The Salem Witch Trials A Dark Period - 1163 Words

The Salem Witch Trials was a very dark period in our history that occurred in the colony of Salem, Massachusetts. These trials began in February 1692 and ended in May of 1693. There were over two hundred individuals who were accused of practicing witchcraft. Of those two hundred accused, nearly twenty innocent souls were lost. This was one of the most severe cases of mass hysteria in recorded history. There was a great effort exhorted by the Massachusetts General Court to declare a guilty verdict, that the framers of the United States Constitution went to great lengths to never let this type of tragedy occur again; commonly known as the eighth amendment. Remarkably so, some may argue that there were similarities in Salem and the†¦show more content†¦What would be considered mental disorders in today’s society, no clear medical diagnosis could be deduced. Partly due to fear and also not being able to â€Å"diagnose† these fits, members of the community sus pected witchcraft to be the culprit. Little did the community know what was about to transpire in their town over the next year. The Salem Witch Trials officially began in February 1692 when the â€Å"afflicted girls† accused Tituba, Ms. Good and Ms. Osborne of witchcraft. Tituba confessed to witchcraft. Not only did she confess, she also said there were many others who were working for Satan. This triggered the beginning and that is when the fears of the Salem colonists were realized. These girls did not all show â€Å"symptoms† at one time. The first girl to start experiencing symptoms was Betty Parris. She was followed by Abigail Williams, Ann Putnam Jr., Mary Walcott and Mercy Lewis (History of Massachusetts). These girls were throwing tantrums, hiding under furniture and contorting to pain. Since panic and fear set in, witchcraft was the easy choice to make. In today’s medical science, these girls would have been diagnosed with boredom or epilepsy. Although at the time the cause was unknown, these symptoms were probably brought on from eating rye infected with fungus. The three victims were not the only ones accused. There were numerous cases of scapegoating running prevalent. Since Tituba confessed, there was little â€Å"legal† ground she

Essay on Mechanical Engineering - 1124 Words

Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of engineering, physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the design, production, and operation of machines and tools.[1] It is one of the oldest and broadest engineering disciplines. The engineering field requires an understanding of core concepts including mechanics, kinematics, thermodynamics, materials science, structural analysis, and electricity. Mechanical engineers use these core principles along with tools like computer-aided engineering, and product lifecycle management to design†¦show more content†¦10–70 AD) created the first steam engine.[2] In China, Zhang Heng (78–139 AD) improved a water clock and invented a seismometer, and Ma Jun (200–265 AD) invented a chariot with differential gears. The medieval Chinese horologist and engineer Su Song (1020–1101 AD) incorporated an escapement mechanism into his astronomical clock tower two centuries before any escapement can be found in clocks of medieval Europe, as well as the worlds first known endless power-transmitting chain drive.[3] During the years from 7th to 15th century, the era called the Islamic Golden Age, there were remarkable contributions from Muslim inventors in the field of mechanical technology. Al-Jazari, who was one of them, wrote his famous Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices in 1206, and presented many mechanical designs. He is also considered to be the inventor of such mechanical devices which now form the very basic of mechanisms, such as the crankshaft and camshaft.[4] Important breakthroughs in the foundations of mechanical engineering occurred in England during the 17th century when Sir Isaac Newton both formulated the three Newtons Laws of Motion and developed Calculus, the mathematical basis of physics. Newton was reluctant to publish his methods and laws for years, but he was finally persuaded to do so by his colleagues, such as Sir Edmund Halley, much to the benefit of all mankind.Show MoreRelatedMechatronics Faculty of Engineering Diploma in Mechanical Engineering DESIGN REPORT MECHANICAL1200 Words   |  5 Pages Mechatronics Faculty of Engineering Diploma in Mechanical Engineering DESIGN REPORT MECHANICAL TIME-WRITING CLOCK A.K.A PLOTCLOCK Mechanical Design Engineering MIO220S Amoraal CM Student Number: 211307831 Barter S Student Number: 212114190 Bester PJ Student Number: 212005952 Booysen FE Student Number: 211271411 Dept. 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Business Organisation and Policy Multinational Grocery

