Individual Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Individual Report - Essay Example The use of various techniques like the video marketing, and other digital media will help be very beneficial for the company and will also have a direct impact on the profitability of the company. The advent of the internet and new technologies has led to a number of improvements and changes in terms of the marketing techniques used within the company. Napster is an excellent example of the new technologies and the wide range of positive impact that the new techniques have brought to the world. Technology has allowed companies like Napster to build and develop systems where fans can share their favourite music with ease to others. After having understood and researched in detail the marketing mix and risk strategies of Napster, this paper aims at discussing the characteristics of Digital Marketing and how they apply to Napster. The paper will deal with each of the characteristics and will be followed by recommendations for each of the characteristics. There have been innumerable revolutions and changes that have occurred over the years and these have been immense in the marketing field. Chaffey has set down a few characteristics of digital marketing which he explains are essential aspects of the business and impact the businesses to a great extent (Chaffey, Ellis-Chadwick, Johnston, & Mayer, 2006). The following sections will define, discuss and demonstrate these characteristics and will link how they impact Napster and aspects that the company can do to improve their overall profitability. The first characteristic that is essential to be considered by all businesses in the current times is the need to â€Å"bring back the love† in the marketing. One of the major aspects that need to be considered by the new age digital marketing efforts is the need to not only focus on the customers based on the demographics and basic customer

Concept of Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Research Paper

Concept of Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults - Research Paper Example Safeguarding relates to a range of activities that aim at upholding every adult’s fundamental right that amounts to be safe and at the same time respecting individual’s rights regarding the making of choices. Safeguarding involves empowerment, justice as well as protection. All persons within a society need to play a significant responsibility in relation to the role of vulnerable adults safeguarding. In a broader sense, safeguarding stems specialist services to everybody else within the society. Professionals, volunteers as well as the general public need to ensure they partake in safeguarding vulnerable adults. Effective safeguarding relates to four primary activities. The first safeguarding aspect refers to prevention and awareness raising. The action aims to improve everyone’s general wellbeing thereby encouraging communities to support one another in acting as in a manner where they look for one another. The action also aims at ensuring the public and all professionals, as well as volunteers, possess adequate information regarding actions they may take where they think that an individual is being abused or harmed. The second aspect refers to an inclusion that focuses on activities directly designed to make sure that providers of safety services within the community, as well as other services, remain alert. The operation also ensures the inclusion of vulnerable adults from the communities, professionals as well as volunteers (Kingsley, J, 2009, pg. 411). The activity also encourages the identification and support of individuals who are vulnerable to poor life for one reason or another through circumstances and outcomes of different servic es. The third activity refers to the personalized management of both risks and benefits.

Managing Change In Difficult Times Management Essay

Managing Change In Difficult Times Management Essay There is need for the Management of blue Marina to embrace change which will be offered in form of restructuring, outsourcing, culture change programmes, business process reengineering, the implementation of enterprise system ,development of competences and capabilities, new business models and introduction of new product and services. Blue Marina is a restaurant that specialises in the preparation, service and sale of choice menu to the general public, such as main courses, pastries and desserts. It is a Family owned business of Italian origin, and prides itself in its choice of clientele over the past years. It boasts of staff strength of about 40 people, of which 50% is on a permanent contract while the rest is shared within the part-time and relief workers. However, there has been a major concern for the Management of Blue Marina as the staff turnaround time has been on the high side which in turn affects both efficiency and service delivery to customers as they have to wait for longer period of time before being served. At present Blue Marina restaurant has recorded losses for the first time on its balance sheet and this has called for need for change within the establishment if it still want to remain in the food business. Managing change is perhaps difficult and risky why should this be so? One reason is the absence of a universal change theory, which requires an understanding of organisation, strategy and change. Before attempting to change something there must be an understanding of what needs to be changed as change in this context could mean the alteration of organisational components such as the strategy, goals, structure, processes, system, technology, and people to improve the effectiveness or efficiency of the organization. WHY CHANGE: It is very important to understand the range of approaches to change management that exist. One approach to understanding change management is the identification of major schools of thought. Burnes (2004a:262) highlights three schools of thought upon which he believes change management is based: the individual perspective school the group dynamics school, and the open system school. While Paton and McCalman (2000 :2) regard management and change as synonymous Hamlin (2001: 44) offers a typical overview of the mainstream theoretical perspective to understanding change management within an organisation CAUSES AND CONTEXTS OF CHANGE Triggers, drivers and tracers of change: Drifferent authors offer different degrees of sophistication in their specification of triggers and drivers. De Caluwe and Vermaak (2003:80) eloquently defined a trigger as the emotional characteristics that contribute to the emergence of a change idea. Tichy(1983:147) regarded large scale strategic change as being triggered by a large -scale uncertainty in the form of either a threat or an opportunity. More recently Patton and McCalman (2003:23) identified potential triggers that include: government legislation, advances in process or product technology, changing consumer requirements, expectation or taste, and competitor or supply chain activities. Drukker (1994) suggests that organisation should frequently challenge every product, every service, every policy, every distribution channel, with the question if we were not in it already, would we be going into it now? Before an effective change can take place within the Blue marina restaurant, there is need to understand the past, present and future of Blue marina restaurant in general. As in the case of Blue Marina the under mentioned reasons have necessitated the need for change. These reasons are as stated below: High turnaround time Long delay in preparation and service of food to customers Decrease in sales figure Low profits margin Low patronage External competitors Need for expansion ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE MODEL FOR BLUE MARINA RESTAURANT A model is a representation to show the construction or appearance of or explain something: Phil Kelly (2009:146-147).This enables an organisation to identify targets for change, diagnose problems, while it outlines the necessary action for change enabling it to create a road map and implementation strategy. Many models helps us to understand how organisations operate, what to change and how to effectively carry out the change. Change Models: an abstract representation of describing the content or process of changes. Mckinsey 7-S model; this is a model that looks into organisational analysis and dynamics including components: such as strategy, structure, systems, style, staff, shared value and skill. Nadler and Tushman congruence model: they both viewed an organisation as asset of internal, transformational, components that must be congruent with each other and the organisation strategy and environment Burke-Litwin model: a causal model that both looks into transformational and transactional organizational variables represented in an open system. Though all these models have their inherent strengths and weakness, but Nadler and Tushman model have been able to recognize the fact that organizations are influenced by its environment of which their models were divided into input, process and output. Nadler and Tushman(1989) argued that there is need for transformational process components to be congruent or fit with each other, which may either have its advantages and disadvantages. Their model suggests there is no one best way to organize change. Which is why it is been recommended for the Blue Marina Restaurant change Managers. BARRIER TO SUCCESSFUL CHANGE It is important for people managing change in Blue Marina restaurant to be aware of the nature of the resistance they may encounter from other managers as well as other workers. These difficulties must be addressed before unfreezing can take place. Fransella,(1975:135)argued that we may like change and regard it as essential feature of living ;it does not mean that we always welcome it. Similarly, Paton and McCalman (2000:47) have identified why organisations individuals and groups fear change which include the resulting organisational redesign, new technological challenges and challenges to old ideas. Lines (2004 :198) concludes that resistance towards change encompasses behaviours that are acted out by change recipients in order to slow down or terminate an intended organisational change. Dawson (2003:19) on his part identifies the following examples of organisational factors from which resistance can result: Substantive change in job Reduction in economic security or job placement. Psychological threat Disruption of social arrangements and lowering of status There is no concrete explanation of resistance to change that currently exists ,it is also unlikely that a single universal explanation of resistance to change will ever be sufficient. IMPLEMENTATION AND MANAGING CHANGE. Turning around Blue Marina Restaurant requires that the change Managers build a change team, develop detailed communication plans and understand how to manage the change transition. There is need to mobilise every staff of the restaurant to have a positive vision towards the proposed changed plan. However, there is need also to gain support from members of staff and as a consequence I would recommend an involvement strategy which involves attention to many areas just as Kotter and others (2007).had thought the following were proposed : Establish a sense of urgency Create a guiding coalition Develop a vision and strategy Communicate this with others Empower action Generate shot term win Consolidate gain Going further on how to manage and implement change in Blue Marina Restaurant, in the 1940s and 1950s, Kurt Lewin concluded that to be successful, the change process needs to follow a three step procedure namely : Unfreezing Moving Refreezing His theories were later expanded by Schein who described the three stages as : Unfreezing- creating motivation and readiness to change by demonstrating a need and vision for change in a manner that would not result in the blame being associated with the managers who had let the organization deteriorate. Changing- organizational members identify with a new model or way of doing things Refreezing- refreezing must occur at the individual level with employees accepting new behaviors and also at interpersonal and interdepartmental levels ensuring new behavious fit well with the rest of the organization. These three stages are highly recommended to the Change Managers of Blue Marina restaurant. Managers wanting to introduce change would understand and recognize that change occurs slowly and moves through a series of stages. For instance, one needs to recognize the need for change. Next step is to determine where Blue marina restaurant stands as it relates to the problem, where it plans and wants to be, and how it plans to get there. Bullock and batten after reviewing over 30 models of planned change ,came to the conclusion that change activities could be grouped into four phases namely: Exploration phase: recognizing the need for change, deciding on the type of changes and commit resources to planning the changes, sourcing for a consultant who assists with planning, implementation and defines everyones role as it affects Blue marina restaurant. Planning Phase: This is a phase where understanding Blue marinas restaurant problems set in. It involves gathering of information and useful data in order to diagnose the problem and proffering solution to them while seeking approvals from the necessary quarters. Action phase: implementation and arrangements of the changes to manage the change process and getting necessary feedbacks in other to make the needed adjustment. Integration Phase: consolidating and stabilizing the changes to become part of the new Blue marina restaurant organization in general PREPARING FOR CHANGE Phase 1 The first phase is targeted at being ready. There is need to answer the following question: how much of change management do we need for this project? The first phase is to provide the situation awareness which very critical for effective change management in the restaurant . Outputs of Phase 1: Change characteristics profile Organizational attributes profile Change management strategy Change management team structure Sponsor assessment, structure and roles ( i ) MANAGING CHANGE Phase 2 The second phase is based on plans that are imbibed into the project activities what people generally think of when they talk about change management. Based on research, carried out there are five main plans that should be considered to help Blue Marina Management move through the change Model. Outputs of Phase 2: Communication plan Sponsor roadmap Training plan Coaching plan Resistance management plan (ii) REINFORCING CHANGE Phase 3 Equally critical but most often overlooked is the third phase of where project teams create plans to make sure that the change plan is sustained. At this point , project teams leader create and develop measures to ensure the change has taken place and to also actually confirm if employees are doing their jobs the new way and to celebrate success. Outputs of Phase 3: Reinforcement mechanisms Compliance audit reports Corrective action plans Individual and group recognition approaches Success celebrations After action review (iii) CONCLUSION Finally, to make any change click, it should be part of Blue Marina restaurant. Corporate plans often determine what is done, so there is need for the proposed vision to show in day-to-day work. Continuous efforts should be imbibed to ensure that the change is seen and noticed in every areas of the organization. This will give the change a strong place in the organizations culture. It is also important that Blue Marina leaders continue to support the change. This will include staff and new change leaders who will be brought in. If the support of these people is lost, one could just end up where one started from. The following action plan should be put in place: Communicate effectively on the progress at every chance one gets. Tell a succes stories about the change process while repeating other stories one hears. Including the change ideas cum values when inducting and employing new staff Publicly recognise key members of your original change coalition and make sure the rest of the staff new and old remember their contributions. Create plans to replace key leaders of change as they move on. This will help ensure that their legacy is not lost or forgotten. If you need help on enabling positive change to create the performance breakthroughs you need the honest answer which is that you manage it pretty much the same way you will manage anything else of a turbulent situation or chaotic nature, that is, you dont really manage it, you grapple with it.

