Analysis of “The Seduction”

The Seduction is a poem written by Eileen McCauley. It is about a young and vulnerable sixteen year old girl whose head is filled with thoughts about love and romance portrayed in teenage magazines. These fake ideals lead her to believe that a boy, whom she meets at a party, truly loves her, when really he is just getting her drunk so her resistance will be lower and she will give in to what he wants from her: sex. Three months later she discovers that she is pregnant, she blames teen magazines for filling her head with false ideal of romance.In the very first verse of the poem, the writer introduces the scene of the poem, â€Å"He led her to the quiet bricks of the Birkenhead docks, far past the silver stream of the traffic throughout the city, far from the blind windows of the tower blocks. † This tells us of how there is nobody around to witness what they do. It becomes clear to the reader at the beginning of the poem that he is trying to get her drunk, as when the poet is describing the moment they met, one of the first things he is doing is buying her drinks. We also see this at a later stage when they are at the docks. He handed her the vodka† – this quote proves that he is making an effort to try and get the girl drunk because the alcohol will affect her decisions and causes her to agree to things she normally wouldn’t. Also In the second verse, the boy mutters â€Å"little slag. †This shows us that the boy thinks very little of the girl and lacks respect for women. We then discover that the girl is under some sort of spell because as he talked about football, â€Å"she had nodded, quite enchanted† this shows us that she is keen to listen to what he has to say. With his eyes as blue as iodine† – the use of the word ‘iodine’ used to describe his eyes suggests that there is something dark about him as iodine is a dark blue/black acid. In the fifth stanza, the boy mentions that he goes down to the river when he should be in school or having dinner with â€Å"a bag of shimmering paint thinner. † This shows us that he doesn’t spend much, if any time in school and that he uses the paint thinner as a drug. If the girl was sober, this would be a clear sign to stay away from him but he has lowered her resistance by getting her drunk.We can tell that the girl is a young teenager who enjoys school and wants to do well as she talks about her education in an enthusiastic way. The beginning of the sixth stanza makes us realise how precocious this girl really is, â€Å"so she followed him there, all high white shoes, all wide blue eyes and bottles of vodka. † This sentence shows us that she is trying to grow up too fast because this is what the magazines made her believe was the right thing to do. The poets then says â€Å"then when he swiftly contrived to kiss her, his kiss was scented by Listerine† this tells us that he was prepared for what he wanted to do.Even though we realise that the girl is very precocious, we discover how immature she actually is as it says â€Å"she stifled a giggle, reminded of numerous stories from teenage magazines† this also tells us that she has read about moments like these but hasn’t experienced them until now. The next stanza begins with â€Å"When she discovers she was three months gone† this shows us that the poet has used euphemism to emphasise the harsh reality of what this girl is going through. And she ripped up all her My Guy and Jackie photo comics† I think she does this because the magazines are what filled her head with false ideals about what romance and love should be like. She is angry that the media lied to her and that’s why she ripped then all up. The next stanza then says â€Å"and on that day, she broke the heels of her high white shoes and flung them at the wall† she does this because they were the shoes she wore on the night of the part y to make her look and feel older.She doesn’t want them anymore as she realises that she doesn’t want to be older because of the massive problem that she is faced with. The eighth stanza is mainly telling us about what the magazines have told this girl about what her life should be like â€Å"full of glitzy fashion features and stories of love and romance, where strangers could lead you to bright new worlds, and how would you know if you never took a chance? † This reflects on the consequences of what she did last night and how the media made her think she should take a chance.The ninth stanza says â€Å"full of fresh fruit diets† this shows us that she won’t be able to try out any of these diets as she is now three months pregnant. â€Å"Now with a softly rounded belly, she was sickened every morning by stupid stupid promises, only tacitly made† This shows us that she is reminded every morning of the huge mistake that she made that night. A lso the word â€Å"stupid† is repeated twice, maybe to emphasise that she regrets her actions a lot.The poet then states in the ten and eleventh stanza the things that the girl would be missing out on. This reminds us that the girl is so young and is faced with problems that she shouldn’t have to face at that age. â€Å"With a glass of lager-shandy, on a carpeted floor† this sentence makes the fantasy of romance seem far better than what is really is. The use of the words â€Å"carpeted floor† makes it seem luxurious and â€Å"lager shandy† makes it seem much more innocent as it is a lighter drink than the vodka she drunk the night of the party.In the last few stanzas, the poet states things that the girl would rather do than become pregnant â€Å"But then again, better to be smoking scented drugs or festering, invisibly unemployed† This shows us that she is almost going into a state of depression. She then describes being ‘stuck in a feminine void’, which basically means accidentally becoming pregnant. In the very last stanza, it becomes clear to us that she is very ashamed of herself because the poet says â€Å"better to turn away, move away, fade away, than to have the neighbours whisper ‘you always looked the type. ’

The Impact of Instant Messaging in the Financial Services Industry: Benefits, Challenges and Recommendations

