantations similar to the experiences described by Frederick Douglass; the majority of slaves lived on units owned by planters who had twenty or more slaves. The planters and the white masters of these agrarian communities sought to ensure their personal safety and the profitability of their enterprises by using all the tactics-physical and psychological-at their command to make slaves obedient. Even Christianity was manipulated in a way that masters communicated to their slaves that God had commanded them to obey their masters. People like Frederick Douglass who preached abolition of slavery, only had to nurture the already existing spirit within slaves to strive for freedom. Only a tiny fraction of all slaves ever took part in organized acts of violent resistance against white power. Most realized as Frederick Douglass did that the odds against a successful revolt were very high, and bitter experience had shown them that the usual outcome was death to the rebels. Consequently, they devised safer ways to resist white dominance. For Frederick Douglass, it was clear that his way of fighting the power was to become educated so that he may better understand his situation. However, he described that knowing that: "wit†¦[was] the pathway from slavery to freedom." (Pg. 20) "†¦Reading†¦ enabled me to utter my thoughts, and... ...obey his master-to do as he is told to do." (Pg. 57) He was referring to the wrongfulness of his wife's attempt to educate Frederick Douglass. This was the view held by most whites toward African Americans. Consequently, other adjectives such as: lazy, irresponsible, childlike, and simple-minded were used by whites to describe the African American character. This portrayal stole the African American sense of independence and created the false image of black childlike dependence on their white masters. That combined with the fact that most African Americans were born into slavery disallowed them any experience of freedom or of Africa by which they may make comparisons to their situation of total bondage. The slave owners struggle to control the slave brought out an evil in them that cannot be brought out by any things. The slaves’ struggle for freedom and the suppression by their masters broke their spirit, which is a large part of human character. America would not have grown to be so great in such a short time without slavery, because of the economic value of it. But, it would not have been such a violent society then or such a violent society now if slavery had never existed.

Deere And Company Case Essay

I. Introduction Deere & Company (also known as John Deere, after its founder) is a world-leading manufacturer, distributor, and financier of equipment for agriculture, construction, forestry, and commercial and consumer applications (lawn and grounds care). Deere’s objective has consistently been to be the low-cost producer in the markets it serves. However, it seeks to do so while maintaining an image of quality and customer focus. Its company values are quality, innovation, integrity, and commitment. Because of the company’s close ties to the agricultural industry, corporate performance in both sales and profits was highly, variable over the last several decades due to cycles of low prices and oversupplies of many agricultural products. During the period, the company made various adjustments in its product mix and manufacturing processes to enable it to better compete and survive in the global environment. II. Statement of the Problem During the company’s business cycle, Deere & Company faces the following problems: 1. How can the company achieve its goal, which is to gain $50 billion in mid-cycle sales by 2018 and 12% mid-cycle operating margins by 2014?; 2. How can the company increase their sales from one-third today to half of the company’s sales coming from outside the U.S. and Canada by 2018? III. Areas of Consideration The Deere & Company faces different problems such as how to gain $50 billion in mid-cycle sales by 2018 and 12% mid-cycle operating margins by 2014, and how to increase their sales from one-third today to half of the company’s sales coming from outside the U.S. and Canada by 2018. These problems are caused by the following: The company wants to double their sales, have a healthy increase in their profitability, and an almost three-fold increase in economic profit. The company have the eagerness to get all the opportunities outside their scope. The company wanted to widen their source of profit. IV. Alternative Courses of Action Alternative for problem #1 How can the company achieve its goal, which is to gain $50 billion in mid-cycle sales by 2018 and 12% mid-cycle operating margins by 2014?; Advantages Disadvantages The company must continue improving their services and equipments. The company will be able to maintain the loyalty of their current customers and at the same time get more loyal customers. They will need more skilled and qualified workers. It will increase the costs of their expenses. The company must hire more skilled and qualified workers. The company can have sufficient manpower to help in achieving their goal. It takes more time to search and it is also costly to train the future workers. Alternative for problem #2 How can the company increase their sales from one-third today to half of the company’s sales coming from outside the U.S. and Canada by 2018? The company should increase their exports and establish more branches outside the U.S and Canada. The company may be able to reach their expectation of their target sales from outside U.S. and Canada. The company may not be able to reach their expectation of their target sales because they might have strong competitors with the same business industry in a specific location. The company should improve their marketing strategies. The company will be able to effectively promote their products and encourage more investors and customers. The company will incur more expenses. V. Conclusion The researchers conclude that the company wants to gain $50 billion in mid-cycle sales by 2018 and 12% mid-cycle operating margins by 2014. So in order to achieve these, the company must continue improving their services and equipments to maintain the loyalty of their current customers and at the  same time get more loyal customers. But, they will need more skilled and qualified workers and it will increase the costs of their expenses. The company must also hire more skilled and qualified workers so that the company can have sufficient manpower to help in achieving their goal. However, it takes more time to search and it is also costly to train the future workers. The company also wants to increase their sales from one-third today to half of the company’s sales coming from outside the U.S. and Canada by 2018. I line with this, the company may be able to reach their expectation of their target sales from outside U.S. and Canada. But, the company may not also be able to reach their expectation of target sales because they might have strong competitors with the same business industry in those locations. The company should improve their marketing strategies for the company to be able to effectively promote their products and encourage more investors and customers. But, of course the company will incur more expenses too. VI. Recommendation The researchers are recommending the company to continue improving their services and equipments for themto gain $50 billion in mid-cycle sales by 2018 and 12% mid-cycle operating margins by 2014. The company will be able to maintain the loyalty of their current customers and at the same time get more loyal customers. By having loyal customers, they will also be the one who will encourage new customers by what we call â€Å"buzz marketing† because they are the ones who have experienced the high quality services and equipments rendered by the company. The researchers also suggest that the company should increase their exports and establish more branches outside the U.S and Canada to boost their sales from one-third today to half of the company’s sales coming from outside the U.S. and Canada by 2018.By doing this, the company may be able to reach their expectation of their target sales from outside U.S. and Canada because the company will have big chances of acquiring new customers and big profits by establishing more branches in different locations.

