Halina Mountain Resort a Case Study Essay

Sarah Norton is an MBA student who specializes in market research. She has one semester left until graduation and is working as a graduate assistant. She is a person with very high ethical values and she is very religious. She looks for a job in Hammonsville, where she wants to stay. She starts working for the Wise Research Corporation, a field research services company. They have offices in Dallas, Hammonsville and Tulsa. She travels to Dallas to start her training for the job and finds out that the company’s behavior to the different stakeholders is very unethical. Sarah, a very ethical person with high values, finds herself in a big dilemma – should she stay with the company or better, resign from the job even though she quit her graduate assistantship. In the situation analysis, environmental, cultural and political trends are discussed. The economy in general is not in a growing stage and the ethical behavior in business is not sufficient. Nevertheless, there is a growing trend to increase ethical behavior, and many companies and associations develop a code of ethics for their business or industry. In the second part of the paper, the problems appearing from the situation are discussed. Unethical behavior and it’s impact on the stakeholders of the company lead to Sarah’s decision whether to resign form the job or not. In the third part, a solution is presented which is the resignation from the job. A justification of the chosen solution follows and also an implementation strategy. II. SITUATION ANALYSIS A. Environment 1. Economic conditions and trends The economic conditions are important in this case because they are not favorable to find a job; especially not for lower managers like MBAs just graduating from college. The American industry is in the process of downsizing. Please note! This is not an example of text written by our writers! Essaypedia.com is a database of essays that were collected at open web resources. You can use them at you own risk following the citation rules below. But we recommend you to order a custom plagiarism-free essay written just for you from one of our writers. Place an order, add your paper details and enjoy the results! You can keep in touch with your writer, check the draft of your paper and send your order for revision for free. If you are hesitating to place an order – just ask for a quote! In Appendix one, unemployment figures are provided, and show see that unemployment was very high in the years 1994/1995. 2. Cultural and social values and trends Unethical behavior is becoming more and more common in business life. One can observe unethical behavior every day by simply watching the news. This results from the following developments: à ¼ the high value society places on economic success à ¼ profit share being the sole objective à ¼ intense competition between departments, people or companies à ¼ management being concerned with the â€Å"letter of law† rather then with â€Å"the spirit of law† à ¼ ambiguous corporate policies regarding ethical behavior à ¼ inadequate controls allowing people to get away with behaving unethically à ¼ business leaders failing to comprehend the public’s ethical concern à ¼ the â€Å"let the buyer beware† custom prevails (Greenberg J., Baron R. A. (2000) p. 31). Since these trends in industry have created a very unsatisfying condition, business leaders are trying to increase morale values in business life and many companies develop a code of ethics, a mission about ethical behavior or an organizational culture with high ethical standards. 3. Political and legal issues In the field of market research there is a code of professional ethics developed by the Market Research Association (MRA). However there is no nationwide standard for collection and handling of data for market researchers. This Code of Ethics is provided in Appendix II. 4. Summary of environmental opportunities and threats The economy in general is not in a growing stage and the ethical behavior in business is not sufficient. Nevertheless, there a returning trend to move to a more ethical behavior, therefore many companies and associations develop a code of ethics for their business or industry. There is no nationwide standard for ethical matters in market research and no law for ethical behavior. The Code of Ethics of the MRA is the only attempt to set some ethical rules how to operate a marketing research company. B. Industry 1. Classification and definition of industry Opinion and marketing research is a multi-billion-dollar industry dedicated to providing valuable information to companies, which focus on sales and services. Opinion and marketing research: à ¼ helps manufacturers to identify, to understand and to meet consumer needs and wants à ¼ saves the consumer money by providing data to companies to help them reduce the costs associated with new product failures. à ¼ assists manufacturers and service providers to improve the quality and usefulness of the products and services. Consumers make their opinions on products, services and issues by answering questions of market researchers. The consumer can influence manufacturers to incorporate consumer opinion into products, services and procedures. About 72 million Americans are interviewed in an opinion and marketing research study yearly (www.mra-net.org). The case tells us that outside research suppliers are a growing industry. Wise Research is such an industry. 2. The Code of Ethics and the responsibilities of the marketing research industry The Marketing Research Industry Association writes industry the following about ethics in the marketing research industry: â€Å"Research knowledge and the value of research are communicated to both the business community and the public at large, while complying with applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations and ordinances. MRA (Marketing Research Association) expects members to follow principles of honesty, professionalism, fairness and confidentiality to guard the interests of the public and our clients in order to promote good business practices. MRA’s Code of Data Collection Standards consists of the responsibilities of respondents, clients, and data collectors not only to each other, but also to the general public and business community. All MRA members must sign and adhere to the Code of Data Collection Standards. The standards are enforced, and complaints of alleged unethical behavior may be filed against an MRA member who is suspected to have violated the Code† (http://www.mra-net.org/codes/index.cfm). This Code of Ethics is applicable for members of the MRA. It shows how important ethical behavior in marketing research is. The book â€Å"Marketing Management† by J. Paul Peter and James H. Donnely Jr. also talks about ethical behavior in the marketing research sector. Peter and Donnely base their ethical Responsibilities on Gilbert A. Churchill Jr. â€Å"market research: Methodological Foundations†. They trace the ethical responsibilities to three different groups: respondents, clients and employees. Responsibilities to respondents are: à ¼ Preserving respondent anonymity à ¼ Avoiding mental stress for respondents à ¼ Avoiding questions detrimental to respondents à ¼ Avoiding the use of dangerous equipment or techniques à ¼ Avoiding deception of respondents à ¼ Avoiding coercion of respondents. The responsibilities to clients are: à ¼ Providing confidentiality à ¼ Providing technical integrity à ¼ Providing administrative integrity à ¼ Providing guidance on research usage. And last the responsibilities to the employees are à ¼ Creating an ethical work environment à ¼ Avoiding opportunities of unethical behavior (p. 41). 