Question: Describe the Micro and Macro environmental factors which Carrefour must take into consideration to reduce their risk of failure if they eventually decide to enter the UK market . Explain to the management of Carrefour how UK Government policies on mergers and acquisitions can affect their growth strategies in the UK.Explain how the management at Carrefour can use the Kurt Lewin Change Model of Unfreeze, Change and Refreeze to prepare their staff for the envisaged UK venture. Answer: Introduction Carrefour operates as a multinational grocery and food wholesale firm. The paper focuses on evaluating its expansion endeavours in the foreign market of United Kingdom. Evaluation would be carried out based on the analysis of the micro and micro business environment of United Kingdom through the use of strategic analytical tools like PESTLE Analysis and also Porter Five Forces Analysis. Evaluation would also be carried out regarding the impact of the merger and acquisition policies on the retail and wholesale grocery and food stores and also the manner in which Kurt Lewins Change Model would be incorporated by Carrefour based on its endeavour to make an effective entry in the UK market. Analysis of the Macro and Micro Business Environment Analysis of Macro Environment Political Impacts The government of United Kingdom encourages the consumers associated with the retail and wholesale sectors through the generation of increased flow of money in the economy. Increased availability of financial support and resources in the British economy is observed to potentially increase the level of purchasing activity of the consumers in the grocery and food retail market. The increase in the level of purchasing activity of the consumers for food and grocery retail products in turn also enhances the revenue and profitability potential of the grocery and food retail firms in the region(Retail Economics , 2015). Economic Impacts The periods ranging from 2013 to 2014 reflect a decrease in the level of factor productivity by around 3.1 percent owing to the increase in the level of labour inputs by around 2.3 percent. For, the stores relating to the wholesale sector the like increase in the level of inputs accounts for the decline in the level of productivity for wholesale stores by around 1.6 percent evaluated during 2014 (Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs , 2016). The same is reflected in the following illustrations. (Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs , 2016) (Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs , 2016) Social Impacts Consumers based in United Kingdom related to the food and grocery retail market are observed to desire the purchasing of grocery and food products from retail and wholesale outlets having large and attractive outlets. Similarly, the consumers are reflect increased interests for purchasing grocery and food products based on the use of the virtual platform like Smartphones, laptops, tablets and other gadgets. Thus, grocery and food retailers and wholesalers are required to have an effective combination of both brick-and-mortar and online stores for enticing the needs of customers (Wood McCarthy, 2013). Technological Impacts The retail and wholesale firms operating in the food and grocery retail sector based in United Kingdom are observed to depend on the incorporation of effective technological tools like Point-of-Sales (POS) scanners that helps in scanning of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) bar codes thereby helping in the storing of potential information about stock movement from both along the stores and warehouses and also the understanding of consumer purchase interests. The incorporation of potential ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software and also integrating the same with the POS terminals rightly helps the grocery and food retail and wholesale stores for management of inventories and also in making of automated replenishments. Likewise, the development and incorporation of the multichannel marketing and retailing technology also helped the grocery and food retail stores in effectively penetrating along the larger consumer market and in encouraging the consumers to gain the advantage o f seamless shopping (Bevis, 2014). Legal Impacts Regulatory bodies based in United Kingdom increasingly monitor the trading and licensing of organic food products by the food and grocery retail and wholesale firms. The regulatory bodies focus on the conducting of audits of the quality and standard of food and grocery products before certifying them as organic. The regulatory and monitoring standards for organic foods are increasingly governed by the European Union (GOV.UK, 2013). Environmental Impacts Companies operating in the retail and wholesale grocery and food sector are required to operate in an environmental conscious fashion. The companies are required to potentially focus on the reducing the amount of food wastage and also on the development of Carbon Footprint programs in that the same would help in reducing the emission levels relating to its transport, operations and supply chain operations. Further, the food and grocery retail and wholesale retail and wholesale stores are also required to make increased use of recycled materials associated with carry bags and other office and store stationeries to meet the objectives of sustainability (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2011). Analysis of Micro Environment Influence of Consumers The emergence and development of internet based applications is observed to potentially arm the consumers in that the same are effectively used by grocery and food retail companies for developing multichannel retailing and marketing platforms to generate real time information to the consumers about product launches, product and service offers and other types of essential information regarding price structures and product quality and standards. The use of the above information is made by consumers for taking effective decisions regarding product purchases from the food and grocery retail stores either online or through making visits to brick-and-mortar stores (OECD, 2013). Influence of Suppliers Grocery and food retailers based in United Kingdom are required to continually interact with the suppliers and local vendors such that the same helps in providing quality food and grocery food products that meet standards set by European Union. Effective interaction and training activities are carried out by the management body of the food and grocery retail firms with the supplier and vendor firms in that the same helps in gaining adequate quality and quantity of grocery and food products for generating customer satisfaction (Custance et al., 2012). Influence of Substitutes The existence of small and local retailers and shopping companies in the food and grocery retail sector in United Kingdom acts as potential substitutes to the major retail companies like Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda and Morrisons operating in the region. These regional and small retailers focus on helping in the generation of food and grocery products at reduced process to the consumers. Further, these small and local grocery and food retailers also help in generating greater accessibility of the consumers to products of daily need owing to their presence in large numbers along different regions. The same tends to affect the market for the major grocery and food retailers in United Kingdom (The Guardian , 2014). Internal Market Rivalry The grocery and food retail and wholesale market based in United Kingdom reflects existence of increased competition between major retail companies like Tesco, Sainsbury, Morrisons and Asda. The competitive environment in the grocery and food retail sector in the region is further enhanced owing to the action of the discount retailers like Aldi and Lidl that have developed their presence in the stated market. The existence of potential rivalry in the grocery and food retail and wholesale market of United Kingdom is taken to potentially affect the position of Carrefour in the foreign market (The Guardian , 2014). Entry Barriers Foreign companies associated with the grocery and food retail and wholesale sector focus on entering the UK retail and wholesale market based on their partnering with import firms based along the UK market. Direct entry into the UK retail and wholesale market is difficult for the foreign firms (Vasquez, 2016). The same reflects the existence of effective entry barriers thereby creating a challenge for entry of Carrefour in United Kingdom. Impact of Merger and Acquisition Policy The Merger and Acquisition policy of the British government is evaluated to potentially impact the growth and expansion drives of Carrefour in the United Kingdom food and grocery retail and wholesale sector. The merger and acquisition policies of the United Kingdom government potentially discourage the acquisition activities of large retail firms like Tesco, Sainsbury, Morrisons and the like in that the same affects the condition of the local and small retail and grocery units. Restrictions generated on the acquisition activities of the large retail firms would help in providing equal opportunity for the small and local retailers to market their products and services to the consumers. Likewise, the above approach is also taken by the British government for helping in the generation of an alternative opportunity to the UK consumers for availing grocery and food products at reduced prices. The above stand taken by the British government acts like an incentive to the small retailers and also to the regional and local consumers based in United Kingdom but is taken to affect the aggressive acquisition based drives of Carrefour in the foreign markets (Seely, 2012). The British government also focuses on encouraging the event of mergers among the firms operating in the grocery and food retail market in that the same helps in reducing the price levels for the grocery and food products generated to the consumers. The above policy of the UK Government acts as an effective incentive for the consumers owing to the generation of reduced price structures. On the other hand, the merger and acquisition policy of the British government potentially aimed at reducing price structures affects the profit and revenue margins of the retail and wholesale firms (Hosken et al., 2012). Application of Kurt Lewins Change Model The Change Model propounded by Kurt Lewin is essentially constituted by three basic elements like Unfreezing, Change and Freezing. In the Unfreezing stage, the change managers are required to reflect on the potential benefits and advantages that the organisation and its staffs would derive from the change process. The same acts as effective motivators that encourage the organisational members for supporting the changes brought about. The Change stage requires the change managers for reflecting on the different changes that are required to be generated along the existing organisational structure and work environment. This stage reflects on the different types of behavioural, structural and organisational changes that are required to be generated for helping the organisation and its members to adapt to the new situation (Cummings Worley, 2014). The changes are required to be incorporated for helping the organisation and its staff members for acting in a flexible fashion in the new bus iness environment or setting. Finally, the Freezing stage reflects on the different policies and procedures that are required to be generated for effectively enforcing the organisational members to rightly follow the change approach. The generation of new set of rules and policy measures are made by the organisational managers such that the same are required to be potentially followed by the staffs pertaining to various levels for contributing in the meeting of organisational and business objectives as reflected in the Unfreezing stage (Cummings Worley, 2014). Application of the Change Model to the expansionary endeavours of Carrefour in the food retail and wholesale sector of United Kingdom reflects that in the Unfreezing stage the management body of Carrefour is required to reflect on the potential opportunities that Carrefour would gain based on its expansion endeavours in the United Kingdom market. The aspect of UK consumers reflecting an interest for conducting purchasing activities on the virtual plane and also their interests in gaining quality food products at affordable prices are observed as two potential business opportunities by the Carrefour management that would help them in penetrating a larger consumer market (Schroeder, 2012). Reflecting, on the Change aspect, the management body of Carrefour is required to evaluate and identify potential facts like interests for long working hours of the UK staffs and managers operating in the retail sector, requirement for the conducting of meetings in a frequent fashion, need for working in a collaborative and team based setting and also of designing effective and formal presentations for communicating to a larger audience. The above highlighted are some of the behavioural and organisational changes that are required to be effectively introduced by the organisational managers of Carrefour for helping in developing an effective presence in the UK market (Nanquette, 2013). Finally, in the Freezing stage the Carrefour management is required for generation of effective policies and procedures that would help in enforcing team work and collaboration, sharing, communicating through convening of meetings and also the development of effective presentations while also requiring organisational members to work for long working hours. The management body of Carrefour is also required to focus on the development of training activities for training the people to speak based on formal British accent (Nanquette, 2013). References Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2011. The United Kingdom - A Sophisticated Retail Sector. [Online] Available at: https://www.agr.gc.ca/eng/industry-markets-and-trade/statistics-and-market-information/by-region/europe/market-intelligence/the-united-kingdom-a-sophisticated-retail-sector/?id=1410083148597 [Accessed 27 March 2016]. Bevis, M., 2014. The future of the grocery sector in the UK. [Online] Available at: https://www.retailthinktank.co.uk/whitepaper/the-future-of-the-grocery-sector-in-the-uk/ [Accessed 27 March 2016]. Cummings, T.G. Worley, C.G., 2014. Organization Development and Change. United States : Cengage Learning. Custance, P., Harness, D. Lindgreen, A., 2012. Market Orientation: Transforming Food and Agribusiness around the Customer. United Kingdom : Gower Publishing. Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs , 2016. Total Factor Productivity of the United Kingdom Food Chain 2014 - provisional estimate. [Online] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/495683/foodchainanalysis-productivity-statsnotice-28jan16.pdf [Accessed 27 March 2016]. GOV.UK, 2013. Organic certification and standards. [Online] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/organic-certification-and-standards [Accessed 27 March 2016]. Hosken, D., Olson, L.M. Smith, L.K., 2012. Do Retail Mergers Affect Competition? Evidence from Grocery Retailing. Washington DC: FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION. Nanquette, L., 2013. Orientalism Versus Occidentalism: Literary and Cultural Imaging Between France and Iran Since the Islamic Revolution. France : I.B.Tauris. OECD, 2013. Competition Issues in the Food Chain Industry. [Online] Available at: https://www.oecd.org/daf/competition/CompetitionIssuesintheFoodChainIndustry.pdf [Accessed 27 March 2016]. Retail Economics , 2015. Outlook for the retail sector in 2015. [Online] Available at: https://www.retaileconomics.co.uk/insights/outlook-for-the-retail-sector-in-2015.asp [Accessed 27 March 2016]. Schroeder, A., 2012. Entry strategy for Carrefour for entry into the UK market. United Kingdom : GRIN Verlag. Seely, A., 2012. Supermarkets : competition inquiries into the groceries market. United Kingdom: House of Commons. The Guardian , 2014. Brutal competition batters supermarkets the world over. [Online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/oct/05/supermarkets-discounters-europe-us-china-japan [Accessed 27 March 2016]. Vasquez, J., 2016. United Kingdom Retail Foods 2015. United Kingdom: GAIN Report. Wood, S. McCarthy, D., 2013. The UK Food Retail Race for Space and Market Saturation: A Contemporary Review. [Online] Available at: https://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/797766/1/The%20UK%20Food%20Retail%20Race%20for%20Space.pdf [Accessed 27 March 2016].

Superior Manufacturing free essay sample

Although Exhibit 4 was useful to understand what changes (i. e. o cost items) helped Superior improve its profitability, it does not explain the reasons behind such changes and therefore we cannot be sure that 2005’s results reflect a true improvement in profitability as shown. For example, if the reduction in depreciation was due to a change in method in 2005, we would need to take account of this and apply the same method to 2004’s figures in order to reveal a fair profitability comparison between the two time periods. Q4. Why is it Important that Superior has an effective cost system? What is your overall appraisal of the company’s cost system and its use in reports to management? List the strengths and weaknesses of this system and its related reports for the purposes management uses the system’s output. What recommendations, if any, would you make to Waters regarding the company’s cost accounting system and its related reports? Simple cost system: Strategic planning, product-line decisions, identifying manufacturing process-improvement opportunities, profitability analysis, performance evaluation, cost control, and inventory valuation purposes (value inventories, prepare budgets, and analyze performance). We will write a custom essay sample on Superior Manufacturing or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There are several reasons why it is important that Superior has an effective cost system. Firstly, accurate budget planning of a production is central to the success of a business. That is to say, allocating one’s resource in the right place in the beginning is particularly essential to achieve a promising result. Secondly, Superior’s manufacturing strategy was based on the â€Å"dedicated factory† concept, which means each factory has its own direct cost, such as raw material, used in its production line. That implies that it is easy for the managers to tell whether a product generates money and to calculate the direct/indirect costs in order to control costs in each factory. Furthermore, an effective cost system would provide Superior high-level executives advantages to position their goals in terms of profitability and improve their decision making process towards such goals. Strengths: †¢ Entire view of costs (direct/indirect costs, variable/non-variable costs) †¢ Performance tracking in each production line.

