Prostate Cancer Causes And Treatment Health And Social Care Essay

This paper will look into several different academic diary articles and some popular media articles that are about prostatic malignant neoplastic disease. These articles discuss prostate malignant neoplastic disease causes, ( conjectural and known ) , sensing methods, and intervention options. A twosome of the articles besides focus on the cost of intervention for patients, every bit good as the hazards involved with the differing methods of intervention. Several intervention options for prostate malignant neoplastic disease are still being studied. This essay will critically analyse and compare prostatic malignant neoplastic disease sensing methods, ( such as Prostate-specific antigen or ( PSA ) trials ) intervention options, and the differing success or failure of each method, every bit good as concentrating on the increasing cost of intervention that patients are forced to pay. Some of the articles besides suggest that more resources and more instruction are needed to assist take down the mortality rate from prostate malignant neoplastic disease. This paper will research what is being done to assist take down the mortality rate every bit good as what is being done to assist increase the rate of early sensing of prostate malignant neoplastic disease. Keywords: Prostate-specific antigen Prostate Cancer: Causes and Treatment Options Available in Today ‘s Scientifically Advanced Society Harmonizing to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, prostate malignant neoplastic disease occurs when cells within the prostate grow uncontrollably, making little tumours. The term â€Å" malignant neoplastic disease † refers to a status in which the ordinance of cell growing is lost and cells grow uncontrollably. Prostate malignant neoplastic disease is a disease of epidemic proportions. 1 in 6 American work forces will be diagnosed with prostate malignant neoplastic disease and new instances are diagnosed every 2.7 proceedingss ( Charles 2009 ) . As prostatic malignant neoplastic disease airss such a menace to work forces worldwide, more clip and money should be spent to better upon the bing methods and engineering every bit good as invested towards instruction and consciousness plans. The fact that these statistics are existent is why prostatic malignant neoplastic disease consciousness and instruction is so indispensable because many deceases could hold been prevented if the in stances had been detected at earlier phases of the malignant neoplastic disease. Prostate malignant neoplastic disease ‘s specific cause is still unknown, nevertheless scientists hypothesize that cistrons play a function, because the hazard factor for acquiring prostatic malignant neoplastic disease is well higher if you have a household history of it. The two chief methods used for prostate malignant neoplastic disease testing are rectal scrutinies and prostate-specific antigen ( PSA ) blood proving. Rathus, Nevid, and Rathus ( 2008 ) remind work forces 50 old ages and older that the American Cancer Society recommends that work forces receive one-year rectal scrutinies and PSA blood trials. Treatment methods for prostate malignant neoplastic disease are limited, but new engineering has allowed for a higher endurance rate because of early sensing. The first point of involvement is that the costs of prostatic malignant neoplastic disease intervention have gone up well in the last 20 old ages harmonizing to USA Today reporter Lisa Szabo. In her article entitled â€Å" Patients bear brunt as malignant neoplastic disease disbursement hits $ 90 billion † she discusses how â€Å" these lifting costs have been driven by forces such as new drugs, robotic surgeries, and radiation techniques † ( 2010 ) . In her findings she discovered that from 1991 to 2002 the cost of intervention for malignant neoplastic disease doubled. â€Å" These additions are unsustainable † claims John Seffrin, CEO of the American Cancer Society. Because of the increasing costs of intervention the American Cancer society can merely assist 1 out of 6 patients as opposed to in the yesteryear when they were able to assist 1 in 5. When one takes into history how many malignant neoplastic disease patients are in the United States, so they can rec ognize how many people are waiving intervention because they are uninsured and can non afford intervention. It is tragic that the rise costs are ensuing in preventable deceases. In another article reviewed, Krahn, Zagorski, Laporte, Alibhai, Bremner, Tomlinson, Warde, and Naglie, ( 2009 ) set out to detect health care costs in relation to prostate malignant neoplastic disease. They researched direct medical costs for around 42,000 work forces over the patterned advance of the disease. The costs they found were between $ 2,000 to around $ 16,000 dependant on where the single patient was in the intervention procedure and how advanced their malignant neoplastic disease was. The ensuing decision was that prostatic malignant neoplastic disease costs â€Å" are highest around two events, malignant neoplastic disease diagnosing and malignant neoplastic disease decease † ( Krahn et Al ‘s. 2009 ) . The 2nd point of involvement is that drug company Roche ‘s â€Å" Avastin † a prostatic malignant neoplastic disease drug late hit headlines and non in a good manner. Harmonizing to the Wall Street Journal, Roche Holdings released a statement that said that Avastin had failed in late phase prostate malignant neoplastic disease tests. This intelligence was non good for shareholders who are estimated to hold lost jutting gross revenues of 7.48 billion dollars. The other bad intelligence is that people who have been utilizing Avastin an antibody for intervention of malignant neoplastic disease, are besides paying for something that is non every bit effectual as they have been lead to believe. The 3rd point of involvement is that although scientists know what causes malignant neoplastic disease, new stairss are being made to detect what specifically causes prostatic malignant neoplastic disease, and other types of malignant neoplastic disease. In an exciting article in Science News, writer L. Sanders reviews a new survey that suggests likely links between â€Å" self-renewing root cells † and prostatic malignant neoplastic disease ( 2010 ) . The survey suggests that cistrons are the perpetrator. â€Å" Think approximately malignant neoplastic disease as a disease of root cells, Mutants in these cells can do normal root cells to lose their regularized behaviour and alternatively turn into an inchoate malignant neoplastic disease † ( Sanders 2010 ) . The research workers besides found that prostatic tissue cells called â€Å" Basal root cells † are the most likely perpetrator in research lab trials done on mice. In all the research they have done,  " Basal root cells are what drives the malignant neoplastic disease, irrespective of the type of mutant † says Owen Witte, a research worker at the University of California. â€Å" A specific cistron called Bmi-1 plays a important function in â€Å" Basal root cells † reclamation procedure, when Bmi-1 activity was reduced, the cells were no longer able to self renew, nor did they organize tumours † ( Sanders 2010 ) . The 4th point of involvement is that surveies show household history of prostate malignant neoplastic disease as one of the taking hazard factors associated with prostate malignant neoplastic disease. As Damber and Aus ( 2008 ) discovered while researching prostate malignant neoplastic disease, household history is a big factor when measuring 1s single hazard factors. They hypothesize that one evident ground for this is that cistrons are passed down biologically from male parent to boy. They besides believe that the malignant neoplastic disease doing cistrons mutate, but the ground ( s ) why are still unknown. Harmonizing to the text edition writers, Rathus, Nevid, and Rathus ( 2008 ) devouring high sums of animate being fats has been shown to increase 1s hazard of acquiring prostatic malignant neoplastic disease. They besides discuss how the opportunities are higher in black males than in white males. One thing Damber and Aus ( 2008 ) did note in their survey was that the figure of instances of prostate malignant neoplastic disease was higher in work forces in urbanised states as opposed to Asiatic work forces. The ensuing surveies showed that lifestyle differences every bit good as exposure to radiation were the grounds for the different statistics between Asiatic work forces and those in more urbanised states. They besides discuss how PSA and other showing methods are still being studied excessively analyze merely how effectual they really are. Once work forces are suspected of holding prostate malignant neoplastic disease, the most common method of diagnosing is a biopsy which is surgically taking a little part of the suspected tumour for proving. Most patients once they are diagnosed with the disease, are concerned with how concentrated the malignant neoplastic disease is, because it is this factor more than any other that determines how long they have to populate. â€Å" In other words, the disease establishes the forecast more than the pick of intervent ion. † ( Damber and Aus 2008 ) Treatment methods are varied and all have hazards involved, but as the writers pointed out, most intervention programs are based on factors such as the PSA figure, ( how high or low ) the degree is, the size and arrangement of the tumour, every bit good as the patients single life anticipation. Treatment plans besides vary depending on if the malignant neoplastic disease is localized to merely the prostate, or if it has advanced ( grown ) within the prostate, or if the cancerous cells have spread to other parts of the organic structure more serious intervention options will be considered. Damber and Aus ( 2008 ) speculate that intervention methods for both localized and advanced prostate malignant neoplastic disease will stay the same for the clip being. The 5th point of involvement is the existent intervention processs that are presently used. Harmonizing to K. Charles in her article about prostate malignant neoplastic disease in the Daily News, NY, she discusses the three major ways to handle prostatic malignant neoplastic disease. Surgery, external beam radiation, and radioactive seed implant therapy. A 4th new and extremist intervention option is known as â€Å" active survellaince, which is fundamentally making nil but invariably supervising the malignant neoplastic disease. She discusses in her article that physicians have non yet been able to make up one's mind which intervention option is more effectual than another, as they say that the consequences of each intervention option vary instance to instance. These discrepancies besides depend on how progressed the malignant neoplastic disease is and how healthy the patient was before they got malignant neoplastic disease. The 6th point of involvement is a possible prostate malignant neoplastic disease intervention that is still being researched called Cryotherapy. In an article by A. Gardner, she discusses how several prostatic malignant neoplastic disease patients had successful cryoblation and their tumours were successfully thwarted. The method is still in research nevertheless, and as Dr Debra Monticciolo said, â€Å" The construct is good, but we need a bigger survey with longer follow up. It takes a piece for a twosome of tumour cells left behind to garner adequate steam to be noticed † ( Gardner 2010 ) . One of the most controversial methods of intervention is to make nil and merely look into in on the malignant neoplastic disease often, to guarantee that it has non grown or spread. In an article by Johnsun and Treurnicht, they claim that, â€Å" The bulk of work forces with low-risk prostate malignant neoplastic disease will decease of unrelated causes † ( 2009 ) . They besides d iscuss how this newer method of intervention, officially known as â€Å" active surveillance † challenges the old method of radiation, and alternatively speculate that attentive non-action, with merely minimum interventions is perchance more effectual. Johnsun and Treurnicht researched a group of 549 malignant neoplastic disease patients who were offered â€Å" active surveillance † or surgery. The patients chose the surgery. Over an 8 twelvemonth clip span, it was discovered that the lone manner to guarantee if â€Å" active surveillance † is an effectual method of intervention is by perennial surveies of work forces who have had biopsies. In another article I reviewed, writer R. Lane and C. Metcalfe looked into a survey that is being conducted in the UK. The survey is a â€Å" randomised controlled test measuring different prostate malignant neoplastic disease interventions † ( 2008 ) . In the article, they claim that repetition PSA testing is one of the most effectual methods for make up one's minding if one needs surgery. Harmonizing to the article, work forces whose Prostate specific antigen degrees are between 3.0 and 19.99 ng/mL are all campaigners for intervention and most likely, a biopsy. Besides harmonizing to Lane and Metcalfe, in the test referred to in the article, the participants were between 50 and 70 old ages old. The decisions of the writers was that â€Å" reiterate PSA blood testing, peculiarly in work forces aged & lt ; 60 old ages, may assist place those with high hazard malignant neoplastic disease who would profit from aggressive intervention, every bit good as forestalling over-diagnosi ng work forces with clinically undistinguished disease and avoiding biopsy in those with no malignant neoplastic disease † ( 2008 ) . The 7th point of involvement in respects to Prostate Cancer sensing methods is the struggle over PSA proving and its accurate consequences, or is it every bit accurate as one would trust? Nogueira, Corradi, and Eastham ( 2009 ) explore other biomarkers besides PSA trials. They believe that â€Å" although PSA is the best malignant neoplastic disease biomarker available, it is non perfect. It lacks both the sensitiveness and specificity to accurately observe the presence of prostate malignant neoplastic disease † ( Nogueira et al. , 2009 ) . In their article, they evaluate the advancement that is being made towards being able to utilize freshly discovered biomarkers to assist screen for prostate malignant neoplastic disease. The surveies that they review show that Human Kallikrein 2 or ( hK2 ) is a serine peptidase that is closely related to PSA in sequence. The surveies have revealed nevertheless, that ( hK2 ) is non ready to be used yet as it can bespeak that there are malign ant neoplastic disease cells active in the blood, but non accurately plenty. This is similar to the job that research workers run into with PSA proving. Several other membrane antigens and antibodies are besides being studied, but none of them are yet ready to be used as farther research and testing is still needed. In the text edition, Rathus, Nevid, and Rathus ( 2008 ) agree with this article that PSA testing is the best method available. This should non be seen as though no advancement has been made nevertheless, because as Dr. Richard Stock said, â€Å" The past 40 old ages have seen a revolution in prostatic malignant neoplastic disease intervention. Not merely are 90 % of instances caught before they metastasize, but physicians have immensely improved engineering for contending malignant neoplastic disease in the other 10 % of patients † ( Charles 2009 ) . The 8th point of involvement is the recent intelligence that the American Cancer Society has released new guidelines on prostate malignant neoplastic disease showings. In the article by A. Gardner, it discusses how the American Cancer Society is now seting less accent on everyday PSA testing and more accent on doctor-patient conversations and determinations. These new guidelines are issued as a consequence of research and the on-going struggle over how accurate PSA proving truly is. Harmonizing to a statement issued by the American Cancer Society, â€Å" work forces with no symptoms of prostatic malignant neoplastic disease who are in comparatively good wellness and can anticipate to populate another 10 old ages should do an informed determination with their physician about prostate malignant neoplastic disease showing after larning the uncertainnesss, hazards, and possible benefits associated with such showing † ( Gardner 2010 ) . These new statements disagree with with what Rathus, Nevid, and Rathus ( 2008 ) , province in the text edition, â€Å" The American Cancer Society recommends that work forces receive one-year digital rectal scrutinies get downing at the same age as PSA trials † ( Rathus et al. 2008 ) . They are now proposing that PSA proving should non be a demand for all work forces over 50. The 9th point of involvement, nevertheless, is that many agree that PSA testing is still non a really dependable or effectual method of sensing. In an article in Practical Nurse, urologist Professor Roger Kirby, manager of the Prostate Centre in London, states that, â€Å" PSA testing is enormously controversial because the figure of false positives and lost diagnosings of prostate malignant neoplastic disease generated by the trial raises inquiries about its utility † ( 2009 ) . In the article Kirby besides points out that although PSA testing is so unelaborated, that unluckily work forces do non hold many other options for sensing. He calls for more research into alternate proving methods for the presence of cancerous cells in 1s blood. He besides calls for more instruction among work forces, to do them aware of their hazard of undertaking prostate malignant neoplastic disease. Personal instruction and personal consciousness are cardinal elements in contending the mortality rate of prostate malignant neoplastic disease. The 10th point of involvement is the advancement being made towards educating the populace on prostate malignant neoplastic disease. In the European Journal of Cancer Care, lending writer S. Bowen, discusses a public wellness plan in Ireland called the National Cancer Information Service. It was developed because of the National Cancer Forum ‘s, â€Å" concern that high quality, accurate information and resources should be available to the populace † ( Bowen 2010 ) . The bulk of people who called in to the service concerned about prostate malignant neoplastic disease were work forces in their 50 ‘s to mid 60 ‘s. The service besides found that most work forces were naming to happen out how and where to acquire screened for prostate malignant neoplastic disease. Bowen thinks this is due to non adequate public consciousness of prostate malignant neoplastic disease, he believes that, â€Å" as the public becomes progressively cognizant of malignant neoplastic di sease, it is of import that they have entree to unclutter indifferent information from a responsible quality service informed by ongoing rating † ( 2010 ) . Overall, the popular media articles that I reviewed did look to hold with the academic diary articles. In respects to the cost of prostatic malignant neoplastic disease intervention, the text edition did non truly travel into deepness on the subject, but the two articles that I reviewed did look to hold with the consensus that prostatic malignant neoplastic disease intervention is expensive, and that the cost of intervention is lifting. Another issue that I reviewed was besides non truly covered by the text edition, but the article that I reviewed was converting in that it shows that more research is needed for prostate malignant neoplastic disease drugs. Another issue that I reviewed was besides non covered by the text edition, but I found it intriguing that scientists are coming so near to happening a manner to bring around malignant neoplastic disease. Another issue I reviewed was agreed upon in my text edition, the academic article and the popular media that risk factors for pros tate malignant neoplastic disease are pretty consistent. Another issue that I reviewed was the existent processs which did hold with my text edition. Another issue I reviewed was Cryotherapy, which is an experimental method, non covered in the text edition. Another issue was conflict over PSA testing, and I found that the academic and popular media did hold chiefly when it came to this issue. I do non experience that anything was left out in these articles or the text edition. I did experience that the academic surveies were and are legitimate. I believe that future surveies should concentrate on prostate malignant neoplastic disease sensing and intervention. The articles that I reviewed were really assuring as they show that a batch of advancement has already been made in mention to prostate malignant neoplastic disease intervention and sensing. I think that scientists and research workers should go on what they are making, particularly with the research on root cells and their direct connexions to malignant neoplastic disease. I think that happening the cause of prostate malignant neoplastic disease should be the figure one precedence of research workers. I besides feel that happening the future remedy to malignant neoplastic disease can merely be done if much more extended root cell and cistron research is conducted. Until that remedy is found howver, I believe it is of import to concentrate today ‘s research on happening more accurate methods of proving, as PSA blood testing has been shown clip and clip once more to non be every bit dependable as medical professionals would wish it to be. The new findings that I discussed are rather exciting though, and the possibility of happening a 100 % accurate trial for cancerous cells in the blood stream is most likely shortly to be a world. The find of a new and more accurate testing method for prostate malignant neoplastic disease would assist increase the figure of subsisters every bit good as lessening the figure of false readings and incorrect diagnosings. I feel that the of import message throughout the articles and research that I conducted is that work forces need to be more educated and more cognizant of prostate malignant neoplastic disease and its symptoms and that physicians need to pass more clip with their patients who are diagnosed with prostate malignant neoplastic disease. I think that households with a history of prostate malignant neoplastic disease demand to hold father-to-son treatments about prostate malignant neoplastic disease and that they might desire to cut down on their consumption of carnal fats and their exposure to radiation as that raises their hazard. Black work forces who consume a batch of ruddy meat with a household history of prostate malignant neoplastic disease should be particularly concerned. The other of import thing is that work forces who are diagnosed with prostate malignant neoplastic disease demand to be informed of all their options, non merely the options that benefit and are profitable to th e medical establishment supplying the intervention, or the drug company supplying the drugs for intervention. The new â€Å" active surveillance † prostate malignant neoplastic disease intervention method is still under examination as to whether it is every bit effectual as medical professionals are trusting it will be. I besides think that reform is needed in respects to the hideous cost of intervention, which for the mean individual, is really difficult to afford. The general public needs to be more cognizant and educated ; more societies such as the American Cancer Society are needed to assist raise consciousness and to supply valuable information, resources, and support to those who are affected. The fiscal load on those with prostatic malignant neoplastic disease is besides something that needs to be addressed. The hereafter of prostate malignant neoplastic disease is one that is difficult to foretell nevertheless, because cancerous cells and cistrons are invariably mutating and altering coevals from coevals. The sheer sum of clip, money, and resources that have been put into malignant neoplastic disease research and interventions is unbelievable. I think that the hereafter of prostate malignant neoplastic disease will hopefully be cut short by the find of a manner to forestall the cancerous cells from mutating, whether it is from radiation, antibodies, or remotion of the cancerous cells. I besides feel that the of import message to anyone reading this is personal duty and personal consciousness and instruction. It is non groups such as the American Cancer Society ‘s duty to educate and assist those who are contending prostate and other signifiers of malignant neoplastic disease, it is the person ‘s duty to make all that they can, within ground, to forestall and observe malignant neoplastic disease early, before it is excessively late. Fear, cunctation, ignorance, and deficiency of wellness attention and coverage are large issues when it comes down to the truth. The fact of the affair is that many people who are deceasing and have died from prostate malignant neoplastic disease could hold been saved if they had detected it earlier. The importance of acquiring everyday showings for work forces over 50 old ages old is important. The proving methods may non be 100 % accurate, but it is better to be informed than to merely take a opportunity with your life.