3. Summary of the industry analysis The market research industry is very unique and provides important information to the different industries selling products and services to consumers. They normally work with a very high standard of ethical behavior; the MRA summarized these ethics in the Code of Ethics. C. Firm 1. Description of the company Wise Research is a market research company. It’s business is field research in shopping malls which categorizes it as a field research company. Field research companies do data collection on research projects. Wise Research has been operating in this business for 25 years and has several subsidiaries. These subsidiaries are all mall research offices. The head office and two other offices are located in Dallas, TX, one is located in Tulsa, OK and one is located in Hammonsville, MI. The office in Hammonsville has exited for 10 years. The company is involved in fieldwork, although they do not generate questionnaires or analyze the collected data. The core competence of Wise Research is to collect data for other marketing research firms, and these firms provide the information to their clients. One can conclude from the descriptions of the company that it does not have a mission statement, a philosophy or a particular strategy concerning organizational culture and ethical behavior. There is no marketing budget and the office personnel recruits the clients. The lack of ethical behavior of Wise Research leads to a severe damage of their reputation in the long run and to any marketing efforts. Clients will realize in a post purchase evaluation that the data delivered by Wise Research is manipulated and not valid. 2. Financial condition One can assume that the financial situation is not very good since we learn from the case that benefits promised to employees are paid with a delay. This happens to Cindy, the office supervisor in Dallas. Also, the management discourages employees from talking about their salaries. Another evidence for a poor financial situation is that Sarah is told that she could make $ 25,000 a year with a 40-hour week, which is not true. The company owns no computers; this indicates that they only possess very few assets. The company does not have a marketing budget. 3. Management philosophy and managerial climate The case does not say anything about the management philosophy, but is does talk about the behavior of the management, which drastically influences the organizational culture and climate. The behavior of the management is very unethical. They force their employees to fake organizational figures and they also put a substantial pressure on the employees. They take advantage of personal situations of their employees (such as in the case of Cindy – she desperately needed a job, they paid her less money than other employees) and this gives management an image of dishonesty to employees and to clients. Their behavior is also very informal; the interview with Sarah indicates this. 4. Organizational structure The owner of the company, Bill Wise, is also the president. His wife Karen works for the company too. The headquarters of the company is in Dallas, and there are four more offices. The offices work with very uneducated staff. Every office has a local manger who carries the responsibility. The office managers communicate directly with the owners of the company. 5. Organizational culture The organizational culture and also the organizational climate are influenced by the managerial climate. Climate and culture are two different subjects, but they are associated. Hofstede (1998) states in an article â€Å"Attitudes, values and organizational cultures† the following about climate and culture: â€Å"Climate derives from sociology, culture from anthropology, and this affects the methods by which they are studied; climate is more closely linked with individual motivation and behavior than culture, which resides entirely at the organizational level; climate has an evaluative connotation and partly overlaps with satisfaction; cultures can be different without one being objectively better than the other. [†¦] Climate can fruitfully be seen as a subset of culture†(p. 496). The organizational culture of Wise Research is very unethical and this is lived and enforced by the management. The organizational climate is very poor because of the bad managerial climate. 6. Sarah’s job According to Bill and Karen Wise, Sarah’s job has the following work conditions: the pay is $11 a hour, and she can earn $ 25,000 a year with a time per week of 40 hours. The benefits are health insurance premiums at the same level as the Dallas employees. The Missouri employees normally do not get health insurance benefits. One week of vacation was offered after one year of employment. Performance reviews are held after three and nine months. Raises are only given after performance reviews. 7. Summary of the condition of Wise Research The condition of Wise Research, especially in a long-term consideration is very poor. The financial situation is poor, there are no marketing activities at all and the behavior of the management plus the organizational climate and culture is unethical. The management might consider it’s unethical behavior as strength for the company to generate profit in the short run, but after some time the different stakeholders of the company will find out and switch to the competition. D. Sarah Norton – the new employee 1. Sarah’s personality Sarah Norton is 32 years old and she was brought up in Missouri by a morally strong family. The values in her education were religion coupled with high moral standards. She is respected and liked by family, friends, and colleagues. She never tries to convince other people to share her views in moral standards, ethics or religion. She has one younger sister and a boyfriend in Hammonsville and she is very close with them. 2. Location Sarah lives in the city of Hammonsville, Missouri. Hammonsville has about 150,000 inhabitants. Hammonsville is the town where she wants to work since her sister and her boyfriend Jeff live there. The city of Hammonsville does not have many opportunities to work as a market researcher, because a small town like this does not contain many industries that need market research. 