African Trade Routes

African’s were among the richest of people back in the 1000’s. Effects of trade brought cities to faster than they rise. Great civilizations from Ghana to Zimbabwe both flourished but, had their tragic end. But, it provided them with a lot of things such as gold, salt slaves etc. People introduced camels to the desert in 200 a. d. Merchants primarily used them for trade to the Empires in the middle of the desert. They traded things such as gold, ivory, ostrich feathers, animal hides, and slaves.According to document 5 â€Å"The salt trade made the city prosperous; in Africa, salt ranked with gold and slaves in value. For Merchants to risk camels over hundreds of miles of burning sand, the profits must have been enormous† (22). This means that merchants traveled to cities in the desert to make mounds of cash. This trade route was the â€Å"trans-Saharan trade’ which they used camels to travel across. Because, Of the Saharan trade routes many cities like Gh ana rose and prospered.It also bought new crops from south and Southeast Asia such as, sugarcane, coconuts, bananas, asian rice, and vegetables. Another effect is slavery; they used slaves to break up the salt so it could be traded. Also trading had a major effect on Islam. According to document 8 â€Å" The leaders became integrated into African societies by playing religious,social,and political roles similar to those of traditional priests†(447). This means Muslim leaders kind of move in and just sprinkled their religion around until people caught on.And by learning this new religion it opened doors for even more trading by them eventually learning their language. Ghana soon began to fall, people who were under their control fought for the control of the lucrative trade. Mali was established in 1235 by Sundiata. Male became rich off of the Saharan trade routes. King Moses controlled Gao and Timbuktu his power extended also to the Taghaza salt mines. According to document 9 â€Å" They put their children in chains if they show any backwardness in memorizing it, and they are not set free until they have it by heart†(304).It basically means that the power that they had over other people also were towards their children which shows they had a lot of money. According to document 6 â€Å"The inhabitants are very rich, especially the strangers who have settled in the country; so much so that the current king has given two of the daughters in marriage of two brothers both businessmen, on account of their wealth† (112). This means that he cared so much about their money that he ensured they will never lose it.According to document 1 â€Å"Salt is so common, so easy to obtain and so inexpensive that we have forgotten that from the beginning of civilization until about 100 years ago†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Kurlanksy). It shows you that people that wanted salt had to pay and work endlessly until they finally got what they needed. Now all you have to do is pick it up at a store; no effort is needed. According to document 3 â€Å"Behind the King stood ten pages holding shields and swords decorated with gold. †(45). As you can see there was a surplus of gold so they just dressed in it not all

Constructive style Essay

I was kind of surprised I ranked a medium in the â€Å"constructive style† because, I treat others as equals and I feel that I deal with conflict effectively. I do understand there are areas that I need to work on to become successful in my career. I tend to be more effective and comfortable once I get t know others. I convey my liking for people because I am thoughtful and considerate of others feelings. Being this way, has worked in my favor throughout my career. I know that I also have to work on building strong business relationships in order t have better business connections and better business networking. My regulator style ranked a 97th percentile. I feel that this is totally describing me. Rules are written for a reason and if we have to change the rules for one person than you will have to do it for all. My score for â€Å"passive/defensive styles† which include avoider, insulator, regulator, and accommodator ranked in the high percentile. At first, I was kind of disappointed that I scored high in this style. However, this will put me at a disadvantage as I start pursuing towards the destructive direction since it denies me the opportunity to contribute my own views and gain acceptance. I feel at times I accommodate myself at the approval of others. Like for example, I may act differently around certain people then I would around people I feel comfortable around. I also try to maintain a sense of peace and try to smooth over any differences that the group or peers may have. I can honestly say that I try to stay away from any and every conflict if possible. My score for â€Å"aggressive/defensive style† which includes escalator, dominator, competitor, and perfectionist ranked medium/low. The escalator style I scored in the 97th percentile. I wasn’t surprised at my ranking in this field. Growing up I was spoiled as a child and I always got what I wanted. When conflicts do arise I always get very upset at first and think it’s a personal attack against me. It does have affect on my personal relationship with my boyfriend when we get into arguments. I always try to find a way to turn the argument around to make myself look good but I know this is unfortunately self defeating. I know this is probably my biggest downfall among other but I know I can improve on this in order to become successful. I didn’t score to low in the competitor field. I do see winning as an opportunity for growth and development in the business world. In my eyes, winning shows a since of respect and people will get to like you. I know this isn’t always a good thing because winning isn’t always important you can upset other people if that is your only goal. I believe that my personality is a reflection of how I was raised as a child. My parents took the time to motivate me to be the best and work hard in anything I do. I was raised with respectful values of life. Once I became an adult, those values and skills my parents instilled in me has paid off thru my work skills. Taking this LSI survey has really made me realize things I didn’t even realize before. When you see yourself on paper it puts a different perspective in your eyes. The survey has highlighted my strengths and weaknesses. There were a lot of things that were brought to my attention that I never really thought about. With the help of this survey, it has made me see what I need to work on, build upon, and improve upon. Not only this assignment, but the course itself has motivated me to utilize my traits to develop my relationships, career, professional, and personal lifestyle while continuing to direct myself on the right road to success. References: Folger, J. P. , M. S. Poole, & Randall K. Stutman. Working Through Conflict: Strategies for Relationships, Groups, and Organizations, (6th Edition). Pearson, Allyn and Bacon: 2009. http://www. colorfulleadership. info/papers/conflict. htm http://www. survey-server2. com/lsiconflictuniversity-sso/rpt7. asp

