Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Analysis - Assignment Example At one time, he addressed some of their concerns in terms of the remuneration that they got as a result of their works, while at another time; he compared them, especially the less intelligent ones with draft animals. Taylor argued that all tasks that an employee was assigned could be organised in such a way that the productivity of the worker would increase and that his scientific theory of management was more effective than the usual ‘initiative and incentive’ method, which was based on increasing productivity by placing responsibility on the worker to figure how to do it. In order to establish the best possible way to carry out a job, Taylor carried out some experiments, which he labelled time studies or as time and motion studies. In these studies, he used a stopwatch to time a worker’s motions in order to determine the most effective way to carry out a job based on the way that took the least time1. The chapter talks about the use of theory in public administration, all the past events have happened because of public administration; several theories regarding public administration have been brought forward, however, there are still others that have not been fully developed, these theories are classified as useful depending on their ability to describe, explain and predict matters regarding public administration. For a theory to be useful, it must have the ability to describe or to depict real life events with some level of thought, in these theories, there must be some explanations to some of the discrepancies in real life. In public administration, theory has been simply defined as a framework that, this definition of theory differs from other definition of theory in other sciences. In public administration, theories are classified depending on their degree, form the nature of its elaboration The author questions whether it is possible to have a useful and

Tropical Cyclone and Small Circles Essay Example for Free

Tropical Cyclone and Small Circles Essay A cyclone is a very violent storm. It never comes alone. Heavy showers of rain, thunder and lightning are its companions. When a cyclone blows, it moves round and round in the form of small circles. It always changes its course when it blows. It does not move in the same direction like an ordinary storm. It occurs mostly in the warm parts of the world. India is in this region of the world. Hence cyclones often blow over her. In cold countries there is no cyclone. The signs of a cyclone There are some signs of the blowing of a cyclone. A low pressure is created in the sea. The weather becomes very hot. There is not a breath of wind. Patches of dark clouds gradually spread in the sky. At last, the sky become dark. A storm sets in. The wind then begins to blow violently. From these we can understand that a cyclone will begin. The actual cyclone Then it rains very heavily. Flashes of lightning are seen. Thunders begin to peal loudly. The wind begins to blow furiously. It blows forward forming circles. There is a roaring noise. The wind continues to blow for some hours. Sometimes it continues for a day or two. Such terrible cyclones happened in September 1918 before the Pujas and in November 1988. Its effect The effect of the blowing of a cyclone is terrible. Big trees fall down. Roofs of houses are blown away. Many a house is destroyed. Many a man is killed. The water of the river rises. There are huge waves in the river. Many boats sink down. Many men are drowned. Sometimes steamers are also sunk. Everywhere dead bodies of men and beasts are found. Crops are destroyed. People suffer much. They become homeless and helpless. There is scarcity of food. Famine breaks out. This miserable condition of the people cannot be fully described. Other people then try to help them with money, food, medicine and clothes. Conclusion The cyclone is a terrible evil. Man has no power to prevent it. But people may be warned beforehand that there will be a cyclone.

Signification of Icons in a Computer GUI :: Icons Symbols Essays

Signification of Icons in a Computer GUI In 1867 in his paper "On a New List of Categories", Charles Peirce said that there were three kinds of signs: icons, indices, and symbols. According to Thomas Sebeok "a sign is said to be iconic when there is a topological similarity between a signifier and its denotata". Icons are then something that resembles the object that they represent. That similarity between icon and object is fundamentally what sets icons apart from the other two kinds of signs. Indices do not have any similarity with their significants, but have a cause and effect relationship. Symbols do not have any direct relationship with an object other than the meaning that imposed or collectively agreed upon a group of humans. In this paper I want to reflect only on one of the three kinds of signs in Peirce triad. I have selected the icon for this discussion because this is currently one of the most common used and misunderstood terms in our society. One of the reasons for this phenomenon is the fact that some very particular pictures called icons have appeared in millions of computer screens around the world. These so called icons are the core elements of the concept called "graphical user interface" (GUI). The GUI is the computer industry's attempt to make personal computing a reality for every one. This virtual environment provides pictures that are suppose to be familiar and allows users to interact directly with them by virtue of a kinesthetic action like the movement of a mouse. This has proven to be a lot more appealing for a great amount of people as oppose to having to memorize and type verbal (symbolic) computer commands. Computer icons within a GUI are supposed to resemble some real object. The success of an icon on communicating the right meaning to the user depends on the accuracy of the representation and, of course, the user's ability to recognize the relationship. Notice that a computer system will have all kinds of signs built in to communicate with the user. Key words and sentences that provide instructions or alert the user of the status of the system are symbols. A user is considered computer literate when he or she can understand those symbols. Another way in which a computer system communicates with a user is by means of indices. When a system is turned on or off, a light that indicates the status of the system is an index.

How does Steinbeck use setting in his novellas Essay

Steinbeck uses the beginning of each chapter to paint the image of the room or location in which the chapter takes part. The main locations are the place near the pool, the bunkhouse, the dream farm, Crooks’ room, and the barn. Steinbeck picks items or feature of each place to help evoke the atmosphere of the place and to symbolise the greater ideas of the story. The idealised setting near the pool is where people start waiting to begin working towards the American dream, hoping to live an idealised existence; it acts as a canvas for their dreams to be painted upon. However, Crooks’ room and the bunkhouse represents the difficulty to reach the ‘American dream’. The barn is somewhere to reminisce about the struggle on the path to the idealised world. Then the last chapter of the novella returns to the place near the pool, this is when they know they have failed. That this is reality and it is clear it is just a dream. This cyclical structure shows the contra st about dream and reality. As mentioned the first chapter of the novella is set in the place near the pool. The setting resembles paradise. Somewhere you can be at peace. This fools Lennie into believing that he is safe when he is not. The picturesque setting makes people believe that dreams are attainable. There is great peace and tranquillity, as indicated by the fact that ‘deer come to drink in the dark.’ There is no one that can endanger their lives, the dears are not afraid of the predators, just as Lennie is not. But the danger that lurks underneath. This is illustrated in the killing of the snake by the heron ’a silent head and beak lanced down and plucked it out by the head, and the beak swallowed the little snake while it tail waved frantically’. Lennie’s arrival describe as ‘silent as a creeping bear’. Mirrors the arrival of the snake ‘A water snake glided smoothly up the pool, twisting its periscope head from side to side; and it swam the length of the pool’ this foreshadows Lennie’s death. The bunkhouse and Crook’s room are the two settings in which most of the novel la takes place. The settings contrast because the bunkhouse is plain, but Crooks’ room is full of possessions. The reason for this is Crooks is that he doesn’t have a chance @being a stable buck and a cripple he was more permanent than other men’ and he is black. In light of this the harness room is more than he can wish for. Crooks has ‘more possessions than he could carry on his back.’ This is a lot more than the other men, meaning that he is a more permanent inhabitant. On the other hand, the men in the bunkhouse  are transient and not move a lot of possessions. ‘Over each bunk there was apple box with the opening forward so that it made two shelves for the personal belongings of the occupant of the bed †¦ this shelves were loaded’. The men (except Crooks) share a long rectangular building with 20 other men, where they could have a whole farm to themselves; even if the men do not have a house to themselves they still try to create some persona l space and belongings. The dream farm is the fantastical world for the ranch workers to work and live in. this is the place where people feel free, and can do whatever they please ‘if we don’t like a guy we can say, â€Å"Get the hell out† an’ by God he would.’ This shows that they are they boss and do not ‘have to buck no barley eleven hours a day’. They could set their own rules. When they have this dream farm they would be independent. They do not have to be given food, money and shelter ‘No more running’ round the country and gettin’ fed by a Jap cook. No sir, we’d have our own place where we belonged and not sleep in no bunkhouse.’ In the dream farm they had a place where they could settle for once, they could even think about making a family, because they would be settled and have a regular income to support the family with. This is a dream that is currently impossible for them. The barn is a place to be supposedly safe as it is a place to shelter and protect the animals in. this is ironic as it is the place that Lennie kills he dog and Curley’s wife in the barn. All the places in the novella signify the hardships of life. The place near the pool symbolises the contrast between dreams and reality. The bunkhouse is a gateway to their ‘dream’. Crooks’ room shows the segregation and prejudice that was around in 1930s America. The barn represents loneliness and death. The fault of the dream farm is it does not actually exist.

Science-Based Technology

Through the years, technology has made significant advancements and contributions to the world, and one of which is biotechnology. Biotechnology is the utilization of the living systems and organisms to develop various products intended for the improvement of human life (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 2018). It is a science-based technology wherein modification in genetics is being made particularly in DNA which carries genetic information that provides code in the making of protein and every cell of the body. Because of this discovery, amelioration of food quality, quantity, and processing were made, resulting to the flourishment of the agricultural economy. This is referred as green biotechnology wherein the agricultural sector was able to develop nutritional qualities, taste, and appearance of the food from crop yields and plants without the risk of diseases, insects, and adverse conditions (Chawla, 2000). This innovation would aid the world to feed the growing population, at the same time, it provides the essential nutrients needed by the body. Moreover, this has also contributed to the prosperity of the agricultural sector because of the design of transgenic plants to be able to grow under adverse environmental conditions. However, the introduction of this genetic alteration may also lead to negative impacts such as imbalance to the ecosystem that may eventually lead to the decrease of biodiversity (Suico, 2018) Furthermore, it has also provided essential contribution in the industrial sector. It has led to the development of a pollution prevention, resource conservation, and cost reduction way of manufacturing products (Maraganore, 2018). Enzymatic systems of living organisms are being utilized for the sake of producing industrial goods that would substitute detrimental and polluting technologies. One example is the usage of enzymes in detergents so as to replace harmful chemicals. In this way, this could help the people to preserve the environment for the use of the next generation. Most importantly, biotechnology has made exceptional and important implications in health and medicine. This particular contribution of biotechnology is probably the most crucial innovation because it has administered various ways to the maintenance, improvement, and prolongation of life. The discovery of red or healthcare biotechnology has enable the development of vaccines, antibiotics, and new drugs (Ortegas-Navas, 2015). Altered genetic microorganisms were utilized in order to produce pharmaceutical products that are less costly but effective. Moreover, biotechnology has made vital breakthroughs in medical therapies. Treatment to different diseases were made possible.Infectious and parasitic diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and AIDS continuously increase each year. Though the use of diagnostic tools, the development of these diseases may be easily detected. However, there are several conventional diagnostic tools are inaccurate that fail to overcome the detection of the diseases. But with Nanotechnology, an advancement biotechnological technique, detection of these diseases were made more presise and easily detected. Additionally, this innovation has allowed the study of complex genetic disorders for it can identify and quantify thousands of genes (Afzal et al., 2016). Indeed, the discovery of biotechnology has greatly contributed to the welfare of the people both positively and negatively. However, it is important to keep in mind that people shouldn't solely be dependent to technology. Also, this must always be utilized for the intention of the betterment of every individual without jeopardizing the environment. RetrievedAfzal, H. (2016). Role of biotechnology in improving human health. Retrieved October 13, 2018 from https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/role-of-biotechnology-in-improving-human-health-2155-9929-1000309.php?aid=82443Chawla, V. (2000). Biotechnology unraveled: human welfare, better health and beyond. Retrieved October 13, 2018 from https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2010/12/biotechnology-human-welfare-fight-diseases/Maraganore, J. (2018). What is industrial biotechnology? Retrieved October 13, 2018 from https://www.bio.org/articles/what-industrial-biotechnologyNorwegian University of Science and Technology (2018). What is biotechnology? Retrieved October 13, 2018 from https://www.ntnu.edu/ibt/about-usOrtegas-Navas, M. (2015). Biotechnology in health education: healthy lifestyles.October 13, 2018 from http://behaviouralscience.imedpub.com/behavioural-science-psycology/biotechnology-in-health-education-healthy-lifestyles.php?aid=8584Suico, J. (2018). The disadvantages of biotechnol ogy. Retrieved October 13, 2018 fromhttps://sciencing.com/disadvantages-biotechnology-8590679.html

