Frostbite Chapter 2

TWO DIMITRI MADE ONE PHONE CALL, and a veritable SWAT team showed up. It took a couple of hours, though, and every minute spent waiting felt like a year. I finally couldn't take it anymore and returned to the car. Dimitri examined the house further and then came to sit with me. Neither of us said a word while we waited. A slide show of the grisly sights inside the house kept playing in my mind. I felt scared and alone and wished he would hold me or comfort me in some way. Immediately, I scolded myself for wanting that. I reminded myself for the thousandth time that he was my instructor and had no business holding me, no matter what the situation was. Besides, I wanted to be strong. I didn't need to go running to some guy every time things got tough. When the first group of guardians showed up, Dimitri opened the car door and glanced over at me. â€Å"You should see how this is done.† I didn't want to see any more of that house, honestly, but I followed anyway. These guardians were strangers to me, but Dimitri knew them. He always seemed to know everybody. This group was surprised to find a novice on the scene, but none of them protested my presence. I walked behind them as they examined the house. None of them touched anything, but they knelt by the bodies and studied the bloodstains and broken windows. Apparently, the Strigoi had entered the house through more than just the front door and back patio. The guardians spoke in brusque tones, displaying none of the disgust and fear I felt. They were like machines. One of them, the only woman in the group, crouched beside Arthur Schoenberg. I was intrigued since female guardians were so rare. I'd heard Dimitri call her Tamara, and she looked about twenty-five. Her black hair just barely touched her shoulders, which was common for guardian women. Sadness flickered in her gray eyes as she studied the dead guardian's face. â€Å"Oh, Arthur,† she sighed. Like Dimitri, she managed to convey a hundred things in just a couple words. â€Å"Never thought I'd see this day. He was my mentor.† With another sigh, Tamara rose. Her face had become all businesslike once more, as though the guy who'd trained her wasn't lying there in front of her. I couldn't believe it. He was her mentor. How could she keep that kind of control? For half a heartbeat, I imagined seeing Dimitri dead on the floor instead. No. No way could I have stayed calm in her place. I would have gone on a rampage. I would have screamed and kicked things. I would have hit anyone who tried to tell me things would be okay. Fortunately, I didn't believe anyone could actually take down Dimitri. I'd seen him kill a Strigoi without breaking a sweat. He was invincible. A badass. A god. Of course, Arthur Schoenberg had been too. â€Å"How could they do that?† I blurted out. Six sets of eyes turned to me. I expected a chastising look from Dimitri for my outburst, but he merely appeared curious. â€Å"How could they kill him?† Tamara gave a small shrug, her face still composed. â€Å"The same way they kill everyone else. He's mortal, just like the rest of us.† â€Å"Yeah, but he's †¦ you know, Arthur Schoenberg.† â€Å"You tell us, Rose,† said Dimitri. â€Å"You've seen the house. Tell us how they did it.† As they all watched me, I suddenly realized I might be undergoing a test after all today. I thought about what I'd observed and heard. I swallowed, trying to figure out how the impossible could be possible. â€Å"There were four points of entry, which means at least four Strigoi. There were seven Moroi†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The family who lived here had been entertaining some other people, making the massacre that much larger. Three of the victims had been children. â€Å"†¦ and three guardians. Too many kills. Four Strigoi couldn't have taken down that many. Six probably could if they went for the guardians first and caught them by surprise. The family would have been too panicked to fight back.† â€Å"And how did they catch the guardians by surprise?† Dimitri prompted. I hesitated. Guardians, as a general rule, didn't get caught by surprise. â€Å"Because the wards were broken. In a household without wards, there'd probably be a guardian walking the yard at night. But they wouldn't have done that here.† I waited for the next obvious question about how the wards had been broken. But Dimitri didn't ask it. There was no need. We all knew. We'd all seen the stake. Again, a chill ran down my spine. Humans working with Strigoia large group of Strigoi. Dimitri simply nodded as a sign of approval, and the group continued their survey. When we reached a bathroom, I started to avert my gaze. I'd already seen this room with Dimitri earlier and had no wish to repeat the experience. There was a dead man in there, and his dried blood stood out in stark contrast against the white tile. Also, since this room was more interior, it wasn't as cold as the area by the open patio. No preservation. The body didn't smell bad yet, exactly, but it didn't smell right, either. But as I started to turn away, I caught a glimpse of something dark redmore brown, reallyon the mirror. I hadn't noticed it before because the rest of the scene had held all of my attention. There was writing on the mirror, done in blood. Poor, poor Badicas. So few left. One royal family nearly gone. Others to follow. Tamara snorted in disgust and turned away from the mirror, studying other details of the bathroom. As we walked out, though, those words repeated in my head. One royal family nearly gone. Others to follow. The Badicas were one of the smaller royal clans, it was true. But it was hardly like those who had been killed here were the last of them. There were probably almost two hundred Badicas left. That wasn't as many as a family like, say, the Ivashkovs. That particular royal family was huge and widespread. There were, however, a lot more Badicas than there were some other royals. Like the Dragomirs. Lissa was the only one left. If the Strigoi wanted to snuff out royal lines, there was no better chance than to go after her. Moroi blood empowered Strigoi, so I understood their desire for that. I supposed specifically targeting royals was simply part of their cruel and sadistic nature. It was ironic that Strigoi would want to tear apart Moroi society, since many of them had once been a part of it. The mirror and its warning consumed me for the rest of our stay at the house, and I found my fear and shock transforming into anger. How could they do this? How could any creature be so twisted and evil that they'd do this to a familythat they'd want to wipe out an entire bloodline? How could any creature do this when they'd once been like me and Lissa? And thinking of Lissathinking of Strigoi wanting to wipe out her family toostirred up a dark rage within me. The intensity of that emotion nearly knocked me over. It was something black and miasmic, swelling and roiling. A storm cloud ready to burst. I suddenly wanted to tear up every Strigoi I could get my hands on. When I finally got into the car to ride back to St. Vladimir's with Dimitri, I slammed the door so hard that it was a wonder it didn't fall off. He glanced at me in surprise. â€Å"What's wrong?† â€Å"Are you serious?† I exclaimed, incredulous. â€Å"How can you ask that? You were there. You saw that.† â€Å"I did,† he agreed. â€Å"But I'm not taking it out on the car.† I fastened my seat belt and glowered. â€Å"I hate them. I hate them all! I wish I'd been there. I would have ripped their throats out!† I was nearly shouting. Dimitri stared at me, face calm, but he was clearly astonished at my outburst. â€Å"You really think that's true?† he asked me. â€Å"You think you could have done better than Art Schoenberg after seeing what the Strigoi did in there? After seeing what Natalie did to you?† I faltered. I'd tangled briefly with Lissa's cousin, Natalie, when she became a Strigoi, just before Dimitri had shown up to save the day. Even as a new Strigoiweak and uncoordinatedshe'd literally thrown me around the room. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Suddenly, I felt stupid. I'd seen what Strigoi could do. Me running in impetuously and trying to save the day would have only resulted in a quick death. I was developing into a tough guardian, but I still had a lot to learnand one seventeen-year-old girl couldn't have stood against six Strigoi. I opened my eyes. â€Å"I'm sorry,† I said, gaining control of myself. The rage that had exploded inside me diffused. I didn't know where it had come from. I had a short temper and often acted impulsively, but this had been intense and ugly even for me. Weird. â€Å"It's okay,† said Dimitri. He reached over and placed his hand on mine for a few moments. Then he removed it and started the car. â€Å"It's been a long day. For all of us.† When we got back to St. Vladimir's Academy around midnight, everyone knew about the massacre. The vampiric school day had just ended, and I hadn't slept in more than twenty-four hours. I was bleary-eyed and sluggish, and Dimitri ordered me to immediately go back to my dorm room and get some sleep. He, of course, looked alert and ready to take on anything. Sometimes I really wasn't sure if he slept at all. He headed off to consult with other guardians about the attack, and I promised him I'd go straight to bed. Instead, I turned toward the library once he was out of sight. I needed to see Lissa, and the bond told me that was where she was. It was pitch-black as I walked along the stone walkway that crossed the quad from my dorm to the secondary school's main building. Snow completely covered the grass, but the sidewalk had been meticulously cleared of all ice and snow. It reminded me of the poor Badicas' neglected home. The commons building was large and gothic-looking, more suited to a medieval movie set than a school. Inside, that air of mystery and ancient history continued to permeate the building: elaborate stone walls and antique paintings warring with computers and fluorescent lights. Modern technology had a foothold here, but it would never dominate. Slipping through the library's electronic gate, I immediately headed for one of the back corners where geography and travel books were kept. Sure enough, I found Lissa sitting there on the floor, leaning against a bookcase. â€Å"Hey,† she said, looking up from an open book propped up on one knee. She brushed a few strands of pale hair out of her face. Her boyfriend, Christian, lay on the floor near her, his head propped up on her other knee. He greeted me by way of a nod. Considering the antagonism that sometimes flared up between us, that was almost on par with him giving me a bear hug. Despite her small smile, I could feel the tension and fear in her; it sang through the bond. â€Å"You heard,† I said, sitting down cross-legged. Her smile slipped, and the feelings of fear and unease within her intensified. I liked that our psychic connection let me protect her better, but I didn't really need my own troubled feelings amplified. â€Å"It's awful,† she said with a shudder. Christian shifted and linked his fingers through hers. He squeezed her hand. She squeezed back. Those two were so in love and sugary sweet with each other that I felt like brushing my teeth after being around them. They were subdued just now, however, no doubt thanks to the massacre news. â€Å"They're saying†¦they're saying there were six or seven Strigoi. And that humans helped them break the wards.† I leaned my head back against a shelf. News really did travel fast. Suddenly, I felt dizzy. â€Å"It's true.† â€Å"Really?† asked Christian. â€Å"I figured that was just a bunch of hyped-up paranoia.† â€Å"No †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I realized then that nobody knew where I'd been today. â€Å"I†¦ I was there.† Lissa's eyes widened, shock coursing into me from her. Even Christianthe poster child for â€Å"smartass†looked grim. If not for the horribleness of it all, I would have taken satisfaction in catching him off guard. â€Å"You're joking,† he said, voice uncertain. â€Å"I thought you were taking your Qualifier†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Lissa's words trailed off. â€Å"I was supposed to,† I said. â€Å"It was just a wrong-place-and-wrong-time kind of thing. The guardian who was going to give me the test lived there. Dimitri and I walked in, and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I couldn't finish. Images of the blood and death that had filled the Badica house flashed through my mind again. Concern crossed both Lissa's face and the bond. â€Å"Rose, are you okay?† she asked softly. Lissa was my best friend, but I didn't want her to know how scared and upset the whole thing had made me. I wanted to be fierce. â€Å"Fine,† I said, teeth clenched. â€Å"What was it like?† asked Christian. Curiosity filled his voice, but there was guilt there toolike he knew it was wrong to want to know about such a horrible thing. He couldn't stop himself from asking, though. Lack of impulse control was one thing we had in common. â€Å"It was †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I shook my head. â€Å"I don't want to talk about it.† Christian started to protest, and then Lissa ran a hand through his sleek black hair. The gentle admonishment silenced him. A moment of awkwardness hung between us all. Reading Lissa's mind, I felt her desperately grope for a new topic. â€Å"They say this is going to mess up all of the holiday visits,† she told me after several more moments. â€Å"Christian's aunt is going to visit, but most people don't want to travel, and they want their kids to stay here where it's safe. They're terrified this group of Strigoi is on the move.† I hadn't thought about the ramifications of an attack like this. We were only a week or so away from Christmas. Usually, there was a huge wave of travel in the Moroi world this time of year. Students went home to visit their parents; parents came to stay on campus and visit their children. â€Å"This is going to keep a lot of families separated,† I murmured. â€Å"And mess up a lot of royal get-togethers,† said Christian. His brief seriousness had vanished; his snide air was back. â€Å"You know how they are this time of yearalways competing with each other to throw the biggest parties. They won't know what to do with themselves.† I could believe it. My life was about fighting, but the Moroi certainly had their share of internal strifeparticularly with nobles and royals. They waged their own battles with words and political alliances, and honestly, I preferred the more direct method of hitting and kicking. Lissa and Christian in particular had to navigate some troubled waters. They were both from royal families, which meant they got a lot of attention both inside and outside of the Academy. Things were worse for them than for most Moroi royals. Christian's family lived under the shadow cast by his parents. They had purposely become Strigoi, trading their magic and morality to become immortal and subsist on killing others. His parents were dead now, but that didn't stop people from not trusting him. They seemed to think he'd go Strigoi at any moment and take everyone else with him. His abrasiveness and dark sense of humor didn't really help things, either. Lissa's attention came from being the last one left in her family. No other Moroi had enough Dragomir blood in them to earn the name. Her future husband would probably have enough somewhere in his family tree to make sure her children were Dragomirs, but for now, being the only one made her kind of a celebrity. Thinking about this suddenly reminded me of the warning scrawled on the mirror. Nausea welled up in me. That dark anger and despair stirred, but I pushed it aside with a joke. â€Å"You guys should try solving your problems like we do. A fistfight here and there might do you royals some good.† Both Lissa and Christian laughed at this. He glanced up at her with a sly smile, showing his fangs as he did. â€Å"What do you think? I bet I could take you if we went one on one.† â€Å"You wish,† she teased. Her troubled feelings lightened. â€Å"I do, actually,† he said, holding her gaze. There was an intensely sensual note to his voice that made her heart race. Jealousy shot through me. She and I had been best friends our entire life. I could read her mind. But the fact remained: Christian was a huge part of her world now, and he played a role I never couldjust as he could never have a part of the connection that existed between me and her. We both sort of accepted but didn't like the fact that we had to split her attention, and at times, it seemed the truce we held for her sake was paper thin. Lissa brushed her hand against his cheek. â€Å"Behave.† â€Å"I am,† he told her, his voice still a little husky. â€Å"Sometimes. But sometimes you don't want me to†¦.† Groaning, I stood up. â€Å"God. I'm going to leave you guys alone now.† Lissa blinked and dragged her eyes away from Christian, suddenly looking embarrassed. â€Å"Sorry,† she murmured. A delicate pink flush spread over her cheeks. Since she was pale like all Moroi, it actually sort of made her look prettier. Not that she needed much help in that department. â€Å"You don't have to go†¦.† â€Å"No, it's fine. I'm exhausted,† I assured her. Christian didn't look too broken up about seeing me leave. â€Å"I'll catch you tomorrow.† I started to turn away, but Lissa called to me. â€Å"Rose? Are you†¦are you sure you're okay? After everything that happened?† I met her jade green eyes. Her concern was so strong and deep that it made my chest ache. I might be closer to her than anyone else in the world, but I didn't want her worrying about me. It was my job to keep her safe. She shouldn't be troubled about protecting meparticularly if Strigoi had suddenly decided to make a hit list of royals. I flashed her a saucy grin. â€Å"I'm fine. Nothing to worry about except you guys tearing each other's clothes before I get a chance to leave.† â€Å"Then you better go now,† said Christian dryly. She elbowed him, and I rolled my eyes. â€Å"Good night,† I told them. As soon as my back was to them, my smile vanished. I walked back to my dorm with a heavy heart, hoping I wouldn't dream about the Badicas tonight.