Chessington History Essay

Chessington Zoo was opened in July 1931 as a private venture by Reginald Goddard who invited the public to view his private animal collection. After the War Chessington soon became known for the different types of entertainment it could offer:- a circus, a funfair and a miniature railway as well as the zoo. Despite this in the early 1970’s the attendance figures of over 800,000 began to decline. The Zoo was in need of further investment. In 1978 the Pearson Group bought Chessington and when they later bought Madame Tussauds, they put all their leisure interests together to form the Tussauds Group. 1981 saw the beginning of the planning for the transformation of Chessington. Six years and i 12m later the Park was ready. It was opened in July 1987 by H. R. H. Prince Edward. The opening coincided with the opening of the M25 which gives easy access to the Park from various parts of the country. Approximately 18m people live within a 2 hour drive of the Park. On 19th October 1998 it was announced that Pearson had sold the Tussauds Group to Charterhouse Development Capital for i 352m. The Tussaud’s Group Vision and Mission Vision: â€Å"Entertaining People†. Mission: To deliver real growth in profits to take Europe’s leading entertainment world-wide†. The Marketing Department are a small team who work across both Chessington World of Adventures and Thorpe Park. It is the overall responsibility of the Marketing department to ensure that the brand identities of the two Parks are maintained in all communication both on and off the Parks. They do this through first identifying the brand identity, target market, and visual representation of the brand, i. e. the logo. For Chessington the target market is families with children under 12. Each year the marketing department will put together a marketing plan that covers the following areas: Product. Although almost without exception a new attraction is launched each year, and the main launch communication will focus on that, general communication about the rest of the Park is required. Theme Parks provide a whole day out for the family and it’s not just about the rides. The other attractions, places to eat, games, photography, the atmosphere, all play an important part in delivering a great day out. Pricing. There is a complex pricing structure for the Park which looks to maximise the revenue the Park can achieve with it’s targeted number of visitors. Marketing will review the pricing each year and along with the finance department look at how the budgeted targets can be achieved through the pricing matrix. Advanced sales are important to the business and for this reason tickets booked in advance are discounted, also those booked via the Internet are further discounted as this is a more efficient way for us to produce the tickets. Advanced tickets reduce the queues at admissions as visitors already have their tickets and can go straight in to the Park. Promotion. Promotion of the Park happens via a number of different communication channels. Advertising. This is generally broken down into two areas, the creative production of the advert and then the choice of where to place that advert, TV, Radio, Press etc. For the year 2002 communication for Chessington will focus on the new attraction, Hocus Pocus Hall. The main creative idea is all based around ‘The New Adventure Starts Here’. This new creative idea will be adapted for use on TV, Radio, Press and in Children’s comics, ie The Beano. Promotions. Promotions are very import in incentivising visitors to come to the Park. The incentive is generally either a Buy One get One Free mechanic or a discount off the full adult or child price. Chessington ran promotions on it’s own or in conjunction with the Tussauds Group, ie Tesco. Promotions can be run with a wide variety of partners, Esso, News of the World, KP Skips or solus via a direct mail campaign to surrounding homes. Public Relations. This area is all about getting positive exposure in the media, TV, Radio and Press. This is generally achieved through issuing Press Releases and conducting interviews with journalists. Measuring the Success. Throughout the year, how the Park is doing against its financial targets is constantly reviewed, but in addition Marketing conducts ongoing research into how the Park is performing on a daily basis. Questionnaires are handed out to visitors as they leave asking them to rank the rides’ experiences, eating places, how friendly and helpful the staff were, etc. This provides information on where things may be going wrong and how to put them right. New Media is a crucial area for involvement now and in the future. In addition to maintaining it’s own site: www. chessington. com, the Marketing department looks to exploit other opportunities for advertising, promotions and PR on other sites. Use of agencies. Chessington uses a wide variety of agencies as they bring different areas of expertise and experiences to the department. We use an advertising agency to create the TV, Radio adverts etc. and also for all the design work for the Gate Map. The space for the TV, Radio slots etc  is purchased by a Media Buying agency. We also use a Sales Promotion agency, PR agency and Internet design agencies. Corporate Hospitality makes it possible for businesses to entertain their guests at Chessington World of Adventures. Up to 3 000 corporate guests can be catered for at any one time. Education. An establishment like Chessington World of Adventures offers the opportunity for students studying the leisure industry, business or animals to visit the Park and find out more about their subject. For this reason, it is possible for groups to incorporate an educational talk into their visit. The Zoo enables guests to learn about the wildlife at Chessington World of Adventures. The Marketing Department ensure that the signage for the animals and around the Park are of a high quality and accessible by all the guests. Most often asked marketing questions Q Is the price of a new attraction affected by the viability of the ride? A Careful research is undertaken before a new attraction is bought. The attraction may be put in place to address a gap in guest numbers for a particular age range. The new attraction will encourage that element to visit the Park and therefore increase guest satisfaction.