Childhod Depression essays

Childhod Depression essays Most adults and many children and adolescents have a few bad days here and there, sometimes three or four in a row. When this happens, your mood is bad, you feel like jumping on people for nothing. You sleep, but you do not rest. You eat, but you are not hungry. Your life is one big chore. Everything that was fun is work and what usually is work is like walking with lead boots. Often you have stomach aches, headaches, aching, dizziness and other symptoms, but the doctors can not find anything wrong. When family and friends want to talk, you do not listen. If you can, you stay alone and wish they would all just go away. And you think about what you have got to do, and you wish you could put it off for ever. And about what you have done, and about what could go wrong, and how you could never live like this for 30 more years. Of course not everyone has all those symptoms every time. When people are clinically depressed, they have this for weeks, months, and often years. Nearly everyone knows someone who has been severely depressed as 6% of the world's population has had an episode of severe depression like this. Suicide occurs in 15% of depressed people. Depression in school-age children may be one of the most overlooked and under treated psychological disorders of childhood, presenting a serious mental health problem. Depression in children has become an important issue in research due to its many emotional forms, and its relationship to self-destructive behaviors. Depressive disorders are of particular importance to school psychologists, who are often placed in the best position to identify, refer, and treat depressed children. Procedures need to be developed to identify depression in students to avoid allowing those children struggling with depression to go undetected. Depression is one of the most treatable forms of disorders, with an 80-90% chance of improvement if individuals receive treatment (Dubuque, 1998). On the other ...

Free Essays on Endangered Species of South America

Endangered Species of South America Endangered species are plant and animal species that are in danger of extinction, the dying off of all individuals of a species. Over 19,000 plant species and 5000 animal species around the globe are classified as endangered, and many thousands more become extinct each year before biologists can identify them (Microsoft 1). The primary cause of species extinction or endangerment are habitat destruction, commercial exploitation, damage caused by non-native plants and animals introduced into an area, and pollution (1). Of these causes, direct habitat destruction threatens the most species. A steady rate of extinction is a normal process in the course of evolution, and is called the background rate of extinction (Lampton 14). Species have slowly evolved and disappeared throughout geological time because of climate changes and the inability to adapt to survive competition and predation. Since the 1600's, however, the rate of extinction has accelerated rapidly because of human population growth and resource consumption (17). Today, most of the world's habitats are changing faster than most species can adapt to such changes through evolution, or natural selection. The current global extinction rate is estimated at about 20,000 species per year, exponentially greater than the background extinction rate (17). Many biologists believe that we are in the middle of the greatest mass extinction episode since the disappearance of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago (18). The survival of ecosystems (plant and animal communities and their physical surroundings) such as forests, coral reefs, or wetlands depend on their biodiversity or variety of plants, animals, and habitats, as well as the many interactions among these species. The removal or disappearance of one or several species may irreversibly damage the ecosystems and lead to its decline. For example, the undersea kelp forest ecosystems ... Free Essays on Endangered Species of South America Free Essays on Endangered Species of South America Endangered Species of South America Endangered species are plant and animal species that are in danger of extinction, the dying off of all individuals of a species. Over 19,000 plant species and 5000 animal species around the globe are classified as endangered, and many thousands more become extinct each year before biologists can identify them (Microsoft 1). The primary cause of species extinction or endangerment are habitat destruction, commercial exploitation, damage caused by non-native plants and animals introduced into an area, and pollution (1). Of these causes, direct habitat destruction threatens the most species. A steady rate of extinction is a normal process in the course of evolution, and is called the background rate of extinction (Lampton 14). Species have slowly evolved and disappeared throughout geological time because of climate changes and the inability to adapt to survive competition and predation. Since the 1600's, however, the rate of extinction has accelerated rapidly because of human population growth and resource consumption (17). Today, most of the world's habitats are changing faster than most species can adapt to such changes through evolution, or natural selection. The current global extinction rate is estimated at about 20,000 species per year, exponentially greater than the background extinction rate (17). Many biologists believe that we are in the middle of the greatest mass extinction episode since the disappearance of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago (18). The survival of ecosystems (plant and animal communities and their physical surroundings) such as forests, coral reefs, or wetlands depend on their biodiversity or variety of plants, animals, and habitats, as well as the many interactions among these species. The removal or disappearance of one or several species may irreversibly damage the ecosystems and lead to its decline. For example, the undersea kelp forest ecosystems ...

Essay on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Essay on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Essay on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Sir Gawain and the Green Knight essay: This essay discusses in depth the personality of Sir Gawain as depicted by the author Marie Borroff in her book ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’. By elucidating the outstanding traits of Sir Gawain, we shall show how rightly he has been claimed as the protagonist of the story, and how prominent qualities in his character make him so distinguishing from the rest of contemporary knights of King Arthur’s round table. Sir Gawain After a close study of the book ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’ the traits of Sir Gawain as mentioned in the ensuing paragraphs make him the most prominent of all the knights in the Camelot of King Arthur. Faith in God and Religious Devotion The theme of religion can be well drawn from words of Gawain about his encounters depicting him as a religious man, a religious man who puts his faith in God’s care and acknowledges that he is protected. The words of the knight are filled with vigor in respect to the fate ahead of him. The fact was that the blow dealt to the green knight would be reciprocated to the participant in the game. Gawain struck the knights head off, and this was the fate he was entitled to face though with an assurance of regeneration after certain duration and this was a source of motivation for Gawain’s action. Chivalry Loyalty Gawain is a knight; he is expected to protect the king from all harm regardless of the situation. The king endangers his life by accepting to participate in a dangerous game. Sir Gawain steps up to protect the king as expected. This is the theme of chivalry used in the poem to ensure relational poetry. In the Lords castle, Gawain refuses temptations from the Host’s wife. This shows Gawain is a man of honor and respects His Lords hospitality. Accepting such advances would discredit his honor and disrespect his host. The Chivalry theme is conflicted when Gawain finds himself in a dilemma. The advances from the Lady of the house and respect for the Lord put him in a difficult position. Being a knight of the round table, ideals of chivalry are upheld with the brothers of the round table offering to share it on the burden carried by Gawain. Chivalry refers to the individuals actions in relation to the societal acceptable behavior. The knight behaves according to his expectation ensuring a balance in responsibility and expectations in the community. The theme ensures continuity in the poem, and understanding of the hierarchical relationship issues in the society. Thus the occasions on which Sir Gawain has been shown to display his loyalty and chivalry were the moments when King Arthur had accepted the challenge of the Green Knight all by himself and was about to pick the ax to behead the Green Knight when suddenly Sir Gawain leapt to replace his master and took the challenge himself. He displayed tremendous loyalty in sacrificing his life just to save the King Arthur who was also Gawain’s Uncle in blood relation. Keeping Promises Gawain has been depicted as a man of words, a person who always kept his promises. Gawain fulfilled the promise which he made with the Green Knight when the former beheaded the latter with ax. Another instance proving Gawain to be a man of words is that he responded truthfully to his host by then known to him only by the name Bertilak, the lord of the castle where he stayed. He had made promise with his host to return to him what he gets each day, so he gave him the number of kisses in return, which the wife of Bertilak gave to Gawain each day. Chastity Integrity Gawain is essentially an honorable knight who always followed the path of truth not fearing for the consequences. The fact that Gawain did not respond to the sexual and seductive attempts on him from the wife of his host proves that he cared much for his honor and is not essentially a man of lose character. When once he made a mistake by accepting the green silk girdle from his hostess as a token of magical power to avert death, he felt guilty of committing such a low act that was not worthy of a religious and honorable man. Then he tied the green silk girdle around his arm so as to display his courage of convictions and his guts to admit his own fault. Profound Insight into the Realities of Life Sir Gawain has been depicted in the book as a knight who has much insight into the hard facts of life. He knows deeply how the varying circumstances in man’s life may affect his temperament and mood. So he believes that one must not continue to delve in the present situation though it could be at the height of joy, ecstasy or merriment. He knows that there is other side of the picture which is associated with adversaries. Gawain displays this insight when during the most rejoicing moments in the court of King Arthur on the occasion of New Year’s Eve while all are busy enjoying the feast, it is states in words quote: Gawain was glad to begin those games in hall, But if the end be harsher, hold it no wonder, For though men are merry in mind after much drink, A year passes apace, and proves ever new: First things and final conform but seldom. (495–499) And it happened as it was perceived in the above passage. Exactly a year after Gawain had to set out in search of the Green Chapel facing a lot of hardships and adversaries on the way and during the most hazardous journey. He was consumed with serious thoughts and surrounded all over by worries and about his fate prophesized by the Green Knight one year before when Gawain chopped off his head with ax. CONCLUSION It is said very rightly that both virtues and evils speak for themselves. A man with good nature and divinely qualities will exhibit actions that are virtuous and honest, while a person afflicted with evil elements will exhibit actions that are wicked and nasty. Same is the case with Sir Gawain who is essentially a man of divinely attributes as depicted in the book Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. And thus Sir Gawain always acted in the right direction and followed the path of integrity, loyalty, truthfulness, faith in God and Chivalry. At you can easily buy essays from experts on this topic. All custom essays are written by certified academic writers. Non-plagiarized essays with timely delivery.

