Mountains, rivers, other features Essay

Mountains in Belgium are: Baraque de Fraiture,Baraque Michel,Botrange. There are many rivers in Belgium such as: The Lys (Leie) in the cities of Bruges and Ghent, The Escaut River (Schelde) in Tournai, Bossuit and Ghent . The Meuse (Maas) and Sambre in the south let you visit Namur also Liege and the Willebroek-Charleroi Canals (The Belgian Tourist Office (BTO) in the US). In northwest of Belgium, there are the coastal lowland, a continuation of the continental shelf lying under the shallow waters of the North Sea. The shore is lined with low sand dunes. Fringing them is a narrow belt of polders, land reclaimed from peat bogs and shallow lakes (Encyclopedia Britannica Online, 2007). Economy How do most earn a living The Britannica Student Encyclopedia (2007) mentioned that: Daily commuting between homes on the farm and jobs in the city is a common practice in Belgium. Many industrial workers are part-time farmers who have strong family ties in the country. A large number of Belgian workers, called frontaliers, travel each day to jobs in France. This shows that Belgian works in both cities and country. Natural resources. Belgium produces many natural products, such as: coal, natural gas, construction materials, silica sand, carbonates (The Belgian Tourist Office (BTO) in the US). Main agricultural products Sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, tobacco; beef, veal, pork, milk (The Belgian Tourist Office (BTO) in the US). Manufactured Goods engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, transportation equipment, scientific instruments, processed food and beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum(The Belgian Tourist Office (BTO) in the US). Exports Belgium import raw materials and export a large volume of manufactures. Exported products like: machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, metals and metal products, foodstuffs . Belgium has many Exports partners like Germany 19. 9%, France 17. 2%, Netherlands 11. 8%, UK 8. 6%, US 6. 5% and Italy 5. 2%(The Belgian Tourist Office (BTO) in the US). Currency & Exchange rate The currency for Belgium is Euro, the value of the euro in the range of 1. 20 to 1. 40 US$ (Steinbicker, 2006, p. 155). People and Daily Life Race and Religion The Belgian Population is (10,364,388 ). In Fleming 58%, in Walloon 31%and the rest 11% . Religions in Belgium vary from Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25% (The Belgian Tourist Office (BTO) in the US). City Housing Accommodations vary from usual modern Apartment like in Flanders & Wallonia, to farms and castles just like in Brugge , Ferrieres, Liege and Huy (The Belgian Tourist Office (BTO) in the US). Clothing With simple words The Britannica Student Encyclopedia (2006) says about the Belgian people: Belgians, especially those in the cities, wear modern Western-style clothes. Men who work in offices are expected to wear suit jackets to work. It is generally acceptable for women to wear slacks to work. The ethnic costumes of the Flemings and Walloons are seldom worn today. On some farms women still wear the traditional dark-colored clothing and white aprons, and men wear the old-fashioned. Holidays Other than the regular Public holidays like: New year’s day, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday, Labor day(May 1 st),Ascension Day(6th Thursday after Easter),whitsum,whit Monday(7th Monday after Easter), National day(July 21st),assumption(august15th),All Saint’s day(Nov 1 st),Armistice day(Nov 11th) and Christmas day (Steinbicker, 2006, p. 154); there are many crazy festivals held in Belgium like: Ommegang Festival – Brussels Every year in July, the lavish Ommegang procession commemorates the tribute paid to Emperor Charles V and his VIP guests. Richly-colored costumes, horses, embroidered banners, flag throwing and stilt jousting (The Belgian Tourist Office (BTO) in the US). (See Figure 3). Figure 3. Carnival de Binche – Binche For 3 days in February the town of Binche is transported back to the 16th century for this festival. Highlighted by music parades and fireworks, the climax of this event is when the Gilles appear on the Grand Place and throw oranges to the spectators (The Belgian Tourist Office (BTO) in the US). Procession of Holy Blood – Bruges This annual event takes place in May and is divided into 4 parts: Old Testament, New Testament, Historical Section, and veneration of the Holy Blood. Since the 12th century the numerous brotherhoods and associations of the city of Bruges venerate and pay homage to the Holy-Blood (The Belgian Tourist Office (BTO) in the US). Stavelot (Mid-lent Carnival) – Stavelot This event takes place in March and is highlighted by the Blanc Moussi, which means ‘clad in white. ’ Beginning on Sunday, the Blancs Moussis wander the streets of the town putting up their irreverent posters. In the afternoon they step out from the cortege while staying on their floats and shower the crowds with confetti while flogging them with pork bladders (The Belgian Tourist Office (BTO) in the US). Zinneke Parade – Brussels It’s also known as Big Z-Day. It is a street opera of music, choreography, costumes and floats (The Belgian Tourist Office (BTO) in the US). Ghent Festival – Ghent It is held every year in July. People sing, dance, eat and drink, get together and watch theater. (The Belgian Tourist Office (BTO) in the US).

Health Safety and Security Essay

Outline how legislation, policies and procedures relating to health, safety and security influence health and social care settings. M1: Describe how health and safety legislation, policies and procedures promote the safety of individuals in a health or social care setting. Within health and social care there are a number of acts and procedures set out in legislation which must be followed. These acts ad procedures influence care settings by offering practical examples of good practice and the way that health and social care should be delivered. They provide advice on how to comply with the law and determine what is reasonably practicable. The acts enforce a duty of care to everyone who is involved at all levels such as the service user, the service user’s friends and family and the staff. The first act I will be looking at is the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974. This act was put into place to protect employees from exploitation and being over worked. The main features of this act are that employers-who employ more than five employees-must provide a written health and safety policy, take precautions to reduce the possibility of accidents occurring, provide training to enable staff to work safely, provide equipment (if needed) to ensure the health of those working. Employees must comply with health and safety policies in the workplace and report any potential hazards. Also, employees need to be fully informed of their rights and responsibilities and leave nothing to chance. ‘The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is the primary piece of legislation covering work-related health and safety in the United Kingdom. ’ www. nidirect. gov. uk/ For the employees, this act means that training in all aspects of health and safety is compulsory so they would need to be fully informed about policies and procedures such as what to do in the event of a hazard to minimise any risk. So, the employee would know what to do, who is responsible, how to report the hazard and how to deal with it. Also, the employee would have important knowledge about fire regulations and how to evacuate the building (know where the fire exits are). It prevents employers from exploiting employees and having them work long hours and shifts in health and social care. Service users can be at risk if the people who are caring for them are overworked and tiered. Employers themselves could be held responsible if there are breeches of health and safety at work. If the training is inadequate for manual handling and the use of equipment then employees can be injured. Volunteers are subject to the same requirements under the Health and Safety at Work Act too. Some employee legislation is weakening, yet this act is strengthening in its influence and interpretation. This act also influences health and social care settings for service users. People receiving the service need to be sure that the building is a safe place to be. They can be vulnerable and dependent upon the staff and the work environment for their safety. This is a huge responsibility and the law reflects the magnitude of this. In schools, children have been known to of ‘gone missing’ or walked out. Relatives need to know that their children or siblings are being constantly monitored and that freedom and independence is balanced with health and safety procedures. The second act I will be looking at is the Data Protection Act 1984. This act introduced basic rules of protection of people’s personal information. ‘The Data Protection Act 1984 introduced basic rules of registration for users of data and rights of access to that data for the individuals to which it related’. http://www. out-law. com/page-413. It was designed to protect individual’s personal information from being passed on to other people, also known as confidentiality. ‘The purpose of the Act is to protect the rights and privacy of individuals and to ensure that data about them are not processed without their knowledge and are processed with their consent wherever possible’. http://www. soas. ac. uk/infocomp/dpa/policy/overview/ The principles of the Data Protection Act include: obtaining and processing data fairly, ensuring accuracy and relevance of information and taking effective measures to prevent unauthorized access to data. Individuals have the right to be told if a third party holds information about them, obtain a record of that information, and require correction if necessary. The Data Protection Act was reviewed in 1998; this newer act gave employees the right to see their personal records. This act was again reviewed in 2000 to include computerised data. For employees, this act ensures that their personal information can only be accessed by their employee and themselves. This protects the employee from hassle from third parties. For employers, this act prevents them from selling person information of there employees to third parties. However, this can be breached, but only on a need to know basis such as for public or individual safety and if the information is needed by a court order. In health and social care, the Data Protection Act protects service users/patients details being passed on to anyone unnecessary. However, their details may need to be passed onto other professionals if they are under the care of more than one health or social care professional. If the information is shared between these professionals, they understand that it will not be used apart from where it is needed. An example of this would be a school and carers or social workers. The school would need to know what situation the child is in and then they can adequately safeguard him/her. It may be that one parent is not allowed contact with their child. This keeps all involved safe. ‘Where information is shared, there is an implied understanding that the information will not be used except where it is strictly needed to help the professional provide the service’.

Wireless Technologies Proposal Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wireless Technologies Proposal - Coursework Example The data could be in the form of voice that a Bluetooth enabled speaker system that can play the voice directly or can be utilized for the conversation between the two persons. Bluetooth is a wireless communication technology that has a short range. It can be utilized to transmit and receive data (Morrow 2002). The Bluetooth can maintain a personal area network (PAN), which is a highly secure networking topology. In this network, only the assigned users can send or receive data, no other user is allowed to enter the network with the permission of the administrator. Bluetooth is a pity common technology that is being utilized to transfer data in the mobiles phones and note book PCs. As the range of Bluetooth is quite less not more than 110m, it is best suited for the Party Plates Organization. It has certain advantages as if it is easy to be utilized, easy to manage, easier to send and receive data and easier to create a Personal area network but the major disadvantage of the Bluetooth is the short range of the Bluetooth. The signal fades out as the user goes far from the sender. The second technology that I will recommend to the Party Plates Organization is the Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) or Wifi is a wireless technology that has made its place with the existing other wireless technologies. It works utilizing the principles of the Local Area Network (LAN). It is utilized to establish a connection between the wireless (Wifi) LAN enabled Note book PC, Personal computer, Mp3 player or a mobile phone and internet. Like the Bluetooth, it has a short range too. An indoor Wifi modem has a range of about 30 meters while the outdoor Wifi modems have a higher range. There are certain advantages of the Wifi over other wireless communication systems. The main advantage of the Wifi communication system is that it could connect a number of users using the same access point. Other advantages like enhanced data