Bay Of Pigs The Failed Invasion Essay

Bay Of Pigs: The Failed Invasion Essay, Research Paper Bay of Pigs: The Failed Invasion The narrative of the failed invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs is one of misdirection, certitude, and deficiency of security. The incrimination for the failure of the operation falls straight in the lap of the Central Intelligence Agency and a immature president along with his advisers. The autumn out from the invasion caused a rise in tenseness between the two great world powers and ironically, 38 old ages after the event, the individual whom the invasion was meant to tumble, Fidel Castro is still in power. To understand the beginnings of the invasion and its branchings for the hereafter, it is first necessary to look at the invasion and its beginnings. The Bay of Pigs invasion of April 1961, started a few yearss before the bombardment of Cuba on April fifteenth by what appeared to be deserting Cuban air force pilots. At 6 a.m. on that Saturday, B-26 bombers bombed three Cuban military bases. The landing fields at Camp Libertad, San Antonio de Los Banos and Antonio Maceo airdrome at Santiago de Cuba were fired upon. Seven people were killed at Libertad and 47 people were killed at other sites on the island. Two of the B-26s left Cuba and flew to Miami, seemingly to desert to the United States. The Cuban Revolutionary Council, the authorities in expatriate, in New York City released a statement stating, ? The bombardments in Cuba were carried out by? Cubans inside Cuba? who were? in contact with? the top bid of the Revolutionary Council. ? The New York Times newsman covering the narrative alluded to something being incorrect with the whole state of affairs. He wondered how the council knew the pilots were coming if the pilots had merely decided to go forth Cuba on Thursday after a suspected treachery by a fellow pilot had precipitated a secret plan to strike. Whatever the instance, the planes came down in Miami subsequently that forenoon. One landed at Key West Naval Air Station at 7:00 a.m. and the other at Miami International Airport at 8:20 a.m. Both planes were severely damaged and their fuel armored combat vehicles were about empty. On the front page of The New York Times the following twenty-four hours, a image of a B-26 was shown along with a image of one of the pilots have oning a baseball chapeau and concealing behind dark dark glassess. His name was withheld. Even at this early phase, a sense of confederacy had begun to unknot the events of that hebdomad. In the early hours of April seventeenth, the assault on the Bay of Pigs began in a cloak and sticker manner. The assault began at 2 a.m. with a squad of? divers? traveling ashore with orders to put up set downing visible radiations. Those visible radiations indicated to the chief assault force the precise location of their aims, every bit good as to unclutter the country of anything that may hinder the chief landing squads when they arrived at 2:30 a.m. At 3:00 ante meridiem, two battalions came ashore at Playa Gir? N and one battalion at Playa Larga beaches. The military personnels at Playa Gir? N had orders to travel west, north-west, up the seashore and meet with the military personnels at Playa Larga in the center of the bay. A little group of work forces were so to be sent North to the town of Jaguey Grande to procure it every bit good. When looking at a modern map of Cuba it is obvious that military personnels would hold jobs in the country that was chosen for them to set down. The country around the Bay of Pigs is a boggy fen land country which would be hard on the military personnels. The Cuban forces were speedy to respond and Castro ordered his T-33 trainer jets, along with two Sea Furies, and two B-26s into the air to halt the invading forces. Off the seashore were the bid and control ship and another vas transporting supplies for the invading forces. The Cuban air force made speedy work of the supply ships, droping the bid vas, Marsopa, and the supply ship, Houston, blaring them to pieces with five-inch projectiles. Lost with the Houston was the 5th battalion every bit good as the supplies for the landing squads and eight other smaller vass. With some of the invading forces? ships destroyed, and no bid and control ship, the logistics of the operation shortly broke down as the other supply ships were kept at bay by Casto? s air force. As with many failed military escapades, one of the jobs with this 1 was with providing the military personnels. In th e air, Castro had easy won high quality over the incursive force. His fast traveling T-33s, although unimpressive by today? s criterions, made short work of the slow traveling B-26s of the occupying force. On Tuesday, two were shot out of the sky and by Wednesday, the encroachers had lost 10 of their 12 aircraft. With air power steadfastly in control of Castro? s forces, the terminal was near for the incursive ground forces. During the seventy-two-hour invasion, the Cubans pounded the occupying force of about 1500 work forces. The encroachers? arms were no lucifer for Castro? s 122mm Howitzers, 22mm cannons, and armored combat vehicle fire. By Wednesday the encroachers were pushed back to their landing zone at Playa Gir? N. Surrounded by Castro? s forces, some surrendered while others fled into the hills. One hundred 14 work forces were killed in the slaughter while 36 died as captives in Cuban cells. Others were to populate out twenty old ages or more in those cells for plotting to tumble the authorities of Castro. The work forces of the occupying force neer had a opportunity for success from about the first yearss in the planning phase of the operation. Operation Pluto, as it came to be known, has its beginnings in the last yearss of the Eisenhower Administration and the cloudy clip period during the passage of power to the freshly elected president, John F. Kennedy. In late 1958, Castro was still contending a guerilla war against the corrupt government of Fulgencio Batista. Before he came to power, there was an incident between his military personnels and some vacationing American military personnels from the nearby American naval base at Guantanamo Bay. During the incident, some US Marines were held confined by Casto? s forces but were subsequently released after a ransom was in secret paid. This episode soured dealingss between Castro and the United States. The head of U.S. Naval Operations, Admiral Burke, suggested sending in the Marines to destruct Castro? s forces, but Secretary of State Foster Dulles disagreed. Originally Castro was non a Communist ; he even had meetings with Vice President Richard Nixon. Fearful of Castro? s revolution, people with money, including physicians, attorneies, and the Mafia, left Cuba for the United States. To forestall the loss of more capital Castro? s solution was to nationalise some of the concerns in Cuba. In the procedure of nationalising some concern? he came into struggle with American involvements. Legitimate U.S. concerns were taken over, and the procedure of socialisation begun with small if any talk of compensation. Following rumours of Cuban engagement in be aftering to occupy Panama, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic, the US Government refused Castro any economic assistance. After being rejected by the Americans, he met with Russia? s foreign curate Anasta Mikoyan to procure a $ 100 million loan from the Soviet Union. It was in this ambiance that American Intelligence and Foreign Relations communities decided that Castro was tilting towards co mmunism and had to be dealt with. In the spring of 1960, President Eisenhower approved a program to direct little groups of trained Americans, Cuban exiles, to work in the resistance as guerillas to subvert Castro. By the autumn, the program was changed to a full invasion with air support by expatriate Cubans in American supplied planes. The original group was to be trained in Panama, but with the growing of the operation and the accelerating gait of events in Cuba, it was decided to travel things to a base in Guatemala. The program was going rushed and this would get down to demo. The adult male in charge of the operation, CIA Deputy Director Bissell said, ? There didn? T seem to be clip to maintain to the original program and have a big group trained by this initial cell of immature Cubans. So the larger group was formed and established at La Finca, in Guatemala, and at that place the preparation was conducted wholly by Americans. ? By now it was autumn and President John F. Kennedy had replaced President Eisenhower. President Kennedy could hold stopped the invasion if he wanted to, but he likely did non make so for several grounds. First, he had campaigned for some signifier of action against Cuba and it was besides the tallness of the cold war. To endorse out now would intend holding groups of Cuban expatriates going around the Earth claiming the Americans had backed down on the Cuban issue. In competition with the Soviet Union, endorsing out would do the Americans appear as chickens on the international scene. On the domestic place forepart, the new president would be seen as endorsing off from one of his run promises. The failure at the CIA led to Kennedy doing hapless determinations, impacting future dealingss with Cuba and the Soviet Union. Three grounds caused failure at the CIA central office. First, the incorrect people were managing the operation ; secondly, the bureau in charge of the operation was besides the one supplying all the intelligence for the operation ; and thirdly, the operation had security jobs. In charge of the operation was the Director of Central Intelligence, Allan Dulles and chief duty for the operation was left to one of his deputies, Richard Bissell. In an intelligence community geared chiefly for European operations against the USSR, both work forces lacked experience in Latin American personal businesss. Those in charge of Operation Pluto based this new operation on the success of the Guatemalan escapade, but the state of affairs in Cuba was much different than that in Guatemala. In Guatemala, the state of affairs was still helter-skelter and John Arbenz neer had the same control over the state like Castro had on Cuba. The CIA had the United States Ambassador, John Puerifoy, working on the interior of Guatemala organizing the attempt. In Cuba, they had none of this while the Soviet block was providing Castro. Furthermore, after the overthrow of the authorities in Guatemala, Castro was cognizant that this may go on to him every bit good and likely had his guard up waiting for anything that my indicate an invasion was at hand. The 2nd job was the nature of the bureaucratism itself. The CIA was a new child on the block, and experiencing it had to turn out itself, saw its chance in Cuba. Obsessed with secretiveness, it kept the figure of people involved to a lower limit. The intelligence wing of CIA was kept out of it, although their Board of National Estimates could hold provided information on the state of affairs in Cuba and the opportunities for an rebellion against Castro one time the invasion started. Besides kept out of the cringle were the State Department and the Joint Chiefs of Staff who could hold provided aid on the military side of the escapade. In the terminal, the CIA kept all the information for itself and passed on to the president O nly what it thought he should see. Lucien S. Vandenbroucke, in Political Science Quarterly of 1984, based his analysis of the Bay of Pigs failure on organisational behaviour theory. He says, ? The CIA supplied President Kennedy and his advisors with chosen studies on the undependability of Castro? s forces and the extent of Cuban dissent. ? Of the CIA? s behaviour he concludes, ? By fall backing to the typical organisation scheme of specifying the options and supplying the information required to measure them, the CIA therefore structured the job in a manner that maximized the likeliness the president would take the bureau? s preferred option. ? The CIA made certain the deck was stacked in their favour when the clip came to make up ones mind whether a undertaking they sponsored was sound or non. President Kennedy? s Secretary of State at the clip was Dean Rusk. In his autobiography he stated, ? The CIA told us all kinds of things about the state of affairs in Cuba and what would go on one time the brigade got ashore. President Kennedy received information that merely was non right. For illustration, he was told the elements of the Cuban armed forces would desert and fall in the brigade. Besides there would be popular rebellions throughout Cuba when the brigade hit the beach, and if the expatriate force got into problem, its members would merely run into the countryside and go guerillas, merely as Castro had done. ? As for senior White House Plutos, most of them disagreed with the program every bit good, but Rusk said, ? Kennedy went with what the CIA had to say. ? As for himself, he said, ? He did non function President Kennedy really good, ? and he should hold voiced his resistance louder. He concluded, ? I should hold made my resistance clear in the meetings themselves bec ause he ( Kennedy ) was under force per unit area from those who wanted to proceed. ? When the president was faced with colored information from quiet advisers and the CIA, there was no inquiry why the president decided to travel in front with the operation. For an organisation that deals with security issues, the CIA? s deficiency of security in the Bay of Pigs operation is dry. Security began to interrupt down before the invasion when The New York Times reporter Tad Szulc? . . . learned of Operation Pluto from Cuban friends. . . ? earlier that twelvemonth while in Costa Rica covering an Organization of American States meeting. Another dislocation in security was at the preparation base in Florida. Local occupants near Homestead Air Force Base had seen Cubans boring and heard their speaker units at a farm. As a gag, some bangers were thrown into the compound. The resulting incident saw the Cubans firing their guns and the federal governments holding to convert the local governments non to press charges. Operation Pluto was get downing to be blown broad unfastened, the advantage of surprise was lost even this early in the game. After the initial bombardment foray of April fifteenth, and the landing of the B-26s in Florida, images of the planes were taken and published in newspapers. In the exposure of one of the planes, the olfactory organ of it is opaque whereas the theoretical account of the B-26 the Cubans truly used had a Plexiglas olfactory organ. The CIA had taken the planes to mask the B-26 with? FAR? markers ( Cuban Air Force ) . The bureau overlooked a important item that was spotted instantly by professional perceivers. Castro? s people merely had to read the newspapers to larn something was traveling to go on. The planes that bombed them were non their ain but American. In The New York Times on the twenty-first of April, stories about the beginnings of the operation in the Eisenhower disposal appeared with headlines, ? CIA Had a Role in Exiles? Plan s, ? uncovering the CIA? s engagement. By the twenty-second, the narrative is broad unfastened with headlines in The New York Times saying, ? CIA is accused by Bitter Rebels? and on the 2nd page of that twenty-four hours? s issue is a full article on the inside informations of the operation from its beginnings. The decision one can pull from the articles in The New York Times is, if newsmans knew the whole narrative by the twenty-second, it can be expected that Castro? s intelligence service along with the Soviet Union knew about the planned invasion every bit good. Tad Szulc? s study in the April 22nd edition of The New York Times says it all, . . . ? As has been an unfastened secret in Florida and Central America for months, the CIA planned, coordinated and directed the operations that ended in licking on a beachhead in southern Cuba Wednesday. ? It is clear now ; portion of the failure of the operation was caused by a deficiency of security and attending to detail on the portion of the Central Intelligence Agency, and misinformation given to the president. On the international scene, the Bay of Pigs invasion lead straight to increased tensenesss between the United States and the Soviet Union. During the invasion, messages were exchanged between Kennedy and Khrushchev sing the events in C uba. Khrushchev accused the Americans of being involved in the invasion. Stating in one of his messages, ? That a alleged? little war? can bring forth a concatenation reaction in all parts of the universe. We shall render the Cuban people and their Government all necessary aid in crushing back the armed onslaught on Cuba. ? Kennedy replied, giving American positions on democracy and the containment of communism. He besides warned against Soviet engagement in Cuba, stating to Khrushchev, ? In the event of any military intercession by outside force we will instantly honour our duties under the inter-American system to protect this hemisphere against external aggression. ? However, this crisis passed, but it set the phase for the following major crisis over Soviet atomic missiles in Cuba and likely led to the Soviets increasing their military support for Castro. In the disposal itself, the Bay of Pigs crisis led to a few alterations. First, person had to take the incrimination for the matter and, as Director of Central Intelligence, Allen Dulles was forced to vacate and left CIA in November of 1961. Internally, the CIA was neer the same, and although it continued with covert operations against Castro, it was on a much-reduced graduated table. Harmonizing to a study of the Select Senate Committee on Intelligence, ? Future operations were to nurture a spirit of opposition and alienation which could take to important desertions and other byproducts of unrest. ? The CIA besides now came under the supervising of the president? s brother Bobby, the Attorney General. Harmonizing to Lucien S. Vandenbroucke, the result of the Bay of Pigs failure besides made th e White House suspicious of an operation that everyone agreed to, made them less loath to oppugn the experts, and made them play? annoy? s advocators? when oppugning them. In the terminal, the lessons learned from the Bay of Pigs failure may hold contributed to the successful handling of the Cuban missile crisis that followed. The long-run branchings of the Bay of Pigs invasion are a small harder to measure. The ultimate indicant of the invasion failure is that 38 old ages subsequently Castro is still in power. This non merely indicates the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion, but American policy towards Cuba in general. The American policy instead than sabotaging Castro? s support, has likely contributed to it. As with many wars, even a cold one, the leader is able to beat up his people around him against an attacker. No longer having aid from the Soviet Union, things were get downing to alter. He has opened the Cuban economic system for some investing, chiefly in telecommunication s, oil geographic expedition, and joint ventures. In an effort to remain in power, he is seeking to accommodate his state to the new world of the universe. Rather than stamp downing the educated elite, he is giving them a topographic point in steering Cuba. The inquiry is, will they finally want more power and a right to command Cuba? s destiny without Castro? s counsel and support? If the prostration of past governments is any indicant, they will finally desire more power. When Castro came to power in 1959, his major American oppositions, as with Guatemala, were the concern involvements who were losing out as a consequence of his constabularies. The major force per unit area for the Americans to make something came, non merely from the Cuban expatriates in Florida, but from those concerns. Today, the tabular arraies are turned and concerns are losing out because of the American trade stoppage against Cuba. It is estimated that if the trade stoppage were lifted, $ 1 billion of concern would be generated for US companies the first twelvemonth. As of now, 100 houses have talked to Cuba about making concern at that place after the trade stoppage is lifted. Will American policy alteration toward Cuba because of force per unit area from concern involvements and turning jobs with refugees from Cuba? Given the grounds why the United States got involved in Latin American political relations in the first topographic point, it is really likely their place will al ter if they can happen a face salvaging manner to make so. American policy at this clip though is still stuck in the cold war. The president of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Jesse Helms said, ? Whether Castro leaves Cuba in a perpendicular or horizontal place is up to him and the Cuban people. But he must and will go forth Cuba. ? Misinformation and misdirection caused the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion. The effects were the? egg in the face? for the Americans and an addition in tenseness between the world powers at the tallness of the cold war. We will merely hold to wait and see if the Americans have truly learned their lesson and will non lose another chance to put things right in Cuba. ? This image was taken of President Kennedy walking with three Cuban Exiles in 1961. Fedarko, Kevin. ? Bereft of Patrons: Desperate to Rescue his Economy, Fidel Turns to an Unusual Solution: Capitalism. ? Time Magazine, hebdomad of February 20th, 1995. Internet, hypertext transfer protocol: //www.timeinc.com, 1995. Meyer, Karl E. and Szulc, Tad. The Cuban Invasion: The Chronicle of a Disaster. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, Publishers, 1962 and 1968. Mosley, Leonard. Dulles: A Biography of Eleanor, Allen, and John Foster Dulles and their Family Network. New York: The Dail Press/James Wade, 1978. Prados, John. Presidents? Secret Wars: CIA and Pentagon Covert Operations Since World War II. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc. , 1986. Ranelagh, John. CIA: A History. London: BBC Books, 1992. Rositzke, Harry, Ph.d. The CIA? s Secret Operationss: Espionage, Counterespionage, and Covert Action. New York: Reader? s Digest Press, 1977. Rusk, Dean and Richard. As I Saw It. New York and London: W.W. Norton and Company, 1990. The New York Times. 16 April to 22 April, 1961. New York: The New York Times, 1961. Vandenbroucke, Lucien S. ? Anatomy of a Failure: The Decision to Land at the Bay of Pigs. ? Political Science Quarterly, Volume 99, Number 3, Fall 1984.