Balkan War essays

Balkan War essays Genocide marked history in the wake of the 1990s, and in the aftermath of the Cold War it affected a dim place that was dubbed by history as the Òpowder kegÓ of Eastern Europe The destruction of Yugoslavia came deep within its core, the cancer that had slowly eaten its way to the top was put there centuries ago. The violence surfaced when Independence movemen ts in former Yugoslavia caused conflicts between ethnic groups of Serb, Bosnian and Croat forces, reaching its climax in the summer of 1991. ÒAlthough Yugoslavia was no stranger to ethnic hate and genocide, what occurred in the summer of 1991 was the largest and most gruesome occurrence of mass murder since World War 2.Ó (Ricciuti, 1993) The term Òethnic cleansingÓ had emerged in the world at the height of the troubles in former Yugoslavia. The ÒcleansingÓ consisted of mass termination of people based on age, sex and religion. The roots of turmoil between the ethnic groups can be traced back to centuries old conflicts over power and territory among the several small nations that had ma de up the former republic. But could the personal interests of former leaders of those areas have caused this war? What about religion? ÒPerhapsÒ, is the answer of many who have documented the war. While politicians argued over the ownership rights of each territory within Yugoslavia, masses of bodies were piling up. ÒBy summer of 1992, at least 10,000 people were killed, by the end of the war estima tes were up to more than 50,000. Thousands of others were wounded, and over 2 million others became refugees.Ó (Ricciuti, 1993) After the body count, many were not convinced that politics and religion had much to do with the hate that was bottled up inside the groups involved. It was much deeper than that, and it seems as though everyone had someone or something to avenge. The motivational goals of corrupt and greedy politicians were only the tip of the iceberg. It is cl...

Chapter 4 Back to the Burrow

The imminent arrival at their house of an assortment of wizards was making the Dursleys uptight and irritable. Uncle Vernon had looked downright alarmed when Harry informed him that the Weasleys would be arriving at five o’clock the very next day. â€Å"I hope you told them to dress properly, these people,† he snarled at once. â€Å"I’ve seen the sort of stuff your lot wear. They’d better have the decency to put on normal clothes, that’s all.† Harry felt a slight sense of foreboding. He had rarely seen Mr. or Mrs. Weasley wearing anything that the Dursleys would call â€Å"normal.† Their children might don Muggle clothing during the holidays, but Mr. and Mrs. Weasley usually wore long robes in varying states of shabbiness. Harry wasn’t bothered about what the neighbors would think, but he was anxious about how rude the Dursleys might be to the Weasleys if they turned up looking like their worst idea of wizards. Uncle Vernon had put on his best suit. To some people, this might have looked like a gesture of welcome, but Harry knew it was because Uncle Vernon wanted to look impressive and intimidating. Dudley, on the other hand, looked somehow diminished. This was not because the diet was at last taking effect, but due to fright. Dudley had emerged from his last encounter with a fully grown wizard with a curly pig’s tail poking out of the seat of his trousers, and Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had had to pay for its removal at a private hospital in London. It wasn’t altogether surprising, therefore, that Dudley kept running his hand nervously over his backside, and walking sideways from room to room, so as not to present the same target to the enemy. Lunch was an almost silent meal. Dudley didn’t even protest at the food (cottage cheese and grated celery). Aunt Petunia wasn’t, eating anything at all. Her arms were folded, her lips were pursed, and she seemed to be chewing her tongue, as though biting back the furious diatribe she longed to throw at Harry. â€Å"They’ll be driving, of course?† Uncle Vernon barked across the table. â€Å"Er,† said Harry. He hadn’t thought of that. How were the Weasleys going to pick him up? They didn’t have a car anymore; the old Ford Anglia they had once owned was currently running wild in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts. But Mr. Weasley had borrowed a Ministry of Magic car last year; possibly he would do the same today? â€Å"I think so,† said Harry. Uncle Vernon snorted into his mustache. Normally, Uncle Vernon would have asked what car Mr. Weasley drove; he tended to judge other men by how big and expensive their cars were. But Harry doubted whether Uncle Vernon would have taken to Mr. Weasley even if he drove a Ferrari. Harry spent most of the afternoon in his bedroom; he couldn’t stand watching Aunt Petunia peer out through the net curtains every few seconds, as though there had been a warning about an escaped rhinoceros. Finally, at a quarter to five, Harry went back downstairs and into the living room. Aunt Petunia was compulsively straightening cushions. Uncle Vernon was pretending to read the paper, but his tiny eyes were not moving, and Harry was sure he was really listening with all his might for the sound of an approaching car. Dudley was crammed into an armchair, his porky hands beneath him, clamped firmly around his bottom. Harry couldn’t take the tension; he left the room and went and sat on the stairs in the hall, his eyes on his watch and his heart pumping fast from excitement and nerves. But five o’clock came and then went. Uncle Vernon, perspiring slightly in his suit, opened the front door, peered up and down the street, then withdrew his head quickly. â€Å"They’re late!† he snarled at Harry. â€Å"I know,† said Harry. â€Å"Maybe – er – the traffic’s bad, or something.† Ten past five†¦then a quarter past five†¦Harry was starting to feel anxious himself now. At half past, he heard Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia conversing in terse mutters in the living room. â€Å"No consideration at all.† â€Å"We might’ve had an engagement.† â€Å"Maybe they think they’ll get invited to dinner if they’re late.