January 2009 Executive Summary Unfortunately, while Instant Messaging (IM) systems have the ability to change the way financial service companies interact for the better, many of today’s implementations pose problems and challenges to address. IM technology has the benefits of gathering input from many different people in dispersed locations. This adds speed and ease to workplace communication, and presence detection eliminates the time typically lost to missed telephone calls and wasted trips to see colleagues. Speed and efficiency are increased from knowing the status of financial transactions in real-time. A main challenge in financial compliance is the regulatory financial framework, which forces financial service companies to archive IM conversations. Poor management in security and retention controls increases the legal risk and personal accountability to corporate officers. Consumer-grade IM has potential for security breach and the leak of corporate data which can be particularly devastating to financial service companies. IM is widely used to distribute research, negotiate prices, execute orders, and stay in touch with clients and colleagues. It provides a direct mode of communication with co-workers, clients and other broker-dealers that enables far closer and more personal relationships. Imposing an IM ban could result in the loss of clients and valuable employees to competitors who are more tolerant of the use of IM in the financial markets. Key recommendations include: Installing an enterprise-grade IM system for all employees in the firm. The addition of consumer-grade IM for client facing employees to keep client loyalty. Educating employees on a company IM policy including regulatory guidelines and using IM for personal use. Enforcing rules through software that monitors and records IM conversations, and also through disciplinary action. Forming a management team to coordinate a strategic IM plan that meets all regulatory and legal needs and effectively solves the challenges and problems discussed. Continuously investing in new technology, updating IM policy, and educating employees to meet long-term regulatory and security requirements, and issues regarding the future direction of the firm. Introduction Instant Messaging (IM) was the first mass based communication application rolled out by users, rather than management who saw immediate business value in this new form of communication. Financial Industry and Government regulators have clarified IM as a form of real-time written correspondence that creates a business record. This paper seeks to explain the risks and problems IM brings to the financial services industry and challenges for management, such as determining the effect on employee productivity. This paper reviews the benefits IM brings to the financial services industry, in the form of improved communication, collaboration, efficiency, monetary benefits and information archiving. It also discusses the problems and challenges that management should be aware as well as the impact on the business, and makes recommendations for addressing these issues and achieving benefits for financial service companies. The Potential Benefits that can be gained from IM Enhanced collaboration There are many arguments for the use of IM as a communications tool in the business environment, including improved brainstorming capabilities and the ability to multitask. Many workers today use the telephone and IM simultaneously, so they can chat with each other privately while, for example, on a group call to a client. Ellen Isaacs (2005), reports that â€Å"users like that they could respond to quick IM questions from co-workers while engaged in another task, such as talking on the telephone, or processing documents or email. Studies note the ability to multitask is a major benefit of IM in the workplace. Current theory emphasises the value of informal social interactions for exchanging information, collaborating, and initiating spontaneous interactions (Cross & Parker, 2004). IM suggests that systems that depict social cues facilitate information and social interactions, enhancing performance. Over time, people develop comfortable working relationships through prior collaborat ion and through socialising. IM has proven its overwhelming value when it comes to gathering input from many different people in dispersed locations. For example, in financial trading, UBS has created over 5,000 group channels around certain topics like foreign exchange, equities and fixed income. Pritchard (2006) reports that if something's happening in European equities, or in foreign exchange, someone can put it on the chat line and other traders can see it instantly. Improved efficiency Processes that were once agonizingly slow and inclined toward misunderstanding and errors can now be accomplished in record time. Handel (2002) reports how this has led to increased popularity among workers because it adds speed and ease to workplace communication, and eliminates the time typically lost to missed telephone calls and wasted trips to the office of a co-worker who is absent or otherwise occupied. It is clear that IM can be an efficient, thought-provoking communications tool, not only within the office but as a bridge between geographically dispersed locations. Jim Craige (2006) at UBS Investment Bank explains how in fixed income trading, having a secure connection to a network of dealers with whom he's in constant contact lets him take care of business faster, as â€Å"it drastically cuts down on the time it takes† to know the status of transactions. Improved communication IM differs from email, primarily in that its focus is on the immediate delivery of messages. Many also acknowledge the tool as less intrusive and a time saver when compared to the telephone due to the ability to detect the presence of other users. Users can set status messages telling others whether they are available or not, which adds to IM’s value as a skilful means of communication. There is often some type of icon next to the name of their buddy to determine how long the person has been online, and if they are actively messaging or â€Å"away† from their desk. From the author’s experience, this saves on making unnecessary phone calls if you can see that the person you want to speak to is not at their desk. It can be decided whether to contact the person later or send an email, voicemail, or other message that the recipient can respond to later. In other instances, help consists of referrals to others who can provide answers or help solve problems. UBS formed a help desk channel for IT where employees could input trouble tickets (a specific IT problem) through a chat system and then receive real-time feedback on the status of their ticket. IM offers a way to quickly resolve questions and issues as they arise. Cost Benefits IM has proven return on investment benefits in certain situations, such as conferencing. Group members can be conferenced in to a conversation from around the world, which saves on long distance calls and travel expenses. Diseconomies of scale in distance can be solved through IM, due to increased collaboration and the cut in communication costs (Cameron & Webster, 2004. ) According to Saeedi (2005), Morgan Stanley saves $18 million annually by relying more heavily on IM than phone calls, plus another $98 million per year in trimmed travel costs, as there is diminished need for face-to-face meetings. Many analysts see IM as stimulating positive change in organizations because of its rapid diffusion, diminishing costs, and ease of use (Jones, 1998). Information Archiving Archiving IM meetings and conversations has become an essential business process for financial companies, since IM users don’t generally just chat, but they also exchange documents, contracts, trade details and other financial information. Starner, T. (2004) says how â€Å"Instant messages are business records, just as e-mails are business records. † This enables employees to go back and review crucial information (they may have forgotten) that is needed for themselves or that is requested from them. Financial institutions are wary because of regulations where in some areas such as trading they cannot use instant messaging without logging and archiving them. There is also scope for managers to review IM conversations and therefore ensure productivity is not being compromised by personal IM use, and that disclosure and industry regulations are being followed. The challenges and problems with the implementation of IM Compliance Compliance regulations, such as Sarbanes-Oxley, have forced companies to archive IM conversations. This is because an IM conversation is still regarded as a sort of document. Sarbanes-Oxley regulation requires an annual evaluation of internal controls and procedures for financial reporting, as well an assessment for the effectiveness of these controls. As IM is involved in this process, these communications need to be logged, archived and available upon request. Many IT units are having difficulty managing several IM systems installed without their knowledge that are used for both personal and important business communications. For example, Thomas Weisel Partners LLC in San Francisco tried to shut down the use of America Online Inc. ‘s Instant Messenger, Microsoft Corp. s MSN Messenger and Yahoo Inc. ‘s Yahoo Messenger after the 11th September terrorist attacks. However, due to resistance from users, the company was forced to adopt monitoring software instead. Managers are in agreement that in financial services, client facing employee’s need the more popular systems to communicate with customers, so efforts to implement a standard IM p roduct rarely work. Beth Cannon, a former Chief Information Officer at a brokerage explains that â€Å"it comes down to some of our institutional customers who required IM as the method to communicate with them. When a client insists on using a specific consumer-grade IM and management who choose to shut it down, they create the possibility of losing that client. However, if they keep it then they open up the company to risks, as well as additional costs in monitoring, archiving and enforcing policy on the technology. The problem of resistance to the removal of the multiple IM systems can be circumvented to a large degree through the use of monitoring software. More vendors of all sizes, such as Stellar Technologies Inc. are scrambling to build robust tools to monitor IM for financial firms, which must meet new government regulations requiring that electronic conversations be monitored and recorded. When organisations implement information management solutions, they must ensure ade quate management controls. Grace Financial report that their administrative tools are great for inputting problematic key words and reviewing highlighted logs. On the other hand, they also report that they have had limited, if any, issues with misuse – just increased software costs. However, they find that it has come in most useful for reviewing conversations where there is a problem with a client order. There is a significantly increased legal and security risk from lack of user management, security and records retention controls for employee use of instant messaging technologies. Following the lead taken by the New York Attorney General, the SEC (Securities Exchange Commission) has already issued some multimillion dollar fines for non-compliance of regulation (Ministries, J. 2002). In May 2002 Merrill Lynch agreed to pay a $100mm penalty resulting from hyping stocks that internal communications revealed that they knew to be bad. However as part of the settlement Merrill Lynch set up a proper system for logging and monitoring IM. With IM becoming such a popular communications tool, it's reasonable to assume that conversations conducted will, at some point, contain information that is company confidential. Therefore an IM system is needed that provides security for messages as they are transmitted, even if all such transmissions will be within the company’s own network. Goldman Sachs has spent considerable financing on ‘Bond. Hub’ which delivers secure messaging beyond firewalls of new fixed-income product issues. This new software could only be implemented with complete security as they wish to protect their extremely valuable client list. The security of ‘Bond. Hub’ has kept control with the dealers and protects access to the high-value content. The right solution of IM security will depend largely on the value of the data, and the company’s view of risk. Unmonitored, uncontrolled consumer-grade IM, such as Yahoo Messenger and MSN Messenger are essentially open channels between corporate networks and the outside world. This involves an amount of risk that most business leaders are unwilling to accept. â€Å"Instant messaging could be fine between two companies if the data being exchanged is very insensitive,† says Miles Clements, a project manager at an Information Security Foundation. â€Å"But a trader should not be able to use IM to trade with another bank. † It is argues by security experts that free consumer chat programs can tear gaping holes in security efforts. This is mainly because consumer-grade IM allows unlimited numbers of people to connect directly to a corporate network. † This was made evident in a case that occurred at the beginning of 2001, where a hacker stole logs from an instant messaging client belonging to the CEO for a company called eFront which specialises in financial services software. The hacker posted the logs to several places on the Web, thereby creating one of the worst possible corporate nightmares. These logs included sensitive company data regarding business partners, employees and affiliate websites. After the posting of the logs, several members of the senior staff for eFront resigned. There are reports already of cybercriminals and hackers exploiting the growing popularity of IM by using it to introduce viruses or other malicious software into financial firms. The Vice President of a top investment bank had his computer infected by a virus and found that his entire ‘buddy’ list had been sent a record of all his IM conversations. He was fired because of negative comments he'd made about his colleagues in what he thought were private IM conversations. Obviously, for the firm in question the logs leaked several confidential facts that were hurtful to the company’s reputation and future business deals. In spite of this, virus attacks are not yet frequent on IM applications, but the latest threat is likely to send worry in to the mind of IM users and the financial service firms that employee them. IT departments need to take a strong lead on securing IM through many different approaches. However, an outright ban on running IM software is unlikely to succeed or risks damaging productivity by closing down a useful communications channel. It seems that financial companies need to act to assess the state of IM use within their organizations and put into place the necessary measures to make sure their IM use does not run afoul the compliance requirements and vital security needs of the financial services industry. From the author’s own experience at Morgan Stanley, employees have to view and learn several materials and then take a test on the dangers of IM, in order to educate users on correct use and also place more legal obligation on the employee and take it away from the company. Employees can frequently disclose information when they are conducting several different IM conversations at once, and accidentally send a message to the wrong person. Inside information, prospecting information etc. can be leaked in these ways fairly easily, with no malevolent intention on the part of employees. This author has experienced the simplicity of replying in the wrong IM conversation when several conversations windows are open. The leak of valuable corporate data can be particularly devastating for financial service companies. Computer experts have warned that a lot of leaks are actually intentional and that financial service professionals are increasingly using untraceable electronic instant messaging systems to communicate sensitive information secretly. The Financial Services Authority said there had been concerns about instant messaging for some months. However, the City watchdog said its existing rules covering conflicts of interest were sufficient to cover such new forms of communication as IM. In the US, securities regulators have cracked down on the use of instant messaging, when the National Association of Securities Dealers told its members they must save instant messages for three years or restrict employees in using the technology. There is the impression that some companies have banned the use of IM technology. On the other hand, Mr. Palmer of Kroll Ontrack, said it was reasonably easy to place a device on a computer server to divert the messages and search for information. If IM technology is to be allowed then employees need to be advised of its use, due to the interception of private information. There is a mixed view on IM security; however there are solutions to plugging leaks and enforcing policy to keep employees in line with company policy. Productivity Instant Messaging can be a productivity-enhancing tool for efficient financial communications with co-workers, clients, customers, vendors, and the like. Although, Nehra (2005) explains that various reports describe how productivity may be adversely affected by employee abuse or overindulgence in personal instant messaging communications. This presents the major challenge with implementing IM technology into the workplace. One thing that has kept deployment of instant messaging at investment banks a low priority among business managers is the perception that it can distract workers from more critical tasks, says Kim Cross, a VP at Morgan Stanley Investment Management. Many financial companies believe instant messaging detracts from employee productivity and introduces new temptations to converse with others beyond their job duties. From the author’s experience at Morgan Stanley, IM offers the opportunity to converse quickly and continuously with friends in a secret manner that the telephone does not allow and this can decrease productivity significantly. However, a study by the Radicati Group looked at the time it took employees to complete two typical daily tasks—both with and without IM—and found that companies could save an average of 40 minutes a day per user with IM. They estimated that a financial services organisation with 5,000 people could see a $37. 5 million a year savings in productivity. Limitations and communication consequences are a definite cause for concern when implementing a new IM system. Possible decreased worker productivity, a lack of direct communication among colleagues, and misinterpretations can be common place when using instant messaging. Additionally, IM does not give the same personal verbal delivery that direct communication gives. From the author’s experience at Morgan Stanley, IM does not always give the same authority or conviction that a ‘real’ conversation over the telephone permits and so may not make clear enough the importance of particular requests. Although IM may have been initially frowned upon, some managers look at this communication as team building â€Å"because it enables peers to bond and form stronger working relationships. † (Robbo, R). However not all sources concur. Shiu, E. (2004), suggests that in fact, 32% of those individuals who use IM in the office acknowledge that IM can encourage workplace gossip, and 29% note that IM has been a distraction at some point in the past. These extensive risks still do not change the opinion of most executives, who are in agreement, that blocking IM entirely is not an option. The question is how to bring out the benefits of consumer IM while ensuring it is properly managed, secure and compliant. The impact of IM when implemented in financial service organisations The primary reason that IM has been such a success in the business environment is that its benefits, even when weighed against the risks, are both immediate and tangible. Industry-wide effects Centrally managed IM deployments have just begun to take hold in business, says Aberdeen Group analyst Dana Gardner. The rapid increase in the adoption of IM is linked to the fact that recent university graduates have developed a strong affinity for IM. Although there is a strong concern over the security of consumer-grade IM, managers have to accept that IM is a preferred communication technique of young employees. Clients want to use IM and so employers have to set-up and integrate IM in to their firm’s communication network. The clients of broker-dealers will also deal with their competitors, and they don't want systems that only allow them to deal with one company so firms need to meet the IM requirements of clients. Top investment banks now share directories to create an open messaging environment for broker-dealers to communicate with each other and to customers. It even opens up the ability for customers to communicate with other customers. Barriers in the industry have come down as customer and broker-dealers are commingling in one giant address book. IM provides a direct mode of communication with co-workers, customers and vendors that enables far closer and more personal relationships than is available in virtually every other means of electronic communications. This could have the negative effect on the industry of making information more transparent and therefore increase price transparency and negatively affect profit. On the other hand, the increase in real-time communication links to other broker-dealers and clients could mean a larger more liquid market. Performance of employees Business IM allows employees to be more efficient in their work output. Data shows that IM users engage in multi-tasking at a rate considerably higher than non-IM users. In a recent survey, 91% of IM users reported that while participating in IM sessions they also perform additional tasks either most or all of the time (Haskin, D. 2004). However it can be argued that users tend to chat often, setting aside legitimate business tasks in the process. Some employees find it hard to concentrate when messages are continually popping up on screen. If the user has their presence detection on, then colleagues and clients will believe that their message has been received and read, therefore attention needs to be given to each instant message. This could mean an overload of information for the user, continually distracting them from their primary tasks and therefore decrease their performance. However, the more successful employees could use the multitasking capability of IM to take on even more work, and show up the less successful employees. This in turn could create the effect of preventing those less successful employees from wasting time using IM for personal use. The multitude of information sources that broker-dealers have competing for their attention could definitely result in a negative impact on performance, as incoming messages add to the pile of e-mail, news summaries, and other data that competes for the users productive time. Therefore management needs to maintain whether some users perhaps require IM and others do not, and if they do, to enforce rules and policies to battle the challenge of productivity. This policy along with many other things, would need to drive home this point that the organisation provides IM to boost business productivity, not as a diversion from work. It needs to be instilled into employee’s that policy will be enforced to coerce users from personal IM use. Given the chatty nature of IM, some would argue that it is bound to have a negative impact on performance, as employees chat about personal matters throughout the workday. Although personal chat with other employees throughout the day could help forge more inter-firm relationships, and this ollaboration could have a positive impact on overall company performance as more and more employees in different teams are being brought together. Therefore the firm needs to find a way to manage this balance between business and personal conversations. This seems unlikely to be controlled to a large extent and so a large amount of trust will be left with the employee. Internal and External Relationships IM appeal s to broker-dealers because they feel that IM delivers a necessary advantage that e-mail and the telephone cannot match, which is speed. They believe that they will not get clients if they do not use the technology. Banning IM seems a possible solution to the risks of IM, however it may not be so easy to enforce. Many broker-dealers facing the financial markets, where seconds make the difference between profit and loss, may be reluctant to part with consumer-grade IM. The impact of banning consumer-grade IM across the board may trigger a revolt among employees and the clients they are in regular IM contact with. Therefore imposing an IM ban could result in the loss of valuable employees to competitors who are more tolerant of the use of IM in the financial markets. As discussed in the previous section, personal use of IM can be used to help forge relationships with colleagues. These same personal conversations can be transferred to those employees who are client facing and used as ‘business’ conversations in order to build and maintain relationships with clients. The fact that IM conversations can be left open so that brokers can maintain an on and off dialogue throughout the day with their client adds significant value. Previously a broker could not call up a client to, for example, make a flippant remark on current news but this can now take a few seconds to write it in an open IM window and their client could view this while multitasking. This casual dialogue can help maintain client loyalty with is the crux of sales in the financial services industry. Not surprisingly, the vast majority of employees believe that the use of IM within their organisation improves productivity, external relationships, and their efficiency. More significantly, however, is that even business managers and IT personnel who are aware of the risks posed by IM, overwhelmingly favour its use noting that the added â€Å"real† business performance more than offsets the potential risks. Management Recommendations Managing the problems and challenges associated with implementing IM This author recommends a dual approach in response to the challenge of the multitude of IM programmes in the company. Primarily, installing an enterprise-grade IM system (an internal instant messaging system where messages can be encrypted) for all employees. Then employees can be allowed to communicate confidential information internally, but only in the guidelines of the company’s written policy. The second approach is to allow client-facing employees consumer-grade IM who insist they need it to keep client loyalty, even though consumer IM tools travel across the public Internet (not encrypted). Monitoring and security can then be focused more on these employee’s who potentially open the organisation to security breaches such as eavesdropping, accidental confidential information loss, and also the risk of intentional information leaks. This can be further facilitated by the installation of content filters to capture messages that use potentially problematic words like â€Å"rumour†. Then these IM conversations can be reviewed to ensure that neither laws nor corporate policies are broken. Achieving the business benefits of IM Instant messaging use is recommended to communicate instantaneously with other brokers, dealers, clients and other third parties so that client loyalty is increased through immediate responses and colleagues can get answers from client questions in real time. IM should be used as a less intrusive method of avoiding tasks, as a broker can use IM simultaneously with chatting on the phone and e-mailing. IM presence detection should be used so that it is possible to see whether clients are online and open to chat and brokers can determine whether they are available to incoming IM transmissions. This can be reflected through IM settings such as â€Å"away† and â€Å"in a meeting† which lets the user know that the instant message may be read or acted upon. In addition managers can quickly see who is online at the office at any given time. Employees can also be strategic in the way they contact their colleagues by first checking they are online before, for example, calling them. IM should be used to avoid the cost of travel and group conference calls through multiple people joining in on real-time IM conversations. Also whilst travelling, employees can engage in IM conversations with clients and colleagues to facilitate the efficiency of information flow. All conversations should be logged for at least three years due to compliance so that after the instant message vanishes, after it is read, and its window closes, employees can go through archiving and find the message again if they did not note important information from the conversation that they need. Further to this archiving should take place to meet industry regulations and as possible evidence to future litigation. Controlling the transition and longer term issues Once the extent of employee’s IM use is identified, the transition should be controlled through developing a strategic IM management plan. A team should be formed, comprising of risk management, compliance and litigation in order to structure a companywide policy so the firm meets finance regulations, and information security needs. Senior Management should lead the IM management controls through bridging the gap between problems and recommending effective tools to manage those risks, such as retention and archiving tools as previously discussed. New financial regulations would need to be adhered to in existing business activity and also reviewed in new financial markets. Therefore future investment in new technology is vital to help maintain IM use and abuse. The firm will need to develop effective, accessible IM tools to meet future needs of broker-dealers who rely on IM for internal and external communication. Employees need to be trained and kept up to date with regulatory guidelines and retention rules. Long-term issues of security will need to be constantly addressed. Those employees who are using consumer-grade IM offer the constant possibility of data theft and electronic eavesdropping. IM needs to be constantly updated with the latest antivirus software to protect from viruses and other threatening security breaches that might be able to penetrate the firms firewall. Finally, if the direction or structure of the firm changes then IM policy must be changed to meet this. References Electronic journals Mearian, L. (2004) IM Spread Causing Management Headaches. Computerworld. [online] 38(49), 7. Available from: http://proquest. umi. com/pqdweb? index=35=759250251=1& sid=6=3=PROD=PQD=309=PQD=1231380861=5238 [Accessed 4 January 2009] Cameron, A. F. & Webster, J. (2004) Unintended consequences of emerging communication technologies: Instant Messaging in the workplace. Computers in Human Behavior [online] 12, 143-160. Available from: http://www. citeulike. org/user/boosda/article/2722853 [Accessed 4 January 2009] Schmerken, I. (2001) Parlano to extend real-time collaboration to mobile finance users. Wall Street & Technology. [online]. 19(4) 54. Available from: http://proquest. umi. com/pqdweb? index=0=70505919=1=5=4=PROD=PQD=309=PQD=1231380676=5238 [Accessed 4 January 2009] To, Pui-Lai. et al. (2008) An empirical investigation of the factors affecting the adoption of Instant Messaging in organizations. Computer Standards & Interfaces [online]. 30(3) 148-156. Available from: http://www. sciencedirect. com/science? _ob=ArticleURL=B6TYV-4PJM9MP1=122878=03%2F31%2F2008=1==search=d=c=C000010119=1=0=122878=081247999793b8e298770009727d9918 [Accessed 17 November 2008] World Wide Web Isaacs, E. et al. (2005) The Character, Functions and Styles of Instant Messaging in the Workplace [online]. Available from: http://www. ics. uci. edu/~jpd/classes/ics105s03/readings/isaacs-character-function-cscw02. pdf [Accessed 10 December 2008]. Bird, D. (2003) Choosing an Instant Messaging System [online]. Available from: http://www. instantmessagingplanet. com/enterprise/article. php/11208_2236051_3 [Accessed 15 December 2008]. Nehra. (2005) Instant Messaging In The Office: What To Know and Do About It [online]. Available from: http://bostonworks. boston. com/nehra/112805. shtml [accessed 29 January 2007]. Shapiro, D. (2004) Instant messaging and compliance issues: What you need to know [online]. CTO. Available from: http://searchcio. techtarget. com/news/article/0,289142,sid182_gci967281,00. html [Accessed 05 January 2008]. Shiu, E. et al. (2004) How Americans Use Instant Messaging [online] Available from:

