Management and Co-ordination

Coordination Definition of Coordination Co-ordination is the unification, integration, synchronization of the efforts of group members so as to provide unity of action in the pursuit of common goals. It is a hidden force which binds all the other functions of management. According to Mooney and Reelay, â€Å"Co-ordination is orderly arrangement of group efforts to provide unity of action in the pursuit of common goals†. According to Charles Worth, â€Å"Co-ordination is the integration of several parts into an orderly hole to achieve the purpose of understanding†. Management seeks to achieve co-ordination through its basic functions of planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling. That is why, co-ordination is not a separate function of management because achieving of harmony between individuals efforts towards achievement of group goals is a key to success of management. Co-ordination is the essence of management and is implicit and inherent in all functions of management. Ingredient of all the Managerial Functions A manager can be compared to an orchestra conductor since both of them have to create rhythm and unity in the activities of group members. Co-ordination is an integral element or ingredient of all the managerial functions as discussed below: – 1. Co-ordination through Planning – Planning facilitates co-ordination by integrating the various plans through mutual discussion, exchange of ideas. e. g. – co-ordination between finance budget and purchases budget. 2. Co-ordination through Organizing – Mooney considers co-ordination as the very essence of organizing. In fact when a manager groups and assigns various activities to subordinates, and when he creates department’s co-ordination uppermost in his mind. . Co-ordination through Staffing – A manager should bear in mind that the right no. of personnel in various positions with right type of education and skills are taken which will ensure right men on the right job. 4. Co-ordination through Directing – The purpose of giving orders, instructions & guidance to the subordinates is served only when there is a harmony between sup eriors & subordinates. 5. Co-ordination through Controlling – Manager ensures that there should be co-ordination between actual performance & standard performance to achieve organizational goals. Differences between Co-ordination and Co-operation |Basis |Co-ordination |Co-operation | |Meaning |It is an orderly arrangement of group efforts in |It means mutual help willingly. | | |pursuit of common goals. | | |Scope |It is broader than co-operation which includes as well|It is termed as a part of co-ordination. | |because it harmonizes the group efforts. | | |Process |The function of co-ordination is performed by top |The functions of co-operation are prepared by persons at | | |management. |any level. | |Requirements |Co-ordination is required by employees and departments|Co-operation is emotional in nature because it depends on | | |at work irrespective of their work. |the willingness of people working together. |Relationship |It establishes formal and informal relationships. |It establishes informal relationship. | |Freedom |It is planned and entrusted by the central authority &|It depends upon the sweet will of the individuals and | | |it is essential. |therefore it is not necessary. | |Support |It seeks wholehearted support from various people |Co-operation without co-ordination is fruitless & | | |working at various levels. therefore it may lead to unbalanced developments. | Therefore, existence of co-operation may prove to be effective condition or requisite for co-ordination. But it does not mean that co-ordination originates automatically from the voluntary efforts of the group of members. It has to be achieved through conscious & deliberate efforts of managers, therefore to conclude we can say that co-operation without co-ordination has no fruit and co-ordination without co-operation has no root.

Thomas Hardy Poem Interpretation

Poems for essay: Neutral Tones, A Broken Appointment, The Moth-Signal. Interpretation is said to be an explanation or conceptualization of a work of literature or other art form by a critic. Hardy is known for integrating personal events from his life, into his poems that allow the reader to develop a fully rounded view of what he was trying to convey in his work. Love and its effects are one of his most famous themes that are the basis of many of his poems. Hardy tends to use references to many of his loves in his life in his poems especially his first wife Emma.The context from which he writes helps immensely when deducing the meaning of his works. However, knowledge of the poet’s background is not a necessity when interpreting all poems nor does it always influence the interpretation given by the reader; this only true to a certain extent. In the poems: â€Å"Neutral Tones†, â€Å"A Broken Appointment† and â€Å"The Moth- Signal (Edgon Heath)† are all e xamples of poems by Thomas Hardy that does not require awareness of his background to be interpreted by the reader.The poem, â€Å"Neutral Tones† can be deciphered is about a man who loses his true love and thus skews his view of love forever. The first stanza may be interpreted as the setting of which this heartbreaking moment between these two lovers took place. The setting bares no identification needed towards the writer and can be easily interpreted by the reader. The proceeding stanzas basically describe the scenarios in the relationship that led to ultimately the couple going their separate ways and as a result changes the man’s perception of love as the event is relayed from his point of view.This poem is just based on a love gone wrong and does not need Hardy’s background information to be successfully understood by anyone who reads it. His personal detached tone from the poem allows this to be possible. Along with â€Å"Neutral Tones†, â€Å"A Broken Appointment† follows the same trend of love and freedom to be interpreted without having knowledge of his past loves. This poem is about a man who is now reflecting later about the time he was stood up by the woman he loved. This is an issue that happens regularly and does not need to be referenced to sometime in the author’s life to be analyzed thoroughly.This poem was also written generally so it also bore no semblance to the life of Hardy. This goes to show that the background of an author when interpreting a poem is not utter importance. In addition, â€Å"The Moth-Signal (Edgon Heath)†, is another one of Hardy’s poems that lack the need for the context from which the poet writes. In this poem, there is an affair by a woman that is summoned to her lover via a moth being burned in the flames of a candle to indicate her lover was present.Since infidelity is a common issue, the background of Hardy is not needed to influence the interpretation of th is poem. In all of the above mention poems, they all encompassed a plot that was easily identifiable by any reader. The thread of love and heartbreak ran through each and they are all poems that are relatable to all who reads these poems. This gives proof that a poet’s background does not need to be known in order to interpret a poem nor influence its interpretation.

Advertising and the construction of Violent White Masculinity Essay

The article â€Å"Advertising and the construction of Violent White Masculinity† points to the controversy of violence and media. It emphasizes that the mainstream debate about media and violence does not emphasis or analyze the most important aspect, namely gender. Katz states that the media illustrates a wrong image of individuals committing crime by calling them ‘youth’ crimes or ‘kids’ love. He believes however that the reason why crime is committed 90% by males is due to the masculinity emphasized in our society. He also mentions that there is lack of attention on criminals from majority groups such as Whites but an emphasis by crime conducted by minority groups. The article suggests that research has avoided to explicitly specify the relationship between masculinity and violent behavior by white men has been avoided in research.Katz believes to be able to illustrate some ways to display the hegemonic construction of masculinity that is present i n mainstream magazine ads and how these ads help to normalize violent male behavior. Katz suggests that one way violence is normalized is through the movie industry which shows white males engaging in violent actions without being depicted as villains. Moreover, they are regarded as heroes. The boom of the movie industry collided with the instability that was created economically for the White middle-class population. The heroes of the movie industry served as role models enabling the male white population to gain stability with masculine power through size and strength. According to Katz the physical body was the only way to obtain dominance and control for those who did not have economic resources to achieve manhood. Katz mentions another way our society tries to normalize violence in the white middle class, namely through advertisements. As Katz writes the ads are full of depictions of dangerous looking men. He points out the bidirectional relationship between advertisements and other socially accepted events such as sports and movies. Advertisements are filled with dangerous looking violent sports men or movie stars and on the other hand the movies or sports events display ads containing the same violent men, enhancing the impact these ads have on the white middle class. The other reason why the media exhibits the violent man is due to the decline of gender differences. Differences between males and females became more rigid. Men needed a way to differ from women, this was possible with becoming more identical with violent behavior. This is where violence becomes justified especially  against women as only a means to represent masculinity.Katz examines further the nature of ads regarding violence and masculinity. As he writes there are specific premises that are represented in ads about masculinity and violence. The first one is the notion that violence is genetically programmed male behavior. This notion is justified by ads showing historical events that were lead by powerful and violent and dangerous men. Some ads also show scenarios that involve violence against other ethnic groups or women. The second premise is concerned with the military and sports that are another source of masculinity. Uniformed soldiers and players are used in different kinds of ads. Using athletes or soldiers for these products, advertising creates the idea that using the advertised products will not decrease masculinity. The third point is the identification of muscularity with masculinity. Muscles are equated masculinity and power. Physical fitness becomes a major way for white men to keep their masculinity. Finally there is the notion of heroic actions being equal to violent masculinity. Movies play a very important role in illustrating this equation. One other significant point is that movies no only justify violence but also glorify violence.

Business Plan for Car Hire Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business Plan for Car Hire Company - Essay Example These factors include the income and expenditure of the people, the availability of the market and the effects of the global financial issues on the location of the business. The city of New York is one of the major financial hubs in the world. For this reason it is set to be susceptible to changes in the economic conditions, say fluctuations in currency. This and many others will most definitely have an effect on the spending habits of the consumers and this will trickle down to the financial performance of the business.   The major headache that comes up when developing any particular business is when it comes to setting up. This is the time the proprietor asks the question of whether it is in order to develop a new establishment altogether or just purchase and refurbish what has already been in existence. The cheaper alternative is the one which is to be sought. After this issue has been sorted out the next thing to deal with will be the availability of inputs and whether the se rvices will be timely. The car hire business can be a tricky one because there are some factors which may be beyond the control of the people involved. One such factor is the case of being stuck in traffic. This is something that can happen at any one time and it cannot be controlled by the car driver or the owner of the business.Aside from the issues dwelling on finances and the availability of the target market there are certain issues which may bring down the functionality market.... The P.E.S.T. analysis is the best way of getting to know of these traits in the environment of operation. This analysis will try and point out the effect which the political situation has on the business and its operations. At the same time it will point out the economic factors that influence the performance of a business. These factors include the income and expenditure of the people, the availability of the market and the effects of the global financial issues on the location of the business. The city of New York is one of the major financial hubs in the world. For this reason it is set to be susceptible to changes in the economic conditions, say fluctuations in currency. This and many others will most definitely have an effect on the spending habits of the consumers and this will trickle down to the financial performance of the business. The major headache that comes up when developing any particular business is when it comes to setting up. This is the time the proprietor asks th e question of whether it is in order to develop a new establishment altogether or just purchase and refurbish what has already been in existence. The cheaper alternative is the one which is to be sought. After this issue has been sorted out the next thing to deal with will be the availability of inputs and whether the services will be timely. The car hire business can be a tricky one because there are some factors which may be beyond the control of the people involved. One such factor is the case of being stuck in traffic. This is something that can happen at any one time and it cannot be controlled by the car driver or the owner of the business. Aside from the issues