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Search warrents - Research Paper Example However, the warrant need not specify the manner in which the search shall be conducted. The law indicates vital processes and investigation methods which the officer must have at the back of his or her mind if a successful criminal investigation is needed. The officer must obtain clear definitional issues along with the identification and evaluation of the types and sources of information required in criminal investigations (Rotenberg, 2002). The criminal justice processes in the real sense do vary from state to state. However, the general rules and procedures for criminal justice develop in the following stages: Investigation: A person, for instance, who has seen contraband products ferried across the borders and kept in a specific building, may call law enforcement officers in order to report the crime. An investigation shall therefore be launched based on the witness’s complaint. Search warrant: If the investigating officers believe that there is evidence based on the witn ess’s claim, they may try to obtain a search warrant from the court allowing them to search the premises. The presiding judge shall review the information submitted by the police officer in the affidavit whether there is probable cause to support it (Rotenberg, 2002). ... If an officer has a probable cause to believe that the person in question has committed a crime, even if the crime was not committed in his or her presence, the officer may arrest the suspect. Indictment: Officers may decide to file criminal charges either before or immediately after arresting the suspect. In most cases, the criminal justice process will start by filling a complaint or information, and then followed by a rand jury proceedings resulting in an indictment or a preliminary hearing (Rotenberg, 2002). Arraignment: This is usually the presentation of the charges in an open court. This proceeding may be called preliminary hearing but depending on the state in question. During this time, the charges are read to the accused person by the judge and asked either to plead guilty or not guilty. Mostly, the accused lawyer may be present, or the lawyer appointed by the court to represent the defendant. The accused person often is asked to present a security called bail. Bail is put forth just to ensure that the accused person shows up for further criminal proceedings, which might include trial and sentence (Pitowsky, 2002). Mostly the bail is in the monetary nature, and can either be paid in cash, in the form of bail bond or as a pledge of property if at all the court allows this form of security. Requirement of a search warrant in United Kingdoms and USA Requirements of search warrant normally differ depending on the state. Take United Kingdom for example, search warrants are issued by the local magistrate and requires a constable to provide an evidence to support the warrant application. In many cases where the police officer has already held an accused in custody, searches of the premises can be made without warrant

Fire Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Fire Report - Essay Example Now fires in Tall buildings have become a prominent possible reason for collateral damage of both life and finances. These structures pose an equal threat to the neighboring structures as well. The only reason that designer didn’t previously considered it as a potential threat was that occurrence of these events are very less. But detailed studies after the WTC event have shown immense levels of flaws in the fire protection systems of tall buildings. The recent examples of fires resulting into complete collapse are the WTC 1, 2 and 7. Then the complete collapse of Apartment Block in St. Petersburg, Russia in June 3.2002, then Jackson Street apartments in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in Feb 8,2002. A list of collapses has been provided in the Appendix 2 of all the collapse that was seen in the past. The concept of fire proof construction is that the despite the complete burnout of the structure, the structure must not collapse at any cost. For this there are two steps that are tak en by the standards and other implementation bodies. Firstly the building should be resistant to fire for a certain level which about 3 hrs, this is done to safeguard from the collapse of structure and secondly an effective fire protection system should be in place, which is present for the purpose of detection, fire fighting and for effective evacuation of inhabitants. At present the only International Building Code IBC 2006 solely has prescriptive fire resistance construction regulations and bounds the designer to follow it for protection of structure against fire. IBC is also supported by National Fire Protection Association and other similar organization, which I have discussed in detail in later sections. The Approach of this report would be very similar to the process involved in designing a fire resistant Tall building with effective fire protection system. Characteristic of Tall Buildings As we are well aware of the processes through which the fire protection facility is bro ught into commission, where the first phase is the analysis and requirement determination of the fire protection, then the second is the design of these required systems, the third is the construction and finally the maintenance and operations of these systems. Before the commencement of the design phase of a fire protection system the first and foremost step is to evaluate and analyze the building features and when does it become of detrimental to design a prefect system. What are the different category of buildings and the types of construction. The first and basic categorization is on the basis of number of stories, under which the building which has more than 7 stories is declared as tall building. Then these tall building or high rise building are subdivided into four property classes, where first is Apartment Buildings, second being Hotels, Hospitals and other facilities that care for the sick and Office Buildings being the third and fourth type. On the other hand the discrimi nation is made on the basis of construction material. According to National Fire Protection Association, (NFPA 220, 2006) there are two basic types of construction: it either burns (combustible) or it does not (noncombustible). These types of construction can be further broken down into five categories. Type I is fire-resistive construction which majorly consists of materials such as

Do you agree that fat is a feminist issue why or why not Essay

Do you agree that fat is a feminist issue why or why not - Essay Example Women indulge in food so that they can be taken more serious in their areas of work, especially by their male colleagues. Losing weight leads to them being overlooked by their male counterparts. Other women have different reasons for being fat. While some opt to grow fat to avoid competition from other women, others do go this direction to de-sexualize themselves, yet others do it because of their mothers’ crazy relationship with food. Women who are fat usually think they are in desperate need of weight loss, yet subconsciously they hold on to the desire to stay fat. They seem to enjoy the advantages that come with being fat. They keep overlooking the very activities that lead them to being fat such as compulsive eating. Orbach shares her experience with trying to lose weight as she opens a window into her life with obesity. Although she had suffered dieting, bingeing and selfhatred for ten years, she got renewed within six months after enrolling for a course on compulsive eating (Wilson par. 5). Women do crazy things in the name of growing thin; some vomit food until it even comes out of the nostrils, some do laxatives, others exercise twice a day for two and a half hour sessions per session, while others try diets such as atkins diet, cabbage soup, south beach and the zone and the long list of despair and self hatred continues. Women count calories, measure grams offat, drink very bitter tasting juices for weeks just to look good on the beach. After doing all this, they realize they feel a lot happier being size 16 than trying to be size 8 (Gordon par. 4). Throughout a lot of exaggeration can be see, images have become sexier in an unattainable manner. These are just the consequences of a social system in which those who wield power take advantage both at home and at the workplace. Some, like Duchess Windsor, believe that a woman cannot be too thin, a sentiment echoed by all fashion and beauty magazines, every television commercial, weight loss