America’s Mergence of Personal and Public Realms in Arendt’s The Human Condition

United Human Integration in Arendt's Personal and Public Areas The United States is a superpower and is undoubtedly the most dominant country in the world. But emphasizing this advantage is some of the problems that American society faces. Among these problems, Hannah Arendt called the fusion of individuals and the public domain as the rise of society. This major problem has created many other problems and is therefore chosen as the root cause of suffering in modern American society. In 1958's work The situation of mankind, Arendt defined the public sphere according to intense struggle. There are two important concepts related to the definition of her public domain: visibility and humanity. First of all, for Arendt, the public domain is the space where people can appear. As long as they are restricted to private areas, people become helpless, but private areas are dominated by intimacy. But once people become public, they gain reality and strength without saying anything, otherwise t hey can not understand (Arendt, 1998, p. 50). Protest at Tiananmen Square explains this point. Protestors took advantage of the fact that many international TV crews happened to participate in Mikhail Gorbachev's visit record. For Arendt, the lack of an overall definition of the private sector compared to the nature of the public domain. She wrote, public, First, you can see and hear everything publicly visible for us - appearance - look at others with others From seeing yourself - from the reality you have seen and heard even the most intimate life force leads to uncertain and dark existence, but she continues to say that she can change the richness of private life I am. In order to overcome such a situation, appearance of the public according to their body type. She pointed out that the means to achieve this change is art. If colonies become self-sufficient, Arendtian's prerequisites for entering the public domain are satisfied. Arendt discussed two major areas - public domain an d private sector - (Arendt, human condition). The private sector is an essential item, with labor usually falling with families. If colonies are self-sufficient, it means that they must take care of the necessity, and it is necessary to consider the labor of each colony member who will be used for colonial maintenance or scientific research We will guarantee. Of course, it is the individual's responsibility to satisfy familiar needs. However, once the private realm is realized, people can enter the public domain and participate in politics.

LEGAL ISSUES FOR MANAGERS - ethics assessment Essay

LEGAL ISSUES FOR MANAGERS - ethics assessment - Essay Example rohibits the company employees from accepting gifts from anyone who deals with the company and whose influence can benefit directly or indirectly the donor. Jessica’s acceptance of the paid holiday trip from a customer is against the provision of the code to avoid a conflict of interest. 3. In dealing with the uncles company Jessica should avoid any further direct dealing with the company. She should let some other company employee who has no relation with the owner of the company do the transactions. In compliance with the prohibition of clause 3, sub clause (a), the cutting of direct business dealings with the uncles company is essential to avoid conflict of interest. On the issue of accepting gifts from companies or individuals, according to prohibition by clause 3, sub clause (d), Jessica should decline the paid holiday offer. The offer compromises the interest of the employee and ends up in a conflict of interest. Clause 6 provides that the company seek to outperform its competitors in an honest and fair way. The plan for the exchange of a competitors plan is against this provision and Jessica should not pay the requisite amount for the plans and dismiss the offer advances altogether. 4. The potential breach concerns the requirement that the company demands honest and accurate information as regarding accounting procedures. The accounting records should reflect accurate and authentic information that are in conformity with the company’s internal audit, accounting and legal requirements. Clause 7 prohibits the maintaining of undisclosed records by the company as done by the chief financial officer and the internal auditors. The action James should take is to report the matter to the senior ethics officer as provided for by clause 8. 5. The situation in south Africa where Jessica noticed children working in the factory are against paragraph 6 of the Norms of the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprise with Regard to