One Direction Essay

One Direction are an English-Irish pop boy band based in London, consisting of members Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson. They signed with Simon Cowell’s record label Syco Records after being formed and finishing third in the seventh series of British televised singing competition The X Factor in 2010. Propelled to international success by the power of social media, their two albums Up All Night and Take Me Home, released in 2011 and 2012 respectively, broke several records, topped the charts of most major markets, and generated hit singles, including â€Å"What Makes You Beautiful† and â€Å"Live While We’re Young†. Often described as sparking the resurgence in the boy band concept, and of forming part of a new â€Å"British Invasion† in the United States, the group have sold over 14 million singles and 8 million albums, as noted by the band’s management company, Modest! Management. Their achievements include two BRIT Awards and three MTV Video Music Awards. According to Nick Gatfield, the chairman and chief executive of Sony Music Entertainment UK, One Direction represented a $50 million business empire by June 2012. They were proclaimed 2012’s â€Å"Top New Artist† by Billboard, while The Huffington Post named 2012 â€Å"The Year of One Direction†. History The X Factor, formation, and record deal In 2010, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson auditioned as solo candidates for the seventh series of British televised singing competition The X Factor. Failing to progress to the â€Å"Boys† category at â€Å"judges’ houses†, after a suggestion by guest judge Nicole Scherzinger, thus qualifying for the â€Å"Groups† category. Subsequently, the group got together for two weeks to get to know each other and to practise. Styles came up with the name One Direction. Simon Cowell later commented that the performance convinced him that the group â€Å"were confident, fun, like a gang of friends, and kind of fearless as well. † Within the first four weeks of the live shows, they were Cowell’s last act in the competition. The group quickly gained popularity in the UK. Shortly afterwards it was confirmed, One Direction had been signed by Cowell to a reported ? 2 million Syco Records record contract. Recording for their debut album began in January 2011, as they flew to Los Angeles to work with producer RedOne. A One Direction-licensed book, One Direction: Forever Young, was published by HarperCollins in February 2011, subsequently topping The Sunday Times Best Seller list. The same month, the boy band and other contestants from the series participated in the X Factor Live Tour. The tour saw the group performing for 500,000 people throughout the UK. After the tour concluded in April 2011, the group continued working on their debut album. Up All Night and international breakthrough Released in September 2011, One Direction’s debut single, â€Å"What Makes You Beautiful†, bowed at number one on the UK Singles Chart, after becoming the most pre-ordered Sony Music Entertainment single in history. Subsequent singles, â€Å"Gotta Be You† and â€Å"One Thing†, peaked within the UK Singles Chart top ten. In November 2011, they signed a record deal with Columbia Records in North America. Steve Barnett, the co-chairman of Columbia Records, said it was not a difficult decision to sign One Direction; â€Å"I just thought there was a void, and maybe they could seize and hold it. † â€Å"What Makes You Beautiful† was released in the United States in February 2012, where it debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 28, becoming the highest debut for a British act since 1998. It has sold over 4 million units in the US. Upon arrival in the US in February 2012, One Direction embarked on a radio promotion spree, as well as their first North American concert tour as an opening act for Big Time Rush. They made their first US television appearance on The Today Show, at the Rockefeller Center; an estimated 15,000 fans descended on the plaza. Critically commended for its appeal to the teenage audience, One Direction’s first studio album, Up All Night, was released globally in early 2012. It became the UK’s fastest-selling debut album of 2011, and topped the charts in sixteen countries. The album bowed atop the US Billboard 200 chart, making One Direction the first British group in US chart history to enter at number one with their debut album. They were inducted into the Guinness World Records as a result. Up All Night also became the first album by a boy band to sell 500,000 digital copies in the US and, as of August 2012, had sold over 3 million copies worldwide. In April 2012, an American band that went by the same name filed a trademark infringement lawsuit. According to the lawsuit, the US band had been using the name since 2009, recorded two albums and filed an application to register the trademark name in the US in February 2011. In December 2011, One Direction embarked on their first headlining UK concert tour, the Up All Night Tour. In early 2012, they announced Australasian and North American legs of the concert tour, with dates from April to July 2012. The tour, resulting in 62 shows, was met with positivity both critically and commercially. A recording of a concert from the tour, Up All Night: The Live Tour, was released in May 2012. In addition to the DVD topping the charts in twenty-five countries, as of August 2012, its global sales had exceeded 1 million copies. One Direction’s first-licensed American book, Dare to Dream: Life as One Direction, published in the United States in May 2012, topped The New York Times Best Seller list. In June 2012, Nick Gatfield, chairman and chief executive officer of Sony Music Entertainment UK, stated how he expects One Direction to represent a $100 million business empire over 2013. Gatfield maintained, â€Å"What you might not know about One Direction is that they already represent a $50 million business and that’s a figure we expect to double next year†. One Direction were the biggest winners of the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards winning their three nominations on 6 September 2012, including Best New Artist. Take Me Home and world tour One Direction’s second studio album, Take Me Home, was released in November 2012. Take Me Home was written in groups and has an average of just under five songwriters per track. Savan Kotecha, Rami Yacoub, and Carl Falk, who composed One Direction’s hits â€Å"What Makes You Beautiful† and â€Å"One Thing†, spent six months in Stockholm developing songs for the album, and were able to shape melodies around their tones. One Direction began recording the album in May 2012, in Stockholm at Kinglet Studios. Take Me Home garnered mixed reviews from music critics. Praise centred on production quality while criticism hinged on its generic, rushed nature. With the album and its second single, â€Å"Little Things†, both debuting simultaneously at number one in the UK, One Direction became the youngest act in British chart history to achieve the feat. Take Me Home sold 540,000 copies in its first week in the US, debuted atop the Billboard 200, and topped the charts in more than thirty-four other countries. Additionally, Up All Night and Take Me Home were the number three and number four best-selling albums of 2012 globally, selling 4. 5 million and 4. 4 million units, respectively. One Direction performed â€Å"Little Things† at the 2012 Royal Variety Performance in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II, and headlined a sold-out show at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on 3 December 2012. In February 2013, One Direction released a cover version of â€Å"One Way or Another† and â€Å"Teenage Kicks†, â€Å"One Way or Another â€Å", as the 2013 Comic Relief single. The band performed the song at the 2013 BRIT Awards at which they also won the newly created Global Success Award. In addition, the Official Charts Company revealed that One Direction have sold 2,425,000 records in the UK by February 2013. One Direction embarked on their second concert tour in February 2013, the Take Me Home Tour. The concert tour consists of over 100 shows in Europe, North America and Australasia. Ticket sales reached 300,000 within a day of release in the UK and Ireland, which included a six date sell-out at London’s The O2 Arena. In the Australian and New Zealand markets, tickets grossed US$15. 7 million, with all 190,000 tickets being sold for the eighteen shows to be held. This Is Us, a 3D biopic film centering on the group, is to be directed by Morgan Spurlock, produced by Spurlock, Ben Winston, Adam Milano and Cowell, and released by TriStar Pictures on 30 August 2013. Musical style One Direction’s debut studio album, Up All Night, is predominantly a pop music record, containing elements of teen pop, dance-pop, pop rock, and power pop, with electropop and rock influences. Digital Spy’s Robert Copsey described the album as a â€Å"collection of pg pop rock with killer choruses†, while The New York Times considered it â€Å"full of easy rock-inflected pop, blithe and sometimes clever. † Jason Lipshutz of Billboard acknowledged that the album demonstrates an originality in sound that was â€Å"necessary for the revitalization of the boy band movement†. Their second studio album, Take Me Home, is characterised by rock-inherited pop, prominent electric guitar riffs, bright synthesizers, double entendres for sexual intercourse, a homogeneous sound and message, and the pitch-correcting software Auto-Tune. Alexis Petridis for The Guardian interpreted its signature sound as follows: â€Å"peppy, synth-bolstered take on early-80s new-wave pop, heavy on clipped rhythms and chugging guitars,† which, he said, is at least an improvement on the substitute R&B â€Å"that was once the grim lot of the boyband. † Vocally, in a live setting, Erica Futterman for Rolling Stone favoured their acoustic performances as both showcasing, â€Å"Horan’s ability to play guitar, as well as One Direction’s admirable live vocals. There was no need to worry about a backing track or a bum note, a pleasant realization at a pop show. † Herald Suns Cameron Adams opined that One Direction have â€Å"strong pop voices†. Melody Lau of the National Post wrote, â€Å"It’s easy to get lost in inherent appeal of their perfectly coiffed dos and almost-too-put-together preppy style but somewhere in the midst of all the love-struck squeals of teenage girls are guys who can actually sing and, to a certain extent, entertain. Jane Stevenson of portal site Canoe concurred, â€Å"What I didn’t really prepare myself for was that they all can actually sing in concert. † The Washington Post writer Chris Richards dissented of the approval, â€Å"As the five traded couplets, it was tough to imagine a future Justin Timberlake, Ricky Martin or Bobby Brown emerging from the pack. No one voice stood out. † Mike Wass of Idolator felt One Direction’s â€Å"surprisingly accomplished effortâ €  of Kings of Leon’s â€Å"Use Somebody† proved that One Direction are â€Å"more than capable† of evolving their sound. Image  Neil McCormick from The Daily Telegraph published an article on the nature of One Direction’s success in North America, noting that Americans had left a gap in the market, writing that it took the prominence of Justin Bieber to demonstrate that there was still a market for â€Å"clean cut, wholesome, whiter-than-white, middle class parent friendly pop: cute boys advocating puppy love. And what could be better than one cute boy, if not five? † One Direction have been described as sparking the resurgence in the boy band concept, and as forming part of a new â€Å"British Invasion† in the United States. Bill Werde, a representative of Billboard magazine, commented, â€Å"There’s a lot of possibility here, there’s a lot of upside, that level of talent with those kinds of looks, it’s really a perfect storm for a massive, massive successful phenomenon. † Sonny Takhar, the chief executive officer of Syco Records, attributes the breakthrough to the power of social media. â€Å"Sometimes you feel the song’s the star, but it’s not like that here – it’s the act,† he said. â€Å"It’s a real moment.

