Central Venous Cather technique in small children Research Paper

Central Venous Cather technique in small children - Research Paper Example In our retrospective cohort paper we theorize a systematic approach aimed at identifying the most suitable vein performing a pre procedural scan of all the possible site for vein cannulation and thereafter choosing the most appropriate in term of size and other factors such as collapsibility during respiratory cycle or anatomical anomalies. This systematic approach allowed identifying the brachiocephalic vein as the more suitable for central line placement, and along with in plane approach we were able to be successful in 100% of cases without complication. As published by The Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children’s publications in 2007, the central venous catheter is usually inserted into a neck vein to gain access to the right atrium. It is required to gain an ease of access for taking regular blood samples, for administration of medicines in patients undergoing chemotherapy or for giving total parenteral nutrition. It may also be required for administration of anesthetics, peri operative management or long term management of chronic illness. It is also indicated for measurement of central venous pressure. The success of this procedure depends upon a number of factors including the general condition of the child as described by Grebenik (Grebenik 2004). These include an experienced hand performing the procedure, the site of insertion of cannula, the presence of vascular anomaly, clotting problems or any previous cannulation procedure performed in the past. Because of these all factors, an ultrasound guided technique of central venous catheterization is rapidly becoming a preferable procedure for a central line placement in infants, neonates and children. Ultrasound guided technique has an advantage over the blind procedure for gaining the safest venous access and ensuring a flawless approach. There are certain risk factors associated with this procedure like the risk of infection or thrombosis, which may lead to various complications

Turkey and Saudi Arabia Similarities and Differences

Turkey and Saudi Arabia Similarities and Differences Today we are going to discuss the similarities and differences between two societies, Turkish and Saudi Arabian, from the cultural and moral point of view. Firstly it is important to get familiar with these definitions. Culture is the way of life, shared beliefs, values, customs and behaviours, that the members of society use to cope with their world and with one another, and that are transmitted from generation to generation through learning. Norms specify the type of behaviour that is considered appropriate and normal in a society. For example, norms of dress give guidelines on what to wear. Norms are set of rules that vary from society to society. A change in society leads to new ways of behaving and therefore culture and norms are always changing. Values are general rules and principles that tell us what is good, important and worth striving for in our society. Values lay down general principles and guidelines. Inequality concerns differences in access to scarce resources when one group is better positioned than the other in society. Social inequality involves voting rights, freedom of speech, education and many more. Inequality is present in every society, even if it is said that all members in society are equal. Both countries share similar history, culture and values. Religion in particular plays a big part in peoples lives. The major religion is Islam, the second largest religion in the world. In Saudi Arabia, Islam is the only officially recognized religion and other religions in the country are not tolerated. Turkey is more democratic in this way. While in Turkey state and church are separated, religion in Saudi Arabia influences every aspect of social and political life. Even the legal system is based on sharia (Islamic) law. The forms of punishment in this country are, according to some organizations, against human rights. For example, theft is punishable by amputation of the right hand. Flogging is way of punishment for offenses against religion, drunkenness and gambling. The death penalty is the highest form of punishment in the country and is used for a range of convictions including the distribution of drugs from abroad. The death sentence was also practiced in Turkey, but it has s ince been reduced to thirty years imprisonment. Homosexuality is strictly forbidden in both societies (a view strongly linked to religious beliefs), and is punishable by lashing, prison or death. Inequality, in both societies, is most distinguished between men and women. Saudi women suffer discrimination in a range of areas within their daily lives. For example, women are not allowed to drive cars or ride bicycles on public roads and the driving age of 25 is one of the highest in the world. Saudi Arabia is also one of the four remaining countries that have not granted women the right to vote. Women cannot travel abroad without the permission or presence of a male guardian (mahram), and also have to be accompanied by a close male from the family (father or brothers) when outside of house. As chastity and sexual modesty are very highly valued, women can be arrested for socializing with a man who is not a relative and may be charged with prostitution. In public, dancing, playing music and showing movies is forbidden. Women make up just 5% of the workforce in Saudi Arabia, which is the lowest proportion in the world. A womans status within the family is high, especially in the ro les of mother and sister. However, their rights may continue to be restricted, for example, it is believed that women should stay at home, caring for their husbands and children. Most marriages are arranged and polygamy is permitted up to four wives. Similar attitudes towards women had existed in Turkey, but in 1926 new reforms brought changes to the position of women in society. Polygamy was abolished and it is very rare nowadays. Along with religious marriages and divorce, child custody became the right of both women and men. Education levels of women have increased since the reforms and many Turkish women are able to access education, have jobs and careers. The right to vote was granted in 1930. Although the position of women outside of family has changed significantly, inside it remains more or less the same. Husbands remain at the head of family and woman must have their permission to work or their approval if going out. Both Saudi Arabian and Turkish societies place huge value on the family and take their responsibilities seriously. Families tend to be large and the extended family remains close. Significant inequality also exists between women from different sectors of societies. Women in these two states have different life styles and rights. For example, abortion in Turkey is legal up to ten weeks, while in Saudi Arabia it remains illegal, except in situations where the mothers life may be at risk. The norms for public behaviour in Saudi Arabia are extremely conservative. To ensure that these standards of conduct are observed, the Saudi religious police can arrest foreigners for improper dress and other alleged infractions, such as consumption of alcohol. Turkish women no longer have to wear the veils and long garments, whereas in Saudi Arabia it is still required by the old religious beliefs. While alcohol is banned in Saudi Arabia, it is allowed in Turkey. In Turkey, Friday is considered a normal working day, regardless of the fact that to Muslims it is considered a holy day. Saudi Arabians continue to acknowledge this tradition most shops and other public places are closed on Friday and individuals practice their prayers. All Muslims pray five times a day and during the holy month of Ramadan they must fast from dawn to dusk (this includes eating, drinking and smoking). According to Islam, the left hand is considered unclean and reserved for personal hygiene. To conclude, Turkey is now considered a secular state, the first ever Islamic society to be considered as such. In contrast, Saudi Arabias unique culture makes marks it as a distinguished Islamic country. People in these countries are extremely proud of their culture, heritage and nationality. Bibliography M. Haralambos and M. Holborn (2008) Sociology , Themes and Perspectives http://marketing.about.com/od/marketingglossary/g/normsdef.htm http://www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/arts/anthropology/courses/122/module1/culture.html http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1012.html http://www.enjoyturkey.com/info/culture.htm http://www.eastwestinquirer.com/Islamic%20Turkey%20Versus%20Islamist%20Saudi%20Arabia.htm

Elizabeth Barrett Brownings Poetic Style Essays -- Essays Papers

Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Poetic Style Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poetry has been the subject of much criticism. Her elusive style prompted many critics to question Barrett's method of writing. In fact, some critics, like Alethea Hayter, go so far as to propose that an "honest critique of her work must admit that she often wrote very bad poetry indeed" (15). Accusations against Barrett's work were often targeted at her tendency for anonymity, her excessive development of thoughts, unsuccessful forced rhymes, and more often than any other of her familiarities, her tendency to create her own words. Despite being relatively shunned by the world of poetry, Barrett persisted in writing poetry, even though the majority of her writing time just might have been spent on defending her work rather than writing it. John Forster has remarked, "She uses all her thoughts and feelings for whatever she does. The art of knowing what to leave out she has not attained"(19). In defense of her work Barrett writes in a letter to her husband, Robert Browning, "I do not say everything I think (as has been said of me by master-critics) but I take every means to say what I think"(19). Hayter recognizes that Barrett's work was surely not lacking revision, but was the product of constant reconsideration. She was said to have revised after every printing. For Barrett, the main focus of revising was to iron out metre, find perfectly fitting words for her lines, and to produce literature that read with the movement of natural speech. However, Hayter admits that this consistent going over of her work to find "just the right word" was what weakened Barrett's work and formed it into rather exhaustive explanations of what she purposed to convey to her re... ...of women's talk Arose and fell and tossed about a spray Of English S's, soft as a silent hush, And, not withstanding, quite as audible As louder phrases thrown out by men"(26). Saintsbury, who earlier criticized Barrett's rhyming technique, confessed that her ear for metre was, in fact, wonderful (24). Elizabeth Barrett Browning was one of the braver literary pioneers. Choosing to utilize the vocabulary she favored rather than submit to the harsh criticisms of those who held the power to make or break her is an applaudable novelty about her. Many writers, having been successful in their literary exploits, are susceptible to accusations that their work was catered to critics. Surely, this cannot and should not be said of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Works Cited Donaldson, Sandra, Critical Essays on Elizabeth Barrett Browning; G.K. Hall & Co., New York, NY.

I Have a Dream Speech Essay

1- The analogy in Paragraphs 4 through 6 of the speech â€Å" I have a Dream†, use the similarity or comparability analogy. Which is means analogy is a comparison between two different things in order to highlight some point of similarity. As Freud suggested, an analogy won’t settle an argument, but a good one may help to clarify the issues. Like the Martin Luther King’s speech: It is obvious today the America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this scared obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, which has come back marked â€Å"insufficient funds.† 2 – In my opinion, racism is a certain kind of prejudice, based on faulty reasoning and inflexible generalizations toward a specific group. Much of today’s racism can be traced to the area of colonialism that began in the 1400s. When Europeans began colonizing Africa and the Americas, the white settlers adopted the idea that they were superior to the other races they encountered and it was their job to â€Å"civilize the savages.† According to Martin Luther King in â€Å"I have a dream†: â€Å" It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned.† (Pg.45) Racism in the United States was worse during 18th and 19th century than at any period before or since. Segregation, racial discrimination, and expressions of white supremacy all increased. So did anti-black violence, including lynching and race riots. 3-United States has a black president from 2008 to present. Like Luther King said: â€Å" It is dream deeply rooted in meaning of its creed- we hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal,† So his king came true in these days. Work Cited : Luther King, Martin. â€Å"I Have a Dream .† (1968): 44-48. Print.