Report of Toyota Lab Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Of Toyota - Lab Report Example gement mechanism- in order to allow every signatory to translate the mission of the UNGC, it has set goals at both international and local levels to diffuse through all layers of businesses and society. Since inception, Toyota has zeroed in on sustainable development and eco-friendly technology by providing innovative and quality automobiles to the society that are more fuel efficient (Appendix 1) (Toyota n.d). To elaborate further, we have categorized the business practices at Toyota into sections that detail about how it strives to keep pace with international treaties and regulations. Corporate Social Responsibility- Economic development should be shared with environment protection, this is the core element of Toyota and as such, it has incorporated biodiversity guidelines in its Charter and Code of Conduct. TMC has drafted a Corporate Social Responsibility policy that fits well to the guiding principles of the Global Compact. The environment plan in the CSR policy includes manufacturing competencies and designing with recycling capabilities. Supply Chain Regulations- In order to abide by the environmental regulations, TMC checks the labor conditions, local and community situations and the environment on whole before establishing alliance with any of the suppliers. The suppliers are even monitored and trained to determine whether they abide by the guiding principles of Toyota. Raw Materials- Toyota abides by the REACH Regulation (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical Substances) of the European Parliament that directs the suppliers to consider the safety of SVHC (Substances of Very High Concern) in their supply chains. As such, Toyota adheres to the current REACH regulations and has designed its supply chain with an environment perspective where most of its raw materials are recyclable. Recycling- As discussed above, Toyota maintains an Automotive Shredder Residue (ASR) recycling plant with a recovery rate of 80% (Steinweg

Analysis for Chevron Corporate Social Responsibility Essay

Analysis for Chevron Corporate Social Responsibility - Essay Example The company also looks at various stakeholders’ benefits. The company has adopted quite a few CSR strategies to get involved in the market. Table of Contents Abstract 2 1.0 About Chevron 4 2.0 The Corporate Social Responsibility Activities of Chevron 5 2.1 Business Ethics 6 2.2 Government 8 2.3 Human Rights 8 3.0 Evaluation of the Motivations for CSR Activities Drawing Upon the Company's Market Environment 9 4.0 Evaluation of the Motivations for CSR Activities Drawing Upon the Company's Non Market Environment 11 5.0 The Stakeholder Theory in Relation to Chevron 14 6.0 Conclusion 17 7.0 Recommendations 18 References 19 1.0 About Chevron Chevron is regarded to be one of the largest American multinational oil producing companies. It is considered as one of the top energy companies with various subsidiaries all over the world. The company is engaged in a string of activities such as exploration, transportation, production of crude oil along with natural gas as well. They are engag ed in generating power and in the production of geothermal energy. The company is focussed on providing safe and healthy environment to the people. Their main objective is to uphold the organisational reliability and effectiveness in the minds of the people. It also produces mining, pipelines, chemicals and is involved in power construction businesses as well. In the US, the company owns 9,600 gas stations that function under the brand name of Chevron along with Texaco. It also own or has stakes in around 12,400 gas stations outside the market of the US with brand name of ‘Caltex’. Chevron signed a $4.3 billion deal with  Atlas Energy  in 2011 (Chevron, 2008) 2.0 The Corporate Social Responsibility Activities of Chevron Corporate responsibility at Chevron is the use of ‘The Chevron Way’ across social, environmental along with governance issues and concerns. The corporate responsibility of the company is implemented through existing systems, procedures a nd policies of management in order to operate ethically and responsibly. The major aim of the company is to constantly develop the performance and activities in the organisation. The business is performed in an efficient, ethical and responsible way. Through the corporate social responsibility activities Chevron looks to perform their business responsibly by delivering not only energy but also creating sustainable partnership. Chevron has prepared an Action Plan in which climate change has played a significant part in their projects related to emissions reduction, research improvements and also efficiency improvements. Chevron also sustains their CSR activities by touching the requirements of the human lives by initiatives such as ‘Corporate Champion of The Global Fund’ in order to fight against diseases such as Tuberculosis, AIDS and Malaria. They were working towards controlling as well as eradicating these harmful diseases in six different countries that has high lev el incidence rate (Chevron, 2008). Chevron’s Operational Excellence Management System (OEMS) defines the expectations with regard to the organised management of safety, reliability, environment, health and efficiency in order to attain outstanding performance in operational excellence (Chevron, 2010). Chevron uses various motives for their role towards corporate social responsibility. The motives are ethical motives, economic motives and strategic motives. CSR and

Letter to editor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Letter to editor - Essay Example I had talked with fellow students who graduated months ago but still jobless as of now as there are no decent job offers. I am afraid the same situation will prevail in Denver by the time I will also graduate. I am sure many natives of Denver will agree with my assessment that our economy is not doing as well as it should. Statistics from May 2009 showed 225,000 people in Denver (Harden 1) who were out of a job and slim prospects of ever finding one. The number of jobless people had gone down a little bit to 195,700 this month and the man’s face sitting in the chair at an employment office exemplified feelings of hopelessness and disbelief felt by people who are in despair at not finding any decent jobs. The man in the suit from the Bureau of Economic Statistics standing nearby is also grossly out of touch with the reality on the ground. Employment numbers and economic data showing a modest recovery are useless and meaningless to a lot of people who are still looking for work until now. My intended audience is the people of Denver who are unemployed and probably desperately looking for a job. The target readership could include people who still have jobs today but are worried about how the economy will turn out as the recovery seems very weak and in danger of falling back into a recession (a double-dip recession feared by economists). Readers from surrounding areas of Denver and perhaps the entire state of Colorado also comprise the corollary readership audience. The Denver Post is one of the leading regional papers and will be read by people from many neighboring states like Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming or even as far away as Idaho and Texas. People in these states know the real economic situation in terms of employment rates and will certainly agree with my sentiments about how our leaders are managing our nation’s finances. My response to the cartoon will resonate with this audience and they will

Proctor & Gamble Marketing Mix Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Proctor & Gamble Marketing Mix - Research Paper Example The paper attempts to explore how each element of the â€Å"marketing mix† such as product, price, place and promotion were understood, and practiced by the company during two different time periods. The Concept of â€Å"Marketing-Mix† during Pre-1964 Era With a humble beginning in the 1830, P&G spearheaded its growth through forward thinking and by 1890 the company was selling more than 30 different types of soap. Varieties of soaps were produced to meet varied consumer needs and the innovative techniques were used to market those products that include product sampling, and radio "soap operas". A way back in 1924, the company realized the importance of the market research department and formed the one to study consumer buying habits and their preferences – perhaps the only one of its kind during those days. In 1926, Camay, a beauty shop, was introduced in the market as an outcome of the in-house research that spoke about the consumer preference toward perfumed s hops. In 1931, the company establishes a marketing department to manage various brands in the competitive market. Dedicated groups of people were given responsibility to formulate marketing strategies for each brand and perhaps that is how the brand management system came into being. P&G launched Tide detergent in 1946 and the product became highly successful in the market due to its superior quality. The product provided much needed growth to the company into many new markets of the world. Between 1947 and 1952, the company launched a wide range of products such as shampoos, household cleaning products, granulated and liquid detergents that were largely liked and accepted by the consumers. Crest, a fluoride based toothpaste became an all time success soon thereafter fulfilling a long need of the customers. The product was endorsed by the American Dental association. The company came along with the several other products such as toilet tissue paper, disposable diapers called Pampers during 1961. It is astonishing to learn that though no marketing guru had firmly established the philosophy of marketing mix by then as effective marketing tools in the form of product, price, promotion and place in the market place yet P&G was already practicing the marketing philosophy mixing these four elements successfully for last several decades (P&G 2012). Kotler (2010) emphasizes that the firm uses various marketing patterns in the form of product offering, the pricing structure, the distribution system (place) and the promotion activities so as to satisfy the market needs and thereby the organizational objectives. Accordingly, various combinations of these elements of marketing mix were harnessed strategically by P&G to spearhead the growth of the company. P&G's success in the market place is attributed to its business model that derives its strength from its ability to discover what consumers need and want. With this insight, they develop noticeably superior products. Jus t developing a product is not enough if its superior quality is not communicated to the target customers effectively and P&G has been quite successful in doing so through various means such as advertising, demonstrations and visuals. If the product is not priced appropriately, then the very purpose of developing a superior product is defeated and P&G has always priced them most

HR Strategy for DeVry, Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

HR Strategy for DeVry, Inc - Essay Example Wal Mart is a typical US success story. Founded in 1962 as the vision of a single man, Sam Walton, the super stores today symbolize American entrepreneurship. Wal Mart has consistently been regarded as one of the best Fortune 500 companies in the United States over the years. This has been feasible because of the unflinching commitment of the management to the customer and its focus on people including its employees denoted as associates. Wal Mart is a global company with more than 1.3 million associates, 5000 stores and wholesale clubs in over 15 countries. It is the most admired retailer and generated over $ 256 billion in global revenue with an increase in $ 26 billion in sales in 2004. The company has consistently delivered high levels of growth and benefits to customers as well as share holders. On the basis of its overall vision and culture, Wal Mart has based its personnel selection, development and growth strategies on the principles of transparency, equality of opportunity, diversity and effective use of automation. Growth is attained by providing personnel opportunities for aptitude and career alignment, training and continuous objective feed back. This achieves loyalty, affiliation and continuity for the company. The policy of diversity enables effective alignment of the associate with the customer base which is derived from all communities. The detailed nuances of the personnel development policies of Wal Mart in relation to the above facets are being covered herein:- (a) Non Discrimination in Selection. The company follows non discriminatory policy of hiring and selection of its Associates which is the first tier of employees. Wal Mart's HR Strategy comprises of development of effective processes for all its systems such as hiring, selection and so on.