3. Education and work experience Sarah started to work after graduating from high school for the state of Missouri. She worked in the professional registration office of the â€Å"Board of Healing Arts†. The office is operated in a very professional manner, and this is what Sarah liked most about her work there. After a couple of years in the job, Sarah decided to get a college degree in marketing and management. She went to Hammonsville State University because she wanted to be near her sister. While studying she worked at the local state vocational rehabilitation office. She also worked at a restaurant, for which she had been responsible in the absence of the owner. People liked her at work because she has a positive work ethic; she is intelligent and has strong moral values. She graduated from the university (double major) with honors. Since she wants to work in the field of marketing research, she worked in many research projects to get experience. She learned how important the ethical handling of data is, and she knows the Code of Ethics by the Marketing Research Association. In 1994 she started her MBA with a specialization in market research. She works as a graduate assistant and is responsible for five more graduate assistants in the marketing department. In 1995 she decides to look for a job. 4. Summary of Sarah’s characteristics Sarah is a very skilled, educated person with high moral, ethical values and a religious attitude. She is intelligent, has a lot of project experience in marketing research as well as a good college education. Unfortunately she has not graduated from her MBA program yet. She is not flexible in choosing her workplace since she wants to stay in Hammonsville with her boyfriend and her sister. III. PROBLEMS FOUND IN SITUATION ANALYSIS A. Statement of primary problems 1. Evidence of problems Sarah Norton applies for a job at Wise Research after reading their job advertisement in the newspaper. After two interviews she gets hired and is sent directly to Dallas for on the job training. During the first week of training, Sarah understands that the company’s treatment of employees and customers is very unethical. She realizes that she is very unhappy with the situation and she needs to make the decision if she wants to stay with the company or not. These are the different problems I found in the situation analysis: Ethical Issues: Professionalism à ¼ The company operates in a very unprofessional way. The job advertisement is placed in the Hammonsville News Monitor, on Sunday, July 9th, 1995. It doesn’t say the name of the company, nor does it give any specific job requirements. It only gives a reference to details about an entry-level management position. Instead of an address a PO-Box is named. à ¼ The following interview is not very professional either. Sarah meets Mr. and Mrs. Wise in a hotel room in Hammonsville, without knowing that she was going to meet Mrs. Wise too. The interview is very informal and the clothing of the Mr. and Mrs. Wise is not appropriate for a business interview. The office facilities are not shown to Sarah. à ¼ The second interview is as informal as the first one. à ¼ The training process also shows a high level of unprofessionalism. Sarah receives an Airport Pick up from the son of Mr. and Mrs. Wise. He invites her for lunch and behaves in a very informal manner and tries to impress Sarah with different statements. He also tries to discover contents of about the phone call Sarah made earlier to the Hammonsville office to find out more about the job. Even though she does not respond to the question he tries several times. Also, he has only a very little understanding of the research process and is not able to answer her questions. à ¼ There are no computers in the company. à ¼ The knowledge of the interviewers and other staff of the company about the data collection process is on a very low level. Ethical issues: Organizational culture à ¼ Before the interview Sarah called the company to find out more about what they are doing and the local manager reacts very irritated when he hears that she is invited for a job interview. It tells us that the manger does not know what is going on in the company and that the communication is bad. Later in the interview she learns form Bill and Karen Wise that this local mangers was laid off and that she is hired to replace him. As a matter of fact, he is still at the company and he does not know yet, that he will be laid off. à ¼ Another indicator of unethical organizational culture in the company shows the fact that Sarah is asked not to tell anybody why she is at the company when she starts her training. The other employees are told she is an auditor. Because of this, she has to be at the company first in the morning so that no one can see her clock in. à ¼ More evidence of dishonesty is shown by the information that actual working time in the company is 37,5 hours, not 40 as said in the interview. This decreases Sarah’s annual salary and she does not earn the promised amount. The dishonesty to employees and different treatments of employees show the low level of organizational culture. For example the company pays Cindy less than Sarah even though they have more or less the same job. Management took advantage of Cindy’s situation when she was hired and her raise of salary was delayed. à ¼ Another incident gives information about the organizational culture: one of the interviewers is supposed to be laid off because this interviewer talked to somebody else in the company about her salary. The management initiates this lay off. The employee is in a very bad financial and social situation that does not impress the management at all. After begging to keep the job, the interviewer is allowed to stay. Ethical issues: The Code of Ethics The Code of Ethics is shown as Appendix II. There are several actions by Wise Research, which interfere with The Code of Ethics by the MRA. Reports about how many interviews are completed per hour are manipulated so that these reports show the exact number required. With this method Wise Research manipulates the figures regarding how many potential interviewees were screened. Wise Research uses family members and relatives of the interviewers to answer survey questions if they run out of time. They use these relatives several times with different names, so that the clients cannot find out. This affects the validity of the data.