The Spanish Inquisition

The Spanish Inquisition was a controversial time primarily during the 15th century. However, it kept reoccurring during other parts of history rather than only in the 15th century. There were many different methods used in which non-Christians would be tortured. Sometimes, the wrong people would be tortured if they believed that the person they were torturing really wasn’t Christian. The torturing of people because of their religion is what makes the Spanish Inquisition such a disturbing and dark part of history. The reason for the Spanish Inquisition was because the Christians conquered Spain again, which led to the Christians forcing non-Christian people, such as Jews, to convert to Christianity. Any non-Christian who refused to convert to Christianity would be prosecuted and tortured using different methods such as starvation, strappado, racking and many other forms of torture. In 1478, Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabelle of Castile established the Spanish Inquisition. The reason the inquisition was established was because Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabelle of Castile wanted to unite Spain. The Spanish Inquisition could help economically because money could be made by stealing property from accused heretics. Another reason for the Spanish Inquisition is because Ferdinand and Isabelle believed that Spain could be united under Christianity. Also, Ferdinand and Isabelle discriminated against Jews simply because they were anti-Semites. The first Inquisitors arrived in Seville in 1480 to abolish heresy. Heresy is a belief or opinion that is contrary to an orthodox religious doctrine (especially Christianity). Many Spanish Jews were forced to convert to Christianity and some of them converted by choice. There were different sentences for those found guilty of heresy. If you were found guilty of heresy, then your property would be confiscated and you would be burned to death. There would be public humiliation for those found guilty at the auto da fe, which is the ceremony where the heretic would be burned to death. The time of the greatest influence during the Spanish Inquisition was under the reigns of Philip II and Philip III. This time period occurred in 1569-1621. The Inquisition had suffered previous to this time period because of a lack of direction under Charles V, who ruled from 1517-1556. But, during the reign of Philip II, there eventually became 16 tribunals in Spain, two tribunals in Italy and three in the New World. The Inquisition greatly expanded its prosecution of many different religious crimes. Ordinary Spaniards were drawn into the tribunals as well as Protestants, conversos, Moriscos and foreigners. There was detailed questioning even to people who most likely didn’t commit heresy. These people would be fined one or two ducats, which was considered a very heavy fine. The tribunals relied on unpaid officials. First, there were the two networks of familiars and camisarios. The familiars were laymen charged with carrying messages, arresting suspects and delivering them to the Inquisition. The comisarios were priests who assisted in the gathering of evidence at the local level. Calificadores would advise the inquisitors about the accusations to whether someone was a heretic or not. There was a cruel way in which the Inquisition functioned. Possible heretics weren’t treated like in today’s standards mostly because the phrase â€Å"innocent until proven guilty† wasn’t followed. First, there was the accusation. When the Inquisition arrived in a city, the first step was known as the Edict of Grace. It was called this because a period of grace was offered to the people accused of a crime to bring the accused person to the church without severe punishment. Next, there was the detention. The case would be examined by the calificadores would determine if there was heresy involved. Many cases lasted up to two years before the calificadores examined the case. The property of the prisoner would be taken during detention. This property would be used to pay for expenses and the own costs and maintenance of the person being accused. The entire process was done with much secrecy. The trial process is after the detention process. The trial consisted of a series of hearings. The denouncers and defendants both gave their testimonies. Torture was used until the defendant would confess. The torture used was very unsystematic. It was applied mainly to those suspected of Judaism and Protestantism. Torture would even be applied regardless of a person’s age. Basically even children and elderly people would be tortured. Torture played a major role in the Spanish Inquisition. There were many different methods of torture. One method of torture was strappado. Strappado was when the victims would be suspended from the ceiling by their wrists. The victim would fall from a height and be stopped by an abrupt jerk right before they reach the ground. Another method of torture was starvation in which the person accused of heresy would be starved. Racking was also used. A rack was an instrument of torture consisting of a frame on which the victim was stretched by turning rollers to which the wrists and ankles were tied. Toca was a method of making the victim believe they were drowning by putting a cloth in their mouth and pouring a jar of water in their mouth.

Is LinkedIn Job Seeker Premium Worth the Price One Womans Story...

Is LinkedIn Job Seeker Premium Worth the Price One Womans Story... Many people approach me to ask whether it’s worth the price to subscribe to LinkedIn Job Seeker Premium.   One of my subscribers, Susan Poseika, signed up for the one-month free trial and was kind enough to share her evaluation of the service.   Her experience is anecdotal only one person’s experience and does not necessarily predict what anyone else will experience. Still, I thought it would be valuable to share. As background, I invite you to read an article I wrote about LinkedIn’s Job Seeker Premium.   You might also want to view LinkedIns VIDEO about the service, available HERE. LinkedIn claims the following advantages of Linkedin Job Seeker Premium on the subscription page: Get noticed by recruiters and hiring managers with a JobSeekers Badge Zero in on $100K+ jobs with detailed salary information Move to the top of the list as a featured applicant Contact anyone directly through InMail response guaranteed See who has viewed your profile with details Get introduced to the companies you are targeting Let recruiters message you for free through OpenLink Get Priority Customer Service Below is what Susan reported as her experience with Job Seeker Premium: Get noticed by hiring managers and recruiters with LinkedIn badge: I did not notice a difference with this feature. Recruiters had contacted me when I did not have the badge; however, during the month I had the badge, there was nothing. After I took the badge off (after the free month) I still did not see any change. Move to top of the list as Featured Applicant: I did not notice a difference from this feature. InMail: With InMail, Linkedin members can contact anyone without knowing their contact information or going through introductions from other LinkedIn members. However, if you get a deep enough network, there would be a way to connect with the same people, if not through direct invitations, then through introductions. Note from Brenda:   Two other ways to connect with people you don’t know are 1) by joining a group where you are both members 2) by looking for the person’s email address, either in the person’s profile (many members include their email address) or by searching the web.   If you know a person’s company then often you can figure out their email address.   For instance, if you are looking for Peter Cantor who works at samplecompany, go to samplecompany.com and find an email address.   If you find sarahj@samplecompany.com, then you have a good chance that Peter’s email address is peterc@samplecompany.com. Who has viewed your profile: With the Free version, you can see who has viewed your profile over the last week only. With Premium, however, you can see who has viewed your profile over the last week, last month, or more. In both cases, you can view a trend chart  of profile viewing. The trend chart is an excellent feature that allows you to see whether profile viewing is going up or down. For those job seekers who check once a week, the Premium account won’t really give you anything you don’t already have. Note from Brenda:   With the paid service, you can see the full list of the people who viewed you. With a free account you can only see the most recent five viewers.   Whether you have a paid or free account, you can see the names of your viewers IF they set their privacy settings to allow you to see them. Otherwise you will get only a description of their industry. Get introduced to target companies: With the Free version, you can get introduced, through one of your contacts, to up to a maximum of five targeted companies. With the Premium version, you have the potential of twenty-five. OpenLink Networker: I did not notice a difference with this option. Back to Brenda: Where I’m left with all this is that if you can afford it and you are targeted in your job search, you may as well use the enhanced service.   One thing Susan didn’t mention is that the service provides tools to help keep your job search organized.   She tells me she did not have a chance to test-drive that aspect of the service, and believes it would be quite useful over time. â€Å"If you can,† recommends Susan, â€Å"take advantage of any free one-month offer, have a targeted strategy, and use the service to its maximum potential. By doing so, you should see this feature leading to off-line/personal contact, which is the goal of using of Job Seeker Premium.† I couldn’t agree more.   And if you have a story to share about LinkedIn Job Seeker Premium, you might be featured in a future blog! Need Linkedin profile writing or strategy assistance?   Contact The Essay Expert for a 15-minute consultation.

The Byzantine Roman Emperor Justinian

The Byzantine Roman Emperor Justinian Name: (At birth) Petrus Sabbatius; Flavius Petrus Sabbatius JustinianusBirthplace: ThraceDates: c.482, at Tauresium - 565Ruled: April 1, 527 (jointly with his uncle Justin until August 1) - November 14, 565Wife: Theodora Justinian was a Christian emperor of the Roman Empire on the cusp between Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Justinian is sometimes called The Last of the Romans. In Byzantine Matters, Averil Cameron writes that Edward Gibbon didnt know if Justinian belonged in the category of the Roman emperors who had come before or the Greek kings of the Byzantine Empire who came after him. History remembers Emperor Justinian for his reorganization of the government of the Roman Empire and his codification of the laws, the Codex Justinianus, in A.D. 534. Justinian Family Data An Illyrian, Justinian was born Petrus Sabbatius in A.D. 483 in Tauresium, Dardania (Yugoslavia), a Latin-speaking area of the Empire. Justinians childless uncle became the Roman Emperor Justin I in A.D. 518. He adopted Justinian either before or after he became emperor; hence the name Justinianus. Justinians own birth-based status in society was not high enough to command respect without the imperial office, and his wifes position was even worse. Justinians wife, Theodora, was the daughter of a bear-keeper father who became bear-keeper to the Blues (relevant to the Nika Revolts, below), an acrobat mother, and she herself is considered to have been a courtesan. The DIR article on Justinian says Procopius claims Justinians aunt, Empress Euphemia, by marriage, so disapproved the marriage that Justinian waited until she died (before 524) before even starting to deal with the legal impediments to the marriage. Death Justinian died on November 14, 565, in Constantinople. Career Justinian became Caesar in 525. On April 4, 527, Justin made Justinian his co-emperor and gave him the rank of Augustus. Justinians wife Theodora received the rank of Augusta. Then, when Justin died on August 1, 527, Justinian went from joint to sole emperor. Persian Wars and Belisarius Justinian inherited conflict with the Persians. His commander Belisarius obtained a peace treaty in 531. The truce was broken in 540 and so Belisarius was again sent off to deal with it. Justinian also dispatched Belisarius to settle problems in Africa and Europe. Belisarius could do little against the Ostrogoths in Italy. Religious Controversy The religious position of the Monophysites (whom Justinians wife, Empress Theodora, supported) conflicted with the accepted Christian doctrine from the Council of Chalcedon (A.D. 451). Justinian was unable to do anything to resolve the differences. He even alienated the pope in Rome, creating a schism. Justinian expelled teachers of paganism from the Academy in Athens, closing the schools of Athens, in 529. In 564, Justinian adopted the heresy of Aphthartodocetism and tried to impose it. Before the matter was resolved, Justinian died, in 565. Nika Riots However improbable it may seem, this event was born of extreme sports fanaticism and corruption. Justinian and Theodora were Blues fans. Despite fan loyalty, they attempted to reduce the influence of both teams, but too late. The Blue and Green teams created a disturbance in the Hippodrome on June 10, 532. Seven ringleaders were executed, but one of each side survived and became a rallying point that integrated fans of both teams. They and their fans began shouting Nika Victory in the Hippodrome. Now a mob, they appointed a new emperor. Justinians military leaders prevailed and slaughtered 30,000 rioters. Building Projects The damage caused to Constantinople by the Nika Revolt paved the way for Constantines building project, according to DIR Justinian, by James Allan Evans. Procopius book On Buildings [De aedificiis] describes Justinians building projects that included aqueducts and bridges, monasteries, orphanages, hostels, and the Hagia Sophia, which still stands in Constantinople/Istanbul.