Middle Childhood and Adolescence Paper Essay Example for Free

Middle Childhood and Adolescence Paper Essay The change that occurs from middle childhood to adolescence is arguably one of the most profound changes that children go through. Not only do children change physically but emotionally. â€Å"Adolescence is the transitional period between late childhood and the beginning of adulthood, and marks the beginning of the reproductive lifespan in humans. Adolescence involves sexual maturity in terms of hormones and physical development of the body, and is also characterized by an increase in the complexity of group interactions and thus social behavior (Lerner and Steinberg, 2004)†. During this time of transition many develop a stronger sense of self and begin to separate from completely associated themselves with their family members. This is a completely normal stage of transition for children turning into adolescents and becoming a vital part of a larger community. Family Dynamics There are many ways a child’s upbringing can affect how they mature into adults. A primary aspect taken into consideration is the family dynamic in which a child is raised. In many cases a child with a family that is well structured, has sound moral characteristics, and provides a stable environment is more likely to be a successful member of society. Whereas a child who has a family that is dysfunctional is less likely to be in a healthy environment emotionally or physically. For example, â€Å"Recent research has suggested that the family plays an important role in depressive disorders (Keitner Miller, 1990; Keitner, Miller, Epstein, Bishop, 1990). More specifically, research has demonstrated that families of depressed patients manifest significant impairments in family functioning during the patient’s acute episode relative to control families (Crowther, 1985; Dobson, 1987; Keitner, Miller, Epstein, Bishop, 1986) with 50%–75% of families of depressed patients manifesting significant family dysfunction.†(Miller, I. W., Keitner, G. I., Whisman, M. A., Ryan, C. E.,  Epstein, N. B., Bishop, D. S. ,1992). A dysfunctional family can become a catalyst for many undesirable emotional attributes and or physical reactions that can occur after being subjected to higher levels of dysfunction. For example if a child is verbally abused by a parent they may exhibit such behaviors towards their peers to gain some form of control in their life. Peer Influences: From Middle Childhood to Adolescence Peers from middle childhood onto adolescence make a substantial change with age. Many children at a young age learn how to socialize with other children and generally behave well with the collective group. As children grow in age and their hormones develop, they become more aware of their surrounding social group. This can have both negative and positive impacts on development. â€Å"The poor peer relations of aggressive children could make them isolated psychologically or physically from peers, which in turn might result in depressive or disruptive problems.† (Yamasaki, K., Nishida, N. 2009). Whereas in a healthy peer relation environment a child will be more likely to excel socially and develop a strong sense of individuality amongst those around them. Pressures faced in Adolescence vs. Middle Childhood. During the change from middle childhood to adolescence, children are begin to develop their own identity. They are physically going through major changes. Where sexual differences before adolescence usually played a dividing factor when it comes to social interactions, chemical changes that happen to most adolescent boys or girls bring about a change in interest. Often children begin to think more abstractly during this change instead of just asking why they think of the multiple possibilities. Children going through adolescence are going through body image struggles, boys feel pressured to have to meet â€Å"masculine† standards, whereas girls go through major changes in body image and can feel vulnerable. â€Å"With puberty, normal increases in girls body, fat can impact body image and self-concept negatively for many. Both boys and girls might be concerned with skin problems, height, weight, and overall appearance.† (Oregon State University, 2001). Almost all children face this significant change through puberty, which brings on emotional changes as well. It is important to encourage an understanding of healthy body image to boost confidence. Changes in Moral Values from Middle Childhood to  Adolescence During the change from middle childhood to adolescence moral values begin to advance beyond just the understanding of what is right or wrong determined by peers. During middle childhood children think more along the lines of what is fair, and rely on more of a give and take dynamic. With a transition to adolescence children begin to take into account others feelings and their perspective. Also when a child becomes older they come to see â€Å"the bigger picture†, and become influenced by society’s moral standards. â€Å"Increasing ability to take perspective of others into account with own perspective. (Children) Begins to question social conventions and re-examine own values and moral/ethical principles, sometimes resulting in conflicts with parents.†(Oregon State University, 2001). The mind begins to open to understanding different scenarios. This is when most children begin to question their peers and even formulate their own opinions, sometimes that involves changing from having the same ideals as their parents. Conclusion There are many changes that happen during the change from middle childhood to adolescence. Physical changes include changes in bodily image, many children enter into puberty at this time. When children become adolescents they become more involved with their self-image and individuality. Emotional changes begin to happen at this age as well, some attribute it to hormone changes, however cognitive growth also has a lot to do with the change. During this time of change it is important for families to provide helpful guidance without over stepping personal boundaries of young budding adults. Being a supportive family will increase a child’s ability to transition well and become a successful, well-rounded member of society. References Choudhury, S., Blakemore, S., Charman, T. (2006, December). Social cognitive development during adolescence. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2555426/ Miller, I. W., Keitner, G. I., Whisman, M. A., Ryan, C. E., Epstein, N. B., Bishop, D. S. (1992). Depressed patients with dysfunctional families: Description and course of illness. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 101(4), 637-646. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0021-843X.101.4.637 Nickerson, A. B., Nagle, R. J. (2004). The influence of parent and peer attachments on life satisfaction in middle childhood and early adolescence. Social Indicators Research, 66(1-2), 35-60. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/B:SOCI.0000007496.42095.2c Oregon State University. (2001, January). Middle Childhood and Adolescent Development [Chart]. Retrieved from http://extension.oregonstate.edu/tillamook/sites/default/files/documents/4h/ecno1527.pdf Yamasaki, K., Nishida, N. (2009). The relationship between three types of aggression and peer relations in elementary school children. International Journal of Psychology, 44(3), 179-186. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00207590701656770

What matters most to you, and why Essay Example for Free

What matters most to you, and why Essay Creating is what matters most to me: developing new ideas, moving a network to reach a goal, and implementing and supporting them for the long term. The search for happiness has always been my main objective, while pursuing entrepreneurial projects has been my principal activity, and at the same time satisfies me. All throughout my life, I have found myself constantly seeking and developing new projects in the most different contexts from finding a broadband company in the North East of Italy to writing a script to express my views on life and humanity; and from restructuring an Investment Banking standard to repositioning a wine brand. Since childhood, I was exposed to the capabilities of mens will to create the opportunity to see throughout the members of one’ own family, including the development of a village in Mexico, Costa Careyes, and the improvements to Genoas main infrastructures, with the inclusion of creating new museums and art galleries across Europe. Viewing these and other enterprises made me understand how an entrepreneurial project can positively impact both the person engaging in these projects and its surrounding community. Today, I strongly believe in the contribution to society delivered from new ideas and from fulfilling the experience of leading such into successful enterprises. Two of the projects from which I have gathered greater satisfaction have been the creation of Iccom and the development of the wine fair, â€Å"Vino a Corte†. Over time, I have developed a strong fascination for technology as a way to positively redefine the peoples approach of day to day issues by using often low initial capital. This fascination led me to create a company, the Iccom (www. iccom. t), offering broadband connectivity via microwave and free space optics. In June 2007, I prepared some materials for an IPO meeting with the Wi-Max Company. As a former computer engineering student, I had a particular interest in the subject and have researched the advances in this technology in Italy. I found out that the space was still poorly covered despite the need for such technology in north-east of Italy, where there are many companies with remote locations that are not reached by fiber optic cables. It seemed like an exciting niche to explore, so I started looking for partners who engaged in such project. I got in touch with one of those interested in my project, Nicola, a Ph. D. researcher from Politecnico, Torino through an alumnus of my university. Together, we approached the major entrepreneurial families in the Piedmont area. We found out that the owner of the facility management company, Manital, was interested in investing in our initiative. I considered that such a founding structure would enable Iccom to leverage off the diverse background of each one of us, even myself, with a strong national and international network. We had strong technical expertise through Nicola, and there was the owner of Manital, Federico, who had the local expertise and network. In August, all our hard work paid off for we officially founded the company. The very light and scalable structure we created had the possibility of doing most of the work in-house because of the enthusiasm of the interns and the Politecnico, Torino’s facilities. These should enable Iccom to position itself as a high impact company in the Piedmont business community. Another fulfilling experience that had a key role in forming my view, occurred while volunteering for the organization of the fair, â€Å"Vino a Corte† in the Spring of 2005. Mondo, a non-profit organization, supported by the Province of Alessandria (Italy), organizes a fair every year to promote small and medium wine producers in the province. At the time, I was in charge of taking care of the Castello di Gabiano wine and was asked to lead the logistic aspects of the event. My work lasted for about two months. The work focused on the contacting of wine producers in the area to obtain their availability, including the search for a location and the set-up coordination. `The fair was held in May, and turned out to be a great success. The strong press coverage, the quality of the 30 wine producers participating, and having the location in a private garden of a medieval castle, led 10,000 visitors to attend the two day event. Overall, the fair enabled small wine producers with low possibilities, to market their wine and gain a valuable visibility. From the feedback I have received, this visibility is still supporting their business as of today. These and other successful and unsuccessful experiences have made me experience firsthand the social benefits of creating, both in a business context than and in a personal note. What matters most to me is the intimate joy obtained while giving birth to a new idea, the commitment and the passion that I have embodied to them, and most especially, the satisfaction of seeing them effectively deployed.