M4 - Wal-Mart and Workplace Discrimination EssayEssay Writing Service

M4 - Wal-Mart and Workplace Discrimination EssayEssay Writing Service M4 Wal-Mart and Workplace Discrimination Essay M4 Wal-Mart and Workplace Discrimination EssayThe name of Walmart corporation is associated not only with retail, but also with courts and lawsuits. A particularly notable suit was filed on behalf of Betty Dukes and supported by other women working for Walmart. In the lawsuit, it is stated that Walmart is allegedly discriminating against women in various forms: women have fewer chances of receiving training and being promoted, they are assigned to low-paid departments more often than men; women are paid less for same or comparable job activities, Â  have to work in a hostile environment and experience pressure due to gender discrimination; other employees retaliate against women who dare to oppose gender discrimination (Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes).The case was filed in 2001 as a class action lawsuit on behalf of 1.6 million women working in Walmart in the United States (PBS, 2011). There were notable statistical data for male and female pay that was meant to support the claims. In 2004, the status of a class action lawsuit was approved, but Walmart appealed the decision. Walmart defended its position by stating that the company assigned most responsibility to regional and local store managers and therefore job practices in different areas could significantly differ from each other. Basing on these reasons and on statistical differences, Walmart demanded that women should file individual claims and each of these claims should be considered separately.In 2007, the Ninth Circuit ruled first in support of class action, then dismissed the decision in the end of 2007, and granted a rehearing of the lawsuit on the certification of class action (Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes). Eventually the Supreme Court ruled the case in favor of Walmart in 2011. It was decided that the commonality of cases was not sufficient to form a class action lawsuit. Instead, the lawsuit was taken down to the state level. It is expected to be considered in the states in which the eviden ce of gender discrimination was the most notable California and Texas (PBS, 2011).Despite the fact that the case was ruled in favor of Walmart, this lawsuit had a positive impact on the issues related to workplace gender discrimination in the United States. Walmart improved its corporate policies for women and created special programs empowering women. For example, Walmart is currently investing into such programs as empowering women through training, sourcing from business owned by women, promotion of diversity and inclusion among the suppliers of professional services and merchandising suppliers (Walmart, 2014).Betty Dukes who is still determined to protect her rights and the rights of other women working in Walmart in the court contributed a lot to reducing gender inequality and empowering women. She is viewed as the role model by many women who decide to protect their rights in the court (PBS, 2011). Increased public attention to the questions of gender discrimination and workp lace discrimination at Walmart urged the company to review its policies and attitudes. The fact that workplace issues pertaining to gender discrimination are reviewed and that equality is explicitly promoted by the company stimulates managers and other Walmart employees to be more tolerant and more just in those cases where discrimination might have emerged in the 2000s.In addition, even the decision to review the lawsuit at state level might be beneficial for gender equality. According to PBS (2011), the decisions on these lawsuits might create a certain national standard for treating women and promoting gender equality which would be later adopted by Walmart stores and other large employments in other states. Hence, this lawsuit has a largely positive impact on gender discrimination issues in the workplace.

Sex and the City TV Show Quotations

Sex and the City TV Show Quotations A perfect play on words, Sex and the City quotes are full of witticisms and unabashed humor.  Here is a refreshing collection of Sex and the City quotes for good coffee-time reading.   Great Quotes From Sex and the City Charlotte: I just know no matter how good I feel about myself, if I see Christy Turlington, I just wanna give up.Miranda: Well I just want to tie her down and force feed her lard, but thats the difference between you and me.Carrie: [to Big] Were so over we need a new word for over.Miranda: Im sorry, if a man is over thirty and single, theres something wrong with him. Its Darwinian. Theyre being weeded out or propagating the species.Detective: You Irish?Miranda: No, why?Detective: Coz you have beautiful red hair.Miranda: Well I guess anybody can be Irish with the right colorist.Carrie: There are 1.3 million single men in New York, 1.8 million single women, and of these more than 3 million people, about 12 think theyre having enough sex.Carrie: I like my money where I can see it - hanging in my closet.Miranda: Whatever happened to aging gracefully?Carrie: It got old.Carrie: When it comes to relationships, maybe we’re all in glass houses, and shouldn’t throw stones. Becaus e you can never really know. Some people are settling down, some are settling and some people refuse to settle for anything less than butterflies. Samanthas terrified to get an AIDS test...Samantha: What if I have it?Carrie: You dont have it.Samantha: Sometimes it takes me a really long time to get over a cold.Carrie: Thats not AIDS, thats central air conditioning.Samantha: Im a try-sexual. Ill try anything once.Miranda: Theyre starting to die on us.Charlotte: Oh my god.Samantha: Well at least you werent stood up.Miranda: 35 and theyre dying. We should just give up now.Carrie: Well, on the bright side, this could explain why they dont call back.Samantha: Hmm.Charlotte: How did he... ?Miranda: Heart attack.Samantha: Oh.Miranda: At the gym.Carrie: See, this is why I dont work out.Miranda: My marriage is going through a rough spot. I dont have time to wax!Samantha: [Upon seeing a firefighter stripper] Hello, 911. Im on fire!Carrie: Maybe some women arent meant to be tamed. Maybe they just need to run free until they find someone just as wild to run with.Mr. Big: Nice dress.Carrie: Meaning?Mr. Big: Nice dress.Carrie: [after hearing Big is moving to Napa, California] If your tired of New York you take a napa, you dont move to Napa! Charlotte: [On seeing the tacky floral arrangement at Mirandas mothers funeral] They were supposed to say Im sorry, I love you not Youre dead, lets disco!.Samantha: [to the girls] I think I have monogamy. I caught it from you.Carrie: Yes, its airborne.Charlotte: I was a teen model when the Ralph Lauren store opened in New Haven.Miranda: Okay, it was amazing that I could keep my lunch down just now.Miranda: Wow! A guy who doesnt want to get married! Film at eleven!Charlotte: So, which church does his mother go to?Carrie: Park Avenue Presbyterian.Charlotte: Good church! Its one of the best on the east side!Carrie: What, are you rating churches? Is there a Zagat guide for that?Miranda: Four stars. Great bread; disappointing wine selection. Carrie:  Now Ive laid down a gauntlet. He either has to say I love you back or I guess Im going to have to break up with him.Charlotte:  Well, how long are you going to give him?Carrie:  Well, I didnt put an expiration date on the sentiment, but I figure its got the shelf life of a dairy product. Its going to start to curdle in about a week.Duncan:  Im just one of those weird male aberrations who  prefers  to be married. I like stability, I like routine. I like knowing  theres  people waiting for me at home. I guess that makes me sound pretty dull.Miranda:  Are you kidding? Youre the heterosexual holy grail.Carrie:  So what type of movies do you compose for?Patrick:  Really bad ones. You know, the I Screamed When I Knew What You Did Last Summer on Elm Street type.Samantha:  You know, women dressing like men is very popular right now.Carrie:  And here I thought it was Pokemon.Steve:  Oh come on, I want a baby. It would be fun.Miranda:  Its not like owning a foosball table, Steve.Aidan:  Dont take this the wrong way but this place could use a little work.Carrie:  I know, but I cant afford it.Aidan:  Youve got eight thousand bucks worth of shoes over there.Carrie:  I needed those! Miranda:  (looking at a bride magazine)  Ooh! Cute purse!Charlotte:  No purses! Theres no time for purses! This is gown-specific!Miranda:  Whats your theme again? A Nazi wedding?Carrie:  Id like to think that people have more than one soulmate.Samantha:  I agree! Ive had hundreds.Carrie:  Yeah! And you know what, if you miss one, along comes another one. Like cabs.Charlotte:  I promise I wont become one of those mothers who can only talk about diaper genies.Carrie:  Good.Samantha:  What the hell is a diaper genie?Carrie:  I dont know... someone you hire to change a kids diaper?Samantha:  These fast food apple pies are surprisingly delicious!Carrie:  I know! Why would anybody go to the trouble of making one when you can buy one that is so perfect and individually sized?A performance artist is starving herself and refusing to speak while on public display.Aleksandr:  You dont think its significant?Carrie:  Oh please! There are depressed women all over New York doing the exact same thing as her and not calling it art. I mean, if you put a phone up on that platform, its just a typical Friday night waiting for some guy to call. Samantha:  (on not getting hired because shes a woman)  What does he think Im gonna do? Get my period and ruin his empire?!FBI Agent, to Samantha:  Maam, can you undo your cuffs so we can use ours?Miranda:  He has to get baptized and wear a dress.Carrie:  Babys first drag show!Carrie:  Ooh! I forgot about the washer and dryer! Ive been dreaming about that my whole New York life!Samantha:  Whos the farmer with the dells?Carrie:  Young MacDonald?Samantha:  Oooh! E-I-E-I-O!Guy:  This floors  non smoking!Carrie:  I have an addiction, sir!Carrie:  It was a typical downtown male mix. Ten percent Wall Street, ten percent real estate, and ten percent Samantha had already slept with.Charlotte:  I proposed myself!Carrie:  What?Charlotte:  Yes. I suggested he have a tomato salad, then I suggested we get married.Carrie:  Wait. What exactly did he say?Charlotte:  Alrighty!Carrie:  Alrighty?  He said  alrighty? Now Im thinking the upsetting thing isnt that you proposed, its that you proposed to a guy that says alrighty.Charlotte:  Oh, Carrie, stop!Carrie:  Alrighty. Charlotte:  ...you shouldnt be talking like that at all, Samantha, its rude and politically incorrect.Carrie:  Sweetie, a reminder: Samantha is rude and politically incorrect.Miranda:  Shes an equal opportunity offender.Miranda:  You double-booked?Carrie:  How do you conceive pulling this one off?Charlotte:  Early dinner with bachelor number one, late supper with bachelor number two.Samantha:  My god, youre turning into a man!Carrie voiceover:  Apparently Charlotte had done more than just break a pattern. She had actually changed genders.Charlotte:  I just dont know how Im going to eat two dinners in a row.Carrie voiceover:  And just like that, she was a woman again.Big:  I never really thought about it.Carrie:  Oh come on. Everybody wonders what happens after you die.Big:  Im too busy wondering whos dinging my car in the garage.Carrie:  If you keep talking like that Im going to have to charge you by the minute.Anthony on his cell:  Charlottes wedding dr ess stylist Sorry, thought it was my Mother. FIFTEEN phone calls to make sure I get her the cheapest possible sheets from Bed, Bath and Friggin Beyond! Carrie:  And then I realized something, twenty-something girls are just fabulous, until you see one with the man who broke your heart.Charlotte:  Trey, you have a boner... I cant discuss my notes if you have a boner.