Time Management Action Plan Essay -- essays research papers

For me it seems like there is too many tasks to complete and seldom enough time. Effective and efficient time management is something that I have room for improvement on and have great use of. I started by taking a time management survey. #1 Accept Problem My results from this diagnostic survey on time management assured me that my time management skills are low. The survey revealed that I am on the bottom of the scale of time management. There were two sections of the survey. One section measured your time management skills in an office setting and the other section measured your time management skill in your personal life. By having two sections you can compare your time management skills for the two different settings. The total score measures your overall time management skills and it also puts the score in a category. My scores of 27 points for personal life and 31 points for office settings combines to a 58 point total score. My combined score falls in to the lowest category that suggests that training is necessary and will considerably enhance my effectiveness. The first step of solving a problem is identifying it. After taking this survey I have proof that my time management skills are low. Time management has been a long time problem for me. I have always found excuses for not doing things on time or running late. My main excuse is being involved in so many things as a college student. All of this is true, but it shouldn’t be an excuse. I currently work as a lifeguard between classes, tutor nights and weekends, work at a bar weekends, I hold a vice president position in American Marketing Association, I am a member of Society for Human Resource Management, team captain for Cleveland State’s division I swim team, and I am co-president for Student Athletic Advisory Board. Good time management is needed for all these extras. If I could improve my time management skills I think I would get better in most things that I do. I would be able to enhance my grades in school and be better in the workforce. I would be more relaxed and have a feel of control. #2, Goals and Priorities The first step in effectively managing time is to develop a statement of long-range goals. This statement of goals will allow you to set short range goals and to prioritize specific activities according to how much they contribute to your goals. Setting these long-range goals ma... ...t already have the software required or a hand held organizer. For me I am using this as a last step also as a goal. When I reach this point I will allow my self to buy a hand held computer. This would be my reward for reaching this far. This step should take 1-3 weeks. Implementing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have many times tried to improve my time management. Every semester I start with a calendar, but about half way through I usually do not use it anymore. This semester I decided that I needed to use it all the time and I am still using it. I think that if I had used this action plan the first time I wanted to start using a calendar I would have been successful at first. Now when I will start using this action plan I am sure that I will keep using my calendar and also be able to live a less stressful life. It will stop me from my last minute studying for tests and forgetting about meetings. I will be able to live a well-balanced, goal-oriented life without unnecessary stress.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   References: Poser, B. (2003) Time Management for Students http://www.yorku.ca/cdc/lsp/tmonline/time.htm Whetten, D., Cameron, K. (2002) Developing Management Skills