Cultural determinants of Japan and United States

Cultural determinants of Japan and United States The purpose of this report is to explore the cultural determinants of both Japan and United States. The report elucidates the differences between the two countries in terms of leadership styles as influenced by their respective different cultures. The reason in selecting Japan as one of the research countries is because of its deep rooted strong cultural beliefs and group centered style in a business perspective. It is well known to the world that Japan is a closed economy but at the same time, extremely competitive. On the other hand, United States make a good contrast in terms of its open culture and individualistic style of doing business. Despite the differences, both are amongst the most competitive and successful nations in the world. The compromising Japanese and confrontational Americans do make this research journey an exciting and interesting one. Different cultures exist in the world and their impact on leadership styles in their respective countries is significant. As defined by Luthans and Doh (2009, p96), Culture is the acquired knowledge that people use to interpret experience and generate social behaviour. And culture is gained through transmissions between individuals in forms of symbols, rituals, languages, stories told and etc. It will be interesting to find out that the countries cultures do in fact influence their leadership styles to quite a great extent. In this report, two entirely different cultures; Japan and United States will be explored in depth to provide a better understanding of their background. The seven determinants of culture in these two countries will be individually discussed as well. Leadership styles in these two countries will also be examined to establish a relationship with their respective cultures. In the later part of the report, an analysis on the cultural and leadership differences between Japan and United States will give the readers a clear outline of the contrasts which exist currently. 2. Overview of Theories 2.1 Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions Geert Hofstede developed five dimensions of national culture. He had specifically examined the role of national culture in work related values and information system design (Hofstede, 1980). National culture can be defined as a collection of relatively uniform and enduring values, beliefs, customs, practices and traditions that are shared by a countrys members, learned by new members and transmitted from one to the next (Huczynski and Buchanan, 2001). According to Hofstede (1984), culture is a kind of mental programming that lies between human nature on one side and personality on the other. Through the completion of his study in 1980, it was found that the differences between cultures can be understood by the following four distinctive dimensions: Power Distance Individualism Vs Collectivism Uncertainty Avoidance Masculinity Vs Femininity Power Distance It is the extent to which people expect and accept unequal power distribution. These people are usually the ones with less power and control. Countries can be referred to as either having High power distance or Low power distance. The former has a tall and centralised structure, instructions and orders (from superiors) are obeyed without queries or rather, heedlessly. The latter, on the other hand, has a flat and decentralised structure. Superiors give lots of respect and trust to subordinates. Individualism vs. Collectivism In an individualistic culture, people look after themselves and are more self-centred. The ties between people are not strong as each person is focused on their own goals. This type of culture is mostly found in western countries. In a collectivist culture, great emphasis is placed on groups. It is more of a We culture instead of I. This type of culture can be described as harmonious and there is almost zero confrontation in times of conflict. As opposed to the individualistic culture, collectivist is more common in Asian countries. Uncertainty Avoidance It is the preference of a society for unambiguous and risk free situations. In a high uncertainty avoidance country, there are more regulations and policies to adhere to and they tend to reduce risk to the minimum. Whereas in a low uncertainty avoidance country, people are tend to push boundaries and are more daring to take risks. Masculinity vs. Femininity In simple terms, when a societys most important social values are associated with money and success, it is said to be highly masculine. It is highly stressful to be working in such environments. Feminine societies, in contrast, believe in quality of life and helping others over anything else. 2.2 Leadership in the International Context Leadership is the process of influencing people to direct their efforts toward achievement of organization goals. A good leader takes ownership over projects, while simultaneously empowering everyone in his or her team to contribute according to their key strengths. They are accountable for any mistakes made, but ensure each is a learning experience for everyone, and capable of drawing their own intuitive conclusions on the progress or outcome of a project, or foresee any roadblocks which may arise. Initiative is another key leadership trait. Successful leaders jump to their feet and run the extra mile to exceed expectations. They are two comparative areas provide a foundation for understanding leadership in the international: 1) the philosophical grounding of how leaders view their subordinates and 2) leadership approaches as reflected through use of autocratic-participative characteristics and behaviours of leaders. Douglas McGregor, an American social psychologist, proposed his famous X-Y theory in his 1960 book The Human Side Of Enterprise. The specific philosophical assumptions of Theory X leaders are humans inherently dislike working and will try to avoid it if they can. Because people dislike work they have to be coerced or controlled by management and threatened so they work hard enough. Average employees want to be directed and dont like responsibility. Average humans are clear and unambiguous and need security at work. Theory X leaders conducive to large scale efficient operations and apply to mass manufacturing Production Workers. This classify as Authoritarian, a hard management style. The specific philosophical assumptions of Theory Y leaders described people view work as being as natural as play and rest. Humans expend the same amount of physical and mental effort in their work as in their private lives. Provided people are motivated, they will be self-directing to the aims of the organization. Control and punishment are not the only mechanisms to make people work. Job satisfaction is the key to engaging employees and ensuring their commitment. People learn to accept and seek responsibility. Average humans, under the proper conditions, will not only accept but even naturally seek responsibility. People are imaginative and creative. Their ingenuity should be used to solve problems at work. This apply to professional services workers for participative complex problem solving. This classify as Participative, a soft management style. McGregor sees Theory Y as the preferable model and management method, however he felt Theory Y was difficult to use in large-scale operations. In 1981, William Ouchi came up with a variant that combined American and Japanese management practices together to form Theory Z, Theory Z essentially advocates a combination of all thats best about theory Y and modern Japanese management, which places a large amount of freedom and trust with workers, and assumes that workers have a strong loyalty and interest in team-working and the organisation. Authoritarian Leadership (Autocratic) leaders provide clear expectations for what are need to be done, when it should be done, and how it should be done. There is also a clear division between the leaders and the followers. Some of the appropriate conditions are to be use when you have all the information to solve the problem, you are short on time, and your employees are well motivated. Participative Leadership (Democratic) leaders offer guidance to group members, but they also participate in the group and allow input from other group members. Participative leaders encourage group members to participate, but retain the final say over the decision-making process. Group members feel engaged in the process and are more motivated and creative. Delegative (Laissez-Faire) leaders offer little or no guidance to group members and leave decision-making up to group members. While this style can be effective in situations where group members are highly qualified in an area of expertise, it often leads to poorly defined roles and a lack of motivation. 3. Overview of Japan Japan is an industrialised, and one of the most efficient countries in Asia, in terms of its economy and trades. Due to the limitation of natural resources, Japan has turned to international trades for its constant supplies. The people of Japan are well educated and worldly known as extremely well mannered. Japan has strived to achieve and maintain very high health standards surpassing many other countries in the world, with its life expectancy rate exceeding that of the United States. (US Department of State, 2010) 3.1 Determinants of Japanese Culture The ancient Japanese culture has cast a massive impression on many people over centuries for being one of the most homogeneous countries in the world. Traditional, indirect, seniority based, collectivist, are some of the various terms associated with the Japanese. Their national culture is so strongly rooted that till this day, it is one of the very few countries in the world which operates in a total different and unique way with traditional customs and feudal values, and still clinging firm to them. It surely has left many people wondering and pondering, having in mind that globalisation and internationalisation is so common these days. The below are some determinants of the Japanese culture which is worth to understand. Existing Feudal Values Founded in 600 B.C and having its roots in Buddhism and Confucianism, the Japanese believes in tall hierarchical structures with strong importance placed on seniority, respect, loyalty and family. One of the feudal values is the unequal treatment of women. Women are regarded as low status in the highly masculine society of Japan. However, there are researches which shows that there has been some change to that, women are slowly paving their way up and even successful in their careers. (Bucknall, 2005) Interesting to know from Bucknalls (2005, p16) study is that the Japanese culture has a strong central core which sees things as being either right or totally wrong, nothing in between. To the Japanese, losing is unacceptable and disgraceful because losing is just totally wrong. Hence, since the ancient Japan, they have regarded themselves as being a highly superior cast of people who just cannot lose to anyone, to Conquer is what they aim to achieve. (Recall World War II) Another ancient value of the Japanese is that the seniors (in terms of age), are treated with reverence. The young people could only patiently wait for their turns for promotions. No way could they rise fast in an organisation even though they are out-performing or outstanding. Religion According to Lee and Trim (2008), the Japanese adopted Buddhism and then merged it with Shintoism. It led to the ability of the rulers of Japan to develop government ceremonies in accordance with Shinto rituals. (Osumi, 1992) Buddhism teachings emphasise on doing the right actions and making right decisions. It also involves three elements; mental culture, wisdom and morality. (Lee and Trim, 1999) Besides the above, the Japanese have also been deeply influenced by Confucian thought. (Mei, 1967) Confucianism focuses on 4 main elements; benevolence, wisdom, righteousness and decorum. It is important for foreigners to note that religion in Japan has played a crucial part in shaping their national identity. Buddhism and Shintoism intertwined, evolving their central government system. Hence, understanding religions of Japan would be highly recommended and should not be regarded lightly. Social Structure A study by Levy, (1992) showed that there are six social classes which can be distinguished in modern Japan. They are namely; The Imperial Family Consists of the Emperor and his relatives (Sacred objects mentioned by Levy, 1992, p3), unlike the King and royal family in England, the Japanese Emperor holds a symbolic position in Japans social system and extremely significant. Nobility Consists of descendents of the Kuge, Samurais, Dukes and counts. (Nobilities in ancient Japan). Highly respected group in Japan. Upper Middle Class Consists of people who are not necessarily descendents of any nobility, but have high status in modern Japan. i.e Directors of large corporations, high ranking civil servants, etc. Lower Middle Class They are the normal working class people in modern Japan. Most of the people fall under this category. Industrial Proletariat They are the blue collared workers. Peasants The rest of the population with lower than average income. Political Philosophy There are seven political parties in Japan, namely Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the Peoples New Party (PNP), the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the New Clean Government Party (Komeito), the Japan Communist Party (JCP), and Your Party (YP). Japan is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government (US Department of State, 2010). Economy Japan is the second largest free-market economy in the world following United States. (US Department of State, 2010) It has a highly competitive and efficient economy with few natural resources. The wages in Japan are the highest in the world (EconomyWatch, 2010), but fact that the living conditions/standards are extremely high has to be considered as well. Language Almost all Japanese people converse and use Japanese as a business language. Even though they know English, they would be too shy to speak in that. Silence would be the answers in the case of dealing with foreigners. It may seem strange to many foreigners, but this is the typical behaviour of many Japanese people. Very restricted use of English (despite being an international language) would be seen in most business meetings, limited to simply Good mornings and Good Byes. They do not show willingness to converse to foreigners in another language other than Japanese, perhaps due to their extreme shyness. Education As mentioned earlier, Japanese are a group of homogeneous people. As such, their education system is highly uniformed. Hence, it can be perceived that almost all Japanese share the same ideas and beliefs. In Japan, all children are taught the same things in school, freedom to customise the curriculum is near impossible as the Ministry of Education in Japan closely supervises the education system. The Japanese government places significant importance in the education system. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan introduced five policies in January 2002 to improve the quality of education system. One of which is to increase the number of teaching personnel so as to achieve smaller teaching groups for more focus on each student. 3.2 Leadership style and relationship to Culture in Japan Japanese leadership style is unique and differs from the convention X-Y theory proposed by Douglas McGregor. In 1981, William Ouchi came up with a variant theory Z which is essentially a combination of Theory Y and Japanese management. Buddhism has been around since Japan feudal era, practices by samurais and bushi (warrior) as Zen Buddhism. When the samurai class unified the country under the leadership of shogun Tokugawa Leyasu in the Edo period (1600-1868), the sects encouraged values of hard work and patience according to their Buddhism teachings. Today, Buddhism is the most popular religion in Japan with some 85% of the population professing the faith.This forms the hardworking culture of Japanese and shapes the foundations of their leadership behaviour. Most Japanese managers believe that their employees are hard-working and are self-motivated by teamwork, that they want to share responsibility for attaining group goals and therefore seek participation in management process. Due to the participative approach of employees, Japanese managers use a blend of both task-centered and people-centered approach to lead subordinates. Both leaders and subordinates are motivated by a powerful sense of commitment to be a part of a greater whole. This is contributed by the social structure and educational system of Japan. The social structure hierarchy of Japan which consist of the Royal family down to the peasants and their strong sense of loyalty due to their Shinto teachings resulted in the Japanese believe that they are part of a greater whole, in country context Japan as a whole. Japan has one of the most successful and renowned education system. In recent years, there is a rise in higher education of Japanese in both private and government sector. Thorough its education system, it has reach attain a 99% literacy population. It has the highest literacy rates in Asia. Most Under theory Z leaders, Japanese employees seek out responsibility and strive for opportunities to advance in organisations. They work towards the goal to be in the upper middle class of their social structure. Japanese leaders believe that the employees are self-satisfied when they contribute to organisational success through teamwork. In return for their organisations long-term commitment to providing job security (often for life), workers develop strong bonds of loyalty towards their employer. Communication Flows As theory Z Seniority Leadership Due to the Japanese Feudal value, Japanese leaders are mostly base on their seniority. Evaluation of work and promotion is very slow and promotions are not base on individual performance. Seniority and age are much more important factors in Japan. Because of their emphasis on seniority, some of the major organisations in Japan are still family owned. They are managed and passed down to the Head of the family, usually the Male eldest of the descendants instead of the most capable of the family. The concept of family owned business may not work out on many other countries with different culture but miraculously organisations that are family owned showed great performance results. It is recognized in Japan to decide the heir of the business base on seniority and it is right that all others of the family must obey all instruction that the head has pass down to them. Any subjugation towards the family head will be deemed as wrong and will not be accepted by the Japanese society. This is also due to the Japanese National Religion of Shinto. They are loyal to their familiar way of life and places, therefore able to maintain their practice. Guideline: Leadership style should relate to culture determinants in 3.1. To show how the culture had influenced the kind of leadership style in Japan 3.3 Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions in the Japanese context Power Distance Japan has a score of 54 on power-distance index (PDI) and a ranking of 44 out of 69 countries (Refer to Appendix 1). Japan is considered as a high power distance although the score is slightly below the world average of 55. Having a high power distance index, this will influence the leadership style of Japan. According to Hofstede, G. et al (2010), in high power distance circumstances; subordinate acknowledges the existence of inequity. Thus, hierarchical system was the result of it. With a centralized and tall structure, the power is not evenly distributed and mainly control by the people from the top management (mostly seniors). Hofstede, G. et al (2010) suggested that it is essential for management to identify the strength of local culture and make use of it to complete certain tasks. Japanese leader would delegate tasks which require subordinates discipline in order to get the work done in an orderly manner. Tasks would be completed with less conflict and disputes as subordinates would normally do what they are instructed to do. However, this would result in no or minimal initiative by the Japanese subordinates at work. Individualism Vs Collectivism Japan has a score of 46 on Individualism Index (IDV) and a ranking of 31-33 out of 69 countries (Refer to Appendix 1). The Individualism score for Japan is slightly above the world average of 43. However, Japan belongs to the group of collectivism. This is because Japan has the tendency to handle stuffs based on the relationship and believe that they have responsibility to one another. Hofstede, G. et al (2010, p120) stated that Poor performance of an employee in this relationship is no reason for dismissal: one does not dismiss ones child. Therefore, Japanese leaders would first establish a relationship and some form of trust instead of demanding work to be done. Hofstede, G. et al (2010) stated that collectivist individual has a one of the culture norm with strong concept of face where one should not embarrass another. Thus, Japanese leaders would need to opt for a correct method to disseminate the negative news instead of criticise and give negative feedback openly. Furthermore, under collectivist society, collectivist individual tends to perform the best in group and badly on individual basis. Therefore, Japanese leaders would tend to allocate more group works to their subordinates. However, when a group of employees completed their work, rewards should be given to the group as a whole and not individual. Uncertainty Avoidance Japan has a score of 92 on Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) and a ranking of 10-11 out of 69 countries (Refer to Appendix 1). Japan has a considerably high Uncertainty Avoidance Index. According to Hofstede, G. et al (2010, p213), Britain has produced more noble Prize winners than Japan, but Japan has put more new products on the world market. Japanese prefer to develop ideas which are established rather than to move ahead to supply new ideas. Furthermore, they have a systematic way to get things done which is good as this lead to actual products being produced. According to Luthan and Doh (2009), high uncertainty avoidance also implies that subordinates are less ambitious. They have low risk appetite and because of this there is an emotional need to create rules. However, not all the rules work. Therefore, leader would have to find ways to lead and motivate their subordinates to achieve excellent result. Masculinity Vs Femininity Japan has a score of 95 on Masculinity Index (MAS) and a ranking of 2 out of 69 countries (Refer to Appendix 1). Japan has the second highest Masculinity Index. Therefore, Japan emphasises the importance of having the main values which are associated with money and success. According to Hofstede, G. et al (2010), work goals such as earnings, recognition, advancement and challenge are deemed to play an important role. After identifying Japanese having a high masculine culture and background of what they want to achieve, leaders can based on the criteria and lead the team effectively. The main items that Japanese are seeking for is money and success. Therefore, leaders should provide opportunities and encourage high performance from their Japanese subordinates in order for them to achieve their goals. Leaders should also note that incentives and rewards are based on equity and not equality. 4. Overview of USA The United States of America, one of the worlds largest developed countries located between the North Atlantic Ocean and North Pacific Ocean. USA is highly abundant with natural resources, providing the world with its largest coal reserves. Apart from the lands and resources, USA is also considered having the worlds strongest and leading technological economy. Being one of the developed countries, USA is currently facing environmental issues like air, land and sea pollution cause by factories, mines and other industrial developments (The World Factbook, 2010). 4.1 Determinants of US Culture USA, the largest economy, deals massive trades among the rest of the world. Studying the culture norms and values of would be important to businessman and entrepreneur that are boarding the shore of the US economy. American possess a strong believe in the concept of equality. Each individual should have equal rights, equal employment opportunity and equal social obligation no matter which ethnic or gender the individual belongs to. Individualism, direct, high uncertainties are some values that are tagged to American by numerous studies. Somehow these values have its roots related to the culture of the country. Religion Although USA has a wide diversity of ethnics namely the North American, South American, Alaska native, Hawaiian native, Asian and others races; Christianity still remains as their largest form of religious belief. Among the Christian, Protestant (including Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, and Presbyterian) outnumber the Roman Catholic with 51.3% of the total population and the later 23.9%. Followed by Jewish, Islamic, Muslim and others reported by World Factbook (2010). Social Structure In USA, most American would believe that there is equal opportunity and economic mobility and social classes does not exist. Moreover, Dennis Gilbert (1998) did defined USA social structure into 6 different classes; Capitalist Class American upper class These are the minute top notch individual that has high influence in the economy of USA, example Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. Upper Middle Class These are highly educated professional that has a high annual household income, example Lawyers, professor, and dentist. Middle Class These are college graduates that are employed for white collar position in an organization, examples managerial position. Lower Middle Class These usually consist of blue collar workers or those performing clerical position. Lower Class These refer to the working individual that draws minimal annual household income, example farmers. Under Class These refer to individual that are unemployed. Political Philosophy A national government with 50 states government, USA is considered as a federal republic country. Democrats and Republicans are 2 major parties dominating the political systems of USA. The government can be divided into three different branches. The government is headed by the Executive branch which comprises of the president and its appointed cabinet. Each state has a different government constitution, the Legislative branch consist of Senate from each state and its House of Representatives. Each state have two Senates elect by the citizen of the state. Senates will need to be re-elect after six years of service Lastly the Judiciary branch is headed by the US Supreme Court. This is the highest court that reviews and maintains the interpretative of the whole nations constitution (USA Country Brief, 2006). Economy USA has the largest and most important market in the world (EconomyWatch (2010). Even though it is the largest economy, government have much regulation protecting certain home-grown sectors. Two thirds of US economy is highly driven by its own consumer and therefore US economy can also be regard as Consumer Economy. According to World FactBook (2010), USA GDP rose to about 14 trillion in end of 2009. It is about 3 times as higher than the next largest economy, which is Japan. Despite of that, USA have also top the chart for its private and public debts owned. This could be possibly due to the economic depression in 2008 where there is an acute rose of oil prices putting the country in a state of inflation with high unemployment rate. In 2009, USA government borrowed billions to purchases equity from banks and Industrial Corporation, in order to perform additional injection to the economy for jobs creation and stabilizing the global economic downturn. Language There is actually no official language stated by Law in USA, English and Spanish are 2 most common languages. In addition, English is the language use in legislation and a main form of business communication. Hawaiian is the official state language for Hawaii (Grimes, 2000). Communication style of an American can sometimes be regarded as straight forward and aggressive. Going around the bush in meetings or discussion is considered time wasting. American has its own style of name format which is different from Asian, they would address First Name (given name) followed by Last Name (family name) as in Julia Roberts where Roberts is the family name and Julia is the given name. Whereas for Asian, we would address Last Name (family name) followed by First Name (given name). Politeness is highly valued in USA. When meeting someone for the first time, it is always polite to address them with a salutation of Mr, Miss, Madam or Dr. Please and Thank You are two most common words heard in a conversation with American. Education Slight differences can be spotted in the education system in different states but generally they are still common. For most children in USA, education starts at an earlier age of 5 and graduated from high school at the age of 17. Parents can choose to send their kids to public schools which are funded by public tax; these would be the common choice for most US citizen. In another hand, if the parents thinks that the public education systems does not suit their kids, they can still send them to private schools owned by churches, individuals and private groups (WorldWidelearn, 2010) 4.2 Leadership style and relationship to Culture in United States Guideline: Leadership style should relate to culture determinants in 4.1. To show how the culture had influenced the kind of leadership style in United States The U.S. is one of the most religious of all the large nations of the world. Gallup International reports that 57 percent of American citizens regularly attend religious services. Politicians frequently discuss their religion when campaigning, and many churches and religious figures are highly politically active. Most American religious take concrete form as congregational voluntary associations. They provide their members with multiple and continuous opportunities to observe, learn and practice the skills of community life and leadership. By doing so, religious members are exposed to have chance to acquire and practice a series of useful capacities and skills. These include group decision making, raising and budgeting funds, leading discussion, mobilization consens