Human Resources Quiz Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Human Resources Quiz - Assignment Example While it is obvious in their presentation that issues and weaknesses exist in the HR function of this organization, by bringing both perspectives to light a unique view was given of the situation. It is always an interesting question, â€Å"What do the employees think of the HR Department?† This team was the only team to actually answer that question, in addition to the questions set out in the project. In my opinion, Team #8 provided the most thorough and comprehensive assessment by answering not only the question of what HR thought of the company and the employees that worked for it, but by answering what the employees thought of the HR department. By incorporating their views into the recommendations for the organization and allowing both sides to become aware of the existing weaknesses, a step forward can be taken. 2. Which organization has the best performing HR function? What is your basis for this conclusion? What evidence was revealed that supports your conclusion? The organization with the best performing HR function is, without a doubt, Engineer-It Corporation. ... ing four HR division managers, their HR department is well laid-out, with a clear chain of command and employees to service all positions, helping employees to know where to go when they need to deal with the HR department. Unlike some companies that were researched, such as Agility Recovery and Bonfils Blood Bank, the HR department is its own department with its own people, instead of being shared by the Finance Department. Having dedicated, hard-working individuals that do nothing but HR can be an immense asset to the company, especially in terms of supporting line managers and managing people. Also, unlike a company such as Guardian Angel, the HR department manages its employees to create a competitive advantage, instead of seeming to work against them for what they need. Some team presentations showed evidence that other companies that had fractured, uninvolved, or simply apathetic HR departments, and this was definitely not the case for Engineer-It Corporation. 3. Which HR Proje ct Team provided the most comprehensive, professional and effective project summary and presentation? What is your basis for this determination? What made their project summary and presentation the most effective? Team #3, with the organization of Engineer-It Corporation, provided a wonderful summary and presentation that made it both the most comprehensive and professional. This team went to the lengths to interview three different HR employees from the company, and undertook different methods to do so. I was impressed that they took the time to interview two out of the three employees by phone and e-mail, in addition to interviewing one other in person. This presentation, to me, was the most effective for several reasons. First, they used the employees’ pictures, thereby giving the

Case Study Lucy and Peter at the GP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Case Study Lucy and Peter at the GP - Essay Example Science has utilized the use of biometrics to safeguard information. In a particular case, the examination of the use of biometrics and the dispensation of information via technology will be discussed. Then, a discussion will be made upon the ethics of the usage of such systems as well as the exploitation of the lacklustre security. Security over things worth protecting has been a significant driving force in technology development as well as policy proliferation. Scientists and lawmakers have joined their efforts to protect identity and fiscal assets. However, through pillaging of cyberspace hackers as well as authorized utilization and viewing of sensitive information has ran rampant on every level. The attacks on military and financial districts of the United States on September 11 gave lawmakers all over the world, especially industrialized countries (i.e. Europe and the United States), a renewed impetus to strengthen security on all levels. Biometrics and other related mechanisms have provided a means to aid in security. Biometrics is the development of statistical and mathematical methods application to data analysis problems in the biological sciences. The form of measurement is used specifically penal and corporate identification systems to protect privileged and sensitive information. ... The Greeks used almost the same methodology but in cunning and precise manner. Now, digital hand prints and eye identification are the standard as well as highest form of security to date to protect sensitive information and financial investments. (Tapscott, pg. 43) False positive tests are made to secure the identity of all constituents involved. Non-repudiation In electronic commercial transactions such as the ATM, all constituents in a transaction must be assured their security is not infringed upon. Via authentication of all parties, a transaction could be made in full confidence. Systems are programmed to make prevent any concerned parties from repudiating a transaction prior to their agreement in a form of digital signatures. Cryptographic hash function Cryptographic hash function is used for information security cryptographic hash function is to translate and transcribe an original writing or picture into an algorithmic form or a "digital fingerprint" for data. The code that represents the actual artefact is conveyed in hash sums. Devices that utilize this method expeditiously dispense information without revealing information. Each hash function must have its own distinct algorithmic, code. Distinction is important inasmuch as it mitigates confusion between two people. Inasmuch as all constituents, to a transaction wish that transaction to be secure, electronic devices must authenticate all constituents to prevent any interlopers. Also, devices, such as ATM machines must prevent parties to electronically renege their transaction. To consolidate trust, the implementation of digital signatures has been heavily utilized. (Cranor, pg 30) Polyalphabetic substitution Among the most original and often

MGT 302 MOD 1 SLP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

MGT 302 MOD 1 SLP - Essay Example Hence management of the company can introduce newer ways and techniques of imparting the training information to the employees (Buchanan and Huczynski). This will keep the employees interested in the training. Introducing games, or other interactive sessions in the sessions as well as making the employees participate allows for better performance in the training programs. It is up to the management to focus on the employee needs and to identify the various elements that motivate them. Using these methods will help the trainers make the sessions more interesting, interactive and will automatically lead to better performance for most employees. Theory X & Theory Y – Relation to work: Based on the test the score of the management totaled to 38 which clearly shows ‘Generally X Theory management’, while my preferences gave the result of 67 which clearly indicates, ‘strongly prefers Y-theory management’ (Business Balls). Based on these scores it is clear th at as an individual my choice of behavior is very different from that what is presented by the management (Buchanan and Huczynski). I prefer to be recognized and to contribute to the company. It is clear that the management does not pay too much heed to the employees and their needs. This clearly leaves a sense of dissatisfaction and also leads to reduced interest in the work as well (Robbins and Judge).

2.Neorealism and Complexity theory and their different notions of the Essay

2.Neorealism and Complexity theory and their different notions of the term system - Essay Example According to the complexity theory, studies (Waldrop 1992) indicate that the way systems are organized is not a coincidence. It is a result of laws of nature that are not fully understood but allow systems to organize themselves and freely bring about order (Waldrop 1992). It perceives a system as being able to demonstrate properties and patterned behaviors that are not found in any of the individual elements that make it up (Battram 2002). According to neorealism, anarchy and distribution of capabilities are the ordering principles that define the international structure (Mearsheimer 2001). They are quantified by the number of great powers in the international system. In the international system, the anarchic ordering principle is decentralized and composed of sovereign states which will not subordinate their interests for the sake of others (Waltz 1979). With regards to changes in distribution of capabilities, neorealism provides three systems. There is a unipolar system which only has one great power, then the bipolar system with two great powers and thirdly, the multipolar system that has more than two great powers (Waltz 1979). This theory contends that the bipolar system is less vulnerable to systemic changes and great power war than the multipolar system. This is because in the bipolar system, balancing only takes place internally without great powers to form alliances with, limiting the chances for errors and g reat power war (Mearsheimer 2001). In conclusion, the complexity theory views a system as one that numerous independent agents interact with each other in multiple and infinite ways. Conversely, neorealism views a system from the angle of structural constraints rather than the motivations and strategies of its

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) - Essay Example The second research paper titled ‘Corporate social responsibility brand leadership: a multiple case study’ has been directed towards using existing research and studies that provide frameworks for the analysis of CSR as a tool for brand leadership strategy. The existing literature is supported by a qualitative study of five UK based firms that have a significant market share, successful brand strategies and a very active CSR. The paper is organized in two parts where each part is dedicated to one research paper. The analysis is organized as presenting the research strategy, methods, findings, assumptions, and overall quality of the research paper. The analysis also makes suggestions for improvement after the analysis. The main argument of this research paper is to critically analyze the two research papers based on qualitative studies and suggest drawbacks that could be improvised for a more comprehensive study. The paper uses Grunig’s situational theory of publics for the purpose of analysis of cases presented within the paper (Byrd, 2009). The framework within the theory helps in creating a single case study with three different aspects of analysis. The research is conducted by way of exhaustive interviews conducted with the senior counselors of each of the two American companies that are under analysis. The primary document analysis is focused completely on the communication of the progress reports presented to the global compact unit on a semiannual basis by each participating member. The secondary analysis is conducted by way of materials and documents produced by the agencies which also include speeches, articles and presentations for the purpose of business publication. The key research question is to find out the dynamics that were responsible for company realization that such coalition was for the benefit of the organization. The second

Evolution of Polo Ralph Lauren Essay Example for Free

Evolution of Polo Ralph Lauren Essay Polo Ralph Lauren has become one of the most renounced clothing companies of the 20th and 21st century. The creator of Polo is a man named Ralph Lifschitz who was born on October 14, 1939 in New York, New York (Ralph Lauren). He was born to Fraydl Kotlar and Frank Lifshitz who were Ashkenazi Jewish from Belarus. In 1955, when Ralph was 16, he and his brother changed their last name to Lauren because they were made fun constantly for having a Jewish last name but his brother Lenny kept the last name (Ralph Lauren). At the age of 18 Ralph worked for various fashion stores such as: Bloomingdale’s, Brooks Brothers, and the Rivetz of Boston neckwear company as a salesman for all of the stores (Vogue). While he worked at all these jobs Ralph studied at the City College of New York for business. Three years later in 1960, Lauren was drafted in to the military and he joined the U.S. Army Reserves and he started basic training at Fort Dix (Vogue). Lauren once said â€Å"When I was growing up, officers in uniform were very impressive to me†¦ When you wear an old military jacket there’s some sort of connection to those qualities, the way the uniforms were made really inspired me for some of my designs that I made later on.† (Vogue). Four year later, in 1964 Ralph marries Ricky Low-Beer. Since Ralph had been around clothes so much-to be more correct neckties- he created his first line of neckties in 1967 but instead of using his name Ralph Lauren, he uses the alias Polo (Vogue). In 1968 Polo menswear launched and it featured English-cut suits, pleated pants, and Fair Isle sweaters (Vogue). Ralph told Vogue â€Å"none of the magazines even wrote about my new line, or came to my show†. The president of Bloomingdale-Marvin Traub-took notice of his new line and gave Ralph his own in-store boutique at the age of 29, it opened in 1969. The boutique was very successful and helped position Bloomingdale and Ralph as the new faces of menswear. In 1970 when Lauren was 30 he received an Coty Award for menswear after designing an unlined, â€Å"unconstructed† suit which is basically what most of the suits today look like. In 1971 Ralph puts the man playing polo on the cuff of the shirt instead of on the chest of the shirt like it is now (Vogue). There were some trademark issues which made it to where Ralph couldn’t just put Polo on his clothing. Since Ralph couldn’t do that he called it â€Å"Ralph Lauren† but later he will get the Polo trademark and call his brand Polo Ralph Lauren. By the end of the 1970’s Polo Ralph Lauren will have expanded from the little boutique in Bloomingdale’s to Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, Houston, Dallas, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, and Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida and this was the first sign to Ralph that his clothing company was going to be a big. When the collared shirts with the polo-player logo was introduced in 1972 it was released in 24 different colors. If you had a polo shirt at this time, it showed your class in the preppy world. Ralph Lauren was once asked â€Å"how can a Jewish kid from the Bronx do preppy clothes?† and he replied with this â€Å"Does it have to do with class and money? It has to do with dreams. (Ralph Lauren). Women found his clothes fashionable because it gave them something different to wear than the traditional gypsy and hippie styles of clothing, after figuring out that women liked his clothing he started a womenswear line in 1972 and it was a huge success. Four year later, in 1976 at the age of thirty-seven Ralph Lauren wins another Coty award for womenswear and this makes him the first designer to win in both categories of menswear and womenswear. He also wins a Coty Hall of Fame award, and in celebration of the award The New York Times did an article on him and pictured him with model Patti Hansen in a Tux laughing with Lauren in a Tuxedo Jacket and jeans, both holding cigarettes, the title of the article was â€Å"I’m having a Black Tie Affair with Ralph Lauren.† (Vogue). This gave the brand of Ralph Lauren a huge push around the world because he had a supermodel pose with him in this article and the fact that he was in Time magazine which people all over the world read also put his name out there in the world. In the 1980’s and 1990’s is when Ralph Lauren gained most of his wealth of, 6.5 billion dollars (Ralph Lauren). In the 1980’s Ralph Lauren expanded his business to include children wear, eyewear, underwear, jeans, shoes, accessories, housewares, furs, luggage, and a plethora of other products (Ralph Lauren: American Classic). Even though most of the companies that expanded too fast like this suffered brand image dilution, Polo was actually made stronger because of many reasons. Mainly because Ralph designed everything himself and if he didn’t directly design the item he still had the last say on how the item looked and what material was put inside it. Another reason Polo stayed in high fashion is because retail never lowered and it was always a higher price. Ralph once said â€Å"I won’t lower my price for anyone. If you can’t buy my clothing than don’t buy it.† (Ralph Lauren: American Classic). In the 2000’s Ralph Lauren made a multimedia marketing joint venture with NBC and allies, and ValueVision, operator of Home Shopping Network. Polo Ralph Lauren became one of the first companies only to use advertisement through electronics, Polo.com was created in 2000 and this was one of the first fashion websites in history (Ralph Lauren: American Classic). In 2001 Polo made their first online magazine telling people all things celebrity, sport, art and culture about polo, th at same year Polo created Runway.Polo.com. this was made to provide fashion fans with a look behind the scenes in collection-development and fashion shows, while offering style and beauty tips (Ralph Lauren: American Classic). Through the 46 years Polo Ralph Lauren has had hundreds of fashion shows but never overseas until now. He’s chosen to do his first fashion show overseas at one of the most historic art schools in the world called École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France on October 8, 2013 (Ralph Lauren’s first..). Ralph Lifschitz was just a boy from a working class Orthodox Jewish family in the Bronx who started out selling neckties in many of the high fashion stores in New York. He came from the bottom just selling and making neckties in a small boutique in Bloomingdale to creating and breaking down barriers in the fashion industry. Ralph now has hundreds of stores across the world which has made him a billionaire. Polo Ralph Lauren was made to celebrate the pr eppy, sporty, wealthy, and traveled, while keeping a modern look. Polo has been around for 46 years and has never lost its value which is very rare for any company to do. Works Cited â€Å"Ralph Lauren. Biography† Bio. True Story. 2013. Web. 13 Oct. 2013 â€Å"Ralph Lauren.† The World of Fashion in Voguepedia .2012. Web. 14 Oct. 2013 â€Å"Ralph Lauren: American Classic.† Eurbanista Brand Strategy, Sustainability and the Digital Revolution in Fashion, Luxury and Media. 2009. Web. 14 Oct. 2013 â€Å"Ralph Lauren’s first international runway show honors Paris school restoration.† Luxury Daily. 2013. Web. 14 Oct. 2013