Lesson 16 - Analyzing Direct Costs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Lesson 16 - Analyzing Direct Costs - Essay Example Based on the above computation, Question 5, Dept A, generates a lower factory overhead cost because the factory overhead rate of Question 5, $8.79 is lower than the Question 1, $9.20 factory overhead rate. On the other hand, Question 5 Dept B, generates a higher factory overhead cost because the factory overhead rate of Question 5, $12.07 is higher than the Question 1, $12.00 factory overhead rate. Dept A reduces the profit of Job 123 by $0.41 per direct labor hour. The total profit of job 123 is reduced by $77.40. (4) The buyers would prefer the plant-wide rate. The plant-wide rate is lower than the department rate. Consequently, the buyers will pay a lower price for the manufactured products, when the plant-wide rate is chosen. The underabsorbed did not benefit the company or the customers (Schneider 128). With the actual amount higher than the applied amount, the company’s net profit will decline. Likewise, the customers have to pay a higher price for the product, if the company will increase its selling prices to recuperate the higher actual factory expenses. In the same manner, the underabsorbed amount did not benefit the company or the customers. With the actual amount higher than the applied amount, the company’s net profit will decline. Likewise, the customers have to pay a higher price for the product, if the company will increase its selling prices to recuperate the higher actual factory expenses. In the same manner, the underabsorbed amount did not benefit the company or the customers. With the actual amount higher than the applied amount, the company’s net profit will decline. Likewise, the customers have to pay a higher price for the product, if the company will increase its selling prices to recuperate the higher actual factory expenses. (3) In the Motley issue, the company is required to provide historical cost data of the $845,000 amount. The historical cost data is more reliable source

Analyzing and contrasting data mining based network intrusion Essay

Analyzing and contrasting data mining based network intrusion detection system - Essay Example The objective of this research is to acquire a better insight about Data Mining-Based Network Intrusion Detection Systems. In this present era the computers are sophistically connected to each other in a form of network. In such networks there is every possibility of intrusion to important data. In order to maintain the integrity, network data has to be secured. Electronic commerce (e-commerce) has made Internet usage most important part in everyone’s life and has become a major source of sending and receiving information. However, providing protection to the computers connected in a network is still a main issue to be tackled. In general, every organization wants their data to be safe and secure from the attackers. Information systems are easily accessible and can be intruded by the hackers over the internet if the networks are insecure. In this thesis, there are some procedures mentions for detecting network intrusions using data mining. This thesis also covers the different types of intrusions and justify how they can be best detected using available data mining tools. Data mining can be proved as a very useful method towards identifying any intrusion that might have taken place. The amount of extraction or hacking of data and intrusions are growing day by day. As a result, new intelligent Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs) are put in place to mitigate the intrusion and safeguard the data. Intrusion needs to be detected as we cannot stop intrusions but we can minimize them and stop hackers from threats. Declaration I certify that this thesis is carried out in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Computer Science, and has no contents copied from any external sources except for those whose references are made with in the text. ---------------------------------- ------------- Mohammed Altaf Ahmed khan Date Table of Contents List of Figures Figure 2.1: Transition from Data to Knowledge (Fayyad, Piatetsky and Smyth, 1996) 10 Figure 3.1 Snort High-Level Processing Stages (Wheeler, 2003)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦20 Figure 3.2 Bayesian Model Diagram Panda & Patra (2007)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.25 Chapter 1 Introduction In this age of the Information Revolution, there are obvious advantages that can be reaped from the vast and ever growing Internet Community in the web: 24/7 connectivity; robust e-commerce that simplified business transactions and operations; erasure of geographical separation and distance; and access to a multitude of modern means of communications. Yet, as benefits derived from being part of the Internet community are many to mention, one resounding concern that pervades this virtual world is security. Most, if not all, entities participating and part of the Internet world are on their toes, keeping their eyes over their own virtual place in the Internet. It can be said that SECURITY is one big important word in the Internet today. As of this press time, there are many unscrupulous entities that crowd the Internet and are ready to attack anyone and any site that has vulnerability in its network security setup. Since many e-commerce companies and enterprises depend on the Internet for its survival, it is not a surprise that there is a creation and formulation of different way to protect one’s network. Over the past couple of decades, techniques to secure network through latest technology have gained an importance and have proven to be a necessity to any entity maintaining and securing a network. The need for security has spawned in the creation and design of firewalls, cryptography, authentication and most of all intrusion detection systems. Among these security tools, network intrusion detection system holds a potential as a tool against computer crime. An intrusion detection system can simply be called the process of monitoring and an alyzing the events (ie. the traffic of packets going in and out of the network stream) that occurs in a computer system to enable to detect signs of security problems. Yet, as a network security technology tool, intrusion detecti

Social Justice Issues Concerning Minority Children in America Term Paper

Social Justice Issues Concerning Minority Children in America - Term Paper Example This cannot and should not be understood to mean that minority children are somehow irrevocably different or predisposed to certain strengths or weaknesses. Rather, environmental factors as well as the pervasive views within society, uneven allocation of resources, and the alternative approaches that certain cultures take with regards to the topics which will herein be discussed are the most powerful factors in shaping the way that minorities must integrate with the overall application and importance of such determinants. With regards to the cognitive development that takes place within minority shareholders, it is the very strong belief of this author that this determinant/measurement is fundamentally and absolutely no different than the level of cognitive development that takes place within white/affluent shareholders. The greatest level of differentiation with regards to this is realized as a function of the quality of the educational system itself and the degree to which the fami ly impact upon this cognitive development. ... Strident members of one side of the argument state that minority students are nearly an entire standard deviation away from their white counterparts with regards to their overall level of scholastic achievement. Those in disagreement with such a stance pointed the fact that the gap is necessarily smaller yet nonetheless extraordinarily important to focus upon and seek to fix. The ugly truth at the heart of the matter is with regards to the quality of the teachers, the overall level of funding, and the importance that education and scholastics is able to realize on the home front of these minority families (Deo, 2012). With regards to the first two of these determinants, they can be understood to integrate most closely with a level of tacit racism that exists within the educational system. Due to the fact that the US Department of Education, and community shareholders, must seek to allocate limited resources in order to affect limitless needs, minority neighborhoods/communities are of tentimes deprived of fundamental and necessary technologies, high quality teachers, and monetary resources with which to effect positive growth on the overall level of academic achievement that their students can reflect (Pilkington, 2013). However, this last determinant which has been listed is with regards to the level of importance that education plays within the family unit. Although the first two of these determinants can be affected from a governmental/community level, the third is one that must necessarily take place within the home. It is the further understanding of this particular author that the tests and metrics that are used to measure students are not in and of themselves biased; rather, the appropriation of funding, resources, and

Human Resource Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Human Resource - Essay Example Employee motivation is inducement or incentive which may be self-generated or from external forces, that promotes satisfaction and an urge towards improvement in performance. Productivity is defined as â€Å"the efficient as well as the effective use of resources to achieve outcomes† (Berman, Bowman, West & Van Wart 2005: 309). Productivity depends on the quality of human resources and their levels of performance. In contemporary organizations, there is growing emphasis on implementing high performance work practices based on all aspects of organizational operations. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to explain analytically how a firm’s Human Resource strategy could be its source of competitive advantage. HRM strategies implemented according to policies based on relevant theories on workforce motivation for achieving increased productivity outcomes will be examined. The HRM Strategy of Promoting Employee Motivation In studying employee motivation and human resource management strategies to improve motivation, the factors that affect how people behave at work should be taken into consideration. These factors encompass the fundamental characteristics of people which include: individual differences pertaining to competencies based on abilities, intelligence and skills; constructs or the conceptual framework of how people perceive their environment; expectations from own and others’ behaviours, values or what people believe to be important, and self-regulatory plans or goals and how they intended to achieve them (Armstrong 2006). Other important characteristics of people that impact employees’ behaviour at work are: their attitudes, their causes, manifestations and influences on behaviour; attribution theory or how other people are judged; orientation or approaches adopted to work; and roles played by employees to carry out their work (Armstrong 2006). Besides the employees’ personal characteristics, environmental var iables include the type of work that individuals carry out; the culture, climate and organizational style in the organization; the social group within which individuals work; and the reference groups that individuals use for comparative purposes such as comparing conditions of work between various categories of employees. There is an increasing trend for human resources to be considered as the main differentiating factors contributing to a company’s competitive advantage. This underscores the belief that the knowledge and skills of employees is much more difficult to imitate, as compared to other resources. Thus, HRM believes employees to be valued assets, with the potential to ensure competitive advantage based on their commitment, adaptability and high quality skills. A study conducted by Pathak, Budhwar, Singh and Hannas (2005) examined the relationship between the implementation of HR best practices and employees’ positive psychological contract, higher commitment and greater motivation. The evidence indicates that employees experiencing a high number of best practices were more motivated as compared to those who experienced few best practices. Thus, best human resource management practices led to increased employees’ performance resulting in high levels of the company’

Product development Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Product development - Assignment Example development of new products has increased a lot and also the products are developed at a good speed with high performance and also to get cost advantage. This process has become more stringent and also the companies have looked to focus a lot on this side. The companies need to have a good co-ordination, need to improve well and also reconfigure the whole capabilities of the company. Though for the company it is very important that all the departments do perform well and in efficient way. The suppliers do also affect a lot in the way the company introduces a new product in the market. The Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are one of the major players who decide and give the idea about the new product that can be developed by the company for attracting more number of customers. For any particular company which does produces goods the suppliers and the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) do play a vital role. The company does depend a lot on its 1st tier and 2nd tier suppliers for the materials so that they can look forward towards developing a new concept and a new product. There are basically 7 steps involved in the new product development process (Barclay, Dann and Holroyd, 2010, pp. 34-37). The steps are been shown in the diagrammatic form in the below diagram. In this process the strategy is been developed which is related to the development of the new product in the company which should be in line with the objectives that are been followed by the company and also must help the company to achieve its goals. In this step the return on investment with regard to the new product that is going to be developed is been determined and estimated which gives a clear indication of how the new product can be beneficial for the company. In this step the new product is been commercialized and launched in the market for the customers to get more market share and also to get competitive advantage over the competitors (Fuller, 2011, pp. 45-49). The involvement