My Play about an Old Persons Home :: Drama

Old Persons home, in this task I will be try to show how explorative strategies are used in a piece of drama. This includes still image, narration, role-play, cross cutting and marking the moment. 5th July 1979 Strange, that it is a Monday I have decided to start a diary. I have always had trouble getting up on Mondays dreading the day ahead. I always wanted just five minutes more after that damned alarm. Of course where I am now they never let me lie in. With their foolish "regulations", I could teach them a thing or two about regulations. It's unbeknownst to me why I'm here, I shouldn't puzzle over it any longer it would boil my brain. 11th July After many days and nights in this establishment I finally saw someone else, like myself is unexplained to as why we are here. Peter, I think he is a little loony haha, he believes we are here because we are a threat to the government, says he knows things that if the Russians got we wouldn't be here for long. Aha I think he's had too many doses of their magic medicine. Course I don't trust that liquid anything that looks like all the colours of the spectrum cannot be good for you. 18th July Today I managed to speak to Peter for a few minutes he wasn't making sense today and was belted in to his wheelchair almost like a restraint which is queer for a one legged man. He was talking about Churchill and Hitler and WW two, I couldn't hear any full sentences, and he trailed off when that trunch-bull of a nurse came to take him back to his room. He did get me thinking about my experiences in the war. A chill runs down my spine every time I think about that time at Wolf Castle. The village around it still is a ghost town as far as I'm concerned and I do not wish to think about it anymore. Till the day I die. 1st August It seems me and peter almost served together at Wolf Castle. He would have reached it and we would have met forty years ago if it wasn't for that minefield. That's how he lost his leg you see; although unfortunately he does know about the atrocities that happened there. Least he didn't see them first hand. 3rd August Peter was talking about Castle again. I tried to explain to him I didn't want to hear but you know peter always babbling on about past times. He knew my Captain. This room is far too white for my old eyes; all I can see is white, I