Nativist Theories Of Language Development Essay

Nativist Theories Of Language Development - Essay Example It also earnings that we require to deem very cautiously how we engross boys in behavior deliberate to endorse untimely language and literacy. What are the foremost theories that pressure the way practitioners in early childhood edification and care settings consider about language development Chomsky: Language Acquisition Device Although other theories were planned earlier, it may be best to instigate with Chomsky's theory that humans are intuitive with a particular organic intellect mechanism, called a Language Acquisition Device (LAD). This theory supposes that the aptitude to learn language is inborn, that nature is more vital than cultivate and that experience using language is only necessary in order to stimulate the LAD. Chomsky's environment is in linguistics, and psycholinguists prolong to donate greatly to our accepting of languages and how children attain them. His theory is described as Nativist. The foremost giving of his vocation has been to explain that children's language development is greatly further multipart than the Behaviourists ('Show the way', Nursery World, 18 March 2004), who whispered that children study language merely by being content for imitating (Lock, A., 2001). One trouble with Chomsky's theory is that it does not take enough account of the manipulate that deliberation (cognition) and language have on every other's growth (Macmurray, J. 2004). Piaget: cognitive constructivism Piaget's central curiosity was children's cognitive development ('Building up', Nursery World, 20 May 2004). However, he theorised that language was plainly one of children's habits of instead of their memorable worlds, an indication of attention, and that language did not donate to the... Although other theories were planned earlier, it may be best to instigate with Chomsky's theory that humans are intuitive with a particular organic intellect mechanism, called a Language Acquisition Device (LAD). This theory supposes that the aptitude to learn language is inborn, that nature is more vital than cultivate and that experience using language is only necessary in order to stimulate the LAD. Chomsky's environment is in linguistics, and psycholinguists prolong to donate greatly to our accepting of languages and how children attain them. His theory is described as Nativist. The foremost giving of his vocation has been to explain that children's language development is greatly further multipart than the Behaviourists ('Show the way', Nursery World, 18 March 2004), who whispered that children study language merely by being content for imitating (Lock, A., 2001).One trouble with Chomsky's theory is that it does not take enough account of the manipulate that deliberation (cognit ion) and language have on every other's growth (Macmurray, J. 2004).Piaget's central curiosity was children's cognitive development. However, he theorised that language was plainly one of children's habits of instead of their memorable worlds, an indication of attention, and that language did not donate to the growth of opinion. Cognitive maturity, he argued, preceded that of language.Unlike Chomsky and Piaget, Vygotsky's central concern was the relationship amid the increase of reflection and that of language.

Who Wins and Who loses From Public Debt Research Paper

Who Wins and Who loses From Public Debt - Research Paper Example e of the case of United States where public debt amounted to $15.5 trillion much of which has been used to â€Å"finance wars and wasteful conspicuous consumption† (Al-Jazeera, 2011). The stimulus package of President Obama which was meant to pump prime the US economy, which in principle been good, did not worked and only contributed further to the US mounting debt. As a result, Standard and Poor downgraded the credit rating of the United States from AAA credit rating, to AA+ (Bloomberg, 2011). This manifested U.S. government’s inability to cut spending and put its fiscal management in order. In addition, the intramurals of US government officials on how to deal with its public debt also contributed to the downgrading of its credit rating. In this regard, it is the general American public who lost as a result of its public debt which was shabbily managed by its politicians. The amount of debt that the US economy incurred is staggering. In 2012, it is expected to reached $12.7 trillion (usgovernmentspending.com, 2012) without any end in sight. Ideally, the growth or surplus of an economy should exceed the amount of interest of the public debt for the given economy to repay its debt. US is already way passed this point â€Å"where it could service its debt without going deeper into debt, let alone repay it† (Al Jazeera, 2011). According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), spending in 2001 to 2009 increased by 6.5 percent of GDP while revenue decreased by 4.7 percent of GDP resulting in a substantial deficit that has to be filled with further spending through debt that resulting to the current astronomical deb. In 2011, GDP was expected to rise by $100 billion with a revenue of $2.16 trillion but spending amounted to $3.45 trillion that resulted to $1.5 trillion that is again to be borrowed compounding the insurmountable debt that the US alre ady have Given the rate of spending compared to realized revenue, it is very clear that the general public

Peace and Free

Peace and Freedom throughout a Nation Essay Throughout the course of John F. Kennedy’s inaugural speech, he uses several persuasive appeals such as the idea of peace and freedom to inspire and gain the trust of his Nation.   In the beginning of Kennedy’s speech, he mentions that America will â€Å"pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend [and] oppose any foe† (par 4) for the preservation of liberty. This is an example of parallelism clauses that make clear of Kennedy’s intent to do anything it takes for the survival and liberty. Kennedy states that both sides of a conflict should join in creating â€Å"a new world of law, where the strong are just and the weak are secure and the peace preserved† (par 19). Kennedy’s use of parallelism helps keep the people’s attention to help illustrate his key points of his speech. He later describes the â€Å"power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life,† (par 2) that uses that power to free the peoples of the world. Meaning we have the power to destroy ourselves but it should only be used to better our nation, and create a balance of peace and freedom in the world. During this time the United States was in the beginning of the Cold War and he knew that focuses had to be on containing Communism in order to assure the American people that they were safe. Kennedy constantly reminds the American people that they are a united and strong country that can make it through anything. Kennedy begins four paragraphs in a row with the same words, â€Å"To those,† (par7-8) to illustrate that he is willing to work things out with the countries America is having problems with. His use of repetition helps him remind his country that they can make it through anything in a persuasive way. He also mentions that America can solve problems with their enemies during diplomacy several times. Kennedy amplifies his desire for peace and unity when he repeats, â€Å"Let both sides† (par 14-18) he utilizes alliteration to explain his want for unity instead of division. It is brought to our attention that â€Å"if a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few that are rich (par 8). In order to sustain peace and freedom throughout the nation these things like this need to be recognized. Kennedy creates a common enemy to unite the people’s pride. While discussing newly freed countries he uses a metaphor, saying, â€Å"remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by ridding the back of the tiger ended up inside† (par 7). Also when he says, â€Å"the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans† (par 3) he is using a metaphor showing that America intends to control themselves and let no one else rule them. So our Nation â€Å"should only glow from that fire [that] can truly light the world† (par 12) meaning if everyone does something to benefit the country we will succeed and live and peace. John F. Kennedy did an outstanding job with gaining the trust of his Nation during his 1961 inaugural address. The people were able to feel safe and protected with Kennedy becoming president. The fear of being taken over by a Communist nation lessened, and peace and freedom was sure to come.

Remarkable man Essay Example for Free

Remarkable man Essay In Oliver Stone’s 1987 film Wall Street, the protagonist, Bud Fox is faced with a series of ethical challenges. His actions in the beginning of the film would have pleased Nicolo Machiavelli, however, Fox’s decisions at the film’s end would have greatly disappointed the Italian. On the other hand, Fox’s first actions would have disappointed Henry David Thoreau, however, Fox’s decisions at the end of the film would be more to Thoreau’s liking. At the start of the film, Fox works as a stock broker, trying to compete for big men’s money. As long as he behaves ethically, the big fish won’t give him a chance. Fox’s first ethical decision, then, is whether it is worse to follow the law and remain poor, or to break the law, to make money that will help him and his family. Fox’s decision to break the law and provide big-time capitalist Gordon Gekko with insider information would have been applauded by Machiavelli, who, in The Prince declared the following: It is necessary for a prince wishing to hold his own to know how to do wrong, and to make use of it or not according to necessity. (Machiavelli 62) The decision is even more complicated, because the insider information Fox has to trade is about his father’s own company. If Gekko buys stock in the company, it will help prop the company up, however, Fox’s father would never approve of such an unethical deal. But If Gekko buys company stock, he is likely to do well. He and Fox will make a great deal of money, and Fox’s status will go up accordingly. This is justification enough for Machiavelli, who states that the most important thing a prince can do is get himself the reputation of being â€Å"a great and remarkable man. † (Machiavelli 86) Gekko does, indeed profit from Fox’s information. Fox’s wealth and reputation skyrocket. Fox is even able to date the interior designer he is interested in. All is well, until Fox is presented with another question of ethics. Gekkko begins making changes to his father’s company that the company does not appreciate. Fox must decide whether he ought to go along with Gekko’s plan and backstab his father, or to support his father and lose the perks of his relationship with Gekko. If he works against Gekko, he will lose his sources of income. He will also lose his girlfriend, who is a former girlfriend of Gekko and has had her career fostered by the tycoon. He will also lose the contacts he has made through Gekko. If Fox does go along with Gekko, he will probably continue to live richly. He will enjoy the company of his girlfriend. On the other hand, he will let his own father be ruined. He will destroy his father’s company and he will let down his family. He will be compelled to continuously break the law and he will risk prosecution with every step. Henry David Thoreau would object to this decision, because it would mean treating other men unjustly. Machiavelli, on the other hand, would heartily approve of Fox’s decision to break his father’s company. Indeed, Machiavelli praises the notion of destroying one’s enemies in order to secure one’s position (Machiavelli). Fox’s father has a heart attack, and this seems to turn Fox around. Instead of allowing his father’s company to be ruined, he works with one of Gekko’s competitors to drive the stock down until Gekko sells. The competitor agrees not to sell off parts of the company, and so rescues Fox’s father and his counterparts from ruin. The move also allows Fox to break free of Gekko’s grip. Yet, it involves more insider trading and law-breaking. This, Thoreau would have praised. Indeed, in his Civil Disobedience, Thoreau speaks against following unjust laws and recommends that laws that further injustice be â€Å"transgressed. † (Thoreau 12) Thoreau, then, would happily have broken the law to bring justice to Gekko. While Fox could sit by and hope that someone else could make things right, Thoreau urges men not to sit idly by. At the film wraps up, Fox rescues his father’s company from ruin, but he lands himself in jail for insider trading. This is a move that would have shamed Machiavelli. For the Italian, a prince showing weakness is a very bad thing. Machiavelli does not believe in sacrificing oneself for others. While Fox’s move to save his father’s company seems virtuous, Machiavelli warns that things that seem like virtue are often ruin him (Machiavelli). This is certainly the case with Fox’s decision. Yet Thoreau would likely have done the exact same thing. Indeed, Thoreau went to prison, rather than paying taxes which he felt he ought not pay (Thoreau). Fox’s move, then, although it put him behind bars for a time, is exactly the kind of action Thoreau would applaud. Although I would hope that I would not make Fox’s original decision to get ahead by breaking the law, I might, having already broken the law, use law-breaking to bring justice to a man like Gekko. Though, following the law does seem like a safer course of action. Works Cited Machiavelli, Nicolo. The Prince. Hazelton: Penn State University, 2001. Thoreau, Henry D. On the Duty of Civil Disobedience. Hazelton: Penn State University, 1998.