Green Computing in Kenya Essay

Abstract The main aim of this paper is to look at what green computing is, why we should care about it and why it is becoming such a force in today’s world. The paper aims to tackle the advantages of green computing not only to businesses but also to individuals as well in their day to day lives. This paper also aims to look at different green computing implementations in Kenya in order to get an understanding of the current state of green computing in the country. Finally, this paper also aims to highlight key barriers and challenges to the implementation of different green computing technologies within the country and suggest a way forward. Introduction In order to look at the current state of green computing in Kenya, we first need to understand what green computing is and what it entails. According to San Murugesan (Murugesan, 2008) in his paper on Harnessing green IT, Green IT (Also known as Green ICT or Green Computing) refers to environmentally sound IT. It focusses on the study and practice of designing, manufacturing, using and disposing of computers, servers and any associated subsystems in an effective and efficient manner with minimal to no impact on the environment. These subsystems include things such as monitors, printers, and storage devices as well as other items like communication and networking equipment. Murugesan goes on to say that Green computing also strives to achieve economic viability and improved system performance and use, while abiding to ethical and social responsibilities. It is for this reason that green computing covers areas such as environmental sustainability, energy efficiency, total cost of ownership as well as cost of disposal and even recycling. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is one the fastest growing industries in the world. This is due to a combination of different factors, but more recently this growth has been fuelled by the following factors. The first is the rapid pace of technology advancement. The second is the continued drop in prices of various hardware which has led to increased demand and acquisition of said hardware. According to Wabwoba, F., Wanyembi, W. G., & Omuterema, S. (2012) this rapid growth in ICT is creating lots of challenges especially within developing countries like Kenya. The first of these challenges is that ICT devices have much shorter lifespans. A good example of this is mobile devices which on average are replaces every 2 years. The danger of this is that it creates a lot of Electronic waste (e-waste) which is one of the fastest growing types of waste in the modern world today and one of the most difficult to dispose of in a safe and cost effective manner. As many third world countries rely on hardware donations, most of these obsolete devices will find their way into these countries. This not only increases the rate of harmful emissions, it also endangers the lives of people as well as the environment. This in  turn leads to environmental degradation, increases the cost of doing business as well as power demands and demand for social responsibility. Basically, Green computing is becoming more of a necessity and less of an option. Why Green Computing? As we discussed earlier, ICT is playing an increasingly important role in both Business as well as in Private undertakings. This is true for most of the world as this has been fuelled by the rapid pace at which technology has been advancing. The big question then becomes, â€Å"Why should anyone care about Green Computing/ICT/IT?† In looking at this, we will understand what benefits as well as what challenges we can expect from adopting green computing technologies not only in our businesses, but in our homes as well. According to Wabwoba, F., Wanyembi, W. G., & Omuterema, S. (2012), green computing focuses on more than just electricity consumption. It goes beyond the function of the ICT department. Green ICT acts as a central enabling technology to many aspects of sustainability. It goes beyond purchasing and usage considerations into how it can be used to lessen other aspects of environmental impact in the other sectors that it supports. The article goes on to say that this sustainability can be achieved through dematerialization and changing physical processes into virtual ones. Green ICT therefore brings together themes concerning the future of our current world, technology as well as the environment. San Murugesan’s article on Harnessing Green IT: Principles and Practices shares a similar view to that of Wabwoba, F., Wanyembi, W. G., & Omuterema, S. San Murugesan’s article goes on to say that many of today’s environmental issues are having an impact on the competiveness of the IT business sector. Basically, businesses with the technology and vision to provide products and services that address the various environmental issues we have today, will enjoy some sort of competitive advantage. Many customers are now taking into consideration a service provider’s environmental records as well as initiatives. These factors are having a substantial effect on customers’ purchasing, leasing and outsourcing decisions. What are the benefits? Green computing looks to solve many of the challenges that businesses face today. An example of one of these challenges is higher energy costs. †Businesses face higher energy costs, and they may also incur additional government levies if they do not address the environmental implications of their practices.† (Murugesan, 2008, p.26). â€Å"Investors and customers are beginning to demand more disclosures from companies with regard to their carbon footprint as well as their environmental initiatives and achievements, and they have started discounting share prices of companies that poorly address the environmental problems the create †. This means that many companies today have begun to show their environmental credentials to customers as a way to gaining an upper hand over competitors. Many businesses as well as individuals are also looking to achieve better energy efficiency through adopting green initiatives. This in turn will lead to financial benefits especially when electrical energy is at a premium and energy prices continue to rise. This is actually one of the major reasons for individuals as well as companies to start adopting eco-responsible practices. This means that many companies are bound to prioritize environmental issues for energy efficiency as well as cost-control benefits. An example of this in the real world is companies such as Dell and Wall-Mart. These two companies have both adopted initiatives that force their suppliers to adhere to environmentally sound practices. In a paper titled Pervasiveness of green ICT awareness amongst Kenyan ICT personnel Wabwoba, F., Wanyembi, W. G., Omuterema, S., & Mutua, S. M., (2013), the writers listed some of the various benefits of green ICT. The benefits of green ICT to the Environment/Society as well as to Companies include the following: Lower carbon emissions. Reduced resource consumption. Compliance with legal requirements. Reduced energy costs. Reduced operating costs of Data Centres. Less Hardware needed. The paper goes a step further by grouping the benefits of green ICT according to the Capital Market, Employees’, Customers’ as well as Public levels. These are shown below: Employees’ level benefits Increased employee satisfaction. Greater loyalty. Easier recruitment. Capital Market level benefits Improved ratings. Higher share prices. Greater company value. Customers’ level benefits Greater customer loyalty. Appeal to new customer groups. Greater customer satisfaction. Public level benefits Improved image. Rounded-out CSR strategy. Greater brand value. Examples/implementations of green computing in Kenya Here we shall look at examples of green computing implementations and initiatives within Kenya. The first example we shall look at is from Tea companies in Kenya go green through carbon finance (2013). Basically, several tea factories from the Nyeri district, all under the management of the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) chose to go green through a project titled â€Å"Guru Project†. The name Guru Project comes from the nearby Guru River in the Nyeri region. Much of the tea-manufacturing process requires electricity for processes like withering, cutting and drying tea leaves. Unfortunately, the factories would experience frequent power outages and poor power quality. The Guru Project aims to construct a hydro-power plant using water from the Guru River to generate power for the factories, thus allowing them to stop using the national grid. The benefit of this is that it will help reduce carbon emissions by some 38,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. On top of that, the factories will receive additional returns on their investment in lower emissions through carbon credits provided by the Clean Development Mechanism as part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The second example we shall look at shows how Kenyan companies that are going green can be rewarded for it. There was an article in the Business Daily from December 10th 2013 that looks at this, Ciuri, S. (2013). The newspaper Article looks at how 2 Kenyan companies that won 6.5 million Kenya Shillings for running green Enterprises. The companies in question are Continental Renewable Energy Company and Wanda Organic Company. Continental Renewable Energy Company converts plastic waste into low cost building materials and they won 4.23 Million Kenya Shillings as a reward. Wanda Organic Company on the other hand is an organic fertiliser Distributor and won 2.16 million Kenya Shillings. They were rewarded the money by Growth Hub which is an initiative to support businesses that want to pursue environmental conservation. The next example looks at how choosing to go green can help you gain a competitive advantage over other companies, as well as gain recognition in certain markets. We shall refer to an article on the East Africa Top 100 website from January 29th 2014, Going green wins entrepreneur the 2013 SME crown (2014). It follows the story of Dinesh Tembherkar who is a mechanical engineer by profession. He founded his own company called Lean Energy Solutions after being unsatisfied with formal employment for many years. Lena Energy Solutions is a company that provides Energy Management consultancy services within East Africa. They have been involved in energy and project management and offer comprehensive energy audits, investment grade audits, trainings in energy management, manufacturing of Lean Briqs and other related projects such as Boiler conversion from oil fired to solid fuel fired and swimming pool heating. Basically, their methodology helps their clientele to improve on productivity and maximize bottom line