Animal Farm, by George Orwell :: Animal Farm Essays

Animalism Vs. Marxism Characters, items, and events found in George Orwells book, Animal Farm, can be compared to similar characters, items, and events found in Marxism and the 1917 Russian Revolution. This comparison will be shown by using the symbolism that is in the book with similarities found in the Russian Revolution. Old Major was a prized-boar that belonged to Farmer Jones. The fact that Old Major is himself a boar was to signify that radical change and revolution are, themselves, boring in the eyes of the proletariat (represented by the other barnyard animals), who are more prone to worrying about work and survival in their everyday life. Old Major gave many speeches to the farm animals about hope and the future. He is the main animal who got the rebellion started even though he died before it actually began. Old Major’s role compares to Lenin and Marx whose ideas were to lead to the communist revolution. Animal Farm is a criticism of Karl Marx, as well as a novel perpetuating his convictions of democratic Socialism. (Zwerdling, 20). Lenin became leader and teacher of the working class in Russia, and their determination to struggle against capitalism. Like Old Major, Lenin and Marx wrote essays and gave speeches to the working class poor. The working class in Russia, as compared with the barnyard animals in Animal Farm, were a laboring class of people that received low wages for their work. Like the animals in the farm yard, the people is Russia thought there would be no oppression in a new society because the working class people (or animals) would own all the riches and hold all the power. (Golubeva and Gellerstein 168). Another character represented in the book is Farmer Jones. He represents the symbol of the Czar Nicholas in Russia who treated his people like Farmer Jones treated his animals. The animal rebellion on the farm was started because Farmer Jones was a drunk who never took care of the animals and who came home one night, left the gate open and the animals rebelled. Czar Nicholas was a very weak man who treated his people similar to how Farmer Jones treated his animals. The Czar made his working class people very mad with the way he wielded his authority and preached all the time, and the people suffered and finally demanded reform by rebelling. The Czar said â€Å"The law will henceforward be respected and obeyed not only by the nation but also the authority that rules it - and that the law would stand above the changing views of the individual instruments of the supreme power.† (Pares 420). The animal Napoleon can be compared as a character

Marketing demographics Essay

The profile for the potential customers of Bob Bicycles consists of the following geographic, demographic, and behavioral factors: It is said that the immediate geographic target of the company is London. In terms of demographics, the company’s market segment includes male and female whose age ranges from 25 above. In a study conducted, it is noted that commuter cycling in the city is mainly dominated by white males with ages ranging from 25-44; this is because women is facing more barriers in cycling than men (See Figure 2). Most cyclists are also employers and employees who have seen the benefits of cycling with their health, economic and personal factors. As can be seen, children are not considered as a potential market since London is not allowing children to use bicycle for transport. Aside from this, other factors to be considered in the demographics of the potential customers of Bob includes the levels of bicycle usage, reasons for use, behavioral factors and geodemographic factors. Figure 2 Profile of Commute Cyclists 2006-2007 Behavior Factors. In terms of behavioral and cultural aspects, it can be said that Bob bicycles can be considered to have a big potential in London because of the high quality bicycles of Bob which meets the current trends in the bicycle market. In addition, there is a value attributed to the used of bicycle as a means of transport. There are various attitudes to cycling that should be considered by Bob in the London market (See figure 3). This result was based on the study conducted by TFL Omnibus Survey in 2007. Most of the perception of the individuals with regards to cycling is its economic, personal and health benefits. Figure 3 Attitude towards Cycling. Based on the analysis, it can be said that Bob’s plan of expanding his business in the London market, is very feasible and potential based on the current trends in business environment and the pool of demographics and potential target markets. Reference Automatic Traffic Count Data (2007). London Travel report 2007, 2007, TfL. Online available http://www. tfl. gov. uk/assets/downloads/corporate/London-Travel-Report-2007-final. pdf. Retrieve October 6, 2008. Heywood, C (2004). The Near Market for Cycling in London. Online available at http://www. tfl. gov. uk/assets/downloads/businessandpartners/cycling-market-report. pdf.retrieve October 6, 2008 Cycling Action Plan (2004). Creating a chain reaction – The London Cycling Action Plan. Online available http://www. tfl. gov. uk/assets/downloads/businessandpartners/cycling-action-plan. pdf. Retrieve October 6, 2008 Cycling and Motorbikes (2008). Online available at http://www. bbc. co. uk/london/content/articles/2005/06/14/cycling_inlondon_feature. shtml. Retrieve October 6, 2008 Synovate Ltd (2008). TfL Omnibus attitudes to cycling, 2007, Synovate. Online available http://www. tfl. gov. uk/assets/downloads/businessandpartners/cycling-training-effectiveness-results-summary-2008. pdf. retrieve October 6, 2008.

Music Concert Report

Concert Report Guidelines Listening to live performances is an essential part of learning to appreciate and understand music. Treat this report as though you were a music critic writing for your local newspaper. In other words, what did you like/not like and why? Here are some general guidelines to help you listen, think, and write about a concert. Basic Information to Include When and where did the concert take place? How many pieces were performed? What were they called and how many movements were in each? Who composed each piece? Who were the performers (name of the ensemble and/or names of the soloists)?If there was a conductor, what was his or her name? What types of instruments were played and/or what types of voice parts were featured? Was there any special purpose to the concert? If so, explain. General Questions to Keep in Mind What was your general reaction to the concert? How did the performance sound to you? Was the music performed well? Were the musicians rhythmically â €Å"together†? Were they playing/singing in tune? Did any instruments or voices stick out? How would you rate the musicians’ technical ability and the energy of their performance? Did they seem well prepared for the concert?Which composition did you like best? Why? (e. g. , what specifically did you like about the piece itself or the way it was performed? ) Which composition did you like least? Why? Did any of the compositions trigger an emotional response from you? What were your specific feelings or thoughts in response to the music? Specific Points to Consider You may want to focus your discussion and analysis of the concert on one or more of the following points. Describe what you heard and observed using the following musical terms, elements, and concepts discussed in class when applicable.Genre (symphony, concerto, string quartet, etc. ) Stylistic period (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, etc. ) Mood (emotion conveyed by the music and performers) Pitch To what extent does pitch vary throughout the piece? How do changes in pitch reflect changes in mood? Rhythm (beat, accent, tempo, meter, syncopation) How were the elements of rhythm used to create special or interesting musical effects? Dynamics (level of sound) Identify changes in dynamics and discuss the effect these changes create. Tone color (bright, brassy, warm, ringing, hollow, etc. Mode (major, minor) Harmony/Melody Discuss the balance (or lack of it) between the melody and its â€Å"accompaniment. † Did you hear consonance, dissonance, or a combination of both? Motives/Themes Identify and note where individual motives and themes are first introduced and subsequently reappear in each piece. Texture (monophony, homophony, polyphony, etc. ) Form (sonata form, A B A, theme and variations, etc. ) Using the musical terminology and concepts covered in class, discuss the most interesting musical elements or features of the pieces that were performed.Compare the pieces from this performan ce with other compositions you have studied in class, noting similarities and differences. (Note: In selecting a composition from class, you may want to look for a piece by the same composer, from the same style period, or of the same genre as the piece(s) from the performance. ) How does this concert compare to the performance(s) you attended previously? Describe the behavior of the performers and the audience. What, if any, interaction occurred between the two? What kind of behavioral expectations do performers and audiences bring to the concert?How are these expectations satisfied or frustrated? Other VERY Important Information Concerts should be semi-professional/collegiate level or above. (For example, attending a younger sibling’s high school band concert will not be accepted. ) The purpose of these concerts is to attend a concert you might not normally attend in an attempt to expand your horizons. This means attending a rock/country/pop concert is out of the question. A good rule of thumb is when debating whether a concert is appropriate or not, ask your professor! Once you attend a concert, please submit the report within five days of the event.Any papers handed in beyond that point will NOT be accepted. Paper requirements: a minimum of two pages, double-spaced, 12-point font, one-inch margins. Please edit your paper for accuracy. Include the program (or ticket stub if no program is given out) with the report. Organizations With Community Events Calendars on the Web: A&M: http://performancestudies. tamu. edu/ Blinn: http://www. blinn. edu/odonnell/index. htm MSC OPAS: http://opas. tamu. edu/ Arts Council – Brazos Valley: http://www. acbv. org/ KBTX: http://www. kbtx. com/ KAMU: http://events. publicbroadcasting. net/kamu/events. eventsmain