† â€Å"Well, they most certainly won’t be,† said Uncle Vernon, and Harry heard him stand up and start pacing the living room. â€Å"They’ll take the boy and go, there’ll be no hanging around. That’s if they’re coming at all. Probably mistaken the day. I daresay their kind don’t set much store by punctuality. Either that or they drive some tin-pot car that’s broken d -AAAAAAAARRRRRGH!† Harry jumped up. From the other side of the living room door came the sounds of the three Dursleys scrambling, panic-stricken, across the room. Next moment Dudley came flying into the hall, looking terrified. â€Å"What happened?† said Harry. â€Å"What’s the matter?† But Dudley didn’t seem able to speak. Hands still clamped over his buttocks, he waddled as fast as he could into the kitchen. Harry hurried into the living room. Loud bangings and scrapings were coming from behind the Dursleys’ boarded-up fireplace, which had a fake coal fire plugged in front of it. â€Å"What is it?† gasped Aunt Petunia, who had backed into the wall and was staring, terrified, toward the fire. â€Å"What is it, Vernon?† But they were left in doubt barely a second longer. Voices could be heard from inside the blocked fireplace. â€Å"Ouch! Fred, no – go back, go back, there’s been some kind of mistake – tell George not to – OUCH! George, no, there’s no room, go back quickly and tell Ron -â€Å" â€Å"Maybe Harry can hear us, Dad – maybe he’ll be able to let us out -â€Å" There was a loud hammering of fists on the boards behind the electric fire. â€Å"Harry? Harry, can you hear us?† The Dursleys rounded on Harry like a pair of angry wolverines. â€Å"What is this?† growled Uncle Vernon. â€Å"What’s going on?† â€Å"They – they’ve tried to get here by Floo powder,† said Harry, fighting a mad desire to laugh. â€Å"They can travel by fire – only you’ve blocked the fireplace – hang on -â€Å" He approached the fireplace and called through the boards. â€Å"Mr. Weasley? Can you hear me?† The hammering stopped. Somebody inside the chimney piece said, â€Å"Shh!† â€Å"Mr. Weasley, it’s Harry†¦the fireplace has been blocked up. You won’t be able to get through there.† â€Å"Damn!† said Mr. Weasley’s voice. â€Å"What on earth did they want to block up the fireplace for?† â€Å"They’ve got an electric fire,† Harry explained. â€Å"Really?† said Mr. Weasley’s voice excitedly. â€Å"Eclectic, you say? With a plug? Gracious, I must see that†¦.Let’s think†¦Ouch, Ron!† Ron’s voice now joined the others’. â€Å"What are we doing here? Has something gone wrong?† â€Å"Oh no, Ron,† came Fred’s voice, very sarcastically. â€Å"No, this is exactly where we wanted to end up.† â€Å"Yeah, we’re having the time of our lives here,† said George, whose voice sounded muffled, as though he was squashed against the wall. â€Å"Boys, boys†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Mr. Weasley vaguely. â€Å"I’m trying to think what to do†¦.Yes†¦only way†¦Stand back, Harry.† Harry retreated to the sofa. Uncle Vernon, however, moved forward. â€Å"Wait a moment!† he bellowed at the fire. â€Å"What exactly are you going to -â€Å" BANG. The electric fire shot across the room as the boarded-up fireplace burst outward, expelling Mr. Weasley, Fred, George, and Ron in a cloud of rubble and loose chippings. Aunt Petunia shrieked and fell backward over the coffee table; Uncle Vernon caught her before she hit the floor, and gaped, speechless, at the Weasleys, all of whom had bright red hair, including Fred and George, who were identical to the last freckle. â€Å"That’s better,† panted Mr. Weasley, brushing dust from his long green robes and straightening his glasses. â€Å"Ah – you must be Harry’s aunt and uncle!† Tall, thin, and balding, he moved toward Uncle Vernon, his hand outstretched, but Uncle Vernon backed away several paces, dragging Aunt Petunia. Words utterly failed Uncle Vernon. His best suit was covered in white dust, which had settled in his hair and mustache and made him look as though he had just aged thirty years. â€Å"Er – yes – sorry about that,† said Mr. Weasley, lowering his hand and looking over his shoulder at the blasted fireplace. â€Å"It’s all my fault. It just didn’t occur to me that we wouldn’t be able to get out at the other end. I had your fireplace connected to the Floo Network, you see – just for an afternoon, you know, so we could get Harry. Muggle fireplaces aren’t supposed to be connected, strictly speaking – but I’ve got a useful contact at the Floo Regulation Panel and he fixed it for me. I can put it right in a jiffy, though, don’t worry. I’ll light a fire to send the boys back, and then I can repair your fireplace before I Disapparate.† Harry was ready to bet that the Dursleys hadn’t understood a single word of this. They were still gaping at Mr. Weasley, thunderstruck. Aunt Petunia staggered upright again and hid behind Uncle Vernon. â€Å"Hello, Harry!† said Mr. Weasley brightly. â€Å"Got your trunk ready?† â€Å"It’s upstairs,† said Harry, grinning back. â€Å"We’ll get it,† said Fred at once. Winking at Harry, he and George left the room. They knew where Harry’s bedroom was, having once rescued him from it in the dead of night. Harry suspected that Fred and George were hoping for a glimpse of Dudley; they had heard a lot about him from Harry. â€Å"Well,† said Mr. Weasley, swinging his arms slightly, while he tried to find words to break the very nasty silence. â€Å"Very – erm – very nice place you’ve got here.† As the usually spotless living room was now covered in dust and bits of brick, this remark didn’t go down too well with the Dursleys. Uncle Vernon’s face purpled once more, and Aunt Petunia started chewing her tongue again. However, they seemed too scared to actually say anything. Mr. Weasley was looking around. He loved everything to do with Muggles. Harry could see him itching to go and examine the television and the video recorder. â€Å"They run off eckeltricity, do they?† he said knowledgeably. â€Å"Ah yes, I can see the plugs. I collect plugs,† he added to Uncle Vernon. â€Å"And batteries. Got a very large collection of batteries. My wife thinks I’m mad, but there you are.† Uncle Vernon clearly thought Mr. Weasley was mad too. He moved ever so slightly to the right, screening Aunt Petunia from view, as though he thought Mr. Weasley might suddenly run at them and attack. Dudley suddenly reappeared in the room. Harry could hear the clunk of his trunk on the stairs, and knew that the sounds had scared Dudley out of the kitchen. Dudley edged along the wall, gazing at Mr. Weasley with terrified eyes, and attempted to conceal himself behind his mother and father. Unfortunately, Uncle Vernon’s bulk, while sufficient to hide bony Aunt Petunia, was nowhere near enough to conceal Dudley. â€Å"Ah, this is your cousin, is it, Harry?