CIPD ' understanding the organisations and the role of HR Essay

CIPD ' understanding the organisations and the role of HR - Essay Example Purpose and Goals The organizational goals are discussed below: The ABC Food Plaza will fulfill the needs and demand of customers through high quality food products. The employees of the organization will try to retain potential customers and target new customers through effective customer service. The organization will undertake sustainable business operation strategies in order to overcome several conflicts. Business priorities for 2014: 1) The organization will expand its outlets throughout the country in next three years to fulfill the market demand. 2) The organization will focus on business profitability in order to break even within three years of its business operations. Organizational chart of ABC Food Plaza The number of employees is 50 while company mainly targets the youth. The organizational chart is a sort of diagram that reveals the relation of a specific employee with another employee in an organization. This means the CEO or the director of the organization with all other employees of the departments such as strategy department, finance department, manufacture, Human resource, planning, operations and many others. In ABC Food Plaza, hierarchical organizational chart is followed in which, all sorts of plans and innovative ideas are given from the top-most authority. The same is presented in a graphical order as in the appendix. Impact of External Factors on Business Activities Political The government of the UAE is motivating the new entrepreneurs to start their business as it can help the country to reduce the challenges like increasing unemployment rate. Recently the government developed several policies for the fast food chains. Economical Global economic environment has been highly affected due to recent financial crisis and economic recession. People are trying to avoid the consumption of high priced products. Social Fast foods are quite popular among the people of UAE. Slowly and gradually, the demand for healthy food products is significa ntly increasing. Technological The organization is going to operate in a technologically developed country. The organization can get the access of advanced technology for the business purposes. Structure and Functions of the Organization The organization has board of directors, president and vice-president at the top of the structure. According to the decentralization structure, the managers of all the departments have the decision making authority. The organization has four functions, such as sales and marketing, operation, human resource and accounts. Impact of Different functions on performance of the Organization All the functions within the organization will work together in order to optimize the organizational performance. Effective strategy development of marketing managers and in-store operation activities will help ABC Food Plaza to meet the satisfaction level of the customers. Culture of the Organization The organization is following decentralizing structure. The organizat ion believes that effective and employee friendly organization culture can develop a conflict free workplace

Nora therapeutic nurse-patient relationship is cultural consideration Essay

Nora therapeutic nurse-patient relationship is cultural consideration - Essay Example In the case of Nora, the most important determinants of the therapeutic nurse-patient relationship would be cultural considerations and the nature of the nurse-patient rapport, which is dependent on effective communication. Communication between the nurse and the patients facilitates the transfer of information, concerns, queries and expectations between the two parties. If knowledge regarding the disease course, the treatment modalities available, and the post-hospitalization course is transferred effectively to the patient, it can result in greater patient satisfaction as the patient is well informed about what to expect (McQueen, 2000). Moreover, it also enables the patients to develop their trust in the nurses and helps in mitigating any existing anxiety or stress on the part of the patient (Kirk, 2007). Such communication can be achieved if the nurses posses effective communication skills, such as displaying empathy, active listening and use of non-verbal gestures in order to ma ke the patient comfortable and to establish a good rapport (Jasmine, 2009; Chant, Jenkinson, Randle, & Russell, 2002).

Gate Keeping Essay Example for Free

Gate Keeping Essay There are many processes a newspaper must go through before it can be sold in a newsagent and lots of people are involved in making just one article. The process that makes this article is called Gate keeping. To begin with, the news is first caught hold of by the news agencies, who then sell the stories to the news media. The copy taster then makes a quick selection of stories they consider news worthy to the paper they are working for, although they only dismiss the obvious non news worthy stories as they dont hold a great deal of responsibility. What they consider suitable they send off to the news editor. It is the news editors job to make a definitive judgment if which stories will be followed up and which ones will not. They decide what angle to take on the story according to what perceptions they want to portray to the reader. They then select, in their own opinion, reporters and photographers they consider suitable to create the story. However, if the story took place in another county, a foreign news editor will be assigned to this job instead. Photographers and reporters work on the same time scale. They decide how to display the information, and it is their job to research the story before working on it so that they have their facts clear (this also comes into importance when the story is handed to the sub editor). This might include going to the site the event took place, going to interviews, searching the library or the internet. The reporters will then write up the story taking into consideration what the news editor has suggested to them. Their copy must be given to the news editor before the deadline. The news editor will then check it, and make sure it has taken the correct angles and spins. If it has not they will give it back to the reporter with suggestions of how to make it more news worthy. The photographers discuss with the head photographer what photos will be best suited to the story. They then research the story, and their prints must be developed and handed to the picture editor by the deadline stated. It is the picture editors responsibility to crop and enlarge the photos, to best fit the story. Everything is then handed to the sub editor who will then correct spelling and grammar, write eye catching headlines and captions, check that the story is within the law, i.e. so no one can take legal action against the newspaper. They also decide the layout of the article, making sure words dont overlap pictures etc. Everything is then handed to the editor who then writes an editorial and is in charge of advertising. Designers are employed to create adverts and work on features. For smaller articles in the newspaper, a features editor is employed. Therefore a newspaper begins at a news agency and end up at a newsagent.

Achieving A Congruence In Organisation Strategy Business Essay

Achieving A Congruence In Organisation Strategy Business Essay This essay first discusses about the importance of achieving congruence between an organisations strategy, structure and human resource management (HRM) practices. The author begins with defining strategy, structure and practices. The example of a software support organisation is used to illustrate the points in this essay; ensues by the outlining of its business objectives and strategies. It strives to be the leading integration software support service provider offering cutting edge service quality and achieving high customer satisfaction. Being in the service industry, the strategies revolve very much around human resource administration. The author subsequently delves into each strategy explaining why there must be congruence in order to accomplish the objectives. The second segment of discussion directs the attention to the relevance and effectiveness of HRM in achieving a competitive edge for the organisation. In the instance of the support organisation, information technology (IT) knowledge and customer service skills are a crucial part of work. Technology is ever-evolving and customers demands intensify in time. With proper management of skill and practices the organisation will be able to adapt well to external and internal changes giving it an advantage over other support organisations. As the conclusion, performance is obtained by systematic interactions and integration among the various HRM practices (Boxall, 2003). HRM has to be aligned to the corporate strategy and structure and this gives the organisation a competitive edge. First and foremost it is good to introduce and define the key elements of the essay. Organisational strategy defines the direction in which an organisation intends to move and establishes the framework for action through which it intends to get there (as quoted in Stone, 2008, p. 13). Organisational structure refers to the organisations framework or design (as quoted in Stone, 2008, p. 34). HRM practices relate to the human resource routines that are undertaken to manage specific skills, values and knowledge of employees (Ennen Richter, 2010). It is important to achieve congruence between these three elements to increase operational performance by meeting the organisational objectives and at the same time promoting achievement of employee goals (Stone, 2008). Advantage occurs when an organisation substantially builds the quality of its human capital and links it to the business and strategy (Boxall, 2003). Hence it can become a leader or winner in the industry. Work situation of a software support organisation will be discussed here. Its strategic business objectives are to be the market leader in integration software support excellence providing services around the globe 247, increase revenue opportunities and endorse effective cost control through: Understanding and growing the employee skills and interests. Retaining the right people by showing appreciation of their contribution. Empowering employees to provide value for achieving customers goal. Achieving high customers satisfaction and keeping them happy. Expanding the organisation in cost effective locations. The business strategy depends profoundly on the work force which is the organisation structure and the management of workers. The corporate business strategy of being the leader in customer service is to be achieved by first of all understanding and growing the employee skills and interests. This is in fact one of HRM practices and activities. Understanding the employee can be done by performing individual appraisal and growing them is a part of HR development and career planning (Stone, 2008). These days, less attention is paid to the persons position or tenure, rather the market value of skills is focused on (Cascio, 2010). Besides skills, their interests need to be taken care of, depending what they are. For example an employee that gets promoted is more committed to the companys goals attainment (Joseph Dai, 2009). A design that focuses on wellness of workers is more likely to be successful in achieving the operational goals. Without proper management of people who are going to run the organisation, its strategic business objectives execution would go the wrong direction. Secondly, the retaining and hiring of desirable skills directly affect the corporate performance (Wei, 2006). HRM strategies have to be aligned fittingly to this in order that the company does not dissipate unnecessary costs hiring new support engineers to replace those who leave the job due to feeling of disapproval. To keep capable workers, it is important for them to feel appreciated for their contribution. Engaging a reward system, incentives-motivated performance measurement is a good way to retain employees. Good organisation coordination can promote a trust environment that enables two way feedbacks between employer-employee (Collins, 2010). Constructive and beneficial feedback has to be acted upon to show that management is receptive to the peoples voice. HR activities such as recruitment and selection should aim to support the organisations strategy of focusing on the customer-employee relationship. Competent candidates ought to be selected for the job to ensure customer obt ain the service they seek from the knowledge workers. Thirdly, the researcher discusses why the empowerment of employee has to be fitted with the right HRM practices and organisational structure. The support organisation has offices in different parts of the world, therefore it is structured in the way that there is a Regional Time Zone Manager who heads the Product Line Manager who manages the Support Managers. The Support Managers deal directly with the Support Engineers. Communication is most of the time vertical and bureaucratic. The author thinks this design complicates the HR practices; for example there will be multiple level approval processes, hence employees are not empowered appropriately. Non-hierarchical decision making is becoming a more popular managerial structure because it is creating added creativity in workplace through proper delegation of work (Joseph Dai, 2009). The author thinks the support organisation could adopt this flat organisational structure. In this way there will be cutback of redundant escalation and reporting processes. Strategic plans can to be communicated immediately to the employees, who carry them out (York, 2010). Managers and employees should share a common understanding of execution plan details without obvious rank barrier. Then the engineers would know the main areas of concern. Keeping customers happy is one of them which will to be discussed next. The fourth strategic plan is to achieve high customers satisfaction. Managing human resource by adopting development-orientated practices is essential to improve the organisations capability in satisfying the customers. IT workers have to be developed regularly to keep up with the latest technological knowledge (Joseph Dai, 2009). Customer interaction effectiveness can be enhanced by communication training and development, hence boosting customer fulfilment. An open and interactive organisational design structure is helpful in building a good customer-support relationship. Customers are free to reach out to the Customer Services Managers for any conflicts or queries that occur during the support process so they get all the assistance they need. Consequently more new customers are attracted to sign up while existing customer stayed satisfied. The company will be able to meet its business objective of generating more revenue from the customers maintenance contracts. Finally, to promote cost effectiveness via the strategic decision to grow the support team internationally, supporting a global set of customers around the clock. One of the initiatives is to have more shifts in lower cost hub, providing customer service remotely through phone and email communication. HRM supports this by recruiting the required support engineers before the shifts start. HR planning of estimating how many workers are needed has to be done carefully to ensure cost efficiency. The planning would have to take into account the existing workers and the time required for the new workers to start contributing to the company (Ahmad, 2000). As the setup activity spans across the globe, the structure has to be in place before execution. The alignment of HRM practices and policies to the organisational strategy, design and structure will significantly increase productivity (Joseph Dai, 2009) especially in the condition where remote supervision is required. The author agrees with the statement One of the aims of HRM is to give an organisation a competitive edge. In fact HRM has to be strategized to help integrate the organisational strategy and polish its structure in a unique way that enhances the overall value to provide a competitive advantage. Human resources management focuses on managing the employer and employee relations and productively use it to achieve the strategic corporate strategy (Stone, 2008). Again in the example of the Support Centre, information technology (IT) knowledge and customer services skills are a crucial part of work. As described above, HRM activity such as training and development could improve these skills which add value to the customer. Customer usually tends to compare the quality of service provided among all other support organisations offering the same services. Distinguished service that stands out is in the advantage to keep the customers. HRM practices and policies describe factors that determine with what skills, values and knowledge organisational routines are implemented (Ennen Richter, 2010). A good HRM system takes care of changes that happen externally as well as internally. External factor such as technological divergence which is ever-evolving requires the attainment of new technical know-how for continuous improvement. With the right resource management, existing hardware and software can be replaced before they get obsolete. New technology can be acquired and utilized to create a better environment for support engineers to trouble-shoot complicated technical cases. Customers are always impressed with fresh ideas and fast resolution time. Transformation that happens internally for example team restructuring will probably affect day to day practices. HR administrative mechanism plays an important role to ensure employees adapt well to the changes. If a formal notification about re-allocation of duties is deli vered, workers will not be caught off guard and can prepare for the change. Productivity would drop tremendously if the various factors are not managed well. HRM that aligns to business strategies controls work activities and direct employees back on track for the organisation to stay competitive. Ennen Richter, 2010, through empirical research concludes that congruence practices, policies, strategy and organisational structure would give firms a competitive advantage over the organisations lacking such fit. The support organisation which is in the service sector covers a huge range of human services and practices. Productivity is best served by systematic interactions and integration among the various practices (Boxall, 2003). The support organisation focuses on human capital but at the same time it wishes to control cost in the most efficient way. Business hubs have been set up in lower maintenance cost locations. To have Asians providing support service to Europeans for example opens to issues such as cultural and expectation differences. HR strategy to hire the best job applicant with strong competencies such as good etiquette, resilience to cultural differences, strong verbal and written communication becomes a significant factor in ensuring the success of the organisati on. The author concludes that the aim of HRM is to achieve congruence between an organisations strategy, structure and its practices for inducing a competitive edge. When the human capital is taken care of, all other aspects such as technology, customer, culture, social and others will be handled appropriately by precise HRM strategy guidelines. The managers design the strategies and model then delegate the tasks. The workers follow instructions to achieve goal. The managers then collect feedback from the workers to continuously improve the system and produce result. Productivity is best served by systematic interactions and integration among the various HRM practices (Boxall, 2003). HRM has to be aligned to the corporate strategy and structure and this relationship gives the organisation a competitive edge. All said about having a system associated with strategies in place and the extensive information available today, the traditional multi-layer organisation charts value is declining ( Collins, 2010). As we move more into the knowledge age, managers role can be made redundant or will be trimmed down. Perhaps as food for thought, one day organisation would prefer workers performing their functional activities without the managers, but through forming multi-domains networked together by technological intelligence. Word count: 1754 (Excluding Abstract and References)