Human Resources Management in Marks and Spencer | Research

Human Resources Management in Marks and Spencer | Research Background Marks Spencer is one of the leading retailers of the UK. About 21 million people visit their stores every week. They operate around 895 stores around the globe. 600 of these stores are in UK while 295 of these stores are operated in countries outside UK. The first Marks Spencer store was opened in the year 1894 at 21 Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester. The company was formed by a partnership between Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer. Marks were a Litvak Jew from Poland and Spencer was a cashier from Yorkshire. Marks Spencer is the largest clothing retailer in United Kingdom. It is also an upmarket food retailer. It is the 43rd largest retailer in the world. Now Marks Spencer has diversified into homewares, furniture and technology. In the year 1998, Marks Spencer posted a pre-tax profit of GBP 1 billion. This was the first time that a British retailer was able to do so. Marks Spencer is listed on the London Stock exchange. Since the beginning of the 21st century, Marks Spencer has managed to have a turnaround. It posted substantial profits over the last five years. In the year 2008 the Time magazine ranked Marks Spencer as seventeenth in the list of top 100 graduate employers. Marks Spencer believes in the philosophy that the customer is always and completely right. Most stores of Marks Spencer also feature some sort of hospitality offering like M S cafà © and Espresso bars. Post the economic crisis, Marks Spencer has renewed its focus on cutting costs and improving efficiency. The company closed down many of its unprofitable stores , like the ones at Ripon and Balham, in early 2009 as part of cost-cutting measures. The human resources management plays a great role in achieving such cost efficiencies. After the financial crisis, the consumers in many developed markets of Marks Spencer have become prudent. Savings have increased and the extravagant, reckless consumption seems to be a thing of the past. In such a scenario, retailers aim at capturing a greater share of the customers consumption. The United Kingdom, which is the domestic and the most important market of Marks Spencer, was severely hit by the economic recession. The U.K. economy has still not come out of the throes of recession. The dissertation will look into the effectiveness of human resources management in Marks Spencer. How has the human resources management at Marks Spencer helped in the achievement of the objectives of the organization? How has human resources management contributed to the creation of value for the stakeholders of the organization? Has the human resources management at Marks Spencer achieved the objectives of the human resources function? Does the human resources management at Marks Spencer follow a strategic approach to human resources management? This dissertation will explore in depth the role of human resources management in Marks Spencer. In the intensely competitive and dynamic retail industry the importance of employees as human resources is increased significantly. The employees act as the interface of the company with the customers. If they fail to satisfy the customers then the organization will fail to exploit the lifetime value of the customers. The human resources management strategy at an organization like Marks Spencer is an interesting subject for academic research. This topic is very important from an empirical point of view. The human resources management function in organizations is changing. From a transactional function it is evolving into a strategic one. My personal reason for choosing this topic was that I wanted to understand the role that human resources management plays in a retail organization. The human resources management of such an organization will be effective only if it is able to achieve its objectives. The main objective of this research will be to determine the degree of effectiveness of the human resources management at Marks Spencer. The research will achieve this objective by investigating into the following questions: Q1) To what extent has the human resources management at Marks Spencer helped in enabling the company to perform well on all the parameters of its balanced scorecard? Q2) Does the human resources management at Marks Spencer strategic in its approach? Q3) Has Marks Spencer succeeded in transforming its human resources management into a source of competitive advantage? Q4) What are the strategies that the organization predominantly uses in its human resources management? Q5) How effective has been the human resources management at Marks Spencer in creating value for all the stakeholders of the organization? Through the above questions the dissertation will strive for achieving the objectives of the research. The human resources management at Marks Spencer will be deemed to be effective if it makes a significant positive contribution to the achievement of the objectives of the organization. This can only be done if the human resources management is able to contribute to stakeholder value creation process of Marks Spencer. The main stakeholders of Marks Spencer are: customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers, community and the state. Human resources management in the retail industry can become a source of much needed competitive advantage. The human resources management strategies also need to be tailored according to the marketing strategy of the organization. The choice of the human resources strategy is also influenced by the choice of the competitive strategy. Employees are the most important link in the chain of implementation of the competitive strategy of the organization. The human resources and the human resources management are therefore in every aspect of the organizational performance. Literature Review Human Resources Management is the management of the human resources of the organization. The earlier avatar of human resources management was personnel management. But the nomenclature was changed to human resources management when it was realized that the employees are one of the most important resources of any organization. Another definition of human resources management defines it as a set of processes that employ people, develop their capacities and manages them so that they are able to fulfill the requirements of the job and the organization. There is a link between human resources management and the organizational performance. This gives a strategic twist to the role that human resources management plays in organizations. It is not limited to transactional role. The objective of any transactional function is to be as efficient as possible i.e. they aim for lowest costs. On the other hand a strategic function also aims to be effective. Effectiveness means doing the right things. An effective human resources management is one that is able to contribute positively to the organizational performance. An effective human resources management influences the performance of the organization on all the parameters of its balanced scorecard [Becker, B. and Gerhart, B. (1996)]. The strategic human resources management plays an important role in boosting the productivity of the employees. This enhanced productivity of employees is translated into enhanced organizational productivity which results in greater shareholder wealth and more stakeholder value (Paauwe, 2009). Pfeffer (1994) says that there are seven best practices for achieving competitive advantage through people and building profits by putting people first. According to Pfeffer these seven practices are: Providing employee security. Selective Hiring. Training. Sharing of information. Self-managed teams. High pay based on the organizational performance. Reduction of status differentials. If the human resources management of the organization follows the above seven best practices, it will become a source of competitive advantage for the organization [ Pfeffer, 1994]. Pfeffer approach is the best practice approach to strategic management. Organizational performance will be improved if there is a close vertical fit between the human resources management practices and the strategy of the company. This is the best fit approach to human resources management. The lifecycle approaches to human resources management propound that HR practices, policies and processes can be mapped onto the stage of an organizations development or lifecycle (Kochan Barocci, 1985). Different human resources management strategies suit different stages of the organizational lifecycle. A growing organization needs a different human resources strategy from an organization that has matured (Storey, 2007). Different competitive strategies also require different human resources strategy. There should be a best fit between the competitive strategy and human resources strategy of the organization (Paauwe, 2009). The configurational theory argues for an approach that involves a close examination of the organizations strategy so as to determine the appropriate human resources strategy for the organization. (Delery Doty, 1996) The human resources strategy is drawn from the strategy of the organization. This forms the crux of strategic human resources management. The Resource Based View (RBV) considers human resources as the internal resources of the organization. The human resources can be used to create a sustainable competitive advantage for the organization that is difficult to imitate by the competitors. The human resources management plays the pivotal role in the management of the human resources of the organization. The objective of human resources management in every organization is to attract and retain the best employees so that the organization can be effective in achieving its objectives. Dave Ulrich (1996) defines human resources management in terms of its four dimensions. The four dimensions of human resources management, according to Ulrich are: change management, employee champion, administration and strategic business partner. It is in the role of strategic business partner that human resources makes the greatest contribution to the organizational effectiveness. The human resources management of an organization will be considered to be effective if it enables an organization to perform well on all the four parameters of the balanced scorecard. These parameters of the balanced scorecard are: The customer perspective. The employee perspective. The financial perspective. Internal processes perspective. The human resources management directly and indirectly influences all the above four parameters of an organizations performance. An organization cannot sustain in the long run if it fails to perform on all of the above parameters. An effective human resources management plays a proactive role rather than a reactive one. The human resources management strategy also varies with the sector of the organization. The human resources management strategy of an organization like Marks Spencer that operates in the retail sector may vary from the human resources management strategy of an organization like Boeing that operates in the aviation sector. The human resources strategy of the organization plays a critical role in the success or failure of any organization. Most successful corporations, like Google, have effectively used human resources management to create value. Before deciding on the human resources strategy of an organization, a detailed industry analysis should be done. This industry analysis can be done using models like Porters five forces model. Effective human resources management collaborates with the other functions like finance and marketing to enhance the overall performance of the organization. Human resources management should not operate in isolation. The successful implementation of the human resources strategy of the organization is dependent on many other factors like the size of the organization, the nature of the industry, nature of the industry and the organizational culture. The efficiency and effectiveness of human resources management is critical for the success of an organization like Marks Spencer that operates in a highly competitive environment. The retail sector is one where the differentiation between the different competitors is little or null. Employees play a very important role because they act as the point of interface of the company with the customers. They also implement the strategies of the organization. Research Methodology The main objective if this dissertation is to determine the effectiveness of human resources management at Marks Spencer. The research will investigate into the following questions: The degree of effectiveness of the human resources management at Marks Spencer. To what extent does human resources management at Marks Spencer influence the performance of the company on all the parameters (customer, employees, financial, internal processes) of its balanced scorecard. To what extent is the human resources management strategic in approach? What are the predominant human resources strategies at Marks Spencer? Is Human resources management contributing to the competitive advantage of Marks Spencer? The research methodology will use both primary research and secondary research. Primary research uses first hand primary sources of information. The primary research is original in nature. The main advantages of primary research are: Primary research is often more valid than secondary research since it is tailored for the purposes of the research. Primary research can throw up really new and potent insights. The main disadvantages of primary research are: It requires a lot of resources. It is very time-consuming. Primary research is often difficult to conduct as primary sources are difficult to find. Secondary research uses secondary sources of data and information. Secondary sources are those that already exist. Examples of secondary sources are internet, journals, government agencies publications etc. The main advantages of secondary research are: There are large numbers of sources of secondary research available on the internet and relevant publications. It is easier to conduct and does not require too many resources. The main disadvantages of secondary research are: Information collected from secondary sources may often be not relevant or valid for the objectives of the research. It lacks originality. This research will be predominantly qualitative in nature. The qualitative research will be supplemented by simple quantitative research using simple statistical models. Research Methods Primary research will involve interviewing the employees of the stores of Marks Spencer. These interviews will prove to be a source of great insight in understanding the employees perspective of Marks Spencer. The customers of the Marks Spencer stores will be interviewed to determine their level of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with the service of Marks Spencer. This will help in determining the impact of human resources management on customer satisfaction, customer loyalty etc. The secondary research will be intensive and extensive. It will analyze the financial statements of Marks Spencer and compare it with its rivals. The role that human resources management has played in the financial performance of Marks Spencer will be determined through this. The secondary research will also focus on all the aspects of the human resources management at Marks Spencer to determine its effectiveness. After the research is complete the data and information collected will be analyzed. Wherever quantitative analysis is required it will be done? Qualitative analysis will be as objective as possible. The findings of the research will be based on the above analysis. The findings will be followed by conclusions and reflections. The conclusions will determine the degree of effectiveness of the human resources management at Marks Spencer. The reflections will be the subjective opinion of the research scholar. It will recommend the ways in which the effectiveness of the human resources management can be enhanced so as to create more value for all the stakeholders of Marks Spencer. The research methodology will suffice in achieving the objectives of the research. The sample size for the purposes of the primary research will be 50. Secondary research will also include industry analysis of the retail industry. This will help in determining the position of Marks Spencer vis-à  -vis its competitors. The competitive strategy of Marks Spencer will be linked to the human resources strategy to determine whether the choice of the human resources strategy is influenced by the choice of the competitive strategy of the organization. The research will be a valid one. A valid research is that which measures what it intended to words. In other words, a research is valid if it is able to achieve all its objectives. The research methodology will ensure the validity of this research. A reliable research is one which gives consistent results when repeated. Reliability is a measure of the credibility of the findings of the research. Intensive research and objective analysis will ensure the validity of this research. Timescale There is sufficient slack in the time estimated for the completion of each activity. This will ensure that the dissertation is submitted in time and achieves its objectives even if some unforeseen contingencies crop up during its course. The time estimated for the various activities are as follows: Submission and approval of the research proposal: 1 week. Primary research: 2 weeks. Secondary research: 2 weeks. Analysis of the data and information collected: 2 weeks. Conclusions and Reflection: 1 week. Finishing and editing of the dissertations: 2 weeks. Suitability My academic requirements, qualifications and my aptitude make me suitable for this research. The topic of the proposal will be of great practical use for my future roles. I have all the capabilities and resources that are needed for the successful completion of this research. I have good knowledge of the subject of human resources management. This knowledge can be put to application during the course of this research. It will increase my understanding of the subject and bridge the gap between the theoretical and empirical. The primary research will present the challenge and the opportunity to do some fulfilling field work. The secondary research will throw up fresh perspectives, new ideas and new insights on the subject of human resources management. I have always felt that organizations and there human resources management strategies still do not give due importance to the employees as an invaluable source of competitive advantage for the organization. This research will enable me to see if an organization like Marks Spencer actually has human resources management strategies that are effective in harnessing this very valuable resource. Ethics Plagiarism is against the values of the research scholar. It will be totally shunned in this dissertation. The extracts from the works of other researchers and writers on the subject have been used only in the literature review section. Wherever they will be used they will be extensively referenced. The subjects used in the primary research will be informed about the objectives of their research. Their participation in the primary research will have no harmful affect on them. The whole research process will be ethical and transparent. References Becker, B. and Gerhart, B. (1996) ,The impact of human resource management on organisational performance, Academy of Management Journal 39 (4) 779-801 Delery, J. and Doty, H. (1996) ,Modes of theorizing in SHRM ,Academy of Management Journal, 39(4), 802-835 Kochan, T. and Barocci, T. (1985) ,Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations, LittleBrown Paauwe, J. (2009) ,HRM and Performance: Achievement, Methodological Issues and Prospects,Journal of Management Studies, 46 (1) Pfeffer, J. (1994), Competitive advantage through people, Harvard Business School Press Prahalad, C. and Hamel, G. (1990) The core competences of the organisation Harvard Business Review Storey, J. (2007) What is strategic HRM? Human Resource Management: A Critical Text, Thompson Ulrich, Dave (1996). Human Resource Champions. The next agenda for adding value and delivering results. Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business School Press.