† said Mr. Weasley, taking another brave stab at making conversation. â€Å"Yep,† said Harry, â€Å"that’s Dudley.† He and Ron exchanged glances and then quickly looked away from each other; the temptation to burst out laughing was almost overwhelming. Dudley was still clutching his bottom as though afraid it might fall off. Mr. Weasley, however, seemed genuinely concerned at Dudley’s peculiar behavior. Indeed, from the tone of his voice when he next spoke, Harry was quite sure that Mr. Weasley thought Dudley was quite as mad as the Dursleys thought he was, except that Mr. Weasley felt sympathy rather than fear. â€Å"Having a good holiday, Dudley?† he said kindly. Dudley whimpered. Harry saw his hands tighten still harder over his massive backside. Fred and George came back into the room carrying Harry’s school trunk. They glanced around as they entered and spotted Dudley. Their faces cracked into identical evil grins. â€Å"Ah, right,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"Better get cracking then.† He pushed up the sleeves of his robes and took out his wand. Harry saw the Dursleys draw back against the wall as one. â€Å"Incendio!† said Mr. Weasley, pointing his wand at the hole in the wall behind him. Flames rose at once in the fireplace, crackling merrily as though they had been burning for hours. Mr. Weasley took a small drawstring bag from his pocket, untied it, took a pinch of the powder inside, and threw it onto the flames, which turned emerald green and roared higher than ever. â€Å"Off you go then, Fred,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"Coming,† said Fred. â€Å"Oh no – hang on -â€Å" A bag of sweets had spilled out of Fred’s pocket and the contents were now rolling in every direction – big, fat toffees in brightly colored wrappers. Fred scrambled around, cramming them back into his pocket, then gave the Dursleys a cheery wave, stepped forward, and walked right into the fire, saying â€Å"the Burrow!† Aunt Petunia gave a little shuddering gasp. There was a whooshing sound, and Fred vanished. â€Å"Right then, George,† said Mr. Weasley, â€Å"you and the trunk.† Harry helped George carry the trunk forward into the flames and turn it onto its end so that he could hold it better. Then, with a second whoosh, George had cried â€Å"the Burrow!† and vanished too. â€Å"Ron, you next,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"See you,† said Ron brightly to the Dursleys. He grinned broadly at Harry, then stepped into the fire, shouted â€Å"the Burrow!† and disappeared. Now Harry and Mr. Weasley alone remained. â€Å"Well†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢bye then,† Harry said to the Dursleys. They didn’t say anything at all. Harry moved toward the fire, but just as he reached the edge of the hearth, Mr. Weasley put out a hand and held him back. He was looking at the Dursleys in amazement. â€Å"Harry said good-bye to you,† he said. â€Å"Didn’t you hear him?† â€Å"It doesn’t matter,† Harry muttered to Mr. Weasley. â€Å"Honestly, I don’t care.† Mr. Weasley did not remove his hand from Harry’s shoulder. â€Å"You aren’t going to see your nephew till next summer,† he said to Uncle Vernon in mild indignation. â€Å"Surely you’re going to say good-bye?† Uncle Vernon’s face worked furiously. The idea of being taught consideration by a man who had just blasted away half his living room wall seemed to be causing him intense suffering. But Mr. Weasley’s wand was still in his hand, and Uncle Vernon’s tiny eyes darted to it once, before he said, very resentfully, â€Å"Good-bye, then.† â€Å"See you,† said Harry, putting one foot forward into the green flames, which felt pleasantly like warm breath. At that moment, however, a horrible gagging sound erupted behind him, and Aunt Petunia started to scream. Harry wheeled around. Dudley was no longer standing behind his parents. He was kneeling beside the coffee table, and he was gagging and sputtering on a foot-long, purple, slimy thing that was protruding from his mouth. One bewildered second later, Harry realized that the foot-long thing was Dudley’s tongue – and that a brightly colored toffee wrapper lay on the floor before him. Aunt Petunia hurled herself onto the ground beside Dudley, seized the end of his swollen tongue, and attempted to wrench it out of his mouth; unsurprisingly, Dudley yelled and sputtered worse than ever, trying to fight her off. Uncle Vernon was bellowing and waving his arms around, and Mr. Weasley had to shout to make himself heard. â€Å"Not to worry, I can sort him out!† he yelled, advancing on Dudley with his wand outstretched, but Aunt Petunia screamed worse than ever and threw herself on top of Dudley, shielding him from Mr. Weasley. â€Å"No, really!† said Mr. Weasley desperately. â€Å"It’s a simple process it was the toffee – my son Fred – real practical joker – but it’s only an Engorgement Charm – at least, I think it is – please, I can correct it -â€Å" But far from being reassured, the Dursleys became more panic- stricken; Aunt Petunia was sobbing hysterically, tugging Dudley’s tongue as though determined to rip it out; Dudley appeared to be suffocating under the combined pressure of his mother and his tongue; and Uncle Vernon, who had lost control completely, seized a china figure from on top of the sideboard and threw it very hard at Mr. Weasley, who ducked, causing the ornament to shatter in the blasted fireplace. â€Å"Now really!† said Mr. Weasley angrily, brandishing his wand. â€Å"I’m trying to help!† Bellowing like a wounded hippo, Uncle Vernon snatched up another ornament. â€Å"Harry, go! Just go!† Mr. Weasley shouted, his wand on Uncle Vernon. â€Å"I’ll sort this out!† Harry didn’t want to miss the fun, but Uncle Vernon’s second ornament narrowly missed his left ear, and on balance he thought it best to leave the situation to Mr. Weasley. He stepped into the fire, looking over his shoulder as he said â€Å"the Burrow!