Portfolio Theory and Investment Analysis Assignment

Portfolio Theory and Investment Analysis - Assignment Example More specifically, the trustees want to know the following: (1) The impacts of having a small number of stocks in the portfolio and concentrating the investment in large stocks. (2) The benefits of moving some of the investment to international securities. (3) How derivatives may be used to enhance returns and manage risk. The answer to the first concern depends on the answer to the following basic question in the minds of the charity's trustees: what is the highest possible and most realistic annual return that the investment portfolio could earn It is not easy to predict the return of a portfolio because many things could happen to funds once these are invested. To find out the realistic historical returns for various investments, investors consult the Equity and Gilt Study of Barclays (2006), which has studied this for over half a century. Figures 1 (68) and 2 (69) show how equities performed better compared to gilts and T-bills over the last century since a 100 investment in equities at end-1899 was worth 1,340,324 by end-2005. The same investment in gilts was worth 20,159 and in T-bills 17,021. When adjusted for inflation, the investment in equities would be worth 22,426; gilts 337; and T-bills 284 (Barclays, 2006, p. 62-63). This proves that the strategy of investing in equities would give the highest and most realistic return. In the year 2005, for example, equities returned 18.8% for the year, much higher than gilts (6%) and T-bills (2.7%), all figures having been adjusted for inflation. The Barclays Equity Income Index is derived from the yield of the FTSE All-Share Index because in their view, this is "the most representative method of evaluating equity performance over the period" (Barclays, 2006, p. 59). Given these pieces of information, what would be the best return that the UK charity could expect from its investments The attractiveness of any investment, whether bonds, securities, real estate, or a corner street business, depends on two variables: (1) Expected return: how much the investment would earn over a period of time; and, (2) Risk: the uncertainty that the investment would earn the expected return. One finance model used to assess an investment's attractiveness based on these two factors is the Capital Asset Pricing Model or CAPM,1 which equates expected return with the market return, the risk free rate, and the relative behaviour - defined as beta () - of the price of a security relative to the behaviour of the market. The basic criterion of CAPM is straightforward: an investment is attractive if its risk premium (the additional return over the risk-free rate) is equal to or higher than the risk of the market. Given the charity's investment portfolio = 1.03, the investment gave a return that was 3% higher than the All-Share Index return. If the All-Share Index had an 18.8% return, meaning a 1 million investment was worth 1,018,800 by year-end, the charity's investment would earn an extra 3% and would be worth 1,019,364 instead. The , however, has a downside: if the All-Share Index dropped, the value of the charity's investments would drop by an additional 3%. Why this happens is explained by risk, which affects the return of any investment. Every investment is exposed to two types of risk: the risk affected by the factors to which the business is

Observations at Roosevelt middle school Essay Example for Free

Observations at Roosevelt middle school Essay I observe at Roosevelt Middle School, which is in River Forest, in Mrs. Brauns sixth grade English class on Tuesdays in the morning. As I have observed, I have noticed that the classroom is student-centered. During computer time, Mrs. Braun focused more on helping the students get into the computer program to start the assignment than on having enough time to get the assignment done. Several times, Mrs. Braun gave helpful comments on how to do things on the computer or in the program, such as how to install automatic spell check. Mrs. Braun was also very patient as she was being asked questions while she was trying to explain the assignment. From what I saw, some students were getting bored, though, while the assignment was being explained and started whispering to each other. However, the whispering did stop when the students had to get started on the assignment. I have also observed that there seems to be a strong set of rules in place in Mrs. Brauns classroom. This is evident through some of Mrs. Brauns subtle, and not-so-subtle, reminders. For example, she gently made an example of a student by pointing out that his decorated pen (with a silly topper on it) was not allowed in class if it was going to be played and not used. She made a general statement that all pens similar to it are not welcomed is they are going to be played with. Overall, the students follow the rules very well, and there have not been any severe disruptions. There has only been whispering occasionally, but it stopped when Mrs. Braun asked. Disciplinary strategies seem to be in place as well, although I have not seen any discipline used while I have been observing the class. There is even a routine in place in the classroom for each period. During period one, first of all, old assignments are collected by Mrs. Braun, and then vocabulary is covered. Then a vocabulary assignment is given with any other new assignments on what is being cover in class. Next the teacher reads or goes over any assigned readings from the book that is being covered in class. This is the same basic routine for period two. The third period is computer time and the routine seems to vary. There is a quick transition from activity to activity during these routines. The classroom environment is that of a basic classroom setting. There are some decorations and other things hanging on the wall. Among the decorations is a hand-made calendar on the wall by Mrs. Brauns desk. There is a history of each students last name on the wall on the other side of Mrs. Brauns desk. There seems to be a controlled temperature and lighting in the classroom and they are set at an adequate setting. The room is arranged with five groups of desks in a circular type shape. In the middle of the room is a cart where new assignments are put and reading journals are kept. There are different locations throughout the room for different supplies. With the layout of the room, it seems there is adequate space to move around and do in-class activities. The physical space also seems conducive to teaching and learning. The physical space, including seating and grouping arrangements, seems to enhance cooperation and learning because there seems to be fewer distractions around them. There seems to be fewer distractions because the students have less people to talk to than if they were seated in rows, though they may still be tempted to talk. This classroom seems to function well as a total environment through its layout. I have observed many things in my first two observations in Mrs. Brauns class. The students do a lot of in-seat assignments, such as handouts. There seems to be a few good projects being done but they are done mostly outside of class. I feel that some time should be spent in class working on the projects, even if it is 10-15 minutes. The layout seems like both a good idea and a bad idea. It seems like a good idea because if one student gets stuck on something, there are others around to help. It seems to be a bad idea, though, because of what I stated before, there is still the temptation for the students to talk when they are not suppose to and distract each other. The only implication I have is that it seems that some old methods are hard to leave behind, such as busy work (hand outs), for more interactive methods (interaction with each other).

Suicide :: essays research papers

In the sixth century before the Christian era, religion was forgotten in India. The lofty teachings of the Vedas were thrown into the background. There was much priest craft everywhere. The insincere priests traded on religion. They duped the people in a variety of ways and amassed wealth for themselves. They were irreligious to say the least. In the name of religion, people followed in the footsteps of these cruel priests and performed meaningless rituals. They killed animals and performed various sacrifices. The country was in great need of a reformer. At such a critical period, when there were cruelty, degeneration, and unrighteousness everywhere, a reformer was to be born to save the people, and disseminate the message of equality, unity and cosmic love everywhere. Buddha was born in 560 B.C. and died at the age of eighty in 480 B.C. . Buddha's father was Suddhodana, king of the Sakhyas. Buddha's mother was named Maya. The place of his birth was a grove known as Lumbini, near the city of Kapilavastu, at the foot of Mount Palpa in the Himalayan ranges within Nepal. This small city Kapilavastu, stood on the bank of the little river Rohini, about a hundred miles north-east of the city of Varnasi. As the time grew near for Buddha to enter the world, the gods themselves prepared the way before him with celestial portents and signs. Flowers bloomed and gentle rains fell although out of season. Heavenly music was heard, and delicious scents filled the air. On the body of the child bore at birth, were thirty-two auspicious marks (Mahavyanjana) which indicated his future greatness, besides secondary marks (Anuvyanjana) in large numbers. Guatama’s mother Maya died seven days after her son's birth. He was brought up by his aunt Mahaprajapati, who b ecame his foster- mother. On the birth of the child Siddhartha, astrologers made predictions to his father Suddhodana. "The child, on attaining manhood, would become either a universal monarch (Chakravarti), or abandoning house and home, would assume the robe of a monk and become a Buddha, a perfectly enlightened soul, for the salvation of mankind". Then the king said: "What shall my son see to make him retire from the world?" The astrologer replied: "Four signs". "What four?" asked the king. "A decrepit old man, a diseased man, a dead man and a monk - these four will make the prince retire from the world" replied the astrologers.

The Role of Business in Foreign Policy Essay -- Foreign Policy

Throughout the course of American history, business-related interests have played a predominant role in influencing foreign policy. Foreign policy determines how America conducts its relations with other countries. It is designed to further certain goals such as security and trade. More importantly foreign policy seeks to ensure America’s security and defense and its ability to protect America’s national interests around the world. National interests that shape foreign policy covers a wide range of political, economic, military, ideological, and humanitarian fields. This is the stand the United States has taken in the last decades in regards to foreign policy. While the US government conducts its foreign policy, the public is kept purposefully unaware of the motives behind some major decisions it takes and most of the operations related to foreign policy. Even though the US foreign policy is set to protect its well being and to spread democracy, I think the US foreign p olicy is not only influenced by business but is controlled by those with these business-related interests as well. In this essay I will argue the magnitude of the influence of business on foreign policy in the United Sates government. For most of America's history, foreign policy has reflected an obsession with open markets for American business. Democracy and capitalism are associated with open markets, and the US has made the spread of democracy and capitalism across the world a priority. The US has been anticipating the Arab Spring; the fall of the tyrants in the Middle East opens unexploited markets. This opens new markets that have been controlled by dictators like Muammar Qaddafi who expressed their hatred to the US and anything associated to it. The spread ... ...we come to notice that beneath a multitude of causes influencing the flow of history, lays a valid and strong economic one. Works Cited Ells, Mark Van. 1998. "No Blood For Oil: Protesting the Persian Gulf War". Journal for the Study of Peace and Conflict Garten E. Jeffrey. 1997. " Business and Foreign Policy". Office of Foreign Affairs Jacobs, R. Lawrence . 2005. " Who Inï ¬â€šuences U.S. Foreign Policy?" Vol. 99, No. 1. American Political Science Review. Mandelbaum, Michael. 2010. The Frugal Superpower: America's Global Leadership in a Cash-Strapped Era. New York: PublicAffairs books. Sean , M. Lynn-Jones. 1998. "Why the United States Should Spread Democracy." Discussion Paper 98-07, Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University Shaw, F. Eugene. 1979. ‘Agenda-setting and mass communication theory’, 25, 2 , p.101. Gazette