Kelloggs The Market Leader Of Cereals Marketing Essay

Kelloggs The Market Leader Of Cereals Marketing Essay The purpose of this report is that to let the readers know the challenges and competition in Cereal and Snacks of UK and rest of the world. This report is sculptured on Kelloggs the market leader of cereal and breakfast industry of UK. This report consists of detail company analysis using SWOT* analysis, PESTEL** analysis and using Marketing 4 ps*** and Porter Five Forces to highlight the industry. The objective of the report is to outline the marketing plan of Kelloggs and then critically evaluate the plan making the recommendations. Further then this report is going to highlight effects of technology on Kelloggs operations and how Kelloggs is benefiting from new media i.e Internet. The end of the report some focus is upon the Kelloggs Sustainability plan and recommendations for further improvements. Marketing is the management process of Identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer needs and requirements profitably. Chartered Institute of Marketing So the main functions of marketing is to Identify and Anticipate what are the needs and wants of the customer and analysing what the competitors are providing at the moment and what further new and better product and service the Organisation can provide. The Main aim here is to know and understand the customer so well that product or service fits accordingly to customer requirements and sells itself. Secondly the important aim of marketing is to satisfy the customer. So the companies provide the combination of products and services to satisfy the needs and wants of the customers. Kotler describes marketing as the process by which companies create value for customers and build strong relationships in order to capture value from customers in return. To do this successfully, firms need to embrace a culture of market orientation and put the customer at the forefront of everything they do. Communication of the marketing strategy and plan across the organisation plays a vital part in making this happen. Philips kotler There is misconception among the people that marketing is all about advertising and selling i.e. Telling and selling, although they are important but they are only the tip the marketing iceberg. Selling and telling occurs after the product is complete and ready to launch to market, in contrast marketing starts long before the company has a product. Marketing is all about assessing the needs of consumers, measure their extend intensity and estimate whether there is a profit opportunity exist. Marketing is of such importance that is continues from the product development to market withdrawal, and its main function during this period is to acquire new customers and keep the current customers locked in by improving product appeal and performance and giving customer a good after sales service with constant product updates. According to the Marketing guru Peter Drucker, The Aim of marketing is to make selling unnecessary this is done by understanding the customers so well that the product and service sells itself. Marketing is a five step process; Understanding the Marketplace and Customer needs and wants Design Customer-Driven Strategy Construct a Marketing Programme that delivers superior value. Build Profitable relationship and customer delight Capture Value from customer in return. Kotler one of the famous Marketing author describes marketing as a Process by which companies create value to the customers and build a strong relation in order to capture value from customers in return in the form of Current and future sales, market share and profits. Companies should provide good quality service and superior products to customers to satisfy them and in return win customer loyalty and future sales. To create value for the customer the company should have a Customer-driven marketing strategy and the customer driven strategy looks upon two basic questions, What customers will we serve and how can we serve these customers best. The company must first decide who it will serve, for this company divides the market into segments and selects the segment it will go for. After selecting the target customer then company decides how they are going to differentiate and position itself in the marketplace. One important role of marketing is that to lock the customer with continuou s good quality service and to provide innovative products at regular intervals and once the customer is locked in, and then most important step is to build a profitable customer relationship. Kelloggs About Kelloggs: Kelloggs is a prominent player in the world of Breakfast and produces more than three out of 10 packets eaten in UK. Kelloggs has 42% of UK market share, this makes Kelloggs a market leader and in 2009 it was Britains biggest grocery selling brand with sales of  £550 million and global sales of nearly 12 billion. Kelloggs products are manufactured in 18 countries and marketed in more than 180 countries and it employs around 32000 employees. The Company Products including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, fruit-flavored snacks, frozen waffles and veggie foods. Kelloggs markets its products under a variety of brands include Rice Krispies, Special K and Nutri-Grain. Vision and Mission Kellogg Companys Vision and Mission statements define our focus upon sustainable growth, our broadened definition of social responsibility and the true strength of our company our people and our brands. Our Vision encompasses the full spectrum of our stakeholders including shareowners, employees, customers, consumers and communities.   Our Mission articulates where we are as a company today and where we wish to be in the future. Our Vision and Mission do not stand alone.   They are integrated with our focused strategy and operating principles as well as the foundations of our business: our K Values, people and commitment to social responsibility. http://www.kelloggcompany.com Kelloggs Marketing Plan and Strategies The cereal giant Kelloggs being the Market leader in the world of breakfast has plans to further increase its market share with the help of new innovative products and new marketing campaigns. Kelloggs chief marketing officer Mark Baynes said in an marketing Magazine We are aiming to create a team inspired, equipped and enabled to drive stronger returns in this increasingly complex consumer landscape. As per Mark Baynes the company marketing plan is to drive stronger returns in the complex business environment as last year Kelloggs reported six per cent drop in the earnings in the third quarter, which is because of increasing competition in the cereal industry, General mills, Nestle being the biggest competitor of Kelloggs followed by Quaker Oats. So the main Marketing and Business plan of Kelloggs is to Leadership in product innovation Strengthening the companys seven largest market segments Continuing to reduce the Cost and increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of the business processes Investing in new product research and brand building activities Thinking ethically and environmentally. SWOT ANALYSIS The SWOT analysis is an analysis of the companys current position in the light of its strengths, weakness, opportunity and threats. Kelloggs Strengths: Kelloggs biggest strength comes from its 42% market share and being market leader Brand is fully recognised by the customers and the retailers. Providing Quality innovative products with the support of proper marketing campaigns and sound distribution channels. High product demand gives Kelloggs main shelf space in the shops and Retailer like ASDA, TESCO etc. Kelloggs have products targeting childrens, teenagers, adult and even the elders. This gives Kelloggs reputation of proving products for everyone. Social Responsibility: Kelloggs welcomes social responsibility and notes the environment, advocating healthy lifestyles, and promoting diversity as its main responsibilities. Kelloggs Weakness: Slow erosion in Global market share as competitors like Nestle and Wheatabix are providing new and economic valued products. Kelloggs has many demographically different customers which mean many different focuses. This may cause a conflict when it comes to public opinion Kelloggs Opportunities: Kelloggs can slowly diversify and still remain into their core business. This could further increase their profitability and market growth. There can further increase their market share and growth by using better pricing strategy. Major opportunity for Kelloggs is to provide health and more organic products as customers are looking for healthier life-style. Kelloggs Threats: Retailers like ASDA, Tesco are so powerful that they have created their own brand of cereals and corn flakes. Providing cheaper and better quality alternative products. The world economy is suffering, so customers prefer economical n cheap products. Kelloggs charging premium prices can hinder in its growth. Competition in the market is increasing day by day as many companies like Quarters , Nestle wheata bix and other brands are coming with new and healthy breakfast products, this increases pressure on kelloggs to provide even better products with reasonable price. PEST ANALYSIS Political: Social health Conscious†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦fast paced Life style†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ obesity Kelloggs 4 Ps: The main objective of marketing plan is to create a strategy and goals that ultimately satisfy customer needs. The main part of marketing plan consists of its marketing mix, to satisfy customers the company is to provide quality products with suitable distribution channels i.e Place with competitive and reasonable Price with appropriate Promotion. Products: Product is anything that is offered to the market for the attention, acquisition, use and consumption that satisfy the wants and needs of the customer. Kelloggs being the market leader in product innovation by launching new cereals and snacks

Streptococci :: essays research papers

Streptococci In a healthy human, the internal tissues such as blood, brain, and muscle are generally free of microorganisms. On the other hand, the surface tissues, such as skin, all of the mucous membrane in the mouth, nasal cavity and intestinal tract can easily and readily become available for microorganism to colonize and grow. Depending on the location in the human body, different bacteria choose to grow on a specific location that provides the nutrition it needs, with optimum condition such as pH. There are many different bacteria that collectively are called normal flora, and live in the human body. Many of these bacteria are commensally living in humans, and some others are symbiotic. Commensal bacteria only obtain their food from the human, and do not harm or benefit the host, on the other hand symbiots not only get their food from the host, but in return they also become beneficial to the host in providing nutrition that human can not make, such as vitamin K. One of the most recognized and extensively studied bacteria that often get more attention during the winter is Streptococcus. There are different strains of strep. Depending on their ability of hemolysis of blood agar, strep can be subdivided into a, b and g hemolytic (1-pp143). There are many different laboratory tests that can be done to distinguish one strep from the other. Different treatments also have been developed to fight each strain of strep. The streptococci are a group of bacteria that infect human as well as animals. A very basic test to recognize strep is to perform blood agar plate (BAP) test. Hemolysis of the blood agar can indicate the presence of strep bacteria. Most strep bacteria are either a or b hemolytic on sheep blood agar. a-hemolytic strep partially lyses the red blood cells, creating a greenish zone around each colony, whereas, complete lyses of blood by b-hemolytic strep create a clear zone. g-hemolytic does not lyse red blood cells, and no change or zone is created (1-pp143). Streptococci are gram positive and exhibit purple color cocci when gram stained and observed under the microscope. Gram-positive bacteria such as streptococci have a membrane that contains a thick layer of peptidoglycan. Peptidoglycan can retain the violet blue, and does not wash off with alcohol. It grows in short chains, containing several streptococci. It looks a lot like a string of beads.