† His last fleeting glimpse of the living room was of Mr. Weasley blasting a third ornament out of Uncle Vernon’s hand with his wand, Aunt Petunia screaming and lying on top of Dudley, and Dudley’s tongue lolling around like a great slimy python. But next moment Harry had begun to spin very fast, and the Dursleys’ living room was whipped out of sight in a rush of emerald-green flames. Chapter 4 Back to the Burrow The imminent arrival at their house of an assortment of wizards was making the Dursleys uptight and irritable. Uncle Vernon had looked downright alarmed when Harry informed him that the Weasleys would be arriving at five o’clock the very next day. â€Å"I hope you told them to dress properly, these people,† he snarled at once. â€Å"I’ve seen the sort of stuff your lot wear. They’d better have the decency to put on normal clothes, that’s all.† Harry felt a slight sense of foreboding. He had rarely seen Mr. or Mrs. Weasley wearing anything that the Dursleys would call â€Å"normal.† Their children might don Muggle clothing during the holidays, but Mr. and Mrs. Weasley usually wore long robes in varying states of shabbiness. Harry wasn’t bothered about what the neighbors would think, but he was anxious about how rude the Dursleys might be to the Weasleys if they turned up looking like their worst idea of wizards. Uncle Vernon had put on his best suit. To some people, this might have looked like a gesture of welcome, but Harry knew it was because Uncle Vernon wanted to look impressive and intimidating. Dudley, on the other hand, looked somehow diminished. This was not because the diet was at last taking effect, but due to fright. Dudley had emerged from his last encounter with a fully grown wizard with a curly pig’s tail poking out of the seat of his trousers, and Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had had to pay for its removal at a private hospital in London. It wasn’t altogether surprising, therefore, that Dudley kept running his hand nervously over his backside, and walking sideways from room to room, so as not to present the same target to the enemy. Lunch was an almost silent meal. Dudley didn’t even protest at the food (cottage cheese and grated celery). Aunt Petunia wasn’t, eating anything at all. Her arms were folded, her lips were pursed, and she seemed to be chewing her tongue, as though biting back the furious diatribe she longed to throw at Harry. â€Å"They’ll be driving, of course?† Uncle Vernon barked across the table. â€Å"Er,† said Harry. He hadn’t thought of that. How were the Weasleys going to pick him up? They didn’t have a car anymore; the old Ford Anglia they had once owned was currently running wild in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts. But Mr. Weasley had borrowed a Ministry of Magic car last year; possibly he would do the same today? â€Å"I think so,† said Harry. Uncle Vernon snorted into his mustache. Normally, Uncle Vernon would have asked what car Mr. Weasley drove; he tended to judge other men by how big and expensive their cars were. But Harry doubted whether Uncle Vernon would have taken to Mr. Weasley even if he drove a Ferrari. Harry spent most of the afternoon in his bedroom; he couldn’t stand watching Aunt Petunia peer out through the net curtains every few seconds, as though there had been a warning about an escaped rhinoceros. Finally, at a quarter to five, Harry went back downstairs and into the living room. Aunt Petunia was compulsively straightening cushions. Uncle Vernon was pretending to read the paper, but his tiny eyes were not moving, and Harry was sure he was really listening with all his might for the sound of an approaching car. Dudley was crammed into an armchair, his porky hands beneath him, clamped firmly around his bottom. Harry couldn’t take the tension; he left the room and went and sat on the stairs in the hall, his eyes on his watch and his heart pumping fast from excitement and nerves. But five o’clock came and then went. Uncle Vernon, perspiring slightly in his suit, opened the front door, peered up and down the street, then withdrew his head quickly. â€Å"They’re late!† he snarled at Harry. â€Å"I know,† said Harry. â€Å"Maybe – er – the traffic’s bad, or something.† Ten past five†¦then a quarter past five†¦Harry was starting to feel anxious himself now. At half past, he heard Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia conversing in terse mutters in the living room. â€Å"No consideration at all.† â€Å"We might’ve had an engagement.† â€Å"Maybe they think they’ll get invited to dinner if they’re late.† â€Å"Well, they most certainly won’t be,† said Uncle Vernon, and Harry heard him stand up and start pacing the living room. â€Å"They’ll take the boy and go, there’ll be no hanging around. That’s if they’re coming at all. Probably mistaken the day. I daresay their kind don’t set much store by punctuality. Either that or they drive some tin-pot car that’s broken d -AAAAAAAARRRRRGH!† Harry jumped up. From the other side of the living room door came the sounds of the three Dursleys scrambling, panic-stricken, across the room. Next moment Dudley came flying into the hall, looking terrified. â€Å"What happened?† said Harry. â€Å"What’s the matter?† But Dudley didn’t seem able to speak. Hands still clamped over his buttocks, he waddled as fast as he could into the kitchen. Harry hurried into the living room. Loud bangings and scrapings were coming from behind the Dursleys’ boarded-up fireplace, which had a fake coal fire plugged in front of it. â€Å"What is it?† gasped Aunt Petunia, who had backed into the wall and was staring, terrified, toward the fire. â€Å"What is it, Vernon?† But they were left in doubt barely a second longer. Voices could be heard from inside the blocked fireplace. â€Å"Ouch! Fred, no – go back, go back, there’s been some kind of mistake – tell George not to – OUCH! George, no, there’s no room, go back quickly and tell Ron -â€Å" â€Å"Maybe Harry can hear us, Dad – maybe he’ll be able to let us out -â€Å" There was a loud hammering of fists on the boards behind the electric fire. â€Å"Harry? Harry, can you hear us?† The Dursleys rounded on Harry like a pair of angry wolverines. â€Å"What is this?† growled Uncle Vernon. â€Å"What’s going on?