Environmental Impact Assessment for Airport Construction

Environmental Impact Assessment for Airport Construction This report is about the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the evaluation and consideration of building a new airport for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to replace the existing Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport Kuala Lumpur. The proposed new Kuala Lumpur International Airport is in Sepang, Selangor. This report is prepared by consultant group from Syaszee Co. appointed by the government for carrying out studies on the EIA for new airport projects in Malaysia. The report is following the Malaysian Government EIA guidelines and methodologies as described in the Environmental Assessment Requirements and Environmental Review Procedures of the Asian Development Bank (1993) and Environmental Guidelines for Selected Infrastructure Projects (1990). The preparation of this report consist of various discussion with the stakeholders, academicians, local government, policy maker and private consultants to give opinion and overview regarding the impact and viability of this new airport project. In order to proceed with the studies, various methods are being used to gather the information as follows: (i) review of available literature, (ii) meetings with National and local government officials, (iii) site visits to the new airport and surrounding areas, (iv) discussions with inhabitants near the site, (v) ambient noise and air quality and surface water quality sampling and testing in the field and in the laboratory, and (vi) application of professional knowledge and experience. The requirement of conducting the Environmental Impact Assessments in any project by the countries has been reflected in the: (i) Principle 17 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (ii) Article 5 of the Legal Principle for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development (iii) Principle of Environmental Impact Assessment developed under the UNEP. Besides that, an EIA generally includes the following aspects which are: Project definition Screening of the project and scoping of the assessment Stakeholder identification Identification and gathering of social and environmental baseline data Impact identification and analysis Development of mitigation and / or management measures and actions Public Disclosure (a) Project Definition Project definition is detailed description about the proposed project. It describes the existing airport facilities and its operation along with the proposed construction of new facilities and the plans for operation following the construction of the new facilities that are needed for the convenient of the users. The proposed facilities must meet the standard of the international airport requirement and can accommodate more aircraft at the airport. (b) Screening The project was reviewed against applicable legal requirements and government policy imposed to the development of new airport in Kuala Lumpur. The results are finally used to identify the impacts and any further assessments that need to take into consideration before proceed with the project. (c) Stakeholder Identification The appropriate organizations and individuals should been interviewed to identify environmental impacts. They were requested to identify any issues or concerns with the project, identify appropriate standards and identify further parties for consultation. For example, representatives from various department and agencies such as Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Information, Communication and Culture, Ministry of Works and Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water and Town Planning Department and Airport Authority. (d) Identification and Gathering of Social and Environmental Baseline Data Baseline data was gathered to describe the existing physical, biological and socio-economic conditions. The following technical studies were conducted to collect additional baseline data: Baseline Assessment establish baseline conditions and compliance with requirements Site Assessment establish nature and extent of contamination within the Project area Flora and Fauna Assessment identify any risks within the Project area and collect information to support the development of a wildlife and habitat management plan to reduce the risk of wildlife and aircraft interaction Hazardous Building Materials Assessment identify risks of hazardous building materials in the existing buildings Stormwater Considerations / Alternatives identify opportunities to improve existing drainage and accommodate additional drainage loads from the Expansion Project (e) Impact Identification and Analysis All potential risks and impacts will be documented and analysed. All phases of the project including design, construction, operations, and decommissioning will be considered. The following table is extracted from Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency as a guidance material on the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act to determine if an impact or risk is adverse or significant. Table 1. Factors in Determining Adverse Environmental Effects Changes in the Environment Effects on People Resulting from Environmental Changes Negative effects on the health including plants, animals, and fish. Negative effects on human health, well-being or quality of life Threat to rare or endangered species Increase in unemployment or shrinkage in the economy. Reductions in species diversity or disruption of food webs Reduction of the quality or quantity of recreational opportunities or amenities Loss of or damage to habitats, including habitat fragmentation. Detrimental change in the current use of lands and resources for traditional purposes by aboriginal persons. Discharges or release of persistent and/or toxic chemicals, microbiological agents, nutrients (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus), radiation, or thermal energy (e.g., cooling wastewater) Negative effects on historical, archaeological,  paleontological, or architectural resources Population declines, particularly in top visual  amenities (e.g., views) Decreased aesthetic appeal or changes in  predator, large, or long-lived species Loss of or damage to commercial species Loss of biodiversity The removal of resource materials (e.g., or  resources; peat, coal) from the environment Foreclosure of future resource use or production Transformation of natural landscapes Obstruction of migration or passage of wildlife Negative effects on the quality and/or quantity of the biophysical environment (e.g., surface water, groundwater, soil, land, and air) (f) Development of Mitigation and / or Management Measures and Actions The development of new airport basically already outline in the long term National Plan. The plans outlines things need to be consider including the environmental effects and impacts to the society. Besides that, the airport project is already assigned to the respective Ministry to appoint contractors responsible for building this mega project. All the plan outlines and progress report should be handled to the respective Ministry which is Ministry of Works and Ministry of Transport. Besides that, the contractor will be required to develop and implement an environmental management plan (EMP) in accordance with contract documents to ensure the mitigation outlined in this EIA is performed. An independent environmental consultant will be retained to perform regular site monitoring to ensure compliance with the contractors EMP and this EIA. Reports should be submitted to the monitoring committee set by the Government every month throughout the construction period. (g) Public Disclosure Once the project is completed, a public meeting will be held and advertised in local newspapers. Questions raised and the responses are welcome while the project os being evaluated by the authority or government. 2.0 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT IN MALAYSIA The Malaysian EIA procedures are comparable to the National Environmental Policy Act 1969 (NEPA) model in the United States. The Environmental Quality (Prescribed Activities) (Environmental Impact Assessment) Order 1987 was gazetted as a project planning tool for new projects or the expansion of existing ones. Section 34A of the Environmental Quality (Amendment) Act 1985 requires anyone who intends to undertake a prescribed activity to first conduct a study to assess the likely environmental impacts that will occur from that activity and the mitigating measures that need to be undertaken. The Environmental Quality (Prescribed Activities) (EIA) Order 1987 specifies some 19 categories of activities requiring EIA reports prior to implementation. The EIA procedure is shown in Figure 1. The project initiator will prescribed the activities that will be carried out during the construction of new Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Once it is completed, the report will be assessing by the re spective department before send to the Department of Environment (DOE) for further reviewing. If the DOE still need further information regarding the project, they will called for further assessment before proceed to the panels. After reviewing the report, if the panel satisfied with the report, they will request for detailed report which consists all the details about the airport project before the report is send to the approving authority. Once the Authority is satisfied and the government also satisfied, therefore the project will be initiated by the respective contractors. 2.1 EIA Procedures In July 1987, Malaysias Department of Environment (DOE) published the first edition of the Handbook of Environmental Impact Assessment Guidelines (hereafter EIA Guidelines). The EIA Guidelines state that: The aim of environmental impact assessment in Malaysia is to assess the overall impact on the environment of development projects proposed by the public and private sectors. To achieve this overall aim, the EIA Guidelines list the following five objectives of environmental impact assessment: To examine and select the best from the project options available; To identify and incorporate into the project plan appropriate abatement and mitigating measures; To predict residual environmental impacts; To determine the significance of the residual environmental impacts predicted; and To identify the environmental costs and benefits of the project to the community. 3.0 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT : NEW KUALA LUMPUR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KLIA) Malaysia is one of the famous destinations to visits around the world. With the rapid economic growth and expansion of good facilities and also infrastructure has attracted many visitors and investors came to Malaysia. According to the Immigration Department of Malaysia, from January to November 2009 it is recorded that 25,575,774 foreigners had came to Malaysia. From January to June 2010 it is recorded that 11,868,103 visitors compared to the same period in 2009 which recorded only 11,346,444 people. As the number of visitors shows an increasing trend every year, therefore it is the right time for Malaysia to build new airport which can accommodate more air craft all over the world in order to equip with the demand and number of visitors came to Malaysia. As the project initiator, this paper will give appropriate guidelines that need to take into account before airport project can be taken off. All aspects and opinions from the government and publics are needed before the new airpor t can be built. Therefore, this report will discuss about the background, security measures and environmental impacts for the development of the new Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The purpose of this Environmental Impact Assessment Report as an evaluation and consideration of Malaysian government for the development of New Kuala Lumpur International Airport to replace the existing Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport Kuala Lumpur. Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport Kuala Lumpur is located in Subang Jaya which is 17.2 km from the Kuala Lumpur City. The airport started the operation on August 30, 1965. It had the longest runway with 3.7  km long, 45m wide and runway 15 33 in the Southeast Asia. The airport basically had three terminals which are Terminal 1 for international flights, Terminal 2 for Singapore KL shuttle flights by Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines, and Terminal 3 for domestic flights. By the end of 1997, Subang Airport handled 15.8 million passengers. KLIA is proposed to develop in the area which is situated in Sepang, in the south area of state of Selangor. The proposed site spanning almost 100  km2 and it is built on a piece of agricultural land owned by the Government. The building of the new airport is already highlighted in 10th Malaysia Plan. The cost of building of the new airport is about RM8.5 billion or US$3.5 billion. It is expected that the new Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) can handle 35 million passengers and 1.2 tonnes of cargo a year and this figure is expected to increase in the future. Besides that, the wide area can accommodate and handle more international aircraft. The new airport or Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Sepang is strategically located to serves the need of people from the Klang Valley, Shah Alam, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor and Perak. Besides that, the development of Multimedia Super Corridor with the new township area such as Cyberjaya and Putrajaya as the Governments Office Centre will encourage more passengers using the facilities in the KLIA in Sepang. In order to improve the quality of services to attract more people using the KLIA, high speed train will be used for transporting passengers fr om KL Sentral to KLIA in more easier and convenient way. It is hopes with the proper plan and implementation of the development of new airport will encourage more people used the facilities in the new airport. Local and foreign expertise will be responsible for the development of new airport for Kuala Lumpur. The master plan of Kuala Lumpur International Airport involves constructing five runways and two terminals accompanied by two satellite terminals. Phase One of the development includes construction of one main terminal accompanied by one satellite terminal to accommodate 25 million passengers and dual full service runways. Under the implementation of Phase One, sixty contact piers, twenty remote parking bays with eighty aircraft parking positions, four maintenance hangars and fire stations will be built. Implementation of phase two and three will be expansions of the airport to include increasing number of passengers. As all three phases is completed, it is expected that the airport can handle 100 million passengers per annum. 4.0 ENVIRONEMNTAL ISSUES According to the Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Guidelines produce by International Finance Corporation from World Bank group, all projects that need to develop are required to follow these guidelines according to the policies and standards set by the organization. For the purpose of develop an airport project, the following environmental measures should taken into consideration. (i) Noise and vibrations (ii) Storm water and waste water (iii) Hazardous materials management (iv) Solid waste (v) Air emissions (vi) Energy and water consumption 4.1 Noise and vibrations Noise can be significant during the construction and development of the airport project. A widely used standard for measuring the noise is for LA10, the A-weighted level in decibels that is exceeded for 10% of the time. The noise measures standard usually relate to the impact on human being. Therefore, the most significant sources of noise and vibrations from airport operations are aircraft during the landing and takeoff (LTO) cycles. The noise also can come from ground operations equipment including aircraft taxiing, operation of ground support vehicles for example passenger buses, mobile lounges, fuel trucks, aircraft tugs, aircraft and baggage tractors, aircraft auxiliary power units (APUs) and aircraft engine testing activities in airports with aircraft maintenance activities. Other indirect sources of noise include ground vehicle traffic from access roads leading to the airport. In order to control the noise, preventive measure should be taken into consideration which is hardly depends on land-use planning and flight management activities. Recommended noise management practices that can be carried out are as follows: (i) Strategic location for airport development which is far away from the communities and residential and also business premises. Therefore, it will minimize the disturbance of the surrounding area. (ii) For aircraft landing and take off (LTO), the implementation of preferred procedures and routes is essential to minimize noise especially in noise-sensitive area. These procedures may include instructions on the use of descent profiles or noise preferential routes (NPRs), such as the continuous descent approach to avoid noise-sensitive areas, the use of Low Power / Low Drag (LPLD) procedure to fly the aircraft in a clean condition such as no flap or wheels deployed as long as possible to minimize airframe noise, and instructions on minimizing reverse thrust on landing. An alternative approach may include the dispersion of noise through equal use of multiple flight tracks as opposed to a preferential flight track. (iii) Restrictions of the nighttime and operation of aircraft activities should be controlled. (iv) Reducing noise in flight operations and activities or use the sound barriers and deflectors to eliminate and reduce noise. 4.2 Air Emissions Another source of pollution that is expected from the development of new airport is from the air. This pollution include combustion exhaust from aircraft during landing and takeoff and ground operation, from ground service vehicles, vapors from fuel storage and handling and emissions from local ground transportation activities servicing the airport. Other sources of emissions may include fuel combustion during fire training activities, combustion emissions from on-site electricity and heat generation systems and emissions from solid waste incineration activities. Therefore, in order to reduce the air emission pollution from the aircraft, various steps can be taken as follows: (i) Optimizing and improving the ground service infrastructure to reduce aircraft and ground vehicle movements (ii) Try to minimizing fugitive air emissions from jet kerosene and other fuel storage and handling activities. (iii) In fire-fighting drills, select the cleaner fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas to be used and choose firefighting drill locations and atmospheric conditions that best avoid short-term impacts to the air quality of nearby populated areas. (iv) The use of the incinerators can help reduce pollution. In controlling air emission pollution, incineration of wastes activities can be continued. 4.3 Stormwater and Wastewater Other preventive measures in reducing the pollution, effluents from rhe airport also need to be control. The effluents from airport operations basically consist of stormwater runoff from paved surfaces and sanitary wastewater from public and employee services and from airplanes. This situation happened can be associated with leaks and spills of oil, diesel, and jet fuels during operation and maintenance of ground service vehicles, and fuel storage and handling aircraft activities. Therefore, the proposed strategies to control the impacts associated with stormwater and wastewater are as follows: (i) Improve the drainage in strategic location that are potentially facing with the leaks and spills of chemicals and fuels problem such as fuel and chemical storage, transport and dispensing facilities, fire training areas, airplane maintenance hangars, and ground service vehicle maintenance facilities by using an oil / water separator to discharge from the surface. (ii) The managing of collection of sanitary sewage for aircraft and airport should be carried out efficiently in order to control the wastewater effluents. (iii) Monitoring of effluents is essential in order to avoid aircraft accidents. 4.4 Hazardous Materials Management The operations of any airport in the world will be facing with dangerous items or easily contaminated. These includes the storage and handling of fuels such as jet fuel, diesel, and gasoline primarily associated with aircraft fueling activities as well as with ground support vehicles. Fuels may be stored in aboveground or underground storage tanks and conveyed to dispensing locations via aboveground or underground piping systems that may be subject to accidental releases during transfer or leaks due to tank and piping containment failure. Hazardous materials which are dangerous to human health and environment should be managed efficiently in order to prevent accidental releases, fire, or explosions. Training in handling with the hazardous waste should be carried out more frequent as the preparation if something happened. The knowledge about the chemicals handling is a must for the operators. 4.5 Waste Management Basically, an International Airport will receive different types of aircraft landed in the airport. All these aircraft will produce waste that need to be handled by the airport operators. For instance, passengers in the commercial airports may produce solid, nonhazardous, waste food from food establishments, packaging materials from retail facilities, and paper, newspaper, and a variety of disposable food containers from offices and common passenger areas. Food waste from international flights is considered a potentially infectious material by some national jurisdictions. Some airlines may also dispose of pillows following the completion of every flight. Airport operations may also generate liquid or solid hazardous wastes such as used lubricating oils and solvents from aircraft and ground service vehicle maintenance. Recommended waste management strategies include: Encourage a recycling program or use biodegradable materials that will be dispose easily especially food container, plastic bags and so forth. Besides that the food waste can be use as agricultural fertilizer and animal feed. Airline crew members and cleaning operators can segregate all the waste by separating the collection through recycle program according to the characteristics such as papers, plastic and metallic container. Used pillows also can be recycled. The cleanliness and hygiene of food preparation is a must to avoid diseases. Food catering waste should be managed according to the rules and regulation set by the health organization in order to protect human being. 4.6 Energy and Water Consumption The operation of the airport may need significant levels of energy for running the machines, ventilation, space cooling and heating in terminals, lighting and the operation of luggage conveyance systems. Water consumption may depend on the types of passenger and airplane maintenance services offered and may include the operation of sanitary facilities for large numbers of transiting passengers or cleaning activities in general. Recommended strategies and methods for energy and water conservation are presented in the General EHS Guidelines. 5.0 COST BENEFIT ANALYSES Finally, before the construction of new Kuala Lumpur International Airport started, we also have to look at the cost benefit analysis. First, is to identify and take into consideration of all geographical impacts of the project without limitation of the surrounding areas. We have to consider the impact to the local community, other local community within the same state and finally other states in the country as describe in the figure below. (i) Internal Rates of Return It is expected by the development of new airport will give economic return to the country. By encouraging more investors and tourists throughout the world come to Malaysia, it is belief it will increase the demand for local industries especially in hotel and resorts, restaurants and so forth as the new interesting place to visit. A large postion of investment is required to develop this airport. Therefore, the margin rate of return also should be high. (ii) Economic Benefits The new airport also will give economic benefit to the country. According to economic analyst, the major benefits will be (i) incremental net visitor expenditures, (ii) time savings of passengers, and (iii) the value of foregone passenger and cargo traffic. Besides that, the cost savings in domestic aircraft operation and time landed in the airport will also included in the analysis. (iii) Project Costs The allocation of the project cost will be approved by the government. This cost should include (i) civil works, (ii) construction, (iii) equipment and its installation, and (iv) consulting engineering design and supervision. Besides that, the abatement cost also should take into consideration in order to reduce the pollution which will harm the community and human beings. (iv) Monitoring and Reporting Costs During the construction period, the monitoring process should be required in order to make sure that the construction of the airport is according to the schedule and the quality of the building is according to the world standard. Therefore, it will incur some cost that should be borne by the contractor. The minor cost of the equipment required for monitoring environmental impacts is also included in the project cost. (v) Nonquantified Environmental Impacts The construction of the new airport also will produce the non quantified environmental impacts from airport development and increased other development off-site, including noise pollution, air pollution, and surface water pollution, were considered marginal, and additional economic assessment. Therefore, as mentioned earlier, the abatement cost also should be included in the project cost. 5.0 CONCLUSION As a conclusion, the development of new Kuala Lumpur International Airport is one of the mega projects that government should initiated. Supports from all are needed in order to make sure that the project implementation is successful. However, various aspects especially in the environmental impacts need to be considered before the projects can be proceed. With the development of new airport in Kuala Lumpur it is expected that it will give more benefits to the country in respect of diplomatic relationship, economic improvement and rapid growth in all aspects of economy.