“Letter From A Birmingham Jail” †Passage Analysis Essay

On Good Friday in 1963, 53 blacks, led by Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., marched into downtown Birmingham, Alabama, to protest the existing segregation laws. All were arrested. This caused the clergymen of this Southern town to compose a letter appealing to the black population to stop their demonstrations. In response to their letter, King wrote back in what would be titled â€Å"Letter From A Birmingham Jail†. Especially prevalent in the letter are Aristotle’s appeals, which include logos, ethos and pathos. The concluding section of the document is a well rounded, and demonstrates all of the appeals. Rhetorical techniques and literary devices serve to further strengthen King’s argument and create a convincing argument that he is right in both his mission and his methods. King immediately appeals to logos, or logic, when he states, â€Å"It is true that the police have exercised a degree of discipline in handing the demonstrators. In this sense they have conducted themselves rather â€Å"nonviolently† in pubic. But for what purpose? To preserve the evil system of segregation†. The answer he gives to his question is correct, and this is even clearer in retrospect. By exposing the logical fallacies of the opposing argument, he weakens the clergymen’s argument while at the same time strengthening his own. In order to back up his point of view and turn himself into an authority for the audience, King uses ethos. Using repetition, he writes, â€Å"Before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth, we were here. Before the pen of Jefferson etched the majestic words of the Declaration of Independence across the pages of history, we were here†. Here he identifies himself as part of a group of people who have been in America just as long, and at the same time stresses the repeated nature of the problem. His ancestors suffered low wages, injustice, humiliation, and countless atrocities under the rule of the white man. By writing about such landmark events as the landing at Plymouth, or the signing of the Declaration of Independence, King reveals a new time perspective. He uses history, and the pillars set by the founding fathers of the United States as a means of validating his reputation. â€Å"We will win our freedom because the sacred heritage of our nation and the eternal will of God are embodied in our echoing demands,† he writes in an  undeniably confident, yet at the same time impatient, tone. In alluding to God he is relating to the clergy people by showing that he is a pious person who is genuinely frustrated. King also uses contrast (when the ideas in the second clause is the opposite of the first) as a rhetorical strategy. This creates a logical argument (an appeal to logos) that simplifies some of his main points. Chiasmus, a more specific kind of contrast, is when the sentence structure itself is different from the first clause to the second. On the topic of the â€Å"degree of discipline† the police used to handle the demonstrators, he writes, â€Å"I have tried to make clear that it is wrong to use immoral means to attain moral ends. But now I must affirm that it is just as wrong, or perhaps even more so, to use moral means to preserve immoral ends†. The use of logos in this instance goes even further to strengthen his argument because it is inherently true. Perhaps the most obvious appeal in King’s letter is the appeal to pathos, or the appeal to emotions. Through personalizing his details, he brings the argument to a basic level in which he challenges the clergymen’s’ ideals. â€Å"I doubt that you would have so warmly commended the police force if you had seen its dogs sinking their teeth into unarmed, nonviolent Negroes,† he writes using imagery and graphic details to paint a sickening picture. â€Å"I doubt that you would so quickly commend the policemen if .you were to observe their ugly and inhumane treatment of Negroes here in the city jail; if you were to watch them push and curse old Negro women and young Negro girls; if you were to see them slap and kick old Negro men and young boys†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . By using pronouns he shows the perverting effect that it actually has. The use of children as an example always helps in the emotional aspect of the argument. King utilizes the device known a rhetorical question (a question that has no answer) in order to challenge the emotional integrity of those who oppose him. â€Å"What can one do when he is alone in a narrow jail cell, other than write long letters, think long thoughts and pray long prayers?†. By explaining his own agony and impatience, he is at the same time giving a  description of the frustration of black people in general, and with the repetition and emphasis of the word â€Å"long†, the duration of the suffering is pounded into the reader’s head. â€Å"Letter From A Birmingham Jail† is a widely read text, but at the same time is a great example of major rhetorical elements. King’s masterful citations of famous historical figures create an outstanding appeal to ethos, and build up his authority. His emotional imagery brings out pathos and emotion. His legitimate, logical arguments buffer his argument even more. Through these appeals, and the literary devices used to demonstrate them, one cannot deny that the argument found in â€Å"Letter From a Birmingham Jail† does more than just refute what the clergymen wrote, in that it truly convinces almost every audience.

The Vampire Diaries: The Fury Chapter Fifteen

Elena watched Damon with mute dread. She knew that disturbing smile too well. But even as her heart sank, her mind threw a mocking question at her. What difference did it make? She and Stefan were going to die anyway. It only made sense for Damon to save himself. And it was wrong to expect him to go against his nature. She watched that beautiful, capricious smile with a feeling of sorrow for what Damon might have been. Katherine smiled back at him, enchanted. â€Å"We'll be so happy together. Once they're dead, I'll let you go. I didn't mean to hurt you, not really. I just got angry.† She put out a slender hand and stroked his cheek. â€Å"I'm sorry.† â€Å"Katherine,† he said. He was still smiling. â€Å"Yes.† She leaned closer. â€Å"Katherine†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Yes, Damon?† â€Å"Go to hell.