performance. This has allowed them to differentiate their goods and services from those of competitors, and it allowed them to be recognized as one of Kenya’s fastest growing mid-sized companies in the 2013 edition of the Top 100 mid-sized firms. This competition is held in the form of a survey that is sponsored by the Nation Media Group and the consultancy firm KPMG. Finally, we shall look at how various individual can play a role in contributing to the adoption of Green computing technologies and what impact it can have on their lives. Mbori, C. (n.d.) has a very good article in one of his blogs that looks at the cost of conventional energy in Kenya. In the article we see that Kenya is classified as an energy poor country since majority of the population spend huge amounts of their household income on energy. This is especially true for rural areas. As at the time of writing the article, Kenya only provided 15 percent of the population with access to grid electricity out of which only 4 percent was in rural areas. Less than 25 percent of Kenya’s population had access to modern energy forms. This means that many households in Kenya still rely on older forms of energy for heating, cooking and lighting like kerosene, charcoal and even candles. Kenya is located along the equator, which means that there is an abundance of renewable energy in the form of sunlight which many people are yet to take advantage of. Though, there has been a surge in the adoption of solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies or solar electric systems. These systems allow you to capture the sun’s energy using photovoltaic cells and can work even on a cloudy day. Many of these PV modules are mainly use for lighting, cell phone charging as well as refrigeration and entertainment. At the time of writing the article, there were more than 200,000 PV modules installed in Kenya. That number was steadily increasing at a rate of around 30,000 PV modules annually. Mwaura, M. (2010) shared a short YouTube video and article about how one old man named Ben Mureithi who is a retired civil servant was able to use renewable energy to better his life. He settled down in a very remote part of Kiserian where there was no electricity and no running water. By installing solar panels, he was able to power his entire home for entertainment, lighting and heated water. To solve his water problem, he was able to capture rain water using  drainage pipes from his roof into a big underground tank. He is able to use the water for his day to day needs and even to irrigate plants that he grows. This proved to be so effective that in 2006 during a drought in the area, he was able to supply water to some other people in the area. People like Mr Mureithi are able to succeed in such harsh areas because they have adopted green technologies and green practices in order to make the best use of the resources available to us all. Another factor that has enabled this is the advent of low-cost solar in Kenya. Traditionally, solar has always been out of the reach of most people because the cost of setting it up has always been high. Low-Cost Solar Invades Kenya (2010) looks at some low cost solar powered technologies and kits which are currently available in Kenya today. The first one the writer looks at is the Solantern which is essentially solar powered lantern that can be charged during the day and runs at night. The lantern was intended to help replace kerosene lamps in many Kenyan households and allow them to save money and the environment at the same time. It was retailing for about 2000 Kenya Shillings in the year 2010. Another low cost solution discussed is the  ToughStuff which is a solar kit that comes with a small solar panel and different kinds of connectors. It can be used to charge a small LED lamp, mobile phones, a rechargeable power pack and some cheap rechargeable D-cell rechargeable batteries for powering other devices. The unit is sold through Chloride Exide in Kenya as well as in a few other shops. These are just a few of the many examples of technologies that promote selfsustainability as well as changing peoples’ lives for the better. Conclusion From what we have discussed in this article, we can see that Kenya still has a long way to go before we are able to achieve any major milestones in regards to green computing and adoption of green technologies. Below we shall look at a few of the major challenges that have prevented us from advancing with regards to green computing. We shall refer to the article Barriers to Implementation of Green ICT in Kenya, (Wabwoba, F., Wanyembi, W. G., Omuterema, S. 2012, p.832, p.833). Lack of technical skilled or trained manpower in green ICT. (1) Green implementation is too costly. (11) Lack of green ICT workshops/seminars to update knowledge. (5) Overreliance on donations for ICT hardware acquisition. (7) Lack of top management support. (4) The rapid technology changes. (8) Lack of legislation to support green ICT implementations. (6) Existence of policies that hinder green ICT implementation. (10) Not knowing where to start in implementing green ICT. (8) General Resistance to change. (11) No budget is allocated towards implementing. (2) From the article, we see that the number one barrier to implementation of green ICT in Kenya is the lack of technical skilled or trained manpower in green ICT. This goes to show that a lot of work still needs to be done in creating awareness about the importance of going green and the opportunities available by making the switch. The way forward is to first focus on changing peoples’ opinions about green computing as a whole since a lot of the major adoption challenges are due to poor attitude and lack of information in general. It is only in this way  that we can get people to see the importance of creating a self-sufficient country, and all the good it will do not only for the environment but for all citizens as well. References Murugesan, S. (2008). Harnessing Green IT: Principles and Practices. IEEE Computer Society. Retrieved from University of Pittsburgh Website: http://www.pitt.edu/~dtipper/2011/GreenPaper.pdf Wabwoba, F., Wanyembi, W. G., Omuterema, S. (2012). Barriers to Implementation of Green ICT in Kenya (Vol.2, No.12). International Journal of Science and Technology. Retrieved from e journals of science website: http://ejournalofsciences.org/archive/vol2no12/vol2no12_3.pdf Wabwoba, F., Wanyembi, W. G., Omuterema, S., Mutua, S. M., (2013). Pervasiveness of green ICT awareness amongst Kenyan ICT personnel (Vol.2, No.1). Retrieved from International Journal of Application or Innovation in Engineering & Management website: http://ijaiem.org/volume2Issue1/IJAIEM-2013-01-15-021.pdf Tea companies in Kenya go green through carbon finance. (2013). Retrieved from UNDP website: http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter/articles/2013/02/20/sustainable-teacompanies-in-kenya-go-green-through-carbon-finance/ Ciuri, S. (2013). Kenyan firms receive Sh6.5m for going green. BUSINESS DAILY. Retrieved from BUSINESS DAILY Website: http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Kenyan-firmsreceive-Sh6-5m-for-going-green/-/539546/2106862/-/dls7qqz/-/index.html Going green wins entrepreneur the 2013 SME crown. (2014). Retrieved from East

Delivery Service in Houston Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Delivery Service in Houston - Research Paper Example Most of the public services in the city of Houston are offered by the state government and funded through several governmental and private sources. The east side of Houston City is the least inhabited area of Houston and the area is served by the government with transport provided through trams and buses which are subsidized by the government (Rauscher 77). Another area is the Inner Loop East which is served with public transport; this section is characterized by several housing projects which have been initiated by private developers with the interest of providing housing to the city’s residents (Mech 43). Inner Loop South is another area in the city of Houston and this region consists of black and white population with the sector predominantly occupied by black population. Inner Loop West is another area in the city of Houston whereby most of the city’s people reside in, this section is mainly served by houses built using public funds (Leonard 94). The other remaining areas of the North and West sides of Houston are well developed in terms of infrastructure and this presents very few challenges in development. In most areas of Houston, the youth are excluded in the public programs and thus a major intervention program is to be designed to cater for the youth (Chung 56). Young people especially those loving in home care homes are very vulnerable in their pursuit for better lives as grown people. Youth Program in Houston The youth are among the most vulnerable people in the society today and the role they play in the society is extremely important. In the city of Houston, there are very many young people who live in foster homes. These children are of mixed race and gender but they do face the same challenges in the pursuit of living good lives. One of the biggest challenges that these children face is that of finding ways and means of fending for their daily needs. As a result, a Preparation for Adult Living (PAL) program was initiated to cater f or the needs of these young people as they grow to become adults (Bales 88). This program focused on youths who were transitioning from state care homes into independent young people in the society. The program was based at the Houston Alumni and Youth Center (HAY) on the North side of Houston (Garrett 41). The program is to be funded from different sources including the US Department of Labor’s Employment and Training administration. The program would also source funds from well known US grants groups and from private companies interested in training young people (Watson 60). In sourcing funds the program would also rely on sponsorships from large American Corporations like Chevron Texaco or Exxon Mobil which supports community based projects (Pearson 82). Since the program is community based with intentions of helping young people it is important for stakeholders in this project to conduct fundraising initiatives. The program is meant to benefit young people who have been a bandoned or rescued and cared for in foster homes. As a result, several employees will be hired to take care of these children and these employees will include teachers, religious leaders, care givers and mentors (Brooks 45). All these people will be important in the educating these youths on different aspects of life and at the same time mentoring the youth on important issues in the life empowerment. In the implementation of the project, the stakeholders will link