What It Means to Be a Blackbelt

Ryan Cloninger Denver Tae Kwon Do Mr. Putnam November 8, 2009 What a Black Belt Means to Me When I was thirteen I started taking Tae Kwon Do. I wanted to learn how to fight and break boards. I have come a long way since my first Tae Kwon Do class. As a candidate for black belt rank, I now have a different perspective of Tae Kwon Do, and different motivation for attending each class. To me a black belt consist of displaying great character, becoming a leader, and reaching your goals, and understanding the history of Tae Kwon Do.To become a true black belt, you have to look back and remember the men who started Tae Kwon Do, and understand their history. Tae Kwon Do means the way of the fist and foot. In Tae Kwon Do you are empty handed. When empty handed you must use your hands and feet. In the early times Korean men used their hands and feet as weapons. Koreans used Tae Kwon Do for self-defense when invaders came to savage their village. Men died fighting to protect their loved ones a nd their homes. What once was a military form of fighting soon became a way of life for the Koreans.The history of Tae Kwon Do has taught me that becoming a black is not about what color material you receive. Tae Kwon Do black belts never quit. They work hard to achieve goals, even when the journey is difficult. I have learned to never retreat in life, and that victory is the goal. Becoming a black belt has always been a goal of mine. The respect and honor you gain from becoming a black belt is priceless. Knowing you worked hard for a black belt makes your accomplishment so much better. I have been taking Tae Kwon Do for over four years and am yet to have earned my black belt.The school I train under believes in working hard for the rank of black belt, and this can take a very long time. I believe the long road will make the destination that much more rewarding. Another goal I have is to attend college at Clemson University, after graduating high school. After college I hope to be a professional chef. My goals of going to college to become a chef have been with me ever since I can remember. Growing up around my grandparents who were always cooking got me interested in becoming a chef.Tae Kwon Do has taught me to stay in pursuit of this goal. In order to be the best college student and the best chef, I know I need to be a leader and not a follower. During the Tae Kwon Do summer camps I had a chance to practice my leadership skills. My instructor, Mr. Cloninger, allowed me to teach the Tae Kwon Do classes to work on and critique my leadership skills. Instructing the students really helped me correct my own mistakes in technique and forms. As I have grown through the ranks, my instructor has allowed me to instruct the classes.Instructing is another way of learning. If you cannot teach the material you truly do not understand it yourself. This is required to perfect your material, as I learned from personal experience. I believe my instructor, Mr. Cloninger, is an example of a great leader. He pushes me to my limit and beyond. He makes me a better person, better in the karate school, and in the community. Mr. Cloninger is dependable, hardworking, and possesses many great character qualities. Displaying good character is essential for being a great leader and a great black belt.Positive characteristics, such as respect for others, self-control, obedience, and humbleness, are the building blocks of a well-trained black belt. Respect is always important when training. Respect is earned. It is not simply given to you. You must work hard and be respectful to your instructor. Self-control is an important characteristic to have, not only in martial arts, but also in life. Self-control is harnessing your actions and emotions. When in training all emotions must leave the room. Your mind should be set on your material and goals.Self-control also applies in every day life, whether it is when you are driving down the road and some one cuts you off, or w hen your peers upset you at school. Obedience is another attribute a black belt must have. Whether it be listening to my parents or my instructor, I need to be able to listen and follow through when something is asked of me. Black belts are portrayed as people that can be trusted, doing what they are told and doing it the first time. Obedience comes easier when you have respect for others and self-control of your own wants and desires.A true black belt should be humbled in his achievement of his rank. Black belts should have respect for the art and not use their rank to show off, bully, or be intimidating. Black belts should not to be portrayed as cocky, arrogant or boastful. This is not being a good leader or representative of martial arts. I continually try to implement respect, self-control, obedience, and other positive characteristics into my life. These characteristics help me learn in school, train in Tae Kwon Do, and be a good member of my family.I am grateful and honored th at I was given the chance to test for my black belt. I received the best training from Mr. Putnam and Mr. Cloninger. These great leaders have taught me to stay strong and to work hard for my goals. If I receive the rank of black belt, one of my many goals will have been accomplished. My journey to becoming a black belt has taught me to display great character, build my leadership skills, reach my goals, and understand the meaning behind Tae Kwon Do. I look forward to continuing my Tae Kwon Do journey for many years to come.

How to Write an Analytical Essay on Macbeth

How to Write an Analytical Essay on Macbeth Writing an Analytical Essay on Macbeth Why write about Macbeth Beginning an analytical essay on Macbeth How to write an outline How to write a thesis for an analytical essay on Macbeth How to write an introduction Tips on how to write an introduction and thesis Writing body paragraphs Tips on body writing How to finish an analytical essay on Macbeth Tips on conclusion writing Tips on revision Analytical essay on Macbeth Why write about Macbeth The centrality of writing about Macbeth is to exhibit how an unconstrained desire can be a destructive force. Writing about Macbeth outlines how ruinous over-ambition or ambition can be. Macbeth, seemingly an aristocrat, is driven to actions and thoughts which are inherently averse to his nature and in the end causes his destruction alongside Lady Macbeth, his wife. ‘Macbeth’ deals with power and kingship and the accountability brought with power. Writing about Macbeth is fundamental in that as it demonstrates that when appropriately established power is ousted by noxious means, appalling penalties can follow. Beginning an analytical essay on Macbeth To start an analytical essay on Macbeth, the author needs to present some form of claim or argument about what he/she is dissecting. Analytical essays typically focus on how the poem or book was composed, for example, how specific topics in the story present themselves or how the utilization of metaphor or similitude brings about a precise meaning to the story. In short, analytical essays require one to examine the smaller sections of the piece to explain the larger picture. To write an analytical essay on Macbeth, the writer needs to review any thought or fact: connections that can be linked, thus formulating concepts and utilizing events to support it. How to write an outline A ‘plan’ or ‘blueprint’ for your essay is called an outline. An outline aids in sorting one’s arguments and thoughts. An appealing outline makes conducting research and later writing your essay somewhat simpler. Your outline page is comprised of: Paper Title Thesis Statement Major arguments/points shown by Roman numerals Supporting your key points, shown in Arabic numerals The Roman number I is the writer’s ‘Introduction.’ In the paper’s introduction section, tell the reader your paper’s purpose and what it intends on proving (your thesis). The final roman number is the conclusion; there one summarizes information presented to the reader. Sample Outline I. Introduction A. Sentence to catch the reader’s attention B. One-two sentence proclamation (thesis statement) II. Body A. First Paragraph B. Second Paragraph C. Third Paragraph III. Conclusion A. Thesis Restatement B. Insightful sentence closing How to write a thesis for an analytical essay on Macbeth To do it correctly, the essay writer should sum their idea into one sentence or two. The thesis statement should display the paper’s topic and show the reader what the article is about and thus aiding in keeping the argument focused and guides the writer. How to write an introduction The introduction is designed to grab the reader’s attention along with giving an idea of the essay’s focus. Start with a redherring/attention grabber. This includes: Surprising information which must be provable and correct. Dialogue which does not substantially have to identify the speakers; however, the reader must understand points made. Anecdotes which are stories that illustrate a point. Summary information; one to three sentences expounding your topic. Tips on writing an introduction and thesis Be as specific and exact as possible. Indicate your paper’s purpose, however, evade sentence structures like â€Å"my essay’s purpose is†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Avoid burying your thesis statement late in the paper. Avoid clichà ©s. Provide relevant and helpful information. Convince the reader your essay is worth reading and their time. Writing body paragraphs Naturally, body paragraphs develop the paper’s main idea in a series of sections. When writing body paragraphs, the writer’s chosen topic must be outlined, explained, and argued. All main ideas written in the outline make the body paragraph. Tips on body writing Begin by writing down your key ideas in sentence form Write down your supporting points for your chief idea that is, paraphrases and quotations from sources and facts (findings and statistics from conducted studies) Ensure you tie the facts you state back to the paragraph’s main idea (Analysis) Your transition from paragraph to paragraph should be fluid Explain your argument’s importance How to finish an analytical essay on Macbeth Finishing the analytical essay is simple once the framework is known. To conclude, three main sectors are taken into consideration. They are a transition from the body’s last paragraph, a rundown of the essay’s points and thesis statement, and finally, a closing statement that wraps everything up. Tips on conclusion writing Make it short. Answer the ‘So what’ question showing your readers the substance of your essay; show your reader the meaningfulness of your essay. Redirect your readers this is done by giving them something to think about. Synthesize rather than summarizing; don’t repeat things stated in your thesis. Challenge the reader by posing a question. Tips on revision Utilize your grammar check, spell-check, and check your spelling. Keep your format simple. Include clear transitions, markers, and citations. Include evidence and support for all main points. Ensure the essay’s intent is shown not told. Analytical essay on Macbeth I. Introduction ‘Macbeth’ is a play highlighting a breakdown in relationships between individuals Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth start the play showing an alluring relationship, however, as the plot advances; Macbeth’s aspirations drive him to commit regicide alongside other murders hence their relationship weakens and dissolves. This breakdown drastically impacts the play. Lady Macbeth’s longing for power prompts her enthusiasm in controlling Macbeth’s activities. Conversely, she loses control which ends in her tragedy. II. Discussion Ambition is typically what drives most towards progress, however, in Macbeth, it drives Macbeth towards his ruin. Ambition is a quality craved by many; however, through Macbeth, it is shown as an attribute that isn’t so positive. Macbeth proves that aspiration was a noteworthy constituent in his demise. Macbeth made it so effortless for the witches to help annihilate him. The witches noted his ambition was his weakness thus making it effortless for them to plan Macbeth’s destruction. Macbeth’s desire to have the witches stay on and continue with their prophecy shows his ambition and strives for power which the witches instantly spotted. Initially, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth adored each other: when Macbeth writes Lady Macbeth a letter naming her his â€Å"dearest partner in greatness,† this signifies that he views her as her equal. Lady Macbeth’s mind starts working after reading Macbeth’s letter. Lady Macbeth’s statement ‘shalt be’ uncannily mirrors the Witches prophecy. The breakdown of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relationship results from various deeds, most obviously King Duncan’s murder. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth respond differently. Macbeth is overcome with regret and remorse he knows sleep no more. He has interrupted sleep showing how tense he is with the crime. The guilt he experiences shows disallows him to sleep. Contrary, Lady Macbeth reacts differently. She is practical and calm, instructing him to rinse his hands. She openly says â€Å"water will clear us off this deed† showing her buoyancy that the water will drain away the guilt. Lady Macbeth calls the shots in their relationship since Macbeth is too weak. Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth’s manhood and bravery, and affection between them diminishes. The mental suffering Macbeth and Lady Macbeth go through following the murder is another factor that adds on to their relationship’s breakdown. After being crowned king, Macbeth makes known his discontent. â€Å"To be thus is nothing, but being safely thus.† Macbeth has the idea that Banquo will be crowned and dreads its fulfillment. Similarly, Lady Macbeth is equally disappointed when she expresses that their desire has gone without content. Still, the pair is uncommunicative at this point. III. Conclusion From act one, Lady Macbeth persuaded Macbeth to complete a detestable deed that led to what his alleged fate was, even though none said King Duncan had to be murdered for the prophecy to manifest. After that inhuman deed, victims of Macbeth’s paranoid personality typically followed. Macbeths ambitions mainly driven by greed, insecurity, and hopelessness greatly impacted Macbeth fate toward death. Macbeth’s ambitions drove him downwards as being a deplorable hero in Shakespeare’s enthralling play.