Growing and Caring for Norfolk Island Pine

Growing and Caring for Norfolk Island Pine Araucaria heterophylla, or Norfolk Island pine or Australian pine, is a southern hemisphere conifer native to the Norfolk Islands and Australia. Technically, its not a real pine. Norfolk Island Pine is one of the few conifers able to adapt to inside the home and is able to tolerate relatively low light levels. In its native habitat, this tree may reach 200 feet in height with 15-pound cones. The tree will grow outside in the United States but only in the semi-tropics of Florida. Specifics Scientific name: Araucaria heterophyllaPronunciation: air-ah-KAIR-ee-uh het-er-oh-FILL-uhCommon name(s): Norfolk Island Pine, Australian PineFamily: AraucariaceaeUSDA hardiness zones: South tip of Florida and California, zone 11Origin: not native to North AmericaUses: specimen, house plantAvailability: generally available in many areas within its hardiness range - especially during Christmas holidays. Pruning As Norfolk pine grows upward, the trunk thickens and the pine limbs increase in size. You should never cut their growing tips off and only rarely trim side branches for balance. A symmetrical look can be maintained by turning the plant regularly toward the sun. The lower branches and limbs tend to shed dry, brown needles when dehydrated and need pruning. The dry needles will not come back nor will lower limbs. These drying needles and dying limbs suggest drying out so follow watering instructions. The only maintenance pruning to be done is the removal of dead lower branches. Comments From Experts Extension Nursery Specialist Dr. Leonard Perry: If you want to invest in a houseplant with a future, buy a Norfolk Island pine. It requires minimal care, and because it grows slowly will remain small and attractive for many years indoors. Horticulturist Rosie Lerner: The Norfolk Island pine has grown in popularity as a live indoor Christmas tree. Its lush green twigs of soft needles provide a lovely backdrop for festive holiday ornaments. Moisture Norfolk pines have distinctively flat, whorled snow-flake like branches and short soft needles. They enjoy humid environments. As they age, and with the lack of humidity, the needles along the trunk will fall off. Mist spraying and a rocky moisture bed can increase humidity but never leave moisture around the roots. Just like under-watering, too much water will result in sporadic bright yellow needle clusters that come off very easily and dont come back. Check to make sure the plant is not standing in lots of water. It is actually inhibiting root water uptake, increasing root rot and, like lack of moisture is not good. These plants do best with consistency so stay on a weekly watering schedule - not too much and not too little h2o. You can get by with less during the dormant winter months. Fertilization Norfolk Island pines dont require frequent fertilization but when you do, use only at half the normal recommended rate. You can also use any complete soluble fertilizer including liquid foliar plant food applied as a mist for enhanced foliage response. Fertilize older plants every three to four months and repotted or newly purchased plants every four to six months. Try to limit the times you move your tree to a  new container as they have a weak root system which can be harmed by rough movement.  Norfolk Island pines need only be repotted every three to four years using a commercially available potting mixture. Culture Light requirement: tree grows in full sunSoil tolerances: clay; loam; sand; acidic; alkaline; well-drainedDrought tolerance: highAerosol salt tolerance: moderateSoil salt tolerance: good In Depth Although Norfolk pines provide some shade, they are not suitable for patios or terraces because they are too large and large surface roots are common. Obviously, this only applies to people growing the tree in south Florida. For the rest of us, moving a potted tree outside to partially shaded sun through spring and summer is a good thing. Many people forget how tall these trees grow. They often have an attractive pyramidal form (like a fir or spruce tree) when they are small, but they quickly grow too tall for most residential sites. They can live as a houseplant for a long time if not over-watered but rarely grow more than 5 or 6 feet tall. Growing best in full sun locations, this tree thrives on a variety of soils and is moderately salt tolerant. Young plants should be watered well, especially during periods of drought. Be sure to prune out multiple trunks or leaders as they should be grown with one central leader.​​ Propagation is by seeds or cuttings of erect shoot tips only.

Federal Express Secure Shipping Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Federal Express Secure Shipping - Research Paper Example Federal Express Custom Critical offers appropriate level of secure transportation of goods through secure standard operating procedures. Federal Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Smart Post, FedEx Freight, FedEx Office, FedEx Custom Critical are the global operating units of Federal Express Corporation. The organization has effectively controlled the security issues by effective transportation and shipping strategy in international market. The customized secure services of Federal Express have provided its clients several flexible options and choices. Through secure packing and shipment, the organization has been able to monitor its shipments with much more detailing. With the help of covert devices the organization is successfully monitoring air and ground shipments. From premium airfreight to chartered aircraft, the organization has provided a solution to achieve transportation and monitoring needs. The study will reveal the shipping activities of Federal Express. Moreover, the study wi ll determine how the organization has improved shipping security for the purpose of easy and comfortable access. Securing Transport Solutions Available multi-sized charter aircraft in global market has helped the organization to bring pace in the organization’s goods delivery process in global market. Collaboration with the exclusive-use charter vehicle has helped the organization to ship goods and services in quick period of time. ... FedEx generally handles the air transportation process. For the purpose of additional security Federal Express has provided direct flight options at all transfer points in global market. Effective and in-depth communication activities with all FedEx locations, hubs and ramps have secured the international shipping services of goods (Gadman, Gadman & Cooper, 2009). Continuous shipment tracking in the air and on the ground have secured the transportation and shipping services. Sealed and dedicated container vehicle and blue urgent tape have helped the organization to identify the freights in order to ensure the security of shipping throughout the transit. FedEx Critical is the leader within the freight industry. The organization is popular for its exceptional client services, individual shipment customization and 24/7 availability of freight and goods pickup and delivery services. The organization used to pickup and deliver several differentiated products. Secured features within the B usiness Several leading companies around the globe are trying to capitalize on the potential opportunities that have been developed and created due to the globalization and modern advanced technology. Now-a-days, the service industry is achieving significant growth as the taste and preference of modern age’s customer has changed dramatically. However, transport security of global client’s critical shipment is becoming more important. The organization has provided an array of effective secure features. Federal Express has an extensive range of exclusive delivery vehicles that helped the organization to provide door-to-door direct services throughout Canada and United States. Two-way proactive

Which documents and people had the most influence on US government Essay

Which documents and people had the most influence on US government - Essay Example The declaration in this charter may have informed the founders of the government about the liberties of individuals and ensured that the form of government created was not absolute or autocratic in its power, hence the checks and balances to the presidency. The Articles of Confederation were the agreements that directed the creation of a unification of the thirteen British colonies, these articles helped in the formation of a body that not only directed the revolutionary war against Britain, but also deal with the joint diplomatic affairs of these colonies. They formed the basis upon which closer union between the colonies was made which resulted in the writing of the Constitution, formally creating the United States of America. John Locke was one of the people whose viewpoint came to influence the government of the United States greatly. This was because of his belief in the equality of all men as well as the right of the public to have a say in the management of their government. In addition, he believed in the existence of God, but despite this, he felt that man had the right to determine his own destiny (Goldie, 2004). In conclusion, it can be said that the government of the United States had a lot of influence in its creation, especially from historical documents such as the Magna Carta. Furthermore, individuals who believed in democratic ideals, such as John Locke also left their imprint in the Constitution; such influence was immensely useful in placing the United States where it is in the present

NIKE CASE STUDY based on Corporate Strategy Essay

NIKE CASE STUDY based on Corporate Strategy - Essay Example By focusing differentition on product, businesses could commnd premium prices for their products. Products represented top-of-the-line offerings in the industry. In this mrket, degree of differentition is not lrge. Nike entrees mrket where competitors cn differentite their products nd tht is why hve less rivlry. Rivlry is reduced where customers hve high switching costs - i.e. there is significnt cost ssocited with the decision to receive products from n lterntive competitor. Nike proposes to its customers competitive prices nd ensure customer stisfction. Nike's min competitor (Dniels et l 2006), dids, follows the strtegy which hs gret impct on competition. The nlysis suggests tht ny superior mtch between compny competencies nd customers needs permits the firm to outperform competitors. In generl, Nike bses its competitive strtegy on overll ledership nd differentition constructing the most efficient fcilities (in terms of scle or technology) nd obtins the lrgest shre of mrket. These dvntges, in turn, give them substntil led in terms of experience with building the service. Experience then leds to more refinements of the entire process of production, delivery, nd service, which leds to further cost reductions. Nike hs mrketble portfolio which ensures its ledership position on the mrket. The study reveled tht Nike does not pursue low-cost strtegies. Within these globl competitive environments, Nike overwhelmingly emphsizes differentition strtegies, where competitive positioning is predominntly bsed on qulity offerings nd brnd imge. Qulity is lmost universlly stressed s necessry determinnt of competitiveness. nother theme evident in the findings is the importnce strtegy-industry fit plys in determining business unit performnce. Here it is recognized tht perceptions of industry pressures my be more importnt thn the ctul pressures in determining strtegies nd hence performnce (Johnson & Scholes 2003). Question 2 In order to improve its strtegies position, Nike should chieve competition dvntge nd re-position itself. The compny cn position itself s premium brnd which proposes exceptionl qulity. While ll businesses my emphsize qulity, some my select strtegy bsed on further differentiting their offerings ccording to the qulity of the products nd services they provide. Indeed, in this study one of the dominnt competitive positioning strtegy types identified is 'high-qulity" (Johnson & Scholes 2003). Here, the emphsis on qulity permetes every ctivity long the vlue chin; qulity is clerly the overriding determinnt of competitive positioning. The exceptionl qulity is crucil for footbll tems nd the 2008 Europen Chmpionship. In this cse, qulity domintes competitive positioning nd differentites businesses in globl scle. Here, qulity is consistent with both innovtion nd speciliztion (Dniels et l 2006). Mngeril perceptions of strong pressures re evidence tht lrge number of businesses competing in globl industries mke imprecise ssessments of globl industry opportunities nd threts. It is possible to ssume tht Nike's competitors will follow cost focus strtegy nd cost differentition. dids, direct competitor of Nike, provides comprble buyer vlue but perform the ctivities less efficiently. In contorts, Nike performs the ctivities in unique wy which rises the vlue to the consumer nd thus llows them to commnd premium price - the

PH 91 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PH 91 - Assignment Example To treat this STI one of the best methods is to apply topical steroid ointments. A third STI that an individual can experience is the sexually transferred gastrointestinal disease especially in the genetalian and the symptom of this infection may include irritation of the region called colonic mucosa and the treatment of this STI is similar to the treatment of genital herpes. A fourth STI is Kaposi sarcoma and the symptom of this disease is the development of cuts on the skin that do not pose a threat to life. They are treated with radiation method of treatment. Developing any STI will make me feel depressed and I will feel that my life is under the danger of death. In order to secure oneself from STIs I would take precautionary measures such as contraceptives including condoms. There are various causes that can result in male experiencing sexual issues. These causes include both physical issues as well as psychological issues. The physical caused that may result in dysfunction includes diabetes as well as drug abuse and the psychological causes may include stressful life due to work and personal life issues. In order to treat male sexual issues can be treated through drugs and these drugs are used to treat the physical issues that are causing sexual problems. The physical causes of sexual issues experienced by the female includes diabetes, discrepancies of the hormones, substance abuse such as excessive and addictive alcohol drinking behavior and women may even experience these issues as a result of stress in the work and personal lives. To treat these issues those physical issues should be treated with the help of medicine that are causing these issues. Furthermore, providing females with education regarding their anatomy can help them overcome stress. The work of the sex therapist includes the identification as well as the analysis of the sexual issues

ITM 301 MOD 3 SLP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ITM 301 MOD 3 SLP - Essay Example In addition, tabs such as News, Analysis, Blogs, Videos, and Slideshows are also visible on the home page. Overall look and feel Its overall structure meets the standard of a professional website, and covers wide ranges of technological information. However, the exceeding priority given to advertisements undermines the genuineness of its fundamental objectives. It mainly targets people who are interested in technological innovations or people working in Technical field. It also provides useful information to business executives and other professional individuals who would purchase technical devices. Useful features of the site Obviously, the various tabs on the tope of the home page make the website more user-friendly. Similarly, the CIO provides links to social networking sites such as facebook and twitter. It assists the users to share important information through their favorite social networks. Despite their excessiveness, advertisements seen on each page of the website would aid the users to select their best option. The whole resources on the website are free to users; and evidently, the site meets its maintenance costs and other expenses from advertisers. The search option at the top-right corner of the home page enables the users to access required information by entering a key word or phrase.