Early Years Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Early Years Education - Essay Example Indeed, the environment plays an important role in the way by which students inculcate and integrate data into their daily lives. The environment has also been cited by numerous researches and studies as a vital part of education, affecting the manner by which information is delivered to the recipient, and how the recipient actually receives the data (Tiller and Huston 2002: 337). In relation, this paper will then look into the role played by the environment in education. More specifically, this paper will explore the effect of different environments on the education of individuals during the early formative years. This will be done by analysing an article published in the European Early Childhood Education Research Journal. The said article provides a detailed report of the study by Canning, entitled â€Å"The influence of the outdoor environment: den-making in three different contexts† (2010: 555). The said study explored den-making in three different environments or setting s in the United Kingdom. In the process of looking into the role played by the environment in education, this paper will first present a brief discussion on the search strategy used to find the chosen article for review. Afterwards, a more detailed overview of the aforementioned article will be conducted, followed by a critical analysis of the research contained in the article. This paper will then present this author’s different reflections on the learnings derived from the article. Finally, this paper will provide recommendations or suggested changes for the setting of education during the Early Years Foundation Stage. Range of Search Strategies This assignment called for the conduction of a research that explores different articles and resources detailing concepts involving equal opportunities in teaching and learning, or those involving play. Various search strategies were employed during the search for the appropriate article for review. First of all, a visit to the scho ol library was conducted, so as to help me have a â€Å"feel† for the topic being discussed. Numerous books and journals were available for reading, and as a result, I initially had a large number of resources from which to choose. However, choosing then became the tricky task so I reverted to ICT strategies, believing that the computer’s natural filtering abilities can help me narrow down the search. Thankfully, the said filtering capacities of search engines helped me to find articles in various databases for scholarly journals. Some databases employed during the search include Education Research Complete, ERIC database, and ProQuest Education Research Journals. The search for journals involving the provided topic yielded around thousand results, but filtering led to only around eight suitable articles. From these, the article detailed in the introduction of this paper was then chosen for review. Overview of the Research The study by Canning (2010) involves a small-s cale research that looked into den-making practices of three different settings in UK, as well as the effectiveness of the formed dens in educating students in their early years of development. The study involved a narrative and non-participant observation of the subjects in the said dens. The subjects of the study involved children aged three to five years, as well as their educators practicing early years education, and who were

The skills and attributes required to manage a hotel Assignment

The skills and attributes required to manage a hotel - Assignment Example It can be argued that the hospitality industry has transformed itself from a product-focused business to a customer-focused one and from a physical-asset intensive business to an experience-centric one. In order to understand the skills that are required by managers and employees in a hotel to perform better it is important to understand the concept of competencies. Competencies can be described as factors that improve the performance of individuals in jobs. According to the definition provided by Woodruffe (1993), competency provides â€Å"provide the dimension against which people should be assessed for readiness or potential to move into jobs against which they should be appraised and upon which they should be developed†. Skills has been defined as parameters that helps in achieving environmental goals by maximizing certainty of achievement by minimizing cost and time spent (Wadongo, Kambona and Odhuno, 2011). In the past three decades, large number of researchers has focused on the importance of skills and competencies required to run hotels. Skills and competencies are important for both managers and graduates who chose to enter in the hospitality industry. The ability to take initiative has been identified as one of the biggest skills needed to run hotels on the part of managers. This is because initiative can be identified as a parameter that is able to gain support and motivation from others. Hotels are visited by customers from all over the world and managers needs to guarantee satisfaction for the guests. In order to manage the guests and provide them proper satisfaction managers need to have three major types of skills namely conceptual skills, technical skills and human skills. Requirement of skills are further dependent on the hierarchy of the organization and the type of work of the employees. This implies

Waste management systens Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Waste management systens - Essay Example The approaches may also be different for urban and rural populations as well as industrial and residential parts of a community. The local governments mainly handle waste management in urban and rural areas; on the other hand, industries usually manage their own waste in the event that it is hazardous (Dhamija, 2006, p. 19). The transition to a sustainable system of waste management requires that leverage points are identified and applied in order to bring about changes. Towards the end of the twentieth century, there has been a significant increase in the scope of democracy at the local level in the nations as a result of the devolution of administrations, economies and politics to the local governments. Local governments are usually second or third realms of government and are usually used to create closer connection between the government and the citizens in the locality. While providing services, they should also be political institutions that propagate the voices and choices of the local people. In general, it is the responsibility of the local government to collect and dispose waste making it the legal owner of the collected waste. Therefore, local governments are supposed to develop measures that will ensure that the type of waste management they are associated with is sustainable (Hawkins and Shaw, 2004, p. 79). Sharing of similar experiences and perspectives as well as physical nearness to other people is the main aspect that defines a community. The word community has developed to be identified with terms such as towns, neighbourhoods and villages regardless of the fact that communities can exist in other form of relationships like social, professional or spiritual. The word community is often used too casually as the people may not have the best opinions throughout. This is because people living on the same community may have differing hopes, convictions and identities. This implies that there may be a distribution of

The body as artistic and cultural expression Research Paper

The body as artistic and cultural expression - Research Paper Example From the extreme examples like punk, to being selective in the colour or design of the dress one wears- body art has supposedly normal and not so normal manifestations. Shildkrout (2001) in the article, Body Art as Visual Language, has revealed the primal impulse behind the use of body as an artistic and cultural expression, â€Å"if the impulse to create art is one of the defining signs of humanity, the body may well have been the first canvas† (pp.1). Body painting, make up, body shaping, hair styling, scarification, tattooing, piercing, and dressing up in clothes constitute the expansive genre of body art. The functional aspect of body art has been described as supporting â€Å"to rebel, to follow fashion, or to play and experiment with new identities† (Shildkrout, 2001, pp.2). Apart from this functional aspect, the use of body as a starting point in artistic expression has gone rather unexplored. This essay envisages finding out the connection between body art and a rtistic expression and presupposes that the rebellion-aspect of body art inspires artistic expressions while the tradition-aspect blocks it. If we consider each kind of body art separately, it can be seen that different meanings are associated with different kinds of body art. For example, body painting can enhance the beauty, impart a divine countenance, provide protection, masquerade and establish a group identity. Similarly, make up has the function of increasing visual appeal, providing a false identity or concealing the original one, as well as establishing authority and status. Hair styling also can enhance beauty appeal, establish a group identity or visualize rebellion. Body shaping ranges from the primitive practice of skull shaping to the modern plastic surgery, all of which again has multiple functionalities. Scarification, tattooing and piercing have more to do with group identity and rebellion. But there are also less visible uses of body art like the use of piercing as a religious ritual and the use of make up to convey codified meaning as in Kabuki theatre (Shildkrout, 2001, pp.2-4). Body art has a great many things to do with our everyday lives and it is this aspect that brightens up the narrative of Meeta Kaur in her autobiographical essay, Journey By Inner Light (2006). Here, the basic emotions associated with body art are discussed, which is after all about being happy and content about one’s own self. Kaur (2006) has started her essay by describing the beauty of her mother’s hair, the good care that her mother gives it and the passing over of this tradition to herself (pp.39). This is a clear example of how artistic expression is evident in our everyday lives. As the narrative progresses, the reader become aware of the cultural identity that is associated with long hair, for Kaur’s mother and herself (2006, pp.40). Kaur’s being a migrant family from India to America, she believes that her mother’s long hai r is â€Å"an allegiance to a homeland† (2006, pp.40). Kaur (2006) also has remarked that her mother’s hair â€Å" is a light that provides a sense of place and home between any borders, on any soil, whether she is in India, America, or any other country† (pp.40). It can be seen that in this instance, body art as simple as maintaining one’s hair long has a meaning that is deep-rooted in tradition. The second encounter of Kaur (2006) with body art is when she goes back to India, and in a comic book, sees the picture of â€Å"the ninth Sikh Guru, Tegh Bahadur, [†¦] (in) a navy blue turban and a golden robe and [†¦] (having) a long silky beard† talking about religious freedom (pp.41). This visual also reminds how body art can impart great status to a person’s appearance. The â€Å"

Anomie and a Bananafish's Liberation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Anomie and a Bananafish's Liberation - Essay Example Yet the actual theme is not Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), mental disorder, weird in-laws, or suicide. This paper will explore a deeper theme, specifically anomie, based on an analysis of the relationships among the characters, the depth of the characters, and the fragmented interactive reality within which Seymour Glass responds. This paper will furthermore justify an even deeper theme: redemption. We are first introduced to the self-centered, superficial wife of Seymour Glass followed by exposure to the highly neurotic mother-in-law. Seymour and Muriel are on a vacation together, but do not seem to be connecting much. Muriel had to wait for a phone call to go through due to heavy telephone traffic at the hotel. The author tells us that she â€Å"used the time, though† (Salinger 1). If I were to use that phrase, the meaning would be much different. I would be implying that something important had been accomplished. Muriel, however, smoked a number of cigarettes, read a trashy article, and attended personal grooming. Judging from the telephone call between Muriel and her mother, it seems their relationship is based on neurotic control games, vicious gossip, and unsupportive advice. Muriel cannot finish a sentence without being cut off by her mother who really has nothing helpful or interesting to say. She claims to be concerned for her daughter’s welfare, yet she shows no real interest in her daughter’s feelings or assessments. Muriel patronizes her mother, using coping mechanisms (keeping the phone angled away from her ear, and confirming that she is listening, for example) (1). This relationship is based on dysfunctional habits and codependence. The trendy topic of the moment, interspersed with nasty comments about others, is Seymour, specifically about how dangerous he is, or isn’t, and how urgent the current situation seems to be, or not. Muriel seems more bothered by her husband’s refusal to remove his bathrobe th an she is about him wrecking her father’s car, referring to Muriel as â€Å"Miss Spiritual Tramp of 1948,† having an odd reaction to trees, interrogating Grandma about her death plans, or gifting his wife with a book of poems in a language she cannot read. Muriel is determined to enjoy her vacation and Seymour’s mentality is obviously not a significant consideration (2-3). Muriel is dressed in a white negligee, without undergarments, nails freshly painted. This might be interpreted as a sign of relationship readiness, yet they have a hotel room with twin beds (1). She is on a vacation with her husband whom she spends no time with. She could lie with him on the beach or she could sing with him at the piano, as he plays, but she elects to consult an alcoholic psychiatrist she does not know in a bar where they are drinking with a wife she despises, about a husband she also does not really know (4). Furthermore, it is clear that the consultation was extremely superf icial, involving no significant questions and answers. Seymour lies alone on the beach, his pale vulnerability perpetually protected by a bathrobe (5). His only friend is a four year old girl, Sybil. Sybil is from Connecticut, which I suspect may be a pun, used by the author to indicate the irony of this strange connection between Seymour and Sybil. It is a strange connection because Seymour’s and Sybil’s tone and flirtatious mannerisms are like what one might expect from a