Different between leader and manager

LEADER.From the root word itself, a leader is basically someone who leads or guides and is in charge or in command of others. (www. thefreedictionary. com, 2007) But not every one is a born leader. Leadership to some is innate and to others, a skill.. And certain leaders have different characteristics but same basic roles. In essence, there are nine roles for a leader. First, a leader must take the role of a sage. He constantly develops wisdom through continuous gain of knowledge about wide-range subjects and designs a strategy by being mindful of considerations and consequences.He must also be open to find the best path for the organization. Second role that the leader must play is that of a visionary. A visionary-leader must know how to turn seemingly impossible dreams into reality by innovating powerful ideas and articulating it to the members so that the whole group would act. A leader should be a magician. Magician in a sense that he should be able to reform things without wasti ng too much effort and coordinates change by maintaining equilibrium among the structures, systems and procedures of the old system into a new one.Also, he should be able to maintain calmness despite a transition’s instability. The fourth role is that of a globalist. The leader should promote the organization’s accomplishment in leveraging the diversity of its workforce to ensue its global activities. The leader should also be able find the common ground on which the workforce can productively function. Next role is being a mentor. The leader should be committed to personal and professional development and can help his workforce to advance their careers through several learning opportunities and is devoted to the individuality of each member of the group.The leader should also serves as a motivator by generating an environment for people to find their inner drive. Then, the leader should also be an ally which builds partnerships to come up with an effective and mutuall y beneficial collaboration. The leader must also be a team player. He must also be willing to extend his trust to others. Then, the leader should also be sovereign. He should always be mindful in the use of power and is clever enough to take risks and face uncertainty. He should be responsible enough to take liabilities for the organization. He should be reliable in honoring obligations.The leader must also be a guide. He must be a flexible organizer and focused. The leader makes the journey towards the goal worthwhile. He should be able to use his expertise to accomplish the work and support the efforts of others. The last role of a leader is being an artisan. The workforce should see the leader’s devotion to master his craft and is always pursuing excellence through balanced aesthetic with practical standards. The leader should also be able to sustain attention to detail and is always pushing the creative juices of every one. (theleadingedge. com, 2007)Style is the method a nd approach of presenting direction, plan implementation and motivating people. (Clark, 2005) In the manner of leadership, there are basically three styles. First is the authoritarian or autocratic style. In this style, the leader has absolute power over the team. The workforce has little opportunity to make suggestions even though it is for the best interest of the organization. This style is best employed for routine or unskilled jobs. Second is the bureaucratic style wherein it works â€Å"by the books† to ensure that the work is done properly.This is usually used in works involving serious safety risks or big corporate deals. The last is the democratic style. The leader is open to the suggestion of the members in the decision-making process but in the end, the final decision still relies on the leader. MANAGER. He is someone who manages or controls resources and expenditures. (eLook. org, 2007) Managers play a significant role in administering the performance of their org anization. First, he is involved in the decision-making process of the organization.This role involves planning out strategies to solve or improve the quality of the wok force and the product. The manager should also be concerned in setting, planning and organizing the goal of the organization. To achieve short and long term goals, the manager should communicate the vision of the organization to the whole members. As the manager, he should also be able to guide and give directions so that the group can efficiently perform. Also, he should also empower the team because the performance of the organization greatly depends on how you motivate them.As a manager, you should also be able to effectively communicate with your subordinates to maintain the rapport in the organization. Another role is to evaluate and analyze a process that may give the best performance for the organization. Also, the manager should provide fulfillment amongst everyone. Lastly, the manager must be an excellent r ole model to the whole organization. The manager must always set a high standard not just for the group but for him as well and should be able to accomplish it. The manager must set as an example of being accountable for his and the group’s performance.(about-personal-growth. com, 2007) There are two main styles of management. These are autocratic and permissive. In the autocratic style, the manager makes all the decision unilaterally while in the permissive style, the manager allows the subordinates in the decision-making and gives them a substantial degree of autonomy in the work activities. (www. rpi. edu, 2007) One example of a good leader is Margaret Thatcher. She was responsible for setting in motion a series of interrelated events that gave a revolutionary twist to the century.She also helped the world mark the end of the millennium with hope and buoyancy. She became powerful person to many transformations that the world has seen. (Jonhson, 2003) On the other hand, the re are many great managers that do not make it in print. But, there are ways to become a great manager. The best managers are those who have an enthusiasm for continuous learning and are willing to work for their self improvement. (Hill, August 2003) A good manager is also someone who is both a team player and is concerned for others. Leaders and managers are almost synonymous but we there are still some differences.In a reality, the context of a leader is someone that is etched in our minds as someone heroes or patriotic. Whereas, we see managers as someone fitted in the corporate world. They are seldom associated with greatness or patriotism. In the corporate world, we also seldom hear about great managers a s great leaders. The difference between manager (or management) is that they are two sides of the same coin. In being one, they perceive each other whilst being diverse and different; they are parts of the whole with vital contrasts and in those very same contrasts, they make each other clear. (Garner, 2005)

Economics for Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure Case Study

Economics for Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure - Case Study Example Due to Guam’s close association with the economy of Japan, misfortunes in the latter have seriously affected the economic situation in Guam. Nonetheless, the scenario has improved in Guam eventually although the trend of tourists has changed significantly (Dougan, 2007). A deep investigation into the behavioural pattern of the new generation of Japanese tourists has yielded a sharp contrast to the older lot of travellers. Hence, the policymakers need to frame new marketing, supply and operational decisions for boosting their tourism sector to be at par with its past glory. Marketing Decisions An empirical study shows that Japanese tourists prefer Guam over other tourist destinations owing to the proximity between the two and the picturesque beauty of the place. The Japanese are found to be mostly concerned about their security while touring and thus, the Guamanian policymakers need to market their increased concern towards security of their tourists and beautifying the spot. I n addition, the high demand for luxury items might also be employed by the policymakers for marketing tourism in Guam. A weak dollar against Japanese Yen has reduced the relative price of many branded items in Guam than they are in Japan which could be used as a ploy by policymakers to attract tourists (Moutinho, Curry, & Rita, 1996). Supply Decisions Supply decisions which boost tourism in Guam are those which help in drawing more and more tourists within the nation. Supply decisions are essentially those which take a note of the demand situation and then frame supply schedules so as to maximise profits (Walker & Walker, 2011). In the present instance, the demand decisions of Japanese tourists are found to be dependent more on their per capita income rather than the prices of commodities. Moreover, they incline more towards luxury items available in Guam. To meet their needs of regular items, the Japanese tourists recently have turned their attention towards discounted commodity st ores. Hence, the policymakers should choose to enhance the supply of luxury items in Guam as increase in sale of discounted commodity items do not assist in boosting the level of income in a nation. In addition, the Guamanian policymakers could also employ those tools which give them an edge over other tourism destinations in terms of opportunity costs. For instance, the hotel room rates in Guam are far cheaper than those in other tourist destinations with the downward trend especially noted post the Asian financial crisis, on account of high dependence of Guamanian tourism on the economy of Japan. The policymakers can also choose to instruct all Guamanian hotels towards keeping their prices low as well especially at times when the Japanese economy is experiencing a low. Moreover, at times when the demand is low, the policymakers can choose to adjust the availability of airline seats so as to keep the prices constant and reduce chances of loss. Operational Decisions The operational decisions that the policymakers should adopt to boost the Guamanian tourism sector would tend to improve the financial flow within the economy (Knowles,

Nursing Leadership Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Nursing Leadership Paper - Essay Example Nurses have always been ill prepared to take over the new role of managing or taking the leadership role to manage a large group of people (Foster, 2000). They often are contented of being a role model to others rather than taking a leadership role that will give them more powers to set policies in their department and carry out this roles well. A critical assessment of the issue of management in nursing is important since many nurses who accept to take this role are not adequately prepared to do it and many take up this work without clear planning or proper preparation. Early experiences and training in the leadership program will go a long way in ensuring that the nurses are vibrant in taking these roles without fear and can perform better than they are thought to (Shirey, 2007). The rationale for focusing in this issue is because leadership in nursing goes a long way to improve the services the nurses render to their patients. Good leadership will also give encouragement to the nurses and create a favorable environment for them to work under. Researchers have revealed that engaging nurses in leadership increases their job satisfaction and commitment, and motivates them to work better and harder (Alimo, 2007). The importance of leadership to the nursing profession and the vision of the profession are to ensure that the nu rses are lead to a specific goal and are motivated in their work so that the expected goals and performance are met. In Sullivan’s book, he explains why nurses need to be change agents. Using theories of management, the author explains the need for management change in the nursing fraternity. The book explains the relationship between the change process and nursing practice. He explains the change strategies that have taken root in the nursing field and the need for corresponding change of attitude in leadership and attitude. Sullivan’s publication describes the role of a manager in change as he dissects the need for

Critical Life Experiences that Impacted My Life Essay

Critical Life Experiences that Impacted My Life - Essay Example I must admit that one of the greatest life experiences that have shaped by values and beliefs is having been brought up in a Christian set up. I was born in a family that greatly values Christianity. My parents have always adored and upheld Christian values and taught the same to their children. I grew up to appreciate the importance of church in developing values and beliefs (Branson, 2009; Hunt, 1999). As a small child, I began to learn what is right or wrong by putting everything in the context of Christianity. Being raised Catholic in a small country town in Australia made me develop strong Christian values. I continually developed the values of truth, fairness, care, loyalty, respect, purity, equality among others (Branson, 2009). The catholic community draws values and beliefs from the Bible (Hunt, 1999) and, therefore, I have become a strong believer in biblical teachings. However, all the values that I have gained from being associated with the catholic teachings have been af firmed and cemented by my parents who have always made a follow up on my Christian development. My parents, especially my father, strongly believe that good values are nurtured since childhood. A strong family background is overwhelmingly important in impacting values and motivating children towards their set goals in life (Hunt, 1999). My experiences in a large family that upholds family values have made me grow tremendously in human values. As a family, we have always appreciated the importance of family functions, such as get together ceremonies, weddings, birthday celebrations among other family functions. These diverse family functions have really encouraged me to uphold family values and the importance of the family as a basic unit for the society (Branson, 2009). More importantly, the financial, moral, and psychological support I have received from the large family base have greatly motivated me in achieving my goals in life. Actually, I have been able to achieve much in life especially in academics by the need to meet and exceed the standards that have already been set by my family members (Tysum, 2010). Exposure to different social and cultural set ups across the world have been a great boost to my behavior and values. I have travelled and taught in different parts of the world, especially in the US and London. Admittedly, the exposure to different social set ups have greatly impacted on my behavior in my endeavor to fit in those set ups. For instance, I had to take time to learn new cultural beliefs every time I went to a new society. When I went to teach in London, I had to learn new behavior in order to fit perfectly in the society. Additionally, I had to change my behavior and adapt to the cultural system of the US. This way, I was able to integrate with the society and expedite my duties as a lecturer effectively. I must admit that the exposure to different societal set ups have acted as a great motivation. When I was teaching in the US, I came a cross teachers that are more experienced and more effective in their teaching methods. In the process, I learned to be more competitive by striving to be better than the experts are and this has indeed been a great motivation especially in my career as a teacher. Different societal set ups have different value attached to education among other social tenets (Burton, Smith & Brundrett, 2002; Branson, 2009). For instance, the European and American education systems are slightly different

Journal Reviews Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Journal Reviews - Essay Example This essay stresses that the first article was very short but compact and generally complete in the sense that it had covered all the important points regarding appendicitis. It was able to discuss all various signs and symptoms associated with it, the necessary pre-operative and post-operative procedures to be followed to ensure fast recovery. The article could have devoted more space to what temporary emergency measures can be taken by people who has a friend or relative who has a ruptured appendix but cannot be brought to a hospital immediately for one reason or another. This paper makes a conclusion that the second article was excellent in explaining the signs and symptoms of the more common musculoskeletal conditions especially now that there are older people in the overall general population due to demographic trends. It had discussed in outline form some of the common pathology of these medical conditions, what a nurse should look out for, how to do it and the steps to be taken to minimize pain among the sufferers. The article is very useful for nursing practitioners today because they are often in the first line of contact with patients who present in primary care and urgent care settings today. More people are now being affected by OA and RA due to their lifestyles and this article is helpful also to those with musculoskeletal conditions so they understand what is happening to them, avoid certain foods and to improve their own chances of recovery if they are admitted.