Deal of the day group buying website affect the young customers in Dissertation

Deal of the day group buying website affect the young customers in China - Dissertation Example Qualitative and quantitative research design was used. The research philosophy used was positivism or interpretive and the research approach used was deductive or inductive. The population of the study was based in Beijing China where a sample of 1,000 people was taken to represent the whole population.The SPSS statistical tool was used to analyze the data. Table of Contents Title page†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.1 Abstract†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...2 Table of content†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦......3 Chapter One:Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦...4-8 Chapter Two:Literature review†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.9-24 Chapter Three:Research Methodology†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦25-26 Chapter Four:Data Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦27-51 Chapter Five:Conclusion and Limitations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢ € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦..52-53 Appendix; Questionnaire†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...†¦54-57 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...58-62 Chapter One Introduction Group-buying sites started in Chinese suppliers in the year 2010 March and instantly joined into competitive competitors for the business. At the optimizing of the trend, 5,058 such sites were in the marketplace, but there are only 943 left, generally due to a lack of financing, reviews news website Xkb.com.cn.Last year, a total of 1,514 groups-buying sites shut down or withdrew from the industry, a normal of four shutdowns per day, according to research from the Chinese suppliers Electronic Business Re search Center. It is agreed that in the present year, household internet leaders may also start to re-evaluate the value of their group-buying sites, and organizations may look to combine or negotiate considering the new customer pattern of buying on cell phone applications.In this summer, reviews appeared in China's Twitter and SinaWebat Juqi.com, one of the nation's top 10 group-buying sites, was near to bankruptcy, with several of its providers allegedly challenging to be compensated and starting to eliminate computer systems for the organization's head office after their demands were ignored. On August, 2, Juqi declined the rumors’ on its website, saying the organization is still in function. However, it is considered that the organization has already revoked its functions due to deficiency of financing;Juqistepped out for business in July 2010 and commenced websites in 15 places providing cafe, enjoyment and resort group-buying offers. It rated among the top 10 group-buy ing websites last season, the review said. Wang Qiheng, CEO of Lingtuan.com, linked the failing of Juqi to its problems in establishing the route of its growth and cost control, thus leading to a financing absence and problems from clients. According to numbers collected by Tuan800.com, in the first 50 percent of the season the top five group-buying websites, such as Dianping.com and Meituan.com, included 90.09% of the complete household industry. Meanwhile, there are now only 943 group-buying websites remaining in the marketplace — a rate of success of just 18.6%. Contrary to the reducing number of the sites, the

ITM 301 MOD 3 SLP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ITM 301 MOD 3 SLP - Essay Example In addition, tabs such as News, Analysis, Blogs, Videos, and Slideshows are also visible on the home page. Overall look and feel Its overall structure meets the standard of a professional website, and covers wide ranges of technological information. However, the exceeding priority given to advertisements undermines the genuineness of its fundamental objectives. It mainly targets people who are interested in technological innovations or people working in Technical field. It also provides useful information to business executives and other professional individuals who would purchase technical devices. Useful features of the site Obviously, the various tabs on the tope of the home page make the website more user-friendly. Similarly, the CIO provides links to social networking sites such as facebook and twitter. It assists the users to share important information through their favorite social networks. Despite their excessiveness, advertisements seen on each page of the website would aid the users to select their best option. The whole resources on the website are free to users; and evidently, the site meets its maintenance costs and other expenses from advertisers. The search option at the top-right corner of the home page enables the users to access required information by entering a key word or phrase.

Long-Term Financial Options Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Long- Financial Options - Term Paper Example A safe investment is one, which offers reasonable protection against the risk of capital loss. Success in minimizing investment risks really depends on you, your temperament, and the approach you decide to adopt towards investment matters. Two other ways to minimize investment risks and ensure greater safety are diversification and liquidity. The principle of diversification is best stated in the oft-quoted maxim: never put all your eggs in one basket. Spread your money over a number of widely different assets; buy real state, shares, debentures, government securities, silver paintings or whatever else you consider to be an attractive investment. Diversify geographical in-law does to concentrate all your investments in one city, state or region of the country. On the stock market, diversification can be achieved by buying shares in a number of companies, manufacturing different products, operating in different lines of business, belonging to different business houses and catering to different markets. Diversification has the additional advantage of protecting you against your own prejudices and errors of judgemen1It also enables you to hedge your bets, reduce your potential losses, and provides you with an-built insurance against unforeseen dangers and pitfalls. However, despite many points in its favor, diversification does not provide a satisfactory answer to many investment problems. In the final analysis, diversification is nothing more than average investing. It helps you to get average, or close to average, returns-nothing more, nothing less. Diversification is of little use to you, if you aim to beat market averages and get high returns. For that, you will have to deploy your investments in potentially high-return assets and investment media. Moreover, excessive diversification greatly enhances the problem of investment management and control. The more diversified your investments, the greater will be the problems you face in exercising effective managerial control over them. Therefore, as in risk versus return, the successful investor has to balance the advantages and disadvantages of diversification as against concentration.