† Elena flinched from what happened next before it happened, feeling the violent upsurge of Power, of malevolent, unbridled Power. She screamed at the change in Katherine. That lovely face was twisting, mutating into something that was neither human nor animal. A red light blazed in Katherine's eyes as she fell on Damon, her fangs sinking into his throat. Talons sprang from her fingertips, and she raked Damon's already-bleeding chest with it, tearing into his skin while the blood flowed. Elena kept screaming, realizing dimly that the pain in her arms was from fighting the ropes that held her. She heard Stefan shouting, too, but above everything she heard the deafening shriek of Katherine's mental voice. Now you'll be sorry! Now I'm going to make you sorry! I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'll kill you! The words themselves hurt, like daggers stabbing into Elena's mind. The sheer Power of it stupefied her, rocking her back against the iron pickets. But there was no way to get away from it. It seemed to echo from all around her, hammering in her skull. Kill you! Kill you! Kill you! Elena fainted. Meredith, crouched beside Aunt Judith in the utility room, shifted her weight, straining to interpret the sounds outside the door. The dogs had gotten into the cellar; she wasn't sure how, but from the bloody muzzles of some of them, she thought they had broken through the ground-level windows. Now they were outside the utility room, but Meredith couldn't tell what they were doing. It was too quiet out there. â€Å"Hush,† Robert whispered quickly. â€Å"It's all right, sweetheart. Everything's going to be all right.† Meredith met his frightened, determined eyes over Margaret's tow head. We almost had you pegged for the Other Power, she thought. But there was no time to regret it now. â€Å"Where's Elena? Elena said she'd watch over me,† Margaret said, her eyes large and solemn. â€Å"She said she'd take care of me.† Aunt Judith put a hand to her mouth. â€Å"She is taking care of you,† Meredith whispered. â€Å"She just sent me to do it, that's all. It's the truth,† she added fiercely, and saw Robert's look of reproach melt into perplexity. Outside, the silence had given way to scratching and gnawing sounds. The dogs were at work on the door. Robert cradled Margaret's head closer to his chest. Bonnie didn't know how long they had been working. Hours, certainly. Forever, it seemed like. The dogs had gotten in through the kitchen and the old wooden side doors. So far, though, only about a dozen had gotten past the fires lit like barricades in front of these openings. And the men with guns had taken care of most of those. But Mr. Smallwood and his friends were now holding empty rifles. And they were running out of things to burn. Vickie had gotten hysterical a little while ago, screaming and holding her head as if something was hurting her. They'd been looking for ways to restrain her when she finally passed out. Bonnie went up to Matt, who was looking out over the fire through the demolished side door. He wasn't looking for dogs, she knew, but for something else much farther away. Something you couldn't see from here. â€Å"You had to go, Matt,† she said. â€Å"There was nothing else you could do.† He didn't answer or turn around. â€Å"It's almost dawn,† she said. â€Å"Maybe when that comes, the dogs will leave.† But even as she said it, she knew it wasn't true. Matt didn't answer. She touched his shoulder. â€Å"Stefan's with her. Stefan's there.† At last, Matt gave some response. He nodded. â€Å"Stefan's there,† he said. Brown and snarling, another shape charged out of the dark. It was much later when Elena came gradually to consciousness. She knew because she could see, not just by the handful of candles Katherine had lit but also by the cold gray dimness that filtered down from the crypt's opening. Damon? she thought. It was only after she had done it that she realized the word had not been spoken. Somehow, Katherine's shrieking had closed a circuit in her mind, or maybe it had awakened something sleeping. And Matt's blood had undoubtedly helped, giving her the strength to finally find her mental voice. She turned her head the other way. Stefan? His face was haggard with pain, but aware. Too aware. Elena almost wished that he were as insensible as Damon to what was happening to them. Elena, he returned. Where is she? Elena said, her eyes moving slowly around the room. Stefan looked toward the opening of the crypt. She went up there a while ago. Maybe to check on how the dogs are doing. Elena had thought she'd reached the limit of fear and dread, but it wasn't true. She hadn't remembered the others then. Elena, I'm sorry. Stefan's face was filled with what no words could express. It's not your fault, Stefan. You didn't do this to her. She did it to herself. Or-it just happened to her, because of what she is. What we are. Running beneath Elena's thoughts was the memory of how she had attacked Stefan in the woods, and how she had felt when she was racing toward Mr. Smallwood, planning her revenge. It could have been me, she said. No! You could never become like that. Elena didn't answer. If she had the Power now, what would she do to Katherine? What wouldn't she do to her? But she knew it would only upset Stefan more to talk about it. I thought Damon was going to betray us, she said. I did, too, said Stefan queerly. He was looking at his brother with an odd expression. Do you still hate him? Stefan's gaze darkened. No, he said quietly. No, I don't hate him anymore. Elena nodded. It was important, somehow. Then she started, her nerves hyper-alert, as something shadowed the entrance to the crypt. Stefan tensed, too. She's coming. Elena- I love you, Stefan, Elena said hopelessly, as the misty white shape hurtled down. Katherine took form in front of them. Of course, thought Elena. How could I have been so stupid? Damon rode with us in Alaric's car over the river. He crossed running water then, and probably lots of other times. He couldn't have been the Other Power. It was strange how she could think even though she was so frightened. It was as if one part of her mind stood watching from a distance. â€Å"I'm going to kill you now,† Katherine said conversationally. â€Å"Then I'm going under the river to kill your friends. I don't think the dogs have done it yet. But I'll take care of it myself.† â€Å"Let Elena go,† said Stefan. His voice was quenched but compelling all the same. â€Å"I haven't decided how to do it,† said Katherine, ignoring him. â€Å"I might roast you. There's almost enough light for that now. And I've got these.† She reached down the front of her gown and brought her closed hand out. â€Å"One-two-three!† she said, dropping two silver rings and a gold one onto the ground. Their stones shone blue as Katherine's eyes, blue as the stone in the necklace at Katherine's throat. Elena's hands twisted frantically and she felt the smooth bareness of her ring finger. It was true. She wouldn't have believed how naked she felt without that circlet of metal. It was necessary to her life, to her survival. Without it- â€Å"Without these you'll die,† Katherine said, scuffing the rings carelessly with the toe of one foot. â€Å"But I don't know if that's slow enough.† She paced back almost to the far wall of the crypt, her silver dress shimmering in the dim light. It was then that the idea came to Elena. She could move her hands. Enough to feel one with the other, enough to know that they weren't numb anymore. The ropes were looser. But Katherine was strong. Unbelievably strong. And faster than Elena, too. Even if Elena got free she would have time for only one quick act. She rotated one wrist, feeling the ropes give. â€Å"There are other ways,† Katherine said. â€Å"I could cut you and watch you bleed. I like watching.