Collaborative design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Collaborative design - Essay Example The intention of the current project is to revisit the strengths and capacities of XNL-enable X3D standard for the capture of engineering information, particularly those dealing with design. These include the structure of the product, the bill of materials, and the encoding and categorization of the product. The term CAD means Computer-Aided Design .CAD software is used for drawing tools basically to explain the geometries which are used by the manufacturing portion, i.e. the CAM part of the program. It explains the path that helps directing the motion of a machine tool, to the machine in the exact shape drawn. A product is usually physical; nevertheless, it can also be metaphysical. It may serve as a strong determinant as far as our positioning in the world is concerned. This can pilot us to be at an angle toward a social milieu in product design (Slack 2006). Design is a form of expression which serves as the avenue whereby desires of the customer or the market are made into a product that aims to satisfy these desires. Such product hence generates revenue. A cleverly designed and marketed product brings a company or designer to an iconic status. Thus, a wise investment in design results to a generous return on investment. In addition, it can also offer a unique stance in a highly competitive world (Slack 2006). The compass of design is substantial, covering graphic communications to integrated systems and then from information technology to urban environments. While globally it is described as the formation and development of all man-made products; it is fundamentally perceived as a device for improving the quality of life (Taschen 2001). Designers are not futurologists; however, they have to be in line with clearly identifying the relationships of the past, present and future as well as the prospective effects of political, social, and emotional impacts of

Marketing Management of Wal-Mart Research Paper

Marketing Management of Wal-Mart - Research Paper Example The author of the paper states that a clerk working at Wal-Mart will hear approximately 475 blips from her scanner per hour, these scans will then appear within the hour at the company's headquarters via its 460-terabyte computer system. This computer system, according to the New York Times, carries more data than the entire Internet. " Wal-Mart themselves on their website claim, "Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is the world's largest retailer, with $285.2 billion in sales in the fiscal year ending Jan. 31, 2005. The company employs 1.6 million associates worldwide through more than 3,700 facilities in the United States and more than 2,400 units in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. More than 138 million customers per week visit Wal-Mart stores worldwide"  With such data that speak for themselves, the mass retailing giant must be doing something right. Marketing m ay be defined as any gesture executed to create, satisfy, and keep customers. Wal-Mart seems to have mastered the art of bringing in customers to its stores as well as retaining them. It has aligned itself unerringly with the six Ps of marketing comprising of price, product (or service), place, promotion, people, and positioning. These six components constituting the marketing mix, when combined to make a winning combination are the basis of a growing business.  Wal-mart's marketing is all about the customer-oriented merchandising. Wal-mart's own unique strategy right from the beginning has held it in good stead. Responding to a customer's requirement of low cost, high value and all under one roof convenience, Wal-Mart squeezed its suppliers, economized on all fronts, and passed onto the savings to the customers. Its widely publicized jingle, "low cost- Always" with a sunny yellow smiley face logo has created an extraordinary perception of the low price that has sent shoppers floc king to its aisle. Although Wal-Mart does less at a very low cost, there are a few items where Wal-Mart is not the cheapest, but people buy it nevertheless, due to the perceived image. Wal-Mart carries 150,000 items beneath one roof thereby making it a one-stop shop for the purchase. This is an added benefit for Wal-Mart in that not only people are offered more choice, but go through their entire shopping list in a single store setting Walmart's cash registers ringing.  Unlike its competitors, Wal-Mart, except for a few seasonal sales does not depend on sales for its revenues. While other competitors lure customers in advertising a few products on sale while hinging on the belief that this will trigger other purchases. Wal-Mart just banks on the perception that the entire merchandise is competitively priced and the customer can pick up an item, based on the contention he is getting the best bargain no matter what he loads his cart with.  With merchandise placed within easy acces s, Wal-Mart associates are more involved in stocking shelves and offer minimal service and this further reduces costs for Wal-Mart.  Customer-oriented marketing was successfully employed at Wal-Mart where the employees were utilized to understand the needs of the customers and the methodology of how they make their choices of products they require. In this way, the research was kept straightforward and simple, and Walmart's marketing was closely aligned to customer needs.

Write on a current issue in child development Essay

Write on a current issue in child development - Essay Example uire immediate help from the government, non-governmental organizations and members of the society since everyone should play a role in cushioning children from the adverse and varied effects of homelessness. Homeless children live on the streets and make a living by either begging for money and food remnants from pedestrians or by scavenging for food in dustbins and dumpsites. The children face myriad stressful and traumatic conditions. The fact that the children are too young to comprehend such conditions causes them immense psychological and emotional stress. Among the basic effects of homelessness in children is the fact that it hampers their emotional and behavioral development. The children do not receive love and affection from anyone. As such, they systematically acquire wayward behaviors and tend to act aggressively to other members of the society. They face varied stressful conditions in their daily lives. They therefore accumulate the stress as they grow a feature that makes affects their ability to act rationally and impairs their ability to judge issues normally (Yumiko, nccp.org). Shelter is among the basic human needs. Failure to acquire shelter implies that such an individual cannot afford a number of other needs including healthcare. Homeless children face extreme cold both at night and in cold weather. They sleep in dump conditions especially in rainy weather. The exposure to such rough ecological conditions makes homeless children vulnerable to a number of medical conditions. They are likely to suffer from malnutrition owing to their irregular and unpredictable eating pattern. They are also likely to suffer from pneumonia among other ailments that arise from exposure to extreme weather conditions. Additionally, they are likely to suffer from cholera given the poor levels of hygiene in the streets. The impoverished state of such children makes it difficult for them to afford health care services. This implies that they are likely to

The Monastery on a Jasna Góra Essay Example for Free

The Monastery on a Jasna GÃ ³ra Essay The city, which is a spiritual capital of Poland, is a destination for religious pilgrimages from many countries all over the world, mainly because of the majestic and outstanding central place, dominating over whole area, called: the Monastery on a Jasna Gora. The place makes an enduring impression on all who visit it, since it is both mystical and delightful. One can not help but be impressed by architecture and a workmanship of the buildings as well as by the fascinating history. It has the enormous importance for all Polish people, since each individual person has visited or is going to visit it, having in mind thanking for all the goods that happened in their lives, or asking, or even begging for something particular to happen, but sometimes just to see the site where it is believed that miracles take place. The monastery was founded by Prince Wadysaw, in the year 1382. However, the most memorable date is 1855, which came to the history, as the place was defended against the Swedish invasion then. Furthermore, the monasterys church was first raised as a gothic hall, and then, because of the needs of congregation, redeveloped to the basilica. The one hundred and six meters high, containing five hundred and nineteen steps tower, gives a possibility to see the breathtaking views from its top. The main central goal- the chapel of Matka Boska Czestochowska includes an early-baroque main alter.A fabulous, surrounded by common honor, painting of Gods Mother, known as Czarna Madonna is placed there. This outstanding, picturesque view unfold before peoples eyes , and it is long-drawn, majestic ritual of opening, taking place few times a day with the sounds of rataplans. Unfortunately, the painting is not an original, since the one was destroyed by enemies, but its an exact copy.Moreover, when entering the chapel one must be struck by the grandeur of an iron grating. The Jasnogoras Church is also very precious with its baroque alter, great Dankards frescoes and valued decorations. What is more, there is so great number of goods that viewing them all probably takes whole day. In the Knights Hall, there are located an eye-catching collections of paintings and banners. Moreover, they are supplemented by militaries and national relicts, like the royal crowns, or even by a Turkish tent captured by the king Jan III Sobieski. To sum up, if one is keen on seeing an interesting place with a countless number of elaborate architectural features from different centuries, starting with walls remembering days of a martyrdom and unforgettable days of glory, as well as experiencing spiritual exultation, visiting Czestochowa with its Jasna Gora is a must.