Pros and cons of tourism in Windsor Essay

Introduction Tourism is the world’s largest industry and creator of jobs across national and regional economies. Researches show that in 2006 tourism will generate nearly 11. 7 % of GDP and 225 million jobs in the world-wide economy. Today, tourism is one of the largest industries in today’s world economy and is a great source of foreign exchange for many developing countries, whose major assets are their natural resources. At the same time, it is the environmental quality of a place that will determine the success of the tourism industry, since it is the main attraction for tourists. It is estimated that the number of global tourists will continue to rise over the next twenty years. The rate of growth will properly increase as people become wealthier and have more spare time. Tourism has been increasing significantly in the past years for many reasons such as: Air transport destinations have developed throughout the world, with more regional airports.   Airfares have become increasingly affordable People have more money to spend on holidays.   The growth of package tours to all parts of the world has made organizing holidays much easier. There is an increased awareness of a wider range of places because of holiday’s programs on television and travel reports in newspapers.   Many parts of the world have developed holiday destinations or special attractions because they organize that tourism is important to the local economy. As well as having larger incomes, a lot of people have more leisure time than in the past. Most fulltime employment in developed countries today includes paid holidays (normally around three weeks per year). In addition, the working week is shorter than it used to be, with many now enjoying a full weekend free from work. There are also increasing numbers of peoples working part-time (especially in retail businesses) or in self-employment who are able to enjoy even more leisure time if they choose to. Perhaps the most significant boost to tourism has been the development of low-cost, long-distance air travel. This allows previously distant locations to be reached in ever-shorter times. In 1934, for instance, a flight from London to Bangkok in Thailand took eight days and involved no fewer than sixteen stops in between! By 202 the same flight could be made directly in only ten hours. It is not only traveling time that has been reduced. As air craft have been designed to carry more and more passengers, the cost of air travel has also fallen dramatically. For instance, the 1934 flight from London to Bangkok carried just eleven passengers who each paid the modern equivalent pf almost i 8,000. By 2002, long-distance aircraft typically carried around 380 people and the cost of a London to Bangkok ticket on a scheduled airline was around i 600. Such dramatic changes have opened up new destinations to a wider cross-section of society. In addition, isolated locations are making them selves accessible by building airports in order to make money from tourism. With new super-airliners (capable of carrying 550 passengers) being developed, it seems that air travel will continue to speed the growth of global tourism. There have also been growing concerns that tourism can also have negative effects on LEDCs, especially on the environment and the way local people live. Concerns about the environment: Vegetation is cut down and wild animals are killed during the building of large holiday resorts.   Too much water is used in some areas. Each visitor can use up to 1800 liters of water a day.   Increased building changes the look of an area and places become urbanized, losing there natural beauty. Concerns about the local people:   Working conditions are often poor   Young people may be encouraged to move away from their families to work in tourism.   Wages in many sectors of the tourists industry are low, and local people may be exploited. It is estimated that the number of global tourists will continue to rise over the next 20 years. The rate of growth will probably increase as people become wealthier and have more spare time. Tourism has been increasing rapidly in the past years. The reasons for growth of global tourism are for many reasons which are: Air transport destinations have developed throughout the world, with more regional airports. Airfares have become increasingly affordable. People have more money to spend on holidays.   The growth of package tours to all parts of the world has made organizing holidays much easier.   There is an increase awareness of wider range of places because of holiday programs on television and travel reports in newspapers. Many parts of the world have developed holiday’s destinations or special attractions because they recognize that tourism is important to the local economy. This is a bar chart shows the number of tourism and the how much it increased from 2004 to 2005. We can see that every year there are millions of tourists visiting Europe, Asia, America, Africa, Middle East from all around the world. This is an advantage as it provides and creates millions of jobs in hotels, airports, supermarkets and money to the local people, this results in more money investment that benefits the country. This is called sustainable development which has an enormous benefit to the country. We can see through this table that tourism brings lots of money from millions of tourists. Tourism is increasing rapidly since 1990 to 2002. We can also see how much money these countries earn from tourism. This table shows that tourism has increased the most in the Middle East by 10% and America has decreased by 6. 5%. In this project I am going to be investigating the effects and benefits of tourism on the environment of Windsor and briefly viewing the attractions in Windsor and bring to light how important tourism is now in our modern society and what makes tourism so important. I am also going to be examining the advantages and disadvantages of tourism in Windsor castle. Many tourists from all around the world come to the UK to visit Windsor as it an official residence of The Queen and the largest occupied castle in the world. A Royal home and fortress for over 900 years, the Castle remains a working palace today I chose Windsor Castle as a place to study because it is a good location for my study as it is a honey pot with many people visiting every year because of its attractions. Windsor Castle is located in the city of London in Campden Hill Road. Within the Castle complex there are many additional attractions, including the Drawings Gallery, Queen Mary’s dolls’ house, and the fourteenth-century St. George’s Chapel, the burial place of ten sovereigns and setting for many Royal weddings. Visitors can walk around the State Apartments, extensive suites of rooms at the heart of the working palace. Visitors can also see the Semi State rooms, which are some of the most splendid interiors in the castle. They are furnished with treasures from the Royal Collection including paintings by Holbein, Rubens, Van Dyck and Lawrence, fine tapestries and porcelain, sculpture and armour. This is a brief map showing Windsor and Eton central station and other attractions This is a detailed map which shows Windsor Castle in the UK and its surroundings. It also shows car parks, roads, nearby towns and transport links. The twenty-nine circled numbers are numbers that represent attractions such as changing of the guard, Lego land Windsor and many more which are all listen below which tourist’s might want to visit. Hypothesis †I predict that tourism brings more benefit to Windsor than problems† Benefit:   Brings more money to the local people More jobs facilities. I assembled the flow of traffic into and out of Windsor Riverside station on the main road leading into Windsor called Thames Street because I wanted to see the volume and type of traffic coming into and leaving the town at different times, both at 10:49 am until 10:54 and again at 02:00 to 02:05 afternoon. The reason I did this so to ensure that my information is accurate. By recording the type of transport, I will be able to make some conclusions about the effects tourism on Windsor 10:49 to 11:49 At this point we can see that the number of cars and commercial vehicles are similar. This indicates that the more tourists there is the more work is available this tells us that the more there are Tourists the more Windsor Castle is benefiting. 02:00 to 03:00 This graph tells us that the amount of commercial vehicles that are leaving is more then those that are entering. 2. Site Evaluation I have evaluated four different positions in Windsor which are:   Outside Windsor StationOutside Windsor Castle By the River Thames indsor Central Station (new shopping Centre) For every different area listed above I have measured the amount of level noise, air quality natural vegetation, amount of litter and condition of pavements. When I gathered the information I am going to present the information in a bar chart, my scale is going to be out of four. One is excellent two is good three is satisfactory and four is unsatisfactory. The reason I have collected this information is to test the impact of tourism on the quality of environment in Windsor. I also choose four different areas of Windsor so that I can work out and average on Windsor environment. 3. Questionnaires When I visited Windsor I had two questionnaires which I have deigned, one that was designed for local residents and one for visitors. I randomly and informally questioned people that were going passed. The reason I did this was to obtain information and opinions from visitors and local residents. Local residents questionnaire TICK THE APPROPRIATE BOX Visit Work Why are you in Windsor? No Yes Is your job related to tourism? Pollutes the air in Windsor How does tourism affect you? Hard to shop or go out in the peak day House prices become expensive What are the negative effects of tourism? Traffic congestions increase ?Brings money to the local people What are the positive effects of tourism? Better services to the local people.   

Pup 301

Parul Singh PUP 301 5th February 2013 Putting Greenways in My life The article â€Å"Putting Greenways First† talks about how cities in America are trying to â€Å"Go Green† by investing in more parks, the planting of trees, and creating overall green neighborhoods and streets. These will encourage citizens to spend more time exercising outside rather than being cooped up inside in front of their television. In the 21st century, a lot of land is cut down and built on to serve as neighborhoods, shopping malls, government buildings and grocery stores as urbanization occurs due to high pressure of immigrants and population increase every year.These cities, such as Mumbai, often have little trees due to large population and no land to support the population. Though urban planners and locals alike have become more aware of the environmental issues affecting global warming, there has been a steady rise in different approaches to make cities beautiful, healthy and better place s to live in. The term â€Å"Greenway† comes to mind, as it is one of the first steps to making a city more environmentally friendly. Greenways are pedestrian streets like sidewalks, but instead of it being only concrete there is a high emphasis on vegetation.This creates both a visually attractive and comfortable setting for people to enjoy taking walks in contrast to taking the car. As the article suggests, low-density suburban sprawl may directly influence obesity rates in cities. Encouraging citizens to walk to school or use their bike by creating an attractive and pleasant environment may be one of the many solutions to lower obesity rates. As we see more development in our life, we can argue that the environment becomes more contaminated.There are around 20 billion tons of CO2 and other poisonous gases, like methane gas, that are absorbed by the atmosphere every year. This poisonous environment kills around 14 thousand people all over the world, for example if exposed t o methane gas, it causes dizziness, headache and nausea. This confirms that to achieve a healthy lifestyle at which people are not only wealthy but also healthy and safe, we need to find ways to protect our environment. Building a green city is thus a very sustainable strategy. I was born in India (Pune) and lived in Thailand (Bangkok) for all my life.These are developing equatorial countries where a lot of people live in the cities. So living in the cities of India and Thailand, I have always felt like there is not much greenery and the pollution in these cities is high. And every year whenever I go back to Pune, I always see there are more and more buildings; the land that is in the processes of being cleared. These cities are not growing sustainably or in a â€Å"green† way because India for example, has to put money in education, health care, and other thing in order to decrease the increasing population.America, on other hand prioritizes green way because they have alrea dy put a lot of effort and money on building schools and hospitals for its citizens. The issue in Phoenix and in Bangkok is that both places are hot. There are less outdoor events because of the heat. For example, people prefer playing tennis indoors than outdoors during summers, because they need to take extra precautions like putting sunscreen on their body to protect themselves from sun burns or carry extra water to keep themselves from getting dehydrated.In Bangkok, it is so humid that when you go outside for five minutes, people always take a shower. It is very time consuming to live in a place as hot as Bangkok or Phoenix because as it is really hot, people waste their time taking a shower twice or even three times a day, and this in turn wastes a lot of water. I went to Beijing, China in 2010, and I was shocked to see how well planned the city was despite the fact that it was still a developing city, with high population and very bad pollution. Approximately, Beijing city has around 40,000 trees.The trees are planted along the road and there is a pedestrian road, beside which goes into small green parks. The trees that are planted are all the same size, and during winter, the polythene sheets are wrapped around and thick ropes around the sheet protect the bark of the trees. I thought that it was a great way of making a city green, given the thought that it is not technically green because of the pollution. After reading the article, I thought that the ideas and examples given by Arendt in the article are solely based on America.Most American cities, compared to cities in developing countries, have a lower population per mile. People here like to settle in the suburbs of the city because they have bigger houses, more space where they can have their own gardens, which is a good idea considering the downtown of the city is noisier, polluted and has little vegetation. The article gave out a lot of examples of American cities where the planners are making ar eas of green parks, so people can spend quality time outdoors.They are also making public transports better, so people walk to the nearest train station or bus station. They have a lot of parks with walkways, where people can spend some time walking or jogging. This will make them fit and healthy. There are ideas like car-pooling, which is when two or more people share the same car to arrive at the same destination, so more than one person can travel in a car. It is seen as a sustainable way to travel, reducing carbon emissions and hence reducing people’s carbon footprint.In conclusion, I realized that the whole concept of greenways might be able to work in some cities, which are in Colorado or Florida, because of the climatic conditions, space to build parks and less population. But it would not work in developing countries because there is a lot of population ratio to little space. But measures can still be taken to create a more environmentally friendly atmosphere, for exa mple – some companies in London are making their building’s roof top green by planting trees in order to have a green and sustainable environment, in order to decrease the carbon footprint.In some countries, the government does not think of environment as their number one priority, mainly because they do not have enough money to reinforce ideas such as greenways. On the other hand, in cities like Phoenix, we are able to plant more trees and build parks which can provide a lot of shade and have a little sprinkling water which can make people come out of their houses more often. Greenways give sustainable solutions to various cities with climatic traits.