† â€Å"They – they’ve tried to get here by Floo powder,† said Harry, fighting a mad desire to laugh. â€Å"They can travel by fire – only you’ve blocked the fireplace – hang on -â€Å" He approached the fireplace and called through the boards. â€Å"Mr. Weasley? Can you hear me?† The hammering stopped. Somebody inside the chimney piece said, â€Å"Shh!† â€Å"Mr. Weasley, it’s Harry†¦the fireplace has been blocked up. You won’t be able to get through there.† â€Å"Damn!† said Mr. Weasley’s voice. â€Å"What on earth did they want to block up the fireplace for?† â€Å"They’ve got an electric fire,† Harry explained. â€Å"Really?† said Mr. Weasley’s voice excitedly. â€Å"Eclectic, you say? With a plug? Gracious, I must see that†¦.Let’s think†¦Ouch, Ron!† Ron’s voice now joined the others’. â€Å"What are we doing here? Has something gone wrong?† â€Å"Oh no, Ron,† came Fred’s voice, very sarcastically. â€Å"No, this is exactly where we wanted to end up.† â€Å"Yeah, we’re having the time of our lives here,† said George, whose voice sounded muffled, as though he was squashed against the wall. â€Å"Boys, boys†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Mr. Weasley vaguely. â€Å"I’m trying to think what to do†¦.Yes†¦only way†¦Stand back, Harry.† Harry retreated to the sofa. Uncle Vernon, however, moved forward. â€Å"Wait a moment!† he bellowed at the fire. â€Å"What exactly are you going to -â€Å" BANG. The electric fire shot across the room as the boarded-up fireplace burst outward, expelling Mr. Weasley, Fred, George, and Ron in a cloud of rubble and loose chippings. Aunt Petunia shrieked and fell backward over the coffee table; Uncle Vernon caught her before she hit the floor, and gaped, speechless, at the Weasleys, all of whom had bright red hair, including Fred and George, who were identical to the last freckle. â€Å"That’s better,† panted Mr. Weasley, brushing dust from his long green robes and straightening his glasses. â€Å"Ah – you must be Harry’s aunt and uncle!† Tall, thin, and balding, he moved toward Uncle Vernon, his hand outstretched, but Uncle Vernon backed away several paces, dragging Aunt Petunia. Words utterly failed Uncle Vernon. His best suit was covered in white dust, which had settled in his hair and mustache and made him look as though he had just aged thirty years. â€Å"Er – yes – sorry about that,† said Mr. Weasley, lowering his hand and looking over his shoulder at the blasted fireplace. â€Å"It’s all my fault. It just didn’t occur to me that we wouldn’t be able to get out at the other end. I had your fireplace connected to the Floo Network, you see – just for an afternoon, you know, so we could get Harry. Muggle fireplaces aren’t supposed to be connected, strictly speaking – but I’ve got a useful contact at the Floo Regulation Panel and he fixed it for me. I can put it right in a jiffy, though, don’t worry. I’ll light a fire to send the boys back, and then I can repair your fireplace before I Disapparate.† Harry was ready to bet that the Dursleys hadn’t understood a single word of this. They were still gaping at Mr. Weasley, thunderstruck. Aunt Petunia staggered upright again and hid behind Uncle Vernon. â€Å"Hello, Harry!† said Mr. Weasley brightly. â€Å"Got your trunk ready?† â€Å"It’s upstairs,† said Harry, grinning back. â€Å"We’ll get it,† said Fred at once. Winking at Harry, he and George left the room. They knew where Harry’s bedroom was, having once rescued him from it in the dead of night. Harry suspected that Fred and George were hoping for a glimpse of Dudley; they had heard a lot about him from Harry. â€Å"Well,† said Mr. Weasley, swinging his arms slightly, while he tried to find words to break the very nasty silence. â€Å"Very – erm – very nice place you’ve got here.† As the usually spotless living room was now covered in dust and bits of brick, this remark didn’t go down too well with the Dursleys. Uncle Vernon’s face purpled once more, and Aunt Petunia started chewing her tongue again. However, they seemed too scared to actually say anything. Mr. Weasley was looking around. He loved everything to do with Muggles. Harry could see him itching to go and examine the television and the video recorder. â€Å"They run off eckeltricity, do they?† he said knowledgeably. â€Å"Ah yes, I can see the plugs. I collect plugs,† he added to Uncle Vernon. â€Å"And batteries. Got a very large collection of batteries. My wife thinks I’m mad, but there you are.† Uncle Vernon clearly thought Mr. Weasley was mad too. He moved ever so slightly to the right, screening Aunt Petunia from view, as though he thought Mr. Weasley might suddenly run at them and attack. Dudley suddenly reappeared in the room. Harry could hear the clunk of his trunk on the stairs, and knew that the sounds had scared Dudley out of the kitchen. Dudley edged along the wall, gazing at Mr. Weasley with terrified eyes, and attempted to conceal himself behind his mother and father. Unfortunately, Uncle Vernon’s bulk, while sufficient to hide bony Aunt Petunia, was nowhere near enough to conceal Dudley. â€Å"Ah, this is your cousin, is it, Harry?† said Mr. Weasley, taking another brave stab at making conversation. â€Å"Yep,† said Harry, â€Å"that’s Dudley.† He and Ron exchanged glances and then quickly looked away from each other; the temptation to burst out laughing was almost overwhelming. Dudley was still clutching his bottom as though afraid it might fall off. Mr. Weasley, however, seemed genuinely concerned at Dudley’s peculiar behavior. Indeed, from the tone of his voice when he next spoke, Harry was quite sure that Mr. Weasley thought Dudley was quite as mad as the Dursleys thought he was, except that Mr. Weasley felt sympathy rather than fear. â€Å"Having a good holiday, Dudley?† he said kindly. Dudley whimpered. Harry saw his hands tighten still harder over his massive backside. Fred and George came back into the room carrying Harry’s school trunk. They glanced around as they entered and spotted Dudley. Their faces cracked into identical evil grins. â€Å"Ah, right,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"Better get cracking then.† He pushed up the sleeves of his robes and took out his wand. Harry saw the Dursleys draw back against the wall as one. â€Å"Incendio!