Time and Cost Performance in Construction

Time and Cost Performance in Construction One of the most essential problems confronting the water and sanitation sector in the northern region of Ghana is performance of cost and time. In most cases time overruns occur in the donor-funded projects and in the extreme cases cost overruns. Time and cost overruns occur in almost all related water and sanitation construction projects in the northern region of Ghana. It is therefore essential to define the actual performance difficulties in order to make light of and avoid the delays and increasing cost in any donor-funded water and sanitation project. In the ESAs funded water and sanitation projects, the aim of project control is to ensure the projects finish on time, within budget and achieving other project objectives. It is a complex task undertaken by project managers in practice, which involves constantly measuring progress; evaluating plans; and taking corrective actions when required (Kerzner, 2003). During the last few decades, numerous project control methods, such as G antt Bar Chart, Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) and Critical Path Method (CPM), have been developed (Nicholas, 2001) (Lester, 2000). A variety of software packages have become available to support the application of these project control methods, for example Microsoft Project, Asta Power Project, Primavera, etc. Despite the wide use of these methods and software packages in practice, many of these donor-funded projects in the north still suffer time and cost overruns. This chapter reviews literature concerning the major issues of and cost and time performance in order to recognize the related information regarding those issues. Definition of Time and Cost Performance Time Performance Time performance is defined as meeting the duration baseline in the initial planning process of the project. Time overruns occurs when there is an extension of time beyond planned completion dates traceable to the major stakeholders (Kaming et al., 1997). Delays are incidents that impact a projects progress and postpone project activities; delay causing incidents may include unavailability of resources, communication problems, slowness in decision making, design delays, etc. In general, project delays occur as a result of project activities that have both external and internal cause and effect relationship (Vidalis and Najafi, 2002). (Choudhury and Phatak, 2004) and (Chan-Albert, 2001) defined the time overruns as the differentiation between the actual completion time and the estimated completion time. Project delays are those that cause the project completion date to be delayed (Al-Gahtani and Mohan, 2007). Cost Performance Cost performance is defined as the zero difference between the budgeted/original cost estimate of the project and in some cases spending below the estimated cost of the project. Cost variance occurs when there is an excess of actual cost over budget or below budget. Cost variance in construction projects often result in an overrun which is also occasionally called cost escalation, cost increase, or budget overrun. (Zhu and Lin, 2004). Cost overrun is defined as the change in contract amount divided by the original contract award amount .This calculation can be converted to a percentage for ease of comparison (Jackson, 1999). (Choudhury and Phatak, 2004), defined the cost overruns as the differentiation amid the original cost estimate of project and actual cost on completion of works of a commercial sector construction project. Cost is among the major consideration throughout the project management life cycle and can be regarded as one of the most important parameters of a project and the driving force of project success (Azhar et al., 2008, p. 7). (Gido and Clement, 2003), mentioned that cost performance is an effective technique in project management effort expended and it is widely accepted in the literature and industry. Earned Value Analysis (EVA) is used to evaluate cost performance of different types of projects. Cost control, cost estimating, and cost budgeting are three cost related processes that interact among each other and with other scopes of construction projects. Time variance for water and sanitation projects Time variance (Tv) is the time between the scheduled contract time and the completion time in undertaking the projects. Bromilows Time-Cost Model Bromilow was the first to develop an empirical model for the prediction of construction time using the project cost. The model known as Bromilows time-cost (BTC) model, developed and published in Australia in 1969, was developed for giving a fast and construction schedule estimate using project cost. The model provides a forecast of construction schedule using the estimated final cost of the project. Bromilows model disclosed that the construction duration was highly correlated with the project cost (Bromilow, 1969). The model was developed by the use of a linear regression model. (Hoffman et al, 2007), confirmed that, Bromilow was triumphant in providing a point estimate as well as upper and lower quartile limits of construction duration using past project data. (Ameyaw et al, 2012). The correlation was re-tested by (Bromilow, 1988) collaborated with the Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (AIQS) in two transcribe contract time performance studies, in 1976 and 1988. (Bromilow, 1988), investigated 408 projects built between 1970 and 1976 and establish that despite indication of superior disparity between the time performance of projects of comparable value, the correlation between construction duration and project cost revealed in the 1960s is pertinent. Even though project time is influenced by many other factors including cost, some success has been chalked in an attempt to model project time. The model as first developed by (Bromilow, 1969) is expressed as T = KCB. T represents project duration, C actual cost of the project including fluctuations and variations, K is a constant showing the level of time performance for a unit of C, and B is a constant describing how the time performance was affected by project size as measured by the cost. (Long et al, 2 009), argued that the application of Bromilows time-cost model in estimating and benchmarking the project duration has been vigorous while some studies have suggested that the application of this model is unsuitable. More importantly, (Mensah, 2010), adopted the Bromilows time cost model to estimate project duration on donor funded feeder roads in Ghana and found it applicable. Auxiliary analysis showed the original Bromilow time-cost model is not the best fit regression form, and alternative models were proposed. All the researchers identified cost was a poor forecaster of time performance, and further proposed an alternative model to that proposed by Bromilow (1969). (Kaka and Price, 1991), used the time-cost model for both civil and building projects and indicated that the original model, as introduced by (Bromilow, 1969), remained unchanged but the coefficient of the equation changed with the project type. (Al-Momani, 2000), stated that the owner satisfaction for performance can be defined as the gap between what the owner expects and the level of performance they believe is being delivered by the contractors. (Lehtonen, 2001), stated that performance measurement is a basis for progressive improvement and monitoring of company productivity. (Chan and Kumaraswamy, 2002) remarked that project performance measurement include time, budget, safety, quality and overall client satisfaction. (Thomas et al., 2002), defined performance measurement as monitoring and controlling of projects according to regular basis. (Kuprenas, 2003), stated that project performance measurement means an improvement of cost, schedule, and quality for design and construction stages. (Long et al, 2004), stated that a project performance measurement is related to many indicators such as time, budget, quality, specifications and stakeholders satisfaction. (Navon, 2005), defined performance measurement as a comparison between the desired and the actual performances. Problem of Performance in Construction Industry The failure of any construction project is mainly related to the problems and failure in performance. Moreover, there are many reasons and factors which attribute to such problem. (Ogunlana et al., 1996), stated that the construction industry performance problems in developing economies can be classified in three layers: inadequacies in industry infrastructure (resources supply), clients and consultants caused problems and contractor incompetence/inadequacies. (Okuwoga, 1998), identified that the performance problem is related to poor budgetary and time control. (Long et al, 2004), remarked that performance problems arise in large construction projects due to many reasons such as: incompetent designers/contractors, poor estimation and change management, social and technological issues, site related issues and improper techniques and tools. (Navon, 2005), stated that the main performance problem can be divided into two groups: (a) unrealistic target setting (i.e., planning) or (b) cau ses originating from the actual construction (in many cases the causes for deviation originate from both sources). (Samson and Lema, 2002), found that the traditional performance measurement systems have problems because of large and complex amount of information with absence of approaches to assist decision maker understand, organize and use such information to manage organizational performance. (Navon, 2005), remarked that traditional project performance control is usually generic (e.g., cost control techniques). It relies on manual data collection, which means that it is done at low frequency (normally once a month) and quite some time after the controlled event occurred (i.e., not in real-time). Moreover, manual data collection normally gives low quality data. (Ling et al., 2007), remarked that architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) firms may encounter challenges managing construction projects performance in China because of unfamiliarity with this new operating environment. (Kim et al., 2008), stated that international construction projects performance is affected by more complex and dynamic factors than domestic projects; frequently being exposed to serious external uncertainties such as political, economical, social, and cultural risks, as well as internal risks from within the project. Project Management and Performance There is a strong relation between project management and project performance. Management in construction industry is considered as one of the most important factors affecting performance of works. (Brown and Adams, 2000) studied a new approach to the measurement of the effect of Building Project Management (BPM) on time, cost and quality outputs using 15 `cases derived from UK data. The evaluation undertaken demonstrates that BPM as it is presently implemented in the UK fails to perform as expected in relation to the three predominant performance evaluation criteria; time, cost and quality. (Lehtonen, 2001), obtained a model for performance measurement which assist both firms top management and operational managers for continuous feedback on operational activities. (Thomas et al., 2002), stated that documenting and archiving performance data could be useful for future reference, such as for settling disputes on claims, and in maintenance and repair works. (Kuprenas, 2003), remarked that quantification of the impacts of the project management processes are identified through three steps of analysis: comparison of summary statistics of design performance, proof of statistical significance of any differences and calculation of a least squares regression line of a plot of design performance measurement versus amount/application of project management as a means to quantify management influence to design phase cost performance. (Cheung et al., 2004), studied the project performance related to project managers and remarked that development of a Web-based construction Project Performance Monitoring System (PPMS) can assist project managers in exercising construction project performance indicators and can help senior project management practitioners, etc., in monitoring and assessing project performance. (Pheng and Chaun, 2006), stated that while project management is only one of the many criteria upon which project performance is contingent, it is also arguably the most significant as people formulating the processes and systems who deliver the projects. (Ugwu and Haupt, 2007), stated that an adequate understanding and knowledge of performance are desirable for archiving managerial goals such as improvement of institutional transformations, and efficient decision making in design, specification and construction, at various project-level interfaces, using appropriate decision-support tools. (Ling et al., 2007) , investigated Project Management (PM) practices adopted by Singaporean construction firms and dogged the level of performance of their projects in China; they identified PM practices that led to better performance; and recommended key PM practices that could be adopted by overseas construction firms in China to improve project performance. Water and Sanitation Projects and Performance Success of projects depends mainly on success of performance. Many previous researches had studied performance of construction projects. (Dissanayaka and Kumaraswamy, 1999), remarked that one of the principal reasons for the construction industrys poor performance has been attributed to the inappropriateness of the chosen procurement system. (Reichelt and Lyneis, 1999), remarked three important structures underlying the dynamic of a project performance which are: the work accomplishment structure, feedback effects on productivity and work quality and effects from upstream phases to downstream phases. (Thomas et al., 2002), identified the main performance criteria of construction projects as financial stability, progress of work, standard of quality, health and safety, resources, relationship with clients, relationship with consultants, management capabilities, claim and contractual disputes, relationship with subcontractors, reputation and amount of subcontracting. (Chan and Kumarasw amy, 2002), stated that construction time is increasingly important because it often serves as a crucial benchmarking for assessing the performance of a project and the efficiency of the project organization. (Cheung et al., 2004), identified project performance categories such as people, cost, time, quality, safety and health, environment, client satisfaction, and communication. It was obtained by (Navon, 2005), that a control system is an important element to identify factors affecting construction project effort. For each of the project goals, one or more Project Performance Indicators (PPI) is needed. (Pheng and Chaun, 2006), obtained that human factors played an important role in determining the performance of a project. (Ugwu and Haupt, 2007) remarked that both early contractor involvement (ECI) and early supplier involvement (ESI) would minimize constructability-related performance problems including costs associated with delays, claims, wastages and rework, etc. (Ling et al., 2007), obtained that the most important of practices relating to scope management are controlling the quality of the contract document, excellence of reaction to perceived variations and extent of changes to the contract. It was recommended for foreign firms to adopt some of the project management practices highlighted to help them to achieve better project performance in China. Information Technology and Water and Sanitation Projects Performance Information technology technique is very important in the entire world. Information technology (IT) opens new visions in the businesses and industries performance of the world. The construction industry is considered as one of the