† Gritting her teeth, Elena exerted pressure against the rope. Her hand was bent at an excruciating angle, but she continued to press. She felt the burn of the rope slipping aside. â€Å"Or rats,† Katherine was saying pensively. â€Å"Rats could be fun. I could tell them when to start and when to stop.† Working the other hand free was much easier. Elena tried to give no sign of what was going on behind her back. She would have liked to call to Stefan with her mind, but she didn't dare. Not if there was any chance Katherine might hear. but she didn't dare. Not if there was any chance Katherine might hear. There was a rectangle of gray light on the floor. Dawn light. It was coming in through the crypt's opening. Katherine had already been out in that light. But†¦ Katherine smiled suddenly, her blue eyes sparkling. â€Å"I know! I'll drink you almost up and make you watch while I kill her! I'll leave you just enough strength so you see her die before you do. Doesn't that sound like a good plan?† Blithely, she clapped her hands and pirouetted again, dancing away. Just one more step, thought Elena. She saw Katherine approach the rectangle of light. Just one more step†¦ Katherine took the step. â€Å"That's it, then!† She started to turn around. â€Å"What a good-† Now! Yanking her cramped arms out of the last loops of rope, Elena rushed her. It was like the rush of a hunting cat. One desperate sprint to reach the prey. One chance. One hope. She struck Katherine with her full weight. The impact knocked them both into the rectangle of light. She felt Katherine's head crack against the stone floor. And felt the searing pain, as if her own body had been plunged into poison. It was a feeling like the burning dryness of hunger, only stronger. A thousand times stronger. It was unbearable. â€Å"Elena!† Stefan screamed, with mind and voice. Stefan, she thought. Beneath her Power surged as Katherine's stunned eyes focused. Her mouth twisted with rage, fangs bursting forth. They were so long they cut into the lower lip. That distorted mouth opened in a howl. Elena's clumsy hand fumbled at Katherine's throat. Her fingers closed on the cool metal of Katherine's blue necklace. With all her strength, she wrenched and felt the chain give way. She tried to clasp it, but her fingers felt thick and uncoordinated and Katherine's clawing hand scrabbled at it wildly. It spun away into the shadows. â€Å"Elena!† Stefan called again in that dreadful voice. She felt as if her body were filled with light. As if she were transparent. Only, light was pain. Beneath her, Katherine's warped face was looking up directly into the winter sky. Instead of a howl, there was a shrieking that went up and up. Elena tried to lift herself off, but she didn't have the strength. Katherine's face was rifting, cracking open. Lines of fire opened in it. The screaming reached a crescendo. Katherine's hair was aflame, her skin was blackening. Elena felt fire from both above and below. She saw Stefan's arms, red where they had been exposed to the sun and bleeding where he had torn free of his ropes. She saw his face, saw the stricken horror and grief. Then her eyes blurred and she saw nothing. Meredith and Robert, striking at the blood-soaked muzzles that thrust through the hole in the door, paused in confusion. The teeth had stopped snapping and tearing. One muzzle jerked and slid out of the way. Edging sideways to look at the other, Meredith saw that the dog's eyes were glazed and milky. They didn't move. She looked at Robert, who stood panting. There was no more noise from the cellar. Everything was silent. But they didn't dare to hope. Vickie's demented shrieking stopped as if it had been cut with a knife. The dog, which had sunk its teeth into Matt's thigh, stiffened and gave a convulsive shudder; then, its jaws released him. Gasping for breath, Bonnie swung to look beyond the dying fire. There was just enough light to see bodies of other dogs lying where they had fallen outside. She and Matt leaned on each other, looking around, bewildered. It had finally stopped snowing. Slowly, Elena opened her eyes. Everything was very clear and calm. She was glad the shrieking was over. That had been bad; it had hurt. Now, nothing hurt. She felt as if her body were filled with light again, but this time there was no pain. It was as if she were floating, very high and easy, on wafts of air. She almost felt she didn't have a body at all. She smiled. Turning her head didn't hurt, although it increased the loose, floating feeling. She saw, in the oblong of pale light on the floor, the smoldering remains of a silvery dress. Katherine's lie of five hundred years ago had become the truth. That was that, then. Elena looked away. She didn't wish anyone harm now, and she didn't want to waste time on Katherine. There were so many more important things. â€Å"Stefan,† she said and sighed, and smiled. Oh, this was nice. This must be how a bird felt. â€Å"I didn't mean for things to turn out this way,† she said, softly rueful. His green eyes were wet. They filled again, but he returned her smile. â€Å"I know,† he said. â€Å"I know, Elena.† It seemed to her that it had been a long while since she'd really looked at him. Since she'd taken time to appreciate how beautiful he was, with his dark hair and his eyes as green as oak leaves. But she saw it now, and she saw his soul shining through those eyes. It was worth it, she thought. I didn't want to die; I don't want to now. But I'd do it all over again if I had to. â€Å"I love you,† she whispered. â€Å"I love you,† he said, squeezing their joined hands. The strange, languorous lightness cradled her gently. She could scarcely feel Stefan holding her. She would have thought she'd be terrified. But she wasn't, not as long as Stefan was there. â€Å"The people at the dance-they'll be all right now, won't they?† she said. â€Å"They'll be all right now,† Stefan whispered. â€Å"You saved them.† â€Å"I didn't get to say good-bye to Bonnie and Meredith. Or Aunt Judith. You have to tell them I love them.† â€Å"I'll tell them,† Stefan said. â€Å"You can tell them yourself,† panted another voice, hoarse and unused sounding. Damon had pulled himself across the floor behind Stefan. His face was ravaged, streaked with blood, but his dark eyes burned at her. â€Å"Use your will, Elena. Hold on. You have the strength-â€Å" She smiled at him, waveringly. She knew the truth. What was happening was only finishing what had been started two weeks ago. She'd had thirteen days to get things straight, to make amends with Matt and say good-bye to Margaret. To tell Stefan she loved him. But now the grace period was up. Still, there was no point in hurting Damon. She loved Damon, too. â€Å"I'll try,† she promised. â€Å"We'll take you home,† he said. â€Å"But not yet,† she told him gently. â€Å"Let's wait just a little while.