Reading Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 34

Reading Response - Essay Example In this film, director Lourdes Portillo shows various testimonies from the victims’ families, which, if only used properly, can help catch the real criminal/criminals. The film also indicates a possible collusion between the police and the criminals, where it is highly probable that some of the police are rapists too, since they have not duly resolved this long-standing investigation. Unfortunately, the local and central government are blind and deaf to the pleas of families, friends, and supporters of the deceased. To make matters worse, the cosmetics industry, through MAC and its collaboration with Rodarte, shows either apathy or absurdity in creating a cosmetics line called â€Å"Juarez.† Julianne Hing reports how consumers negatively reacted to the line. I appreciate that beauty and fashion bloggers made an outcry against this tasteless beauty line. These works underscore how insane these killings are because they reveal the ugliness of gender and social class codes and the ugliness of beauty brands. These works are connected to the social construction of gender, specifically, the visibility and invisibility of gender. Judith Lorber, in â€Å"Night to His Day: The Social Construction of Gender,† talks about how society creates and reinforces gender through different social, economic, political, and legal structures. Lorber stresses that â€Å"the most powerful means of sustaining the moral hegemony of the dominant gender ideology of the dominant gender ideology is that the process is made invisible†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (58). My analysis is that gender makes femininity and masculinity visible and then makes it invisible through making society accept gender beliefs and attitudes. In the case of disappearing and raped women in Juarez, their gender and social class are the main reasons that they are invisible to their government. Nieves argues for the connection between gender and lack of

English Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

English - Research Proposal Example Introduction Currently, there are numerous changes in education of poor and minor students. Funding for their education should be increased. The American government should be interested in promotion and support of the future generation. Disparities between social groups in the American society are evident: â€Å"While some states rightfully have focused their attention on equitably funding their school districts, others have done little to close their funding gaps, and some gaps have grown even larger† (â€Å"Funding Gap†, 2004). The students’ achievements are guaranteed by proper investments of the American government. The state policy-makers should realize the fact that it is very important to provide poor students or ethnic minorities with the challenging curriculum, high-quality teachers, inspiration power of education and a regular control over the students’ successes. Therefore, it is argued further on that federal funding of education for students f rom poor or ethnic minority families should be guaranteed in the name of a sound nation, because education in the modern global world is the first and foremost issue of concern. Argument 1. Nowadays, there is a growing ethnic and social gap in America and the officials often claim that it is beyond their abilities to control education quality of children from ethnic minority families. ... es – could yet have a catastrophic effect on the competitiveness of an American workforce already under pressure from the emerging Asian economies of China and India† (Foster, 2012). Therefore, it is evident that it is beyond the abilities of the American government to take control over a coming childbirth potential of ethnic minority families, but the government is able to develop favorable conditions for a sound development of these families by making proper investments in education of their children. A future generation of Americans can be in a great trouble in case the government will not think about investments in education of ethnic minorities. Argument 2. It cannot be denied that children from poor families are the most vulnerable members of the society. Every day they should realize the fact that they are educated in a challenging and a favorable atmosphere. In accordance with recent data, children from poorer districts do not have enough resources for their deve lopment. It is evident that children from poor families do not have enough opportunities to develop their talents, and they need effective governmental support. Data on funding gaps is the following – in Illinois and New York the states have experienced the largest controversies in funding: â€Å"more than $2,000 per student; in Alabama, Arizona, Louisiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Texas are among the states with funding gaps greater than $900 per student† (â€Å"Funding Gap†, 2004). These figures are impressive, and it is evident that every student should be treated individually in order to find appropriate financial funds for a proper investment. Argument 3. The educational opportunities for the students from ethnic minorities or poor families should be friendlier. These children have suffered

General Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

General Management - Essay Example General Management General management is a specialized field of business management. The origin of this field can be traced back centuries ago when landowning entailed management of property and slaves. While technologies evolved, general management’s scope also became sophisticated and broad. Colley et al. define general management as a discipline that basically focuses on overseeing the modern corporation’s status based on the concept of â€Å"profit-and-loss† (P&L) (3). General Managers see to it that the company gains profit more than what the company is spending. In other words, general management involves various concepts and ideas in ensuring that a business survives and does not undergo bankruptcy. General management entails leadership skills because it allows managing employees- from managers to employees to projects and to customers. Hence, general management involves enhancing responsibility and communication abilities in order to deal with people. In big corporations, the chief executive officer is automatically the general manager, while subsequent divisions of the company may have their own general manager, usually using the title â€Å"business unit manager, division manager, managing partner,† among others (Colley et al. 4). General management tasks are basically involving sound and strong leadership abilities. These leadership skills entail identifying the company’s goals and objectives, achieving those goals, and being in-charge of the results of the set goals and objectives (â€Å"General Management† par. 2). As a Course High school graduates may find general management as a course interesting because aside from the acquisition of corporate knowledge and skills, the opportunities that await are, to some extent, realizations of one’s corporate dreams. Moreover, college graduates who want to pursue an MBA may want to specialize in General Management, as well. Topics that are usually covered in Ge neral Management include strategic management, organizational change and behavior, marketing strategies, approaches in problem-solving, theories in general management and accounting, and how to use communication strategies in leadership and conflict resolution. Conflict management is a vital concept in general management because it involves handling problems that arise within your management stint. Under General Management, there are answers to the causes of conflict in an organization, such as individual personality differences, communication problems, structure of the organization, organizational culture, among such things (Wall and Callister 518). I chose General Management as a major amidst the proliferation of management courses, because it means enhancing my leadership skills in order to guide people in achieving goals and objectives, aligned with mine. It gives me a general picture of the structure of an organization, the people involved in the business undertakings and their role, and handling organizational problems, failures, and lapses. It prepares me to be the best CEO in the future. The jobs that await General Management graduates include: Purchasing Manager Production Manager Marketing Manager Sales Manager Finance Manager Manufacturing Manager Chief

Self assessment in MEMO style Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Self assessment in MEMO style - Essay Example I am also an honest person, and I believe to win the trust of the organizations managers and employees. I am also friendly in nature and would easily create a good rapport with other staffs (Stanton, 2009). Considering my weakness, I am always time conscious and would carry out a job hurriedly without considering the consequences. I also easily believe and trust the unknown person, hence can easily be convinced to do something without realization of the consequences. I am also a straightforward person and would not tolerate anything bad done by the employees or employers despite the rank. I am also somehow emotional and sensitive; I can easily be annoyed to an extent that I lose control of myself (Stanton, 2009). In the carrying out of the plan for improvement, my first step is to come up with a list of all my weakness and strengths. This would allow me to form comparison and see if any strength can cancel out any weakness and also to see if the strengths overpower the weaknesses. The second step is to analyze the environment of the workplace to see if it is favorable for my weaknesses and strengths. This will give me a hint on whether to take or reject the job. I will finally look if there is a room for change in the organization, of which if not a reject the job. In my conclusion, strengths and weakness in communication are things that exist in the daily life. An individual should never allow the strengths to overpower the weaknesses. I believe in change provided I am given a chance to work on my weaknesses. I believe in adjusting myself to the working environment despite the weaknesses I

Kia motors corporation sustainability and human resources Essay

Kia motors corporation sustainability and human resources - Essay Example This paper utilised Sustainability Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA) framework in assessing KIA Motors sustainability and human resource managements. Although there is still much to be done by KIA in order to realise full sustainability, the company has proved to have put some measures that would help it towards this effect. Introduction It is apparent that, in every business, sustainability is an ingredient and key to success. However, this does not just come without deliberate attempts by organisations to strategically develop and maintain the sustainability. In light with this, organisations have to analyse the required tools that would help to maintain the sustainability. Basically, sustainability does not come as a single pack of ideas; it involves incorporation of various concepts of business management. Notably, Galea1 (35-48), noted that these range from setting organisation’s objectives, mission and vision statements, effective human resource management, and appropriate st rategic plans to keep and oversee efficient running of the organisation. In assessing firms’ sustainability and human resource, various frameworks may be employed towards this effect. ... In relation to KIA Motors Corporation, this paper is going to utilise Sustainability Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA) framework. SLCA tools are based on the framework for strategic sustainable development. The evaluation system for KIA will be set against the life cycle stages of KIA products, corporate social responsibility, and human resource management. KIA human resources According to KIA website1, the company has been able to thrive in the market as a result of â€Å"the leadership of ambitious and industry-focused management team who play an imperative role in the day-to-day activities in growing the brand around the world.† According to literatures, any company that needs to maintain its competitive advantage has to have a proficient and result oriented workforce. However, this is abroad concept that incorporates several aspects of leadership. Firstly, according to Galea1 (35-48), employees are one of the primary assets of any organisation. Nevertheless, for employees to be able to deliver top results there must be an effective management team to oversee effective and smooth running of the organisation. Arguably, KIA has been able to recognise and employed that concept in its operations. According to Stuart 7 (59-83), there has been a transformation for capitalism from old capitalism to modern capitalism. However, today’s capitalism is faced with challenges such as environmental change, economic inequity, and financial meltdown, which organisations must address in order to maintain sustainability. In light with this, KIA can be argued to have put that into consideration when defining its sustainability model. In essence, in order to counter the above challenges, an organisation should have strategies put in place. One of these strategies is to have

Self assessment in MEMO style Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Self assessment in MEMO style - Essay Example I am also an honest person, and I believe to win the trust of the organizations managers and employees. I am also friendly in nature and would easily create a good rapport with other staffs (Stanton, 2009). Considering my weakness, I am always time conscious and would carry out a job hurriedly without considering the consequences. I also easily believe and trust the unknown person, hence can easily be convinced to do something without realization of the consequences. I am also a straightforward person and would not tolerate anything bad done by the employees or employers despite the rank. I am also somehow emotional and sensitive; I can easily be annoyed to an extent that I lose control of myself (Stanton, 2009). In the carrying out of the plan for improvement, my first step is to come up with a list of all my weakness and strengths. This would allow me to form comparison and see if any strength can cancel out any weakness and also to see if the strengths overpower the weaknesses. The second step is to analyze the environment of the workplace to see if it is favorable for my weaknesses and strengths. This will give me a hint on whether to take or reject the job. I will finally look if there is a room for change in the organization, of which if not a reject the job. In my conclusion, strengths and weakness in communication are things that exist in the daily life. An individual should never allow the strengths to overpower the weaknesses. I believe in change provided I am given a chance to work on my weaknesses. I believe in adjusting myself to the working environment despite the weaknesses I