History and Archives Essay Example for Free

History and Archives Essay She was born in Moscow, Russia and spent all her childhood and most of her young years in the Soviet Union. She went to school in Moscow from 1973 to 1983, for 10 years. At school she was very interested in history especially in ancient history. She loved to read books about history of Egypt, Italy and Mexico and also started to develop an interest in how the people live in different countries and why they all are different in some ways and the same in other ways. During her childhood every summer she went to different camps, where she met new people from different republics (that now after the crash of the USSR they are all different countries. In 1983 she was admitted to Moscow Order of Honor State University of History and Archives. She was there for 6 years and received a Diploma for Master of History and Archival Science. While at the University she witnessed the last years of the Great Empire of the Soviet Union and its Collapse. She saw how people started to change when their lives were drastically changed by Perestroika. She saw how families collapsed under the strains of a new social and economic system which imposed new financial hardship and drastic even overnight changes in societal norms. She saw how children from those families reacted to escalating divorce rates and how their lives changed for the worse. Deep interest in history and cultures of different countries led her to explore on human behavior, their similarities and differences. †¢ Having grown up in a totalitarian system and experiencing the perceived freedoms we enjoy here, she have an appreciation for issues related to how human beings deal with different pressures and expectations. †¢ In the time that she was with people from other cultural backgrounds, she developed a great appreciation for the differences in cultural traditions and social behavior. †¢ She pursued this interest and took up a master’s course in History and Archival Science. †¢ As she witnessed the tragic collapse of her nation, she saw how society as a whole abandoned the notion of Social responsibility and any feelings of obligation to others that were mandated by the government at one time were replaced with a vacuum that left many in search of a new vision of their place in society. †¢ She observed how people react when their dreams and expectations taste the bitterness of reality and adjust to changes and stress and most of the times take up the negative route and enter into alcoholism, drug abuse, prostitution, felony. Personality The collapse of society happened almost overnight. It was shocking to her that the transformation of millions within such a short time, and to the extent of that transformation. Unfortunately it did not getting better; in fact it started to affect her. She now faced to adapt to her changing environment after adhering so closely to my traditional beliefs of honor and respect. Later she adapted to a new marriage and followed her spouse to the US. The move to the US was a very drastic change for her at that time. A totally different country, traditions, language and social norms. She had some difficult time in adjusting and understanding that country. Yet another adaptation was required of her. Her daughter was born and once again she was entering a different world with no guidance. She found her â€Å"loving† husband of 20 years cheating on her with another woman. This was not what she expected in the least. Her life made no sense. Her beliefs that were honed for so many years were critically tasked. This new information made the pathways in her brain over taxed. This was not what she could accept. But she had too. There was no other reality. Still it took her years to grasp with that reality. Much as others deal with change she had trouble. It was her dispassionate belief that with coaching, that people could deal with a fast changing environment, including a new economic and social reality. She ended with a divorce. She then even had to adjust and live with the situation when her little girl was taken from her based on fraudulent allegations that swayed a person (one of many) who was the judge. Her heart was cut; she was drowning in ocean of emotions, and ones again in her life for the purpose to survive. †¢ After the collapse of her nation, she began reading books on psychology, philosophy and religion, in order to adjust to the drastic change and realized that adaptation was the greatest tool that humans possessed. †¢ For the purpose of dealing with the new challenges confronting her after the birth of her daughter, she began to educate herself through reading in order to learn more about the child development and psychology. †¢ When she found her husband cheating on her, she could not accept it. But she had too. There was no other reality. She took years to grasp with that reality. She faced troubles initially but dispassionately believed that with coaching, that people can deal with a fast changing environment, including a new economic and social reality. †¢ To get through her divorce, she returned to reading books on psychology and started to speak with counselors and therapists. She learned an incredible amount of practical applications of behavioral and cognitive tools she could use to adapt to this latest crisis. By reading and learning more she developed the desire to help and support people who face change and find it hard to adapt. She learnt enough to allow her to make a greater impact on how to teach people from an early age to handle change and look for ways to adapt that benefit society has a whole. She realized that her way, she and many others can adapt to new environmental stresses can and must be influenced by people who can motivate people who can show them how to deal with situations that were never expected. Whether it is dealing with a Cultural Revolution, and actual revolution, a great upheaval, a great loss, or a custody battle in a divorce or more recently fuel prices that will effect the poor’s heating in Northern states, peoples’ financial stresses; people need to have help in guiding them through these transitions, and she wanted to make a difference in this way. She understood how different people are and how the behaviors of various groups are allowed to flourish. This dichotomy intrigued her as it would seem that a healthy society had to strike for some balance. She loved to explore the issue at greater length and have some guidance in understanding socio-psychological issues. She was not so much interested in pathology as she was in theoretical psychology of social norms and patterns along with how to setup systems to manage the needs of individuals along with the pressures of societal needs and peaceful coexistence. She wished to use adaptation tool to grow as a person. She looked for something to help her on this journey and I thought a respected school and her desire together could be used to help other’s who have undergone serious social stresses in life, while maintaining a positive social framework in which they can function. In this way she was on her way to growth. References Pavlov, â€Å"Conditioned Reflex† (1903), [Internet], Available at http://www. pbs. org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/bhpavl. html, Accessed on: 3 August 2009 Skinner,† The Behavior of Organism† (1936), [Internet], Available athttp://www. pbs. org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/bhskin. html, Accessed: on 3 August 2009