Essay --

Even though genetically modified organisms were created to grow more food there are negative aspects to these types of crops that are harmful to humans and animals. Therefore GMO’s should be studied more because there are positive impacts but harmful side effects. Genetically modified organisms is an organism whose genetic material has been changed using genetic engineering techniques. Organisms that have been genetically modified include microorganisms such as bacteria and yeast, insects, plants, fish, and mammals. GMO’s are the source of genetically modified foods, and are also widely used in scientific research and to produce goods other than food. Some negative impacts of GMO’s are the rise in autoimmune diseases, toxic effects, allergy risks, financial impacts, and cross pollination or contamination. The rise in autoimmune diseases, infertility, and chronic diseases may be associated with the introduction of genetically modified foods. The American academy of environmental medicine, consider the role of genetically modified foods in the nations health crisis, and advise their patients to avoid all genetically modified foods whenever possible. Genetically modified foods also share certain toxic effects on the liver, pancreas, kidneys, and reproductive system that may cause cancer in these organs. The widespread use of recombinant hormones-a genetically modified substance- in the agriculture industry is associated in IGF-1, a growth hormone that, in excess can lead to cancer. GMO foods have many allergy risks to people. Genetic modification often mixes or adds proteins that aren’t native to the original plant or animal, causing new allergic reactions in the body. Modifying plants genetically forms viruses, bacteria, and othe... ... indoors and the gardener controls the season. It is also a great way to spend wholesome, quality time with your family. In conclusion, there are many alternatives rather than using GMO. There may be many positive impacts of genetically modified foods but there are way more negative, harmful side effects and consequences when creating, eating, or using gmo foods. Gmo’s do not only affect the health of the human population but it also affects nature around us. Nature has it’s own natural cycle and genetically modified organisms diserupt the natural cycle. Killing one harmless species of insects may seem insignificant but it disrupts the food chain and animals or species that rely on them will die off and so will the rest up the food chain. Scientists should study more on the GMO’s so the negatives turn into positives so it doesn’t affect people as much or at all.

Pearl Harbor Essay -- essays research papers

Pearl Harbor I. Events before the bombing A. Reasons for Japans Expansion  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Japanese were severely lacking in raw materials 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Japanese wanted to build an empire 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Japan thought that it must build up its armies to compete with the Western Powers II. Preparations A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Japanese made up a 8 point plan 1. Surprise was crucial 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  American aircraft carriers there should be the primary targets 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  U.S. aircraft there must be destroyed to prevent aerial opposition 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All Japanese aircraft carriers available should be used 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All types of bombing should be used in the attack 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A strong fighter element should be included in the attack for air cover for the fleet 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Refueling at sea would be necessary 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A daylight attack promised best results, especially in the sunrise hours B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The necessary troops were trained and ships were readied C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Peace talks came to a halt III. The Attack A. The attack was carrier based B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The attack consisted of about 300 planes C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The attack started at 7:55 a.m. IV. Aftermaths of the attack   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A. American losses 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  19 ships were damaged or sunk 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2,403 people were killed 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Germany and Italy declared war on America V. Conclusion A. The war was stopped by the atom-bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The President was aware of Japan’s plans to attack C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The attack was allowed to bring Japan into the war Pearl Harbor I. Events before the bombing A. Reasons for Japans Expansion  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Japanese were severely lacking in raw materials 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Japanese wanted to build an empire 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Japan thought that it must build up its armies to com... ...d first. The plan was to anger Japan and thus to drag America into the greatest war of her existence. Yet even with this â€Å"Terrible Truth† I am inclined to forgive. I sympathize with President Roosevelt and the dilemma he faced. â€Å"He was forced to find circuitous means to persuade an isolationist America to join in a fight for freedom†¦It is easier to take a critical view of this policy a half century after the event than to fully understand fully what went on in Roosevelt’s mind in the year prior to Pearl Harbor. Work Cited   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (April 10,2001).December 7,1941. [World Wide Web]. Available: URL=http://www.execpc.com/~dschaaf/overview.html   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (April 20,2001).Historychannel. [World Wide Web]. Available: URL=http://www.historychannel.com/per1/print_book.pl?ID=35502 (April 10,2001).The History Place. [World Wide Web]. Available: URL=http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/pearl.htm Louis L. Snyder. â€Å"Pearl Harbor.† Academic American Encyclopedia 1989 ed. Stackman, Michael, Target: Pearl Harbor. Honolulu: University of Hawaii   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Press, 1990

Jamaican Bauxite Case Report

Jamaican Bauxite Mining Case Report -Palak The documentary video shows how bauxite mining affects environment in Jamaica. After the mining process takes place, the residual red mud is dumped into a lake in the highlands of Central Jamaica. However, these â€Å"red mud lakes† resulted in the percolation of caustic residues (sodium) into the underground aquifers in local areas. The sludge contains high levels of heavy metals and other pollutants. Thus, the soil remaining, cannot sustain life on it.The environmental impact of Jamaica's bauxite mining symbolizes the majority of mining or heavy industrial operations. Bauxite mining, which is considered as surface mining, is land extensive, noisy and dusty. Mining pits are often in between small rural communities, thereby requiring companies relocate the people and/or to monetarily compensate them. To facilitate this process, all the biodiversity has to be destroyed, thus affecting subsistence farmers the most, who are not even prov ided with any kind of compensation, as we see Mr.Neville Palmer telling us, in the video. This loss of biodiversity is of great concern to all environmentalists. Mr. Dixon, an environmentalist tells us how the heavy metals present in the mud, is seeping into the ground water and that in turn is polluting rivers and streams. Thus, affecting not only the environment and surrounding ecosystem, but also the health of the local communities. The local people complain that the air is polluted by bauxite dust coming from the lake and a nearby processing plant.However, one of the leading companies of bauxite mining in Jamaica, have stated that their bauxite residues facilities contain no toxic components and uses the latest technology for the red mud disposal. Reclamation and restoration of mined land is also done on a timely basis. The environmentalists don’t seem too satisfied with that, though. They say that the revenue generated by bauxite mining in Jamaica is far less than the ha rm caused to the environment by the land erosion n pollution.Meanwhile, as the dispute continues, the mining companies continue to flourish. In the later years, the Jamaican Mining Act was introduced. The Jamaican Mining Act of 1947 requires mines to remove topsoil before mining, and restore it as part of the reclamation process. According to the Act, the companies holding the mining license, must, as soon as mining activities are over, restore every mined area of land to the level of productivity that existed prior to the mining.This restoration must take place within six months after the activity has ended and failure to do so will result in a penalty of US$ 4,500 per acre. Since the average cost of restoration for mined-out bauxite lands in US$ 4000 per acre, the companies are encouraged to restore rather than pay the fine. Thus presently, the bauxite mining scenario in Jamaica is of high concern and environmentalists are doing as much as possible to curb the harmful effects. The companies too have started to join hands, but no great success or improvements yet.