ECONOMIC INDICATORS SLP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

ECONOMIC INDICATORS SLP - Essay Example Frictional unemployment takes place when workers change or switch between different jobs. For example, change of job for better career prospects, change of interest in domain, transfer to different location of current job etc. Cyclical or seasonal unemployment means the workers remain employed only during specific seasons and unemployed for the rest of the year. It is inversely proportionate to the GDP rate. If the GDP rate decreases, then there will be an increase in the rate of unemployment. For instance, the outsourcing work during tax filing due dates alone shows cyclical unemployment. As per Bureau of Labor Statistics, the standard rate of unemployment is fixed as 6%. However, it increased to 7.7 % on Feb 2013, which is not a good sign for the US economy. In my perspective, frictional unemployment will affect my firm as it can happen unexpectedly on the interest of the experienced worker. This sudden change will affect the production and quality of work done by the newly hired u ntrained workers. 2. Think about other employment issues such as outsourcing. Do you think your firm would benefit from outsourcing? If you chose a firm in which outsourcing is not feasible, you can still discuss the advantages (or disadvantages) of outsourcing. The common employment issues such as low paying and short term jobs, unemployment due to outsourcing for cheap labor, high federal tax and less allowance etc are mostly related to GDP. Apart from the employment issues, outsourcing will definitely benefit the firm in its growth and cost effectiveness. The other advantages of outsourcing are concentration by managers only on principal activities of business, reduction in fixed and variable costs of firm, forming a new pool of required skilled personnel, a better control in work and staff, solving difficult tasks with less cost, temporary job allocation without statutory benefits, less scare about the labor turnover ratio in a firm, improvement in talents of internal staff etc. If the disadvantages of outsourcing overlook the advantages, then there is risk in outsourcing work. The disadvantages might include the risk in quality of work done by the back office, fear of privacy and confidentiality of business, poor control over back office due to indirect management, no par with the turnaround time etc which affect the society as a whole in monetary terms etc. According to Olga Kharif, the demerit of outsourcing is mainly in terms of pressure from â€Å"lower-cost competitors† (USC's Center for Management Communication, 2006). Kharif further expresses that â€Å"US companies like the instant gratification of savings on wages. But as the real costs of IT outsourcing become apparent over time, many companies may come to realize that it is no panacea† (USC's Center for Management Communication). 3. If a U.S. firm hires foreign workers abroad, would these wages count in the U.S. GDP? (i.e. an Indian citizen working in a call center for Microsoft i n India) Why or why not? The wages of foreign workers who are hired by a US firm are included in the US GDP. This is due to the fact that GDP is calculated by including earnings of foreign firms and residents in the United States as well as after excluding incomes earned abroad by US firms and residents. The international companies like Microsoft have no other option like hiring foreign workers wherever talents are required because the maximum GDP of US arise out of

New rules Essay Example for Free

New rules Essay Seven years ago the first wave of welfare families were about to reach the time limits that had been set for receiving benefits and would soon have their cash handouts cut off. This was happening because of time limits states imposed as welfare reform that was put into place eleven years prior. Republicans created new rules for welfare that hadn’t taken place in over 40 years. In August of 1996 President Bill Clinton signed a law that required the states to push welfare recipients into the workforce. This became known as â€Å"workfare† (Douthat, 2007). This law gave incentives to state welfare offices to shrink their caseloads, and limited families to five years or less of federal money. This incentive included taking the money saved from welfare and converting them into block grants that states could spend as they see fit. Many conservatives thought that this would force poor mothers off of welfare. But many including The Urban Institute said that changes would push more children into poverty (Green, 2007) this did not happen. When the time limits took affect many states scrambled in the fall of 2000 to enact an emergency force that would help families through the transition. The need for this service was not needed. â€Å"After peaking in 1994, when many states began experimenting ahead of the federal law, America’s welfare caseload fell by 60% over the next decade, from 5 million to 2 million families† (Alfred, 2007). Welfare mothers were finding jobs with the largest increase being unmarried mothers. Their unemployment rates jumped from 44% in 1993 to 66% in 2000 and the poverty rate dropped 15.1% to 11. 3%. Reform showed to be working (Derose, 2007). But this was only because of the booming economy during the years between 1993 and 1999. During this period unemployment rates fell and rapid job development created the jobs. Wage subsidies helped with this trend also. When the government increased the earned income tax credit this created a reward for low income families and an incentive for them to work. With this success states changed practices in their welfare offices and in some cases turned many of the caseloads to private firms. Most of the offices would stress work for people that sought help this included job training sessions when they signed up for assistance. Some states required applicants to try job searches before signing up for benefits. The federal grants that were shifted were used for work support. Some of these benefits include childcare, healthcare and transport subsidies (Peters, 2007). But this did not help all incomes because earnings of women that left welfare rose more than their cash assistance fell and this still left families just scraping by. After leaving welfare many women went on to get training and education with government help to find jobs with better pay and benefits. Showing the quality of many of the mother’s lives increasing because of welfare reform. But on the other side things didn’t fare so well. Around 10 to 15 % of America’s former welfare recipient’s are not working or receiving benefits. These individuals are relying on relatives or other forms of charity just to meet their daily needs. Many of the remaining welfare cases are of people with mental or physical disabilities who cannot support their families by working. Welfare reform is not working for them. It makes it difficult for these individuals making them give up or not even try. Welfare reform has helped against the battle of dependency and America is in a better stance to attack poverty head on, but still t here are three important challenges that need to be addressed (Ponnuru, 2007). The first is to find new plan to help the children whose parents are mildly disabled, emotionally disturbed, mentally slow or addicted to drugs or alcohol. These are the individuals that are showing up at the welfare offices for help. These families face a limited ability in raising children which worries many in America. Dealing with these individuals is very complicated you can’t just get them work many are eligible for disability benefits and obtaining them is a long hard process (Mead, 2007). A solution would be training for social workers to identify the needs and solution of these individuals making it more assessable to individuals that are not mobile rather than harder.

Visiting Bangalore- Silicon Valley of India

Visiting Bangalore- Silicon Valley of India Bangalore- Silicon Valley of India Namaskara (Greetings in Kannada) Once referred to as the Garden City of India, this huge metropolitan city has a wonderful vibrancy of both the contemporary and old world. It is one of the largest cities in the country and is home to the IT industry, hence the name Silicon Valley of India. The city has been recently renamed as Bengaluru and is well known for its numerous pubs, vast lakes and beautiful gardens. The gardens have been however on the diminishing side in the last decade or so. Situated at a height of 3000 feet above sea level, Bangalore is blessed with a magnificent climate and has been surveyed as one of the most liveable cities in the country. Bangalore is a huge cosmopolitan city and has a wonderful cultural blend making it one of the most eclectic cities in India. Best season to visit Bangalore- Bangalore has a tropical savanna climate and experiences moderate climatic conditions all through the year due to its elevation above sea level. The summer months from March to May are warm and the winter months from November to January are quite cool and nice. Monsoons hit the city in the months from June to August and are not very incessant. Tourists can visit Bangalore all year around due to these moderate climatic conditions. Highlights (Things to do and experience in Bangalore) Stroll along Brigade road in the evening and watch the world go by. Go beer tasting at any of the many Bangalore pubs and micro breweries. Revel in the electric nightlife of Bangalore. Soak in the sereneness that the lovely Lalbagh and Cubbon parks offer. Lalbagh also conducts flower shows every year. Walk along Ulsoor Lake, Sankey Tank or any of the many lake bodies spread across the city. Enjoy live concerts that happen frequently at the Palace grounds. Many popular national and international bands perform in Bangalore. Enjoy a traditional play at Rangashankara. There are numerous theatre groups that perform every weekend in the city. Enjoy a walking tour and get to know more about the city’s history. There are numerous walking tours such as Victorian Bangalore walk, Lalbagh walk, etc. run by companies such as Unhurried and Bangalore Walks. Visit the many fairs and shows that the city hosts. The popular ones are Peanut fair, Aero show, Sunday soul santà ©, etc. Bring out the adventurer in you at Wonder La, a popular water theme park. Be a part of the numerous short treks from Bangalore organized by a host of adventure companies. The popular treks are to Savandurga, Skandagiri, Antaragange and Makalidurga. Rock climbing is popular in Ramnagara, a short drive away from Bangalore. Watch a cricket match at the Chinnaswamy stadium. Indian premier league matches are held in the months of April and May. Taste the delicious traditional south Indian food at any of the darshinis spread across the city. Enjoy a day at the creative and interactive Innovative film city which has a host of activities and shows for its visitors. Indulge in the water sport facilities at Lumbini Park. Hotspots (Things to see in Bangalore) South Bangalore- Bannerghatta National Park This National Park offers a safari where one can spot numerous animals and is quite popular with tourists. There is also a zoo which has many caged animals. A butterfly conservatory near the park is another attraction. Lalbagh Botanical Garden This magnificent huge botanical garden houses innumerable plant species and many 100 year old trees. Additionally, it also has a deer park, an aquarium and a lake. The glass house and rose garden are quite popular. Flower shows are conducted every year at Lalbagh. Do not miss the opportunity to grab a snack and a cup of coffee at the nearby MTR restaurant, one of the iconic places to eat in Bangalore. Gavipuram Gangadeshwara Temple – Take the lord’s blessings at the oldest temple in Bangalore. At more than 800 years old, this temple is located in the temple district of Bangalore. Bull Temple This is one of the most popular and visited temples in Bangalore and has a granite monolithic Nandi as its shrine. The temple ground also hosts the popular annual peanut festival. North Bangalore Bangalore Palace This palace is the residence of the Wodeyar royal family. It has a beautiful exterior and is modelled on the Windsor Castle. A portion of it is open to the public and displays a wonderful collection of art. Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat It is one of the renowned art schools and museums in the country. It has a wide display of art works and also has an impressive alumnus. Frequent art fests are conducted here. East Bangalore Aerospace museum This is India’s first aerospace museum and has a wide display of aeronautical photographs, aircraft models and gives detailed information about the history of India’s aerospace. West Bangalore ISKCON Temple Run by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, this temple has very attractive interiors and also sells numerous temple paraphernalia and artifacts. Central Bangalore Holy Trinity Church This 19th century church is built in English renaissance style and is a landmark building in the heart of the city. Vidhana Soudha Vidhan Soudha houses the state legislature and is a landmark building in the city. It has some wonderful exteriors and is built in Neo- Dravidian style. However, entry is not permitted. Rangoli Metro Art centre This small but wonderful gallery is the newest addition to Bangalore’s art galleries. Situated near the Metro station on M.G. Road, this art centre has a nice display of art work by various artists. St. Mary’s Basilica Built in gothic style with stained glass; this basilica has a wonderful external facade and attracts numerous devotees. Tipu Sultan’s Palace This wonderful palace of Tipu Sultan is adorned with nice architecture and frescoes. There is also a fort, a temple and a mosque in its surroundings. Vishweshwaraya museum This interactive industrial and technological museum is quite popular with both children and adults, and is well recommended while in Bangalore. Venkattappa Art gallery and museum It is one of the oldest museums in the country and has a wide display of art works, sculptures, Tanjore paintings and artifacts. It also has displays of antiques from the Mohenjedaro and Harappa civilization. National Gallery of Modern Art This wonderful museum has an impressive display of contemporary art and is a must visit for all art lovers. Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium This planetarium has wonderful visuals, is informative and would be a great visit for children. Neighbourhood- Devanahalli fort This fort is the birth place of Tipu Sultan and is located ahead of the international airport. It has a fort wall, a few temples and a village that lives inside it. Channapatna Channapatna is well known for its wooden toys, and one can also see the artisans in work. Make sure to buy a few of their wonderful creations. Nandi Hills It has been one of the favoured getaway destinations for a very long time for the residents of Bangalore. The hills offer a panoramic view, has temple on top, a stepped well and a rest house. It is quite windy and cool on top, and that brings a lot of visitors to this nice little hill fort. Shopping in Bangalore Bangalore has numerous shopping avenues and these include the modern shopping malls and also the shopping streets which have been ever popular for years. Shopping Malls Bangalore has numerous shopping malls with many branded outlets, department stores, cafes, pubs, restaurants and cinema theatres. The popular ones are Forum mall, Garuda mall, Orion mall, UB City, Phoenix market city and Bangalore central. Brigade Road Brigade road has been well known as a shopping/ walking street for decades. Lined with shops, pubs and cafes on either sides, this is one of the most preferred shopping areas of the residents. If you are keen on artifacts, there are a couple of good options such as Kaveri emporium on M.G.Road, which runs perpendicular to Brigade road. Commercial street This is the place to head to if you are not keen on branded items. With a huge line of shops, the street offers a wide range of options to choose from. Indira Nagar 100 feet road and CMH road in Indira Nagar has numerous brand outlets and is one of the best shopping areas in Bangalore. Koramangala With a host of stores, Koramanagala has numerous shopping avenues. It also has many huge branded outlets. Malleshwaram Sampige Road and Gandhi Bazaar in Basavanagudi – You should head to either of these places if you are looking for a traditional shopping experience. How to reach Bangalore With both international and domestic terminals, Kempegowda International airport, Bangalore is the best means to reach the city as it connects to all the major Indian cities and a host of cities across the world. Many international airlines connect Bangalore with Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuala Lumpur, Paris, Singapore, London, Bangkok, Colombo, Frankfurt and many other cities across the world. Pre- paid taxis and BMTC Volvo buses are easily available to take you to the central part of the city. The major railway station is Bangalore city station which is located opposite the Majestic bus stand (the main bus station). There are other railway stations at Yeshwanthpur, Bangalore Cantonment and Krishnarajapuram. Trains connect Bangalore to various big and small cities across the country. There are long distance buses, both private and government ones that ply to and from cities such as Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, Cochin, Thiruvananthapuram, Coimbatore, etc. The major bus stations are at M ajestic and KR Market. The city is well connected by highways and driving into Bangalore is also well recommended. How to get around Bangalore- By Metro Metro is new to Bangalore and has limited connectivity. However, it is the fastest mode of transport between the CBD area, Malleshwaram and Indira Nagar. By Bus Buses are easily available and connects to all areas of Bangalore. There are many Volvo buses run by BMTC which are comfortable to commute. By Autorickshaws Autorickshaws or tuk tuks can be hailed on the streets and are easily available. Make sure to run the meters beforehand. Pre-paid autorickshaws are available at Bangalore city railway station. By Car One can also drive around in a self-drive car; though be prepared to handle Bangalore’s slow traffic. By Taxi Taxis can be booked in advance and is the best option if one needs to go to the outskirts of the city. Top areas of Bangalore Indira Nagar This is one of the major commercial and shopping areas with numerous brand outlets, restaurants and pubs. A section of it is upscale residential area. Koramangala Koramangala is well known for its wonderful restaurants, cafes and pubs. This is another upscale area and houses many commercial buildings including the Forum, the city’s best shopping mall. MG Road M.G.Road and its perpendicular Brigade road form the crux of the CBD area. With numerous shops, brand outlets, office spaces, hotels, restaurants, cafes and pubs, this is the biggest commercial area in Bangalore. Residency road It is one of the major areas in Bangalore with numerous commercial buildings, hotels and pubs. Ulsoor Ulsoor is one of the premium areas of the city with many office spaces, hotels and residential houses. The very popular Ulsoor Lake is located here. Marathahalli With numerous shopping avenues, restaurants, cinema theatres and commercial buildings, Marathahalli is one of the top areas of Bangalore Whitefield In addition to the numerous information technology companies that are located here, there are also shopping malls, restaurants and numerous hotels in Whitefield. It is also a top residential area. Jayanagar Jayanagar is one of the premium residential areas of Bangalore and also has numerous shopping and dining options. Old Airport Road This area is well known for its commercial buildings and luxury hotels. Gandhinagar Located closer to the railway station and major bus station, Gandhinagar has numerous commercial buildings and hotels. Dhanyavadhagalu (Thank you in Kannada)