The Challenges of 21 Century Leaders with Multi-Age Workforce Essay

The Challenges of 21 Century Leaders with Multi-Age Workforce - Essay Example Even then, age still influenced fashion, slang, and leisure activities, and these were brought into the workplace without causing any disruption. By the turn of the 21st century, the differences in attitude, style, language, and motivation had become obviously different across the generations, as each new crop of children sought new ways to differentiate them. Values, political and social viewpoints, the concept of authority, and technology have invaded the workplace as four generations attempt to communicate across generations and assume new worker roles. Every aspect of the workplace, from what to put in the vending machine to how to implement change, has been affected by these sharp generational differences. The CEO, Mr. Smith, is now simply addressed as Bob, and casual Fridays have spread to more days of the week (Remke 1999, pg 7). Managers are challenged by this experience, as they must accommodate all generations without offending any of them. Managers may find themselves chan ging generational hats several times a day, which will soon be perceived as shallow and disingenuous. A better approach is to seek a management style that includes all ages and doesn't disrespect the values of the others. According to Remke (1999, p 8), the multi-generational management style will need to be acceptable to the attitudes and temperament of the individual manager. The purpose of this paper is to provide information about the various values, attitudes, goals, and motivations that affect the four distinct generations and examine the implications that these differences have for the workplace. This paper will additionally make recommendations in regards to how this information might be used to develop a management style that is tune with today's multi-generational workforce. Of course, every manager will need to develop their own unique style  based on their individual characteristics. However, this paper will show that there are some universal management techniques that can be used to bridge the age gap in the workforce.  

Examine the distinguishing features of HRM in Europe Essay - 1

Examine the distinguishing features of HRM in Europe - Essay Example Human Resource Management is an important part of this global trend. Not too many years ago, M.B.A. graduates were simply required to have a basic level of understanding of a single HRM system located within their own country. Today, business leaders must deal with a complex international HRM environment where a company’s personnel practices are often shaped by the culture of the country, the corporate expectations of its citizens and the role that a country’s public sector agencies play in determining private sector outcomes (Briscoe &Schuler, 2008). Much of the literature on HRM in European firms attempts to determine if HRM policies and practices across Western Europe are converging or diverging. Those who support the convergent approach argue that HRM systems in European democratic polities share much in common and that a European model of HRM has emerged particularly since the advent of the European Union. Proponents of the divergent approach contend that Europe is comprised of many different cultures, social and political institutions, languages and economic systems andd that a unitary model of HRM is impossible to achieve even within the context of the EU (Brewster, 2007). This convergent-divergent dichotomy serves as a useful theoretical framework for this paper. Through the examination of the recent literature on international HRM in European businesses, the paper argues that existing HRM practices in Europe tend to be more representative of the divergent end of the HRM policy continuum. It concludes with a discussion of some of the ramifications that a divergent HRM policy environment has for the future of economic prosperity in the European Union. In a 2009 comprehensive analysis of human resource practices in Europe, Mayrhoefer and Brewster developed an empirical model that allows for comparisons of HRM systems and practices within European countries.

The Power of a Magnifying Glass Essay Example for Free

The Power of a Magnifying Glass Essay The magnification of a magnifying glass depends upon where it is placed between the users eye and the object being viewed, and the total distance between them. The magnifying power is equivalent to angular magnification (this should not be confused with optical power, which is a different quantity). The magnifying power is the ratio of the sizes of the images formed on the users retina with and without the lens.[3] For the without case, it is typically assumed that the user would bring the object as close to the eye as possible without it becoming blurry. This point, known as the near point, varies with age. In a young child it can be as close as 5 cm, while in an elderly person it may be as far as one or two metres. Magnifiers are typically characterized using a standard value of 0.25 m. The highest magnifying power is obtained by putting the lens very close to the eye and moving the eye and the lens together to obtain the best focus. The object will then typically also be close to the lens. The magnifying power obtained in this condition is MP0 =  ¼ÃŽ ¦ + 1, where ÃŽ ¦ is the optical power in dioptres, and the factor of  ¼ comes from the assumed distance to the near point ( ¼ m from the eye). This value of the magnifying power is the one normally used to characterize magnifiers. It is typically denoted mÃâ€", where m = MP0. This is sometimes called the total power of the magnifier (again, not to be confused with optical power). Magnifiers are not always used as described above, however. It is much more comfortable to put the magnifier close to the object (one focal length away). The eye can then be a larger distance away, and a good image can be obtained very easily; the focus is not very sensitive to the eyes exact position. The magnifying power in this case is roughly MP =  ¼ÃŽ ¦. A typical magnifying glass might have a focal length of 25 cm, corresponding to an optical power of 4 dioptres. Such a magnifier would be sold as a 2Ãâ€" magnifier. In actual use, an observer with typical eyes would obtain a magnifying power between 1 and 2, depending on where lens is held. Using this principle, a magnifying glass can also be used to focus light, such as to concentrate the suns radiation to create a hot spot at the focus.

no pretty pictures :: essays research papers

"Nominated for a 1998 National Book Award for Young People's Literature, No Pretty Pictures: A Child of War is Anita Lobel's gripping memoir of surviving the Holocaust. A Caldecott-winning illustrator of such delightful picture books as On Market Street, it is difficult to believe Lobel endured the horrific childhood she did. From age 5 to age 10, Lobel spent what are supposed to be carefree years hiding from the Nazis, protecting her younger brother, being captured and marched from camp to camp, and surviving completely dehumanizing conditions. A terrifying story by any measure, Lobel's memoir is all the more haunting as told from the first-person, child's-eye view. Her girlhood voice tells it like it is, without irony or even complete understanding, but with matter-of-fact honesty and astonishing attention to detail. She carves vivid, enduring images into readers' minds. On hiding in the attic of the ghetto: "We were always told to be very quiet. The whispers of the trap ped grown-ups sounded like the noise of insects rubbing their legs together." On being discovered while hiding in a convent: "They lined us up facing the wall. I looked at the dark red bricks in front of me and waited for the shots. When the shouting continued and the shots didn't come, I noticed my breath hanging in thin puffs in the air." On trying not to draw the attention of the Nazis: "I wanted to shrink away. To fold into a small invisible thing that had no detectable smell. No breath. No flesh. No sound." It is a miracle that Lobel and her brother survived on their own in this world that any adult would find unbearable. Indeed, and appropriately, there are no pretty pictures here, and adults choosing to share this story with younger readers should make themselves readily available for explanations and comforting words. (The camps are full of excrement and death, all faithfully recorded in direct, unsparing language.) But this is a story that must be told, from the shocking beginning when a young girl watches the Nazis march into Krakow, to the final words of Lobel's epilogue: "My life has been good. I want more." (Ages 10 to 16) --Brangien Davis From Booklist Gr. 6^-12. The truth of the child's viewpoint is the strength of this Holocaust survivor story, told with physical immediacy and no "pride of victimhood." Lobel's ebullient, gorgeously colored illustrated books--from the Caldecott Honor Book On Market Street (1982) to Toads and Diamonds (1996)--give no hint of her dark, terrifying childhood.