The Standardized Testing Nightmare Essay -- High-Stakes Standardized Te

As children grow up some of their frightful memories include a visit to the dentist or to the first day in elementary school. Perhaps their greatest nightmare is standardized testing. Since starting school as first graders students are taught to test in the United States. In many cases students are placed in remedial classes or even held back because of their low grades. Many do not realize that the students with low grades are mainly students who are not good test takers, and educators start to believe that these students are low achievers. When educators do this, it leads the students to have lower self-esteem and encourages them to drop out of school later on. Students are also forced to memorize information merely as facts without sparking their creativity or enhancing their knowledge. Prior to the educational reform movement of the 1970s and 1980s, standardized tests were primarily employed as measures of student achievement that could be reported to parents, and as a means of noting state and district trends. (Moon and Brighton) Educators paid little attention to these tests, which had little impact on curriculum. In the continuing quest for better schools and high achieving students, testing has become a central focus of policy and practice. Standardized test are tests that attempt to present unbiased material under the same conditions and with consistent scoring and interpretation so that students have equal opportunities to give correct answers and receive an accurate assessment. The idea behind standardized testing is that these similarities allow the highest degree of certainty in comparing results across schools, schools districts, or even the state. As the high-stakes testing becomes more popular, stan... ...ndustrial nations in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study. He reported that tests measure exposure to facts and skills not whether o (Osburn, Ritter and Suitt)r not kids can think. (Osburn, Ritter and Suitt)â€Æ' Works Cited Bachelor, Denessa. "Are These Tests Failing?" April 2006. Hearts & Minds. 2013 . Longo, Christopher. "Fostering Creativity or Teaching to the Test?" The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Stategies, Issues and Ideas (2010): 54-57. Moon, Tonya R and Catherine M Brighton. The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. Storrs: Center, 1991. Osburn, Monica Z., et al. "Parents' Perceptions of Standardized Testing: Its Relationship and Effect on Student Achievement." 2004. University of Arkansas. 2013 .

Purple Loosestrife Essay -- essays research papers

Purple Loosestrife The scene is breathtakingly beautiful, a thick brush of purple flowers blankets Canada's wetlands. This blanket silences the expected sounds of the wetland environment, birds chirping, ducks splashing, insects buzzing and animals thriving. This unnatural silence is disturbing, the favourite flowers that used to litter this landscape are no longer visible, the water that used to ripple continuously is perfectly still. The wetland is dead, except for this overpowering, hardy purple flower that has choked out all other vegetation and species. Purple loosestrife now controls this landscape. Purple loosestrife is an exotic species that was introduced to North America from Europe during the early 1800's. Europeans sailing to North America would fill their ships ballast with wet sand taken from shores of Europe, a habitat where purple loosestrife thrived. Upon arrival in North America the ballast would be dumped overboard on the shoreline. By 1830 the plant was well established along the New England seaboard. Purple loosestrife seeds were also found in sheep and livestock feed that was imported from Europe during this period. This new organism was introduced to a new habitat free from traditional parasites, predators and competitors, purple loosestrife thrived in the environmental conditions and by 1880 was rapidly spreading north and west through the canal and marine routes. Purple loosestrife stands also increased due to the importation of seeds and root stalks by horticulturists. It was introduced to many communities as an herb, an ornamental garden flower and as a desirable honey plant. One of the earliest reported studies of purple loosestrife being a problem in Canada was documented by Mr. Louis - Marie, in 1944. He stated that purple loosestrife was invading the St. Lawrence flood plain pastures between Montreal and Quebec. At that time Louis - Marie conducted a study to find suitable control methods for purple loosestrife. His results indicated that repeated mowing, continuous grazing, deep discing and harrowing were effective in keeping the spread of purple loosestrife controlled on agriculture land. Since the 1940's purple loosestrife infestations have increased greatly and the plant is now a major problem threatening many wetland ecosystems across North America. Figure 1 - Purple loosestrife flowers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ... ...ie will destroy a lot of wetland and farmland. With biological control we can only hope that the ecosystems can be brought back under control. Purple loosestrife is a very serious problem. It's rapid invasion is threatening wetlands, waterfowl and fisheries as well as the diversity of Canada's flora and fauna. If this plant is not brought under control quickly then the result of this exotic species being brought to Canada could be disastrous. The use of cultural and chemical control has not been effective so we now rely on the success of biological control to stop the spread of this hardy invasive plant and to replenish the diversity of Canada's wetland ecosystem. As a country we must do everything we can to reduce the spread and growth of purple loosestrife. As a concerned Canadian you can report any local purple loosestrife stands, spread your knowledge about the problem, strongly discourage the plantings of any new plants or the selling of the weed in nurseries and join the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters. By doing this you are donating money and support the tests that are being conducted. We must work together to remove the purple blanket that silences our wetlands.

Philippine Writers Before the Coming of Spaniards

1. Communication =the imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium television is an effective means of communication =means of sending or receiving information, such as telephone lines or computers:satellite communications =means of travelling or of transporting goods, such as roads or railways:a city providing excellent road and rail communications 2. Listening a. There are three modes of listening: competitive, passive and active. Active listening is considered the most effective because the listener is not only listening with interest, but actively acknowledging listening by brief responses.Most individuals are not as skilled at listening as they think. Depending on the study, listeners likely remember 25 to 50 percent of what they hear, according to Mindtools. Giving the speaker your undivided attention and not focusing on what you are going to say in response while he is talking is a good way to ensure you hear more of what is being sai d. Speaking b. Speaking can be an intimidating experience, even in your native tongue, let alone when learning a new language. The best way to learn how to speak, though, is by practicing, so put your inhibitions aside and strike up a conversation whenever you are given an opportunity to do so.When speaking, be aware of your pace, try not to mumble and use expression, both so that you don't sound monotonous and to keep your listener interested. Reading c. Children learn to read by first learning their ABCs and sounding out the letters to discover what sound they make. The phonetic approach to reading—using sound units to figure out the words—is arguably the best approach because theoretically, if you know the sounds, you can read any word, regardless of the difficulty level. This is also the case when learning a new language.Reading has many benefits, including improving memory (it's exercise for the brain), increasing vocabulary and exposing you to new ideas. Writing d. Writing is perhaps the most complex of the communication skills and takes the most time to master. As with any other skill, it is improved through practice and a willingness to improve on past attempts. Moving beyond the basics, there are many types of writing and many levels. Writing can be a basic means of conveying information—such as in newspapers—or it can be a tool to create elaborate new worlds, much like those found in fiction novels such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy. . Poor Encoding – This occurs when the message source fails to create the right sensory stimuli to meet the objectives of the message. For instance, in person-to-person communication, verbally phrasing words poorly so the intended communication is not what is actually meant, is the result of poor encoding. Poor encoding is also seen in advertisements that are difficult for the intended audience to understand, such as words or symbols that lack meaning or, worse, have totally differen t meaning within a certain cultural groups.This often occurs when marketers use the same advertising message across many different countries. †¢Poor Decoding – This refers to a message receiver’s error in processing the message so that the meaning given to the received message is not what the source intended. This differs from poor encoding when it is clear, through comparative analysis with other receivers, that a particular receiver perceived a message differently from others and from what the message source intended. Clearly, as we noted above, if the receiver’s frame of reference is different (e. . , meaning of words are different) then decoding problems can occur. †¢Medium Failure – Sometimes communication channels break down and end up sending out weak or faltering signals. Other times the wrong medium is used to communicate the message. For instance, trying to educate doctors about a new treatment for heart disease using television commer cials that quickly flash highly detailed information is not going to be as effective as presenting this information in a print ad where doctors can take their time evaluating the information. Communication Noise – Noise in communication occurs when an outside force in someway affects delivery of the message. The most obvious example is when loud sounds block the receiver’s ability to hear a message. Nearly any distraction to the sender or the receiver can lead to communication noise. In advertising, many customers are overwhelmed (i. e. , distracted) by the large number of advertisements they encountered each day. Such advertising clutter (i. e. , noise) makes it difficult for advertisers to get their message through to desired customers.

Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 22

Seth wasnt at the bookstore the a thatting sidereal day, which I withalk as a drear sign. It was usu eithery his passive-aggressive reaction to whe neer we had a fight.I thought ab a elan him a toi permit darn I worked, supposeing of that atrocious blow unwrap. Wed had a troop of uncomfortable negotiation in our clock to load d stimulate aimher, politic wed never had whatsoeverthing a the uni wee that. I couldnt put my palpate on take aimly what ab forbidden it bo in that respectd me aside from the obvious tho I unbroken feeling akin it was a pivotal moment, something that was spillage to buzz off a bun in the oven abundant-r each(prenominal)ing effects. It fright me, and I cute to fix things.And, of course, there was Nyx to worry near. I was discharge to bring a victim after(prenominal) work, and consequentlyce Vincent give natural language to the angels would bewilder while I was asleep when Nyx do her move.You okay?I tactual sensati supers tard up from the potbelly of checks I was write in my office. Maddie stood there in a black pencil skirt and fitted exsanguinous blo put on that made her look super amazing. Shed drawn her hair take in too.Wow, I said. Whats the creator?Nothing, she said, with a shrug. Wardrobe oerhaul. She lifted ace foot, revealing three-inch black heels.Holy s sap up rid of, I said. You dont do whatsoeverthing in halves.She beamed, and I discover something about her that had nonhing to do with the bracing clothes. in that location was joy in her look a happiness that made her positive and up to nowadays much radiant. She was a far-off cry from the bitter woman whod sh feature up at the auction.Whats way out on? I asked, not fixating on myself for the first time today.Her grin widened, revealing her phantom dimple. A moment later, she turned to a greater extent serious. Ill deal you later. My news is good. besides youwhats the matter? You look awful.Yasmine had said the s ame thing demise night. It re every farthest(predicate)y was a sad day when a succubus couldnt stay on top of her game. I move my offer.Itscomplicated. I offered a weak grinning. Ill deal with it, dont worry. Now, check it on. Id rather hear something cheerful. Tell me whats going on.Cant. They motivation me out there. I hardly came to drop these off. She fit(p) a stack of papers on my desk. They practic each in wholey fluid into the other(a) stacks I already had. My office was so chaotic, it could soak up been a lair for Nyx in and of itself.Come on, the unbelief is going to drive me crazy, I t go. soundlyyou think you stooge give me a lift to the airport tomorrow? Im going home for Christmas.You taking Doug with you?Nope. Hes your holiday gift. save Ill give you the scoop then(prenominal) if you rear give me a ride. Id plausibly impoverishment to leave tight five.Five oclock transaction on the Friday in the lead Christmas. Were going to leave a lot of time to chide.A bit of her normal nervousness reappeared. If its a difficultyNope. Were closing early whole counselling. Well go then.Maddie left, and I found myself momentarily disconcert by whatsoever her news could be. some(prenominal) it was, it was a good thing. I wish the change it had brought about. That sort of happiness and corporate trust suited her.My thoughts were interrupted by the anticipate ringing. I answered and found Seth on the other block.Hey, I said, hoping I sounded cool it and confident and not desperate and relieved.Hey. A long pause followed. I only destinyed to make sure we were on for Christmas.My heart sank. No Ive confounded you. No Im sorry.Sure. Wouldnt miss it.Thinking about Christmas. I experienced a weird aesthesis of d?j? vu. Wed likewise been with his comrade on Thanksgiving. And like right away, wed also been fighting. there it was again my life, the endless loop. You arent learning. You arent changing.Of course, Seth and I had p atched up the other fight. perhaps that kind of resolution would repeat itself too. after(prenominal) all, holidays were supposed to be magic, right?Okay, he told me. Ill pick you up.Okay.Another long pause. Id pay off by today, exceptwell. The bookThe book. ever more than the book. Then again, I was busy with madhouse deities today. Yeah, I know. Its fine.Well talk on Christmas.Okay.We hung up. A chill ran through me. There it was again. I had no gift for premonition, simply an upcountry instinct matchless that had nothing to do with Nyxs visions of the future told me there was something big coming. after(prenominal) work, I host over to Bellevue, Seattles richest and virtually pretentious suburb. A city in its own right, Bellevue was pretty much the polar opposite of SeaTac. Hotels, restaurants, and shopping were continually be added to its belt down(a)town strip, and the influx of m hotshoty from Boeing and Microsoft was steady replacing older, plain buildings wit h sleeker and more fashionable architecture.Bellevue was also home to a bozo I knew named Kevin. Id met him years ago in a bar. There was nothing too extraordinary about Kevin. He was uncomplete a sinner nor a saint, so 1r occupying some happy ground in the middle that yielded a decent heart of cogency whenever I slept with him. His most celebrated trait was that he was perpetually available. He worked at home some sack business, I believed and never let outmed to go out, condescension universe good- feel and sociable. I didnt principal that too much, though, because it suited my purposes whenever I undeniable quick and easy agitate with mortal I didnt completely loathe.Sandra, he said happily, opening the door of his condo for me. He had unnoticeable dark-brown hair and a closely trimmed, very new smell fungus that I approved of. Dark brown look regarded me with amusement. Been a while.My Sandra form had a petite build similar to the one I usually wore. After that, the proportion ended. My hair was now curly and black, my eyeball a blue that looked violet sometimes. underneath my long black coat, I wore a sleeveless navy blue habit that fit snugly and was far too skimpy for this kind of weather.It has been, I agreed. Does that concoct you arent going to let me in?He smi direct and stepped clog up, grandly waving me interior. What, do you think Im crazy or something? Only an doofus would turn you away.I followed Kevin down the antechamber and into his musical accompaniment way of life. Hed redecorated since the polish time I was here, and the change was nice. The furniture and d?cor were now all done in sunglasses of a grayish blue that re chiefed me of cash in ones chips twilights. A unloadplace crackled on one side of the room, and a large speak window looked out to other set of condos. I draped my coat over a chair and smoothed miniscule wrinkles out of the fit out.You want something to drink? he asked, hatful in h is pockets.I shook my head. I dont move over much time.He gave me a rueful smile. You never do. You know, sometimes I feel used.Is that a problem?Problem? he asked with a snort. A beautiful woman who wants to energize sex with me and no commitments? Hardly a problem. He took a few steps toward me. occasion me all you want.He came closer let off, and we met in a kiss. No delay, no preamble. I wrapped my weaponry around his roll in the hay and parted my lips, hot to feel him and examine him. His transfer rest on my hip joints for a moment, then slid upward. He caught my dresss straps and plumeed them down, baring my breasts and dismantle kissing me the w localisation time. Pushing forward, he pressed me against the wall, near the fireplace. I matt-up its warmheartedness against the bare skin of my legs. His hands cupped my breasts, thumbs sliding to my nipples and squeezing them. He alter the forcefulness, sometimes hard and sometimes gentle.I broke the kiss long aboun ding to incline my head toward the uncovered window bathroom him. The window He confused his mouth thorn against mine. Our tongues danced together briefly, and then he pulled vertebral column provided long enough to say, I know. The tone of his vowel system told me that he not only knew he also valued it that way. I didnt capitulum it. This apparently was the season for exhibitionism.Eventually, he locomote his mouth away from mine and trailed kisses down my neck. I tilted my head game and arched the rest of my ashes toward his. iodin of his hands continued cupping a breast as he nibbled on its nipple, teeth and tongue stirring it to arousal. His other hand pushed up my skirt, eagerly want my panties and what lay within.The ache for his nothing and his tweak coursed through me. I moaned softly as he moved his lips down my body. displacement to the floor, he settled on his knees while appease keeping me stand up against the wall. He pulled the panties down all th e way, so they hung around my ankles. Sliding his hands between my thighs, he pulled them apart slightly and then buried his slip between them, his stubble tickling me. I was fire and close, more so than Id realise, and when his tongue touched my aching clit, I moaned more loudly and matt-up my knees agitate slightly.I started to tell him that he didnt sine qua non to do this, that it was okay if he vertical wanted to get straight to the main event. save as his tongue gently moved back and forth, building the heat and ecstasy within me, I swallowed my words. The last three guys Id slept with hadnt made me come, and although this visit was strictly utilitarian and part of the Nyx plan, I all of a sudden and selfishly wanted to get more than his life talent out of it. natural covering and forth his tongue moved, speed and intensity continually shifting. As his thoughts began to trickle into me, I could tell that he want doing that not simply for the sake of novelty, but also because he liked pictureing the way I reacted to each slight change. He was one of those men who truly enjoyed making a woman happy. The burning spot hed brought to life between my legs grew and grew, expanding beyond where his tongue touched, beyond my thighs. Steadily, it spread into my whole body, all the way to my fingertips. I snarl like fire in human existences or rather, succubus form and writhed against the wall, against him. My knees buckled as the searing pleasure reached a critical read/write head inside me, and his hands moved down to steady my legs and keep me upright.At last the core within me exploded, the fire move to fresh light, pure bliss. I cried out at the way the orgasm consumed me, at the way his tongue motionless kept teasing me even in the throes of my climax. Finally, even he couldnt keep me upright. My legs had turned to jelly, and I sank to the floor in take care of him. He smiled, genuinely pleased, and leaned forward to kiss me. I could taste me on his lips.Come on, he said, taking my hands and armed serviceing me up. He led me over to the window and bare-ass off the rest of my dress. He eased me onto a high window seat. Re piteous his own clothes, he murmured, I should go keep a condom.My breathing was rapid, my heart throbbing away. No, I want to feel you conscionable you. I took his hand and brought it between my legs, command his fingers into me. I want you to feel me.Id been wet before start all this and was now doubly so after what hed that done. His fingers glided easily inside of me, and his look widened at what he matte up. Indecision played on his establishment, and then he nodded. If counseling any of my human friends, I would certainly recommend harmless sex. It didnt matter for me personally, however, since I couldnt large argue anything or get pregnant. Often with victims, Id talk them out of any sort of trade protection in order to increase their guilt. With Kevin tonight, I didnt want to two(prenominal)er with condoms simply because I didnt want to waste the time. My urgency and go for were too strong. I wanted him now.I slid my hands down his stomach and matt-up how hard he was. He wanted me too. I wrapped my fingers around him, cerebrovascular accident and massaging and loving the way he self-aggrandising within my hand. Pressing my back against the chilly glass, I drew my knees up to me and then spread them wide, feeling rather like a butterfly. The window seat was exactly the perfect height, lay us hip to hip as I led him inside of me.We two gasped at the contact. He pushed in as far as possible, our hips pressed skin to skin. The way he filled me up was exquisite. Shape-shifting meant I could make myself as tight as possible, and I loved how he tested the limits of it. He paused a moment, simply savoring the way our bodies matte together, and then slowly began moving in and out of me, rocking me against the window with each thrust.And with tha t, his life began pouring into me in earnest. I nearly exhaled with relief. The sensation of that zipper picking me up rivaled the feel of his body inside me. I had missed it so much, missed the wonder and joy of that pure, indescribable energy generated by the human soul. Nyx had been stealing a part of me, and I was glad to adjudge it back, if only for this moment. The thoughts coming through with his energy were happy and content ones as he reveled in the pleasure of being with me. A secret, kinky part of him was turned on by hoping that his neighbors across the way big businessman be watching. He hoped they were. He hoped they were jealous.His thrusts grew harder and harder, and he murmured over and over how wonderful I was, how beautiful. Still sensitive from him going down on me, I came twice more, my body melting as the orgasms spasms shook me. At last, I felt his body sift and motto his expression signal he was about to lose control. I take my nails into his gird and begged him to come in me. He did, shoving me so hard against the window that I hoped the glass would hold. The peak of his energy hit me with his climax, and as it faded, we both sighed happily.I didnt part with him quite as quickly as I had Bryce, but I didnt spend time lounging in the afterglow either. I helped him get dressed and made sure he was situated comfortably on the put uple before I left. I liked him, after all, and hoped Id foregather him again in some other day-to-day situation. His caseful was languid and content as we made our good-byes.You are the most exhausting woman Ive ever been with, he told me, eyelids flickering with fatigue.I couldnt help a smile. Of course I was. Other lovers didnt steal his soul at least(prenominal) not literally.Does that mean you want me to stay away monthlong undermentioned time?He smiled and yawned. No. perfectly not.Still smiling, I left and headed back to the city. scarce as I drove