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 25

â€Å"Oh, I just want to take a little peek,† Bonnie moaned, looking at the forbidden sketchbook, the one in which Lady Ulma had drawn their high couture outfits for the first party, the one that would be held tonight. Beside it, just within reach, were some sample squares from bolts of fabric in shimmering satin, rippling silk, transparent muslin, and soft, rich velvet. â€Å"You'll get to try it on for the last fitting in an hour – this time with your eyes open!† Elena laughed. â€Å"But we can't forget that tonight isn't playtime. We'll have to dance some dances, of course – â€Å" â€Å"Of course!† Bonnie repeated ecstatically. â€Å"But our purpose there is to find the key. The first half of the double fox key. I just wish there was a star ball that showed the inside of tonight's house.† â€Å"Well, we all know pretty much about it; we can talk about it and try to imagine it,† Meredith said. Elena, who had been fiddling with the star ball from the other house, now put the slightly cloudy orb down and said, â€Å"All right. Let's brainstorm.† â€Å"May I storm, too?† a low, modulated voice asked from the doorway. The girls all turned, rising at the same time to greet a smiling Lady Ulma. Before taking a chair, she gave Elena a particularly heartfelt hug and kiss on the cheek and Elena couldn't help herself from comparing the woman as they had seen her at Dr. Meggar's to the elegant lady she was now. Then, she had been hardly more than skin over bones, with the eyes of a timid wild creature under great strain, wearing a common housecoat, with men's bedroom slippers. Now, she reminded Elena of a Roman matron, with her face tranquil and beginning to fill out under a crown of glossy dark braids held back by jeweled combs. Her body was filling out, too, especially her belly, although she retained her natural grace as she took a seat on a velvet couch. She was wearing a saffron-colored gown of raw silk, with an underskirt of fringed and shimmering apricot. â€Å"We're so excited about the fitting tonight,† Elena said, with a nod toward the sketchbook. â€Å"I am as excited as a child, myself,† Lady Ulma admitted. â€Å"I only wish I could do for you a tenth of what you have done for me.† â€Å"You have already,† Elena said. â€Å"And if we can find the fox keys – it will only be because you helped us so much. And that – I can't tell you how much that means to me,† she finished almost in a whisper. â€Å"But you never thought I could help you when you defied the law for a ravaged slave. You simply wanted to save me – and you have suffered much for it,† Ulma responded quietly. Elena shifted uncomfortably. The cut running down her face had left only a thin white scar along the cheekbone. Once – when she had first returned to Earth from the afterlife – she would have been able to wave the scar away with a simple wash of Power. But now, although she could channel her Power through her body, and use it to enhance her senses, she couldn't make it obey her will in any other way. And once, she thought, imagining the Elena who had stood in Robert E. Lee High School's parking lot and drooled over a Porsche, she would have considered the marring of her face the greatest calamity of her life. But with all the accolades she had received, with Damon calling it her â€Å"white wound of honor,† and her certainty that it would mean as little to Stefan as a scar on his cheekbone would mean to her, she had found she just couldn't take it very seriously. I am not the same person I once was, she thought. And I'm glad. â€Å"Never mind,† she said, ignoring the pain down her leg that still throbbed at times. â€Å"Let's talk about the Silver Nightingale and her gala.† â€Å"Right,† Meredith said. â€Å"What do we know about her? How did the clue go again, Elena?† â€Å"Misao said, ‘If I said that one of the halves was inside the silver nightingale's instrument, would that even give you an idea?' – or something like that,† Elena repeated obediently. They all knew the words by heart but it was part of the ritual, every time they discussed it. â€Å"And the ‘Silver Nightingale' is the nickname for Lady Fazina Darley and everyone in the Dark Dimension knows it!† cried Bonnie, clapping her small hands in sheer delight. â€Å"Indeed, that has long been her sobriquet, given to her when she first came here and began to sing and play on her harps strung with silver,† Lady Ulma put in gravely. â€Å"And harp strings need to be tuned, and they're tuned with keys,† Bonnie continued excitedly. â€Å"Yes.† Meredith, in contrast, spoke slowly and thoughtfully. â€Å"But it's not a harp-tuning key we're looking for. They look like this.† She put down on a table beside her an object made of smooth pale maple that looked like a very short T or, if held on its side, like a gracefully waving tree with one short horizontal branch. â€Å"I got that from one of the minstrels Damon hired.† Bonnie eyed the tuning key loftily. â€Å"It might be a harp-tuning key we're looking for,† she insisted. â€Å"It might be used for both things, somehow.† â€Å"I don't see how,† Meredith said doggedly. â€Å"Unless somehow they change shape when the two halves come together.† â€Å"Oh, my, yes,† Lady Ulma said, as if Meredith had just made an obvious proposition. â€Å"If they are magical halves of a single key they will almost certainly change when the two halves come together.† â€Å"You see?† Bonnie said. â€Å"But if they can be any sort of shape, then how the hell will we even know when we've found them?† Elena asked impatiently. All she cared about was finding what it took to save Stefan. Lady Ulma fell silent, and Elena felt badly. She hated to use harsh language or even appear distressed in front of the woman who had lived a life of such subjection and horror since her early teens. Elena wanted Lady Ulma to feel safe, to be happy. â€Å"Anyway,† she said quickly, â€Å"we know one thing. It's in the Silver Nightingale's instrument. So whatever is inside Lady Fazina's harp, that has to be it.† â€Å"Oh, but – † Lady Ulma began, and then she stopped herself almost before the words were out. â€Å"What is it?† Elena asked gently. â€Å"Oh, nothing at all,† Lady Ulma said hastily. â€Å"I mean, would you like to see your dresses now? This last fitting is really just to make sure every stitch is perfect.† â€Å"Oh, we'd love to!† Bonnie cried, at the same time making a dive for the sketchbook, while Meredith rung a bell pull that brought a servant hurrying in and hurrying away again to the sewing room. â€Å"I only wish Master Damon and Lord Sage had agreed to let me create something for them to wear,† Lady Ulma said mournfully to Elena. â€Å"Oh, Sage is not going. And I'm sure Damon wouldn't have minded – as long as you designed him a black leather jacket, a black shirt, black jeans, and black boots all exactly like the ones he wears every day. He'd have been happy to wear it then.† Lady Ulma laughed. â€Å"I see. Well, there will be enough fantastical styles worn tonight that he may change his mind for the future. Now let's draw the curtains on the windows all around. This gala is to be indoors, with gaslight only, so colors will show true.† â€Å"I wondered why it said ‘indoors' on the invitations,† Bonnie said. â€Å"I thought maybe it was because of rain.† â€Å"It's because of the sun,† Lady Ulma said soberly. â€Å"That hateful crimson light, changing every blue to purple, every yellow to brown. You see, no one would wear aqua or green to an outdoor soiree – no, not even you, with that strawberry hair that cries out for it.† â€Å"I get it. I can see how having that sun hanging there every day would really get you down after a while.† â€Å"I wonder if you can,† murmured Lady Ulma, and then she added hastily, â€Å"While we wait shall I show you what I have created for your tall friend who doubts me?† â€Å"Oh, please, yes!† Bonnie held out the sketchbook. Lady Ulma thumbed through it until she came to a page that seemed to please her. She took up pens and coloring pencils like a child eager to play with beloved toys again. â€Å"Here it is,† she said, using the colored pencils to add a line here and a curve there, but holding the book so that the three girls could see the design. â€Å"Oh, my God!† cried Bonnie in genuine astonishment, and even Elena felt her eyes widening. The girl in the sketch was definitely Meredith, with her hair half up and half down, but wearing a dress – such a dress! Black as ebony, strapless, it clung to the long slim figure perfectly sketched in the picture, emphasizing the curves, enhancing them on top by what Elena learned was called a â€Å"sweetheart† neckline: one that made Meredith's front look like a Valentine's Day heart. It kept close to the body all the way to the knees where it suddenly flared out again, dramatically wide. â€Å"A ‘mermaid' dress,† Lady Ulma explained, satisfied with her sketch at last. â€Å"And here it is,† she added as several sewing women entered, reverently holding the miraculous gown between them. Now the girls could see that the material was of plush black velvet dotted with tiny rectangular metallic golden flecks. It looked like midnight back home, Elena thought, with a thousand falling stars in the sky. â€Å"And with it, you will wear these very large black onyx and gold earrings, these black onyx and gold combs to hold your hair up, and some lovely matching bracelets and rings Lucen has made just for this outfit,† Lady Ulma continued. Elena realized that sometime in the last minutes Lucen must have entered the room. She smiled at him, and then her eyes dropped to the three-tiered tray he held. On the top tray, against an ivory background, were two black onyx and diamond bracelets, as well as a ring with a diamond in it that almost made her swoon. Meredith was looking around the room as if she had stumbled into a private discussion and didn't know how to get out. Then she looked from the dress to the jewels to Lady Ulma again. Meredith was not one to lose her composure easily. But after a moment she simply went to Lady Ulma and hugged her fiercely, then went to Lucen and very gently put her hand on his forearm. It was clear that she couldn't speak. Bonnie was studying the sketch with the eyes of a connoisseur now. â€Å"Those matching bracelets were made just for this dress, weren't they?