Finding Experts Who Want to Help With Your Writing Project

Finding Experts Who Want to Help With Your Writing Project Finding Experts Who Want to Help With Your Writing Project Finding Experts Who Want to Help With Your Writing Project By Michael Youve probably read those acknowledgements at the back of a book: Special thanks to Nobel Prize winner Niels Ryberg Finsen for the many hours of medical advice and strong coffee he shared with me, without which this book would not be possible. And youve wondered what it takes to get a world-famous expert of your own, one who could answer the nagging technical questions that come up in your writing project. Now, unless youre working on a book for a major publisher, you probably wont get a Nobel laureate on your team, but knowledgeable experts can be found almost everywhere, at your local college or across the world through email. The good news is that experts are usually glad to help for free. They love finding someone who cares about their subject and they hate having their specialty misrepresented. The wife of one history professor joked that even if the university wasnt paying him, he would go door to door asking, Hi! Have you heard about World War I? Approaching an expert First, figure out what you dont know. As you write, add tags to your text such as [research] so you can search for them later using Control-F or Command-F on your computer. Make a list, in advance, of the most important questions you want answered. When you email an expert, show them that you didnt pick them at random. Show them you know who they are and what they do, that youve read something theyve written. Tell them a little about your writing project. The more reputable and stable it sounds, the more likely the expert will agree to help you. If you already have a book deal, thats good. If youre asking them to do your homework for school, thats not good. Limit your email to one or two brief, narrow, and focused questions. Include your contact information, especially if youre asking for a telephone or face-to-face interview. Give them lots of lead time; dont rush them. Ask for their help weeks or months before you need to submit your manuscript. If they dont reply to your email, stop there. Dont bug them again. You can find another expert. When you talk to an expert, be prepared; dont waste their time with fuzzy questions. Im reminded of a mock interviewer who asked Paul McCartney, Remember when you were with the Beatles? Yes, he did. Keep it open-ended: Is there anything else you want to tell me? An off-hand comment might give you a new story idea that transforms your old one. Ask about what you can ask for. If they answer one question, are they willing to answer more? To meet with you for lunch? To read over your manuscript and make suggestions? It all depends on their availability and interest which depends partly on your professionalism and courtesy. Seek viewpoints that disagree with you. For most writers, the most vivid parts are the points they support and the characters they like. That means your villains may be one-sided. Compensate for your weaknesses by learning about things you would ordinarily ignore. When I was writing a novel that included extremists, I read one of the key books written by their founder. Finding an expert Use your network. Ask people you know, Who do you know that knows about this subject? Reference librarians (often found at libraries) can help you find the answer to any question a sort of non-electronic Google, but without spam or fake news. If your local library doesnt have reference librarians, the U.S. Library of Congress does and you dont need to be a U.S. Congressman to ask them questions. Many colleges and universities have faculty experts lists that are searchable by topic. Many are especially skilled or specially trained as communicators, but all are eager to share their expertise. StackExchange.com is a family of websites where users can ask all sorts of questions and the most helpful questions and answers are voted up. The National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) website has its own Reference Desk in their forums, about which they say, What actually does relate to the price of cheese in China? How many cats can you fit in a coffin? Why does the ABC song and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star have the same tune? You have a research question. Someone in here has an answer. Sign up (you were planning on writing a novel someday, werent you?), log into the website and you can ask away. NaNoWriMo officially starts in November but the forum is open year-round. Showing your gratitude When youve finished your draft, send your expert the chapter or the article they helped you write. They may have more comments and corrections to offer. You can use all the help they can give. When deciding how to thank your expert collaborator, think about how much time and effort they spent, and how vital their contribution was to you. If you literally couldnt have done it without them, and youre making money from their contributions, you may want to offer them some of the money as payment or a tip. Like all of us, your expert has something they want to accomplish by working with you, so think about how you can assist them in accomplishing it. Do they enjoy helping others (you)? Let them know, in several ways, how much you appreciate it. Do they want to correct a misunderstanding, and give your readers an accurate view of their field? Make every effort to get their message across, without compromising your story. You might disagree with their perspective, but at least present it fairly. Do they want the prestige of working with a published author? Use their name prominently in your acknowledgements and publicity. They may want copies to give out. If they have worked with you extensively, they might deserve a co-authoring credit. Write a thank you note. You know, with pen and ink. Maybe on a note card. Send them an autographed copy of your story or article when its published. Bring or send an appropriate gift. If you ask to meet with them, buy them lunch. If youre a fiction writer, name a character or place after them. They will be tickled. Of course, mention them in the acknowledgments of your book. Everybody likes to be recognized. Unless theyre a spy and want to remain undercover. Writing can be a solitary occupation, and you may never have considered that someone important could be interested in working with you. But Joe Moore, a bestselling author of thrillers with Lynn Sholes, says, The most remarkable thing we’ve discovered is that expert advice is easy to get. Almost everyone we’ve approached has been eager to provide fictionalized theories and futuristic details that help make our often outlandish premises ring within the realm of possibility. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Comparative Forms of Adjectives7 Tips for Writing a Film ReviewIs "Number" Singular or Plural?

My Days in Jekyll Essays - Orange County Screenwriters Association

My Days in Jekyll Essays - Orange County Screenwriters Association Professor Frazier English 1101-125 22 October 2015 My Days in Jekyll Every year, I go to Jekyll Island for an engineering trip. The group is called TSA (Technology Student Association). Students in TSA from different schools would compete in all kinds of engineering competitions. The time I went that was the most fun was last year with our new engineering teacher, Mrs. Carter. We would be staying for 3 days and since it was professional, we had to bring business clothes. That morning of the day we would leave, we would come to school and put our suitcases in our teachers room and go to our regular classes. Directly after school, we would come and get our stuff and sit in the lobby of our school until the charter bus came. We were on the bus with about 5 different schools. I knew some of them from previous years and others from different school programs. The ride to Jekyll was about 6 hours so we stopped a couple of times to get food. To get to Jekyll Island, we had to cross over a bridge. The bridge was so beautiful. The ocean was blue, birds were flying over it, and the beach was so pretty. When we finally got there, we had to go to a conference center and take a test to qualify to be an officer over the entire program. Some people took the test seriously, but others including me, didnt. After everyone on our bus was finished, we got dropped off at our ho tels. Some of the schools stayed in the same hotel and others stayed in a hotel further. In one room, it was me, my friend and 2 girls from another high school. After we took our showers, me and my friend walked around in our PJs and talked. We saw students from other schools and ended up talking with them too. We finally got back to our rooms around 1:30 am and went to sleep. The next morning everyone woke up and got dressed around 7 to get breakfast from downstairs. We had to leave the hotel and go to the conference room since majority of us had competitions that whole day. I didnt have a competition but my teacher let me observe some of them. There were a lot of competitions. In one room, robots were racing to stack boxes on top one another. I stayed in that room majority of the day we were there. We ate lunch after everyone finished their competitions and went back to the hotel. Everyone changed into some comfortable clothes because we planned on going out. My friend and I went to a ro om with people from another school. We all decided to stay in the hotel and talked about millions of things until we all passed out. When we woke up in the morning, my friend and I went back to our rooms so we could go back. We would be leaving around 2 that afternoon so when we packed, everyone put their belongings under the bus. Some people still had competitions that morning so I decided to walk around with some other students from another school. We went in stores to buy clothes, we made fun of peoples hairstyles and we stopped inside Five Guys for some food and an ice cream parlor for some delicious ice cream. When it was time to go, we walked back to the conference center where our bus would be waiting on us. By the time we left, everyone had gotten to know each other and was talking up a storm on the bus. My teacher said she enjoyed herself and learned quite a lot. This trip was better than the other ones because I met a lot of new faces. I also got a chance to get a preview of competitions so next year I will know what competition I want to do and how Im going to do it. I really had a lot of fun and wish every year would go like this, even though a few people got in trouble.

Corporate Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Corporate Strategy - Essay Example Strategy is the direction and scope of an organization over the long term, which achieves advantage for the organization through its configuration of resources within a changing environment and to fulfill stakeholders’ expectations. So strategic decisions are likely to be complex in nature and may be made in situation of uncertainty i.e. they may involve taking decisions with views of the future. It demands an integrated approach to managing the organization. Strategic decisions will very often involves change in organization, which may prove difficult because of heritage of resources and culture. They have to manage perhaps change relationship and network outside of the organization. So strategic decision-making requires special qualities of skills and knowledge. i) Corporate level strategy is concerned with the over all-purpose and scope of an organization. This could include issues of geographical coverage, diversity of products/services or business units and how resources are to be allocated between different parts of the organization. ii) Business unit strategy is about how to compete successfully in particular markets. The concerns are therefore about how advantage over competitors can be achieved; what new opportunities can be identified or created in the markets; which products or services should be developed in which markets; and the extent to which these meet customer needs in such a way as to achieve the objectives of the organization perhaps long term profitability or market share growth. So, whereas corporate strategy involves decisions about the organization as a whole, strategic decisions here need to be related to a strategic business unit (SBU). iii) Operational strategies is at the operating end of an organization, which are concerned with how the component parts of an organization deliver effectively the corporate and business level strategies in terms of resources, processes and people. Strategic management is the management of the

Financial Management and Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Financial Management and Analysis - Assignment Example Their urgency to get the capital required – the more time a company spends while trying to come up with the capital required, the lesser the cost incurred by the company. It would however, have to incur a higher cost if it needed the money very quickly. In the case, the owners of Biz Systems Consultants Ltd need to embrace the likelihood of incurring a higher cost to get the funds needed The least expensive option – the company should determine the cost of finance in regards to the amount of money it will need to part with in order to secure the amount requested. The company has to decrease the typical cost (interest) by looking for a source of money that offers the least interest rate on the borrowed amount. The level of risk involved in the investment project – in the case of mutually exclusive projects, the company has to evaluate the projects to determine the project with the best chance of leading to a profit. The owners of Biz Systems Consultants Ltd need to realize that their potential sources of finance will require some sort of guarantee that their return on investment. How long the company needs the capital - a serious company should identify whether the capital required is for a long or short-term project. Biz Systems Consultants Ltd has a project that is both long and short term and therefore the project management team needs to decide the sources of finance that will be most appropriate for their project. (Crundwell,2008). There are three popular decision making techniques: The first one is the Net Present Value, the second one is the internal rate of return and lastly, the payback Period technique. There however are, variations of these three most popular bring rise to the existence many lesser-used techniques. A company like Biz Systems Consultants Ltd has several projects and should measure each ones potential in relation to these three principles in order to make a comparison and choose the best