Example Answers For Assignment On Small Business Enterprise

Example Answers For Assignment On Small Business Enterprise As an experienced business executive, what advise would you give Jerry, eg: a systematic approach to starting up a new business, structure, etc. (1a) Being an experienced business executive, I can see that the business demands huge efforts for success. In case one wishes to gain more, the best way is to start a business. Although job has fixed income for fixed work, increased efforts in business can result in huge benefits. Therefore, to carry on the business, it is necessary to put extra efforts for success. For Jerry, it is suggested that he should not continue his job further; else it may affect his business growth. The risk management strategy shall be made use of for success and growth (Lam, 2003). He should put his efforts in his business and make use of the experience he gained while working for others. These practices shall be put by Jerry in his own organization. He should strategically manage his staff on a regular basis. This would help him in making optimal use of his human resource assets. Additionally, the lack of capability of administration department could also be improved through this approach. It is a common concept, that greater the rate of risk, greater is the rate of return (Pakroo Pakroo, 2008). So leaving a job, Jerry would though take a risky step; it might result in his long term success. Additionally, Jerry has a good back up of money that he got from his grandfather. Money matter notably for a business in inception stage (Boyett Boyett, 2001), therefore Jerry needs to devote more and more time for the business, without the greed of having job along with the business. How would you review the performance of his business? (1b) Answer To review the performance of his business, the best method is to see at the growth trend of the organization. I would analyse the past performance of Jerrys organization to note how the organization is performing, what are its weaker and stronger areas, and how can the improvements be made in this business. I would review Zenith Healthcares performance thoroughly. Due focus shall be laid on total control over the operations of the organization (Druckman, 1997). There should be regular reviews of performance. I would analyse the weakness areas to come up with certain suggestions. To review the performance, I would further arrange meetings with staff members to know about their skill sets. Human resources are the most important asset for any organization. There is the need to have strong people in the organization who have their own areas expertise; this would entail the success and growth of the organization as a whole. Therefore, for Jerry, it is crucial to respond to problems. He shall devote his full efforts for this. I would have a look at the satisfaction level of customers, by checking their improvement in health. This is of supreme importance for Zenith Healthcare. Followed by this, I would staff members performance chart to be aware of their level of involvement for the growth and success. These all strategies would help in analysing the performance of Jerrys organization, and thus would further help me in giving better recommendations. Help Jerry identify his companys strengths and weaknesses. (1c) Answer For any organization to be successful, it regularly needs to review its strengths and weaknesses (Pakroo Pakroo, 2008). These factors can help the organization attain better results due to the clear description of areas that need improvement, and the strength areas. The following discusses about the strength and weaknesses of Zenith Healthcare. As far as the strengths associated with Zenith healthcare are concerned the organization has an experienced person, Jerry as its owner. Therefore, there is a huge potential with the organization. Right use of strategy can result in growth and success. The sales of Zenith are growing in spite of lack of control by the owner. Therefore, there still persists huge potential in the organization. The optimal use of their staff is still to be done, which can result in increased benefits for the organization. On looking at the weaknesses of Zenith Healthcare, first thing noticed is the lack of time given by Jerry to carry on the business operations. There is no official in charge to look after the work activities of 5 staff members. The organization has to also note the point of its lack of growth of cash inflows in spite of the increased sales. The administration department is not given due care to carry out business operations. Jerry also needs to note the point that the competition in his industry is raising at a great pace and results in increased mergers and acquisitions. Following the analysis of the companys strengths and weaknesses, recommend a plan of action that will capitalise on the companys strengths, and overcome its weaknesses. (2a) Answer In order to grow at a good pace, company needs to get rid of its weaknesses and make use of its strengths to capture a good share of market. Therefore, the organization shall adopt the action plan as described here on to growth at a good pace. Firstly, Jerry shall leave his current job to have a focus on the business growth. The competition is increasing with time; there are regular amendments in policies by the organizations to survive in the market (Bradt et al., 2009). Therefore, the need is to work out thoroughly on the weaknesses in order to ensure that there are no risks associated with the business, or better say that the risks are optimized. For this purpose, the organization shall work duly on the weakness areas and understand the root cause of the same. There should be someone who looks after the administration tasks of the health care as well. Jerry should act as a leader followed by one administration head. Thus administration should be responsible to look after all the activities leaded by the administration head. This would form a better hierarchy of operations for the organization. There is the need to have a proper check on the root cause for no increase in cash inflows in spite of increased customer base. Thus, there exists some flaw in the operational management operations of the organization, which needs improvement. These need to be taken with due care to result in success for long term. Jerry has bought you a one-week, return ticket to his holiday home in Florida. He wants you to help him investigate ways in which the business existing performance could be maintained and strengthened (2b). Answer Looking at the description of the business status, it can be noted that Zenith Healthcare is doing well in spite of the lack of focus laid by Jerry. He is not devoting much of his time for business due to his job. He shall leave the job to focus completely on the business. Health care organizations are increasingly migrating towards UK. The competition is rising with time due to these competitors belonging to local region as well as from abroad such as USA. Therefore, Zenith Healthcare needs to take steps in this regard. The organization shall then make efforts to expand further as this is the right stage for growth and expansion. The organization shall work aggressively to capture a good share of market before new entrants capture the whole market. Therefore, at the instance of an offer from Venture Capitalist (As discussed in the case study) shall be taken with due care. The best way is to thoroughly analyse the synergy that would be created if the organization is acquired (Hunt, 2009). This would help in better valuation of the acquisition. In case the acquisition results in increased synergy which is beneficial for the organization, Jerry shall move forward for the deal. However, in case there is not much scope noted for this deal, there are number of options available for the organization. They shall make use of joint ventures thereon to work in collaboration with giant foreign players. These giants would help in having a better control over the process of recruitment and selection, staff and medical personnel management, and better operational strategies (Heim et al., 2003; Institute of Medicine, 1990). Thus, the synergy can help in faster pace of success for the organization. While you are with Jerry, could you also suggest new areas in which his business could be expanded? (2c) Answer At present the business of Jerry seems to be going well. His company is growing at a continuous pace, in spite of several flaws attached with it. The increased introduction of new hospitals in the country is raising competition in the Hospital market. Therefore, there comes the need to incorporate strategies at work place which are of maximum returns, else consolidated market might result too tough to stand for a small business. Therefore, Jerry needs to search for a good joint venture option to expand at a good pace. This would help Jerry have his organizations size of increased power. The size of entity would therefore increase and would result in achieving economies of scale at certain instances (King, 2003). Therefore, it could be a good practice to incorporate economies of scale. Additionally, Jerry can opt for some further business areas that can be explored. Starting of new operations such as those of pharmacy products can be a good choice. Jerry shall make available medicines and injections etc that are commonly used at his hospital. Therefore, the sales of these products would take place from his medical store, which can be opened outside his hospital area. Even patients would feel comfortable making purchase as they wont be required to travel from hospital to the medical stores located at distant locations. This would act in favour of the revenues of the hospital. Therefore, Jerry can expand his business through this approach. You realise that the moment has arrive where it would be appropriate for Jerry to review his existing business objectives and plans. Using your initiative, help your friend outline those key areas where attention should be given (3a). Answer For any business to be successful, it is quite crucial to make clear objectives of the business. Unclear business goals and objectives can result in divergence of the approach to gain outcomes. Therefore, Jerry should have a clear point about the business statistics he has for growth and expansion. Therefore, the aim of his business organization, named as Zenith healthcare should be to make efforts to help the patients get rid of various diseases. Health services demand the basic need to have strong relations with patients by providing them support in a thorough manner. Therefore, the approach can help the business grow by having stronger customer relationship management. There would be more control over business practices. Thus, the business shall have the objectives in mind that are clear in terms of concept and plan. The operations of Jerry shall however include due focus to be laid on the service users. This should entail strong relationship building and making an effort to create brand of the organization in the competitive market. This would help the organization stand well in the competitive scenario (Pinson, 2008). Jerry shall leave his job to help the organization attain his aims and objectives, as the competitive market demands more and more efforts. Lack of efforts can however result in consolidation of business due to rapidly growing competitive market, else survival would become an issue for the organization. Once you have agreed with Jerry those key areas which require attention, help him revise his business plans to incorporate appropriate changes (3b). Answer The business plan is important for the growth and survival. There comes the need to implement strategies for success. The organization should use the suggested strategy for business operations. As the current market is growing rapidly on one hand, the consolidation is probable to come into existence at other instance, there comes the need to make use of the aggressive approach to cover a good share of market. Firstly, the organization shall have clear goals and objectives that need to be attained. This shall follow by a clear understanding of the market segment for the services (Abrams and Kleiner, 2003; Holm Blanchard, 2007). Additionally, as stated before, the organization shall even expand its business operations by making use of the medical store to sell different medical products. This should follow by a thorough plan for marketing of services. Jerry needs to define clear strategic marketing. The use of brochures, advertising on magazines, newspapers, and various internet sources, search engine optimization, and web promotion can act in favour of the hospital for increased awareness among the target segment. There should be various marketing campaigns for the hospital and clear focus shall be laid to decide for the goals to be achieved for the regular intervals such as for the next 5 years or so. Thereafter, based on the plan the marketing analysis shall be done. This should follow by thorough understanding of the sales forecasts for the business. This would help in formulation of strategies in the right manner. Therefore, the organization would be ready to face stiff competition with the passage of time. The staffing would also be maintained in the right manner along with the operating budget. These would overall help in generating financial projections. This marketing strategy would overall result in growth and success of the organization for long term and Jerry would gain from his business. Accordingly, prepare action plans to implement changes (3c). Answer Action Plan Aims and Objectives are the first stage of any action plan. The aim of Zenith Health care organization is to make an effort to help the patients get rid of various diseases. Health services have the basic need to build strong relations with patients by providing them support in a thorough manner. The approach is expected to help the business grow by having stronger customer relationship management. Through this strategy, there would be more control over business practices. Suggested actions at this stage are to first of all valuate the offer at hand for acquisition of other organization, which is similar in size (George et al., 2009). This was the offer made by a venture capitalist in a cocktail party. Thereafter, if the proposal seems to add to the benefits of the organization, the deal should be made. This should then be followed by the search for joint venture with an organization from abroad, which is looking to expand here. This shall further help in promotion and brand building. Furthermore, the organization shall make efforts to promote more and more through various magazines, newspapers etc. This would help in creating awareness of the services provided by Zenith Health care, and would increase the chances of attracting more and more people, looking for health related services. Therefore, the strong marketing would help in establishing brand value in the market (James, 1995). This shall further be followed by proper evaluation of the suggested strategies so as to update them on a regular basis, based on the market and changing needs. Help Jerry assess the possible impact of changes on the business and his management team (4a). Answer The suggested approaches would overall help the business of Jerry. This strategy would help the organization grow for long term. Thus, the suggestions are made based on the long term vision for the success. The employees working in the organization would be able to work in a better way. There would be proper flow of information in a hierarchical manner. The supervisor would handle the task of managing the whole staff. This would help in better operational management. The administrative activities too would flow in a professional manner. This would aid to the development and growth. At present, the organization is though doing well, the competition is increasing at a rapid rate. Therefore, it becomes necessary to incorporate strategies at work place to ensure that the outcomes are attained favourably. The systematic action plan would therefore act as the backbone to carry out all the activities (Nayler, 2005). This action plan would help in going in a systematic and rapid manner to capture a good share of the market. The success of organization therefore seems to be a mandatory task which would be achieved easily. Explain to Jerry how the implementation of changes should be managed (4b). Answer Change is the law of nature. This takes place on a regular basis and can result in overall success or failure of the proposed plan. Although a good strategic plan has been discussed in the above sections, the most important task is to convert the plan into action. Therefore, Jerry would need to firstly leave his job. Thereon, he would have time in managing the operations in a better manner. This shall be followed by the use of proper channel of communication. The organization shall allow its staff members to collaboratively communicate with each other to contribute to the efforts for organization. On having an eye on the contribution of entrepreneurs of US, it can be noted that more than 50% of the revenues generated through business operations are made by the small businesses (Gates Leuschner, 2009). Therefore businessman shall understand the importance associated with the strategy. This would help entail successful growth of the organization. Additionally, the increased efforts put by the staff members shall be well managed with the help of controller, or manager. This person shall be held responsible of managing all the operational activities of business by making use of the staff. This would help in increasing the contribution of individuals towards organizations success. Thus, Jerry shall need to use evaluation technique to analyse the outcomes of the approach. This would result in overall success of organizational goals and objectives. Jerry is worried that the change process could go wrong. To assuage his fears, explain to Jerry how possible it would be to monitor changes in improvements and performance (4c) Answer To be successful and to earn more, there is the need to take risk. The greater the risk one takes, the greater are returns (Lam, 2003). Increased competition demands the need to take risks in an optimal manner. This is the differentiating factor between a successful and unsuccessful organization. Therefore, the present competitive market demands the use of new approach for success and growth. Jerry is though worried of failure, but I would make him understand how the joint venture, for an example can act as a strong factor to keep the business at a safer end. There are reduced risks due to this strategy. Working with industry giants can help the business flourish at a rapid rate. These organizations act as the backbone for helping in tough times (Pinson, 2008). Jerry shall thus understand this point that the risks result in returns if the proper direction is followed for the business. Additionally, the action plan can make a huge difference between success and failure. Therefore, the action plan would be used in such a manner that there are minimized risks and frequent evolutionary sessions would help in getting an idea prior to the problem situation about the state of business, and amendments if any, required in the business, can be made thoroughly to ensure the minimization of risks.