industries using IT technique such as software management systems, database and communications. For many years, many processes, functions, operations were done difficulty because of absence of IT field. In addition, most of the work was done manually which lead to more cost, time and poor performance. Furthermore, IT usage in the construction industry leads to many changes, innovations and developing in many aspects which lead finally to good and strong performance. There are many benefits and relations of using IT in the construction projects such as: greater use of IT correlates with better project performance, owners and contractors realize meaningful benefits, IT affects schedule compression beneficially, and overall project cost savings which lead to a success performance of project (Schwegler et al., 2001). (Nitithamyong et al., 2004), remarked that information Technology (IT) is now routinely used in the construction industry as a tool to reduce some of the problems generated by fragmentation. The use of IT improves coordination and collaboration between firms participating in a construction project, leading to better communication practices and so good performance. Its benefits include an increase in the quality of documents and the speed of the work, better financial control and communications, and simpler and faster access to common data as well as a decrease in documentation errors. (Thomas et al., 2002), proposed contractor Performance Appraisal and Reporting (PAR) system for reviewing contractor performance at an organizational level. Advancements in World Wide Web techniques provide enhanced capacities to collect compile and disseminate performance-related information to various construction stakeholders in a timely and cost-effective manner. (Becerik, 2004), stated that the rapid advances of web-based project management and collaboration technology offer new opportunities to improve existing construction project performance. (Cheung et al., 2004) obtained framework software to measure project performance based on project performance measurement system (PPMS). The system contains four stages which are data entry, database, reporting and action. This system has eight categories to measure performance which are people, cost, time, quality, safety and health, environment, client satisfaction, and communication. (Goh, 2005), remarked that information technology m anagement leads to performance improvement in the construction industries. For instance, in Singapore 2003, general administration, design, project management and site management were enhanced by using of IT. In addition, there were more advantages as quick working, good quality of work and fast access of information. Factors Affecting Performance of Managers (Ogunlana et al., 1996), recommended the need for focused effort by economy managers and construction industry associations to provide the infrastructure needed for efficient project management and performance. (Dissanayaka and Kumaraswamy, 1999), stated that the knowledge that would influence potential performance enables project managers to pay special attention to control performance more effectively. (Chan and Kumaraswamy, 2002), remarked that effective communication and fast information transfer between managers and participants help to accelerate the building construction process and performance. (Kuprenas, 2003), studied the impact of the use of a project management based organizational structure, project manager training, frequency of design meetings, and frequency of design reports on design phase cost performance. The process of a design team meeting frequency and the process of written reporting of design phase progress were found to be statistically significant in reducin g design phase costs. (Navon, 2005), stated that data are collected and used for construction managers as a basis to evaluate the Project Performance Indicators (PPI) actual value to compare it with the planned value and forecast its future value based on past performance. (Pheng and Chaun, 2006), identified the importance of the working environment variables for the performance of a project manager in the private and public sectors according to three main groups which are job condition, project characteristic and organizational related categories. The result revealed that working hours, physical condition of project site, complexity of project, material and supplies, project size, duration of project and time availability were viewed differently in terms of importance by the contractors and consultants groups. Team relationship was ranked as the most important variable affecting the performance of a project manager. It is obtained that project managers experiences do not have much effect on how they perc eive their working environment. Time Impact Analysis Time is an essential part of every plan organisations develop for performing contract work. There is a relationship between the schedule, the scope of work, and the project conditions. According to (Anabari, 2003), Time Impact Analysis is typically associated with the modeling of the effects of a single delay. It requires a CPM schedule that is able to show the pure CPM calculation differences between a schedule that does not include a delay and one that does include an activity modeling a delay. The difference for project completion between the non-impacted schedule and that of the schedule with the impact is considered to be the impact of the delay for time duration considerations. Project Cost Time Relationship Total project costs include both direct costs and indirect costs of performing the activities of the project. Direct costs for the project include the costs of doing work related to some specific activities of the project. Indirect costs, on the other hand, are the necessary costs of doing work which cannot be related to a particular activity, and in some cases cannot be related to a specific project (Davison, 2003),. If each activity was scheduled for the duration that resulted in the minimum direct cost in this way, the time to complete the entire project might be too long and substantial penalties associated with the late project completion might be incurred (Dlakwa and Culpin, 1990). Thus, planners perform what is called time-cost trade-off analysis to shorten the project duration. This can be done by selecting some activities on the critical path to shorten their duration. As the direct cost for the project equals the sum of the direct costs of its activities, then the project direct cost will increase by decreasing its duration. On the other hand, the indirect cost will decrease by decreasing the project duration, as the indirect cost are almost a linear function with the project duration (Al-Khalil and AL-Ghafly, 1999). Factors Affecting Cost and Time Performance (Chan and Kumaraswamy, 2002), remarked that studies in various countries appear to have contributed significantly to the body of knowledge relating to time performance in construction projects over the past three decades, while (Iyer and Jha, 2005), remarked that project performance in term of cost is studied since 1960s. These studies range from theoretical work based on experience of researcher on one end to structured research work on the other end. Moreover, (Pheng and Chaun, 2006), stated that there have been many past studies on project performance according to cost and time factors. (Chan and Kumaraswamy, 1996) stated that a number of unexpected problems and changes from original design arise during the construction phase, leading to problems in cost and time performance. It is found that poor site management, unforeseen ground conditions and low speed of decision making involving all project teams are the three most significant factors causing delays and problems of time performance in local building works. (Okuwoga, 1998), stated that cost and time performance has been identified as general problems in the construction industry worldwide. (Dissanayaka and Kumaraswamy, 1999), remarked that project complexity, client type, experience of team and communication are highly correlated with the time performance; whilst project complexity, client characteristics and contractor characteristics are highly correlated with the cost performance. (Reichelt and Lyneis, 1999), obtained that project schedule and budget performance are controlled by the dynamic feedback process . Those processes include the rework cycle, feedback loops creating changes in productivity and quality, and effects between work phases. (Chan-Albert, 2001), identified that the best predictor of average construction time performance of public sector projects in Malaysia is T = 269 C 0.32. This relationship can serve as a convenient tool for both project managers and clients to predict the average time required for delivery of a construction project. (Kuprenas, 2003), stated that process of a design team meeting frequency and the process of written reporting of design phase progress were found to be statistically significant in reducing design phase costs. Otherwise, the use of project manager training and a project management based organizational structure were found to be processes that do not create a statistically significant in reducing design phase costs. (Iyer and Jha, 2005), remarked that the factors affecting cost performance are: the competence of project managers; support of top management; coordinating and leadership skills of project managers; monitoring and feedback by the participants; decision making; coordination among project participants; owners competence; social condition, economical condition and climatic condition. Coordination among the various participants of the project was as the most considerable of all the factors having utmost influence on cost performance of projects. (Love et al., 2005), studied project time-cost performance relationships by using project scope factors for 161 construction projects that were completed in various Australian States. It was noticed that gross floor area and the number of floors in a building are key determinants of time performance in projects. Besides, the findings indicate that cost is a pitiable forecaster of time performance. (Chan and Kumaraswamy, 2002), proposed specific technological and managerial strategies to increase speed of construction and so to upgrade the construction time performance. It is remarked that effective communication, fast information transfer between project participants, the better selection and training of managers, and detailed construction programs with advanced available software can help to accelerate the performance. (Jouini et al., 2004): stated that managing speed in engineering, procurement and construction projects is a key factor in the competition between innovative firms. It is found that customers can consider time as a resource and, in that case, they will encourage the contractor to improve the time performance. Identifying factors that influence cost performance Previous research has attempted to establish reasons for the difference between the tender sum and the final account. This segment identifies the factors that influence cost performance. Four factors were identified from the obtainable research findings, (Morris, 1990), (Kaming et al., 1997) and (Chimwaso, 2001). These are; design changes, inadequate planning, irregular weather conditions; and fluctuations in the cost of building materials. To expand the research it was decided to synchronize the above list of factors with other factors gleaned from the final account reports. These were compared with the factors from the existing research findings, and a final list of 18 factors was prepared. These were then separated into two groups of seven significant factors and nine other factors, which are usually ignored, but perceived to be of equal significance (Chimwaso, 2001). Measurement of Project Performance (Karim and Marosszeky, 1999), stated that performance measurement systems have been one of the primary tools used by the manufacturing sector for business process re-engineering in order to monitor the outcomes and effectiveness of implementation. (Brown and Adams, 2000), obtained an evaluation framework to measure the efficiency of building project management (BPM) by using conventional economic analysis tools such as time, cost and quality. (Lehtonen, 2001), stated that performance measurement systems are imminent in the construction firms. (Samson and Lema, 2002), stated that effective and efficient management of contractors organizational performance requires commitment to effective performance measurement in order to evaluate, control, and improve performance today and in the future. (Tangen, 2004), obtained that performance measurement is a complex issue that normally incorporates at least three different disciplines: economics, management and accounting. Measurement of performance has garnered significant interest recently among both academics and practitioners. (Tangen, 2004), remarked the choice of a suitable measurement technique depends on a number of factors, including the purpose of the measurement; the level of detail required; the time available for the measurement; the existence of available predetermined data; and the cost of measurement. (Navon, 2005), defined performance measurement as a comparison between the desired and the actual performances. For example, when a deviation is detected, the construction management analyzes the reasons for it. The reasons for deviation can be schematically divided into two groups: (a) unrealistic target setting (i.e., planning) or (b) causes originating from the actual construction (in many cases the causes for deviation originate from both sources). (Navon, 2005), stated that performance measurement is needed not only to control current projects but also to update the historic database. Such updates enable better planning of future projects in terms of costs, schedules, labor allocation, etc. (Pheng and Chaun, 2006), stated that the measurement of project performance can no longer be restricted to the traditional criteria, which consist of time, cost and quality. There are other measurement criteria such as project management and products. (Cheung et al., 2004), stated that New South Wales Public Works Department in Australia launched a Project Performance Evaluation (PPE) framework, which covers an extensive array of performance parameters. PPE parameters are communication, time, cost, quality, safety, claims and issues resolution, environment, contract relations. PPEs purpose is to broaden project performance procedures to envelop soft parameters also, such as communication and resolution of dispute. In the UK, a performance measurement tool for project referred to as the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) was developed by the KPI working group under the UK Construction Industry Best Practice Programme to include time, cost, quality, client satisfaction, change orders, business performance, health and safety. The implementation steps of KPIs are as follows: Decide what to measure, Collect data and calculate the KPIs. That notwithstanding, both the PPE and KPIs are valuable tools for measuring performance of a project over a period of time. Anyway, it is obtained from previous study that both methods PPE and KPIs can be used for measuring of performance as the indicators are similar in two methods. In this study KPIs method will be used to measure performance. (Iyer and Jha, 2005), stated that measuring the performance of any construction project is a very complex process because modern construction projects are generally multidisciplinary in nature and they involve participation of designers, contractors, subcontractors, specialists, construction managers, and consultants. With the increasing size of the project, number of participants in the project also increases. The objectives or goals of all participants need not be same even in a given project. Hence to measure performance of a project witho