The Battle of San Pasqual :: essays research papers fc

The Battle of San Pasqual   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The battle of San Pasqual was one of the many battles fought against Americans to protect their land. The greedy American government was determined to conquer California from Mexico and make it part of the union. The mass migration of immigrants caused the widespread of people to flee south.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mexico had departed from Spain in 1821. California wanted to manage their own affairs however, they lacked self government. Pio Pico was the civil governor and Jose Castro was the military comandante. The two men held great hostility toward each other. They divided California’s land and raised armies for themselves. These divisions of armies led to future problems, due to the lack of unity between the two.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The United States Navy arrived in Monterey on July 2, 1846. â€Å"The two California leaders made a half-hearted attempt at cooperation† (Johns 2). The two men and their followers met at a ranch near San Luis Obispo to agree on an opposition towards the American forces. The lack of trust within one another led the two armies to march in separate units to Los Angeles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Upon the troops arrival in Los Angeles Castro wrote a letter to Commodore Robert F. Stockton demanding to discuss a way of preventing war. Stockton wrote back concluding that the men must allow American forces to raise an American flag in California. Baldridge 2 The American flag represented that California was America’s land. Stockton also claimed that a treaty would be issued after the flag was inputted in the California soil. Castro refused to take the American negotiation. Castro soon spread the word of American disgrace to Governor Pico, and he also informed him that he was vacating the land due to a lack of resources. He claimed the resources were unable to carry on a war. Pico soon followed with the same intentions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Following the departures of Pio Pico and Jose Castro, the United States naval forces entered Los Angeles without opposition and raised the stars and stripes on August 31, Stockton appointed Captain Archibald Gillespie military commandant of the town, with instruction to be vigilant, firm and strict, and by no means permit anyone to escape† (Johns 3). California natives soon grew angry with Gillespie’s demands and lodged an attack on him; the Americans won the small battle. And, four days later California won another attack at Chino Rancho of Isaac Williams. â€Å"Encouraged by their success, the local inhabitants then gathered a large force which surrounded the detachment in the pueblo and forced Gillespie to evacuate his post on Sept, 30† (Johns 5).

Gender-Neutral English Language Essays -- Papers

Gender-Neutral English Language The English language has evolved through history in a male-centered, patriarchal society. The male orientation of English carries two complementary implications: being male is normative and natural; and therefore, not being male is abnormal and unnatural. The shifting of our language from masculine to gender-neutral may be awkward at first, and our children may wonder what all the fuss was about. The English language is always changing and the future will hold a gender-neutral language. Throughout the history of the United States, men have been the dominant sex. Men have not only been the documenters of the English language, but also the creators. â€Å"Men, especially those with class and race privilege, remain the chief gatekeepers of language: the editors, publishers, rhetoricians, dictionary-makers, broadcasters, high-status educators†(Henley, 1983). The inequalities in the use of language are numerous. â€Å"The grammars of the seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries give evidence that indicates that most of the names in English are used for exclusive masculine reference (Kramarae, 1981). Some argue that language shapes the attitudes and beliefs of a society, â€Å"the language has worked with remarkable success in making it possible for man to perpetuate himself as master, to foster the illusion that women are dependent, and in fact, to subjugate women. Male dominance in language may not only reflect but also be involved in the perpetuation of cultural male dominance† (Caldie, 1981). However, some say that language is a reflection of the values of a society it would be simple to blame men for the bias in the English language. The word â€Å"man† was once interrupt... ...s of American, Inc. Graddol, D., Swann, J. (1989). Gender Voices. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Newberry House Publishers, Inc. Grudem, Wayne (1997, October 27). Do Inclusive Language Bibles Distort Scripture? Yes. Christianity Today. p. 27. Heatherington, Madelon E. (1980). How Language Works. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Winthrop Publishers, Inc. Henley, N., Kramarae, C., & Thorne, B. (1983). Language, Gender and Society. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Newbury House Publishers, Inc. Jacobson, Carolyn. (1995) Non-Sexist Language. [On-Line] Available: http://www.stetson.edu./departments/history/nongenderlang.html [1995] Kramarae, C. (1981). Women and Men Speaking. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Newbury House Publishers, Inc. Stackhouse, John G. Jr. (1999, November 15). The Battle for Inclusive Bible. Christianity Today, p.38. The Bible

Contrasting Old Mother Savage and The Tell-Tale Heart Essay -- compari

Contrasting Old Mother Savage and The Tell-Tale Heart Writers may use different techniques to get the same effect out of the audience. In the short story, "Old Mother Savage" by Guy Du Maupassant, a tragic story of a woman who losses everything is told. The story is scary in that it has an ending that one would not expect. Also, it can be looked at as a sad story because the mother seems to be sad throughout the entire story. At the end the only thing that she has to be satisfied about is that her murdering four young men can make other women feel how she felt when she found out about the death of her son. This story can be compared to Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart", when you talk about the strategies that both authors use to make the audience frightened. They both describe scenes in full detail to give the effect of disgust. However, Du Maupassant, makes the audience feel sorry for the mother in this story turning it into a tragedy instead of horror. The story starts out with two men walking through a forest. One of the men recognizes an abandoned house. The house is described as "...a skeleton still standing, yet ruined and sinister" (Du Maupassant, 1). The speaker asks the man he is walking with what happened to the people who lived in it. The other starts explaining that the father was killed and that during the war, the son was sent to fight leaving the mother by herself. It was said that no one bothered her since everyone in the town thought she had money. It was said that she hardly ever laughed, but that was normal for women of that time: "The women suffer with sad and restricted souls, their life being solemn and hard" (Du Maupassant, 2). With this thought in mind it seems as if the peopl... ...t the woman as being a hero. She is what we consider a "good guy" not because she has killed innocent people, but because she has taken charge of a situation, which is out of the ordinary for women to do. This is a far contrast from Poes' ending. In his story the speaker confesses to killing the old man because the mans' heart, which at that point the reader knows is the speakers conscious is annoying him. At the end of his story the audience is glad that the speaker is caught. Both "Old Mother Savage", by Guy Du Maupassant and "The Tell-Tale Heart", by Edgar Allen Poe, offer a look into the other side of tragedies. In both we get to see the reasoning behind the killings of innocent people. The difference between the two is in one case the audience is left feeling sad for the killer, while in the other we are glad that justice is served.