Workers Without Health Insurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Workers Without Health Insurance - Essay Example It will finally draw a conclusive recommendation on how workers can be provided with medical covers to enhance their heath care service provision. The primary source of health insurance covers in the United States is the employer-sponsored insurance -ESI1. ESI offers job-based health benefits which are in some cases subsidized by the federal government by exempting employer tax on health insurance premiums. In certain companies there are private employer sponsored which are voluntary and depends on the company's financial ability to meet the health care requirement for its entire workforce. Since not all employers offer insurance covers to its employees, not all workers have insurance policies and consequently, their children and spouses do not have them. In most cases, people who are not insured are either workers or family members of the workers. Previous research has shown that most American citizens obtain their health insurances through their employment agencies. However, some working environments do not find it economically possible to offer health insurance services to its workers. These working environments include; those who earn low wages, short job tenures, working part-time or those with low incomes2. In 2003, the Kaiser commission of inquiry reported that of the 124 million workers who were uninsured, 80% of them were self employed and this can be explained by the fact that these group of people do not get access to group insurance which is somehow cheaper. Another group of uninsured workers who formed the remaining percentage were workers with non-working spouses. Causes of medical disenfranchisement People become medically disenfranchised because they lack proper medical insurance cover that they can depend on whenever they are not feeling well. Poor health care in America today has been blamed on lack of worker insurance policies and programs leading to high costs of medical services. As many people continue to work as casuals and part-time jobs, in addition to low wages and salaries, they are not able to meet the medical requirements needed not only by themselves but also by their families. This has led to increased number of people who operate without medical and insurance covers for a better part of their lives. In fact, research has shown that three out five working Americans are not covered with insurance covers. This trend has in the past sparked a lot of condemnation from all quarters especially from government critics. Pressure is therefore building on employers to ensure that all its employees are insured. However, with increased incidences of political unwillingness, societal diversity and stagnating economies, it is no longer economically visible to offer all people the medical insurance cover they need. The burden has been therefore left to the workers to seek private insurance covers, which are very expensive to them.

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

Inflation - Essay Example Inflation defined in this way refers to monetary inflation, which is the difference between the growth in money supply and the growth in availability of goods and services in the economy (Siegl, 2009). There are various measures of inflation, but most commonly, inflation is measured by using Consumer Price Index (CPI). The CPI refers to price of a basket of commodities and services that an average customer buys and changes in this index allows economists to study the rise and fall of the general price level in the economy which helps them to study the rate of inflation in the economy. In the latter half of 2012, Bank of England Chief Economist, Spencer Dale, had warned that the average standard of living for the Britons would fall in 2013. The country (UK) is still on the recovery phase from the shock of the financial crisis, this process is a slow and painful one. With a high unemployment rate of 7.8% and wage growth struggling to keep up with inflation, 2013 is looking to be anothe r year of hardship. Causes of inflationary pressure Inflation refers to the upwards movement of the general price level in economy. Prices are determined in the free market economy through the interaction of the sellers and the buyers in the economy. Most economists consider that the inflationary pressure in the economy is caused from either the demand side (demand pull inflation) or the supply side (cost push inflation) pressure on the equilibrium condition in the market (P. J. Welch and G. F. Welch, 2009). Demand pull inflation In long run, when the total output in economy moves towards the full employment output, the economy operates nearly at the full capacity. At full capacity, the economy produces the maximum amount of output by utilizing the available factors of production and the production level cannot be expanded easily. Figure 1: Demand Pull inflation (Source: Pettinger, 2013) At the other end, consumers in the economy are themselves the workers and they are earning more since output level is high at this stage. Hence, there is high consumer demand for services and commodities. This demand pressure from households coupled with the near full capacity production by the producers in the economy triggers inflationary pressure in the economy (P. J. Welch and G. F. Welch, 2009). Cost push inflation Inflationary pressure also occurs when cost to sellers of goods and services rise. Any source of cost to businesses is also a source of increase in rise in prices. Cost to producers and sellers are transferred to buyers partially or wholly and they through rise in prices. Figure 2: Demand Pull inflation (Source: P. J. Welch and G. F. Welch, 2009) Upwards pressure is created on prices if costs of labour, fuel, raw materials and other factors of production rise. At times firms’ attempt to enhance profit in certain industries increases prices and creates inflationary pressure (P. J. Welch and G. F. Welch, 2009). Inflation in UK Between 1989 till present (20 13), inflation rate in the UK averages at 2.81%. In May 2013, the inflation rate was 2.70% (Trading Economics, 2013). The inflation rates between 2011 and 2013 is shown in the following figure. Figure 3: Inflation rates in UK 2011-2013 (Source: Trading Economics, 2013) Demand side policies to combat inflation The most important tool to control inflationary pressure in the UK has been monetary policy changes. In the UK, the Bank of England adopts a monetary policy that helps

Eminent Domain and the Taking of Private Land by Governmental Entity Term Paper

Eminent Domain and the Taking of Private Land by Governmental Entity - Term Paper Example Brigham, that the right to own property and to possess it is a valuable and protected right. It is within this context that the right to made whole is interpreted. In making the owner whole under eminent domain, the courts must not confine quantification of damages to mere compensation for the value of the property. The courts must also take account of the expense that the proceedings will undoubtedly put on an unwilling private owner. It therefore follows that in making the owner whole, the government must take responsibility for all costs incurred by the owner in challenging the proceedings and proving damages.3 Therefore the significance of the right to own property is reflected in substantive and procedural laws that accompany eminent domain. As demonstrated in the Dade County ruling, the mere taking of property with compensation for the value of the property will not amount to just compensation. Compensation understandably must put the owner in the position that he or she would have been in but for the takings. This means the expenses that the owner is forced to undertake pursuant to the takings’ proceedings must be accounted for. Thus the constitutional basis of property rights is supported by the property owner’s right not to be deprived of his or her property without due process. Specifically, Article 1, Section 2 of Florida’s Constitution provides that â€Å"no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law†.4 Due process has been established to mean that the individual in question shall be accorded the opportunity to be heard and to challenge any intended action to deprive the individual of his or her private property.5 Thus procedural fairness is required in the deprivation of private property under Florida’s Constitution. Therefore reasonable notice and the administration of justice via a fair hearing are prerequisites for the taking of private property by the state in Florida purs uant to Florida’s constitution. Procedural due process however, can have different implications depending on the legal context. This is because procedural due process is tied to substantive due process.6 The connection between procedural fairness and substantive fairness lies in the general imposition of the right to challenge governmental taking of private property.7 Procedural fairness refers to the process that official must follow in depriving a citizen of his or her property. In this regard, the degree of procedural fairness typically corresponds with the severity of the proprietary right at risk. Substantive fairness proceeds on the basis that the law permitting deprivation of property is constitutional and presumes that any law that encroaches upon human rights is unconstitutional and therefore not valid.8 Deprivation of property conceivably invokes two different legal contexts, both of which can be deemed serious proprietary rights: police powers and eminent domain. P olice powers refer to the right of states to legislate for the protection of safety, health and morals.9 Thus police powers do not technically deprive the individual of his or her property, but rather deprives the individual of the right to use his or her property as he or she sees fit.10 Police powers are typically associated with ordinances and regulatory frameworks relative to zoning, building codes, health/safety standards, rent controls and city planning.11 These police powers are

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

Inflation - Essay Example Inflation defined in this way refers to monetary inflation, which is the difference between the growth in money supply and the growth in availability of goods and services in the economy (Siegl, 2009). There are various measures of inflation, but most commonly, inflation is measured by using Consumer Price Index (CPI). The CPI refers to price of a basket of commodities and services that an average customer buys and changes in this index allows economists to study the rise and fall of the general price level in the economy which helps them to study the rate of inflation in the economy. In the latter half of 2012, Bank of England Chief Economist, Spencer Dale, had warned that the average standard of living for the Britons would fall in 2013. The country (UK) is still on the recovery phase from the shock of the financial crisis, this process is a slow and painful one. With a high unemployment rate of 7.8% and wage growth struggling to keep up with inflation, 2013 is looking to be anothe r year of hardship. Causes of inflationary pressure Inflation refers to the upwards movement of the general price level in economy. Prices are determined in the free market economy through the interaction of the sellers and the buyers in the economy. Most economists consider that the inflationary pressure in the economy is caused from either the demand side (demand pull inflation) or the supply side (cost push inflation) pressure on the equilibrium condition in the market (P. J. Welch and G. F. Welch, 2009). Demand pull inflation In long run, when the total output in economy moves towards the full employment output, the economy operates nearly at the full capacity. At full capacity, the economy produces the maximum amount of output by utilizing the available factors of production and the production level cannot be expanded easily. Figure 1: Demand Pull inflation (Source: Pettinger, 2013) At the other end, consumers in the economy are themselves the workers and they are earning more since output level is high at this stage. Hence, there is high consumer demand for services and commodities. This demand pressure from households coupled with the near full capacity production by the producers in the economy triggers inflationary pressure in the economy (P. J. Welch and G. F. Welch, 2009). Cost push inflation Inflationary pressure also occurs when cost to sellers of goods and services rise. Any source of cost to businesses is also a source of increase in rise in prices. Cost to producers and sellers are transferred to buyers partially or wholly and they through rise in prices. Figure 2: Demand Pull inflation (Source: P. J. Welch and G. F. Welch, 2009) Upwards pressure is created on prices if costs of labour, fuel, raw materials and other factors of production rise. At times firms’ attempt to enhance profit in certain industries increases prices and creates inflationary pressure (P. J. Welch and G. F. Welch, 2009). Inflation in UK Between 1989 till present (20 13), inflation rate in the UK averages at 2.81%. In May 2013, the inflation rate was 2.70% (Trading Economics, 2013). The inflation rates between 2011 and 2013 is shown in the following figure. Figure 3: Inflation rates in UK 2011-2013 (Source: Trading Economics, 2013) Demand side policies to combat inflation The most important tool to control inflationary pressure in the UK has been monetary policy changes. In the UK, the Bank of England adopts a monetary policy that helps