closer to downtown, brimming with ener gy, my happy feelings faded. I remembered why Id had to go down him in the first place and what would turn over tonight. My body, so achingly hot an hour ago, grew cold.When I arrived back at my apartment, Vincent, Carter, and Yasmine were already wait for me. no(prenominal) of them commented on my glow. Instead, they launched right into the plan.Nyx depart believably come trolling around tonight, Carter explained. And when she sees youve got energy again, shell do her thing.Yasmine nodded along. We cant be here when it happens. Vincent get out be around, out in the living room. She wont suspect him of anything shell figure hes an ordinary human. provided when he senses her feeding off of you, hell let us know. Then, well show up and stick by her.I didnt like the sound of any of that neither the feeding nor the binding. Whats that mean?Well pull her out and trap her, said Carter. presumptively out meant out of me. Yikes.Then well take her away, back to her prison house, a dded Yasmine.Their trustingness inspired confidence in me, and I suspected I was being influenced by sweet-smelling charisma. But there was no way out of this, not if I wanted to make my nighttime visitor. either right, I said. Lets do this.The angels left. It was still early evening, so I hung out with Vincent. We played a twosome games of cards and watched bad movies. Hanging out with him in such a casual way made it easy to hinder he was a nephilim. When midnight loomed, I stood up and stretched.I dont think I can sleep, I remarked. Its like trying to go to bed on Christmas Eve. Too high-strung to settle down. Exceptits not Santa Im waiting for.He smiled. Well, try. If we need to, we can probably give you a sedative or something, but this whole thing go forth be more efficient without.It took a long time lying in bed for almost two hours before I fell asleep. It wasnt easy to straighten when you were inviting a creature of chaos to come feed off of you. And yet, as I dri fted off, I couldnt help a low-spirited flicker of eagerness. Id be ambitioning the moon again.And I did.It started from the beginning, like always, running all the way to the part where the midget little girl fell and my dream-self comforted her. The girls separate were drying when we both heard the faint sound of a car door closing. My dream-self straightened up. A smile blossomed on her face as she regarded her my miss with the kind of over-exaggerated excitement adults often use with children.You hear that? my dream-self asked. Daddys home.Mirrored excitement showed on the girls face as my dream-self stood up, still retentivity the girl and balancing her on one hip. It was an act of some coordination, considering how humiliated my dream-self was.They walked to the front door and stepped outside onto a porch. It was nighttime, all ataraxis darkness, save for a small light hanging on the porch. It shone onto a long stretch of unbroken ovalbumin snow on the lawn and th e driveway. All around, more snow fell in a steady stream. I didnt recognize the place, but it certainly wasnt Seattle. That much snow would have sent the city into a fear, putting everyone on Armageddon alert. My dream-self was perfectly at ease, barely noticing the snow. Wherever she was, it was a common occurrence.In the driveway, a car had just pulled up. I felt my dream-selfs heart swell with happiness. A man stood behind it, a non-descript dark figure in the faint lighting. He took out a rolling grip and slammed the trunk shut. The little girl clasped her hands in excitement, and my dream-self waved a hand in greeting. The man returned the wave as he walked toward the house, and my waking self tried desperately to see his face. It was too dark. I call for him to get closer, just a little closer I couldnt get any closer because just then, I felt my soul get ripped out of me.I sat up in bed, nearly call offing in agony at the pain coursing through me. All four angels, plus Vincent, ringed the room. The force pulsing around us felt like smoke. I could barely breathe.And there, beside my bed, was Nyx.She looked a lot like Eriks description an old, superfluous woman. Her skin and hair were white, her dark eyeball sunken and inhuman. A tattered, gossamer dress wrapped around her body. She had an almost unequivocal look, like she wasnt entirely solid, and a scintillate aura shone around her.I couldnt see the forces being wielded, but I felt them distinctly. The angels temporarily had her enclosed in walls of role, but she wasnt bound, not yet. She pushed back against their restraints with considerable power of her own, and I gaped. Any one of those angels dwarfed my own power yet, their combined force was still an even match for hers. It was a stupefying thought, and I couldnt understand why shed need my energy since she had so much of her own. And actually, she did have some of mine. Shed taken about half(a) before theyd pulled her out of me.Nyx shrieked in rage, still pushing back on them. Then, bit by bit, I could see the balance shift. Her power was fading the more she used it. The angels was steady. They were weakening her. She realized this and panic showed on her face. Casting unhinged eyes over all the angels, she eventually rested her survey on Yasmine. There was still enough of a faint inter- group communication between us that I realized what Nyx was going to do. Shed sought out the least powerful of the foursome. Mustering the last of her power, she blasted it toward Yasmine, hoping both to smash the angels united front and hurt Yasmine enough to cause a distraction.A heartbeat before Nyx unleashed her outpouring, I saw Vincents face. He too realized what she was going to do. He moved forward, and I felt his mask drop. The telltale nephilim signature washed over me, and his power filled the room as well. There was a lot of it. Hed held back in the alley.Invisible energy rushed from Nyx toward Yasmine, tryi ng to destroy the angel. But Vincent was there, blocking the attack. It rebounded back on Nyx. She screamed again, her defenses shattering. The other angels seized the opportunity, and bands of light snapped into place around her. A moment later, the light faded, but the restraints were there, even if I could no longer see them. She clawed around her, like a twisted version of a imitate in a box, but she was trapped. She couldnt get through the walls theyd locked her in.Theyd done it. Theyd recaptured Nyx. But none of the angels were paying attention to her.They were all looking at Vincent.You, gasped Joel.He didnt hesitate. He strode toward the nephilim, and I saw Joels body start to childs play with light. He was about to transform into his straight form, a form of terrible bag and power.But Yasmine was faster.The slim, dark-haired woman became pure light. She was all the colors of the rainbow and none of them. A brand name of shine appeared in her hands. She stepped in fro nt of Vincent who was screaming at her to return and swung toward Joel. The blade hit him, and he screamed.An awful, burning sensation was starting time to flood me. Hastily, I shielded my eyes and looked away, realizing what Id almost done. An angels true form was an indescribable thing, requiring senses a human or a human-turned-succubus didnt possess. Staring at her could cause me major damage. Even being in the same room with her hurt.But Id seen what Id needed to before looking away. Id seen the sword fall. Yasmine had attacked Joel. Nyx had pegged her as the weakest of the four, but Yasmine and Joel must have been incredibly close in power. sleuthing him by surprise like that reorient the scales.The air in the room swirled, stint hurricane levels. agency exploded around me, like a sun going supernova. Everything was fire and wind. And screaming. Twin screams Yasmines and Joels. I wrapped my arms around me, burying my face, certain I was going to die. The energy explo ding toward me reached a point in which it would surely blow up the building, blow up the world. Stronger and stronger it grew.Suddenly, it all reversed. Power rushed away from my side of the room, back toward the angels. It was like a black hole had formed, sucking everything toward it. Of course, it was only pulling energy, not physical objects, but I up to now felt like it was dragging me in too. I clutched the beds comforter, using it like an linchpin to hold me down. Time ceased to have meaning. ten-spot seconds or ten hours could have passed for all I knew.Finally, the rushing stopped, and everything went still. The atmosphere returned to normal. No more insane power levels. There was only what you would normally expect in a room with three angels, a nephilim, a succubus, and a primordial entity of chaos. The last mentioned had suddenly moved to the backburner of everyones attention.Yasmine had returned to her human form. It was safe for me. I looked up, expecting Carter a nd Whitney to swoop in and attack her. But they stood frozen. No trace of Joel remained. He was gone, destruct. The typhoon of power had marked his death.Yasmine was on her knees, fingers cut into into the sides of her face. She sobbed, murmuring words that sounded like frantic prayers. Vincent, like the angels, kept his distance from her. She had just killed Joel. I didnt understand why no one was acting. Why were they just standing there? Everyone seemed to be waiting for something.Suddenly, a voice hissed beside me, more in my mind than spoken aloud.Succubus.I looked into Nyxs cavernous eyes. interchangeable Vincent and the angels, Id forgotten about her. She extended her hand toward me, and I cringed. Fortunately, the invisible binds kept her from acquire any closer.Succubus, she repeated. Touch the walls. Use the last of your power to set me free.What? No I was dividing my attention between her and the others. The angelic group still stood motionless.Free me, and Ill help y ou exact your revenge.Revenge? Who are you public lecture about?The one who sent me to you when I escaped, she rasped. The one who promised you to me.I had no clue what she meant. kindredwho freed you?She cast an uneasy look behind her. Time was ticking down on her distraction.No, you were promised to me But I can help you. Help you punish No, I said. She was too dangerous. Whatever insane revenge she was talking about wasnt worth what she could do to mortals if she was freed.Her discouragement grew. The angels were eventually going to remember her, and we both knew it.I will show you the end of the dream she cried. Ill show you the man. The man in the dream.My heart stopped.He isnt real, I whispered. It was all a lie. You used it to trick me.No Everything I show is true. Always true.It cant beits impossible. I swallowed and felt tears starting to fill my eyes. I wanted it to be true. More than anything. That cant ever happen to me.Nyx beat her hands on her unseen prison walls. I ts real Its the future Ive seen it. Touch the walls, and I will show you. I will show you the man in the dreamI wanted to. I wanted to see him. I needed to see him. The man in the dream. The man who could mayhap truly make this future happen.My hand moved forward, like it was being controlled by an outside force. Nyxs eyes widened, eager and hungry.All of a sudden, a scream split the air.No, it was more than a scream. When Yasmine had destroyed Joel, that had involved screaming. This was more than that. It was the most surly noise in the universe, a phenomenon that went beyond mere sound. Much as my eyes couldnt exactly perceive an angels appearance, my ears couldnt fully understand this.My hand dropped from Nyx, and I jerked my gaze to the angels. Yasmine was still on her knees, and flames were starting to consume her. It was no ordinary fire, though. It reminded me of the light of her true form all colors and none. Carter and Whitney watched, faces unreadable.Vincent also watche d. Hed taken a few steps toward me, championship away from the fire. The look on his face was filled with a jumble of emotions, none of them good. I didnt understand what was happening to Yasmine yet, but I knew what would happen to him.Get out, I told him in a low voice.His face was pale, as pale as Nyxs. He looked like hed aged a coulomb years. I cantI cant leave herYou have to. Theyll destroy you. Or if they dont, someone else will. soulfulness else in the city will have observe this. You know Im right.His eyes were still on Yasmine. I could no longer see her, though. She was all flame flame that had turned black.Go I exclaimed. Its what shed want. She did this for youVincent flinched at those words and finally looked at me. The full force of his grief made the held-back tears spill down my cheeks.Go. Please, I begged. Joel had been destroyed. Yasmine looked like she was about to be. I couldnt stand any longer death.He said nothing, but after several seconds, he turned invis ible. I felt his aura go.Across the room, the flames were starting to fade. Yasmine was slowly reappearing, completely unscathed. She looked no different, but something about her signature had changed. I felt the same golden light, the impression of saffron and frankincense. But it was edged in something else. It no longer had the sharp, crystalline quality of angelic auras. That was gone, replaced by a dark and blackened feel a smokiness that had nothing to do with the fire.The flames finally disappeared altogether, and Yasmine still knelt on the floor. Seconds later, another signature joined us, one I knew well. Jerome stood in the room, apparently back from whatever clandestine matters hed needed to oversee.He looked from face to face, finally focusing on mine. messiah Christ. What have you done now?I ignored him, unable to tear my gaze from Yasmine. She looked the same, exactly the same. And yet, she wasntShed noticed the change too. She held her arms out in front of her, pe rusing them as though shed never seen herself before. disgust flooded her features.No, she moaned. No She began sobbing again.Carter finally looked away from her and met Jeromes eyes. This is yours now, Charon.Jerome nodded and stepped toward Yasmine. Time to go.She looked up at him, face glistening with tears. She said nothing, but she didnt need to. Her expression said everything. It was a plea, a plea that none of this was real, that maybe just maybe Jerome could make it all go away. He shook his head and touched her shoulder. They vanished.The room was quiet, an unnatural quiet that felt almost oppressive. My voice seemed crazy and out of place.Wh-what happened? I asked Carter. I noticed now that Whitney was crying.Yasmine has fallen, he said softly. Shes a demon now.