Womens Roles Essay -- Ancient India, Gender Roles

In ancient India, women occupied a very important position, a superior position to men. To understand the position of women in Hinduism, we must recognize the Hindu scriptures guidelines to a woman’s position in Hindu society, but fail to address some roles of a Hindu woman specifically. This vague generalization of a woman’s role in the religious spectrum leaves open interpretation for the woman. Conflict arises when women are criticized by men, for the way they interpret the guidelines. Critically, we begin with the Hindu scriptures, because it is the heart and source of their cultural norms which can be perceived as an expression of the perceptions of the way of life. Scriptures of Hinduism hold the highest authority towards women roles and more importantly their obedience to their husbands. Laws enforced by the community; proves the husband’s absolute power over his wife. Despite the fact that the most powerful gods and goddesses of the Hindu religion are women, women in the society are expected to fill subservient roles to men. In this paper I will discuss the spiritual and cultural disconnect, answering the question why women are made to be obedient in spite of the spiritual hierarchy and why women continue to be subservient. These pivotal elements of obedience rose from a patriarchal society that deems women as subservient role. If Hindu scriptures can be perceived as the highest authority, what are the scriptures views on the position of women? The scripture states that although there are no spiritual differences of men and women, there are also no spiritual differences of men and women. Women have the same religious and spiritual freedoms in Hinduism as men. However, the status of women has been affected by other ... ...ful. The concern of protecting family honor must be appropriately examined. As husbands realize the importance of honoring their wives, maintaining prosperity, structural family alliances and public acknowledgement, wives also acknowledge the same importance, but in the concept of obedience† (Derne, 208, 211-212). India as an ethnically diverse society has religious, cultural, and social patterns of everyday Hindu life that must be adhered to. Ongoing movements within the culture still portray women as â€Å"good obedient wives†. Trained in submissiveness and nobility, the natures of obedience in marriages continue beyond death of your spouse. Traditions and rituals are not expected to change because Hindu marriage traditions are embedded at the early stages of life, and the patriarchal ideology continues to dominate the woman confining her to family† (Kosambi WS-38).

My Educational Philosophy Statement Essay -- My Philosophy of Educatio

As a teacher my primary role is to be not only a teacher to my students, but a caring and loving adult who is there to help guide them along the road less taken. I believe the most important part a teacher plays is the adult role model. The teacher may not be able to make every child exactly what they think the child should be. The teacher can teach a child right and wrong. The teacher can set an example and show kids how to be good citizens. Positive views of students will promote a positive teacher-student relationship based on trust. School is the first place where children begin to recognize what they likes and dislikes are, who they are and what they want to become. A great teacher will show the children that they are all important. A student-teacher relationship can become a great... My Educational Philosophy Statement Essay -- My Philosophy of Educatio As a teacher my primary role is to be not only a teacher to my students, but a caring and loving adult who is there to help guide them along the road less taken. I believe the most important part a teacher plays is the adult role model. The teacher may not be able to make every child exactly what they think the child should be. The teacher can teach a child right and wrong. The teacher can set an example and show kids how to be good citizens. Positive views of students will promote a positive teacher-student relationship based on trust. School is the first place where children begin to recognize what they likes and dislikes are, who they are and what they want to become. A great teacher will show the children that they are all important. A student-teacher relationship can become a great...