Language and the Brain

Language and the brain Many people assume the physical basis of language lies in the lips, the tongue, or the ear. But deaf and mute people can also possess language fully. People who have no capacity to use their vocal cords may still be able to comprehend language and use its written forms. And human sign language, which is based on visible gesture rather than the creation of sound waves, is an infinitely creative system just like spoken forms of language.But the basis of sign language is not in the hand, just as spoken language is not based in the lips or tongue. There are many examples of aphasics who lose both the ability to write as well as to express themselves using sign-language, yet they never lose manual dexterity in other tasks, such as sipping with a straw or tying their shoes. Language is brain stuff–not tongue, lip, ear, or hand stuff. The language organ is the mind.More specifically, the language faculty seems to be located in certain areas of the  left hemis pheric cortex in most healthy adults. A special branch of linguistics, New medical imaging techniques such as  PET  and  fMRI  have allowed researchers to generate pictures showing which areas of a living brain are active at a given time. In the past, research was primarily based on observations of loss of ability resulting from damage to thecerebral cortex.Indeed, medical imaging has represented a radical step forward for research on speech processing. Since then, a whole series of relatively large areas of the brain have been found to be involved in speech processing. In more recent research, subcortical regions (those lying below the cerebral cortex such as the  putamen  and the  caudate nucleus) as well as the pre-motor areas (BA 6) have received increased attention.It is now generally assumed that the following structures of the cerebral cortex near the  primary and secondary auditory cortexes  play a fundamental role in speech processing: * Superior temporal gyrus  (STG):  morphosyntactic  processing (anterior section), integration of  syntactic  and  semantic  information (posterior section) * Inferior frontal gyrus  (IFG,  Brodmann area  (BA)  45/47): syntactic processing,  working memory * Inferior frontal gyrus  (IFG,  BA 44): syntactic processing, working memory * Middle temporal gyrus  (MTG):  lexical semantic  processing The left hemisphere is usually dominant in right-handed people, although bilateral activations are not uncommon in the area of syntactic processing. It is now accepted that the right hemisphere plays an important role in the processing of suprasegmental acoustic features like  prosody. Most areas of speech processing develop in the second year of life in the dominant half (hemisphere) of the brain, which often (though not necessarily) corresponds to the opposite of the  dominant hand. 8 percent of right-handed people are left-hemisphere dominant, and the majority of left-hand ed people as well. What can language disorders tell us about the brain's language areas? Tourette's syndrome, which produces random and involuntary emotive reflex responses, including vocalizations This type of disorder, which often affects language use, is caused by a disfunction in the subcortex. There is no filter which prevents the slightest stimulus from producing a vocal response, sometimes of an inappropriate manner using abusive language or expletives. These words are involuntary and often the affected individual is not even aware of uttering them (like â€Å"um† in many individuals) and only realizes it when video is played back.This syndrome is not so much a language disorder per se as a disorder of the filters on the adult emotional reflex system–a kind of expletive hiccup. True language is housed in the cortex of the left hemisphere, not in the subcortical area that controls involuntary responses. Certain types of brain damage can affect language production without actually eliminating language from the brain. A stroke that damages the muscles of the vocal apparatus may leave the abstract cognitive structure of language intact–as witnessed by the fact that right hemisphere stroke victims often understand language perfectly well and write it perfectly with their right hand–although their speech may be slurred due to lack of muscle control.We have also seen that certain disorders involving the subcortex–the seat of involuntary emotional response–may have linguistic side effects, such as in some cases of Tourette's syndrome. But what happens when the areas of the brain which control language are affected directly, and the individual's abstract command of language is affected? We will see that language disorders can shed a great deal of light on the enigma of the human language instinct. SLI. One rare language disorder seems to be inborn rather than the result of damage to a previously normal brain. I have said that children are born with a natural instinct to acquire language, the so-called LAD; however, a tiny minority of babies are born with an apparent defect in this LAD.Certain families appear to have a hereditary language acquisition disorder, labeled  specific language impairment, or  SLI. Children born with this disorder usually have normal intelligence, perhaps even high intelligence, but as children they are never able to acquire language naturally and effortlessly. They are born with their window of opportunity already closed to natural language acquisition. These children grow up without succeeding in acquiring any consistent grammatical patterns. Thus, they never command any language well–even their native language. As children and then as adults, their speech in their native language is a catalog of random grammatical errors, such as:It's a flying birds, they are. These boy eat two cookie.John is work in the factory. These errors are random, not the set patterns o f an alternate dialect:   the next conversation the same SLI-afflicted individual might say  This boys eats two cookies. These sentences, in fact, were uttered by a British teenager who is at the top of his class in mathematics; he is highly intelligent, just grammar blind. SLI sufferers are incapable of perfecting their skills through being taught, just as some people are incapable of being taught how to draw well or how to see certain colors. This is the best proof we have that the language instinct most children are born with is a skill quite distinct from general intelligence.Because SLI occurs in families and seems to have no environmental cause whatsoever, it is assumed to be caused by some hereditary factor–probably a mutant, recessive gene that interferes with or impairs the LAD. The precise gene which causes SLI has yet to be located. Aphasia We know which specific areas of the left hemisphere are involved in the production and processing of particular aspects of language. And we know this primarily from the study of patients who have had damage to certain parts of the left hemispheric cortex. Damage to this area produces a condition called  aphasia, or speech impairment (also called dysphasia in Britain). The study of language loss in a once normal brain is called  aphasiology. Aphasia is caused by damage to the language centers of the left hemisphere in the region of the  sylvian fissure.Nearly 98% of aphasia cases can be traced to damage in the  perisylvian area  of the left hemisphere of the cerebral cortex. Remember, however, that in the occasional individual language is localized elsewhere; and in children language is not yet fully localized. SUMMARY Let's sum up three important facts about language and brain. First, humans are born with the innate capacity to acquire the extremely complex, creative system of communication that we call language. We are born with a  language instinct, which Chomsky calls the LAD (language a cquisition device). This language aptitude is completely different from inborn reflex responses to stimuli as laughter, sneezing, or crying.The language instinct seems to be a uniquely human genetic endowment:   nearly all children exposed to language naturally acquire language almost as if by magic. Only in rare cases are children born without this magical ability to absorb abstract syntactic patterns from their environment. These children are said to suffer from  Specific Language Impairment, or  SLI. It is thought that SLI is caused by a mutant gene which disrupts the LAD. The LAD itself, of course, is probably the result of the complex interaction of many genes–not just one–and the malfunction of some single key gene simply short-circuits the system. For example, a faulty carburetor wire may prevent an engine from running, but the engine is more than a single carburetor wire.Many thousands of genes contribute to the makeup of the human brain–more than to any other single aspect of the human body. To isolate the specific set of genes that act as the blueprint for the language organ is something no one has even begun to do. Second, the  natural ability for acquiring language normally diminished rapidly somewhere around the age of puberty. There is a  critical age  for acquiring fluent native language. This phenomenon seems to be connected with thelateralization  of language in the left hemisphere of most individuals–the hemisphere associated with  monolinear cognition  (such as abstract reasoning and step-by step physical tasks) and not the right hemisphere, which is associated with 3D spatial acuity, artistic and musical ability.Unlike adults, children seem to be able to employ both hemispheres to acquire language. In other words, one might say that children acquire language three-dimensionally while adults must learn it two dimensionally. Third and finally, in most adults  the language organ is the perisylvia n area of the left hemispheric cortex. Yesterday we discussed the extensive catalog of evidence that shows language is usually housed in this specific area of the brain. Only the human species uses this area for communication. The signals of animal systems of communication seem to be controlled by the subcortex, the area which in humans controls similar inborn response signals such as laughter, crying, fear, desire, etc.