Feminism and Cultural Relativism in Human Rights Discourse: Sex-determi

Feminism and Cultural Relativism in Human Rights Discourse: Sex-determination Test in India ABSTRACT: Feminists and cultural relativists are highly critical of human rights even if their criticisms have taken two diametrically opposed sides. This has created a conflict between the two groups. In this paper, I summarize the views of feminists and cultural relativists and then show that there are many similarities between them despite their differences, for they share a common ground concerning human rights discourse. Based on the similarities, I believe that both must work together on this matter by making changes in an inclusive way with regard to human rights violations. This is true not only at the international level but also at national levels. To demonstrate this, I analyze the issue of the sex-determination test in India and show that if feminists and cultural relativists joined hands, then the problem of aborting female fetuses in India (due to cultural conditioning and leading to the larger problem of adverse sex ratios) could be resolved. I conclude by proposing th at medical technology could be channeled in the direction of progress if feminists and cultural relativists work jointly for the promotion of women's rights by recognizing 'different voices' of women across race, class, age, culture, sexual orientation and wealth. Recently, during the world conferences organized by United Nations in Vienna, Cairo and Beijing, the human rights discourse has taken different forms and have created bitter differences among different camps. In these international conferences, feminists claim victory over cultural relativists as feminists were able to reaffirm women's human rights. (1) Feminists and cultural relativists are the... ... (5) See Claude Ake, "The African Context of Human Rights," Africa Today, Vol. 32, number 5 (1987) (6) Hilary Charlesworth, "What are Women's International Human Rights"?, Human Rights of Women, supra note 25, at 617. (7) See Shashi Tharoo, "The Universality of Human Rights and their Relevance to Developing Countries," Nordic Journal of International Law, Vol. 142 (1990 (8) See Radhika Balakrishnan, "The Social Context of Sex Selection and the Politics of Abortion in India," Power and Decision: The Social Control of Reproduction, by Gita Sen and Rachel C. Snow, 266-283; Amartya Sen, "The Economics of Life and Death," Scientific American, (May), 40-47. (9) See the growth of population chart in Amulya Ratna Nanda, Census of India, 1991, Series-1, Registrar General & Census Commisioner, India, Statement 2, 21. (10) Bombay Case Reporter, 20:3, (1988) 2-7.

Quiz: Emotion and Job Satisfaction

Quiz one Part I Multiple choices [email  protected] 1. What are the three primary determinants of behavior that organizational behavior focuses upon? a. profit structure, organizational complexity, job satisfaction b. individuals, profit structure, and job satisfaction c. individuals, groups, and job satisfaction d. groups, structure, and profit structure e. individuals, groups, and structure 2. Which of the following is an example of being an efficient company? a. operating at the lowest possible cost while yielding a higher output b. reating the highest customer satisfaction ratings c. meeting the production schedule d. obtaining the highest market share e. maximizing diversity at high cost 3. _____ is discretionary behavior that is not part of an employee’s formal job requirement, but that promotes the effective functioning of the organization. a. Productivity b. Motivation c. Organizational citizenship d. Organizational behavior e. Corporate strategy 4. Jan is a security officer. Jan believes that it is important to know exactly who is in the office at any given time.She notices that some employees do not sign out of the office when they take lunch, which makes it impossible to keep track of who is actually in the office. Jan becomes frustrated with those employees. She makes note of them and reports them to their supervisors. In the above scenario, what is the behavioral component of Jan’s attitude to the employees who did not sign out of the office? a. Jan believes that it is important that she know exactly who is in the office at any given time. b. Jan notices that some employees do not sign out of the office when they take lunch. . Jan finds it impossible to keep track of who is actually in the office. d. Jan becomes frustrated with those employees who do not sign out of the office. e. Jan notes which employees leave the office without signing out, and reports them to their supervisors. 5. The belief that â€Å"violence is wrong† is an evaluative statement. Such an opinion constitutes the _____ component of an attitude. a. cognitive b. affective c. reflective d. behavioral e. reactive 6. Festinger argued that cognitive dissonance is _____. a. monotonous b. confounding c. physically painful . exhausting e. unpleasant 7. The following are possible actions that an individual may take if they behave in a way that is inconsistent with an attitude that they hold: I: change the behavior II: change the attitude III: rationalize the behavior IV: ignore the inconstancy Which of these actions are the most likely to be taken? a. Either I, or II b. Either III or IV c. One of I, II or III d. One of I, III or IV e. One of II, III or IV 8. Which of the following is not a moderating variable of the A-B relationship? a. direct experience b. consistency c.Correspondence to behavior d. accessibility e. importance 9. The attitude-behavior relationship is likely to be much stronger if the attitude_____. a. refers to something tha t the individual has direct personal experience with b. must be defended against the attitudes of society at large c. is perceived to be of little importance d. is related to organizational structure e. is not regularly discussed and examined 10. Job satisfaction is best described as _____. a. a result b. a value c. an attitude d. causing high performance e. a valued discipline Read also Quiz Week 411.The degree to which a person identifies with his or her job, actively participates in it, and considers his or her performance as being important to self-worth is _____. a. job satisfaction b. job involvement c. job stability d. organizational commitment e. social embeddedness 12. Which of the following statements would have been most likely made by an employee with a high degree of job involvement? a. â€Å"My skills make me exceptionally valuable to the company. † b. â€Å"I’m a harder worker than most of my colleagues, even to the degree I am carrying some of the lazier ones. c. â€Å"It felt great to get promoted; I guess the guys upstairs really did appreciate the way I had been running things. † d. â€Å"I love my job. It is engaging, pays well, and is low pressure, enough that I don’t have to be always worrying about it in my time off. † e. â€Å"I enjoy working with my hands, so much so that on the days when my job requires me to actually physically build something time flies by without me even noticing it. † 13. Attending union meetings as a response to dissatisfaction would be what type of response? a. exit b. voice c. loyalty d. eglect e. reification 14. Compared to people who have a negative core self-evaluation, people who have a positive core self evaluation ________. a. are less satisfied with their jobs b. see their work as less challenging c. see their work as less fulfilling d. are less likely to gravitate toward challenging jobs e. are less likely to give up when confronting difficulties 15. Which of the following statements is not true? a. Satisfied employees increase customer satisfaction and loyalty. b. Dissatisfied customers can increase an employee’s job dissatisfaction. c.In service organizations, customer retention and defection are highly dependent on how front-line employees deal with customers. d. Satisfied employees are likely to be more productive. e. The mo st effective way to improve job satisfaction is a raise in pay. 16. Which of the following statements is true? a. Affect is a type of emotion. b. Affect is a type of mood. c. Affect can be experienced as a mood or an emotion. d. Affect is the result of conscious thought and action. e. Affect is the result of a mood or an emotion. 17. Which of the following is not one of the six universal emotions, as agreed upon by most contemporary researchers? . anger b. fear c. hate d. sadness e. happiness 18. Ben is very prone to experiencing emotions in a much stronger manner than most other people. Things that wouldn’t provoke any significant emotional response in the average person often send him into fits of happiness, anger, or depression. Ben has a high level of which of the following? a. introversion b. negative affect c. extraversion d. positive affect e. affect intensity 19. If an employee expresses organizationally desired emotions during interpersonal transactions, which of the following is being expressed? a. motional labor b. negative synergy c. dissonance d. emotional intelligence e. deviance 20. Julie smiles and acts politely towards a customer at her checkout, even though she really deeply dislikes this customer. What is the likely result of the disparity between the emotion Julie displays and the emotions she is actually experiencing? a. felt emotions b. emotional dissonance c. conditional emotional response d. emotional distance e. emotional exposure 21. What do you call the practice of modifying one’s true inner feelings based on display rules? a. surface acting b. deep acting c. motional subterfuge d. affective camouflage e. repressed affection 22. For jobs that are cognitively demanding, increasing emotional demands lead to _____ pay. For jobs that are not cognitively demanding, increasing emotional demands lead to _____ pay. a. higher; higher b. lower; lower c. higher; lower d. lower; higher e. There is no relationship between pay and em otional demands. 23. What is the name of the theory that has demonstrated that employees react emotionally to things that happen to them at work and that this reaction influences their job performance and satisfaction? . psychoanalytic theory b. the actor/observer bias c. the theory of planned behavior d. cognitive dissonance theory e. affective events theory 24. Tests of affective events theory have not shown which of the following to be true? a. Both current and past emotions influence job satisfaction at any given time. b. An emotional episode contains elements of both emotions and mood cycles. c. Moods and emotions fluctuate over time so their effect on performance also fluctuates. d. Positive emotions have a strong positive influence on job performance. . Emotion-driven behaviors are typically short in duration and of high variability. 25. Which of the following is a person’s ability to be self-aware, detect emotions in others, and manage emotional cues and information? a. emotional intelligence b. affective events theory c. emotional external constraints d. affective emotions e. cognition Part II short answers 12. [email  protected] 1What is the difference between felt emotions and displayed emotions? 2. List and explain the four ways employees can express job dissatisfaction.

Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings Chapter 21~22

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE I Lick the Body Electric The Maui sunset had set the sky on fire and everything in the bungalow had taken on the glowing pink tone of paradise – or hell, depending on where you were standing. Clay dismembered the bird and put the severed pieces on a platter to transport them to the grill. â€Å"You'll need something to bring those in on,† Clair said. Her dress was a purple hibiscus-flower print, and the orchid she wore in her hair looked like lavender dragonflies humping. She was dicing pickles into the macaroni salad. â€Å"What's wrong with this?† Clay held up the plate with the raw chicken. â€Å"You can't use the same plate. You'll get salmonella.† â€Å"Fine, fuck it,† Clay said, tossing the plate into the yard. The chicken parts bounced nicely, breading themselves with a light coating of sand, ants, and dried grass. â€Å"When did chicken become like plutonium anyway, for Christ's sake? You can't let it touch you or it's certain fucking death. And eggs and hamburgers kill you unless you cook them to the consistency of limestone! And if you turn on your fucking cell phone, the plane is going to plunge out of the sky in a ball of flames? And kids can't take a dump anymore but they have to have a helmet and pads on make them look like the Road Warrior. Right? Right? What the fuck happened to the world? When did everything get so goddamn deadly? Huh? I've been going to sea for thirty damned years, and nothing's killed me. I've swum with everything that can bite, sting, or eat you, and I've done every stupid thing at depth that any human can – and I'm still alive. Fuck, Clair, I was unconscious for an hour underwa ter less than a week ago, and it didn't kill me. Now you're going to tell me that I'm going to get whacked by a fucking chicken leg? Well, just fuck it then!† He didn't know where to go, so he came back in and slammed the screen door behind him, then opened it and slammed it again. â€Å"Goddamn it!† And he stood there, breathing hard. Not really looking at anything. Clair put down her knife and pickle, then wiped her hands. As she came toward Clay she pulled a large bobby pin from the back of her hair, and her long, thick locks cascaded down her back. She took Clay's right hand and kissed each of his fingertips, licked his thumb, then took his index finger in her mouth and made a show of removing it slowly and with maximum moisture. Clay looked at the floor, shaking. â€Å"Baby,† she said as she placed the bobby pin firmly between Clay's wet thumb and index finger, â€Å"I need you to go over to that wall and take this bobby pin and insert it ever so firmly into that electrical outlet over there.† Clay looked up at her at last. â€Å"Because,† she continued, â€Å"I know that you aren't mad at me and that you're just grieving for your friends, but I think you need to be reminded that you aren't invulnerable and that you can hurt even more than you do now. And I think it would be better if you did it yourself, because otherwise I'll have to brain you with your own iron skillet.† â€Å"That would be wrong,† Clay said. â€Å"It is a cruel world, baby.† Clay took her in his arms and buried his face in her hair and just stood there in the doorway for a long time. Amy had been missing for thirty-two hours. That morning a fisherman had found her kayak washing against some rocks on Molokai and had called the rental company in Maui. A life jacket was still strapped on the front of the boat, he said. The Coast Guard had stopped looking already. â€Å"Now, let me go,† Clair said. â€Å"I have to get that chicken out of the yard and rinse it off.† â€Å"I don't think we should eat that.† â€Å"Please. I'm going to cook it up for Kona. You're taking me out.† â€Å"I am?† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"After I stick this in the outlet, right?† â€Å"You can grieve, Clay – that's as it should be – but you can't feel guilty for being alive.† â€Å"So, I don't have to stick this in the outlet?† â€Å"You used foul language at me, baby. I don't see any way around it.† â€Å"Oh, well, that's true. You go get Kona's chicken out of the yard. I'll do this.† On the second morning after Amy was lost at sea, Clay walked to the seaside, a rocky beach between some condos north of Lahaina – too short for morning runners, too shallow for a bathing crowd. He stood on an outcropping of rocks with the waves crashing around him and tried to let pure hatred run out of his heart. Clay Demodocus was a guy who liked things, and among the things he had liked the most was the sea, but this morning he held nothing but disdain for his old friend. The sapphire blue was indifferent, the waves elitist. She'd kill you without even learning your name. â€Å"You bitch,† Clay said, loud enough for the sea to hear. He spit into her face and walked back home. That old trickster Maui had been sitting on a rock nearby watching, and he laughed at Clay's hubris. Maui admired a man with more balls than brains, even a haole. He cast a small blessing at the photographer – just a trinket for the laugh, a trifling little mango of magic – and then he headed off to the great banyan tree to fog the film of Japanese tourists. Back in what was now only his office, Clay dug Amy's resume out of his files and made the call. He braced himself, trying to figure out how, exactly, he was going to tell these strangers that their daughter was missing and assumed to have drowned. He felt sad and alone, and his elbow hurt from the jolt of electricity he'd taken the night before. He didn't want to do this. He reached for the phone, then stopped and closed his eyes, as if he could make the whole thing go away, but on the back of his eyelids he saw the face of his mother as he had last seen her, looking up at him out of her barrel of brine, â€Å"Make the call, you pussy. If anyone knows how not to get bad news, it's you. Part of loyalty is following up, you sniveling coward. Don't be like your brothers.† Ah, sweet Mama, Clay thought. He dialed the phone – a number with a 716 area code, Tonawanda, New York. It rang three times, and the recorded operator came on, saying that the number he'd reached was not in service at this time. He checked it, then dialed the next number down, which also turned out not to be working. He called Tonawanda information for Amy's parents, and the operator told him there was no such listing. At a loss, he called Woods Hole Oceanographic Center, where Amy had gotten her master's. Clay knew one of her advisers, Marcus Loughten, an irascible Brit who had worked at Woods Hole for twenty years and was famous in the field for his work in underwater acoustics. Loughten answered on the third ring. â€Å"Loughten,† Loughten said.: â€Å"Marcus, this is Clay Demodocus. We worked together on –  » â€Å"Yes, Clay, I bloody know who you are. Calling from Hawaii, are you?† â€Å"Well, yes, I – ; â€Å"Probably, what, seventy-eight degrees with a breeze? It's seven below zero Fahrenheit here. I'm out installing bloody sound buoys in a monthlong blizzard to keep right whales from getting run over by supertankers.† â€Å"Right, the sound buoys. How are those working out?† â€Å"They're not.† â€Å"No? Why not?† â€Å"Well, right whales are stupid as shit, aren't they? It's not like a supertanker is quiet. If sound was going to deter them, then they'd be bloody well deterred by the engine noise, wouldn't they? They don't make the connection. Stupid shits.† â€Å"Oh, sorry to hear that. Uh, why keep doing it then?† â€Å"We have funding.† â€Å"Right. Look, Marcus, I need some information on one of your students who came out here to work with us. Amy Earhart? Would have been with you guys until fall of last year.† â€Å"No, I don't know that name.† â€Å"Sure you do, five-five, thin, pale, dark hair with kind of unnatural blue highlights, smart as a whip.† â€Å"Sorry, Clay. That doesn't fit any of my students.† Clay took a deep breath and trudged on. Biologists were notorious for treating their grad students as subhuman, but Clay was surprised that Loughten didn't remember Amy. She was cute, and if Clay could judge from a night of drinking he'd done with Loughten at a marine mammal conference in France, the Brit was more than a bit of a horndog. â€Å"Great ass, Marcus. You'd remember.† â€Å"I'm sure I would, but I don't.† Clay studied the resume. â€Å"What about Peter? Would he –  » â€Å"No, Clay, I know all of Peter's grad students as well. Did you call to confirm her references when you took her on?† â€Å"Well, no.† â€Å"Good work, then. Abscond with your Nikons, did she?† â€Å"No, she's missing at sea. I'm trying to contact her family.† â€Å"Sorry. Wish I could be of help. I'll check the records, just to be sure – in case I've had a ministroke that killed the part of the brain that remembers fine bottoms.† â€Å"Thanks.† â€Å"Good luck, Clay. My best to Quinn.† Clay cringed. It turned out he really wasn't up for bearing bad news. â€Å"Will do, Marcus. Good-bye.† Clay hung up and resumed staring at the phone. Well, he thought, I knew absolutely nothing about this woman that I thought I knew. Libby Quinn had already called (sobbing) to say that they should have some kind of joint service at the sanctuary for Nate and Amy, and that Clay should speak. What was he going to say about Amy? Dearly beloved, I think we all knew Amy as scientist, a colleague, a friend, a woman who showed up out of nowhere with a completely manufactured history, but I think, because she saved my life, that I came to know her better than anyone here, and I can tell you unequivocally, she was a smart aleck with a cute butt. Yeah, he'd need to work on that. Damn it, he missed them both. Clay decided to kill the day by editing video: time-eating busywork that supplied at least an imaginary escape from the real world. The afternoon found him going through the rebreather footage he'd taken on the day the whale had conked him, for the first time going past the point where he was unconscious, just to see if the camera picked up anything usable. Clay let the video run: minutes of blue water, the camera tossing around at the end of the wrist lanyard, then Amy's leg as she comes down to stop his descent. He cranked the audio. Hiss of ambient noise, then the bubbles from Amy's regulator, the slow hiss of his own breathing through the rebreather. As Amy starts to swim to the surface, the camera catches his fins hanging limply against a field of blue, then Amy's fins kicking in and out of the frame. Both their breathing is steady on the audio track. Clay looked at the time signature of the video. Fifteen minutes when the motion stops. Amy making her first decompression stop. On the audio he hears the chorus of distant singing humpbacks, a boat motor not too far off, and Amy's steady bubbles. Then the bubbles stop. The camera settles against his thigh and drifts, the lens up, catches light from the surface, then Amy's hand holding on to his buoyancy vest, reading the data off his dive computer. Her regulator is out of her mouth. On the audio there's only his breathing. The camera swings away. Ten minutes more pass. Clay listens for Amy's breathing to resume. The motion from her hooking into the rescue tank on the rebreather should move the camera, but there's just the same gentle drift. They move up. Clay guesses maybe to seventy-five feet. Amy is doing another decompression stop, doing it by the book, despite the emergency. Except he still can hear only one person breathing. She pulls him to more shallow depth. The frame lightens up, and the camera swings around, the wide angle showing Clay's unconscious form and Amy kicking, the regulator out of her mouth, looking at the surface. She hasn't used the bail-out tank on Clay's rebreather, and she hasn't taken a breath for, as far as Clay can tell, forty minutes. This can't be right. He listens, watching until the time signature shows sixty and the tape ends – the entire thing having been dubbed to the hard drive. He rewinds it on-screen, slowing down when the camera shows anything but blue, listening again. â€Å"No fucking way.