† she said with a conspiratorial air. To Elena's surprise Lady Ulma seemed uncomfortable. Then she spoke slowly. â€Å"The truth is†¦well, that Miss Meredith is†¦a slave. All slaves are required to wear some sort of symbolic bracelets when they travel outside their households.† She turned her eyes down to the polished wooden floorboards. Her cheeks were flushed. â€Å"Lady Ulma – oh, please, you can't think it matters to us?† Lady Ulma's eyes flashed as she looked up. â€Å"Not matter?† â€Å"Well,† Elena said hautily, â€Å"it doesn't really matter†¦er, yet, because there's nothing to do about it, not now.† Of course, the servants weren't in on the secrets of the Damon-Elena-Meredith-Bonnie relationship. Even Lady Ulma didn't see why Damon didn't free the three girls just in case â€Å"something should happen, may the Celestial Guardians forbid it.† But the girls had formed a solid phalanx against it; it would be like jinxing their whole enterprise. â€Å"Well, anyway,† Bonnie was blathering, â€Å"I think the bracelets are beautiful. I mean she could hardly find anything more perfect for the dress, could she?† – striking at the professional sensibilities of the designer. Lucen smiled modestly and Lady Ulma gave him a loving glance. Meredith's face was still glowing. â€Å"Lady Ulma, I don't know how to thank you. I will wear this gown – and for tonight I will be someone I have never been before. Of course, you've drawn my hair up, or partly up. I don't usually wear it that way,† Meredith finished weakly. â€Å"You will tonight – up and high over that lovely wide brow of yours. This dress is to show off the charming curves of your bare shoulders and arms. It's a crime to cover them, day or night. And the hairstyle is to lay bare your exotic face instead of hiding it!† Lady Ulma said firmly. Good, Elena thought. They've gotten her off the subject of symbolic slavery. â€Å"You'll wear a touch of makeup as well – pale gold on your lids, and kohl to enhance and lengthen your lashes. A touch of golden lipstick, but no rouge; I don't believe in that for young girls. Your olive skin will complete the picture of a sultry maiden perfectly.† Meredith looked helplessly at Elena. â€Å"I don't usually wear makeup either,† she said, but they both knew that she was beaten. Lady Ulma's vision would come to life. â€Å"Don't call it a mermaid dress; she'll be a siren,† Bonnie said enthusiastically. â€Å"But we'd better put a spell on it to keep all the vampire sailors away.† To Elena's surprise, Lady Ulma nodded solemnly. â€Å"My seamstress friend has sent a priestess today to bless all the garments and to keep you from being victimized by vampires, of course. If that meets with your approval?† She looked at Elena, who nodded. â€Å"As long as they don't keep Damon out of the way,† she added jokingly, and felt time freeze as Meredith and Bonnie immediately turned their eyes on her, hoping to catch something in Elena's expression that would give her away. But Elena kept her expression neutral, as Lady Ulma continued, â€Å"Naturally, the restrictions would not apply to your – to Master Damon.† â€Å"Naturally,† Elena said soberly. â€Å"And now for the smallest beauty to go to the gala,† Lady Ulma was saying to Bonnie, who bit her lip, blushing. â€Å"I have something very special for you. I don't know how long I've been yearning to work with this material. I've trudged by it in a shop window year after year, just aching to buy it and create with it. You see?† And the next set of sewing women came forward, holding a smaller, lighter frock between them, while Lady Ulma held up a sketch. Elena was already staring in amazement. The material was glorious – incredible – but especially clever was how it had been put together. The fabric was vivid peacock green-blue, with the most amazing hand stitching to represent a pattern of peacock eyes flaring up from the waist. Bonnie's brown eyes had widened again. â€Å"This is for me?† she breathed, almost afraid to touch the material. â€Å"Yes, and we're going to slick that hair of yours back until you look as sophisticated as your friend. Go ahead and try it on. I think you'll like the way this dress has come out.† Lucen had retired and Meredith was already being carefully encased in the mermaid dress. Bonnie happily began to strip. Lady Ulma turned out to have been right. Bonnie loved the way she looked that evening. Right now she was being given the finishing touches, such as a delicate spray of citrus and rosewater; a fragrance made just for her. She stood before a giant silvered-glass mirror, just minutes before they were due to start off for the gala given by Fazina, the Silver Nightingale herself. Bonnie turned a little, looking at the strapless, full-skirted dress in awe. Its bodice was made – or seemed to be made – entirely of the eyes of peacock feathers, arranged in a spray that was gathered together at her waist, showing off how tiny it was. There was another spray of larger feathers that pointed downward from the waist, front and back. The back actually had a small train of peacock feathers against emerald silk. In front, below the larger, downward pointing spray, a design worked in silver and gold, of stylized undulating plumes, all upside down, made its way to the bottom of the gown, which was edged with thin gold brocade. As if this were not enough, Lady Ulma had had a fan made with real peacock eyes set in an emerald jade handle, with a tassel of softly clinking jade, citrine, and emerald charms at the bottom. Around Bonnie's throat was a matching necklace of jade, inlaid with emerald, sapphire, and lapis lazuli. And around each of her wrists were several emerald jade bracelets that clicked together whenever she moved, the symbol of her slavery. But Bonnie's eyes could hardly linger on them, and she couldn't summon up a proper hatred of the bracelets. She was thinking of how a special hairdresser had come to â€Å"slick back† Bonnie's strawberry-colored curls until, darkened into true red, they were plastered flat against her skull and held in place with jade and emerald clips. Her heart-shaped face had never looked so mature, so sophisticated. To emerald eyelids and kohl-darkened eyes, Lady Ulma had added a vivid red lipstick and had for once broken her rule and cleverly, wielding the brush herself, had added touches here and there of blusher so that Bonnie's translucent skin looked as if she were constantly coloring at some compliment. Delicately carved jade earrings with golden bells inside completed the ensemble, and Bonnie felt as if she were some Princess of the Ancient Orient. â€Å"It's really some kind of miracle. Usually, I look like a pixie trying to dress up as a cheerleader or a flower girl,† she confided, kissing Lady Ulma again and again, delighted to find that the lipstick stayed on her lips instead of transferring to her benefactress's cheeks. â€Å"But tonight I look like a young woman.† She would have kept on babbling, helpless to stop herself even though Lady Ulma already was trying to discreetly dab tears away from her eyes, except that at that moment Elena came in and she gasped. Elena's dress had already been finished by the afternoon and so all Bonnie had seen of it was the sketch. But somehow that had failed to convey just what this dress would do for Elena. Bonnie had secretly wondered if Lady Ulma were leaving too much to Elena's own natural beauty, and was hoping that Elena would be as excited about her own dress as everyone seemed to be about Bonnie's and Meredith's. Now Bonnie understood. â€Å"It is a called a goddess dress,† Lady Ulma explained to the stunned silence in the room, as Elena walked in, and Bonnie dizzily thought that if goddesses had ever lived up on Mount Olympus, they would certainly have wanted to dress this way. The trick of the dress lay in its very simplicity. It was made of milk-white silk, with a delicately pleated waist (Lady Ulma called the irregular tight pleating â€Å"ruching†) which held two simple bodice panels that formed a V-neckline, showing off Elena's peach-blossom skin between them and behind them. These panels in turn were held at the shoulders by two carved clasps – gold inlaid with mother-of-pearl and diamonds. From the waist, the skirt fell straight in graceful, silken folds all the way to Elena's delicate sandals – again designed in gold, mother-of-pearl and diamonds. In the back, the two panels that clasped at the shoulder became straps and crossed over to once again meet at the pleated waist. Such a simple dress, but so magnificent on the right girl. At Elena's throat, an exquisitely designed golden and mother-of-pearl necklace in the stylized shape of a butterfly was inset with so many diamonds that it seemed to blaze with multicolored fire each time she moved and they caught the light. She wore this over the lapis and diamond pendant Stefan had given her, since she had flatly refused to take the pendant off. It didn't matter. The butterfly covered the pendant completely. On each wrist Elena wore a wide bracelet of gold and mother-of-pearl inset with diamonds, creations that they had found in the secret jewel room, obviously made to go with the necklace. And that was all. Elena's hair had been brushed and brushed and brushed until it formed a silky golden tumble of waves that hung below her shoulders in back, and she was wearing a touch of rose-colored lipstick. But her face, with its thick black eyelashes and lighter arched brows – and just now its look of excitement that parted her rose-colored lips and brought brilliant color to her cheeks – had been left entirely alone. Earrings that were just cascades of diamonds peeped through her gold tresses. She's going to drive them crazy tonight, Bonnie thought, eyeing the daring dress with envy, but not with jealousy, instead rather reveling in the thought of the sensation Elena would make. She's wearing the simplest gown of any of us, but she still completely puts Meredith and me in the shade. Yet Bonnie had never seen Meredith look better – or more exotic. She'd also never known what a stunning figure Meredith had, despite her friend's wide assortment of designer clothes. Meredith shrugged when Bonnie told her this. She had a fan, too, black lacquer, that folded. Now she opened it and folded it shut again, tapping her chin thoughtfully. â€Å"We're in the hands of a genius,† she said simply. â€Å"But we can't forget what we're really here for.†