Compare the Media Law of England and Wales with a European Country Essay

Compare the Media Law of England and Wales with a European Country - Essay Example England and Wales laws differ with other European countries like Italy and Australia, depending on privacy and defamation laws governing the media, as well as regarding the age of criminal responsibility. For example, the age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales is 8, 14 in Italy, 18 in Belgium, and 16 in Spain. This paper will critically analyse how the international journalism and media laws differ from the legal systems in England and Wales, using case studies. The media laws The freedom of speech should be provided to the media, yet, the people have rights which need to be protected; the exact opposite of the media’s rights (Banks and Hanna, 2009, 2). France has been lagging behind in the freedom of the media, it being the last European country to launch the use of television, UK being the first, followed by Italy, then Germany (Katisrea, 2008, 13). In France, broadcasting until 1982, was a state monopoly, controlled by the minister of information and culture, a nd this ushered in a lot of manipulation from the government (Katsirea, 2008, 19). A law passed in 1982 is what brought about the abolishment of state monopoly in broadcasting. In Greece, the media law prohibits advertising children’s toys between 7am and 10 pm. NCRTV is the only independent authority governing the media in Greece. ... ivil, and which allows a victim of harm through publication of materials, word or any other means, to sue the responsible party (Banks and Hanna, 2009, 305). The aim of the laws of defamation is to strike a balance between promoting freedom of speech, and that of protection (Quinn, 2009, 183). The injunctions and super injunctions applied by England’s and Wales’s legal system to protect people from having their information published in the media, are not applied in all European countries, yet, some countries like France have adopted the trend and privacy is incredibly common. The case of Ryan Giggs injunction on Imogen of Big Brother and against the Sun Newspaper is an indication of England and Wales’s regulations on media laws. Ryan Giggs managed to get an injunction in April 2011 against the Sun newspaper mentioning his name as the person involved in the sex scandal with Imogen Thomas (BBC, 2012). The privacy cases arise from the 1998 Human Right Act, which giv es people the right to protection (Quinn, 2009, 251). Injunctions are issued giving rights to them being known, yet the presence of super injunctions is not supposed to be known. Francois Mitterrand’s physician, Claude Gubler, published book in 1996, two weeks after his death revealing his last secret. Mitterrand had been diagnosed with prostrate cancer in 1981, and not in 1992. The family obtained a temporary injunction against the selling of the book, after 40, 000 copies of the final secret had been sold. The injunction was aimed at preventing the selling of the books or even the publishing of the book by the media houses and news papers (Tiersky, 2003, 220). In France when Mitterrand was the president, the media was gagged lot and its freedom restrained. This is evidenced by the fact that he gagged

Compare How Duffy and Armitage Write About Violence in Salome and Hitcher Essay Example for Free

Compare How Duffy and Armitage Write About Violence in Salome and Hitcher Essay ‘Salome’ and ‘Hitcher’ both use a first person persona and with that, give us insight into their feelings and the theme of violence throughout both poems. In ‘Salome’, Duffy’s character uses a nonchalant tone with no remorse when depicting her actions, which is also present in ‘Hitcher’ too. Salome had ‘done it before’ and will ‘doubtless do it again’ but is oblivious of the repercussions of what she has just stated. She is a promiscuous character and is unaware of what she has done until the last stanza, whereas the narrator in ‘Hitcher’ is fully conscious of his actions. He ‘lets him have it’ and is proud of his actions and his ability to not swerve while attacking the hitchhiker. His colloquial manner represents that he sees it as an entertaining story and how he is unaffected by his actions. Near to the conclusion of ‘Salome’ she decides to clean up her act, becomes repentant of how she has behaved. In comparison, Hitcher just drives away from the body and is ignorant as to his fate; he does not care if he’s alive; he just ‘lets him out’. His casual description of how the body bounces and disappears questions his mental stability and his possession of a conscience. Salome also defends herself, describing the man as a ‘beater or biter’, proposing that she reacted in self-defence although she could also be referring to herself. The plosive ‘b’ also portrays the violence involved with those words. At the end of ‘Hitcher’, the concluding couplet is sarcastic and ironic, seeing as the intended recipient is no longer with him. He recalls thinking ‘Stitch that’ as if the hitchhiker got what he deserved. To him, it’s a joke. Similarly, Salome states ‘ain’t life a bitch’, which is also ironic, as the person she is speaking to is dead. She doesn’t care; he could be any old Simon Andrew or John. Hitcher’s reference to the weather is normal, which shows how his behaviour hasn’t impacted him; the murder was the therapy for his anger as his outlook is now pleasant. The fact that he and the hitchhiker were of the same age wasn’t of particular consequence to him, they both had the same opportunities, yet vastly different paths. The mention of this shows how he can crack at and given moment, and his attention for the inconsequential. Salome’s therapy for her hangover was her maid’s ‘innocent clatter’, so unlike Hitcher’s methods. The fact that Salome calls her maid ‘innocent’ shows how naà ¯ve and unknowing she is about Salome. She’s Salomes opposite. The rhythmic repetition of the ‘er’ sound emulates the sound of her footsteps which soothes Salome after her night on the ‘batter’. This shows the violence which ensued last night and all the aggression, as well as inverting the fema le stereotype or passiveness.