Channels of communication in Multi national organisations

Channels of communication in Multi national organisations Communication plays a major role in the development of any multinational organization. The communication flow is controlled by a hierarchical system of managers making the decisions from higher to lower levels in the hierarchical In this process the generated responses and reports communicate from lower to higher level in the organization. Managers also spend time communicating with their peers. Therefore, the upward and downward of the communication indicates its effective functionality in a lateral direction. Mead (1998) describes a multinational corporation (MNC) as services produced in the one or more countries but established as a head office in one country. Here, the functionality of Communication plays a vital role in any organization, in the multinational corporation, MNC, when compared to any localized company. The communication among these channels plays a unique and major role in a MNC at the same time for any complexity in communication of the MNC requires an effective communication which is a challenging task to accomplish. TESCO Jack Cohen who was a stallholder for selling groceries in London market founded Tesco in 1919. In fact TESCO was formed out of a merger with T.E. The first store was opened in 1929 in Burnt Oak, Edgware in North West London where he bought the tea to sell in the stall. From there Tesco was expanded up to 2,200 stores which include hyper markets and Tesco express outlets across the world to satisfy the needs for every customer. Not only being as a company Tesco also provides different kinds of goods and services such as banking, online shopping and insurance to meet the customer satisfactory results becoming the Britains largest retail industry including in the other three continents and also making a profit margin of up to  £3.4 billion with a 468,000 employee force. Tesco is now planning to make a move into market of non-foods with a goal to take a lead position in Asia and even in Central Europe. The Research Problem A in the fields of organizational strategies and internal communication has been conducted and it seems to be a threat regarding the communication and in theories of MNCs. This research will therefore investigate the channels of communication and communication process of TESCO. In the scenario of practical environment this research will analyse the process of internal and external way of communication and the build the gap between the advantages and disadvantages of Tesco. Aims and Objectives The aim of this research is to investigate and expel the internal and external methods of communication there by focussing on the advantages and disadvantages (barriers), of TESCO.   Objectives To study of the communication process in sTESCO To study of the channels of communication in TESCO To study of the internal and external communications of TESCO To find out the communication barriers in TESCO Literature review In any kind of business environment Communication can be described as an exchange of messages from one person to the other person and giving an acknowledgement of the particular message received is understood and expecting some kind of action as a result. According to Wilbur Schramm (1955), communication is the process of establishing a commonness or oneness of thought between a sender and a receiver. In other words, it helps employees to work towards the same goals, by giving them a similar direction through which effectiveness in communication is achieved and helps to create a base and direction for every activity. Communication process in TESCO The purpose of communication within an organisation such as Tesco would be  to give information to its  public  and employees e.g. to perhaps inform staff of a  future  meeting, or to provide customers with details of a promotion. Also Tesco need to collect information e.g. such as personal details of employees, which would be needed for personnel records, or market research data on sales of products. Communication is needed to keep Tesco running smoothly, Tesco employees need to know what he/she has to do, and do it to the best of their abilitys. For Tesco to have a good reputation to the public they need to have good communication to eliminate errors, manage problems and deal efficiently with customers complaints/queries. Communication can take place internally (through bosses and employees, subordinates, colleagues) or it can take place externally (Customers, Suppliers, Media, Shareholders) In businesses, you will find that the point of communication is to influence something in the business. The message is often an instruction and the response should be that the job is done. Communication process Communication involves four elements: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A Sender à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A Message à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A Receiver à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A Feedback These four elements are the principals to getting a message across in resulting in effective communication; you will also find that communication goes in all directions Tesco need to communicate with a range of individuals and organisations. Including their customers, their competitors and their suppliers. Good communication in Tesco is essential if it is going to achieve its objectives and to operate effectively. Tesco have a lot of channels of communication internally/externally between their functional areas. Channels of communication in TESCO Tesco being a large company with 729 stores in the U.K, 979 stores nationally, and employing 280 million nationally, means they have to use reliable sources of communication in order to run an efficient business. Channels of communication played a key role in TESCO. It has established various channels, formal, informal verbal, non-verbal oral, written, technological different electronically means to facilitate the transmission of information throughout the organization. Formal Informal Communication Formal communication is when employees communicate through the official channels that have been set by the business, e.g. weekly staff meetings, reports, forms, memos. TESCO would definitely resort to this type f communication a lot, as Tesco is a big company, there would usually be board meetings for the board of directors etc. Formal communication is much more associated with vertical communication; it usually involves a good organised system, which has to work efficiently and quickly. Informal communication is when people within an organisation communicate but not by using the chain of command or the official channels. You will find this type of communication between employees of the same level, and is very much associated with horizontal and diagonal communication. This type of communication is usually voluntary, and helps to build cooperation between staff. This communication would take place a lot between employees in Tesco. Internal and External Communication Internal communication is communication that is shared by people at all levels within a company.  External communication  occurs between parties inside a company and parties outside the company, such as suppliers, customers, and investors. Both internal and external forms of communication include everything from formal e-mail and official reports to face-to-face conversations and casual phone calls. External communication also takes such forms as customer and supplier Web sites, news releases, and advertising Internal communication Channels are used by Tesco Phone/mobile, fax, email, memo, club cards, letters, notices, meetings, reports. External communication channels are used by Tesco Websites, Tesco cards, Vouchers  Telivision advertisements,   Tesco  online  (internet), video conferencing,   forms. Communication is vital to Tesco because then everyone is clear about objectives, there is smooth and accurate communication both within the organisation (internal) and between the organisation and other individuals (external), ideas and views are clearly heard and everyone in the organisation is kept informed of developments and changes. Tesco uses internal and external communication channels effectively. These channels are influence to the company. By using these channels customers satisfaction is good. Advantages and disadvantages (barriers) of communication in Tesco Communication is an extremely important factor in motivating employees. This may be through 1-to-1 discussions with managers, through the company intranet or newsletters or through more formal structures such as appraisals. Line managers hold a daily Team Meeting to update staff on what is happening for the day and to give out Value Awards. These awards can be given from any member of staff to another as a way of saying thank you and celebrating achievements. .The employees would feel good that the have a say in the work thus motivating them to work hard. Good communication would clear up any misunderstandings and jobs would get done well, and on time. Communication would provide the manager with feedback on previous decisions, and because the company would be consistent and organised less problems would transpire and would brighten the image of the organisation.  Ã‚   Advantages Business dealings are made more effective, fast and reliable Information on customers provides information on customer satisfaction. Tesco is made more accessible to customers, with better quality services, and better communication between the customers and Tesco. Communication internally and externally is made more effective. In Tesco greater communication is there between employees, customers and stake holders. there are many advantages using channels of communication in Tesco. Memo is a perfect channel of communication for employees working in the same branch who want to write quick informal messages. Club-cards are advantage of communication because Tesco stores every item that you have bought when your card is swiped; this means that they know whats been selling the most and the least in that certain Tesco. This information is stored in a database and used for many things such as knowing what items to stock extra of, finding ways of promoting the least selling items   Tesco employees would use word of mouth to communicate in their own branch. Its good for passing brief messages and gets straight to the point without any confusion and misunderstanding. Tescos hold a staff meeting every month. Its to discuss problems, new arrangements, new ideas, promotion ideas etc its a very good form of communication because all staff members are together to all give their input   Websites are used to store lots of information for customers, e.g. latest CDs sold in Tescos, wine, store locaters, careers at Tesco, information on a baby and toddler club etc.     Disadvantages/Barriers of the use of channels of communication in Tesco Barriers can get in the way of effective communication. List different barriers to communication Wrong format, Technical breakdown, Receiver unable to understand message, Attitudes towards sender, Wrong channel, No feedback, Poor timing, Use of jargon, Unclear message, Wrong targets. When determining what barriers might exist to channels of communication in a company, there are various potential barriers to the channels of communication in Tesco. Many problems in an organization occur due to inadequate and imperfect communication. Brooke (1996) states that encoding and decoding processes are the main barriers for communication both between individuals and groups, as well as between different levels in the organization. Poor choice of communication channels can also present a barrier to communication. Finally, cultural differences can be a barrier in that they effect the communication between people from different departments in the organization; for example, the RD department has a long time horizon whereas the production department is concerned with achieving daily targets. Communication barriers Tesco is one of the world largest company. It has good communication channels in company because of that they have less disadvantages/barriers is there. Phoning allows Tesco to contact local Tesco branches, which is ideal  for brief messages but could be a problem for Tesco to phone foreign Tescos due to bad frequency, expensive phone bills misunderstood  messages. Texting from mobiles would only be appropriate for your branch or local branches. Fax is ideal for Tesco to send urgent documents and contracts. The  problems of sending a fax is that you would not be sure who would be  reading your fax, you cant send thick booklets and physical barriers such as lack of paper may occur. Tesco use email because its good for them to communicate with local(LAN) and national (WAN)branches because they can send quick messages. But it is disadvantage sometimes the problems are that you cant be sure that your message will be read. TV advertisements are good because of the large amount of viewers. Its a chance for viewers to see new items and promotions. Some times it is a communicating barrier because of the people who might not pay attention to adverts.   Overcoming the barriers Tesco has a one of the largest company in the world. It has good communication channels. But some barriers is there. If communication is bad then managers may not keep in touch with  employees views this could result in frustration which could lead to a strike. Also the outcome of poor communication is bad decisions being made from bad communication and could result in loss of business opportunities, which could lead to lost money and jobs, this could give the company a bad reputation. Because of this Tesco should reduce these barriers. The company should take some actions to overcome communication barriers. The company will reduce the existing barriers and their consequences will facilitate a more effective communication among the employees.. Company should give good frequency to phone calls to contact the local branches. Every fax message must read because of this company will not miss any urgent documents and contracts. Company use the communication channels to their full capacity. Company has come up with diverse ways of communicating by carefully targeting its messages to individuals rather than groups. Company able to sort out issues and control campaigns on key issues that affect its members as well as the public at large. Methodology Research design This report has involved various sources and information which is important for any researcher investigates a multinational organisation. This research explains the communication process and the data necessary for this study. Channels of communication in multi national organisation states a case study approach is particularly appropriate for individual researchers because covers a wide arrange of sources, including facts, figures, news, opinions and theories, and obtaining the highest quality of information. The standards of a good research therefore will include exploring, describing, explaining, and finally evaluating the information (Ruane, 2005). The case study approach plays an important role in research which deals with the communication process, internal and external communication in the research investigation. Whereas a survey is a systematic collection of information from large study groups usually by means of questionnaires administered to samples of units of population The researcher suggests case study method to conduct this research along with an employee survey because case study method is a qualitative method (Gerring, 2007). The researcher would study the particular problem in depth only in a particular multinational organisation and there is no mean to generalise the findings to other organisations or industries. In this research the evaluations are based on qualitative data which may be defined as the research is that involves analysing and interpreting texts and interviews in order to discover meaningful patterns descriptive of a particular phenomenon (Auerbach Silverstein, 2003, p.3) As the research is qualitative the researcher decided that inductive analysis would be constructive because the inductive method allows theory to be constructed from the outline emerging from research data (Henn et al. 2006 cited in Brown 2008, p 191). However, Saunders et al. (2007, p.120) further points out that unlike the deductive method, inductive method is more flexible and uses qualitative data. For this reason the researcher would be using the inductive method. Data collection method It is planned data to collect primary data by web based approach. Researcher used chosen organisation website to find the data. It generally results in a higher response rate and faster than other methods. The official website of TESCO had distributed via email both internally and externally. de Vaus (2002, cited in Saunders et al., 2007) defined questionnaire as a general term that includes all techniques of data collection in which each person is asked to respond to the same set of questions in a predetermined order. The aim of questionnaires are to gather information and views on channels of communication in multinational organisation, therefore the researcher made certain that each question encompassed this area. Each question was to achieve the aim and objectives of this research, and information was to achieve reaching this goals. At the planning stage the researcher made sure that each question revealed information which are needed and not merely wanted. To maximise the success of the questionnaire, the researcher applied various techniques such as giving the questionnaire a meaningful title, keeping questions short and succinct as possible, offering incentives for the return of questionnaire, and providing the prepaid self reply envelopes with each questionnaire. Sampling The selection of the case company was discussed in the introduction of the thesis and, therefore, the focus here is to describe the sample selection within the chosen organization, TESCO. Within a specific case study there are numerous sites to be visited, events or activities to be observed, and documents to be read (Merriam 1998). In our embedded single case study we visited the web sites of organization however; we had to choose the relevant times for visiting websites. Our method for sampling was non-probability Methodology sampling, meaning that we choose specifically which people would be most relevant and interesting for us to interview with regards to the d problems. Within the frames of this non-probability sampling, we conducted a purposeful sampling. Data analysis During the collection of the primary data, we were very systematic in organizing it in order to have a well-structured database, from which we would later conduct an analysis. We also added our own thoughts and observations in the different documents. The way of getting information is that contact to tesco employees and visit the company websites. From the analysis of the empirical data, we were able to present a number of recommendations to the case company. Further, the data analysis provided us with a proper foundation from which we were able to draw conclusions as well as to discover various theoretical implications. Limitations, validity and reliability The proposed research has some limitations which hampered the validity and realiability of the research. In order to carry out this investigation the researcher has contact Tesco employees, read business communicatio books and search information on tesco website. The results of this research are applicable only selected categeory.it is suggested to carry out a different categories if applicable.The other limitation is that the findings and conclusions totally depends on Questionnaire. Respondents are answering the given questions and if the questions are not designed properly to get the required data from employees the researcher will not perform the objectives of the research. Ethical issues of the research report Ethical issues are always a part parcel of a research project. As Best (2001) points out that the data or information collected should remain unbiased and relevant to the research. There are some ethical issues in this particular research. The researcher will attend these issues and give due importance to this aspect of research. The respondents of the questionnaires will be briefed about the purpose of the project and it will help to build the confidence and participation. Also their participation will be voluntary in nature and they will have the right to withdraw from the process at any time. Also the details of respondents and data collected can be against the right of employees. Reliability of data and intellectual property rights when reviewing the literature. Conclusion I therefore conclude that from my research I have gathered that  emailing is the best form of communicating internally and externally of Tescos simply because all Tescos have the internet so all branches can communicate and also compared to other forms of communication email is the most reliable because physical barriers wouldnt occur as  frequently as faxing or texting. Also from an environmental point of view emailing is very friendly because no paper is being used which would prevent deforestation unlike faxing, letters and leaflets. Computers are rapidly evolving and you can easily say that majority of the public have a computer which is a great from a business point of view for Tesco because the public would be receiving plenty of information through their computer such as vouchers which would entice them to shop there.   Like all big companies, Tesco relies on different departments to help it run, which need communication between them all the time, meaning that if one didnt exist, Tesco would not do so well. Tesco has a tall organisational Structure, due to the number of departments within the business. In order to make sure that these departments work perfectly with each other, Tesco relies heavily on Communication as well, from Written to Verbal, Horizontal to Diagonal, and Formal to Informal. TIME AND RESOURCE PLAN FOR THE RESERCH PROJECT steps List of deliverables Resources Duration SEP/DEC 2010 JAN2011 1 Literature review Books, journals, Internet, computer 2 Design the research Computer, internet and books 3 Preparation of Questionnaire Computer books and internet 4 Collecting e-mail addresses and sending the questionnaire Internet, computer 5 Receiving the Answered questionnaire 6 Data analysis Computer 7 Final report preparation Computer 8 Submission