Sigmund Freud Ideology

Sigmund Freud explored many new concepts in the human mind during his lifetime. He was the scholar who discovered an immense new realm of the mind, the unconscious. He was the philosopher who identified childhood experience, not racial destiny or family fate, as the vessel of character, and he is the therapist who invented a specific form of treatment for mentally ill people, psychoanalysis. This advanced the revolutionary notion that actual diagnosable diseases can be cured by a technology that dates to the dawn of humanity: speaking.Sigmund Freud, writing more than 320 books, articles and essays on psychotherapy in his lifetime, forever changed how society viewed mental illness and the meaning of their dreams. However, controversy over Freud’s theories surrounded his experiments in whether or not they were wholly accurate scientifically. By not being able to correctly recreate the experiments, the actual â€Å"success rate† of his theories cannot be tested for their a ccuracy in accordance to what Freud stated about his work.Thus, many scientists and influential scholars believe that â€Å"Freud brings the techniques of introspection employed by early nineteenth century poets but lacks aspects of nineteenth century science† (Hutton 62). Overall, the psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud are difficult to access scientifically as far as helping mentally ill people recover in reference to treatments outlined in his work. On May 6, 1856 in Freiberg, Moravia, Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, was born as the first child of Jakob and Amalia Freud.Freud had seven siblings, and described himself as his mother’s special favorite- her â€Å"golden Siggie† (Thornton). In his early life, he enrolled at the University of Vienna in 1873 where Freud did research in physiology for six years under the German scientist Ernst Brucke and received his medical degree in 1881. He then became a doctor at Vienna General Hospital and set up a private practice center for the treatment of psychological disorders in 1886.During World War II, his books were burned along with those by other famous thinkers. â€Å"What progress we are making,† Freud told a friend. â€Å"In the Middle Ages they would have burnt me; nowadays they are content with burning my books† (Thornton). Freud was interrogated by the Gestapo before his friend, Marie Bonaparte, was able to secure their safe passage to England. Bonaparte also tried to rescue Freud's four younger sisters, but was unable to do so. All four women later died in Nazi concentration camps. During this time, Freud as married to Martha Bernays, and the couple would have six children in their lifetimes. One of them, Anna, who was also interrogated by the Gestapo, was to become a distinguished psychoanalyst herself. Ultimately, after having undergone more than twenty surgeries, Sigmund died in September 1939 due to cancer of the mouth and throat from excessive cigar smoking. The Interpretation of Dreams, originally published under the title of ‘Die Traumdeutung’ in November of 1899, perfectly portrays Freud’s theories from Freud’s point of view.His other works, including The Psychopathology of Everyday Life, and Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality, do not compel Freud to look into himself like in The Interpretation of Dreams, for â€Å"The Interpretation of Dreams is the primary documentation of Freud’s self-analysis† (Parsons). Furthermore, he considered this novel to be his greatest work, even though it was his first. To modern scholars, however; â€Å"His autobiography is rather a record of his public accomplishments. On the whole he presents himself as he wished to be viewed by the world, not as he struggled in his interior life with his personal dilemmas† (Hutton 62).Many important ideas that contributed to the theories in Freud’s novel came from influential academic scholars such as Joseph Breuer, Jean Charcot and Ernst Brucke. Even then, the ideas portrayed in The Interpretation of Dreams, are controversial due to their authenticity. Sigmund Freud and his mentor Brucke wrote on hysteria. They explained their theory: Every hysteria is the result of a traumatic experience, one that cannot be integrated into the person's understanding of the world.The emotions appropriate to the trauma are not expressed in any direct fashion, but do not simply evaporate: They express themselves in behavior that in a weak, vague way offers a response to the trauma. These symptoms are, in other words, meaningful. When the client can be made aware of the meanings of his or her symptoms (through hypnosis, for example) then the unexpressed emotions are released and so no longer need to express themselves as symptoms. With Charcot, many of Charcot's patients suffered from a bizarre array of physical and emotional problems, symptoms of a puzzling affliction doctors called â€Å"hyst eria. Freud became deeply interested in the plight of patients, typically women, who suffered from hysteria. Through the study of hysteria, Charcot would introduce young Freud to the mysteries he would spend the rest of his life trying to fathom – the power of mental forces hidden away from conscious awareness. Furthermore, â€Å"Freud’s father died four years prior to the publication. Painful and disturbing, the long run effect of freeing Freud from his inhibitions impeded his work† (Parsons).The death of Freud’s father most likely had a significant effect on his mind for the topics stated in The Interpretation of Dreams included a great sense of loss of a parental figure, relating to Freud’s ideas of infantile sexuality To Freud, this sexuality covers a much wider concept other than genital intercourse between a male and female. But whatever shape or form of sexuality one eventually takes, Freud asserts, it inevitably has its roots in the infanti le sexuality, which is described in terms of sexual development in the first few years of a life of an infant.He may have written about this topic unaware that he was relating his thoughts to the loss of his father. This also goes hand in hand with Freud’s theory of the unconscious. Freud viewed the unconscious mind as a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that is outside of our conscious awareness. Most of the contents of the unconscious are unacceptable or unpleasant, such as feelings of pain, anxiety, or conflict. According to Freud, the unconscious continues to influence human behavior and experience, even though they are unaware of these underlying influences.In the end, â€Å"He never ceased to extend and modify his theories† even when disagreements about Freud’s work erupted in the scientific community (Davis). The controversy surrounding Freud’s theories today occurs for many reasons. For example, he stated that his method of psyc hoanalysis cured mental illness; however, there is no way to prove that a patient has become mentally stable, for the patient’s symptoms may have simply been alleviated for a time. Even now â€Å"There is difficulty in specifying what counts as a cure for a neurotic illness, and what counts as a neurotic illness† (Davis).Also, â€Å"Freud’s theory could have been generated by logical confusions from long standing addiction to cocaine† (Girard). Before the harmful effects were discovered, cocaine was often used as an analgesic and euphoric. It was used in household products, and even soda and throat lozenges. Freud developed an interest in the potential antidepressant effects of cocaine, and initially advocated its use for a variety of purposes. This frequent use of the narcotic drug could have effected how Freud treated his patients, and how accurately he conducted his experiments.Disagreements over whether Freud was dependent on the drug shroud the scien tist’s credibility as well, however; it is certain that he used the narcotic drug himself, not just for his patients. As for the science within Freud’s groundbreaking discoveries, â€Å"There was something in his method akin to that of the magi of the Renaissance† (Hutton 61). Freud even stated that during his adolescent years, he was fascinated by dreams, and that allure drove him to study the human mind.It was for a purely individual appeal to discover himself that Freud started his lifelong career. Furthermore, most academic scholars today see Freud’s work as â€Å"Lacking scientific evidence, overemphasizing sex, and having frequent chauvinistic viewpoints† (Parsons). Freud’s infantile sexuality theory is based on data collection from the samples of only a particular group of people in Vienna. Many then argue that the infantile sexuality should differ from one society and culture to another.For example, in eastern societies where the fam ily is not a nuclear one, unlike most western families, the Oedipus Complex should not be as Freud suggests since there are more objects to which love and hate may be directed. This is indeed true but again, even if Freud’s work is just a representation of the western society, it still gives a lot of credible explanations for what happens in the western society in terms of neuroses, behaviors and psychology. Researchers are tapping into the chemistry of the unconscious, exploring the theory of repression, even testing ways to block traumatic memories.What they are finding does not necessarily prove Freud right or wrong but after decades of polarization between neuroscience (the study of the brain) and psychoanalysis (exploration of the mind), the two fields are beginning to find common ground. Dr. Eric Kandel, a Columbia professor, Howard Hughes Medical Institute senior investigator and Nobel Prize winner for his work on learning and memory speaks on Freud's greatest contribu tions: Much of what we do is unconscious. That is a revelation that largely comes from Freud.The fact that dreams have psychological meaning, that infants are active, thinking individuals who have sensual as well as painful experiences also comes from Freud. The fact that by listening carefully to a patient, you can get a lot of insight into what the unconscious is talking about. This is revolutionary stuff. (Kandel) Kandel perfectly outlines the relevance of Freud’s ideas to the common man’s life. However brilliant though, the discussion on whether Freud’s ideas are literary or scientific continues. The topic of Sigmund Freud’s theories eing literary or scientific shadows the debate upon whether Freud’s ideas are authentic. For instance, â€Å"If a theory is incompatible with all possible observations, it is scientific,† but, â€Å"[c]onversely, a theory which is compatible with all possible observations is unscientific† (Girard). In other words, if there is no way to disprove a theory’s findings, it cannot be scientific, and if the observations lead you to further insight about the topic that can be proven with specific results, then you have a true scientific theory.As far as being in favor of a literary theory, Freud’s ideas are always intriguing, and The Interpretation of Dreams is probably the best known book on dream interpretation. Also, â€Å"Freud thought of research on the workings of the psyche as a new frontier of science, but psychoanalysis, for all of its originality as a paradigm for understanding the psyche and its efficacy in curing troubled souls, was essentially a technique for retrieving lost memories† (Hutton 61).This concept from Freud contains ideas that are more poetic than systematic, so far as being in favor of a scientific theory; it provides a glimpse into psychoanalytic work from a man who devoted his whole life to discovering how the human mind functions. The c onsequences of believing Freud’s work was literary is that it did not fare well in the last few decades with the general public. Society did embrace the idea; however, once they look into the details of Freud’s ideas, flaws begin to occur in the logical reasoning.Consequences for believing Freud’s ideas are scientific are that they lack scientific rigor and have little or no substantiation in the scientific community. Freud deemed his work correct and scientific, even through the controversy. All the same, his evidence was biased for he based all examples in The Interpretation of Dreams directly to his life. Overall, â€Å"Freud’s theory- it is not falsifiable† due to the lack of true evidence supporting psychoanalytic experiments with Freud (Thornton). In context to how Freud’s ideas helped the mentally unstable, there is no way to portray exactly how well his methods worked.It is known that he used dream analysis, para praxes, word associa tion, projective tests and hypnosis; however the â€Å"success rate† for these measures varies because â€Å"success† in curing a mentally unstable person cannot be exactly measured. In society at the time, these methods of helping the mentally ill were widely accepted among the general public after Freud brought the idea of psychoanalysis to civilization. Freud honestly thought he was helping society by psychoanalyzing mental patients to discover what was vexing them emotionally.Nonetheless â€Å"The cure is affected essentially by a kind of purgation, a release of psychic energy† in which the patients must undergo a deep self-analysis to find the cause of their illness with the help of a psychoanalytic doctor (Girard). In Freud’s own words directly from The Interpretation of Dreams â€Å"The patient himself must become conscious of unresolved conflicts buried deep in the recess of the unconscious mind† (Freud 58). It was this very idea that made his work â€Å"Influential today so that when people speak of psychoanalysis, they frequently refer exclusively to clinical treatment† (Thornton).On the whole, there is no doubt that Freud’s theories about psychoanalysis and the unconscious mind were influential. However when dealing with mentally ill patients, his theories were unscientific by the experiments he conducted. Freud's psycho dynamic model may seem opaque to us today because he explained it in terms of the technology metaphor of his day. It is as if a scientist today used a current technology such as computers as a metaphor for things that one cannot explain easily.However, Sigmund Freud, although criticized, is a highly respected pioneer of psychology. The dominant paradigm of clinical work of psychiatry and psychology is Freudian work. Overall, Freud's theory of the unconscious assumes a personal mind; a mind inhabited with wishes, desires, and needs that have a biological, intra-psychological origin. Du e to this point, the psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud are difficult to access scientifically as far as helping mentally ill people recover in reference to treatments outlined in his work.

Use OptionParser to Parse Commands in Ruby

Use OptionParser to Parse Commands in Ruby In the article discussing OptionParsers features we discussed some of the reasons that make using OptionParser in Ruby preferable to looking through ARGV manually to parse commands by hand. Now its time to get down to learning how to use OptionParser and its features. The following boilerplate code will be used for all the examples in this tutorial. To try any of the examples, simply put the examples opts.on block next to the TODO comment. Running the program will print the state of the options has and ARGV, allowing you to examine the effects of your switches. #!/usr/bin/env rubyrequire optparserequire pp# This hash will hold all of the options# parsed from the command-line by# OptionParser.options {}optparse OptionParser.new do|opts|# TODO: Put command-line options here# This displays the help screen, all programs are# assumed to have this option.opts.on( -h, help, Display this screen ) doputs optsexitendend# Parse the command-line. Remember there are two forms# of the parse method. The parse method simply parses# ARGV, while the parse! method parses ARGV and removes# any options found there, as well as any parameters for# the options. Whats left is the list of files to resize.optparse.parse!pp Options:, optionspp ARGV:, ARGV Simple Switch A simple switch is an argument with no optional forms or no parameters. The effect will be to simply set a flag in the options hash. No other parameters will be passed to the on method. options[:simple] falseopts.on( -s, simple, Simple argument ) dooptions[:simple] trueend Switch with Mandatory Parameter Switches that take a parameter only need to state the parameter name in the long form of the switch. For example, -f, file FILE means the -f or file switch takes a single parameter called FILE, and this parameter is mandatory. You cannot use either -f or file without also passing it a parameter. options[:mand] opts.on( -m, mandatory FILE, Mandatory argument ) do|f|options[:mand] fend Switch with Optional Parameter Switch parameters dont have to be mandatory, they can be optional. To declare a switch parameter optional, place its name in brackets in the switch description. For example, logfile [FILE] means the FILE parameter is optional. If not supplied, the program will assume a sane default, such as a file called log.txt. In the example, the idiom a b || c is used. This is just shorthand for a b, but if b is false or nil, a c. options[:opt] falseopts.on( -o, optional [OPT], Optional argument ) do|f|options[:opt] f || nothingend Automatically Convert to Float OptionParser can automatically convert argument to some types. One of these types is Float. To automatically convert your arguments to a switch to Float, pass Float to the on method after your switch description strings. Automatic conversions are handy. Not only do they save you the step of converting the string to the desired type, but also check the format for you and will throw an exception if it is formatted incorrectly. options[:float] 0.0opts.on( -f, float NUM, Float, Convert to float ) do|f|options[:float] fend Some other types that OptionParser can convert to automatically include Time and Integer. Lists of Arguments Arguments can be interpreted as lists. This can be seen as converting to an array, as you converted to Float. While your option string can define the parameter to be called a,b,c, OptionParser will blindly allow any number of elements in the list. So, if you need a specific number of elements, be sure to check the array length yourself. options[:list] []opts.on( -l, list a,b,c, Array, List of parameters ) do|l|options[:list] lend Set of Arguments Sometimes it makes sense to restrict arguments to a switch to a few choices. For example, the following switch will only take a single mandatory parameter, and the parameter must be one of yes, no or maybe. If the parameter is anything else at all, an exception will be thrown. To do this, pass a list of acceptable parameters as symbols after the switch description strings. options[:set] :yesopts.on( -s, set OPT, [:yes, :no, :maybe], Parameters from a set ) do|s|options[:set] send Negated Forms Switches can have a negated form. The switch negated can have one that does the opposite effect, called no-negated. To describe this in the switch description string, place the alternative portion in brackets: [no-]negated. If the first form is encountered, true will be passed to the block, and false will be blocked if the second form is encountered. options[:neg] falseopts.on( -n, [no-]negated, Negated forms ) do|n|options[:neg] nend