† Clay backed away from the monitor, watching as the video ran out again and froze on the image of Amy holding him steady at twenty or so feet down, no regulator in her mouth. He ran out the door, calling, â€Å"Kona! Kona!† The surfer came shuffling out of his bungalow in a cloud of smoke. â€Å"Just tracking down navy spies, boss.† â€Å"Where did you guys put the rebreather? The day they took me to the hospital?† â€Å"She's in the storage shed.† Clay made a beeline for the bungalow they used to store dive and boat equipment. He waved Kona after him. â€Å"Come.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Did you guys refill the oxygen or the bail-out tanks?† â€Å"We just rinsed it and put it in the case.† Clay pulled the big Pelican case off a stack of scuba tanks and popped the latches. The rebreather was snug in the foam padding. Clay wrenched it out onto the wooden floor and turned on the computer that was an integral part of it. He hit buttons on the display console and watched the gray liquid-crystal display cycle through the numbers. The last dive: Downtime had been seventy-five minutes, forty-three seconds. The oxygen cylinder was nearly full. The bail-out air supply was full. Full. It hadn't been touched. Somehow Amy had stayed underwater for an hour without an air supply. Clay turned to the surfer. â€Å"Do you remember anything that Nate showed you about what he was working on? I need details – I know in general.† Clay wasn't sure what he was looking for, but this had to mean something, and all he had to fall back on was Nate's research. The surfer scratched the dreadless side of his head. â€Å"Something about the whales singing binary.† â€Å"Come show me.† Clay stormed through the door and back to the office. â€Å"What you looking for?† â€Å"I don't know. Clues. Mysteries. Meaning.† â€Å"You gone lolo, you know?† CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO Deep Below, Bernard Stirs About the time that Nathan Quinn had started to master his nausea in the whale ship's constant motion (four days on board), another force started working on his body. He felt an uneasiness come over him in waves, and for twenty or so seconds he would feel as if he needed to crawl out of his skin. Then it would pass and leave him feeling a little numb for a few seconds, only to start up again. Poynter and Poe were moving around the small cabin looking at different gobs and bumps of bioluminescence as if they were gleaning some meaning from them, but, try as he might, Nate couldn't figure out what they were monitoring. It would have helped to be able to get out of the seat and take a closer look, but Poynter had ordered him strapped in after he made his first break for the back orifice. He'd nearly made it, too. Had dived at it just like he'd seen the whaley boys do, except that only one arm had gone through, and he ended up stuck to the floor of the whale, his face against the rubbery skin, his hand trailing out in the cold ocean. â€Å"Well, that was phenomenally stupid,† said Poynter. â€Å"I think I've dislocated my shoulder,† Nate said. â€Å"I should leave you there. Maybe a remora or two will latch on to your hand and teach you a lesson.† â€Å"Or a cookie-cutter shark,† said Poe. â€Å"Nasty bastards.† The whaley boys turned in their seats and snickered, bobbing their heads and blowing the occasional raspberry, which could inflict considerable moisture off a four-inch-wide tongue. Evidently Quinn was a cetacean laugh riot. He'd always suspected that, actually. Poynter got down on his hands and knees and looked Nate in the eye. â€Å"While you're down there, I'd like you to think on what might have happened if you'd been successful at launching yourself through that orifice. First, we're at – Skippy, what's the depth?† Skippy chirped and clicked a number of times. â€Å"A hundred and fifty feet. Beyond the fact that you'd probably have blown out your eardrums almost immediately, you might think on how you were going to get to the surface on one breath of air. And should you have gotten to the surface, what were you going to do then? We're five hundred miles from the nearest land.† â€Å"I hadn't worked out the whole plan,† Nate said. â€Å"So, actually, I might be looking at success, right? You just wanted to test the outside water temperature?† â€Å"Sure,† said Nate, thinking it might be best to stay agreeable. â€Å"Can you feel your hand?† â€Å"It's a little chilly, but, yes.† â€Å"Oh, good.† And so they'd left him there a couple of hours, his hand and about six inches of his arm hanging out in the open sea as the whale ship swam along, and when they finally pulled him up, they put him in his seat and kept him restrained except to eat and go to the bathroom. He'd tried to relax and observe – learn what he could – but then a few minutes ago these waves of uneasiness had started hitting him. â€Å"He's got the sonic willies,† said Poe. Poynter looked away from Skippy's console. â€Å"It's the subsonics, Doc. You're feeling the sound waves even though you can't hear them. We've been communicating with the blue for about ten minutes now.† â€Å"You might have said something.† â€Å"I just did.† â€Å"Couple of hours you'll be in the blue, Doc. You can stand up again, walk around a little. Have some privacy.† â€Å"So you're communicating with it in low-frequency sound?† â€Å"Yep. Just like you thought, Doc, there was meaning in the call.† â€Å"Yeah, but I didn't think this, that there were guys, and guylike things, riding about inside whales. How in the hell can this be happening? How can I not know about this?† â€Å"So you're giving up on the being-dead strategy?† asked Poe. â€Å"What is it? Space aliens?† Poynter unbuttoned his shirt and showed some chest hair. â€Å"Do I look like a space alien?† â€Å"Well, no, but them.† Nate nodded toward the whaley boys. They looked at each other and snickered, a sort of wheezing laughter coming from their blowholes, paused, looked back at Nate, then snickered some more. â€Å"Maybe on their planet sentient life evolved from whales rather than apes,† Quinn continued. â€Å"I can see how they might have landed here, deployed these whale ships, and kept under the radar of human detection while they looked around. I mean, man obviously isn't the most peaceful of creatures.† â€Å"That work for you, Doc?† asked Poynter. â€Å"On their planet they developed an organically based technology, rather than one based on combustion and manipulation of minerals like ours.† â€Å"Oh, that is good,† said Poe. â€Å"He's on a roll,† said Poynter. â€Å"Unraveling the mystery, he is.† Skippy and Scooter nodded to each other and grinned. â€Å"So that's it? This ship is extraterrestrial?† Quinn felt the small victory rush that one gets from proving a hypothesis – even one as bizarre as space aliens riding in whale ships. â€Å"Sure,† said Poe, â€Å"that works for me. You, Cap?† â€Å"Yeah, moon men, that's what you guys are,† Poynter said to the whaley boys. â€Å"Meep,† said Scooter. And in a high, squeaky, little-girl voice, Skippy croaked, â€Å"Phone home.† The whaley boys gave each other a high four and collapsed into fits of hysterical wheezing. â€Å"What did he say?† Nate nearly snapped his neck trying to turn around against the restraints. â€Å"They can talk?† â€Å"Well, I guess, if you call that talking,† Poe said. He exchanged high fives with Poynter at the expense of the whaley boys, who paused in their own laughter to roll the whale ship in three quick spirals, which tossed the unsecured Poe and Poynter around the soft cabin like a couple of rag dolls. Poynter came up with a bloody lip from connecting with his own knee. Poe had barked his shin on one of the whaley boys' heads as he went over. Strapped in, Nate concentrated on not watching a rerun of his lunch of raw tuna and water. â€Å"Bastards!† said Poe. â€Å"That what you expected in your race of super-intelligent, space-faring extraterrestrials, Nate?† Poynter wiped blood from his lower lip and flung it at Scooter. Carl Linnaeus, an eighteenth-century Swedish doctor who specialized in the treatment of syphilis, is credited with inventing the modern system that is used for classifying plants and animals. Linnaeus is responsible for naming the humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae, or â€Å"big wings of New England,† and later naming the blue whale Balaenoptera musculus, or â€Å"little mouse†: at 110 feet long, over a hundred tons, an animal whose tongue alone is larger than a full-grown African elephant – the largest animal to ever live on the planet. â€Å"Little mouse†? Some speculated that this ironic misnomer was perpetrated entirely to confuse Linnaeus's lab assistants, as in Run out and bring me back a â€Å"little mouse,† Sven. Others think that the pox had gone to Carl's head. Quinn was crouched over the back orifice, Skippy and Scooter holding him by either arm, Poynter and Poe crouched before him, saluting. He could feel the texture of the opening under his bare feet, like wet tire tread. â€Å"It's been a pleasure, Doc,† Poynter said. â€Å"Have a great trip.† â€Å"We'll see you back at base,† said Poe. â€Å"Now, just relax. You're barely going to contact water. Hold your nose and blow.