† Something happened in the fathomless black eyes, and the burning spark went out. Then she saw that Damon knew, too. â€Å"I'm not afraid,† she said. â€Å"Well-only a little.† A drowsiness had started, and she felt very comfortable, but as if she were falling asleep. Things were drifting away from her. An ache rose in her chest. She was not much afraid, but she was sorry. There were so many things she would miss, so many things she wished she had done. â€Å"Oh,† she said softly. â€Å"How funny.† underground room. Only this was a doorway into a different light. â€Å"How beautiful,† she murmured. â€Å"Stefan? I'm so tired.† â€Å"You can rest now,† he whispered. â€Å"You won't let go of me?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Then I won't be afraid.† Something was shining on Damon's face. She reached toward it, touched it, and lifted her fingers away in wonder. â€Å"Don't be sad,† she told him, feeling the cool wetness on her fingertips. But a pang of worry disturbed her. Who was there to understand Damon now? Who would be there to push him, to try to see what was really inside him? â€Å"You have to take care of each other,† she said, realizing it. A little strength came back to her, like a candle flaring in the wind. â€Å"Stefan, will you promise? Promise to take care of each other?† â€Å"I promise,† he said. â€Å"Oh, Elena†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Waves of sleepiness were overcoming her. â€Å"That's good,† she said. â€Å"That's good, Stefan.† The doorway was closer, so close she could touch it now. She wondered if her parents were somewhere behind it. â€Å"Time to go home,† she whispered. And then the darkness and the shadows faded and there was nothing but light. Stefan held her while her eyes closed. And then he just held her, the tears he'd been keeping back falling without restraint. It was a different pain than when he'd pulled her out of the river. There was no anger in this, and no hatred, but a love that seemed to go on and on forever. It hurt even more. He looked at the rectangle of sunlight, just a step or two away from him. Elena had gone into the light. She'd left him here alone. Not for long, he thought. His ring was on the floor. He didn't even glance at it as he rose, his eyes on the shaft of sunlight shining down. A hand grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Stefan looked into his brother's face. Damon's eyes were dark as midnight, and he was holding Stefan's ring. As Stefan watched, unable to move, he forced the ring onto Stefan's finger and released him. yours, too. Take it. Take it and go.† He turned his face away. Stefan gazed at the golden circlet in his palm for a long time. Then his fingers closed over it and he looked back at Damon. His brother's eyes were shut, his breathing labored. He looked exhausted and in pain. And Stefan had made a promise to Elena. â€Å"Come on,† he said quietly, putting the ring in his pocket. â€Å"Let's get you some place where you can rest.† He put an arm around his brother to help him up. And then, for a moment, he just held on.

Government Corporations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Government Corporations - Essay Example This article travel around the metaphor and lays out a general view of the troubles that have arisen from the unhelpful development of corporations. Future articles will argue ways to address these troubles. Among the World War and the depression of 1929 a few additional government corporations were shaped. Since the beginning of the despair, throughout which the government has made use of its powers to temper the unfavorable financial situation, the device of government corporations has been ever more employed. From 1929 to 1938 at least thirty-eight essential federal corporations have been recognized. It is clear, therefore, that twice in new history the national government has made wide and speedy use of government corporations and entrusted them with the expenditure of marvelous sums of money. "Corporate Governance is a meadow in economics that investigates how to safe /motivate efficient organization of corporation by the employ of incentive mechanisms such as, contract, organisational plan and legislation. Furthermore, this is frequently limited to the query of improving monetary performance. For instance, how the corporate owners can protected /motivate that the corporate managers will bring a competitive rate of go back." (Baumhart, R, 6-19). The purpose of this chapter is... In addition, an in-depth analysis of the roles and purpose of the CG (Corporate Governance) in organizations in general will be included, how CG assists in the organization and how CG helps the organization strategy. Moreover, the research is concentrated on the CG in market. This chapter is very helpful in increasing the knowledge relative to the studying area since the results and the findings of the primary data will be related with the literature review. Therefore, the knowledge from literature review is going to provide a more professional research that will focus on the purpose of this research. Also, the purpose of this is to offer an overview of significant information published on the topic in order to narrow down the research questions to a specific, suitable form. Corporate Culture Corporate governance is on the radar monitor as investors have realized that it is not immediately one more abstraction but a power that can vitally power the economic growth of businesses. Good corporate governance ensures clearness, fairness and answerability with admiration to shareholders and other stakeholders and is a precondition for the honesty and trustworthiness of market institution including stock connections and other person corporations. According to the newest PricewaterhouseCoopers Management Barometer periodical review institutional shareholders hold more than 60 percent of shares in nearly everyone big, international companies. Institutions that are worth and growth investors possess a total of 48.5 percent of all shares in surveyed company. Despite the important ownership stake represent by institutional investor, the survey has also proved that institutions put forth only incomplete power over a company's

Explain about this picture using roland barthes Essay