Political Parties, Party and Electoral Systems, and Voting Behavior in the Uk

*Political Parties, Party and Electoral Systems*, and Voting Behavior in the UK *Political Parties and the *UK’s Party System Brief History: The Labour Party grew out of the trade union movement and socialist political parties of the 19th century, and continues to describe itself as a party of democratic socialism. Labour was the first political party in Great Britain to stand for the representation of the low-paid working class and it is the working class who are known as the Labour Party grassroots and traditional members and voters. The party traditionally favors socialist policies such as public ownership of key industries, government intervention in the economy, redistribution of wealth, increased rights for workers and trade unions, and a belief in the welfare state and publicly funded healthcare and education. socialist policies such as public ownership of key industries, government intervention in the economy, redistribution of wealth, increased rights for workers and trade unions, and a belief in the welfare state and publicly funded healthcare and education. But since the 1980’s, under the leadership of Neil Kinnock, John Smith and Tony Blair the party has moved away from its traditional socialist position towards what is often described as the â€Å"Third Way† (centrism) adopting some Thatcherite and free market policies after losing in four consecutive general elections. The Conservative Party on the other hand, descended from the Tory Party, founded in 1678, and is still often referred to as the Tory Party and its politicians, members and supporters as Tories. It was also known as the Unionist Party in the early 20th century, following the Conservatives' alliance with that part of the Liberal Party, known as the Liberal Unionists, who opposed their party's support for Irish Home Rule. The Irish Home Rule Movement articulated a longstanding Irish desire for the repeal of the Act of Union of 1800 by a demand for self-government within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The Conservative Party is considered the centre-right political party in the United Kingdom. Moderate Two Party System? The effectiveness of the party system in Parliament depends on the relationship between the Government and the Opposition parties. Even though they oppose each other, they still help each other in a way the the opposition: contributes to the creation of policy and legislation through constructive criticism, opposes government proposals they disagree with, and they put forward their own policies in order to improve their chances of winning the next general election. These things give the party seated choices and other options to ensure that their actions contribute to the betterment of the whole country. Electoral Systems and Voting Behavior The question now is how they are elected. The UK has four types of electoral systems. The first one is the most used, the First Past the Post system. It is the one used to elect the MP’s that seat in the House of Commons. There is a single winner and that is the person with the most votes; there is no requirement that the winner gain an absolute majority of votes. The next system is the block/bloc voting, used in local government elections in England and Wales. It is a voting system for electing several representatives from a single multimember electoral district using a series of check boxes and tallying votes similar to the First Past the Post system. Next is the single transferable vote system, used in Northern Ireland to elect the Assembly, local councils, and Members of the European Parliament, and in Scotland to elect local councils. It is a preferential voting system designed to minimize â€Å"wasted† votes, provide proportional representation, and ensure that votes are explicitly cast for individual candidates rather than party lists. Last is the Party-list system, used in the European Parliament elections in England, Scotland and Wales. It is a voting system that emphasizes proportional representation in elections returning multiple candidates. Voters directly vote for the party. For the past few elections, it is sad to say that the trend in the UK’s voters turnout is not that pleasing to see. Turnout has fallen from 77% in 1992, 71% in 1997 and 61% in 2001. There had been a slight increase in the 2005 elections but still, it is really low. Now the question is what explains these behaviors. Reasons like the lack of variation in the ideologies of the main parties, the decline in partisanship, the reduction in the popularity of various Party leaderships, the dissatisfaction with parties' record on public services, education, transport etc. , the lack of interest in the election campaigns and the voter’s apathy due to voters believing their vote will have no effect on the overall outcome. People often have a mind set that their voteis not needed anymore that is why they are contented by just letting the elections pass by. The UK really is a complicated country but studying it is really worthwhile. Bibliography: http://www. parliament. uk http://www. nriol. com http://en. wikipedia. org http://british-house-of-commons. suite101. com Bale, T. (2005) European Politics: A Comparative Introduction, chap. 5 and 6. Webb, P. (2004) ‘Party Responses to the Changing Electoral Markets in Britain’ in Mair, P. et. al. (eds. ) Political Parties and Electoral Change.