Chinese New Year Foods

Chinese New Year Foods Introduction Culture can be defined as the way of life of a given people. It entails how people behave and perceive different life issues. It includes aspects like religion, ethnicity, customs, language, beliefs, and food among others that define a people.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Chinese New Year Foods specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Culture varies from one place to the other depending on the circumstances surrounding a place, for instance, climate and environment as well as how people perceive different things. Chinese culture is unique in its way and stands out distinctively among other cultures through different cultural aspects such as foods taken on different occasions. This piece of work will give an in depth discussion of Chinese culture with the central focus being on the Chinese New Year Foods and its relationship with the changes that have been experienced in the Chinese Cultures. How the cultural production or cultural producer struggled to change the boundaries and meanings of what can be said or done will also be discussed. To have a clear understanding of the concept in question, it is advisable to give some background information. Chinese New Year is a concept that has received a lot of concern among different people. It has been celebrated for more than 4000 years. In China it was a holiday that was initially meant to mark the end of winter and the beginning of spring, which was deemed to be the start of a New Year (Flanagan, Zhurkina, Labbo 7). It is one of the most significant holidays in Chinese traditions that is celebrated all over east and South-East-Asia. A lot of importance is attached to this celebration to an extent of influencing the overall Chinese culture to a large extent. Most things done during this festive are clearly seen in carrying out of different Chinese cultural aspects. What the Chinese New Year Foods reveal about the changing and contested natu re of Chinese cultures and how this cultural production or cultural producer struggled to change the boundaries and meanings of what can be said or doneAdvertising Looking for essay on cultural studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Chinese culture is a unique one. It is considered to be one of the world’s complex and oldest cultures. The Chinese culture is portrayed in a relatively large geographical region of eastern Asia. Although there exists some differences in the customs and traditions among different cites, towns, and provinces some cultural aspects are usually maintained. These include traditional food, cultural celebrations, music, martial arts, literature, and visual arts among others (Davis 10). Just like any other aspect, culture is subject to changes with passage of time. Although Chinese culture has been perceived by many to be static, the reality is that no one culture is absolutely static bu t rather undergoes some changes no matter how minor they may be. The modern civilization that emerged from Europe and America is one of the factors that are linked with the changes in the Chinese culture. Modern Chinese culture has been invaded by other external cultures especially from Europe and the United States of America. Over the past 20 years, the Peoples Republic of China has been observed to be adopting western culture and technology in a rapid rate. A good example to support this statement can be seen in their extensive acceptance of a lot of aspects such as cell phones, fast food as well as the American television (Kleinman Tsung-Yi Lin 4). The Chinese New Year’s festival has had a lot of influence on the Chinese culture as a whole. This is more so due to the significance that has been attached to this festival. This can even be seen through the number of days it is given on the lunar calendar as compared to other holidays. Some of the beliefs associated with the Chinese New Year festival have been maintained up to date while others have undergone some changes over the years. The Chinese New Year festival or the spring festival is still the largest celebration in China.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Chinese New Year Foods specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Despite the fact that Chinese New Year occurs on dates that usually vary from between mid January to mid February, it is strictly observed among different Chinese populations. During this time, people are involved with various activities, for instance, a thorough cleaning of houses to signify a new start and giving of the children money packaged in red envelopes as a sign of good luck and attainment of happiness in the coming year. This occasion is also dedication in honour of the ancestors and activities such as fireworks and parades with dancers who are smartly dressed are common during this function. The Chinese New Yea r festival is considered to be a significant part of China’s culture. As stated earlier, Chinese New Year is the most regarded festival in China and therefore it is highly celebrated not only in China but also in countries and territories with a considerable number of Chinese populations, for instance, Hong Kong, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet, Singapore, and Mainland China among others. Among the reasons behind the aspect being considered to be Chinese and to form a large portion of the overall Chinese culture is the fact that it started in China, that is, it has its roots in china. Despite the fact that the Chinese New Year festival is celebrated in different parts of the world, its origin is in China. Consequently, the festival is practiced mainly by the Chinese populations and it involves China’s cultural aspects including the foods that are prepared and served during this time. To show how important the festival is perceived in China, Ch inese New Year is the longest holiday in the country’s calendar taking a total of 15days. The Chinese New Year Foods is a significant element in the entire festival. Food is given noteworthy importance in the Chinese culture. Traditional Chinese food is prepared way before the beginning of the New Year since according to the Chinese culture, the people are not supposed to prepare and cook food within the first five days of the year.Advertising Looking for essay on cultural studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is however somehow tricky due to the fact that as opposed to other holidays that have some fixed calendar dates, the date of the Chinese New Year changes each and every year based on the lunar calendar. The Chinese people stay prepared at around this time to avoid any form of inconveniences. Some of the traditional foods include savoury dumplings, nian gao also known as sweet sticky rice cake, turnip cakes, Yusheng, taro cakes, noodles, mandarin oranges, fish and Buddhas’s delight among others. All these foods offered during the Chinese New Year are extremely delicious and deemed crucial to the Chinese people. Each type of food carries along a symbolic significance. For instance, serving a whole chicken during this festival is a sign of family togetherness. For this reason, all family members are expected to come together and celebrate in union. The noodles on the other hand are a sign of long life and should be prepared and served without cutting them. The sweet steamed cakes also have a symbolic meaning. The sticky rice cake, for example, stand for a wealthy sweet life that is full of good things for the coming year. This is represented by its sweetness and layers (Chiu par 12). Back from the early days, a lot of importance has been given to the traditional Chinese New Year food. They are for example taken as a symbol of opulence, good health, long life and good luck in general life for every individual who partake it. Apart from offering physical satisfaction, the food is associated with some old Chinese beliefs that keep the Chinese people going to present moments. For instance, most of the foods are expected to wish the people good things in the coming year. The Chinese cultures are portrayed by the different activities that the people engage in. Research shows that even though some concepts have been maintained to today, there are some cultural changes that are quite evident. This can even be seen through the Chinese New year Foods. These cha nges can be attributed to changes in times and cultural beliefs about some issues due to exposure, for instance, through technological innovations and developments. Gleason (12) asserts that years ago, on the New Year’s eve, Chinese people would take baths with mint leaves in the water with the believe that this practice would make them superfluously clean. It was as well believed that it was not right to wash during the New Year’s Day since by doing so people would wash away their good luck for the coming year. Although some of these beliefs still stand among some individuals, there are some other cultural aspects that have been adopted in today’s world among the Chinese people. For instance, there is a tendency of many people getting their haircut and buying of new clothes before or on the eve of the New Year’s Day as a sign of being fresh and leaving the past. Colour red is preferred by many for the clothing due to the fact that it is associated with h appiness and thus it was believed that putting them on the New Year’s Day would bring happiness to the people throughout the following year. It is also a belief that change of appearance through new haircuts and clothes is a way that is expected to put off the evil spirits that disturbed them in the past year as they would not recognize who they were, after the change. Another issue that is linked with the Chinese New Year festival and culture is the fact that people have believed that they ought to do away with or finish everything that had been started over the past year. For instance, people are expected to pay back any money they owe others as well as settle any form of discrepancies that could exist between their families and friends before the begging of the New Year. The children are also expected to catch up on their schoolwork. In a nutshell, the Chinese culture requires that everything should be in a perfect condition for New Year’s Day in an effort to make t he coming year a success; filled with good things (Gleason 13). Looking at the Chinese New Year ceremony and all the issues that surround it, including the food taken and the significance attached to them, it is clear that it has played a great role in shaping the overall Chinese culture. There are various do’s and don’ts that are stipulated in regard to this ceremony with respect to what ought to bring good luck to the people and what could be a source of bad luck in the coming year. The Chinese New Year celebration stipulates what is supposed to be done and said among the Chinese population all over the world not only during this season but also under normal circumstances, for instance, when doing business. Amazingly, the practices of the Chinese New Year have been seen to influence the overall Chinese culture in many ways. One good example is on the changing culture and etiquette. From the Chinese New Year festivals, a lot of cultural aspects can be learnt most of w hich affect how the Chinese people behave and how they expect those they come across, irrespective of their origin, to behave. The understanding of several key cultural concepts associated with the Chinese culture is helpful in carrying out both individual as well as business related activities in China. It is therefore advisable to have some basic knowledge of the socio-cultural, historical, political, and economic situation in China before entering the country for any purpose. The cultural differences are also essential. They include the verbal and non verbal communication styles and the issues surrounding the Chinese etiquette, for instance, proper banquet behaviour and giving of gifts. All these aspects can be drawn from the Chinese New Year festival and hence its importance in the overall Chinese culture. Conclusion From the above discussion, it is evident that the Chinese New Year food and the entire festival have an extremely critical part to play in the cultures in China. Th is is more so because a lot of importance is attached to this issue and a lot of activities are done in preparation to the big day and it is celebrated for a relatively long period of time (15 days) as compared to other holidays. Over the past decade, there are some cultural traditional concepts that have been maintained year after year while some concepts and beliefs have changed for the best of the communities. All in all, a great percentage of the cultural concepts that were present long before have been maintained up to today; an aspect that contributes much to the value that is attached to the Chinese New Year festival. However, it is clear that no single culture in the world is absolutely static but rather it undergoes some changes no matter how minor they may be. China’s culture is therefore not an exception and it has experienced a revolutionary rate of change. External factors play a great role in facilitating cultural change in different parts of the world, for inst ance, expansion of international trade and mass media as well as massive human population increase. Chiu, Lisa. â€Å"The History of Chinese New Year.† About.com. 2011. 19 Oct. 2011. https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-chinese-new-year-687496 Davis, Edward, Lawrence. Encyclopaedia of contemporary Chinese culture. New York: Taylor Francis, 2005. Print Flanagan, Alice., Zhurkina, Svetlana., Labbo Linda. Chinese New Year. Minneapolis, MN: Compass Point Books, 2003. Print Gleason, Carrie. Chinese New Year. New York: Crabtree Publishing Company, 2008. Print Kleinman, Arthur., Tsung-Yi Lin. Normal and Abnormal Behaviour in Chinese Culture. New York: Springer, 1981. Print