Electronic business

Electronic business E-business (electronic business) can simply be described as a wider concept that embraces all aspects of the use of information technology in business. It doesnt just deal with buying and selling it also deals with the servicing customers and collaborating with business partners and with organisation. An example of is Amazon, they deal with the selling of books and music cds online. They act as the middlemen in between the publishers and the consumers. E-business is any business process that is empowered by an information system. E-business can be divided into three parts namely business to consumer, business to business and business to employee. Today, this is mostly done with Web-based technologies. Electronic business methods enables companies to link their internal and external processes more efficiently and flexibly, work more closely with suppliers and partners to better satisfy the needs and expectations of their customers. In practice, this involves the introduction of new re venue streams through the use of electronic commerce, the enhancement of relationships between clients and partners and improving efficiency from using knowledge management systems. E-business can be conducted over the public Internet, through internal intranets and over secure private extranets. E-business covers business processes along the whole value chain: electronic purchasing (e-procurement) and supply chain management, processing orders electronically, customer service and cooperation with business partners. This applies to traditional and virtual organisations. Special technical standards for e-business facilitate the exchange of data between companies. E-business software solutions allow the integration of intra and inter firm business processes. Applications can be divided into three categories: A) Internal business systems: Customer relationship management Internal transaction processing Human resources management Process control Employee information portals Workflow management Enterprise resource planning Knowledge management Document management systems B) Enterprise communication and collaboration Content management system E-mail Voice mail Discussion forums Chat systems Data conferencing Collaborative work systems C) Electronic commerce- Business-to-business electronic commerce or business-to-consumer electronic commerce Electronic funds transfer Supply chain management E-marketing Online transaction processing Scope of e-business applications These applications can be available to different kinds of users: All users of the internet Only the employees on the intranet A specified targeted group of users of an extranet (like customers, partners etc.) E-business offers the opportunity to rethink a whole range of assumptions about how businesses operate, how they relate to their customers and supplies, and their roles and position in the wider market place. The drivers for e-business can be divided into the follows: Opportunities and Threats. Opportunities E-business gives the opportunity to choose a business model. Some organisations such as prudential assurance with Egg and Co-operative Bank with smile have launched different internet businesses, and have taken the opportunity to establish a new brand which might be more representative of their business vision for the future of their business, that an old long-standing brands. E-commerce also gives the opportunity to define the relationship with customers. I.e. routine service transactions are under the customers control. The customer is encouraged to learn the script for example the process associated with placing an order. This learning increases the barriers to switching. Customer knowledge: This embeds the collection of data which give the organisation an upper hand over rivals for example my bank. My bank knows my by name and address which can help stop crime. Cost saving on transactions can be considerable because the customer takes responsibility for a large element of the service transaction. Access to global markets: This takes place mostly in niche markets; access to such global markets has provided welcome opportunities for small businesses and entering the global market is challenging. Threats Barrier of entry are minimal. It takes short period of time to implement web presence and thereby to launch a new business. Size doesnt matter and indeed small and medium sized companies may be more flexible and adaptable. Increase customer expectation about choice, especially in relation to wide product range, the opportunity to undertake comparison shopping, and 24-hour availability. Pressure on product margins. Markets that have pressure on product margins, additional pressure will arise from an additional channel of delivery. Virtual organisations (VO) This is a temporary network of independent companies- supplies, customers, even rivals- linked by information technology to share skills, costs, assets, ideas to create, distribute product and services with out being limited by traditional boundaries or locations and gaining access to one anothers markets. Virtual organisation has many locations and need to communicate between those locations, to share information and work collaboratively on that shared information to produce joint products and services, with the use of information systems. From my point of view virtual organisation can be described as A virtual organisation is an opportunity-pulled and opportunity defined integration of core competencies of different partners which is based on information systems. In a virtual organisation a single project can run across different partners on basis of computer support. In a virtual organisation experts can be accessed through the computer network. In a virtual organisation participants interact with each other as team members within computer supported collaborative work. In a virtual organisation, companies must be connected electronically so that people within an organisation can inter-operate and intra-operate across the electronic business environment, using common tools to navigate around the e-business environment and share information. Virtual organisation will have neither central office nor an organisation chart. This type of organisation will have no hierarchy and no vertical integration. The purpose of such an organisation is to or alliance is to command speed and flexible in order to: Break down market barriers to new products by rallying the required skills and expertise from groups, individuals, and even rivals from outside organisational boundaries. Gain access into new markets and technologies. For this type of organisation to exist they must have the following: Adaptability, flexibility and responsiveness to change requirements and conditions. Effectiveness. Empowerment of staff. Low level of bureaucracy. High infusion of IT to support business processes and knowledge workers. Stewardship of expertise, know-how and knowledge. Dispersion of components parts. The success factors for such organisations are: Shared risks. Mutual benefits. Trust. A shared vision. The goals of a virtual organisation are: Excellence: each partner brings its core competence. Utilization: resources of partners are utilized more profitably. Opportunism: market opportunity can be met better together than by each individual company. Any of these factors can change the opportunism that led to the formation of a virtual organisation may lead to its demise. The bad thing about this organisation is that when they is a conflict, misunderstandings or unforeseen event the organisation has few established procedures to deal with the negotiation and conflict resolution. In a virtual organisation a key component to have is a virtual team. A virtual team is an evolutionary form of network organisation enabled by advances in information and communication technology. The opportunistic nature of such alliances suggests that they will generally be short term and exist only until after their objective has been achieved. The five main attributes of a virtual organisation are alliance for a common goal, underlying information and communication technologies, vertical integration, globalization, and collaboration. The member companies may then disband and proceed to create new partnerships. In reality the permanence of alliances an d the way in which virtual organisations mutate will depend on the interdependencies between the member the members, and the extent to which original objectives evolves into new shared objectives. Organisations are driven to become VO due to different situation: Needs for process innovation companies are often motivated by competitive pressures, supply, demands and other factors to achieve increased productivity and quality. Sharing of core competencies- VO (virtual organisation) help address the voids in an organisation for example the starting up, turn over and retirements. Mobile workers- VO (virtual organisation) concepts can help the numerous companies employing mobile staff such as auditors, consultant and technicians. Cost reduction- improving efficiency often means reducing overhead, such as redistributing cost over several partners locations. Changes in employee values and attitudes toward work- quality of life are a major factor in keeping and employing staff. Costs and problems of traveling- VOs (virtual organisation) address transportation issues, such as unpredicted commuting time, traffic hassles, the cost of fuel and environmental impact of commuting. For an organisation to be able to implement VOs (virtual organisation) it will include: Telecommuting the partners employees work at a location away from the usual workplace such as at home or mobile locations. Tele-centres these satellite offices typically are located in communities outside of local area but provide space, equipments for employees commonly not available in telecommuting. Mobile working this refers to the working environment of mobile workers who are required to use technology such as mobile phones, e-mail wireless devices, pagers and laptops. Hot desking is when employees of an organisation temporary physical occupy a work station or surface in the organisation or a partners organisation. Hoteling employees of this organisation dont have traditional office space in a building but instead work from home or the road and reserve conference rooms or offices at a building, usually the companys headquarters, when they need to meet with clients, colleagues, or their departments. Virtual team is a group of employees that work in a Geographically Dispersed Team (GDT), space, and organisational boundaries with links strengthened by webs of communication technology i.e. e-mail, groupware or video conferencing. Technologies In E-business technology is any thing that facilitates and constrains the development of e-business. Most of the excitement around e-business is integrally associated with the potential of the internet, and more specifically the web. Whiles these technologies are important let us not forget that in e-business, especially in business-to-consumer applications, is concerned with allowing customers access through whichever channel they choose for example mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDA) with WAP display or public access kiosks i.e. in airports, railway stations, and shopping centres. So in other words customer will want to be able to access information in the move, as well as through fixed machines at home or at work. The only problems with this is that the products been viewed can not be touched, smelt, or seen like in a traditional shop. An advantage of these e-businesses is that a customer can go to a virtual mall and collect information on a product, compare prices with similar products and also check details of the product. The main technologies that I will be talking about will be: The internet. The World Wide Web. Intranet and Extranets. The term internet and World Wide Web are often used interchangeably. These two are not the same thing. The internet is a collection of interlinked computer networks or a network of networks while the World Wide Web comprises of those servers linked to the internet that use HTTP. The defining characteristic of the web is that websites or documents are linked to one another through hyperlinks which are embedded in the website. Users move from one site to another with the help of hyperlinks. Another concept that is often encountered in the internet world is that of the intranet. An intranet is an organisations internal communication system that uses internet technology. Intranet is a web browser and graphical user interface. While the internet offers access to its contents for almost any member of the public, intranet have strict access controls in form of passwords and firewalls. These security devices protect company web pages, document databases and other information from external access. These are useful for large companies operating from several places. Extranet is an extended intranet that gives access to users beyond the organisation such as customers, suppliers, collaborators and some times competitors. Extranet also have security devices that protect information from other internet users and define the level of access for approved users. The internet connects millions of computers and the rate of increase in use and the new subscriber are the growth day by day all over the world. This is why a lot of companies are very excited and invest a lot of money in the e-business area of there company. For companies the internet is the gateway to a huge market its just a matter of finding your niche. An example of a very success internet company that we all know is Amazon. Most companies find it important to have a presence online in form of a website, since the internet is becoming a cheaper way of promotion and visibility. For customer the internet is a gateway to information, commercial and government websites, software and document archives, and e-mail. The internet offers for both the customer and companies a rich seam of information and commercial transactions and commerce. Relationship between E-business, Virtual Organisation, and Technology. The relationship between e-business, virtual organisation and technology are that virtual organisation needs e-business and technology. In virtual organisation technology is important because virtual organisation needs these technologies such as the internet to form and re-form alliances and to create blurred boundaries of the organisation, break down barriers to entry and gain access to new markets. It also needs technology for security issues, compatibilities and interoperability, payment mechanism and mobile network channel capacity. It needs e-business because e-business embraces all aspects of information technology in business i.e. security issues related with data security and payment mechanisms, reducing costs, improved customer service and increased competitive edge. This includes buying and selling, collaborating with business partners and the integration across business processes and communication within the organisation. Technology has also helped the virtual organisation advance information and communications technologies. It has also have in flexibility, improved security, low costs, and improved resource utilization. Technology has helped communication to allow members separated by time and space and often culture, geography, history and future to engage in collaborative work. E-business technology is important because e-business needs technology to be able to embrace information technology for example without the internet e-business will not be able to care out tasks like buying and selling online, communicating with customers, companies being able to promote and be visible online. So without technology they will be no e-business. Virtual organisation can be related to e-business only if a company is involved in a temporary network of independent companies linked by information technology to share skills, costs and access to one anothers markets or to produce a product or service. Virtual Organisations and e-business are related to technology or work hand to hand because without them the relevant technologies would not have being created for example in e-business the online transaction processing would have being useless because they will be no need for online transaction without the introduction of e-business. In the case of virtual organisation technology has help make it work for example the internet has made it easy for a virtual organisation to form and re-form alliances and to create blurred boundaries of the organisation, break down barriers to entry and gain access to new markets. Technology has also helped virtual organisation advance information and communications technologies. It has also have in flexibility, improved security, low costs, and improved resource utilization. Technology has helped communication to allow members separated by time and space and often culture, geography, history and future to engage in collaborative work. Benefits of E-business are that it gives the opportunity to choose a business model, it redefines the business relationship, it introduces cost saving for the company i.e. advertising or overhead costs, it gives the company access to new global markets, the company gets introduced to E-commerce, it gives companies like banks Customer knowledge for instant knowing the customer by first name. Benefits of technology are better communication i.e. able to reach more people with the help of the internet, saves on over head costs, it introduces cheaper ways of promotion and been visible to the customers and potential customers, technology gives better storage methods i.e. banks storing information on the magnetic strip of a credit/debit card or super markets storing information on a bar code, it introduces better ways of communicating. Benefits of virtual Organisation are the partners share risks, share costs, it breaks down market barriers to new products by rallying the required skills and expertise from groups, individuals, and even rivals from outside organisational boundaries, it give the partners access into new markets, expertise and technologies, it introduces increased flexibility of organisations and finally it improves customer relations for the partners. Conclusion As discussed I believe that technology, virtual organisation and e-business work to complement each other. Technology is important for both e-business and virtual organisation because both need some sort of technology to be able to exist or work for example virtual organisation can not succeed without technology. It needs technology to set up a networks, communications, security and e-business cant exist without the help of technology because technology is needed to embrace information technology foe example support the internet, World Wide Web, electronic mail, groupware such as lotus and video conferencing. In terms of technology without e-business and virtual organisation the technologies will not be designed or created for example in e-business the online transaction processing would have being useless because they will be no need for online transaction without the introduction of e-business. Technology has also helped virtual organisation advance information and communications t echnologies. It has also have in flexibility, improved security, low costs, and improved resource utilization. Technologies has helped communication or have meetings to allow members separated by time and space and often culture, geography, history and future to engage in collaborative work.

Todays Family :: essays research papers

Surviving in the Ross Sea   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Emperor penguins and Weddell seals are the only marine predators that breath air and live year round in Antarctica Ross Sea. How these two animals are able to live among each other when there diets, hunting depths and area distribution are shared is the question. Ross Sea is called home by six emperor penguin colonies, approximately 180,000 birds, and about 50,000 Weddell seals. It is important, when considering competition between these two species to know that each share above and below water resources however it is below water prey where problems may occur. Several items can be considered to determine true competition overlap. These items include prey selection, using different hunting depths and habitat separation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fish account for most of the diet of both predators (99.3 % for seals and 89-95% for penguins). To take it one step further, Pleuragramma antarcticum, or Antarctica silverfish is the primary prey for each. Of the fish consumed, 88.6% of penguin’s fish diet and 99.3% of the seals diet consist of the Antarctic silverfish. This species of penguins and seals do not select fish of different classes despite body and mouth size difference. Seal prey is slightly larger, yet still considered juvenile as are penguin prey. Absence of larger prey in the penguin diet may be due to the fact that all samples were collected during chick rearing periods. It is possible that adult birds would capture larger fish for themselves and return with slightly smaller sizes for their young. Although seals and penguins hunt for the same size and species of fish, this does not restrict them from cohabitation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Next we will consider the depth at which they hunt. Both, seal and penguins are excellent divers. In order to dive at great depths, these species move oxygen away from the lungs and into the muscles and blood. This allows them to store 3-4 times more oxygen than the average land mammal. In addition, seals and penguins use other techniques to reduce oxygen intake. Examples of this include the reduction of heart rates during long dives and an energy conserving swim pattern called burst and glide. It is known that penguins and seals have the ability to reach similar depths, however, the time below surface varies between the two animals.

The Federal Court System :: essays research papers

The Federal Court System Chapter 18 Sections 3 and 4 I.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Supreme Court A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The supreme court of the United States is the only court specifically created in the constitution a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chief Justice of the United States b.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eight associate justices II.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Judicial Review A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1st asserted its power of judicial review in the classic case of Marbury vs. Madison in 1803 a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  aftermath of the stormy election of 1800 b.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Provision of the Judicial Act of 1789, in which congress had created the federal court system. Law gave the Supreme Court the right to hear such suits in its original jurisdiction (not on appeal from a lower court). 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Court Refused Request B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Marshall’s powerful opinion a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The constitution is, by its own terms, the supreme law of the land b.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All legislative enactments, and all other actions of the government, are subordinate to and cannot be allowed to conflict with the supreme law c.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Judges are sworn to enforce the provisions of the Constitution and therefore must refuse to enforce any governmental action they find to be in conflict with it III.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jurisdiction A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Original and appellate jurisdiction a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  from lower federal courts and from the highest State courts b.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Article III, Section 2 of the Constitution spells out two classes of cases that may be heard by the High Court in its original jurisdiction 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  those to which a State is a party 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  those affecting ambassadors, other public ministers, and councils B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Congress can implement the constitutional provision A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Court shall have the original and exclusive jurisdiction over 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  all controversies between two or more States 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  all cases brought against ambassadors or other public ministers, but not consuls IV.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How cases Reach the Court A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  6,000 cases are now appealed to the Supreme Court each year. Of these, the Court accepts only a few hundred for decision. 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chosen according to â€Å"the rule of four†: at least four of its nine justices must agree that a case should be put on the Court’s docket. B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most cases reach the supreme Court by writ of certiorari 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  an order by the Court directing a lower court to send up the record in a given case for review 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Either party can petition the Court to issue a writ 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Cert† is granted in only a limited number of instances – typically, only when a petition raises some important constitutional question or a serious problem of statutory interpretation. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When certiorari is denied, the decision of the lower court stands in that particular case. a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All the denial means is that, for whatever reason, four or more justices could not agree that the Supreme Court should accept that case for review C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Few cases do reach the Court in yet another way, by certificate.