Forward the Foundation Chapter 11

9 We all have our small illusions and Cleon-Emperor of the Galaxy, King of Trantor, and a wide collection of other titles that on rare occasions could be called out in a long sonorous roll-was convinced that he was a person of democratic spirit. It always angered him when he was warned off a course of action by Demerzel (or, later, by Seldon) on the grounds that such action would be looked on as â€Å"tyrannical† or â€Å"despotic.† Cleon was not a tyrant or despot by disposition, he was certain; he only wanted to take firm and decisive action. He spoke many times with nostalgic approval of the days when Emperors could mingle freely with their subjects, but now, of course, when the history of coups and assassinations-actual or attempted-had become a dreary fact of life, the Emperor had, of necessity, been shut off from the world. It is doubtful that Cleon, who had never in his life met with people except under the most constricted of conditions, would really have felt at home in offhand encounters with strangers, but he always imagined he would enjoy it. He was excited, therefore, for the rare chance of talking to one of the underlings on the grounds, to smile and to doff the trappings of Imperial rule for a few minutes. It made him feet democratic. There was this gardener whom Seldon had spoken of, for instance. It would be fitting, even a pleasure, to reward him belatedly for his loyalty and bravery-and to do so himself, rather than leaving it to some functionary. He therefore arranged to meet the fellow in the spacious rose garden, which was in full bloom. That would be appropriate, Cleon thought, but, of course, they would have to bring the gardener there first. It was unthinkable for the Emperor to be made to wait. It is one thing to be democratic, quite another to be inconvenienced. The gardener was waiting for him among the roses, his eyes wide, his lips trembling. It occurred to Cleon that it was possible that no one had told the man the exact reason for the meeting. Well, he would reassure him in kindly fashion-except that, now he came to think of it, he could not remember the fellow's name. He turned to one of the officials at his side and said, â€Å"What is the gardener's name?† â€Å"Sire, it is Mandell Gruber. He has been a gardener here for thirty years.† The Emperor nodded and said, â€Å"Ah, Gruber. How glad I am to meet a worthy and hardworking gardener.† â€Å"Sire,† mumbled Gruber, his teeth chattering. â€Å"I am not a man of many talents, but it is always my best I try to do on behalf of your gracious self.† â€Å"Of course, of course,† said the Emperor, wondering if the gardener suspected him of sarcasm. These men of the lower class lacked the finer feelings that came with refinement and manners, which always made any attempt at democratic display difficult. Cleon said, â€Å"I have heard from my First Minister of the loyalty with which you once came to his aid and of your skill in taking care of the grounds. The First Minister tells me that he and you are quite friendly.† â€Å"Sire, the First Minister is most gracious to me, but I know my place. I never speak to him unless he speaks first.† â€Å"Quite, Gruber. That shows good manners on your part, but the First Minister, like myself, is a man of democratic impulses and I trust his judgment of people.† Gruber bowed low. The Emperor said, â€Å"As you know, Gruber, Chief Gardener Malcomber is quite old and longs to retire. The responsibilities are becoming greater than even he can bear.† â€Å"Sire, the Chief Gardener is much respected by all the gardeners. May he be spared for many years so that we can all come to him for the benefit of his wisdom and judgment.† â€Å"Well said, Gruber,† said the Emperor carelessly, â€Å"but you very well know that that is just mumbo-jumbo. He is not going to be spared, at least not with the strength and wit necessary for the position. He himself requests retirement within the year and I have granted him that. It remains to find a replacement.† â€Å"Oh, Sire, there are fifty men and women in this grand place who could be Chief Gardener.† â€Å"I dare say,† said the Emperor, â€Å"but my choice has fallen upon you.† The Emperor smiled graciously. This was the moment he had been waiting for. Gruber would now, he expected, fall to his knees in an ecstasy of gratitude. He did not and the Emperor frowned. Gruber said, â€Å"Sire, it is an honor that is too great for me-entirely.† â€Å"Nonsense,† said Cleon, offended that his judgment should be called into question. â€Å"It is about time that your virtues are recognized. You will no longer have to be exposed to weather of all kinds at all times of the year. You will have the Chief Gardener's office, a fine place, which I will have redecorated for you, and where you can bring your family. You do have a family, don't you, Gruber?† â€Å"Yes, Sire. A wife and two daughters. And a son-in-law.† â€Å"Very good. You will be very comfortable and you will enjoy your new life, Gruber. You will be indoors, Gruber, and out of the weather, like a true Trantorian.† â€Å"Sire, consider that I am an Anacreonian by upbringing-â€Å" â€Å"I have considered, Gruber. All worlds are alike to the Emperor. It is done. The new job is what you deserved.† He nodded his head and stalked off. Cleon was satisfied with this latest show of his benevolence. Of course, he could have used a little more gratitude from the fellow, a little more appreciation, but at least the task was done. And it was much easier to have this done than to settle the matter of the failing infrastructure. Cleon had, in a moment of testiness, declared that whenever a breakdown could be attributed to human error, the human being in question should forthwith be executed. â€Å"Just a few executions,† he said, â€Å"and it will be remarkable how careful everyone will become.† â€Å"I'm afraid, Sire,† Seldon had said, â€Å"that this type of despotic behavior would not accomplish what you wish. It would probably force the workers to go on strike-and if you try to force them back to work, there would then be an insurrection-and if you try to replace them with soldiers, you will find they do not know how to control the machinery, so that breakdowns will begin to take place much more frequently.† It was no wonder that Cleon turned to the matter of appointing a Chief Gardener with relief. As for Gruber, he gazed after the departing Emperor with the chill of sheer horror. He was going to be taken from the freedom of the open air and condemned to the constriction of four walls. Yet how could one refuse the Emperor? 10 Raych looked in the mirror of his Wye hotel room somberly (it was a pretty run-down hotel room, but Raych was not supposed to have too many credits). He did not like what he saw. His mustache was gone; his sideburns were shortened; his hair was clipped at the sides and back. He looked-plucked. Worse than that. As a result of the change in his facial contours, he looked baby-faced. It was disgusting. Nor was he making any headway. Seldon had given him the security reports on Kaspal Kaspalov's death, which he had studied. There wasn't much there. Just that Kaspalov had been murdered and that the local security officers had come up with nothing of importance in connection with that murder. It seemed quite clear that the security officers attached little or no importance to it, anyway. That was not surprising. In the last century, the crime rate had risen markedly in most worlds, certainly in the grandly complex world of Trantor, and nowhere were the local security officers up to the job of doing anything useful about it. In fact, the security establishment had declined in numbers and efficiency everywhere and (while this was hard to prove) had become more corrupt. It was inevitable this should be so, with pay refusing to keep pace with the cost of living. One must pay civil officials to keep them honest. Failing that, they would surely make up for their inadequate salaries in other ways. Seldon had been preaching this doctrine for some years now, but it did no good. There was no way to increase wages without increasing taxes and the populace would not sit still for increased taxes. It seemed they would rather lose ten times the credits in graft. It was all part (Seldon had said) of the general deterioration of Imperial society over the previous two centuries. Well, what was Raych to do? He was here at the hotel where Kaspalov had lived during the days immediately before his murder. Somewhere in the hotel there might be someone who had something to do with that-or who knew someone who had. It seemed to Raych that he must make himself conspicuous. He must show an interest in Kaspalov's death and then someone would get interested in him and pick him up. It was dangerous, but if he could make himself sound harmless enough, they might not attack him immediately. Well- Raych looked at his timeband. There would be people enjoying their predinner aperitifs in the bar. He might as well join them and see what would happen-if anything. 11 In some respects, Wye could be quite puritanical. (This was true of all the sectors, though the rigidity of one sector might be completely different from the rigidity of another.) Here, the drinks were not alcoholic but were synthetically designed to stimulate in other ways. Raych did not like the taste, finding himself utterly unused to it, but it meant that he could sip his drink slowly and look around. He caught the eye of a young woman several tables away and had difficulty in looking away. She was attractive and it was clear that Wye's ways were not puritanical in every fashion. After a few moments, the young woman smiled slightly and rose. She drifted toward Raych's table, while Raych watched her speculatively. He could scarcely (he thought with marked regret) afford a side adventure just now. She stopped for a moment when she reached Raych and then let herself slide smoothly into an adjacent chair. â€Å"Hello,† she said. â€Å"You don't look like a regular here.† Raych smiled. â€Å"I'm not. Do you know all the regulars?† â€Å"Just about,† she said, unembarrassed. â€Å"My name is Manella. What's yours?† Raych was more regretful than ever. She was quite tall, taller than he himself was without his heels-something he always found attractive-had a milky complexion, and long, softly wavy hair that had distinct glints of dark red in it. Her clothing was not too garish and she might, if she had tried a little harder, have passed as a respectable woman of the not-too-hardworking class. Raych said, â€Å"My name doesn't matter. I don't have many credits.† â€Å"Oh. Too bad.† Manella made a face. â€Å"Can't you get a few?† â€Å"I'd like to. I need a job. Do you know of any?† â€Å"What kind of job?† Raych shrugged. â€Å"I don't have any experience in anything fancy, but I ain't proud.† Manella looked at him thoughtfully. â€Å"I'll tell you what, Mr. Nameless. Sometimes it doesn't take any credits at all.† Raych froze at once. He had been successful enough with women, but with his mustache-his mustache. What could she see in his baby face? He said, â€Å"Tell you what. I had a friend living here a couple of weeks ago and I can't find him. Since you know all the regulars, maybe you know him. His name is Kaspalov.† He raised his voice slightly. â€Å"Kaspal Kaspalov.† Manella stared at him blankly and shook her head. â€Å"I don't know anybody by that name.† â€Å"Too bad. He was a Joranumite and so am I.† Again, a blank look. â€Å"Do you know what a Joranumite is?† She shook her head. â€Å"N-no. I've heard the word, but I don't know what it means. Is it some kind of job?† Raych felt disappointed. He said, â€Å"It would take too long to explain.† It sounded like a dismissal and, after a moment of uncertainty, Manella rose and drifted away. She did not smile and Raych was a little surprised that she had remained as long as she did. (Well, Seldon had always insisted that Raych had the capacity to inspire affection-but surely not in a businesswoman of this sort. For them, payment was the thing.) His eyes followed Manella automatically as she stopped at another table, where a man was seated by himself. He was of early middle age, with butter-yellow hair, slicked back. He was very smooth-shaven, but it seemed to Raych that he could have used a beard, his chin being too prominent and a bit asymmetric. Apparently Manella had no better luck with this beardless one. A few words were exchanged and she moved on. Too bad, but surely it was impossible for her to fail often. She was unquestionably desirable. Raych found himself thinking, quite involuntarily, of what the upshot would be if he, after all, could-And then Raych realized that he had been joined by someone else. It was a man this time. It was, in fact, the man to whom Manella had just spoken. He was astonished that his own preoccupation had allowed him to be thus approached and, in effect, caught by surprise. He couldn't very well afford this sort of thing. The man looked at him with a glint of curiosity in his eyes. â€Å"You were just talking to a friend of mine.† Raych could not help smiling broadly. â€Å"She's a friendly person.† â€Å"Yes, she is. And a good friend of mine. I couldn't help overhearing what you said to her.† â€Å"Wasn't nothing wrong, I think.† â€Å"Not at all, but you called yourself a Joranumite.† Raych's heart jumped. His remark to Manella had hit dead-center after all. It had meant nothing to her, but it seemed to mean something to her â€Å"friend.† Did that mean he was on the road now? Or merely in trouble? 12 Raych did his best to size up his new companion, without allowing his own face to lose its smooth naivete. The man had sharp greenish eyes and his right hand clenched almost threateningly into a fist as it rested on the table. Raych looked owlishly at the other and waited. Again, the man said, â€Å"I understand you call yourself a Joranumite.† Raych did his best to look uneasy. It was not difficult. He said, â€Å"Why do you ask, mister?† â€Å"Because I don't think you're old enough.† â€Å"I'm old enough. I used to watch Jo-Jo Joranum's speeches on holovision.† â€Å"Can you quote them?† Raych shrugged. â€Å"No, but I got the idea.† â€Å"You're a brave young man to talk openly about being a Joranumite. Some people don't like that.† â€Å"I'm told there are lots of Joranumites in Wye.† â€Å"That may be. Is that why you came here?† â€Å"I'm looking for a job. Maybe another Joranumite would help me.† â€Å"There are Joranumites in Dahl, too. Where are you from?† There was no question that he recognized Raych's accent. That could not be disguised. He said, â€Å"I was born in Millimaru, but I lived mostly in Dahl when I was growing up.† â€Å"Doing what?† â€Å"Nothing much. Going to school some.† â€Å"And why are you a Joranumite?† Raych let himself heat up a bit. He couldn't have lived in downtrodden, discriminated-against Dahl without having obvious reasons for being a Joranumite. He said, â€Å"Because I think there should be more representative government in the Empire, more participation by the people, and more equality among the sectors and the worlds. Doesn't anyone with brains and a heart think that?† â€Å"And you want to see the Emperorship abolished?† Raych paused. One could get away with a great deal in the way of subversive statements, but anything overtly anti-Emperor was stepping outside the bounds. He said, â€Å"I ain't saying that. I believe in the Emperor, but ruling a whole Empire is too much for one man.† â€Å"It isn't one man. There's a whole Imperial bureaucracy. What do you think of Hari Seldon, the First Minister?† â€Å"Don't think nothing about him. Don't know about him.† â€Å"All you know is that people should be more represented in the affairs of government. Is that right?† Raych allowed himself to look confused. â€Å"That's what Jo-Jo Joranum used to say. I don't know what you call it. I heard someone once call it ‘democracy,' but I don't know what that means.† â€Å"Democracy is something that some worlds have tried. Some still do. I don't know that those worlds are run better than other worlds. So you're a democrat?† â€Å"Is that what you call it?† Raych let his head sink, as if in deep thought. â€Å"I feel more at home as a Joranumite.† â€Å"Of course, as a Dahlite-â€Å" â€Å"I just lived there awhile.† â€Å"-you're all for people's equalities and such things. The Dahlites, being an oppressed group, would naturally think in that fashion.† â€Å"I hear that Wye is pretty strong in Joranumite thinking. They're not oppressed.† â€Å"Different reason. The old Wye Mayors always wanted to be Emperors. Did you know that?† Raych shook his head. â€Å"Eighteen years ago,† said the man, â€Å"Mayor Rashelle nearly carried through a coup in that direction. So the Wyans are rebels, not so much Joranumite as anti-Cleon.† Raych said, â€Å"I don't know nothing about that. I ain't against the Emperor.† â€Å"But you are for popular representation, aren't you? Do you think that some sort of elected assembly could run the Galactic Empire without bogging down in politics and partisan bickering? Without paralysis?† Raych said, â€Å"Huh? I don't understand.† â€Å"Do you think a great many people could come to some decision quickly in times of emergency? Or would they just sit around and argue?† â€Å"I don't know, but it doesn't seem right that just a few people should have all the say over all the worlds.† â€Å"Are you willing to fight for your beliefs? Or do you just like to talk about them?† â€Å"No one asked me to do any fighting,† said Raych. â€Å"Suppose someone did. How important do you think your beliefs about democracy-or Joranumite philosophy-are?† â€Å"I'd fight for them-if I thought it would do any good.† â€Å"There's a brave lad. So you came to Wye to fight for your beliefs.† â€Å"No,† said Raych uncomfortably, â€Å"I can't say I did. I came to look for a job, sir. It ain't easy to find no jobs these days-and I ain't got no credits. A guy's gotta live.† â€Å"I agree. What's your name?† The question shot out without warning, but Raych was ready for it. â€Å"Planchet, sir.† â€Å"First or last name?† â€Å"Only name, as far as I know.† â€Å"You have no credits and, I gather, very little education.† â€Å"Afraid so.† â€Å"And no experience at any specialized job?† â€Å"I ain't worked much, but I'm willing.† â€Å"All right. I'll tell you what, Planchet.† He took a small white triangle out of his pocket and pressed it in such a way as to produce a printed message on it. Then he rubbed his thumb across it, freezing it. â€Å"I'll tell you where to go. You take this with you and it may get you a job.† Raych took the card and glanced at it. The signals seemed to fluoresce, but Raych could not read them. He looked at the other man warily. â€Å"What if they think I stole it?† â€Å"It can't be stolen. It has my sign on it and now it has your name.† â€Å"What if they ask me who you are?† â€Å"They won't. You say you want a job. There's your chance. I don't guarantee it, but there's your chance.† He gave him another card. â€Å"This is where to go.† Raych could read this one. â€Å"Thank you,† he mumbled. The man made little dismissing gestures with his hand. Raych rose and left-and wondered what he was getting into.