† said Mr. Weasley, pointing his wand at the hole in the wall behind him. Flames rose at once in the fireplace, crackling merrily as though they had been burning for hours. Mr. Weasley took a small drawstring bag from his pocket, untied it, took a pinch of the powder inside, and threw it onto the flames, which turned emerald green and roared higher than ever. â€Å"Off you go then, Fred,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"Coming,† said Fred. â€Å"Oh no – hang on -â€Å" A bag of sweets had spilled out of Fred’s pocket and the contents were now rolling in every direction – big, fat toffees in brightly colored wrappers. Fred scrambled around, cramming them back into his pocket, then gave the Dursleys a cheery wave, stepped forward, and walked right into the fire, saying â€Å"the Burrow!† Aunt Petunia gave a little shuddering gasp. There was a whooshing sound, and Fred vanished. â€Å"Right then, George,† said Mr. Weasley, â€Å"you and the trunk.† Harry helped George carry the trunk forward into the flames and turn it onto its end so that he could hold it better. Then, with a second whoosh, George had cried â€Å"the Burrow!† and vanished too. â€Å"Ron, you next,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"See you,† said Ron brightly to the Dursleys. He grinned broadly at Harry, then stepped into the fire, shouted â€Å"the Burrow!† and disappeared. Now Harry and Mr. Weasley alone remained. â€Å"Well†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢bye then,† Harry said to the Dursleys. They didn’t say anything at all. Harry moved toward the fire, but just as he reached the edge of the hearth, Mr. Weasley put out a hand and held him back. He was looking at the Dursleys in amazement. â€Å"Harry said good-bye to you,† he said. â€Å"Didn’t you hear him?† â€Å"It doesn’t matter,† Harry muttered to Mr. Weasley. â€Å"Honestly, I don’t care.† Mr. Weasley did not remove his hand from Harry’s shoulder. â€Å"You aren’t going to see your nephew till next summer,† he said to Uncle Vernon in mild indignation. â€Å"Surely you’re going to say good-bye?† Uncle Vernon’s face worked furiously. The idea of being taught consideration by a man who had just blasted away half his living room wall seemed to be causing him intense suffering. But Mr. Weasley’s wand was still in his hand, and Uncle Vernon’s tiny eyes darted to it once, before he said, very resentfully, â€Å"Good-bye, then.† â€Å"See you,† said Harry, putting one foot forward into the green flames, which felt pleasantly like warm breath. At that moment, however, a horrible gagging sound erupted behind him, and Aunt Petunia started to scream. Harry wheeled around. Dudley was no longer standing behind his parents. He was kneeling beside the coffee table, and he was gagging and sputtering on a foot-long, purple, slimy thing that was protruding from his mouth. One bewildered second later, Harry realized that the foot-long thing was Dudley’s tongue – and that a brightly colored toffee wrapper lay on the floor before him. Aunt Petunia hurled herself onto the ground beside Dudley, seized the end of his swollen tongue, and attempted to wrench it out of his mouth; unsurprisingly, Dudley yelled and sputtered worse than ever, trying to fight her off. Uncle Vernon was bellowing and waving his arms around, and Mr. Weasley had to shout to make himself heard. â€Å"Not to worry, I can sort him out!† he yelled, advancing on Dudley with his wand outstretched, but Aunt Petunia screamed worse than ever and threw herself on top of Dudley, shielding him from Mr. Weasley. â€Å"No, really!† said Mr. Weasley desperately. â€Å"It’s a simple process it was the toffee – my son Fred – real practical joker – but it’s only an Engorgement Charm – at least, I think it is – please, I can correct it -â€Å" But far from being reassured, the Dursleys became more panic- stricken; Aunt Petunia was sobbing hysterically, tugging Dudley’s tongue as though determined to rip it out; Dudley appeared to be suffocating under the combined pressure of his mother and his tongue; and Uncle Vernon, who had lost control completely, seized a china figure from on top of the sideboard and threw it very hard at Mr. Weasley, who ducked, causing the ornament to shatter in the blasted fireplace. â€Å"Now really!† said Mr. Weasley angrily, brandishing his wand. â€Å"I’m trying to help!† Bellowing like a wounded hippo, Uncle Vernon snatched up another ornament. â€Å"Harry, go! Just go!† Mr. Weasley shouted, his wand on Uncle Vernon. â€Å"I’ll sort this out!† Harry didn’t want to miss the fun, but Uncle Vernon’s second ornament narrowly missed his left ear, and on balance he thought it best to leave the situation to Mr. Weasley. He stepped into the fire, looking over his shoulder as he said â€Å"the Burrow!† His last fleeting glimpse of the living room was of Mr. Weasley blasting a third ornament out of Uncle Vernon’s hand with his wand, Aunt Petunia screaming and lying on top of Dudley, and Dudley’s tongue lolling around like a great slimy python. But next moment Harry had begun to spin very fast, and the Dursleys’ living room was whipped out of sight in a rush of emerald-green flames.

Organizational Behavior wk 7 discussion Assignment

Organizational Behavior wk 7 discussion - Assignment Example Norms are on the other hand established codes that are communicated to members of the organization and subsequently observed (Cameron and Quinn, 2011). The structure at the company, Google, is organic. This is because of its structural features that include teamwork, integration of efforts and processes, decentralized authority, and informal communication (Cho, 2012). Organizational culture of a company can be a strategic competitive advantage. This is because it is a direct tool to operational efficiency and hence organizational performance. A culture that motivates employees particularly promotes efficiencies towards cost effectiveness. As a result, the organization will be able to achieve competitive advantage through lower prices. Similarly, an informal culture in which the employees are allowed room for experiments into innovation leads to development of new brands of commodities towards competitive advantage (Cameron and Quinn, 2011). The organizational culture at Google Company is an example of cultures that generates effectiveness. The organic structure and the freedom of employee facilitate innovation of processes and products leading to effectiveness (Cho,