History of Jollibee Foods Corporation Essay

Jollibee is a phenomenal success story: when beganTony Tan Caktiong and his family opened a Magnolia Ice Cream parlor from Bankerohan, Davao City to Cubao in 1975 with Jolibee as the original name. Sometime in 1978, Caktiong and his brothers and sisters engaged the services of a management consultant, Manuel C. Lumba. Lumba shifted the business focus from ice cream to hamburgers, after his studies showed that a much larger market was waiting to be exploited. Lumba became Caktiong’s first business and management mentor. Lumba next re-formed the name Jolibe to Jolly Bee and made the two words form a single name, Jollibee, changing the â€Å"y† to an â€Å"i†. They also offering hot meals and sandwiches became incorporated in 1978 with seven outlets to explore the possibilities of a hamburger concept. Thus was born the company that revolutionized fast food in the Philippines. The Jollibee mascot was inspired by local and foreign children’s books. Lumba next created the product names â€Å"Yumburger† and â€Å"Chickenjoy†. He had the company incorporated and leased a house on Main St. in Cubao, Quezon City as the first headquarters. Lumba formulated a long-term marketing strategy: listing up a number of consumer promotions and traffic building schemes. Caktiong stressed that developing internal strengths was critical. The stores were re-designed, the service transformed into a full self-service, fast-food operation with drive-through. Not long after, Caktiong and Lumba went on an observation tour in the United States, attended food service and equipment conventions. Caktiong placed Lumba in charge of franchise development In 1984, Jollibee hit the P500 million sales mark, landing in the Top 500 Philippine Corporations. In 1987, barely 10 years in the business, Jollibee landed into the country’s Top 100 Corporations. It became the first Philippine fast food chain to break the P1 billion sales mark in 1989. In 1993, Jollibee became the first food service company to be listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange; thus broadening its capitalization and laying the groundwork fo r sustained expansion locally and beyond the Philippines. As the country’s leading fast food chain, Jollibee has grown exponentially on all aspects on operation. From a handful of stores 32 years ago, Jollibee now boasts of more than 600 stores and over 50 international stores. To achieve its long-term goal to be the country’s food service leader, Jollibee acquired Greenwich Pizza in 1994. A year later, the company obtained the franchise of Delifrance, an international food company. These moves expanded Jollibee’s penetration in the pizza-pasta and French cafà ©-bakery segments. In 2000, the strategic acquisition of Chowking solidified the company’s position as the dominant leader. The move gave it leadership in the Oriental quick-service restaurant segment. Jollibee’s rapid growth is due to its superior menu line-up, creative marketing programs, and efficient manufacturing and logistics facilities. It is made possible by well-trained teams that work in a culture of integrity and humility, fun and family-like. As a corporate citizen, Jollibee is also committed to give back to its host communities through meaningful and lasting socio-civic projects. Jollibee dedicated its continuous success to the Filipinos who have been there from the very start. Jollibee is so well-loved every time a new store opens, especially overseas, Filipinos always form long lines to the store. It is more than home for them. It is a stronghold of heritage and monumen t of Filipino victory. JOLLIBEE FOODS CORPORATION TIMELINE 1975 * Mr. Tony Tan and his family opens a Magnolia Ice cream parlor at Cubao. This is later to become the 1st Jollibee Outlet. 1978 * Bakery is established in Cubao. * Jollibee posts 1st year sales of P2 million * Jollibee incorporates as a 100% Filipino-owned company, with seven Jollibee fast- food restaurants within Metro Manila as initial network and the Yumburger as flagship product. 1979 * Spaghetti Special is introduced * 1st Franchise owned store opens at Ronquillo Sta. Cruz. 1980 * Jollibee launches its 1st TV commercial. * Jollibee Chickenjoy and French Fries are launched. * The well-loved Jollibee mascot is conceived to support brand awareness and identity efforts. Other mascots are later introduced. * Jollibee launches Chickenjoy, which becomes one of its best-selling menu items. 1981 * Jollibee Foods Corporation enters list of Top 1000 Corporations. * Jollibee ended the year with 10 stores 1982 * Jollibee pioneers the use of in-store promotions, novelty premium items and Kiddie Birthday packages for kids. * Palabok Fiesta is introduced. 1983 * The Langhap-Sarap TV ad Campaign is launched. * Chickee and Lady Moo join the Jollibee mascots 1984 * Champ hamburger is launched. * Jollibee enters list of Top 500 Corporations and assumes market leadership in local fast food industry. * Mascots Champ and Hetty join the Jollibee family * WEA gives Jollibee Gold record award for the outstanding sales of Jollibee songs. 1985 * Jollibee becomes the market leader of the fastfood industry * Breakfast Joys are introduced. * Langhap-Sarap awarded most effective ad campaign in the food category during the 9th Philippine Advertising Congress 1986 * Jollibee wins the 9th International Foods Award from El Comestible in Barcelona,Spain * Tony Tan wins the Agora Award for entrepreneurship given by the Philippine Marketing Association. * Top 250 Corporation list include Jollibee Foods Corporation * Jollibee opens its 1st international store in Taiwan * Jollibee adds Chunky Chicken Sandwich in its menu. 1987 * 2nd Taiwan store opens. * Sales of 570 million pushes Jollibee into the elite Top 100 Corporations * Jollibee opens 1st fast food outlet in Brunei, marking its entry into the global market. 1988 * Jolly Twirls softserve is successfully launched. * Jollibee system wide sales hit P921 million, further leading market share of 31% in the fast food industry and a dominant 57% share in the hamburger segment. * Jollibee celebrates 10th year anniversary. * Tony Tan is named one of the Ten Outstanding Manilans. * Jollibee wins the Anvil Award for outstanding PR campaign in relation to the achievement of marketing objective with its Filipino Talents campaign. 1989 * 2nd Brunei store opens. * Balut and Ligaw TV commercials wins the Kidlat Award in the Service and Leisure Products category during the 11th Philippine Ad Congress. * Jollibee sales hit P1.3 billion marks, first fast food chain to surpass billion-peso sales mark. 1990 * Jollibee adds coleslaw, Jolly Hotdog, Chickenjoy Take-Me-Out and Peach mango Pie to its ever-growing menu. * Jollibee post sales of P1.8 billion * Tony Tan is awarded the Triple Award by AIM as Outstanding AIM Alumnus. * Jollibee receives the Excellence in Marketing Management Award from the Asian Institute of Management. 1991 * Jollibee’s 100th store opens in Davao City * Jollibee opens a record high of 35 new stores * Opens 1st store outside Luzon in Cagayan de Oro City. * Jollibee launches its Pancakes and Jolly Meals. * Jollibee sales hit a whopping P2.65 billion. * The Lola TV commercial wins the Grand Araw Award and an award of excellence for the promotion of Filipino Values during the Philippine Ad Congress. * Jollibee receives award for the outstanding Corporate Safety Consciousness Programs by the Safety Organization of the Philippines (SOP). 1992 * Jollibee stages first ever holiday musical special for children dubbed â€Å"A Magical Christmas at Jollitown† * Jollibee and the Jollibee Franchisees Association launched the 30th anniversary special novelty offering – Hug and Share Doll. Proceeds of the sales will all be donated to charity. * Biggest and grandest MaAga ang Pasko caps off Jollibee’s 30th anniversary. Total of more than 117,000 toys and books collected were the highest ever in the campaign’s 14-year history. Mission and Vision Statement Fred David, in his book Strategic management; Concept and Cases enumerated key factors in making a mission statement. He recognized that a mission statement goes beyond being a statement, for it is a declaration of the company’s attitude and outlook. The mission statement of Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC), although it meets the primary objective of a fast food chain, is too concise and gives sole emphasis to its current services. Thus, the space for improvement was narrowed down to simply food catering to the target market, taking for granted the other aspects of the business. According to David, a mission statement should be able to â€Å"allow for the generation and consideration of a range of feasible alternative objectives and strategies, because excessive specifity would limit the potential of creative growth for the organization. Also, a mission statement has to be broad to reconcile differences effectively among, and appeal to, an organization’s diverse stakeholders, the individuals and groups of individuals who have a special stake or claim on the company.†