† Quinn did. Poynter counted, â€Å"One, two –  » â€Å"Meep.† Nate was sucked out the orifice, felt a brief chill and some pressure pushing back against his ears, and found himself in a chamber only a little taller than that in the humpback, with a fairly amused woman. â€Å"You can stop blowing now,† she said. â€Å"Yet another phrase I didn't think I'd be hearing in this lifetime,† Nate said. He let go of his nostrils and took a deep breath. The air seemed fresher than in the humpback. â€Å"Welcome to my blue, Dr. Quinn, I'm Cielle Nu;ez. How do you feel?† â€Å"Pooped.† Quinn grinned. She was about his age, Hispanic with short dark hair peppered gray and wide brown eyes that caught the bioluminescence off the walls and reflected what looked like laughter. She was barefoot and wearing generic khakis like Poynter and Poe. He shook her hand. â€Å"Cute,† she said. â€Å"Come forward with me, Doctor. I'm sure it's been a while since you were able to stand up straight.† She led him down the corridor, which reminded Nate of when, as kids, he and his buddies had explored storm drains in Vancouver. It was tall enough to walk in, but not tall enough to stand in comfortably. â€Å"Actually, Cielle, I'm not a doctor. I have a Ph.D., but the doctor thing –  » â€Å"I understand. I'm captain of this rig, but if you call me ‘Captain, I'll ignore you.† â€Å"I wanted to hear the humpback sing before I left. You know, from the inside.† â€Å"You will. There'll be time.† The corridor started to widen as they moved forward, and Nate was actually able to walk normally, or as normally as one can walk when barefoot on whaleskin. This skin had a mottled appearance, whereas on the humpback it had been nearly solid gray. He noticed that on this ship there were wide veins of bioluminescence on the floor, casting a yellow light up upward that gave everything a sinister green glow. Nuà ±ez paused by what appeared to be portals on either side of them. â€Å"This is as good a place as any,† she said. â€Å"Now, turn sideways and take my hand.† Quinn did as he was asked. Her hand felt warm but dry. She was a small woman, but powerfully built, he could feel the strength in her grip. â€Å"Now, we're just going to walk as the ship moves. Don't stop until I say, or you'll fall on your ass.† â€Å"WHAT?† â€Å"Okay, Scooter, roll it.† â€Å"Scooter?† â€Å"All pilots are called Scooter or Skippy. They didn't tell you?† â€Å"They weren't very forthcoming with information.† â€Å"Humpback crews are a bunch of yahoos.† Nuà ±ez smiled. â€Å"You know the type, like navy fighter pilots topside? All ego and testosterone.† â€Å"I got more cretin than yahoo,† Nate said. â€Å"Well, with that particular bunch, yes.† The whole corridor started to move. â€Å"Here we go, step, step, step, that's good.† They were walking across the walls as the ship rolled. When they were standing on the ceiling, the roll stopped. â€Å"Nice, Scooter,† Nuà ±ez said, obviously communicating through some sort of hidden intercom. Then, to Nate, â€Å"He's so good.† â€Å"We were upside down to make the transfer?† â€Å"Exactly. You're a smart guy. Look, these are cabins. She touched a lighted node on the wall, and a skin portal folded back on itself. Again Nate was put in mind of the blowhole of a toothed whale, but it was so big, nearly four feet across, it was just†¦ unnatural. Lines of light pumped to life past the portal to reveal a small cabin, a bed – apparently made of the same skin as the rest of the interior – but also a table and a chair. Nate couldn't make out what material they might be made of, but it looked like plastic. â€Å"Bone,† Nu;ez said, noticing him noticing. â€Å"They're as much a part of the ship as the walls. All living tissue. There are shelves and cubbyholes for your stuff in the bulkheads, closed now. Obviously everything has to be stowed for little maneuvers like the one we just performed. The motion isn't as bad as on the humpbacks. You'll find you'll get used to it, and then you can move about just as if you were on land.† â€Å"You're right. I didn't even notice we were moving.† â€Å"That would be because we're not,† said Nu;ez. The sound of whaley-boy snickering wheezed down the corridor toward them. â€Å"You guys are supposed to be working,† Nu;ez said to the air. â€Å"Prepare to get under way.† She turned to Quinn. â€Å"Can I buy you a cup of joe? Maybe answer some of your questions?† â€Å"You're offering?† Quinn felt his heart jump with excitement. Information, without Poynter and Poe's goofing obfuscation? He was thrilled. â€Å"That would be fantastic.† â€Å"Don't pee all over yourself, Quinn. It's just coffee.† The corridor opened up into a large bridge. The head of the blue was huge compared to the humpback's. On either side of the entry a whaley boy stood grinning at them as they passed. They were both taller than Quinn, and unlike the Scooter and Skippy of the humpback, their skin was mottled and lighter in color. Nate paused and grinned back at them. â€Å"Let me guess – Skippy and Scooter?† â€Å"Actually, Bernard and Emily 7,† said Nu;ez. â€Å"You said they all were –  » â€Å"I said all pilots were named Skippy and Scooter.† She gestured to the front of the bridge, where two whaley boys sitting at control consoles were turning in their seats and grinning. Maybe, thought Nate, they always appeared to be grinning, much like dolphins. He'd made an amateur mistake, assuming that their facial expressions were the analog of human expressions. People often did that with dolphins, even though the animals had no facial muscles to facilitate expression. Even sad dolphins appeared to be smiling. â€Å"What are you two grinning at?† asked Nuà ±ez. â€Å"Let's get on the way.† The pilots frowned and turned back to their consoles. â€Å"Well, crap,† Nate said. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Nothing, just another theory shot in the ass.† â€Å"Yeah, this operation does that, doesn't it?† Nate felt something stirring in his back pocket and spun around to see a thin, fourteen-inch-long pink penis that was protruding from Bernard's genital slit. It waved at him. â€Å"Holy moly!† â€Å"Bernard!† Nuà ±ez snapped. â€Å"Put that away. That is not procedure.† Bernard's unit drooped noticeably from the scolding. He looked at it and chirped contritely. â€Å"Away!† Nuà ±ez barked. Bernard's willy snapped back up into his genital slit. â€Å"Sorry about that,† Nuà ±ez said to Nate. â€Å"I've never gotten used to that. It's really disconcerting when you're working with one of them and you ask them to hand you a screwdriver or something and his hands are already full. Coffee?† She led him to a small white table around which four bone chairs protruded from the floor. They looked like old-style Greek saddle chairs – no backs, organic curves, and the high gloss of living bone – but more Gaudi than Flintstone. Quinn sat while Nuà ±ez touched a node on the wall that opened a meter-wide portal that had concealed a sink, several canisters, and what looked like a percolator. Nate wondered about the electricity but forced himself to wait before asking. While Nuà ±ez prepared the coffee, Quinn looked around. The bridge was easily four times the size of the entire cabin in the humpback. Instead of riding in a minivan, it was like being in a good-size motor home – a very curvy, dimly lit motor home, but about that size. Blue light filtered in through the eyes, illuminating the pilots' faces, which shone like patent leather. Nate was starting to realize that even though everything was organic, living, the whale ship had the same sort of efficiency found on any nautical vessel: every spaced used, everything stowed against movement, everything functional. â€Å"If you need to use the head, it's back down the corridor, fourth hatch on the right.† Emily 7 clicked and squealed, and Nu;ez laughed. She had a warm laugh, not forced; it just rolled out of her smooth and easy. â€Å"Emily says it seems as if it would be more logical for the head to be in the head, but there goes logic.† â€Å"I gave up logic a few days ago.† â€Å"You don't have to give it up, just adjust. Anyway, facilities in the head are like everything on the ship – living – but I think you'll figure out the analogs pretty quickly. It's less complicated than an airliner bathroom.† Scooter chirped, and the great ship started to move, first in a fairly radical wave of motion, then smoothing out to a gentle roll. It was like being on a large sailing ship in medium seas. â€Å"Hey, a little more warning, Scooter, huh?† said Nu;ez. â€Å"I nearly dumped Nathan's coffee. Okay if I call you Nathan?† â€Å"Nate's good.† Moving with the roll of the ship, she made it back to the table and put down the two steaming mugs of coffee, then went back for a sugar bowl, spoons, and a can of condensed milk. Nate picked up the can and studied it. â€Å"This is the first thing from the outside that I've seen.† â€Å"Yeah, well, that's special request. You don't want to try whale milk in your coffee. It's like krill-flavored spray cheese.† â€Å"Yuck.† â€Å"That's what I'm saying.† â€Å"Cielle, if you don't mind my saying, you don't seem very military.† â€Å"Me? No, I wasn't. My husband and I had a sixty-foot sailboat. We got caught in a hurricane off of Costa Rica and sank. That's when they took me. My husband didn't make it.† â€Å"I'm sorry.† â€Å"It's okay. It was a long time ago. But, no, I've never been in the military.† â€Å"But the way you order the whaley boys around –  » â€Å"First, we need to clear up a misconception that you are obviously forming, Nate. I – we, the human beings on these ships – are not in charge. We're just – I don't know, like ambassadors or something. We sound like commanders because these guys would just goof off all day without someone telling them what to do, but we have no real authority. The Colonel gives the orders, and the whaley boys run the show.† Scooter and Skippy snickered like their counterparts on the humpback ship, Bernard and Emily 7 joined them – Bernard extending his prehensile willy like a party horn. â€Å"And whaley girls?† Nate nodded toward Emily 7, who grinned – it was a very big, very toothy grin, but a little coquettish in the way one might expect from, say, an ingenue with a bite that could sever an arm. â€Å"Just whaley boys. It's like the term ‘mankind, you know – alienate the female part of the race at all costs. It's the same here. Old-timers gave them the name.† â€Å"Who's the Colonel?† â€Å"He's in charge. We don't see him.† â€Å"Human, though?† â€Å"I'm told.† â€Å"You said you'd been here a long time. How long?† â€Å"Let me get you another cup, and I'll tell you what I can.† She turned. â€Å"Bernard, get that thing out of the coffeepot!†