Blood Promise Chapter Twenty-Seven

I didn't recognize the guy Sydney sent to meet us when we reached Novosibirsk, but he had the same golden tattoo that she did. He was sandy-haired and in his thirties-and human, of course. He looked competent and trustworthy, and as I leaned against the car, he laughed and spoke to the elderly couple like they'd been best friends forever. There was a professional and reassuring air about him, and soon they were smiling too. I'm not sure what he told them, maybe that I was his wayward daughter or something, but they apparently felt good enough to leave me in his hands. I supposed with their jobs, the Alchemist charm in action. When the old man and woman drove off, his demeanor shifted slightly. He didn't seem as cold as Sydney initially had, but there was no laughing or joking with me. He'd become distinctly businesslike, and I couldn't help but think of the stories of men in black, the people who cleaned up after extraterrestrial encounters in order to keep the world ignorant of the truth. â€Å"Can you walk?† he asked, eyeing me up and down. â€Å"Unclear at this time,† I replied. It turned out I could, just not very well. With his help, I eventually ended up at a town house over in a residential part of the city. I was bleary-eyed and barely able to stay on my feet by that point. There were other people there, but none of them registered. The only thing that mattered was the bedroom someone took me to. I mustered enough strength at that point to break free of the arm supporting me and do a face-plant right in the middle of the bed. I fell asleep instantly. I awoke to bright sunshine filling my room and voices speaking in hushed tones. Considering everything that I'd been through, I wouldn't have been surprised to see Dimitri, Tatiana, or even Dr. Olendzki from the Academy there. Instead, it was Abe's bearded face that looked down at me, the light making all of his jewelry gleam. For a moment, his face blurred, and all I saw was dark, dark water-water that threatened to wash me away. Dimitri's last words echoed in my head: That's what I was supposed to say†¦ He'd understood that I wanted to hear that he loved me. What would have happened if we'd had a few moments more? Would he have said those words? Would he have meant them? And would it have mattered? With the same resolve I'd mustered before, I parted the waters swirling in my mind, ordering myself to push aside last night as long as I could. I would drown if I thought about it. Now I had to swim. Abe's face came back into focus. â€Å"Greetings, Zmey,† I said weakly. Somehow, him being here didn't surprise me. Sydney would have had to tell her superiors about me, who in turn would have told Abe. â€Å"Nice of you to slither on in.† He shook his head, wearing a rueful smile. â€Å"I think you've outdone me when it comes to sneaking around dark corners. I thought you were on your way back to Montana.† â€Å"Next time, make sure you write a few more details into your bargains. Or just pack me up and send me back to the U.S. for real.† â€Å"Oh,† he said, â€Å"that's exactly what I intend to do.† He kept smiling as he said it, but somehow, I had a feeling he wasn't joking. And suddenly, I no longer feared that fate. Going home was starting to sound good. Mark and Oksana walked over to stand beside him. Their presence was unexpected but welcome. They smiled too, faces melancholy but relieved. I sat up in bed, surprised I could move at all. â€Å"You healed me,† I said to Oksana. â€Å"I still hurt, but I don't feel like I'm going to die, which I have to think is an improvement.† She nodded. â€Å"I did enough to make sure you weren't in immediate danger. I figured I could do the rest when you woke up.† I shook my head. â€Å"No, no. I'll recover on my own.† I always hated it when Lissa healed me. I didn't want her wasting the strength on me. I also didn't want her inviting spirit's side effects. Lissa†¦ I jerked the covers off of me. â€Å"Oh my God! I have to get home. Right now.† Immediately, three pairs of arms blocked my way. â€Å"Hold on,† said Mark. â€Å"You aren't going anywhere. Oksana only healed you a little. You're a long way from being recovered.† â€Å"And you still haven't told us what happened,† said Abe, eyes as shrewd as ever. He was someone who needed to know everything, and the mysteries around me probably drove him crazy. â€Å"There's no time! Lissa's in trouble. I have to get back to school.† It was all coming back to me. Lissa's erratic behavior and crazy stunts, driven by some kind of compulsion-or super-compulsion, I supposed, seeing as Avery had been able to shove me out of Lissa's head. â€Å"Oh, now you want to go back to Montana?† exclaimed Abe. â€Å"Rose, even if there was a plane waiting for you out in the other room, that's a twenty hour trip, at minimum. And you're in no condition to go anywhere.† I shook my head, still trying to get on my feet. After what I'd faced last night, this group wasn't that much of a threat-well, maybe Mark was-but I could hardly start throwing punches. And yeah, I still wasn't sure what Abe could do. â€Å"You don't get it! Someone's trying to kill Lissa or hurt her or†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Well, I didn't really understand what Avery wanted. All I knew was that Avery had somehow been compelling Lissa to do all sorts of reckless things. She had to be amazingly strong in spirit to not only manage those feats but also keep it hidden from Lissa and Adrian. She'd even created a false aura to hide her golden one. I had no idea how that magnitude of power was possible, particularly considering that Avery's fun-loving personality could hardly be called insane. Whatever her scheme, Lissa was at risk. I had to do something. Removing Abe from the equation, I looked up at Mark and Oksana pleadingly. â€Å"It's my bondmate,† I explained. â€Å"She's in trouble. Someone's trying to hurt her. I have to go to her-you understand why I have to.† And I saw in their faces that they did understand. I also knew that in my situation, they'd try exactly the same thing for each other. Mark sighed. â€Å"Rose†¦ we'll help you get to her, but we can't do it now.† â€Å"We'll contact the school,† said Abe matter-of-factly. â€Å"They'll take care of it.† Right. And how exactly would we do that? Call up Headmaster Lazar and tell him his party-girl daughter was actually corrupting and controlling people with psychic powers and that she needed to be locked up for Lissa's and everyone else's good? My lack of an answer seemed to make them think they'd convinced me, Abe in particular. â€Å"With Oksana's help, you'd probably be in good enough condition to leave tomorrow,† he added. â€Å"I can book a morning flight the next day.† â€Å"Will she be all right until then?† Oksana asked me gently. â€Å"I†¦ I don't know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  What could Avery do in two days' time? Alienate and embarrass Lissa further? Horrible things, but not permanent or life threatening. Surely, surely†¦ she'd be okay that long, right? â€Å"Let me see†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I saw Mark's eyes widen slightly as he realized what I was about to do. Then I saw nothing in the room anymore because I was no longer there. I was in Lissa's head. A new set of sights settled in around me, and for half a second, I thought I stood on the bridge again and was looking down into black waters and a cold death. Then I gained a grip on what I saw-or rather, what Lissa saw. She was standing on the ledge of a window in some building on campus. It was nighttime. I couldn't tell offhand which building it was, but it didn't matter. Lissa was on what appeared to be the sixth floor, standing there in high heels, laughing about something while the dark ground threatened below. Behind her, I heard Avery's voice. â€Å"Lissa, be careful! You shouldn't be up there.† But it had the same double meaning that permeated everything Avery did. Even as she said those words of caution, I could feel a reckless drive within Lissa, something telling her that it was okay to be where she was and not to worry so much. It was Avery's compulsion. Then, I felt that brushing of my mind, and the annoyed voice. You again? I was forced back out, back to the bedroom in Novosibirsk. Abe was freaking out, apparently thinking I'd gone into some catatonic fit, and Mark and Oksana were attempting to explain to him what had happened. I blinked and rubbed my head as I gathered myself, and Mark breathed a sigh of relief. â€Å"It's much stranger watching someone do that than it is doing it myself.† â€Å"She's in trouble,† I said, attempting to get up again. â€Å"She's in trouble†¦ and I don't know what to do†¦Ã¢â‚¬  They were right in saying there was no way on earth I could get to Lissa anytime soon. And even if I followed Abe's suggestion and contacted the school†¦ I didn't know for sure where Lissa was at or even if anyone there would believe me. I thought about jumping back in and trying to read Lissa's location from her mind, but Avery would likely throw me out again. From what I had briefly felt, Lissa didn't have her cell phone on her-no surprise. There were strict rules about having them in classes, so she usually left hers in her dorm room. But I knew someone who would have his. And who would believe me. â€Å"Does anyone have a phone?† I asked. Abe gave me his, and I dialed Adrian's number, surprised I had it memorized. Adrian was mad at me, but he cared about Lissa. He would help her, no matter his grudge toward me. And he would believe me when I tried to explain a crazy, spirit-induced plot. But when the other end of the line picked up, it was his voicemail that answered, not the man himself. â€Å"I know how devastated you must be to miss me,† his cheery voice said, â€Å"but leave a message, and I'll try to ease your agony as soon as possible.† I disconnected, feeling lost. Suddenly, I looked up at Oksana as one of my crazier ideas came to mind. â€Å"You†¦ you can do that thing†¦ where you actively go in someone's mind and touch their thoughts, right? Like you did to me?† She grimaced slightly. â€Å"Yes, but it's not something I like to do. I don't think it's right.† â€Å"Can you compel them once you're in there?† She looked even more disgusted. â€Å"Well, yes, of course†¦ the two things are actually very similar. But reaching in someone's mind is one thing and forcing them into some unwanted behavior is an entirely different matter.† â€Å"My friend is about to do something dangerous,† I said. â€Å"It could kill her. She's being compelled, but I can't do anything about it. The bond won't let me actively reach her. I can only watch. If you could reach inside my friend's head and compel her out of danger†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Oksana shook her head. â€Å"Supposing morals weren't an issue, I can't reach into someone who's not actually here-let alone someone I've never met.† I raked a hand through my hair, panic setting in. I wished Oksana knew how to walk dreams. That would at least give her the long-distance capability. All of these spirit powers seemed to be one off from each other, each having some additional nuance. Someone who could dream walk might be able to take the next step and visit someone awake. An even crazier idea came to me. This was a groundbreaking day. â€Å"Oksana†¦ you can reach into my mind, right?† â€Å"Yes,† she reaffirmed. â€Å"If I†¦ if I was in my bondmate's head at the time, could you reach into me and then reach into her mind? Could I, like, be the link between you guys?† â€Å"I've never heard of anything like that,† murmured Mark. â€Å"That's because we've never had this many spirit users and shadow-kissed around before,† I pointed out. Abe, understandably, looked completely lost. A shadow fell over Oksana's face. â€Å"I don't know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Either it works or it doesn't,† I said. â€Å"If it doesn't, then there's no harm done. But if you can reach her through me†¦ you can compel her.† She started to speak, and I cut her off. â€Å"I know, I know†¦ you think it's wrong. But this other spirit user? She's the one who's wrong. All you have to do is compel Lissa out of danger. She's ready to jump out a window! Stop her now; then I'll get to her in another day or so and fix things.† And by fix things, I meant ruin Avery's pretty face with a black eye. In my bizarre life, I'd grown pretty used to people-especially adults-rejecting my outlandish ideas and proclamations. I'd had a hell of a time convincing people that Victor had kidnapped Lissa and an equally hard time making the guardians believe the school was under attack. So when situations like this happened, part of me almost expected resistance. But the thing was, as stable as they were, Oksana and Mark had been fighting with spirit for most of their lives. Crazy was kind of par for the course for them, and after a moment, she didn't argue any further. â€Å"All right,† she said. â€Å"Give me your hands.† â€Å"What's going on?