Employee satisfaction and Employee retention

Employee satisfaction and Employee retention Introduction Human resource is a key component of organisation as people are the heart of the organisation and play a critical role in determining the performance of the organisation. Companies that are careful and meticulous in recruiting the appropriate people with the required skills and knowledge that will be useful in the organisation are likely to fare significantly better than organisations that are lax in their process of staff recruitment. Human capital is an important source of competitive advantage and provides the organisation with a competitive edge over their competitors (insert reference abt human capital being a competitive advantage). Careful selection and recruitment of people is hence an important process of human resourcing. Once an organisation has successfully recruited suitable and competent people into the organisation, the next step will be retaining this group of competent staff in the organisation as they, with their knowledge and skills are very much an invaluable asse t to the organisation. 2.2 Business Reasons Employee retention is very much a challenge faced by organisations today (insert references), especially the retention of highly capable employees, who are essential in the organisation in this dynamic 21st century business environment where organisations that wish to survive and be successful have to be highly versatile with the ability to respond swiftly and effectively and thus adapt well to the ever-changing business environment. Therefore, it is crucial for organisations to ensure that they are able to retain the best of their people, who are likely to contribute much to the survival and the success of the company. Organisations have long tried to tackle the problem of employee retention and limit turnover of skilled employees (insert references), however it is almost impossible to eradicate such incidences. It is a widely known fact that employee satisfaction is closely related to employee retention and numerous studies have been conducted to support the above statement (insert references). However, it is also likely that there are reasons other than employee satisfaction that might play a crucial role in employee retention (insert references). Organisations will need to look into other areas that impacts employee retention to have a better understanding of it and hence be better equipped in the management of retaining skilled employees. Personal reasons With reference to my prior work experience, where employee turnover was very high in the organisation I worked in, even though employers try to compromise with those employees (planning to leave) and retain them by increasing their salary and offering them more benefits (increasing their job satisfaction), it is not enough to keep them from leaving the organisation. As such, I am highly interested as to what other factors that could lead to peoples intention to leave an organisation even though there is an increase in job satisfaction. It would be certainly be very helpful to gain some insights about peoples intention to leave an organisation and what should be done to prevent them from doing so, should I acquire a managerial career after entering the workforce. Preliminary Review of the Literature Lambert, Hogan Barton (2001) measures the impact on turnover intent based on five factors. They are demographic characteristics (eg. age, gender, education), work environment measures (eg. role conflict, autonomy, co-worker relations), job satisfaction, turnover intent, and alternative employment opportunities. Turnover intent is largely affected by availability of alternative job opportunities, job satisfaction, work environment (financial rewards) and demographic characteristics (age and tenure) with job satisfaction having the greatest effect. Work environment and demographic characteristics generally have an indirect effect on turnover intent as both factors affects job satisfaction. Nonetheless, work environment was found to have a greater effect on job satisfaction than demographic characteristics. Meanwhile, job satisfaction had the greatest effect on turnover intent. Lambert, Hogan Barton (2001) suggested that managers emphasise on creating a favourable work environment to increase job satisfaction, which in turn lowers turnover intent. Besides job satisfaction, an individuals social identification with ones organisation (Moura et. al. 2009) also plays a role in predicting his/her intention to stay or leave the organisation. When employees identify with their organisations, they are prone to be more supportive and loyal to the organisation and desire to be part of a member of the organisation (Ashforth and Mael 1989, cited in Moura et. al. 2009). Results of a study done by Moura and colleagues (Moura et. al. 2009) found that social Identity has proven to be an important aspect people take into consideration when deciding to stay or leave the organisation. As organizational identification (ie. social organisation) largely impacts on employees intentions to turnover, organisations should concentrate on improving employees identification with the organisation. Nonetheless, job satisfaction should not be ignored as is still undoubtedly one of the most vital factors that affect turnover intent. However, as characteristics of each individual varies, it is thus necessary to take into consideration the different factors and levels of job satisfaction as perceived by an individual when analysing job satisfaction (Franek and Vecera 2008 cited from Lee and Way 2010). The impact of individual characteristics on job satisfaction and turnover intention should not be ignored. Factors of job satisfaction can be categorized into, Work Environment factor and Work Itself factor. Both factors, though mutually exclusive, were found to have a large impact on job satisfaction. The Work Itself factor not only evaluates job satisfaction but turnover intentions as well. Although job satisfaction increases motivation and productivity of employees, it does not mean that level of employee retention is at its most efficient. Job satisfaction factors are not necessarily the same as employee retention factors because not all job satisfaction factors will affect employee retention (Lee and Way 2010). Udechukwu and Mujtaba (2007) states that the reasons for employees to stay or leave an organisation can be divided into three main categories, that is, social affiliates, employee and employer, contrary to previous studies that only took employer and social affiliation factors into consideration. Social affiliation (eg. family, social club, religious group) affects employee voluntary turnover as it is something that an employee identifies with or is associated to, that has no connections to the organisation. The needs of an individual and their social affiliations are often in line with each other. Therefore, it is highly likely that an individuals social affiliation will affect his/her decision to stay or leave the organisation. Employers are now providing their staff with more benefits, such as flexi-work hours, to ensure that their needs are met, hence increasing job satisfaction and lowering probability of employee turnover (Udechukwu and Mujtaba 2007). Meanwhile, for employees, it is crucial to them that their needs can be satisfied as the inability to do so will have a negative impact on their performance and productivity (Senguder 2000 cited in Udechukwu and Mujtaba 2007), which could then lead to higher probability of turnover. Deery (2008) examined the reasons for employee turnover by dividing them under three categories as well. The first category is job attitudes (eg. job satisfaction, organisational commitment). The second category is the employees personal attributes of job burnout and exhaustion. The third category addresses employees work-life balance. Previous research emphasised on the role played by job satisfaction and organisational commitment on employee retention but focused less on job burnout, stress and exhaustion A recent contribution to the research on employee retention is the effect caused by work-life balance on employees decision to stay or leave the organisation. A poor balance between work and life (eg. family time) could lead to family conflicts and lower job satisfaction, hence increasing the possibility of employee turnover. Thus, to improve employee retention, it is recommended that employees be given the opportunity to find a balance between work and life. Deerys (2008) emphasis on the importance of a balanced work-life is supported by Griffeth and Homs (2001) (cited in Udechukwu and Mujtaba 2007) research findings that employees who face family-life conflicts have a higher probability of quitting their jobs than those who do not. Previous researchers have also assumed that determinants of employee turnover and employee retention are the same, that is, employee turnover and employee retention are two sides of the same coin (Johnston 1995 cited in Cho, Johanson and Guchait 2009) and when a factor negatively affects employee turnover, it will have a positive effect on employee retention. Cho, Johanson and Guchait (2009) decide to test the assumptions by researching on employee turnover intentions focusing on whether the determinants of measuring the possibility of an individual leaving the organisation are just as useful in measuring the possibility of an individual remaining in the organisation. Three main factors that have been repeatedly found to have a considerably large effect on employee turnover will be used in this study to find if they have the same level of effect on employee retention. The three factors used will be Perceived Organisational Support (POS), Perceived Supervisor Support (PSS), and Organisational Commitment (OC). Findings of the study have proven that the assumption is not necessarily right. POS does have an effect on both employee turnover and employee retention. However, the degree of effect varies, with POS having a larger impact on employee retention than employee turnover. Although PSS was found not to have any effect on employee retention, it does have an effect on employee turnover. OC reduces employee turnover, but does not necessarily have a positive impact on employee retention. As organisations today seek to retain their skilled staff, Cho, Johanson and Guchait (2009) suggested there should be more focused research on factors that lead to employee retention than on employee turnover. A research by Harris, Wheeler and Kacmar (2009) based on the LMX (leader-member exchange) theory which studies the quality of the leader-member (ie. supervisor-subordinate) relationship and assesses the effect that empowerment has on employees in terms of their job satisfaction, turnover intentions. Importance of LMX relationship is relative to the subordinates perceived level of empowerment. When a subordinates perceived level of empowerment is high, the work itself becomes a form of motivator and it is not necessary for them to have a high quality LMX relationship as a motivator. Hence, importance of LMX relationship is relatively low for highly empowered subordinates. However, when subordinates perceived level of empowerment is low, a high quality LMX relationship (eg. providing support and encouragement) will be crucial in making up for the loss of work motivation which could lead to high turnover intent. Therefore it is recommended that supervisors should give more attention on increasing subordinates level of empowerment. If the nature of the job or work environment does not permit high levels of job empowerment, supervisors should then build a high quality LMX relationship with those subordinates to make up for their low level of job empowerment. There appears to be limited business literature regarding job satisfaction and its effects on employee retention, specifically in the public and private sectors in the UK. As work environment and conditions vary between UK public and private organizations, factors and level of job satisfaction likely differs, so does its impact on employee retention. Apart from that, other possible factors that might possibly contribute to employee retention particularly in UK public and private organizations will also need to be explored. The findings from this research will give UK public and private sectors an idea on what would make their staff stay in the organisation. There is also little attention on recommendations that UK public and private organisations can undertake to retain their skilled staff. This is also essential as it gives UK firms, be it public or private, an idea of what they can do to best retain their skilled employees. Research Questions and Objectives 4.1 Research Questions Taking into consideration individual characteristics and differences in background and culture, what are the various perceptions on job satisfaction? What are the factors that could influence job satisfaction? How do these factors lead to employee retention? Do they have a direct or indirect impact on employee retention? How does job satisfaction differ between employees in public and private sectors in the UK? What is the consequent effect on employee retention between public and private sectors in the UK? What are the other possible factors that could lead to employee retention in the UK public and private sectors? What can be done to increase rate of employee retention in both public and private sectors in the UK? 4.2 Research Objectives To critically appraise the significance of employee satisfaction on employee retention To compare and contrast the impact of employee satisfaction on employee retention between the public and private sectors in the UK To critically evaluate other factors contributing to employee retention in UKs public and private sectors To recommend possible course of action to enhance rate of employee retention in both public and private sectors in the UK Research Plan 5.1 Research Perspective The research will be done taking into consideration the realistic working environment in UK organizations today. Most of the information required for the research will be obtained from secondary data (slightly more qualitative than quantitative data), primarily from theoretical and empirical journal articles. As such, both deductive and inductive reasoning will be required for the research. 5.2 Research Design This research uses a comparative design as my area of focus is on two broad categories and a comparative designed research will clearly highlight the differences between the two categories. However, one possible limitation of this is that there might be more similarities than differences between the two categories, hence defeating the purpose of using the comparative research design. 5.3 Data Collection Methods Secondary Data: The sources of secondary data for the research will mostly be textbooks, journal articles, Databases such as EBSCO, Emerald and Science Direct. Textbooks on Human Resource Management (HRM) which can be sourced from Coventry Universitys Lanchester Library will be used to gain some theoretical knowledge about the main subject of research, employee satisfaction and employee retention. Textbooks written in the UK will be particularly useful as the subject and areas of research will be written within the context of the UK, and may even include case studies based in the UK. This will help in answering Research Objectives 1 and 4. Some of the textbooks that may be used are People Planning and Talent Planning: HRM in Practice by Stephen Pilbeam Marjorie Corbridge AND Human Resource Management at Work: People Management and Development by Mick Marchington and Adrian Wilkinson. Journal Articles relative to the area of research will be the primary source of secondary data for this research. They can be sourced either from print journals available from Coventry Universitys Lanchester Library or from journals available through Web Databases such as EBSCO, Emerald and Science Direct. Both theoretical and empirical journal articles will be used as they will be very useful in providing insights as well as the latest and up-to-date findings regarding my area of interest in my research. Journal articles written in the UK context will be particularly useful, especially empirical journal articles that include data collected from surveys conducted in the UK. Moreover, there seem to be a lot of journal articles available via the databases on the topic of my research. I may probably get the bulk of my information needed for the research from journal articles. Therefore, Journal Articles and Web Databases will be used to answer all my Research Objectives, especially for Research Objectives 2 and 3. I will source the journal articles from journals such as the European Journal of Social Psychology, Human Resource Development Review, and Personnel Review. Websites may also be used, such as the UK Government Website which contains some statistics which may be used in the research. One such website would be the Office for National Statistics (ONS) at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/default.asp . Government Websites Peer-reviewed Valid-as I can get up-to-date articles regarding my area of research.