Explain about this picture using roland barthes - Essay Example The coastal background of the picture is ideal; tourist can have a cool breeze at the coastline of any ocean or sea. In addition, human beings can manifest the world through pictures, not just through photojournalism (Watson, 2012). Our snaps are a perfect example of how human beings can view the world as a social construct or our personal, individual life. The picture’s relevance can be drawn from the context in which it was taken. Denotative quality of the photograph is portrayed by the human being and the coastal objects contained in the photograph and their relationship with the human being. Denotatively, human beings can find coastline settings ideal for holidays and tourism activities. Tourism is also important for economic growth as well as contributing to employment opportunities. The content of the photograph’s message shows the literal reality of how human beings enjoy nature. The scene is real and not imaginary (Noth, 1995). A photograph is a proof that the holiday adventure occurred in reality. The picture may be distorted; however, there is some evidence that something occurred, which resembles the picture. The notion of style in the picture is evident because it represents reality. The object (human being and the coastline) are objects from reality. The pose in the picture represents how human beings can enjoy the sunshine at the coast. In addition a relaxed pose shows how holiday experiencing can be fulfilling. Stress levels can be reduced when human beings find time to relax and be away from work. Holiday activities rejuvenate strength lost during work. After leisure or holiday, more effort can be achieved at work. Use of communication technologies such as phones helps to get in touch with families and friends. The picture’s background also shows how human beings should relate with the environment. The coastal background is clean and free from waste. Waste disposal to the

The Discovery and conquest of the Americas Essay

The Discovery and conquest of the Americas - Essay Example Diaz’s account is written very much in hindsight, at the end of his life. As well as describing what happened , it can also be taken as a biography of Herman Cortes, the leader of the Conquistadors, appointed by the Emperor and Queen of Spain, to conquer new lands, bring back riches, but also to introduce the Christian religion to new peoples. Diaz admired Cortes, but also felt free to state his faults , Cortez having died in 1546, whereas Diaz lived until 1585. He describes his book as being a true account. He would have been aware of other accounts already written and wants to set matters straight. Naturally the conquered people had a rather different point of view, one which Leon-Portillo claims is usually ignored. For this reason he includes accounts from the Aztecs, some written only seven years after the arrival of the Spaniards, and in their own languages. He includes descriptions of terrible slaughter, presumably carried out in the names of the Spanish rulers and for the sake of the Christian religion. This wasn’t war – those celebrating a fiesta were killed from behind for instance ( Leon-Potillo, 1971, page II-321). Cortes’ letters are written to inform the queen of Spain Dona Juana, and her son, the Emperor Charles V, what was going on. They are therefore written in quite formal language, flattering the royals, more so than the other texts considered ( Cortes, 1519, the first letter , page 3), but also from the point of view that the doesn’t know exactly what they already know from other sources. He states his aim as letting them know about the new discoveries, the land, the people, the religious life and local customs. To this he adds the important rider that he also wants to explain how the royals and Spain might benefit from what has been discovered ( Cortes, 1519, pages 3 and 4). His descriptions are rather mixed in that he states that the Spaniards were well received, and then , in the same paragraph, describes how the natives had killed many Spaniards. Also in the letter he informs his sponsors of the actions of others , as of Velazquez, who , in some cases , was acting with out permission, so he is covering himself. The letters were written over a period of several years, and so each one covers a considerable period of time, looking back in some instances over two years, but they are the nearest we are likely to find in that time to topical news reporting, even if biased in its outlook. Also included by Cortes are descriptions of how natives were required to accept the Catholic religion. He justifies his actions by saying that the natives were to be seen as were the people of Jericho in the book

Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company - Dissertation Example The goals of the company also involve meeting individual needs of consumers in regards to the demands for energy services. The company has already taken promising actions towards the fulfillments of this particular mission by designing efficient energy management solutions for the end users and the customers Apart from that, the Oklahoma Gas And Electric Company is also focused towards the balancing of increase in load and in an effort to achieve this mission, the company is focusing its attention towards the maintenance of the existing infrastructures while replacing worn out ones. The company is keenly dedicated towards compliance with regulatory as well as legislative and regulative relationships. Through the accomplishments of the missions which are designed for the short term, the company is actively looking forward towards the achieving of its long term vision. The vision of the company is to actively defer the accusation plans for new plants that are focused towards the extrac tion of fossil fuel till the year of 2020 (Oklahoma, 2011). Market Demands The market demand for a sector is evaluated on the basis of the demand supply scenario, industry competitiveness, the economic factors as well as the level of elasticity. The US Energy Information Association has predicted that due to fall in energy prices, there will be a significant fall in energy retail prices. The association has projected that the average amount of crude oil production will be around 6.3 million barrels per day (US EIA, 2012). The Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company have been in the forefront of facing competition from various forms of government as well as municipal entities which own electrical systems due to the implication arising from the Oklahoma law concerning electricity distribution. The company also stands to face competition from electric cooperatives from rural regions as well as various private entities such as utilities, power marketers and cogenerators. The legislation and r egulatory based initiatives and decisions implemented by the state as well as the federal agencies have significant level of impact on the costs of doing businesses in this particular market. The impact of these government based frameworks has a dominant effect on the rate structures, besides having a significant impact on the competition in this particular market. The company faces significant level of competition from some major companies like NiSource Inc, South Carolina Electric & Gas Company, Wisconsin Energy Corporation and Pepco Holdings Inc. The output from the industrial sector has grown quite slowly as compared to the other sectors thereby reducing the consumption coming from this sector. This can be attributed to low demand due to the economic crisis in various countries. Business Strategy Options The largest energy company in the Oklahoma belt has several