Spirit Bound Chapter Twenty-one

THERE WAS LITTLE MORE MIKHAIL and I could say to each other after that. I didn't want him to get in trouble for what he'd done, and I let him lead us out of the guardians' building in silence. As we emerged outside, I could see the sky purpling in the east. The sun was nearly up, signaling the middle of our night. Briefly flipping into Lissa's mind, I read that the Death Watch had finally ended, and she was on her way back to her room–worried about me and still annoyed that Christian had shown up with Mia. I followed Lissa's example, wondering if sleep might ease the agony that Dimitri had left in my heart. Probably not. Still, I thanked Mikhail for his help and the risk he'd taken. He merely nodded, like there was nothing to thank him for. It was exactly what he would have wanted me to do for him if our roles had been reversed and Ms. Karp had been the one behind bars. I feel into a heavy sleep back in my bed, but my dreams were troubled. Over and over, I kept hearing Dimitri tell me he couldn't love me anymore. It beat into me over and over, smashing my heart into little pieces. At one point, it became more than a dreamlike beating. I heard real beating. Someone was pounding on my door, and slowly, I dragged myself out of my awful dreams. Bleary-eyed, I went to the door and found Adrian. The scene was almost a mirror of last night when he'd come to invite me to the Death Watch. Only this time, his face was much grimmer. For a second, I thought he'd heard about my visit to Dimitri. Or that maybe he'd gotten in a lot more trouble than we'd realized for sneaking half of his friends into a secret funeral. â€Å"Adrian†¦ this is early for you†¦.† I glanced over at a clock, discovering that I'd actually slept in pretty late. â€Å"Not early at all,† he confirmed, face still serious. â€Å"Lots of stuff going on. I had to come tell you the news before you heard it somewhere else.† â€Å"What news?† â€Å"The Council's verdict. They finally passed that big resolution they've been debating. The one you came in for.† â€Å"Wait. They're done?† I recalled what Mikhail had said, that a mystery issue had been keeping the Council busy. If it was finished, then they could move on to something else–say, like, officially declaring Dimitri a dhampir again. â€Å"That's great news.† And if this really was tied into when Tatiana had had me come describe my skills†¦ well, was there really a chance I might be named Lissa's guardian? Could the queen have really come through? She'd seemed friendly enough last night. Adrian regarded me with something I'd never seen from him: pity. â€Å"You have no idea, do you?† â€Å"No idea about what?† â€Å"Rose†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He gently rested a hand on my shoulder. â€Å"The Council just passed a decree lowering the guardian age to sixteen. Dhampirs'll graduate when they're sophomores and then go out for assignments.† â€Å"What?† Surely I'd misheard. â€Å"You know how panicked they've been about protection and not having enough guardians, right?† He sighed. â€Å"This was their solution to increasing your numbers.† â€Å"But they're too young!† I cried. â€Å"How can anyone think sixteen-year-olds are ready to go out and fight?† â€Å"Well,† said Adrian, â€Å"because you testified that they were.† My mouth dropped, everything freezing around me. You testified that they were†¦ No. It couldn't be possible. Adrian gently nudged my arm, trying to shake me out of my stupor. â€Å"Come on, they're still wrapping up. They made the announcement in an open session, and some people are†¦ a little upset.† â€Å"Yeah, I'll say.† He didn't need to tell me twice. I immediately started to follow, then realized I was in my pajamas. I quickly changed and brushed my hair, still scarcely able to believe what he'd just said. My preparation only took five minutes, and then we were out the door. Adrian wasn't overly athletic, but he kept a pretty good pace as we headed toward the Council's hall. â€Å"How did this happen?† I asked. â€Å"You don't really mean that†¦ that what I said played a role?† I'd meant my words to be a demand, but they came out with more of a pleading note. He lit a cigarette without breaking stride, and I didn't bother chastising him for it. â€Å"It's apparently been a hot topic for a while. It was a pretty close vote. The people pushing for it knew they'd need to show a lot of evidence to win. You were their grand prize: a teen dhampir slaying Strigoi left and right, long before graduation.† â€Å"Not that long,† I muttered, my fury kindling. Sixteen? Were they serious? It was ludicrous. The fact that I had been unknowingly used to support this decree made me sick to my stomach. I'd been a fool, thinking they'd all ignored my rule breaking and had simply paraded me in to praise me. They'd used me. Tatiana had used me. When we reached it, the Council hall was in as much chaos as Adrian had implied. True, I hadn't spent a lot of time in these kinds of meetings, but I was pretty sure that people standing up in clusters and yelling at each other wasn't normal. The Council's herald probably didn't usually scream himself hoarse trying to bring order to the crowd either. The only spot of calm was Tatiana herself, sitting patiently in her seat at the center of the table, just as Council etiquette dictated. She looked very pleased with herself. The rest of her colleagues had lost all sense of propriety and were on their feet like the audience, arguing amongst themselves or anyone else ready to pick a fight. I stared in amazement, unsure what to do in all this disorder. â€Å"Who voted for what?† I asked. Adrian studied the Council members and ticked them off on his fingers. â€Å"Szelsky, Ozera, Badica, Dashkov, Conta, and Drozdov. They were against it.† â€Å"Ozera?† I asked in surprise. I didn't know the Ozera princess–Evette–very well, but she'd always seemed pretty stiff and unpleasant. I had new respect for her now. Adrian nodded over to where Tasha was furiously addressing a large group of people, eyes flashing and arms waving wildly. â€Å"Evette was persuaded by some of her family members.† That made me smile too, but only for a moment. It was good that Tasha and Christian were being acknowledged amongst their clan again, but the rest of our problem was still alive and kicking. I could deduce the rest of the names. â€Å"So†¦ Prince Ivashkov voted for it,† I said. Adrian shrugged by way of apology for his family. â€Å"Lazar, Zeklos, Tarus, and Voda.† That the Voda family would vote for extra protection wasn't entirely a surprise, considering the recent slaughter of one of their members. Priscilla wasn't even in her grave yet, and the new Voda prince, Alexander, seemed clearly unsure what to do with his sudden promotion. I gave Adrian a sharp look. â€Å"That's only five to six. Oh.† Realization dawned. â€Å"Shit. Royal tiebreaker.† The Moroi voting system had been set up with twelve members, one for each family, and then whoever the reigning king or queen was. True, it often meant one group got two votes, since the monarch rarely voted against his or her own family. It had been known to happen. Regardless, the system should have had thirteen votes, preventing ties. Except†¦ a recent problem had developed. There were no Dragomirs on the Council anymore, meaning ties could occur. In that rare event, Moroi law dictated that the monarch's vote carried extra weight. I'd heard that had always been controversial, and yet at the same time, there wasn't much to be done for it. Ties in the Council would mean nothing ever got settled, and since monarchs were elected, many took it on faith that they would act in the best interests of the Moroi. â€Å"Tatiana's was the sixth,† I said. â€Å"And hers swayed it.† Glancing around, I saw a bit of anger on the faces of those from the families who had voted against the decree. Apparently, not everyone believed Tatiana had acted in the best interest of the Moroi. Lissa's presence sang to me through the bond, so her arrival a few moments later was no surprise. News had spread fast, though she didn't yet know the fine details. Adrian and I waved her over. She was as dumbfounded as we were. â€Å"How could they do that?† she asked. â€Å"Because they're too afraid that someone might make them learn to defend themselves. Tasha's group was getting too loud.† Lissa shook her head. â€Å"No, not just that. I mean, why were they even in session? We should be in mourning after what happened the other day–publicly. The whole Court, not just some secret part of it. One of the Council members even died! Couldn't they wait for the funeral?† In her mind's eye, I could see the images from that grisly night, where Priscilla had died right before Lissa's eyes. â€Å"But was easily replaceable,† a new voice said. Christian had joined us. Lissa took a few steps away from him, still annoyed about Mia. â€Å"And actually, it's the perfect time. The people who wanted this had to jump at their chance. Every time there's a big Strigoi fight, everyone panics. Fear'll make a lot of people get on board with this. And if any Council members were undecided before this, that battle probably pushed them over.† That was pretty wise reasoning for Christian, and Lissa was impressed, despite her troubled feelings for him right now. The Council's herald finally managed to make his voice heard over the shouts of the audience. I wondered if the group would have quieted down if Tatiana herself had started yelling at them to shut up. But no. That was probably beneath her dignity. She was still sitting there calmly, like nothing unusual was going on. Nonetheless, it took several moments for everyone to settle down and take their seats. My friends and I hurriedly grabbed the first ones we could find. With peace and quiet achieved at last, the weary-looking herald yielded the floor to the queen. Smiling grandly at the assembly, she addressed them in her most imperious voice. â€Å"We'd like to thank everyone for coming today and expressing your†¦ opinions. I know some are still unsure about this decision, but Moroi law has been followed here–laws that have been in place for centuries. We will have another session soon to listen to what you have to say in an orderly fashion.† Something told me that was an empty gesture. People could talk all they wanted; she wouldn't listen. â€Å"This decision–this verdict–will benefit the Moroi. Our guardians are already so excellent.† She gave a condescending nod toward the ceremonial guardians standing along the room's walls. They wore typically neutral faces, but I was guessing that, like me, they probably wanted to punch half the Council. â€Å"They are so excellent, in fact, that they train their students to be ready to defend us at an early age. We will all be safer from tragedies like that whi ch recently occurred.† She lowered her head a moment in what must have been a show of grieving. I recalled last night when she'd choked up over Priscilla. Had that been an act? Was her best friend's death a convenient way for Tatiana to push forward with her own agenda. Surely†¦ surely, she wasn't that cold. The queen lifted her head and continued. â€Å"And again, we're happy to listen to you register your opinions, although by our own laws, this matter is settled. Further sessions will have to wait until an adequate period of mourning has passed for the unfortunate departed.† Her tone and body language implied that this was indeed the end of the discussion. Then, an impertinent voice suddenly broke the room's silence. My voice. â€Å"Well, I'd kind of like to register my opinion now.† Inside my head, Lissa was shouting: Sit down, sit down! But I was already on my feet, moving toward the Council's table. I stopped at a respectful distance, one that would let them notice me but not get me tackled by guardians. And oh, they noticed me. The herald flushed bright red at my rule breaking. â€Å"You are out of line and in violation of all Council protocol! Sit down right now before you are removed.† He glanced over at the guardians, like he expected them to come charging forward right then. None of them moved. Either they didn't perceive me as a threat, or they were wondering what I was going to do. I was also wondering this. With a small, delicate hand gesture, Tatiana waved the herald back. â€Å"I daresay there's been so much breach of protocol today that one more incident won't make a difference.† She fixed me with a kind smile, one that was apparently intended to make us look like friends. â€Å"Besides, Guardian Hathaway is one of our most valuable assets. I'm always interested in what she has to say.† Was she really? Time to find out. I addressed my words to the Council. â€Å"This thing you've just passed is utterly and totally insane.† I considered it a great feat on my part that I didn't use any swear words there because I had some adjectives in mind that were much more fitting. Who said I didn't understand Council etiquette? â€Å"How can any of you sit there and think it's okay to send sixteen-year-olds out to risk their lives?† â€Å"It's only two years' difference,† said the Tarus prince. â€Å"It's not like we're sending ten-year-olds.† â€Å"Two years is a lot.† I thought for a moment about when I'd been sixteen. What had happened in those two years? I'd run off with Lissa, watched friends die, traveled around the world, fallen in love†¦. â€Å"You can live a lifetime in two years. And if you want us to keep being on the front lines–which most of us willingly do when we graduate–then you owe us those two years.† This time, I glanced back at the audience. The reactions were mixed. Some clearly agreed with me, nodding along. Some looked as though nothing in the world would change their minds about the decree being just. Others wouldn't meet my eyes†¦. Had I swayed them? Were they undecided? Embarrassed at their own selfishness? They might be the keys. â€Å"Believe me, I would love to see your people enjoy their youth.† This was Nathan Ivashkov speaking. â€Å"But right now, that's not an option we have. The Strigoi are closing in. We're losing more Moroi and guardians every day. Getting more fighters out there will stop this, and really, we're just letting those dhampirs' skills go to waste by waiting a couple years. This plan will protect both our races.† â€Å"It'll kill mine off faster!† I said. Realizing I might start shouting if I lost control, I took a deep breath before going on. â€Å"They won't be ready. They won't have all the training they need.† And that was where Tatiana herself made her master play. â€Å"Yet, by your own admission, you were certainly prepared at a young age. You killed more Strigoi before you were eighteen than some guardians kill their entire lives.† I fixed her with a narrow-eyed look. â€Å"I,† I said coldly, â€Å"had an excellent instructor. One that you currently have locked up. If you want to talk about skills going to waste, then go look in your own jail.† There was a slight stirring in the audience, and Tatiana's we're pals face grew a little cold. â€Å"That is not an issue we are addressing today. Increasing our protection is. I believe you have even commented in the past that the guardian ranks are lacking in numbers.† My own words, thrown back at me from last night. â€Å"They need to be filled. You–and many of your companions–have proven you're able to defend us.† â€Å"We were exceptions!† It was egotistical, but it was the truth. â€Å"Not all novices have reached that level.† A dangerous glint appeared in her eye, and her voice grew silky smooth again. â€Å"Well, then, perhaps we need more excellent training. Perhaps we should send you to St. Vladimir's or some other academy so that you can improve your young colleagues' education. My understanding is that your upcoming assignment will be a permanent administrative one here at Court. If you wanted to help make this new decree successful, we could change that assignment and make you an instructor instead. It might speed up your return to a bodyguard assignment.† I gave her a dangerous smile of my own. â€Å"Do not,† I warned, â€Å"try to threaten, bribe, or blackmail me. Ever. You won't like the consequences.† That might have been going too far. People in the audience exchanged startled looks. Some of their expressions were disgusted, as though they could expect nothing better of me. I recognized a few of those Moroi. They were ones I'd overheard talking about my relationship with Adrian and how the queen hated it. I also suspected a number of royals from last night's ceremony were here too. They'd seen Tatiana lead me out and no doubt thought my outburst and disrespect today were a type of revenge. The Moroi weren't the only ones who reacted. Regardless of whether they shared my opinions, a few guardians stepped forward. I made sure to stay exactly where I was, and that, along with Tatiana's lack of fear, kept them in place. â€Å"We're getting weary of this conversation,† Tatiana said, switching to the royal we. â€Å"You can speak more–and do so in the proper manner–when we have our next meeting and open the floor to comments. For now, whether you like it or not, this resolution has been passed. It's law.† She's letting you off! Lissa's voice was back in my head. Back away from this before you do something that'll get you in real trouble. Argue later. It was ironic because I'd been on the verge of exploding and letting my full rage out. Lissa's words stopped me–but not because of their content. It was Lissa herself. When Adrian and I had discussed the results earlier, I'd noted one piece of faulty logic. â€Å"It wasn't a fair vote,† I declared. â€Å"It wasn't legal.† â€Å"Are you a lawyer now, Miss Hathaway?† The queen was amused, and her dropping of my guardian title now was a blatant lack of respect. â€Å"If you're referring to the monarch's vote carrying more weight than others on the Council, then we can assure you that that has been Moroi law for centuries in such situations.† She glanced at her fellow Council members, none of whom raised a protest. Even those who'd voted against her couldn't find fault with her point. â€Å"Yeah, but the entire Council didn't vote,† I said. â€Å"You've had an empty spot in the Council for the last few years–but not anymore.† I turned and pointed at where my friends were sitting. â€Å"Vasilisa Dragomir is eighteen now and can fill her family's spot.† In all of this chaos, her birthday had been overlooked, even by me. The eyes in the room turned on Lissa–something she did not like. However, Lissa was used to being in the public eye. She knew what was expected of a royal, how to look and carry herself. So, rather than cringing, she sat up straight and stared ahead with a cool, regal look that said she could walk up to that table right now and demand her birthright. Whether it was that magnificent attitude alone or maybe a little spirit charisma, she was almost impossible to look away from. Her beauty had its usual luminous quality, and around the room, a lot of the faces held the same awe for her that I'd observed around Court. Dimitri's transformation was still an enigma, but those who believed in it were indeed regarding her as some kind of saint. She was becoming larger than life in so many people's eyes, both with her family name and mysterious powers–and now the alleged ability to restore Strigoi. Smug, I looked back at Tatiana. â€Å"Isn't eighteen the legal voting age?† Checkmate, bitch. â€Å"Yes,† she said cheerfully. â€Å"If the Dragomirs had a quorum.† I wouldn't say my stunning victory exactly shattered at that point, but it certainly lost a little of its luster. â€Å"A what?† â€Å"A quorum. By law, for a Moroi family to have a Council vote, they must have a family. She does not. She's the only one.† I stared in disbelief. â€Å"What, you're saying she needs to go have a kid to get a vote?† Tatiana grimaced. â€Å"Not now, of course. Someday, I'm sure. For a family to have a vote, they must have at least two members, one of whom must be over eighteen. It's Moroi law–again, a law that's been in the books for centuries.† A few people were exchanging confused and surprised looks. This was clearly not a law many were familiar with. Of course, this situation–a royal line reduced to one person–wasn't one that had occurred in recent history, if it had ever occurred at all. â€Å"It's true,† said Ariana Szelsky reluctantly. â€Å"I've read it.† Okay, that was when my stunning victory shattered. The Szelsky family was one I trusted, and Ariana was the older sister of the guy my mom protected. Ariana was a pretty bookish kind of person, and seeing as she'd voted against the guardian age change, it seemed unlikely she'd offer this piece of evidence if it weren't true. With no more ammunition, I resorted to old standbys. â€Å"That,† I told Tatiana, â€Å"is the most fucked-up law I have ever heard.† That did it. The audience broke into shocked chatter, and Tatiana gave up on whatever pretense of friendliness she'd been clinging to. She beat the herald to any orders he might have given. â€Å"Remove her!† shouted Tatiana. Even with the rapidly growing noise, her voice rang clearly through the room. â€Å"We will not tolerate this sort of vulgar behavior!† I had guardians on me in a flash. Honestly, with how often I'd been dragged away from places lately, there was almost something comfortably familiar about it. I didn't fight the guardians as they led me to the door, but I also didn't let them take me without a few parting words. â€Å"You could change the quorum law if you wanted, you sanctimonious bitch!† I yelled back. â€Å"You're twisting the law because you're selfish and afraid! You're making the worst mistake of your life. You'll regret it! Wait and see–you'll wish you'd never done it!† I don't know if anyone heard my tirade because by then, the hall was back to the chaos it had been in when I entered. The guardians–three of them–didn't let go of me until we were outside. Once they released me, we all stood around awkwardly for a moment. â€Å"What now?† I asked. I tried to keep the anger out of my voice. I was still furious and worked up, but it wasn't these guys' fault. â€Å"Are you going to lock me up?† Seeing as it would bring me back to Dimitri, it would almost be a reward. â€Å"They only said to remove you,† one of the guardians pointed out. â€Å"No one said what to do with you after that.† Another guardian, old and grizzled but still fierce looking, gave me a wry look. â€Å"I'd take off while you can, before they really have a chance to punish you.† â€Å"Not that they won't find you if they really want to,† added the first guardian. With that, the three of them headed back inside, leaving me confused and upset. My body was still revved for a fight, and I was filled with the frustration I always experienced whenever I was faced with a situation I felt powerless in. All that yelling for nothing. I'd accomplished nothing. â€Å"Rose?† I shifted from my churning emotions and looked up at the building. The older guardian hadn't gone inside and still stood in the doorway. His face was stoic, but I thought I saw a twinkle in his eye. â€Å"For what it's worth,† he told me, â€Å"I thought you were fantastic in there.† I didn't feel much like smiling, but my lips betrayed me. â€Å"Thanks,† I said. Well, maybe I'd accomplished one thing.