Capital Punishment in the United States Essay -- Death Penalty Row Law

The death penalty is a controversial topic in the United States today and has been for a number of years. The death penalty is currently legal in 38 states and two federal jurisdictions (Winters 97). The death penalty statutes were overturned and then reinstated in the United States during the 1970's due to questions concerning its fairness (Flanders 50). The death penalty began to be reinstated slowly, but the rate of executions has increased during the 1990's (Winters103-107). There are a number of arguments in favor of the death penalty. Many death penalty proponents feel that the death penalty reduces crime because it deters people from committing murder if they know that they will receive the death penalty if they are caught. Others in favor of the death penalty feel that even if it doesn't deter others from committing crimes, it will eliminate repeat offenders. Death penalty opponents feel that the death penalty actually leads to an increase in crime because the death penalty desensitizes people to violence, and it sends the message that violence is a suitable way to resolve conflicts. Death penalty opponents also condemn the death penalty because of the possibility of an innocent person being put to death, and because it can be unfairly applied. Death penalty opponents feel that the death penalty must be abolished because it cheapens the value of human life. The death penalty desensitizes people to murder and violence because, by executing people, the state sends the message that violence is an acceptable means of resolving conflicts (Terrill). The death penalty also reduces the gravity of the loss of human life by making it legal for the state to kill people it deems to be beyond reform (Winters 57). Death penalty oppo... ...es, even though 80% of the population is in favor of it, because of the numerous ethical and practical issues that must be taken into consideration (Winters139-144). Experts on both sides of the argument have numerous statistics and studies to back up their claims and to refute the claims of their opponents. Death penalty supporters hold that the death penalty is a deterrent to crime, and brings justice to killers. However, death penalty opponents maintain that the death penalty does not deter criminals, and desensitizes people to violence. There are no easy answers to the questions surrounding the imposition of the death penalty in the United States. Thus one should pursue this question with an open mind and consider all sides of the argument, because as Thomas Jefferson once said, "difference of opinion leads to inquiry, and inquiry leads to truth" (Winters 11).

Public Nudity Should Not be Allowed :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Public Nudity Should Not be Allowed In the summer of 1996 Gwen Jacobs enjoyed a topless summer stroll during which she was seen by a local O.P.P officer, was apprehended and subsequently charged with indecent exposure. Gwen Jacobs pleaded not guilty in court and won the right to go topless in Ontario. This incident brought up an excellent question: should women be allowed to go topless on public beaches and in other public areas? The answer is strictly no, women should not be allowed to go topless anywhere outside of their own home. One of the many reasons why I believe that women should not be allowed to go topless is with respect to the safety of women. Men and boys have, in recent years, been using short, tight, skirts and shirts as an excuse for rape or date rape. Men have said that the girl was wearing a tight shirt and short skirt and it was obvious that she was easy and wanted the attention. This statement leads me to my next point. The average human being upon first contact with a stranger bases his initial impression of that person solely on the person's appearance. This is only natural as the only thing that we know about this stranger is what we see of them the first time we meet. We all are aware of the sayings "Preppy","Jockish","Skater","Sluty" etc. This final saying, â€Å"Sluty† is interpreted by 90 percent of North Americans as a tight skirt and tight tank top which happens to be the usual ensemble of a prostitute. This first impression of a girl in nothing but a skirt and a bare chest will no doubt elevate to the new version of a â€Å"Slut† and a girl that wants it. My second point is, what kind of questions will a mother be asked by her son when he sees a half nude woman walking down the street. The first question that this child will ask is why do these women have no shirt on and you do? Your reply will be well ahhh go talk to your father. This dilemma will no doubt be brought about as these and other questions about the sexual nature of the body will be put forth by young children. Questions that you as a parent do not feel should be answered truthfully to such a young child. My third point begins thousands of years ago when man first walked on the earth. When man first walked he hunted and his wife(clothless) cleaned the game and took care of the young.

Kowloon Motor Bus Co. Analysis

The Kowloon Motor Bus Co. (1933) Ltd. (KMB) is the largest public bus company in Hong Kong. KMB carries over 2. 8 million passengers per day and operates some 4,000 buses on 400 bus routes cover and across Kowloon, the New Territories and Hong Kong Island. KMB is the only local bus company to hold both ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001 certification and has earned the distinction of being one of the few public bus companies in the world to operate profitably without a government subsidy.Innovation – The Way Forward. As a leader in public bus operations, KMB pioneered the development of super-low-floor easy access buses in 1996 to provide comfortable access for people in need. To extend the company's service network without increasing the number of buses on the road, and to offer passengers the convenience of point-to-point travel, KMB operates 61 Octopus Bus-Bus Interchange fare discount packages comprising about 250 bus routes. Cost advantage: To streamline operations and track cos ts, the company uses a computerised Bus Maintenance Management System and an electronic Traffic Operations Management System.These in-house innovations have won acclaim from the Hong Kong Computer Society. Brand loyalty: Outstanding Customer Communications KMB has developed web-based and face to face communication channels to complement the company's widely used award winning Customer Service Hotline. The 24-hour KMB Customer Service Hotline uses geographic information technology in the form of a digital map Passenger Enquiry (PEQ) System to uphold its pledge of first contact resolution for customer enquiries.The system is equipped with 3-D images of over 100,000 landmarks to provide prompt and personalized bus route information. Since its launch, the digital map has won wide acclaim in local, regional and international awards for technology innovation, and the KMB Customer Service Hotline was recently named as the best contact centre of its class in the world. KMB, the winner of th e CILT A ward 2007 – Passenger Transport Excellence organised a Depot Visit and Presentation Session to share their environmental protection works with CILTHK members on 29th March 2008.At the event, KMB was presented with the logo of CILT Award 2007 for use throughout the year to strengthen their reputation as well as a corporate image for their quality service provided to the community. Competitors: Taxi services We observe that in the past 10 years or so, rail, franchised and non-franchised bus and PLB services have all been extended and improved. Against this background taxi services (the vehicle, passenger facilities and the driver's service and driving skills) have changed little. The earlier competitive advantage taxis had as convenient, air-conditioned services has been substantially eroded.Furthermore, the fare is no longer competitive on longer journeys, leading to fierce competition between taxi drivers through discounted services. A better operating environment fo r taxis, thereby allowing them to provide better service to passengers in accordance with the policy objective of providing a personalized, point to point, public transport service. The flexibility and personal service provided by taxis make them ideal for this purpose, provided a suitable vehicle can be found. Once introduced, subsidies may be made available to facilitate those in wheelchairs using the service.