Case study #2 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

#2 - Case Study Example While this is so, there are those companies that show very little concern about what customers think about the services that they get and this can turn out to be very damaging to not only the reputation of the firm but also the income the firm generates. This paper will be looking at the two companies with both extremes in customer service- Amazon with the best and AT&T with the worst. The paper will also state a recommendation for each company that can help improve their customer service. Amazon has been voted the company with the best customer service the second time in a row. There are particular reasons why the company stands out in its customer satisfaction record. Those who have had to return items they had bought from Amazon agree that indeed the customer service of the company is commendable. Jeff Bezos, the founder of the company, is among the most passionate people when it comes to the satisfaction of the customer. Bezos’ is known for the use of his infamous "empty chair" in all boardroom meetings. Bezos asks that a chair be left empty as that is the spot for the customer. The use of the empty chair reminds the other panel members that the boss in the company is actually the customer and should be considered whenever developing any policies for the business. It is this culture of being customer minded that makes everyone in the firm be willing to serve the customers with high regard. Other than this, Amazon demands that every manager and other employees learn how to interact with the customer so that the entire firm is as customer-centric as possible. Bezos is quoted saying that every member of staff, including himself, has to be able to work at a call center. To make this possible, the CEO has every employee get in touch with the customers even if it is for a few days only. Amazon knows that understanding how the customers view, use, and talk about the products they sell is significant to a business and thus lets every member of

Case Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case Analysis - Assignment Example With this reason, managers are obligated to manage people efficiently and effectively. The activities of a Human Resource Manager will involve planning, recruiting, choice and training amid other obligations. The jobs must be analyzed, labor requirements planned, employees carefully selected, oriented and trained. Communication and maintaining commitment of employees enhanced. Human capital plays a key role in an organization. It refers to skills, knowledge and ability of the people in an organization. All organizations require a combination of human capital, finances and physical capital. To build the workforce of an organization, staffing is needed. Staffing is a process that integrates acquisition, deploying and retaining a workforce responsible for the success of the organization. It focuses on quantity and quality of human capital for cost control and profit-making. After staffing, retention of qualified workers posses a great challenge. An organization might keep on recruiting and training workers often who quit after a short period without being profitable to the organization. New strategies and tactics are needed to keep employees recruited and trained. Some of the solutions include: †¢ Implement a leaders program, †¢ Train the managers and †¢ Improve employee recognition programs. ... A good working environment may include taking responsibility of offering transport of your employees to and from work place on daily basis. Good public relation relationship between the managers and the first line supervisors builds self-esteem for the employees. The managers need training so that they play their roles effectively in recruitment and retention of workers. This is important because the managers need skills, tools, and knowledge to understand their workmates. After providing a working environment, the employees need to be recognized, rewarded, with a reinforcement of the right behavior. Appreciating employees makes the proud of their work and build the pride of being associated with the organization. Rewards such like bonuses, the best rated employee annually motivates employees and instills discipline at work (Smith 84-88). Sometimes, bonuses may be substituted with a dinner certificate or an expensive ride that an employee won't forget. The employees' children who do well academically may be awarded scholarships. The employees must be engaged through incorporation of their ideas and suggestions. This provides a sense of ownership to the employees. The employees' ideas are exposed to research, providing a healthy climate of innovation for new products. Through suchlike programs, the skills and potential of employees are developed. Annually, a survey is to be conducted through interviews on production, job satisfaction, work programs and ways of improving hiring processes. Turnover of the business and retention of employees also need to be evaluated (Smith 70-73). QUESTION 3: In general, is there additional information you would like to see/ discuss that would improve the quality of your recommendations? YES. Incorporation of Strategic Human Resource

Street Gang Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Street Gang - Research Proposal Example Experts have indicated that gangs have been using a strategy of moving from the larger U.S. cities to more rural and smaller urban areas (Thompkins 59,60). By understanding the motivation that originated the migration to New York City, these smaller communities can find the commonalties and recognize the phenomena in their cities. Laws and policies can be forged that will impede the spread of gang activity into these areas that are currently ill equipped to deal with this issue. The rising numbers of young people who report membership in a gang or who are impacted by the presence of a gang makes this issue both timely and of vital importance. By studying gang activity in the past, it will help to more fully predict their future movements and actions. This paper is not meant to be a history of gang violence or a specific chronology of the events that have impacted the Bloods. It is also not meant to be a platform for the political or social judgment of the gang's activities. It will investigate key events which have resulted in the spread of gang violence The paper will use existing research as well as anecdotal evidence to form its conclusions. Much has been written about the increase of gang violence and various law enforcement agencies, both local and national, have extensive information available.

STRUCTURAL-FUNCTIONAL THEORY CHAPTER 10 Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

STRUCTURAL-FUNCTIONAL THEORY CHAPTER 10 - Article Example Merton studied social phenomena by studying the meanings people attach to their actions, using the methodological approach, structural-functionalism which was in vogue in the 1930s. Merton maintained that structural-functionalism is predicated upon three assumptions. The first assumption is that social systems are self-regulating and tend towards a state of equilibrium. The second assumption is that every social practice contributes to the survival of the social system to which it belongs. The third assumption is that every social practice is indispensible just as the brain and the heart are to human beings. On the converse, Merton made postulation that the degree of integration in a social system is an empirical variable and can vary from institution or society or time to the next. Merton also contended that social practices are not really functional for the entire cultural or social system. Merton also questioned the idea of universal functionalism, as the assumption that every social practice fulfills vital functions in ensuring the survival of a system. Merton also disputed the concept of indispensability, as the concept that every social practice is indispensible because it executes necessary function. To draw the proper functions of an organization, Merton drew the distinction between manifest and latent functions. With the former, he meant to denote objective consequences which contribute to the adaptation of the system recognized by participants in a system. Latent functions in turn means objectives that are neither intended noir recognized correlatively. When discussing the structural causes of bureaucratic dysfunctions, Merton points out that the ideal type of bureaucratic arrangements achieves high extent of efficiency due to application of rules that are predetermined categories of cases that preclude the need to issue certain instructions for a given

Consultancy Projects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Consultancy Projects - Essay Example The inventory now stands at sixty days requirements as against 20 days stock they used to hold a year ago. The disposal of this stock is causing problems. If it is not sold it will have to be thrown away due to its perishable nature. Her suggestion has caused a furor in the company management and at a recent meeting of the Marketing and Operation Council (MOC) of the company everyone seemed to have a different opinion to solve this problem. The outcome however has been in favour of two different views. One opinion is that the company should reduce its price by 45% thereby increasing its sales volume and bring down excess inventory to far lower levels. The inherent disadvantage here is that this will encourage the competition to do the same and the result will remain the same. Unless market share is increased this move is more likely to create chaos. It will also result in loosing customer confidence as the premium status of the product will be lost. The fear is that there will be immigration of customers to other suppliers. It was further pointed out that this loss could be mitigated by selling the excess inventory by calling it a different brand. It was argued by those who advocated this first policy that this would spare the premium brand and would attract new customers looking for low end products. The second suggestion is to offer deep discount to its captive customers only. Neptune has around 300 restaurants who are its regular customers and it is proposed that they be offered up to 45% discount on additional off take. It was argued that this would not be considered as price cutting and would avoid a price war with competition. This would also target a closed market which had the potential to absorb more quantities if the price was right. This would help the restaurants increase their own customer bas by offering different fares and would not hurt the image of Neptune in the market. The

Leadership and Management in Nursing Research Paper

Leadership and Management in Nursing - Research Paper Example No doubt, Nurses in superior clinical practice incorporate education, research, management, leadership, and consultation into their clinical role. They function in uncompetitive relationships with nursing peers, physicians, professionals, and others who influence the health environment. (McLoughlin 1992). If we analyze then we come to know that In this era of high business competitiveness, organizations function in a dynamic and altering environment and as a result, it has to be adaptive to stay ahead of the violent competition. No doubt, healthcare organizations today be familiar with that human resource (HR) is their key asset to ahead an edge over the competition and attaining health organizational success and efficiency. Thus, human resource management (HRM) has now become an up-and-coming field in the business earth and a key element for staying side by side of competition. This research will spotlight on what HRM has to present and how those at the top and HR managers be supposed to work jointly to attain organizational effectiveness. Current HRM leadership and management theory and concepts will also be discussed and interpret into carrying out and from there, its advantages and disadvantages will be highlighted. According to Effective Management of Nurses According to the expert analysis, Advanced Practice Nurses like further primary care providers, have a compulsion to a supporter for abused patients. Specialization of household violence case management holds great possible to address domestic aggression efficiently (Epstein, 1999).  