English Literature Coursework: “But why, Mum?” shouted Sonny

â€Å"But why, Mum?† shouted Sonny. â€Å"I love it here. I have loads of mates, all our family are here and I'm actually enjoying the school I'm at!† â€Å"We just can't afford to live here anymore, son. Believe me, I would love to stay here but it just isn't possible. Don't be angry, Sonny,† pleaded his mum. But it was too late; Sonny was already clambering up the stairs with tears in his eyes. Sonny's mum looked down to the floor and sighed with a feeling of guilt and depression. She felt terrible that she was the person who had to ruin his day. Meanwhile, Sonny was in his room, face in pillow, crying. He felt terrible. He was only just starting to enjoy school; he had just started to become popular and most importantly of all, his mum had found a long term boyfriend and had gotten engaged. He finally felt stable and happy in life but in a matter of seconds his world had been tipped upside down! In the car, on the way to Hackney, the car pulled up at some traffic lights. Whilst Sonny gazed relentlessly out of the window his eye was caught by a conker tree. He noticed the way that it had a hard, spiky, cruel exterior but contained a yielding, gentle and attractive centre. Sonny thought about his new life in Hackney and how he could never see the conker emerging from its shell. Despite this he still desperately hoped that it would be nice in Hackney and not be as spiky, cruel and hard as it is perceived to be. He thought longingly of the friends he was leaving behind and wished that all this was just a dream and that soon he would wake up. He was tossed back into reality a few seconds later when the family drove past a road sign labelled Hackney, twenty five miles. â€Å"Nearly there, Claire,† said Clarence, Sonny's ‘Dad'. â€Å"I bet you're exited, aren't you?† â€Å"Yeah, I'm thrilled.† replied Claire half heartedly and with a raise of the eyebrows. Sonny's eyes caught his mothers as she turned around to look at him. â€Å"What about you, Sonny, you looking forward to seeing your new home?† asked Clarence. â€Å"No, not really.† replied Sonny, rather bluntly, and then fell silent. â€Å"Hey, cheer up lad. It won't be that bad.† said Clarence reassuringly, â€Å"I'm sure that you'll love it here. We'll make the flat look like home in no time.† The car fell silent again and Sonny continued to look out of the window, his head held up by his hand. As the family pulled up onto the pavement Sonny realised that they must be at their new home. This thought emotionally overwhelmed him and the tears streamed from his eyes. His mum looked over at him and ran around the car to comfort her upset son. As she wrapped her loving arms around him she muttered to him: â€Å"I'm sorry, Sonny, I'm sorry. I have completely ruined your life and I'm sorry. We'll be alright. We'll be fine. I'm so sorry!† Clarence thought it was best to stay away and let them have their moment together. While he was waiting Clarence heard a call from across the street: â€Å"Mummy's boy, Mummy's boy. Oi, Mummy's boy, wot up wiv you? Ya lost ya cuddly toy? Eh?† shouted the first boy belligerently whilst the other two laughed simultaneously. â€Å"Go away!† snarled Claire. â€Å"Oh, sorry ‘ard!† hurled the second child whilst the other two drew out a pair of ‘BB' guns and shot Claire three times in the chest. Clarence's anger grew and he let out a huge roar as he sprinted after the three children. Unfortunately to his, Claire's and Sonny's disappointment he lost them after only a few yards! As Clarence walked back to his fiancà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½e and Sonny, he stared disappointedly at Claire. Sonny continued to frown and then began to walk towards the entrance of the block of flats and then to their new home. They finally got to the door of the flat and Claire put the key in the door. As the door swung open Sonny began to see inside bit by bit. Once the door was fully open Sonny stood in silence and just stared into the prison like room. The floor was cold, grey concrete, no carpets, the windows were small and didn't look like they could open very far, the walls were painted a dark blue but the paint was chipped and was beginning to crack off of the wall! Sonny felt like he had been hit hard in the chest. He felt as though he couldn't breathe. A sudden image of his old home in Windsor flashed through his head. He couldn't believe that his parents couldn't afford something better than this! He still hadn't entered the room when Clarence looked over at him and noticed the censuring expression on his face. â€Å"Don't worry, Sonny, the removal van will be here soon and we'll have this place looking like home in no time!† said Clarence heartily. Sonny just looked over at him, unimpressed, then continued to observe the beaten up cell which was to become his home. That night while Sonny lie in bed, he once again began to think of his old world which he missed so dearly. He knew that Hackney was a lot different; the only time that you heard about it was on the news being linked with murders and rapes! They had only been here for a few hours and they had already been shot by BB guns, someone had stolen the dust caps off of Clarence's car and eggs had been pelted at the patio doors of his first floor flat! Sonny knew that he would never fit in around here and that he was going to have to toughen up quickly. He had school in a weeks time and he had to prepare himself, there would be a lot of problems to face and he would have to overcome them. Sonny was tired so he turned over and cried himself to sleep ready for the bumpy road ahead. The week dragged by slowly and more of the kids around the area had begun to vandalise their property. The balcony wall had been sprayed with the words ‘Mummy's Boy', the kids had been shouting abusive words to him and when Sonny's mum was returning home from shopping, the kids jumped out and stole one of the bags from her! Had Sonny just stepped into a war zone? Was he behind enemy lines? Why was everyone treating him so badly? Clarence was getting angry but Sonny thought that he was too frightened to do anything. Whenever Sonny saw him he was always looking out of the windows checking that the kids were well away. Sonny was still feeling low and he became consternated instantly when he realised that he was going to his new school the next day. He swallowed hard and rushed to his bedroom. He spent most of the night wondering what to do and the only solution he could think of was to just accept that he would not be liked and try to stand up to them. Unfortunately, Sonny's plan fell to pieces the next day. â€Å"Oi, Mummy's boy!† As Sonny looked up his heart sank and his eyes widened. It was the same kid, along with his two mates, who shot his mum with the BB gun. â€Å"Yes?† replied Sonny as politely as possible. â€Å"What you doin' ‘ere?† snapped the first kid. â€Å"I go to this school now.† Sonny replied charily. â€Å"Yeah I nowe dat, it's just dat we own dis part o da playground, mate!† retorted the first kid. â€Å"I'm sorry, I didn't know. Please forgive me.† pleaded Sonny. â€Å"Oh, please forgive me,† said the second kid, mockingly, â€Å"Scared are you Mummy's boy?† Sonny breathed in heavily and took a step backwards. The third kid look nervously at the first kid and Sonny caught a glance from him as the gang begirded him. â€Å"Where ya goin' Mummy's boy? You ai n't gettin away from us! We're gonna make you pay for thinkin you can jus walk away from us when we're talkin to ya! Get im Joe!† The second kid, apparently named Joe, grabbed Sonny around the waist and then thrusted both of his arms behind his back. While Joe had hold of Sonny, the first kid gave him a few jabs to the ribs. Sonny's legs gave way in pain but Joe continued to hold him up so that the attacker could continue to castigate him. After a few minutes Sonny's lip was bleeding and the only support he had was coming from the boy behind him holding him up whilst the bully continued his attack. â€Å"Hey, guys, that enough now! He's already gonna collapse! Just leave him now, you've ‘urt I'm enough! Sam, get off of him!† Sonny felt heartened by this but his vision was beginning to blur and he knew that soon he was going to pass out, he had to do something. â€Å"Oh shut up, Zack! He deserves all dis!† replied Sam, apparently humoured by Zack's outburst. Suddenly, Joe fell to the ground with a thump. Sonny looked behind him and glanced up at Zack who was standing over Joe with a worried expression on his face. He realised that he had to take this opportunity to get away so he leapt to his feet and sprinted towards the toilets. As he ran he heard: â€Å"You wait, bitch, we'll av you!† The rest of Sonny's lunch hour was spent sitting on a hard, black toilet seat sweating with fear and using a tissue to clear up his bleeding nose and patch up a cut which had opened up on his forehead. Whilst he was there he thought about Zack. Why did he help him? There was no need to do that, what's going to happen to him? Sonny was in to much pain to think about the answers and so he sat there in the cubicle, in silence until the end of lunch. Sonny managed to avoid the gang for the rest of the school day but as he walked home that evening he froze when he heard a call from behind him: â€Å"Alrite Mummy's boy?† called Sam. â€Å"Did ya fink dat you were gonna get away from us today? We followed you outta school jus to finish you off.† At this Sam pulled out a blade. Sonny's eyes widened but his expression remained stern. Sonny ran for it but only to be pounced on by Joe and held down whilst Sam approached. Sonny was panicking and was beginning to think that this was the end. Just as this thought emerged, a shining, glimmer of hope floated around the corner. Sonny looked up and caught another glance into the intense, furious eyes of Zack. He looked dreadful! One eye was black and he had a huge gash across his left cheek. It was obvious what had happened to Zack but Sonny was definitely glad to see him now. Zack took one deep breath and then sprinted towards Sam. As Zack reached him he leapt at his right hand and grabbed hold of it. Sam stumbled and fell onto his knees as his hand was prised open by Sonny's helper. Sam eventually lost grip of the blade and Joe let go of Sonny as Zack walked forebodingly towards the bullies. Joe and Sam looked and each other and then decided to run for it. Once both the bullies had gone Zack helped Sonny to his feet. â€Å"Cheers.† Said Sonny â€Å"Ah, it nuttin. Dey do dat ta every new kid. If ya stand up to em or beat em when they start on ya they respect ya! It's kind of a test. Stupid if ya ask me.† replied Zack, looking over his shoulder as he spoke. â€Å"Well why did you help me out then?† asked Sonny. â€Å"How come you didn't join in with them?† â€Å"Them two av bin doin dat for agez now an it getz a bit borin after a wile. I started feelin sorry for the kidz az well.† Said Zack â€Å"Sum ov dem were coughin up blood every now an den! I realised dat dey were bein too physical an fought dat I shood do summat bout it.† As he spoke he gazed into the sky every now and then as if he was reflecting and looking back on old times. The pair of them spoke for a good half hour and Zack decided to walk home with Sonny. When they got near to Sonny's flat, Sonny thanked Zack for everything and told him that he would see him the next day. They exchanged respectful nods and turned their backs to one another and headed in opposite directions. When Sonny got in he smiled for the first time in weeks. His insides were warmed at the sight of his mum and Clarence sitting, cuddled up on the sofa watching T.V together and all their chattels put up around the flat. The ‘cell' looked a lot better now and that night he slept through the whole night without a tear! Sonny finally felt good to be alive!