The Lost Symbol Chapter 76-78

CHAPTER 76 Freedom Plaza is a map. Located at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Thirteenth Street, the plaza's vast surface of inlaid stone depicts the streets of Washington as they were originally envisioned by Pierre L'Enfant. The plaza is a popular tourist destination not only because the giant map is fun to walk on, but also because Martin Luther King Jr., for whom Freedom Plaza is named, wrote much of his â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech in the nearby Willard Hotel. D.C. cabdriver Omar Amirana brought tourists to Freedom Plaza all the time, but tonight, his two passengers were obviously no ordinary sightseers. The CIA is chasing them? Omar had barely come to a stop at the curb before the man and woman had jumped out. â€Å"Stay right here!† the man in the tweed coat told Omar. â€Å"We'll be right back!† Omar watched the two people dash out onto the wide-open spaces of the enormous map, pointing and shouting as they scanned the geometry of intersecting streets. Omar grabbed his cell phone off the dashboard. â€Å"Sir, are you still there?† â€Å"Yes, Omar!† a voice shouted, barely audible over a thundering noise on his end of the line. â€Å"Where are they now?† â€Å"Out on the map. It seems like they're looking for something.† â€Å"Do not let them out of your sight,† the agent shouted. â€Å"I'm almost there!† Omar watched as the two fugitives quickly found the plaza's famous Great Seal–one of the largest bronze medallions ever cast. They stood over it a moment and quickly began pointing to the southwest. Then the man in tweed came racing back toward the cab. Omar quickly set his phone down on the dashboard as the man arrived, breathless. â€Å"Which direction is Alexandria, Virginia?† he demanded. â€Å"Alexandria?† Omar pointed southwest, the exact same direction the man and woman had just pointed toward. â€Å"I knew it!† the man whispered beneath his breath. He spun and shouted back to the woman. â€Å"You're right! Alexandria!† The woman now pointed across the plaza to an illuminated â€Å"Metro† sign nearby. â€Å"The Blue Line goes directly there. We want King Street Station!† Omar felt a surge of panic. Oh no. The man turned back to Omar and handed him entirely too many bills for the fare. â€Å"Thanks. We're all set.† He hoisted his leather bag and ran off. â€Å"Wait! I can drive you! I go there all the time!† But it was too late. The man and woman were already dashing across the plaza. They disappeared down the stairs into the Metro Center subway station. Omar grabbed his cell phone. â€Å"Sir! They ran down into the subway! I couldn't stop them! They're taking the Blue Line to Alexandria!† â€Å"Stay right there!† the agent shouted. â€Å"I'll be there in fifteen seconds!† Omar looked down at the wad of bills the man had given him. The bill on top was apparently the one they had been writing on. It had a Jewish star on top of the Great Seal of the United States. Sure enough, the star's points fell on letters that spelled MASON. Without warning, Omar felt a deafening vibration all around him, as if a tractor trailer were about to collide with his cab. He looked up, but the street was deserted. The noise increased, and suddenly a sleek black helicopter dropped down out of the night and landed hard in the middle of the plaza map. A group of black-clad men jumped out. Most ran toward the subway station, but one came dashing toward Omar's cab. He yanked open the passenger door. â€Å"Omar? Is that you?† Omar nodded, speechless. â€Å"Did they say where they were headed?† the agent demanded. â€Å"Alexandria! King Street Station,† Omar blurted. â€Å"I offered to drive, but–â€Å" â€Å"Did they say where in Alexandria they were going?† â€Å"No! They looked at the medallion of the Great Seal on the plaza, then they asked about Alexandria, and they paid me with this.† He handed the agent the dollar bill with the bizarre diagram. As the agent studied the bill, Omar suddenly put it all together. The Masons! Alexandria! One of the most famous Masonic buildings in America was in Alexandria. â€Å"That's it!† he blurted. â€Å"The George Washington Masonic Memorial! It's directly across from King Street Station!† â€Å"That it is,† the agent said, apparently having just come to the same realization as the rest of the agents came sprinting back from the station. â€Å"We missed them!† one of the men yelled. â€Å"Blue Line just left! They're not down there!† Agent Simkins checked his watch and turned back to Omar. â€Å"How long does the subway take to Alexandria?† â€Å"Ten minutes at least. Probably more.† â€Å"Omar, you've done an excellent job. Thank you.† â€Å"Sure. What's this all about?!† But Agent Simkins was already running back to the chopper, shouting as he went. â€Å"King Street Station! We'll get there before they do!† Bewildered, Omar watched the great black bird lift off. It banked hard to the south across Pennsylvania Avenue, and then thundered off into the night. Underneath the cabbie's feet, a subway train was picking up speed as it headed away from Freedom Plaza. On board, Robert Langdon and Katherine Solomon sat breathless, neither one saying a word as the train whisked them toward their destination. CHAPTER 77 The memory always began the same way. He was falling . . . plummeting backward toward an ice-covered river at the bottom of a deep ravine. Above him, the merciless gray eyes of Peter Solomon stared down over the barrel of Andros's handgun. As he fell, the world above him receded, everything disappearing as he was enveloped by the cloud of billowing mist from the waterfall upstream. For an instant, everything was white, like heaven. Then he hit the ice. Cold. Black. Pain. He was tumbling . . . being dragged by a powerful force that pounded him relentlessly across rocks in an impossibly cold void. His lungs ached for air, and yet his chest muscles had contracted so violently in the cold that he was unable even to inhale. I'm under the ice. The ice near the waterfall was apparently thin on account of the turbulent water, and Andros had broken directly through it. Now he was being washed downstream, trapped beneath a transparent ceiling. He clawed at the underside of the ice, trying to break out, but he had no leverage. The searing pain from the bullet hole in his shoulder was evaporating, as was the sting of the bird shot; both were blotted out now by the crippling throb of his body going numb. The current was accelerating, slingshotting him around a bend in the river. His body screamed for oxygen. Suddenly he was tangled in branches, lodged against a tree that had fallen into the water. Think! He groped wildly at the branch, working his way toward the surface, finding the spot where the branch pierced up through the ice. His fingertips found the tiny space of open water surrounding the branch, and he pulled at the edges, trying to break the hole wider; once, twice, the opening was growing, now several inches across. Propping himself against the branch, he tipped his head back and pressed his mouth against the small opening. The winter air that poured into his lungs felt warm. The sudden burst of oxygen fueled his hope. He planted his feet on the tree trunk and pressed his back and shoulders forcefully upward. The ice around the fallen tree, perforated by branches and debris, was weakened already, and as he drove his powerful legs into the trunk, his head and shoulders broke through the ice, crashing up into the winter night. Air poured into his lungs. Still mostly submerged, he wriggled desperately upward, pushing with his legs, pulling with his arms, until finally he was out of the water, lying breathless on the bare ice. Andros tore off his soaked ski mask and pocketed it, glancing back upstream for Peter Solomon. The bend in the river obscured his view. His chest was burning again. Quietly, he dragged a small branch over the hole in the ice in order to hide it. The hole would be frozen again by morning. As Andros staggered into the woods, it began to snow. He had no idea how far he had run when he stumbled out of the woods onto an embankment beside a small highway. He was delirious and hypothermic. The snow was falling harder now, and a single set of headlights approached in the distance. Andros waved wildly, and the lone pickup truck immediately pulled over. It had Vermont plates. An old man in a red plaid shirt jumped out. Andros staggered toward him, holding his bleeding chest. â€Å"A hunter . . . shot me! I need a . . . hospital!† Without hesitation, the old man helped Andros up into the passenger seat of the truck and turned up the heater. â€Å"Where's the nearest hospital?!† Andros had no idea, but he pointed south. â€Å"Next exit.† We're not going to a hospital. The old man from Vermont was reported missing the next day, but nobody had any idea where on his journey from Vermont he might have disappeared in the blinding snowstorm. Nor did anyone link his disappearance to the other news story that dominated the headlines the next day–the shocking murder of Isabel Solomon. When Andros awoke, he was lying in a desolate bedroom of a cheap motel that had been boarded up for the season. He recalled breaking in and binding his wounds with torn bedsheets, and then burrowing into a flimsy bed beneath a pile of musty blankets. He was famished. He limped to the bathroom and saw the pile of bloody bird-shot pellets in the sink. He vaguely recalled prying them out of his chest. Raising his eyes to the dirty mirror, he reluctantly unwrapped his bloody bandages to survey the damage. The hard muscles of his chest and abdomen had stopped the bird shot from penetrating too deep, and yet his body, once perfect, was now ruined with wounds. The single bullet fired by Peter Solomon had apparently gone cleanly through his shoulder, leaving a bloody crater. Making matters worse, Andros had failed to obtain that for which he had traveled all this distance. The pyramid. His stomach growled, and he limped outside to the man's truck, hoping maybe to find food. The pickup was now covered with heavy snow, and Andros wondered how long he had been sleeping in this old motel. Thank God I woke up. Andros found no food anywhere in the front seat, but he did find some arthritis painkillers in the glove compartment. He took a handful, washing them down with several mouthfuls of snow. I need food. A few hours later, the pickup that pulled out from behind the old motel looked nothing like the truck that had pulled in two days earlier. The cab cap was missing, as were the hubcaps, bumper stickers, and all of the trim. The Vermont plates were gone, replaced by those from an old maintenance truck Andros had found parked by the motel Dumpster, into which he had thrown all the bloody sheets, bird shot, and other evidence that he had ever been at the motel. Andros had not given up on the pyramid, but for the moment it would have to wait. He needed to hide, heal, and above all, eat. He found a roadside diner where he gorged himself on eggs, bacon, hash browns, and three glasses of orange juice. When he was done, he ordered more food to go. Back on the road, Andros listened to the truck's old radio. He had not seen a television or newspaper since his ordeal, and when he finally heard a local news station, the report stunned him. â€Å"FBI investigators,† a news announcer said, â€Å"continue their search for the armed intruder who murdered Isabel Solomon in her Potomac home two days ago. The murderer is believed to have fallen through the ice and been washed out to sea.† Andros froze. Murdered Isabel Solomon? He drove on in bewildered silence, listening to the full report. It was time to get far, far away from this place. The Upper West Side apartment offered breathtaking views of Central Park. Andros had chosen it because the sea of green outside his window reminded him of his lost view of the Adriatic. Although he knew he should be happy to be alive, he was not. The emptiness had never left him, and he found himself fixated on his failed attempt to steal Peter Solomon's pyramid. Andros had spent long hours researching the Legend of the Masonic Pyramid, and although nobody seemed to agree on whether or not the pyramid was real, they all concurred on its famous promise of vast wisdom and power. The Masonic Pyramid is real, Andros told himself. My inside information is irrefutable. Fate had placed the pyramid within Andros's reach, and he knew that ignoring it was like holding a winning lottery ticket and never cashing it in. I am the only non-Mason alive who knows the pyramid is real . . . as well as the identity of the man who guards it. Months had passed, and although his body had healed, Andros was no longer the cocky specimen he had been in Greece. He had stopped working out, and he had stopped admiring himself naked in the mirror. He felt as if his body were beginning to show signs of age. His once-perfect skin was a patchwork of scars, and this only depressed him further. He still relied on the painkillers that had nursed him through his recovery, and he felt himself slipping back to the lifestyle that had put him in Soganlik Prison. He didn't care. The body craves what the body craves. One night, he was in Greenwich Village buying drugs from a man whose forearm had been tattooed with a long, jagged lightning bolt. Andros asked him about it, and the man told him the tattoo was covering a long scar he had gotten in a car accident. â€Å"Seeing the scar every day reminded me of the accident,† the dealer said, â€Å"and so I tattooed over it with a symbol of personal power. I took back control.† That night, high on his new stash of drugs, Andros staggered into a local tattoo parlor and took off his shirt. â€Å"I want to hide these scars,† he announced. I want to take back control. â€Å"Hide them?† The tattoo artist eyed his chest. â€Å"With what?† â€Å"Tattoos.† â€Å"Yes . . . I mean tattoos of what?† Andros shrugged, wanting nothing more than to hide the ugly reminders of his past. â€Å"I don't know. You choose.† The artist shook his head and handed Andros a pamphlet on the ancient and sacred tradition of tattooing. â€Å"Come back when you're ready.† Andros discovered that the New York Public Library had in its collection fifty-three books on tattooing, and within a few weeks, he had read them all. Having rediscovered his passion for reading, he began carrying entire backpacks of books back and forth between the library and his apartment, where he voraciously devoured them while overlooking Central Park. These books on tattoos had opened a door to a strange world Andros had never known existed–a world of symbols, mysticism, mythology, and the magical arts. The more he read, the more he realized how blind he had been. He began keeping notebooks of his ideas, his sketches, and his strange dreams. When he could no longer find what he wanted at the library, he paid rare-book dealers to purchase for him some of the most esoteric texts on earth. De Praestigiis Daemonum . . . Lemegeton . . . Ars Almadel . . . Grimorium Verum . . . Ars Notoria . . . and on and on. He read them all, becoming more and more certain that the world still had many treasures yet to offer him. There are secrets out there that transcend human understanding. Then he discovered the writings of Aleister Crowley–a visionary mystic from the early 1900s– whom the church had deemed â€Å"the most evil man who ever lived.