Overview of Sex Offender Registration - Effective or Not Research Paper

Overview of Sex Offender Registration - Effective or Not - Research Paper Example Police investigation revealed that the convicted person was a sex offender and was a nearby neighbor of Megan (Douglas, Burgess, Burgess & Ressler, 2006). Nevertheless, the parents of Megan had no information about the fact that their neighbor is a sex offender and how dangerous he can be to their family. This heated a great debate and eventually Megan’s law came onto the scene, which required States to put this information of sex offenders available to public so that people can ensure their safety (Tilley, 2009). Despite the fact that these registration polices vary amongst different states, however, the primary goal remains the same, avoidance of sexual violence or crime and prevention of sexual re-offending by these former offenders (Wright, 2009). This paper would try to compare to Sex Offender Registration policies in California and Massachusetts. California had implemented these policies in 1947 and Massachusetts was the last state to implement these policies in the last years of 1990s (Douglas et al., 2006). Moreover, in the light of the policies at these two states, many others elements concerning the effectiveness of this system would also come under discussion. Sex Offender Registration laws require offender to register with the local state authority and supply crucial information like name, address, employment details, and others. In most cases, the offender has to register right after his or her release from the prison or in the initial of days of community supervision (Holmes & Holmes, 2008). Since 1996, most of the states have put this information online for public viewing including California and Massachusetts (Brown, 2005). As mentioned earlier, all the states have laws regarding sex offender registration that vary greatly. Differences start arising from the information required for registration. Both these states ask for name, aliases, photo, fingerprints, description of offences, location of offences,

Leadership and Management in Nursing Research Paper

Leadership and Management in Nursing - Research Paper Example No doubt, Nurses in superior clinical practice incorporate education, research, management, leadership, and consultation into their clinical role. They function in uncompetitive relationships with nursing peers, physicians, professionals, and others who influence the health environment. (McLoughlin 1992). If we analyze then we come to know that In this era of high business competitiveness, organizations function in a dynamic and altering environment and as a result, it has to be adaptive to stay ahead of the violent competition. No doubt, healthcare organizations today be familiar with that human resource (HR) is their key asset to ahead an edge over the competition and attaining health organizational success and efficiency. Thus, human resource management (HRM) has now become an up-and-coming field in the business earth and a key element for staying side by side of competition. This research will spotlight on what HRM has to present and how those at the top and HR managers be supposed to work jointly to attain organizational effectiveness. Current HRM leadership and management theory and concepts will also be discussed and interpret into carrying out and from there, its advantages and disadvantages will be highlighted. According to Effective Management of Nurses According to the expert analysis, Advanced Practice Nurses like further primary care providers, have a compulsion to a supporter for abused patients. Specialization of household violence case management holds great possible to address domestic aggression efficiently (Epstein, 1999).  

Statistics and Stress in Medicos Essay Example for Free

Statistics and Stress in Medicos Essay There is a lot of anxiety among medical practitioners, both senior and junior concerning certain topics like statistics and epidemiology. The anxiety in some situations becomes quite acute causing stress to themselves as well as their students. Good research draws on statistics to prove certain findings and to establish associations. However statistics is definitely not everything in research. Identifying a topic of research, writing up the objectives, planning the right design, coming up with a water tight methodology, estimating an adequate sample; all these are equally important. Even as judging of studies in conferences goes, most experts are carried away by some fancy statistical methods used rather than other criteria. Unfortunately our current medical society is captivated by statistics in a love hate relationship, with a significant overlay of fear of the subject. This fear is being passed on to the new generation. Let us face the facts. Statistics is a subject associated with mathematics. Most degree courses in universities combine statistics with math. Biostatistics is one field where we have borrowed some principles of statistics to assist in our medical research for the common good of the society. Just like there are surgically inclined and non surgical people in our medical fraternity, there are those who are statistically inclined and those who are not. Some of our medical people have taken to statistics well and kudos to them. We depend on them to unravel a few of the mysteries of this predominantly mathematical subject to us; just enough maybe to help us do our research well and come up with scientific inferences. We can continue to draw more and more complicated statistical precepts into our medical field. But at what cost? After a post graduate subject like General Medicine, many doctors feel the need to specialize in a particular sub specialty like nephrology, cardio, gastro etc. In the current age, due to rapid advancements in technology and newer knowledge, there is much to learn in each sub specialty and now we are seeing higher and finer specializations. One would not expect a general medicine specialist to have a nephrologists’ knowledge or diagnostic skills and also an endocrinologist’s knowledge. Similarly after an MD in Community Medicine we cannot expect one to have full knowledge in all the subspecialties for example epidemiology, nutrition, health economics, project evaluation etc. Trying to do that would cause a lot of stress and anxiety. However it is desirable to get a good working knowledge of each. This will also help one to decide what subspecialty they would like to take up in the future. There are user friendly statistical packages; Epi Info, SPSS etc. which can help us analyse our data quickly and efficiently. We do need to know some of the simple applications of these packages as it would make our research work very easy. The techniques are simple but need a practical work shop (hands on) approach. I am sure that we can identify resources within our group to help familiarize ourselves with these valuable skills. In conclusion I would like to say that we should stop being fearful of statistics. If I want to travel to a certain city by train, I need to know certain things like which train to catch and how much it would cost and how to get to the station in time. It would be redundant for me to know how to engineer the train to that city. There is an engine driver for that and he is well trained to do just that. The statisticians in our departments are also there to help us. If they are not good enough, it would be appropriate to help them get the required skills. However it is not fitting for us to give too much importance to one topic like statistics at the cost of other perhaps more important fields. We must also keep in mind the younger members in our field who may needlessly develop a phobia for epidemiology and statistics which will then handicap their future.

The graveyard book

The graveyard book A happy childhood is often described as one characterized by love, family, and a sense of security. Many adults are wont to complain that some disruptive behavior is due to some distant unfortunate event in their childhood which may have affected their coping mechanisms as they matured, a commonplace, yet unpleasant, statement widely accepted by psychiatrists. A certain question now arises in my medically inclined mind: what would psychiatrists predict for the little boy Nobody Owens? Nobody, or Bod, is the main character of Neil Gaimans The Graveyard Book, the strange yet enlightening tale of a boy who was orphaned early in life and was then adopted by a charming couple, Mr. and Mrs. Owens, who turn out to be ghosts. The story is set in the fictional village of Old Town, a sleepy little village with a dreamlike quality about it. Within this quiet stretch of land is a graveyard, now unused and abandoned. It has been turned into a nature reserve and it is in this precise location that Bod finds himself as he escapes the murderer of his family. Raised by the graveyards phantasmal inhabitants and his mysterious guardian Silas, Bod grows up into a curious and pleasant boy. He encounters ghouls, werewolves, and a monstrous slithering creature hiding beneath the hill of the graveyard. He also manages to make friends with a girl, who visits the graveyard from time to time. While he is growing up, he is taught to read, to fade through walls and slip through shadows, and other uncanny abilities. Surprisingly entertaining despite the occasional macabre and hair-raising plights, Edinger (2009) calls Gaimans creation a novel of wonderweaving a tale of unforgettable enchantment. Common themes of familial closeness and zest for life are cleverly incorporated into this masterpiece. The subtleties with which these cherished values are imparted to readers are completely endearing. While I read the book, I was entranced to the point that I could not help but nervously look over my shoulder to see if there was a ghoul-gate opening its jaws to swallow me into the dark city of Ghulheim, leading me to doubt if this truly was a childrens book. Although I generally do not favor the style which Howard (2009) describes as the episodic nature of the book, I found it completely appropriate for this tale. Since it is a childrens book, one would expect a story that can be told in chapters, thus making it easier for parents to read a portion of the story every night before bedtime. Finally, admit ting that the book was influenced by Rudyard Kiplings The Jungle Book by no means diminishes Gaimans skill in delivering this tale. For this reason, he was awarded the Newbery Medal which honors outstanding contribution to American childrens literature. Going back to my original question, I continue to wonder what conclusions psychiatrists would draw up regarding Bod. After all, his family was murdered, he was raised in a graveyard by specters, and he has been in so many frightening situations enough to terrify a full-grown man. Would they say that he would grow up to be a disturbed young man because of his experiences? Or would those same experiences have molded him to become stronger than the rest of us? Personally, I believe the love and warmth with which Bods ghost family accepted him has already made up for the loss of his real one. Whichever the case, I only make this point to show how curious I am about what Bod will ultimately become. As Gaimans daughter Maddy so nonchalantly asked after her father read her the first chapter he wrote, I, too, can only ask, What happens next? One thing is certain though, with Bods enthusiasm to live his life to the fullest, his life outside the safety of the graveyard would be peppered with new adventures and characters as elaborate and lively as those resting in his home. REFERENCES: Anonymous,.(2009,April). Childrens Book Awards 2009. Bulletin of the Center for Childrens Books,62(8),343-345. Retrieved January 24, 2010, from Academic Research Library. (Document ID:1673481801). Edinger,M..(2009,February). Raised by Ghosts. New York Times Book Review,BR.15. Retrieved January 24, 2010, from Academic Research Library. (Document ID:1647333051). Howard,E..(2009,July). Neil Gaiman.The Horn Book Magazine,85(4),351-354. Retrieved January 24, 2010, from Academic Research Library. (Document ID:1786166631). Hunt,J..(2010,January). The Graveyard Book.The Horn Book Magazine,86(1),18. Retrieved January 24, 2010, from Academic Research Library. (Document ID:1936022361).