How does Virgil deviate from Homer in the underworld, and why Essay

When comparing â€Å"The Aeneid† to â€Å"The Odyssey†, it is impossible not to notice the similarity between Homer and Virgil’s poems. Both heroes leave Troy, granted one barely escapes and the other leaves victoriously, and both in one sense or the other are trying to reach their home, whether it is the old or future home. The adventures of the two heroes are incredibly similar on a number of accounts with the trip to the underworld being most intriguing. First of all it is important to understand that Homer and Virgil wrote their poems for different reasons; Homer’s â€Å"The Odyssey† was written for entertainment purposes, while Virgil’s â€Å"The Aeneid† was written in order to subtly praise Augustus and promote the glory of Rome. This could in fact explain most of Virgil’s deviations from â€Å"The Odyssey†. The two poems present us with very clear similarities; both heroes have to travel to the underworld in order to continue their voyage; both meet friends, foes and most importantly a parent. Besides that, both Odysseus and Aeneas are guided by a god without whom they may have not been able to enter the underworld, and would definitely would not have been able to leave it. Even with these similarities however, the tasks of Odysseus and Aeneas are entirely different and the underworlds which they become acquainted with are also not explained in the same manner. Therefore, while the basic idea of the underworld seems to be the same for both poets, their description of Odysseus’s and Aeneas’s trips make these passages entirely different. One of the most obvious comparisons of the poems is Aeneas and Odysseus’s meeting with old friends and family; both for example meet one of their parents. In this case, Odysseus may be sympathized with more for he did not know of his mother’s death and in the underworld had learnt that she died because of his absence and her longing for her son. Aeneas on the other hand does know that his father is no longer alive, but that does not stop both characters from crying when seeing their parent and both trying to embrace him/her three times. The gender of the dead parent also makes a point; Aeneas’s dad could be referring to the all-knowing Caesar and the male dominance in Rome. Odysseus’s mother on the other hand, once again for the purpose of entertainment, could be representing Penelope, Ithaka and all the love Odysseus has for his home. Besides the meeting with their parent, both heroes are undermined through their treatment of the spirits. For example, both are captains and both have managed to miscount their sailors not noticing that one of their men has died. This is crucial for Aeneas’s story for if he is the founder of Rome and cannot keep count of a handful of men, how is he to establish and control a new city? Besides that, another interesting point is Odysseus’s meeting with Ajax and Aeneas’s meeting with Dido. Here, the similarities are bewildering; both of these characters die because of the heroes, both of them die by thrusting a knife into their chest and both of them are still angry with Odysseus and Aeneas. As interesting as their actions may be, Odysseus and Aeneas both blame their actions on the gods, Aeneas more than Odysseus. Once again this undermines the founder of Rome for he cannot take responsibility for what he has caused and expects the gods not only to help him get to Italy, but also to be able to blame his mistakes on them. Even the reason for Odysseus and Aeneas’s trip to the underworld creates confusion as to what is similar and what is not. For example, they both enter the underworld because they need to in order to complete the voyages but also because they have been told to do so by the gods. Odysseus enters Hades in order to find the prophet Teiresias to guide him back to Ithaka, even though by going to this meeting he is risking his life, and Aeneas enters the underworld to see his father who tells him of the future of the city he is about to found. One of the main contrasts of the two poems is that Odysseus focuses more on the past of his life; he is trying to get home where he was before, in the underworld he sees his fallen friends from Troy, he is trying to get back to his wife and son etc. Aeneas on the other hand is much more focused on the future; he is also trying to get home, but that home does not exist yet, besides that, while seeing his old friends he also finds out about the future of his generations and yet even more about the city he is on his way to establish. This could bring us to the point of Homer’s vs. Virgil’s reasons for writing their poems; as mentioned earlier,  Homer wrote his poem for entertainment purposes. This explains why the majority of book eleven is made up of Odysseus meeting his old friends and great warriors of the war; through telling their stories, Homer entertained the readers and the audience by letting them imagine how the heroes act after their death (what still matters to them, which quarrels have not been forgotten etc.). Virgil on the other hand skips most of the greetings of Aeneas with old friends and focuses instead on the meeting with his father. There, while including sentimentality, the main point of the meeting is for Aeneas and the readers to find out about where the rulers of Rome came from. Aeneas in the underworld gets to see, although not speak to, his future son, the future Caesars and learns all about the glory of the future empire. Even the description of the underworld itself may fall under the same entertainment vs. glorifying Rome purposes. Homer’s Hades is filled with darkness, screams and blood; even in order to get the spirits to talk to him, Odysseus has to give them fresh blood to drink (â€Å"whom you allow to enter where the blood is will speak to you† 164). That image going alongside the terrifying dark description of Hades shows how brave Odysseus was; despite the fact that he does confess â€Å"†¦I grew sick with fear.† (46). This is an entirely different perception of the underworld Aeneas enters: even though on the outside it is surrounded by the souls of the unburied who incite fear, once Aeneas has gone through the darkness and the souls he meets his father in a â€Å"†¦places of delight†¦ green park land† (855). This is an interesting description because it suggests to the readers that once you pass through the darkness and hardship, you are rewarded with happiness and freedom. Through this Virgil could be describing not only everything Rome’s founder had to do for the city, but also glorifying Augustus by describing that none of the benefits of Rome have come easily. Even small remarks such as â€Å"Some train on grassy rings, others compete In field games† (860) could be referenced back to the how strong and hardworking the Roman nation is. While glorifying Rome and Augustus, Virgil also includes some subtle criticisms or questions about the founder of Rome. First of all, while Odysseus was able to enter Hades alone, Aeneas had to be shown the way by the prophetess and servant of Apollo: when following her heels Aeneas walked with determination and pride, but without her fear overwhelmed him. This could suggest that Aeneas is not in fact as great and fearless as he may seem. Besides that, one of Aeneas’s main tasks was to retrieve the golden bough (would the whole notion that it was golden signify that the Romans are now a â€Å"golden† nation?) which only those who are destined by fate can take down easily. Aeneas however could not even find the bough himself, his immortal mother had to send doves to lead the way. Afterwards, when his mother did show him where the golden bough was, â€Å"†¦though it clung, [he] greedily broke it off,† (298). The fact that the bough clung could be interpreted in two ways; for those who were reading it to see the glory of Rome, it could suggest the battle between Juno and Venus with Aeneas caught in between them, and the fact that he does take it down in the end suggests that the gods are in his favor after all. For those who are open to the criticism of Rome, it could be interpreted as the fact that Aeneas was not entirely brought their by fate, that maybe he specifically did not have to be the founder of Rome, but Venus made it happen. Furthermore, the word â€Å"greedily† is interesting to have been used in this context: when reading about a hero who has established one of the greatest empires one would not expect him to be greedy, rather fearless but calm and level headed; Aeneas greedily ripping off the bough does not create and image of a hero. In conclusion, Virgil’s â€Å"The Aeneid† greatly resembles Homer’s â€Å"The Odyssey† and this is seen clearly through the poets’ descriptions of the underworld. However, while â€Å"The Odyssey† was created for entertainment purposes, Virgil has managed to subtly praise and criticize his city, its ruler and its founder making his poem, and book six specifically, full of surprises.