† Great minds are always feared by lesser minds. Andros learned about the power of ritual and incantation. He learned that sacred words, if properly spoken, functioned like keys that opened gateways to other worlds. There is a shadow universe beyond this one . . . a world from which I can draw power. And although Andros longed to harness that power, he knew there were rules and tasks to be completed beforehand. Become something holy, Crowley wrote. Make yourself sacred. The ancient rite of â€Å"sacred making† had once been the law of the land. From the early Hebrews who made burnt offerings at the Temple, to the Mayans who beheaded humans atop the pyramids of Chichen Itza, to Jesus Christ, who offered his body on the cross, the ancients understood God's requirement for sacrifice. Sacrifice was the original ritual by which humans drew favor from the gods and made themselves holy. Sacra–sacred. Face– make. Even though the rite of sacrifice had been abandoned eons ago, its power remained. There had been a handful of modern mystics, including Aleister Crowley, who practiced the Art, perfecting it over time, and transforming themselves gradually into something more. Andros craved to transform himself as they had. And yet he knew he would have to cross a dangerous bridge to do so. Blood is all that separates the light from the dark. One night, a crow flew through Andros's open bathroom window and got trapped in his apartment. Andros watched the bird flutter around for a while and then finally stop, apparently accepting its inability to escape. Andros had learned enough to recognize a sign. I am being urged onward. Clutching the bird in one hand, he stood at the makeshift altar in his kitchen and raised a sharp knife, speaking aloud the incantation he had memorized. â€Å"Camiach, Eomiahe, Emial, Macbal, Emoii, Zazean . . . by the most holy names of the angels in the Book of Assamaian, I conjure thee that thou assist me in this operation by the power of the One True God.† Andros now lowered the knife and carefully pierced the large vein on the right wing of the panicked bird. The crow began to bleed. As he watched the stream of red liquid flowing down into the metal cup he had placed as a receptacle, he felt an unexpected chill in the air. Nonetheless, he continued. â€Å"Almighty Adonai, Arathron, Ashai, Elohim, Elohi, Elion, Asher Eheieh, Shaddai . . . be my aid, so that this blood may have power and efficacy in all wherein I shall wish, and in all that I shall demand.† That night, he dreamed of birds . . . of a giant phoenix rising from a billowing fire. The next morning, he awoke with an energy he had not felt since childhood. He went running in the park, faster and farther than he'd imagined possible. When he could run no longer, he stopped to do pushups and sit-ups. Countless repetitions. Still he had energy. That night, again, he dreamed of the phoenix. Autumn had fallen again on Central Park, and the wildlife were scurrying about searching for food for winter. Andros despised the cold, and yet his carefully hidden traps were now overflowing with live rats and squirrels. He took them home in his backpack, performing rituals of increasing complexity. Emanual, Massiach, Yod, He, Vaud . . . please find me worthy. The blood rituals fueled his vitality. Andros felt younger every day. He continued to read day and night–ancient mystical texts, epic medieval poems, the early philosophers–and the more he learned about the true nature of things, the more he realized that all hope for mankind was lost. They are blind . . . wandering aimlessly in a world they will never understand. Andros was still a man, but he sensed he was evolving into something else. Something greater. Something sacred. His massive physique had emerged from dormancy, more powerful now than ever before. He finally understood its true purpose. My body is but a vessel for my most potent treasure . . . my mind. Andros knew his true potential had not yet been realized, and he delved deeper. What is my destiny? All the ancient texts spoke of good and evil . . . and of man's need to choose between them. I made my choice long ago, he knew, and yet he felt no remorse. What is evil, if not a natural law? Darkness followed light. Chaos followed order. Entropy was fundamental. Everything decayed. The perfectly ordered crystal eventually turned into random particles of dust. There are those who create . . . and those who destroy. It was not until Andros read John Milton's Paradise Lost that he saw his destiny materialize before him. He read of the great fallen angel . . . the warrior demon who fought against the light . . . the valiant one . . . the angel called Moloch. Moloch walked the earth as a god. The angel's name, Andros later learned, when translated to the ancient tongue, became Mal'akh. And so shall I. Like all great transformations, this one had to begin with a sacrifice . . . but not of rats, nor birds. No, this transformation required a true sacrifice. There is but one worthy sacrifice. Suddenly he had a sense of clarity unlike anything he had ever experienced in his life. His entire destiny had materialized. For three straight days he sketched on an enormous sheet of paper. When he was done, he had created a blueprint of what he would become. He hung the life-size sketch on his wall and gazed into it as if into a mirror. I am a masterpiece. The next day, he took his drawing to the tattoo parlor. He was ready. CHAPTER 78 The George Washington Masonic Memorial stands atop Shuter's Hill in Alexandria, Virginia. Built in three distinct tiers of increasing architectural complexity from bottom to top–Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian–the structure stands as a physical symbol of man's intellectual ascent. Inspired by the ancient Pharos lighthouse of Alexandria, Egypt, this soaring tower is capped by an Egyptian pyramid with a flamelike finial. Inside the spectacular marble foyer sits a massive bronze of George Washington in full Masonic regalia, along with the actual trowel he used to lay the cornerstone of the Capitol Building. Above the foyer, nine different levels bear names like the Grotto, the Crypt Room, and the Knights Templar Chapel. Among the treasures housed within these spaces are over twenty thousand volumes of Masonic writings, a dazzling replica of the Ark of the Covenant, and even a scale model of the throne room in King Solomon's Temple. CIA agent Simkins checked his watch as the modified UH-60 chopper skimmed in low over the Potomac. Six minutes until their train arrives. He exhaled and gazed out the window at the shining Masonic Memorial on the horizon. He had to admit, the brilliantly shining tower was as impressive as any building on the National Mall. Simkins had never been inside the memorial, and tonight would be no different. If all went according to plan, Robert Langdon and Katherine Solomon would never make it out of the subway station. â€Å"Over there!† Simkins shouted to the pilot, pointing down at the King Street subway station across from the memorial. The pilot banked the helicopter and set it down on a grassy area at the foot of Shuter's Hill. Pedestrians looked up in surprise as Simkins and his team piled out, dashed across the street, and ran down into King Street Station. In the stairwell, several departing passengers leaped out of the way, plastering themselves to the walls as the phalanx of armed men in black thundered past them. The King Street Station was larger than Simkins had anticipated, apparently serving several different lines–Blue, Yellow, and Amtrak. He raced over to the Metro map on the wall, found Freedom Plaza and the direct line to this location. â€Å"Blue Line, southbound platform!† Simkins shouted. â€Å"Get down there and clear everyone out!† His team dashed off. Simkins rushed over to the ticket booth, flashed his identification, and shouted to the woman inside. â€Å"The next train from Metro Center–what time is it due?!† The woman inside looked frightened. â€Å"I'm not sure. Blue Line arrives every eleven minutes. There's no set schedule.† â€Å"How long since the last train?† â€Å"Five . . . six minutes, maybe? No more than that.† Turner did the math. Perfect. The next train had to be Langdon's. Inside a fast-moving subway car, Katherine Solomon shifted uncomfortably on the hard plastic seat. The bright fluorescent lights overhead hurt her eyes, and she fought the impulse to let her eyelids close, even for a second. Langdon sat beside her in the empty car, staring blankly down at the leather bag at his feet. His eyelids looked heavy, too, as if the rhythmic sway of the moving car were lulling him into a trance. Katherine pictured the strange contents of Langdon's bag. Why does the CIA want this pyramid? Bellamy had said that Sato might be pursuing the pyramid because she knew its true potential. But even if this pyramid somehow did reveal the hiding place of ancient secrets, Katherine found it hard to believe that its promise of primeval mystical wisdom would interest the CIA. Then again, she reminded herself, the CIA had been caught several times running parapsychological or psi programs that bordered on ancient magic and mysticism. In 1995, the â€Å"Stargate/Scannate† scandal had exposed a classified CIA technology called remote viewing–a kind of telepathic mind travel that enabled a â€Å"viewer† to transport his mind's eye to any location on earth and spy there, without being physically present. Of course, the technology was nothing new. Mystics called it astral projection, and yogis called it out-of-body experience. Unfortunately, horrified American taxpayers called it absurd, and the program had been scuttled. At least publicly. Ironically, Katherine saw remarkable connections between the CIA's failed programs and her own breakthroughs in Noetic Science. Katherine felt eager to call the police and find out if they had discovered anything in Kalorama Heights, but she and Langdon were phoneless now, and making contact with the authorities would probably be a mistake anyway; there was no telling how far Sato's reach extended. Patience, Katherine. Within minutes, they would be in a safe hiding place, guests of a man who had assured them he could provide answers. Katherine hoped his answers, whatever they might be, would help her save her brother. â€Å"Robert?† she whispered, glancing up at the subway map. â€Å"Next stop is ours.† Langdon emerged slowly from his daydream. â€Å"Right, thanks.† As the train rumbled toward the station, he collected his daybag and gave Katherine an uncertain glance. â€Å"Let's just hope our arrival is uneventful.† By the time Turner Simkins dashed down to join his men, the subway platform had been entirely cleared, and his team was fanning out, taking up positions behind the support pillars that ran the length of the platform. A distant rumble echoed in the tunnel at the other end of the platform, and as it grew louder, Simkins felt the push of stale warm air billowing around him. No escape, Mr. Langdon. Simkins turned to the two agents he had told to join him on the platform. â€Å"Identification and weapons out. These trains are automated, but they all have a conductor who opens the doors. Find him.† The train's headlamp now appeared down the tunnel, and the sound of squealing brakes pierced the air. As the train burst into the station and began slowing down, Simkins and his two agents leaned out over the track, waving CIA identification badges and straining to make eye contact with the conductor before he could open the doors. The train was closing fast. In the third car, Simkins finally saw the startled face of the conductor, who was apparently trying to figure out why three men in black were all waving identification badges at him. Simkins jogged toward the train, which was now nearing a full stop. â€Å"CIA!† Simkins shouted, holding up his ID. â€Å"Do NOT open the doors!† As the train glided slowly past him, he went toward the conductor's car, shouting in at him. â€Å"Do not open your doors! Do you understand?! Do NOT open your doors!† The train came to a full stop, its wide-eyed conductor nodding repeatedly. â€Å"What's wrong?!† the man demanded through his side window. â€Å"Don't let this train move,† Simkins said. â€Å"And don't open the doors.† â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"Can you let us into the first car?† The conductor nodded. Looking fearful, he stepped out of the train, closing the door behind him. He escorted Simkins and his men to the first car, where he manually opened the door. â€Å"Lock it behind us,† Simkins said, pulling his weapon. Simkins and his men stepped quickly into the stark light of the first car. The conductor locked the door behind them. The first car contained only four passengers–three teenage boys and an old woman–all of whom looked understandably startled to see three armed men entering. Simkins held up his ID. â€Å"Everything's fine. Just stay seated.† Simkins and his men now began their sweep, pushing toward the back of the sealed train one car at a time–â€Å"squeezing toothpaste,† as it was called during his training at the Farm. Very few passengers were on this train, and halfway to the back, the agents still had seen nobody even remotely resembling the description of Robert Langdon and Katherine Solomon. Nonetheless, Simkins remained confident. There was absolutely no place to hide on a subway car. No bathrooms, no storage, and no alternative exits. Even if the targets had seen them board the train and fled to the back, there was no way out. Prying open a door was almost impossible, and Simkins had men watching the platform and both sides of the train anyway. Patience. By the time Simkins reached the second-to-last car, however, he was feeling edgy. This penultimate car had only one passenger–a Chinese man. Simkins and his agents moved through, scanning for any place to hide. There was none. â€Å"Last car,† Simkins said, raising his weapon as the threesome moved toward the threshold of the train's final section. As they stepped into the last car, all three of them immediately stopped and stared. What the . . . ?! Simkins raced to the rear of the deserted cabin, searching behind all the seats. He spun back to his men, blood boiling. â€Å"Where the hell did they go?!†