† asked Abe, still totally clueless. I took a small amount of satisfaction in seeing him out of his league for a change. Mark murmured something to Oksana in Russian and kissed her on the cheek. He was warning her to be careful, not condemning her for her choice. I knew he'd want the same thing if she were in Lissa's place. The love that flashed between them was so deep and so strong that I nearly lost my resolve to do this. That kind of love reminded me of Dimitri, and if I allowed myself to think about him for even a moment more, I was going to relive last night†¦ I clasped Oksana's hands, a knot of fear coiling in my stomach. I didn't like the idea of someone being in my head, even though that was a hypocritical sentiment for someone who was constantly traveling into her best friend's mind. Oksana gave me a small smile, though it was obvious she was as nervous as me. â€Å"I'm sorry,† she said. â€Å"I hate doing this to people†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And then I felt it, the same thing that had happened when Avery pushed me out. It was like the actual physical sensation of someone touching my brain. I gasped, looking into Oksana's eyes as waves of heat and cold ran through me. Oksana was in my head. â€Å"Now go to your friend,† she said. I did. I focused my thoughts into Lissa and found her still standing on the window's ledge. Better she was there than on the ground, but I still wanted her off and back in the room before something bad happened. That wasn't for me to do, however. I was the taxi, so to speak. Oksana was the one who had to literally talk Lissa off the ledge. Only I had no indication the other woman had come with me. When I'd jumped to Lissa's mind, I'd lost that sense of Oksana. No more tickling of the mind. Oksana? I thought. Are you there? There was no response-not from Oksana, at least. The answer came from a very unexpected source. Rose? It was Lissa's voice that spoke in my mind. She froze her position in the window and abruptly cut off whatever she'd been laughing about with Avery. I felt Lissa's terror and confusion as she wondered if she was imagining me. She peered around the room, her eyes passing over Avery. Avery recognized something was going on, and her face hardened. I felt the familiar sense of her presence in Lissa's mind and wasn't surprised when Avery tried to shove me out again. Except-it didn't work. Avery kicking me out in the past had always felt like an actual shove. I got the impression that when she tried it now, it felt like hitting a brick wall to her. I wasn't so easy to push around anymore. Oksana was with me somehow, lending her strength. Avery was still in Lissa's line of sight, and I saw those adorable blue-gray eyes go wide with shock that she couldn't control me. Oh, I thought. It's on, bitch! Rose? Lissa's voice was there again. Am I going crazy? Not yet. But you have to get down, right now. I think Avery's trying to kill you. Kill me? I could feel and hear Lissa's incredulity. She'd never do that. Look, let's not argue it for now. Just get out of the window and call it good. I felt the impulse in Lissa, felt her shift and start to put one foot down. Then it was like some core part of herself stopped her. Her foot stayed where it was†¦ and slowly began to grow unsteady†¦ That was Avery at work. I wondered if Oksana, lurking in the background of this bond, could overpower that compulsion. No, Oksana wasn't active here. Her spirit powers had somehow gotten me into actively communicating with Lissa, but she was remaining passive. I'd expected to be the bridge and thought Oksana would jump to Lissa's mind and compel her. The situation was reversed, though, and I didn't actually have compulsion powers. All I had was legendary wit and powers of persuasion. Lissa, you have to fight Avery, I said. She's a spirit user, and she's compelling you. You're one of the strongest compulsion users I know. You should be able to fight her. Fear answered me. I can't†¦ I can't compel right now. Why not? Because I've been drinking. I mentally groaned. Of course. That was why Avery was always so quick to supply Lissa with alcohol. It numbed spirit, as demonstrated in Adrian's frequent indulgences. Avery had encouraged the drinking so that Lissa's spirit abilities would weaken and give her less resistance. There were a number of times Lissa hadn't been able to gauge exactly how much Avery was drinking; in retrospect, Avery must have been doing a fair amount of faking. Then use ordinary willpower, I told her. It's possible to resist compulsion. It was true. Compulsion wasn't an automatic ticket to world domination. Some people were better at resisting it than others, though a Strigoi or spirit user certainly complicated matters. I felt Lissa build up her resolve, felt her repeat my words over and over, that she had to be strong and step back off the ledge. She worked to push away that impulse Avery had implanted, and without knowing how, I suddenly found myself pushing on it as well. Lissa and I joined our strength together and started shoving Avery out. In the physical world, Avery and Lissa's gazes were locked as the psychic struggle continued. Avery's face showed hard concentration that suddenly became overlaid with shock. She'd noticed me fighting her too. Her eyes narrowed, and when she spoke, it was me she addressed and not Lissa. â€Å"Oh,† Avery hissed, â€Å"you do not want to mess with me.† Didn't I? There was a rush of heat and that feeling of someone reaching into my mind. Only it wasn't Oksana. It was Avery, and she was doing some serious investigation of my thoughts and memories. I understood now what Oksana meant about it being invasive and a violation. It wasn't just looking through someone's eyes; it was spying on their most intimate thoughts. And then, the world around me dissolved. I stood in a room I didn't recognize. For a moment, I thought I was back in Galina's estate. It certainly had that rich, expensive feel to it. But no. After a moment's examination, I realized this wasn't the same at all. The furnishings were different. Even the vibe was different. Galina's home had been beautiful, but there had been a cold, impersonal feel to it. This place was inviting and clearly well loved. The plush couch had a quilt thrown haphazardly in its corner, as though someone-or maybe two someones-had been cuddling underneath it. And while the room wasn't messy, exactly, there were scattered objects-books, framed photos-that indicated this room was actually used and wasn't just for show. I walked over to a small bookshelf and picked up one of the framed photos. I nearly dropped it when I saw what it was. It was a picture of Dimitri and me-but I had no memory of it. We stood arm in arm, leaning our faces together to make sure we both got in the shot. I was grinning broadly, and he too wore a joyous smile, one I'd hardly ever seen on him. It softened some of the protective fierceness that usually filled his features and made him look sexier than I'd ever imagined. A piece of that soft brown hair had slipped his ponytail and lay on his cheek. Beyond us was a city that I immediately recognized: Saint Petersburg. I frowned. No, this was definitely a picture that couldn't exist. I was still studying it when I heard someone walk into the room. When I saw who it was, my heart stopped. I set the photo back on the shelf with shaking hands and took a few steps back. It was Dimitri. He wore jeans and a casual red T-shirt that fit the lean muscles of his body perfectly. His hair was down loose and slightly damp, like he'd just gotten out of the shower. He held two mugs and chuckled when he saw me. â€Å"Still not dressed?† he asked, shaking his head. â€Å"They're going to be here any minute.† I looked down and saw that I wore plaid flannel pajama bottoms and a tank top. He handed me the mug, and I was too stunned to do anything but take it. I peered into it-hot chocolate-and then looked up at him. There was no red in his eyes, no evil on his face. Only gorgeous warmth and affection. He was my Dimitri, the one who'd loved and protected me. The one with a pure heart and soul†¦ â€Å"Who†¦ who's coming?† I asked. â€Å"Lissa and Christian. They're coming for brunch.† He gave me a puzzled look. â€Å"Are you okay?† I looked around, again taking in the comforting room. Through a window, I saw a backyard filled with trees and flowers. Sunshine spilled through onto the carpet. I turned back to him and shook my head. â€Å"What is this? Where are we?† His confused expression now turned into a frown. Stepping forward, he took my mug and set his and mine on the shelf. His hands rested on my hips, and I flinched but didn't break away-how could I when he looked so much like my Dimitri? â€Å"This is our house,† he said, drawing me near. â€Å"In Pennsylvania.† â€Å"Pennsylvania†¦ are we at the Royal Court ?† He shrugged. â€Å"A few miles away.† I slowly shook my head. â€Å"No†¦ that's not possible. We can't have a home together. And definitely not so close to the others. They'd never let us.† If in some crazy world Dimitri and I lived together, we'd have to do it in secret-somewhere remote, like Siberia. â€Å"You insisted,† he said with a small smile. â€Å"And none of them care. They accept it. Besides, you said we had to live near Lissa.† My mind reeled. What was going on? How was this possible? How could I be living with Dimitri-especially so near Moroi? This wasn't right†¦ and yet, it felt right. Looking around, I could see how this was my home. I could feel the love in it, feel the connection Dimitri and I had to it. But†¦ how could I actually be with Dimitri? Wasn't I supposed to be doing something else? Wasn't I supposed to be somewhere else? â€Å"You're a Strigoi,† I said at last. â€Å"No†¦ you're dead. I killed you.† He ran a finger along my cheek, still giving me that rueful smile. â€Å"Do I look like I'm dead? Do I look Strigoi?† No. He looked wonderful and sexy and strong. He was all the things I remembered, all the things I loved. â€Å"But you were†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I trailed off, still confused. This wasn't right. There was something I had to do, but I still couldn't remember. â€Å"What happened?† His hand returned to my hip, and he pulled me into a tight embrace. â€Å"You saved me,† he murmured into my ear. â€Å"Your love saved me, Roza. You brought me back so that we could be together.† Had I? I had no memory of that, either. But this all seemed so real, and it felt so wonderful. I'd missed his arms around me. He'd held me as a Strigoi, but it had never felt like this. And when he leaned down and kissed me, I knew for sure he wasn't a Strigoi. I didn't know how I could have ever deluded myself back at Galina's. This kiss was alive. It burned within my soul, and as my lips pressed more eagerly into his, I felt that connection, the one that told me there was no one else in the world for me except him. Only, I couldn't shake the feeling that I wasn't supposed to be here. But where was I supposed to be? Lissa†¦ something with Lissa†¦ I broke the kiss but not the embrace. My head rested against his chest. â€Å"I really saved you?† â€Å"Your love was too strong. Our love was too strong. Not even the undead could keep us apart.† I wanted to believe it. Desperately. But that voice still nagged in my head†¦ Lissa. What about Lissa? Then, it came to me. Lissa and Avery. I had to save Lissa from Avery. I jerked away from Dimitri, and he stared in surprise. â€Å"What are you doing?† â€Å"This isn't real,† I said. â€Å"This is a trick. You're still Strigoi. We can't be together-not here, not among the Moroi.† â€Å"Of course we can.† There was hurt in his deep brown eyes, and it tore at my heart. â€Å"Don't you want to be with me?† â€Å"I have to go back to Lissa†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Let her go,† he said, approaching me again. â€Å"Let all of it go. Stay here with me-we can have everything we ever wanted, Rose. We can be together every day, wake up together every morning.† â€Å"No.† I stepped further back. I knew if I didn't, he would kiss me again, and then I'd truly be lost. Lissa needed me. Lissa was trapped. With each passing second, the details about Avery were coming back to me. This was all an illusion. â€Å"Rose?† he asked. There was so much pain in his voice. â€Å"What are you doing?† â€Å"I'm sorry,† I said, feeling on the verge of tears. Lissa. I had to get to Lissa. â€Å"This isn't real. You're gone. You and I can never be together, but I can still help her.† â€Å"You love her more than me?† Lissa had asked me almost the same thing when I'd left to hunt Dimitri. My life was doomed to always be about choosing between them. â€Å"I love you both,† I replied. And with that, I used all of my will to push myself back to Lissa, wherever she was, and tear away from this fantasy. Honestly, I could have spent the rest of my days in that make-believe world, being with Dimitri in that house, waking up with him each morning like he'd said. But it wasn't real. It was too easy, and if I was learning anything, it was that life wasn't easy. The effort was excruciating, but suddenly, I found myself looking back at the room at St. Vladimir's. I focused on Avery who was staring me and Lissa down. She'd pulled out the memory that tormented me most, attempting to confuse me and tear me from Lissa with a fantasy of what I wanted more than anything else in the world. I'd fought Avery's mind trap and felt pretty smug about it-despite the ache in my heart. I wished I could communicate directly with her and make a few comments about what I thought of her and her game. That was out of the question, so instead, I threw my will in with Lissa's once more, and together, we stepped down off the ledge and onto the room's floor. Avery was visibly sweating, and when she realized she'd lost the psychic tug of war, her pretty face turned very ugly. â€Å"Fine,† she said. â€Å"There are easier ways of killing you off.† Reed suddenly entered the room, looking as hostile as ever. I had no idea where he'd come from or how he'd known to show up right then, but he headed straight toward Lissa, hands reaching out. That open window loomed behind her, and it didn't take a genius to guess his intentions. Avery had tried to get Lissa to jump by using compulsion. Reed was just going to push her. A mental conversation flew between Lissa and me in the space of a heartbeat. Okay, I told her. Here's the situation. We're going to have to do a little role reversal. What are you talking about? Fear flooded her, which was understandable, seeing as Reed's hands were seconds away from grabbing her. Well, I said, I just did the psychic power struggle. Which means you've got to do the fighting. And I'm going to show you how.