Zoe’s Tale PART III Chapter Twenty-Two

â€Å"Demand something back,† I said to myself as I waited for the Obin council member to greet me in my state-room. â€Å"Demand something back. Demand something back.† I'm definitely going to throw up, I thought. You can't throw up, I answered myself. You haven't figured out the plumbing yet. You don't know what to throw up into. That at least was true. The Obin don't excrete or take care of their personal hygiene the same way humans do, and they don't have the same issues with modesty that we do when they're with others of their own race. In the corner of my stateroom was an interesting array of holes and spigots that looked like something that you would probably use for bathroom purposes. But I had no idea what was what. I didn't want to use the thing that I thought was the sink, only to find out later it was supposed to be the toilet. Drinking from the toilet was fine for Babar, but I like to think I have higher standards. This was definitely going to be an issue in another hour or two. I would have to ask Hickory or Dickory about it. They weren't with me because I asked to be taken directly to my stateroom when we took off and then asked to be alone for an hour, at which point I wanted to see the council member. I think that by doing that, I messed up some sort of ceremonial welcome from the crew of the Obin transport (called Obin Transport 8532, in typical and boring Obin efficiency), but I didn't let that bother me. It did have the effect I was going for at the moment: I had decided I was going to be a little bit difficult. Being a little bit difficult was going to make it easier, I hoped, to do what I needed to do next. Which was to try to save Roanoke. My dad had his own plan to do that, and I was going to help him with it. But I was thinking up a plan of my own. All it needed me to do was to demand something back. Something really, really, really big. Oh, well, my brain said. If this doesn't work at least you can ask this council guy where you're supposed to pee. Yes, well, that would be something. There was a knock on my stateroom door, and the door then slid open. There was no lock on the door because Obin among themselves didn't have much of a concept of privacy (no signal on the door, either, for the same reason). Three Obin entered the room: Hickory and Dickory, and a third Obin who was new to me. â€Å"Welcome, Zoe,† it said to me. â€Å"We welcome you at the start of your time with the Obin.† â€Å"Thank you,† I said. â€Å"Are you the council member?† â€Å"I am,† it said. â€Å"My name is Dock.† I tried very hard to keep a smile off my face and failed miserably. â€Å"You said your name was Dock,† I said. â€Å"Yes,† it said. â€Å"As in ‘Hickory, Dickory, Dock,'† I said. â€Å"That is correct,† it said. â€Å"That's quite a coincidence,† I said, once I got my face back under control. â€Å"It is not a coincidence,† Dock said. â€Å"When you named Hickory and Dickory, we learned of the nursery rhyme from which you derived the names. When I and many other Obin chose names for ourselves, we chose words from the rhyme.† â€Å"I knew there were other Hickorys and Dickorys,† I said. â€Å"But you're telling me that there are other Obin named ‘Dock,' too.† â€Å"Yes,† said Dock. â€Å"And ‘Mouse' and ‘Clock,'† I said. â€Å"Yes,† said Dock. â€Å"What about ‘Ran,' ‘Up,' and ‘The'?† I asked. â€Å"Every word in the rhyme is popular as a name,† said Dock. â€Å"I hope some of the Obin know they've named themselves after a definite article,† I said. â€Å"We are all aware of the meaning of the words,† Dock said. â€Å"What was important is the association to you. You named these two ‘Hickory' and ‘Dickory.' Everything followed from there.† I had been getting sidetracked by the idea that an entire fearsome race of aliens had given themselves goofy names because of the names I had thoughtlessly given two of them more than a decade before; this comment by Dock snapped me back into focus. It was a reminder that the Obin, with their new consciousness, had so identified with me, so imprinted on me, even as a child, that even a nursery rhyme I liked carried weight. Demand something back. My stomach cramped up. I ignored it. â€Å"Hickory,† I said. â€Å"Are you and Dickory recording right now?† â€Å"Yes,† Hickory said. â€Å"Stop please,† I said. â€Å"Councilor Dock, are you recording this right now?† â€Å"I am,† it said. â€Å"Although only for my personal recollection.† â€Å"Please stop,† I said. They all stopped recording. â€Å"Have we offended you?† Dock asked. â€Å"No,† I said. â€Å"But I don't think you'll want this as part of the permanent record.† I took a deep breath. â€Å"I require something from the Obin, Councilor.† â€Å"Tell me what it is,† Dock said. â€Å"I will try to find it for you.† â€Å"I require the Obin to help me defend Roanoke,† I said. â€Å"I am afraid we are unable to help you with that request,† Dock said. â€Å"It's not a request,† I said. â€Å"I do not understand,† Dock said. â€Å"I said, it's not a request. I didn't request the Obin's help, Councilor. I said I require it. There's a difference.† â€Å"We cannot comply,† Dock said. â€Å"The Colonial Union has requested that we provide no assistance to Roanoke.† â€Å"I don't care,† I said. â€Å"What the Colonial Union wants at this point means absolutely nothing to me. The Colonial Union is planning to let everyone I care about die because it's decided Roanoke is more useful as a symbol than a colony. I don't give a crap about the symbolism. I care about the people. My friends and family. They need help. And I require it from you.† â€Å"Assisting you means breaking our treaty with the Colonial Union,† Dock said. â€Å"Your treaty,† I said. â€Å"That would be the one that allows you access to me.† â€Å"Yes,† Dickory said. â€Å"You realize you have me,† I said. â€Å"On this ship. Technically on Obin territory. You don't need Colonial Union permission to see me anymore.† â€Å"Our treaty with the Colonial Union is not only about access to you,† Dock said. â€Å"It covers many issues, including our access to the consciousness machines we wear. We cannot go against this treaty, even for you.† â€Å"Then don't break it,† I said, and this is where I mentally crossed my fingers. I knew the Obin would say they couldn't break their treaty with the Colonial Union; Hickory had said so before. This is where things were about to get really tricky. â€Å"I require the Obin help me defend Roanoke, Councilor. I didn't say the Obin had to do it themselves.† â€Å"I am afraid I do not understand you,† Dock said. â€Å"Get someone else to help me,† I said. â€Å"Hint to them that the help would be appreciated. Do whatever you have to do.† â€Å"We would not be able to hide our influence,† Dock said. â€Å"The Colonial Union will not be swayed by the argument that our forcing another race to act on your behalf does not constitute interference.† â€Å"Then ask someone the Colonial Union knows you can't force,† I said. â€Å"Whom do you suggest?† Dock asked. There's an old expression for when you do something completely crazy. â€Å"Shooting the moon,† it's called. This was me raising my rifle. â€Å"The Consu,† I said. Blam. There went my shot at a very faraway moon. But it was a shot I had to take. The Obin were obsessed with the Consu, for perfectly excellent reasons: How could you not be obsessed with the creatures that gave you intelligence, and then ignored you for the rest of eternity? The Consu had spoken to the Obin only once since they gave them consciousness, and that conversation came at the high cost of half of all Obin, everywhere. I remembered that cost. I planned to use it to my advantage now. â€Å"The Consu do not speak to us,† Dock said. â€Å"Make them,† I said. â€Å"We do not know how,† Dock said. â€Å"Find a way,† I said. â€Å"I know how the Obin feel about the Consu, Councilor. I've studied them. I've studied you. Hickory and Dickory made a story about them. Obin's first creation myth, except it's true. I know how you got them to speak to you. And I know you've tried to get them to speak to you again since then. Tell me it's not true.† â€Å"It's true,† Dock said. â€Å"I'm willing to guess you're still working on it even now,† I said. â€Å"We are,† Dock said. â€Å"We have been.† â€Å"Now is the time to make that happen,† I said. â€Å"There is no guarantee that the Consu would help you, even if we convinced them to speak to us and hear our plea on your behalf,† Dock said. â€Å"The Consu are unknowable.† â€Å"I understand that,† I said. â€Å"It's worth a try anyway.† â€Å"Even if what you ask were possible, it would come at a high cost,† Dock said. â€Å"If you knew what it cost us the last time we spoke to the Consu – â€Å" â€Å"I know exactly how much it cost,† I said. â€Å"Hickory told me. And I know the Obin are used to paying for what they get. Let me ask you, Councilor. What did you get from my biological father? What did you get from Charles Boutin?† â€Å"He gave us consciousness,† Dock said, â€Å"as you well know. But it came at a price. Your father asked for a war.† â€Å"Which you never gave him,† I said. â€Å"My father died before you could pay up. You got his gift for free.† â€Å"The Colonial Union asked for a price to finish his work,† Dock said. â€Å"That's between you and the Colonial Union,† I said. â€Å"It doesn't take anything away from what my father did, or the fact you never paid for it. I am his daughter. I am his heir. The fact you are here says that the Obin give me the honor they would give him. I could say to you that you owe me what you owe him: a war, at least.† â€Å"I cannot say that we owe you what we owed your father,† Dock said. â€Å"Then what do you owe me?† I asked. â€Å"What do you owe me for what I've done for you? What is your name?† â€Å"My name is Dock,† it said. â€Å"A name you have because one day I named those two Hickory and Dickory,† I said, pointing at my two friends. â€Å"It's only the most obvious example of what you have through me. My father gave you consciousness, but you didn't know what to do with it, did you? None of you did. All of you learned what to do with your consciousness by watching me grow into mine, as a child and now as who I am today. Councilor, how many Obin have watched my life? Seen how I did things? Learned from me?† â€Å"All of them,† Dock said. â€Å"We have all learned from you, Zoe.† â€Å"What has it cost the Obin?† I asked. â€Å"From the time Hickory and Dickory came to live with me, until the moment I stepped onto this ship, what has it cost you? What have I ever asked of any Obin?† â€Å"You have not asked for anything,† Dock said. I nodded. â€Å"So let's review. The Consu gave you intelligence and it cost you half of all the Obin when you came to ask them why they did it. My father gave you consciousness, and the price for it was a war, a price which you would have willingly paid had he lived. I have given you ten years of lessons on how to be conscious – on how to live. The bill for that has come due, Councilor. What price do I require? Do I require the lives of half the Obin in the universe? No. Do I require the Obin to commit to a war against an entire other race? No. I require only your help to save my family and friends. I don't even require that the Obin do it themselves, only that they find a way to have someone else do it for them. Councilor, given the Obin's history of what it's received and what it has cost, what I am requiring of the Obin now comes very cheap indeed.† Dock stared at me, silently. I stared back, mostly because I had forgotten to blink through all of that and I was afraid if I tried to blink now I might scream. I think it was making me look unnervingly calm. I could live with that. â€Å"We were to send a skip drone when you arrived,† Dock said. â€Å"It has not been sent yet. I will let the rest of the Obin council know of your requirement. I will tell them I support you.† â€Å"Thank you, Councilor,† I said. â€Å"It may take some time to decide on a course of action,† Dock said. â€Å"You don't have time,† I said. â€Å"I am going to see General Gau, and I am going to deliver my dad's message to him. The Obin council has until I am done speaking to General Gau to act. If it has not, or will not, then you will leave General Gau without me.† â€Å"You will not be safe with the Conclave,† Dock said. â€Å"Are you under the impression that I will tolerate being among the Obin if you refuse me?† I said. â€Å"I keep telling you this: I am not asking for this. I am requiring it. If the Obin will not do this, they lose me.† â€Å"That would be very hard for some of us to accept,† Dock said. â€Å"We had already lost you for a year, Zoe, when the Colonial Union hid your colony.† â€Å"Then what will you do?† I asked. â€Å"Drag me back onto the ship? Hold me captive? Record me against my will? I don't imagine that will be very entertaining. I know what I am to the Obin, Councilor. I know what uses you have all put me to. I don't think you will find me very useful after you refuse me.† â€Å"I understand you,† Dock said. â€Å"And now I must send this message. Zoe, it is an honor to meet you. Please excuse me.† I nodded. Dock left. â€Å"Please close the door,† I said to Hickory, who was the closest to it. It did. â€Å"Thank you,† I said, and threw up all over my shoes. Dickory was over to me immediately and caught me before I could fall completely. â€Å"You are ill,† Hickory said. â€Å"I'm fine,† I said, and then threw up all over Dickory. â€Å"Oh, God, Dickory,† I said. â€Å"I'm so sorry.† Hickory came over, took me from Dickory and guided me toward the strange plumbing. It turned on a tap and water came bubbling out. â€Å"What is that?† I asked. â€Å"It is a sink,† Hickory said. â€Å"You're sure?† I asked. Hickory nodded. I leaned over and washed my face and rinsed my mouth out. â€Å"How do you feel?† Hickory said, after I had cleaned myself off as best I could. â€Å"I don't think I'm going to throw up anymore, if that's what you mean,† I said. â€Å"Even if I wanted to, there's nothing left.† â€Å"You vomited because you are sick,† Hickory said. â€Å"I vomited because I just treated one of your leaders like it was my cabin boy,† I said. â€Å"That's a new one for me, Hickory. It really is.† I looked over at Dickory, who was covered in my upchuck. â€Å"And I hope it works. Because I think if I have to do that again, my stomach might just flop right out on the table.† My insides did a flip-flop after I said that. Note to self: After having vomited, watch the overly colorful comments. â€Å"Did you mean it?† Hickory said. â€Å"What you said to Dock?† â€Å"Every word,† I said, and then motioned at myself. â€Å"Come on, Hickory. Look at me. You think I'd put myself through all of this if I wasn't serious?† â€Å"I wanted to be sure,† Hickory said. â€Å"You can be sure,† I said. â€Å"Zoe, we will be with you,† Hickory said. â€Å"Me and Dickory. No matter what the council decides. If you choose to stay behind after you speak to General Gau, we will stay with you.† â€Å"Thank you, Hickory,† I said. â€Å"But you don't have to do that.† â€Å"We do,† Hickory said. â€Å"We would not leave you, Zoe. We have been with you for most of your life. And for all the life that we have spent conscious. With you and with your family. You have called us part of your family. You are away from that family now. You may not see them again. We would not have you be alone. We belong with you.† â€Å"I don't know what to say,† I said. â€Å"Say you will let us stay with you,† Hickory said. â€Å"Yes,† I said. â€Å"Do stay. And thank you. Thank you both.† â€Å"You are welcome,† Hickory said. â€Å"And now as your first official duties, find me something new to wear,† I said. â€Å"I'm starting to get really ripe. And then tell me which of those things over there is the toilet. Because now I really need to know.†