Human Free Will and Gods Foreknowledge Essay

The argument of the compatibility and incompatibility of God’s foreknowledge and human free will have been going on for hundreds of years. Concerning the definition of freedom, to get a better understanding, can be described as an act that an individual can do freely without being restrained or force. Philosophers that are well known in this subject matter are Alvin Plantiga and Nelson Pike. Pike will argue that human freedom is incompatible with God’s foreknowledge based upon facts such as God being omniscient. Whereas, Plantiga argues that Pike’s theory is based upon confusion and that human free will can coexist with God’s foreknowledge. Let’s get in to the differences in predictability and God’s foreknowledge pertaining to free will to give a bit more understanding in the argument. Shook’s example is as follows, â€Å"What justification is available for our [predictability claim] that a wind-up toy, for example, my â€Å"Thomas the Train† toy, does not freely choose its behavior? † (Shook 142) This is to say that we as human beings can predict that this wind-up toy will move forward after we wind it up just as God might. However, this prediction is merely based on our knowledge of the past in using this toy. When we try to predict such an event, it has the possibility not working and we had no idea that this would happen, whereas, God would have predicted this as He is omniscient. It’s obvious in both of these arguments it is accepted that God is omniscient in all possible worlds. Pike states that â€Å"†¦ it is part of the essence of God to be omniscient†¦ any person who is not omniscient could not be the person we [call] God. † (Pojman & Rea 97) He goes on to point out that if this were false, in that any person can be called â€Å"God† if one was not omniscient, then we can call anyone God. Furthermore, this means to say that at any given time in the past, present or future an omniscient and existing God would know what would happen. This, I would argue is something that can be compatible with human freedom; In that if God believes, at a certain time (T1), that Peter will eat an orange (X) in the future T2 is necessarily true. At T2 Peter eats an apple (X2) will not go against the omniscience of God. God would have believed that at T2 it was with Peter’s free will that he will do X2. That is to say that, according to Plantiga,â€Å" It was within Peter’s power at T2 to do something that if he had done it,then God would not have held a belief that in fact he did hold. † (Pojman & Rea 110) Though Peter had two choices in either eating the orange or the apple the fact that God knows that he would have eaten the latter does not take away the freedom of Peter. Pike will argue that God will have known at a certain time (T1) that an event will be foreseen as soon as the human being is born such as T2. Pertaining to this situation Pike states, â€Å" †¦ if God held such a belief eighty years [T1] prior to [T2], Peter did not have the power on [T2] to do something that would have made it the case that God did not hold this belief eighty years later. † (Pojman & Rea 99) This fact goes on to say that it is with the omniscience of God that, no matter what, His belief will not have changed in between [T1] and [T2]. The argument can still be accepted in an statement made by St. Augustine, â€Å"†¦ it is not necessary to deny that God foreknows all things while at the same time our wills are our own. God has foreknowledge of our will, so that of which he has foreknowledge must come to pass. In other words, we shall exercise our will in the future because he has foreknowledge that we shall do so; and there can be no will or voluntary action unless it will be in our power. † (Hopkins 112) The argument here is that, even though God foreknows that Peter will eat the apple does not require Him to limit the humans free will; It was with knowledge and not restraint that Peter made his choice. Another claim that has to deal to this argument is that which Molina says, â€Å"†¦ it is not because God foreknows what He foreknows that men act as they do: it is because men act as they do that God foreknows what He foreknows. † (Pojman & Rea 102) Meaning that the reason why God foresees an event is based upon the action of the humans’ free will. This goes back to the differences in prediction and free will, however, now we are dealing with something other than an inanimate object. The differences in this claim are argued as follows by Shook, â€Å"If God possesses justified divine knowledge, his capacity for perfectly predicting future human actions is incompatible with the free will of alternative possibilities. † (Shook 157) For reasons already explained, it is impossible for God to have made a claim based on the consistency for his omniscient knowledge gave him the belief before the event occurred. This concept would be similar to me making a prediction of a friend who will wake up at five in the morning and take a shower every Tuesday because he is consistent in doing so. I can make this prediction, but it won’t be necessarily true. The consistency can always change, due to free will. To assume God’s cognitions to be similar is untrue. This would also be to say that if God’s beliefs are due to a humans freedom of will that, when the individual refrains from a certain action that he was going to do, that God’s belief is false. This cannot be true as well due to the acceptance of God’s omniscience. There is also a difference in free will and necessity too. An example can be that it is necessary for one to live by breathing which is arguably our will to do so. It is our will to live, therefore, we must breathe. Augustine explains further that, â€Å"†¦ if there is necessity there is no voluntary choice†¦ but rather fixed and unavoidable necessity. † (Pojman & Rea 101) This could be an argument that it is with necessary actions where God’s foreknowledge is indeed true. It is possible for us to not breathe, thus ending our life which is a necessary truth and God would foreknow as well. Molina writes, â€Å"He would foreknow the opposite if the opposite was to happen. † (Pojman & Rea) This argument coincides with the claim that was made above on the choices that were made by Peter. Pike is under the claim that it is incompatible for there to be human free will along with God’s foreknowledge. This is backed up by stating that God is omniscient and because of that the action by the human is not, in fact, under his will. Due to the belief of the event occurring before the time it does occur does not allow the human any other choices. This cannot be compared to anything that is predicted as it would falsify the omniscience of God. To compare the belief of a situation occurring to the prediction a human might make of a wind-up toy or close friend is also untrue as it would then allow for anyone to be called â€Å"God† because anyone is able to make such a prediction. The previous statement would negate that only an omniscient being can be called â€Å"God† since the human that can predict is not omniscient. The compatible claim of human free will and God’s foreknowledge is explained by Plantiga. He goes on to say that it is compatible as the person would have choices and be able to choose based on one’s own will. Explaining further that the foreknowledge of God does not require a restraint on the choice with which the human chooses. Whether or not the individual makes one choice over another God will still foresee it due to His omniscience, therefore, being an action of human free will. Though an action may be out of necessity (i. e.breathing) it is possible for us to still make another choice based on our own will. Works Cited Hopkins, Jasper. â€Å"Augustine On Foreknowledge And Free Will. † International Journal For Philosophy Of Religion 8. 2 (1977): 111-126. ATLA Religion Database. Web. 5 Nov. 2012. Pojman, Louis & Rea, Michael. Philosophy of Religion. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. 2012 Shook, John. â€Å"God’s Divinely Justified Knowledge Is Incompatible With Human Free Will. â€Å"Forum Philosophicum: International Journal For Philosophy 15. 1 (2010): 141-159. Academic Search Premier. Web. 7 Nov. 2012.

Repudiate, Refute, and Reject

Repudiate, Refute, and Reject Repudiate, Refute, and Reject Repudiate, Refute, and Reject By Maeve Maddox How can I resist jumping into the fray over Sarah Palins use of the word refudiate? Heres the notorious tweet as it originally appeared: Ground Zero Mosque supporters, doesn’t it stab you in the heart as it does our throughout the heartland? Peaceful Muslims, please refudiate.† Here is the tweet with which it was replaced: Peaceful New Yorkers, pls refute the Ground Zero mosque plan if you believe catastrophic pain caused @ Twin Towers site is too raw, too real. I was amazed and delighted that a mere word could cause such a stir. Within minutes, it seems, we were informed that the word had been used once before, in 1984, by science-fiction writer John Sladke. Looking up Sladke, of whom Id never heard, I learned that he wrote satire. That could explain his use of refudiate. The word is a portmanteau that seems to combine refute with repudiate. The corrected tweet uses refute where reject would be more appropriate. Refudiate is an amusing word and one which, like misunderestimate is going to be used a lot in jest. It does not, however, seem to bring any new meaning or connotation to the language. repudiate: To cast off, disown (a person or thing previously claimed as ones own or associated with oneself). Repudiate is a transitive verb. You repudiate something or someone you no longer wish to be associated with. You can repudiate a debt, a wife, or a belief. †¦this paper argues that it may well be in poor people’s interests for their governments to repudiate debt.   Its time to repudiate this doctrine and satisfy U.S. energy needs without reliance on military intervention. Will NAACP repudiate their own racist comments about Kenneth Gladney, caught on tape? J.C. Watts says Christians should repudiate extremist groups refute: To prove (something) to be false, esp. by means of argument or debate. Refute is also a transitive verb. You refute an argument or a doctrine or a claim by offering evidence to disprove it. Does Neuroscience Refute Free Will? Trademark Owners Often Can Refute the First-Sale Doctrine The major evidence that refutes Mr. Stinnett’s claim †¦ comes from archival documents that were declassified in 1999†¦ Vice provost Dr Patrick Prendergast told the news provider the plans [to include non-traditional students] refuted the perception among some of TCD as an elite institution. Gerdemann hopes to refute the continually underlined idea that no one can contest the Tour de France without doping†¦ reject: To refuse to recognize, acquiesce in, submit to, adopt, or allow†¦; to refuse to believe (a statement, etc.), to discard from consideration. NZ Government must reject whaling plan Belmonte, Lakas reject plan to slash pork barrel Scotland must reject dependency culture Germany Will Probably Reject Opel Aid Request, Lawmaker Says By all means, have fun with refudiate. Just dont use it in your serious writing when what you mean is repudiate, refute, or reject. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Creative Writing 101Loan, Lend, Loaned, LentEnglish Grammar 101: Prepositions

Displacement Reaction Definition and Examples

Displacement Reaction Definition and Examples A displacement reaction is a type of reaction where part of one reactant is replaced by another reactant.  A displacement reaction is also known as a replacement reaction or a metathesis reaction.  There are two types of displacement reactions: Single Displacement Reactions Single displacement reactions are reactions where one reactant replaces part of the other.AB C → AC B An example is the reaction between iron and copper sulfate to produce iron sulfate and copper: Fe CuSO4 → FeSO4 Cu Here, both iron and copper have the same valence. One metal cation takes the place of the other bonding to the sulfate anion. Double Displacement Reactions Double displacement reactions are reactions where the cations and anions in the reactants switch partners to form products.AB CD → AD CB An example is the reaction between silver nitrate and sodium chloride to form silver chloride and sodium nitrate: AgNO3 NaCl → AgCl NaNO3

Internal Control System. The Sarbanes Oxley Act (SOX) Essay

Internal Control System. The Sarbanes Oxley Act (SOX) - Essay Example I believe that one of the most important aspects of a control system is the risk assessment. If a company does not assess a particular risk adequately the firm will not establish adequate internal controls because the problem was never identified. Risk assessment serves as a preventive measure that can be used to create an adequate plan of attack to deal with a problem. In the famous Enron scandal the lack an internal control system allowed Fay, Skilling, and Fastow to collude and steal millions of dollars. 2. When an internal control mechanism is evaluated in phases the accountants can better segment the problematic areas of the system. If for instance deficiencies are found in the monitoring phase; the company can inject money and resources to attempt to fix the problem. It is easier to perform micro evaluations than to evaluate a system as a whole. Clearly identifiable phases create added reliability in the system. Looking at the end results of the accounting cycle or at the finan cial statements is not the best way to detect fraud. About 10 years ago the Enron Corporation got away with accounting murder when they inflated their earnings by one billion in 2000 when in reality the firm did not have any profits. A good internal control system could have prevented this scandal from ever occurring. I agree with you that some companies do not have well defined activities. One of the reasons that this occurs is due to budgetary constraints. Implementing control mechanisms is quite expensive. It is estimated that Section 404 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act costs between $1 to 3 million to implement yearly. I think that despite the fact that internal control mechanism can be expensive sometimes it is better to assume the expenses than to pay the consequences. Employee theft can be prevented by placing cameras in the warehouse where inventory is kept. Another technological innovation that can be used to protect inventory is the use of RFID tags. RFID tags allow a company to track the movement of merchandise. These systems are the long term solution to substitute the current scanner system used at the majority of retail stores. 4. I agree with you that the Sarbanes Oxley Act (SOX) requires that companies implement all the components of an internal control mechanism. The Sarbanes Oxley Act goes a step further in its requirement of internal controls. All public companies must include within the annual report a section dedicated to reporting the internal controls of the firm. I think that SOX was a tremendous idea, despite the high implementation costs. Nobody wants to go back to a business environment in which record bankruptcies were occurring largely due to accounting misbehavior. 5. I tend to agree with you that the five components of internal control are universal. As you mentioned the environment is key to the effectiveness of an internal control. As you mentioned in your response the environment of a company is largely controlled by the managerial staff. Companies that are corrupt often have leaders that allow that type of unethical behavior. I have heard of companies that have been turn into unethical companies because they let external factors such as foreign cultures cloud their judgment. If for a company it is unethical to accept a bribe in the United States, the rules should not change just because you are doing business in China. 6. I think that the lack of any of the five components automatically makes a system weaker from the perspective of how good the system could be. Just because one component of the internal control is missing does not mean that that system is weaker than another company’s system that includes all five components. For instance a company may not have a necessity to monitor due to the fact that the firm has few

Report for security mangment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Report for security mangment - Essay Example This 40-year old company was founded by Sam Walton in 1962 which dominated the local market of the United States, and began to trade stocks on the New York Stock Exchange. Along with the company’s growth in revenue is the growth of its expenses in information technology (IT). According to Wal-Mart IT executives, the company is adopting expensive technologies; that is why its investment in IT is considered to be their single largest capital expenses with approximately $500 million dollars over one five year period (Beard, 1996, p.78). The company demonstrated its preparedness to invest heavily on these technologies because it strongly believes that IT is a powerful tool in achieving efficiency goals and in creating economic value for stakeholders. In order for Wal-Mart to know how these technologies will support the business in obtaining implicit and explicit objectives, it must develop IT governance strategies (Schwalbe, 2009, p.136). To provide competitive advantage, these st rategies must be integrated and aligned with the company’s strategic and operational plans, this is to make the process more comprehensive (Papp, 2004, p.27). The main focus of this paper is to identify the IT services of Wal-Mart and whether these services are aligned to the needs of the business and the customers. In the process of assessing strategic alignment, this paper will be using the conceptual levels of strategic alignment maturity model developed by Dr. Luftman and some measures in order to improve the strategic business-IT alignment of Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart IT Services: Aligned to the Needs of the Business and Needs of the Customers Linda Dillman, the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Wal-Mart noted that, â€Å"We do not want to be known by our technology, but we do want to be known by what our technology has done for the business† (cited in Luftman, 2004, p.275). She also added that the business is performing favourably in terms of improved revenue and marke t share, cost and time reduction, customer satisfaction, and many more because of business-IT alignment maturity through metrics performance. â€Å"Wal-Mart was one of the first companies to introduce computers to track store sales and inventory and was the first to develop a computerized network to share this information with suppliers† (Fottler & Malvey, 2007, p.267). However, because IT changes daily and becomes outmoded, the company needs to continuously seek for upgraded technologies (Eisenberg et al., 2004, p.265). The information technology/system of Wal-Mart is classified as strategic and focused on how to meet customers’ needs wherein it relies on most current information to sustain the minimum cutting of cost in retail. In order for Wal-Mart to lower their costs, maximize return on capital, and streamline their operations, the company is using the operational excellence strategy. For several decades, IT is considered to be an essential part not just of Wal-Ma rt but to some large suppliers in the world particularly in dealing with customers. Recently, Wal-Mart is using the standard transaction formats and protocols called the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) capabilities in order to standardized operations in the sharing