The Secret of Ella and Micha Chapter 8

Ella I realize I have more issues than I thought. As soon as we turn onto the Back Road, a passion combusts inside me. It only flames hotter when we pull up to The Hitch, an old abandoned restaurant stationed at the end of the road. It's the perfect set up for street racing, with a long straight road tucked between the lofty trees on the mountains. The sky is black, the moon bright, but there are clouds rolling in. I cringe, thinking of the night on the bridge. We'd been racing before I'd gone there. Micha gets a text message right as we brink the end of the road. He pulls the car to the side, maneuvering carefully across the pot holes. He pushes the parking brake in and checks his phone, shutting it off, and looking torn up. â€Å"What's wrong?† I ask. â€Å"You look upset?† â€Å"Nothing's wrong. Everything's great.† He's lying, but how can I press him to tell the truth when I'm a liar too? â€Å"So this is your surprise?† I will my voice to sound disappointed, but it comes out pleased. Micha gives me a sidelong glance. â€Å"Don't smile, pretty girl. It'll ruin your whole I'm-neutral-and-don't-give-a-shit act.† I opt to remain impartial. â€Å"Who are you planning to race tonight?† â€Å"You mean who are we racing?† He smiles alluringly through the dark cab of the car. â€Å"Well, I thought I'd leave that up to you.† In front of the trees is a line of cars with their headlights on and their owners standing near the front. They're a rough crowd, mostly guys except for Shelia, a big girl with arms thicker than my legs. She's the only girl I've ever truly feared. â€Å"Well, there's Mikey.† I rub my forehead with the back of my hand. â€Å"Does he still got that piece of crap 6 cylinder in his Camaro?† â€Å"Yeah, he does.† Micha leans back in the seat, examining me amusedly through the dark. â€Å"You think that's who I should go for?† â€Å"It's the obvious choice.† I don't like where my thoughts are heading, but I can't shut off my basic instinct. I've always been a hanging-out-with-the-guys kind of girl and therefor there is an abundance of knowledge about cars stashed away in my head. Lila is the first girl I've been friends with. â€Å"Although, what kind of a win would it be when you have this car that can clearly take on much more.† â€Å"You think I should take on someone in my own league?† â€Å"If you want the win to mean anything, then yeah.† We look at each other, like magnets begging to get closer. Yet flip one the wrong direction and they will push apart. â€Å"So which one is it, pretty girl?† He drapes an arm over the headrest behind me and his fingers brush my shoulder. â€Å"The underdog or the big dog.† There's a dare in the air, teasing the real me to come out tonight. I want to give in, just for a few hours, and let my inner ropes untie. I want to allow myself to breathe again, but I fear the loss of control – I fear I'll have to feel everything, including my guilt. â€Å"Micha, I think we should go back.† I put my seatbelt back on. â€Å"This isn't my thing anymore.† He presses his lips together firmly. â€Å"Please can we have a night? Just you and I. I really need this right now.† I pick up on his strange vibe and the sorrow in his eyes. â€Å"Okay, what's wrong? You've seemed a little out of it. Was it bad news on that text you got?† He traces the figure eight tattoo on his forearm. â€Å"Do you remember when I got this?† I absentmindedly touch my lower back. â€Å"How could I forget, since I have the same one on my back?† â€Å"Do you remember why we got them?† â€Å"I can't remember anything about that night.† â€Å"Exactly, yet you'll remember it forever. No matter what happens, which is completely ironic.† He lets his finger linger on the tattoo that represents eternity. â€Å"There's something bugging you.† I tug the bottom of my shirt down to cover up my tattoo. â€Å"Do you want to talk about it?† He shakes his head, still focused on the tattoo. â€Å"Nah, I'm good.† To distract him from his thoughts, I point my finger at a smokin' hot 1970 Pontiac GTO, blue with white racing stripes. â€Å"What about Benny? Does he still have the 455?† Micha's eyes are pools of black liquid. â€Å"You think we should take on the big dog?† â€Å"I think you should take on the big dog,† I clarify. â€Å"I'll just watch you kick his ass.† His expression darkens. â€Å"No way. I'm not racing unless you're in the car with me. It's tradition.† A starvation inside me emerges. â€Å"Alright, I'll ride with you, just as long as you do one thing for me?† â€Å"Say it and it's yours,† he says without blinking. My hunger urges me closer to him. I prop my elbows on the console, and my arms are trembling. He doesn't move, frozen like a statue as I put my lips next to his ear. â€Å"Make sure you win,† I breathe and my body arches into him on its own accord, before I sit back in the seat. His face is indecipherable, his breathing fierce, his gaze relentless. â€Å"Okay, then. Let's go win us a race.† We climb out of the car and hike across the dirt road toward the row of cars and their owners. I shield my eyes from the headlights and wrap an arm around myself, knowing these guys are going to give me crap for how I'm dressed. Micha swings his arm around me protectively. â€Å"Relax. I got you baby.† â€Å"Well, what do we have here?† Mikey, the owner of the Camaro, strides up to us. He's got black hair, a kink in his nose, and his thick neck is enclosed with a barb-wire tattoo. â€Å"Is the infamous duo back again to get their asses kicked?† I roll my eyes. â€Å"You beat us once and that was by default due to a flat tire.† His face pinches as he takes in my shirt, tank top, and curled hair. â€Å"What the fuck happened to you?† Chandra, his girlfriend, sputters a laugh. Her dress is so tight that her curves bulge out of it and her stilettoes make her almost the same height as me. â€Å"Holy shit, she like turned into a little princess or something.† Micha squeezes my shoulder, trying to keep me calm. â€Å"So who's up first? Or has no one decided yet.† Mikey eyes Micha's Chevelle and there's a nervous look in his eyes. â€Å"You think you can just walk in here and play the game after sitting out for nearly a year?† I mouth to Micha, a year? Micha shrugs. â€Å"What? You were gone. Why the hell would I want to race?† â€Å"Again, you need to move on without†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I trail off. Mikey will use what I say against Micha, so I have to watch my mouth. â€Å"We want to race Benny.† Mikey's laughter echoes the night. â€Å"You and what army?† I point at Micha's Chevelle parked near the road. â€Å"That army right there.† Mikey shakes his head and shoos us away. â€Å"That thing don't stand a chance against the GTO. Now run along and come back when you got something bigger.† He's testing my control. A lot. â€Å"As opposed to yours?† I retort, getting into Mikey's face. â€Å"Because that thing's all looks and no go.† Micha directs me back by the shoulders and a trace of amusement laces his voice. â€Å"Easy there, tiger. Let's try not to get our asses kicked tonight, okay?† Benny hops off the hood of his car, flicks his cigarette to the ground, and leaves his buddies to join us. â€Å"What's up? Did I hear someone wanted to race me?† Benny's the kind of guy that everyone respects because they're afraid of him. When he was a freshman he got into a fight at school with a senior twice his size and beat him up pretty badly. No one knows what the fight was over or what happened, but it was enough that everyone became cautious of Benny. Mikey points a finger sharply at me. â€Å"Princess right here wants to challenge you to a race in that thing.† Benny's eyes wander to the Chevelle as he cocks his shaven head and crosses his muscular arms. â€Å"Micha, isn't that your car?† Micha pats my back and winks at me. â€Å"Yeah, apparently she's my spokesperson.† Benny deliberates this and then turns to Mikey, who's glaring at me. â€Å"I don't see what the big deal is. I have no problem with Micha racing. In fact, it might be kinda nice to have a challenge for a change.† Benny slaps Mikey on the back kind of hard and then pounds fists with Micha. â€Å"Thanks man,† Micha says with a respective nod. â€Å"Are you and I going to line up first then?† Benny bobs his head up and down, nodding as he stares at the road pensively. â€Å"Yeah man, I think that'd work.† They chat a little bit more about the rules and what not, while Mikey continues to scowl at me like an angry dog. Once they're done talking, Micha and I walk back to the car, while everyone else scatters toward the starting line located right in front of The Hitch. â€Å"So what's your plan?† I ask. â€Å"Because beating him won't be easy.† â€Å"You're my plan.† He opens the passenger door for me. â€Å"With you in the car, there's no way I won't win, otherwise you'll never let me live it down.† Tucking my head into the car, I drop into the seat and then look up at him. â€Å"I won't make your car go any faster.† He grins, slamming the door. â€Å"Sure you will.† He slides across the front of the hood and climbs into the driver's seat. â€Å"You're such a show off,† I remark. He starts up the engine and it thunders to life. â€Å"That's like the pot calling the kettle black.† I slump back in the seat and fold my arms. â€Å"I may have been a lot of things, but I was never a show off.† He hooks a finger under my chin and angles my head toward him. â€Å"Taylor Crepner's graduation party two years ago. You were standing on the roof with a snowboard strapped to your feet, telling everyone you could make the jump. I think that's pretty close to showing off.† I make an innocent face. â€Å"But I did make the jump, didn't I?† â€Å"Yeah, but not without breaking your arm,† he says. â€Å"And that's beside the point.† â€Å"You're right,† I admit, touching the small scar on my arm where the bone broke through the skin. â€Å"I was showing off and you had to drive my dumb ass to the hospital, then sit in the waiting room while I had surgery to put my arm back together.† His finger traces a line down my neck and to my chest bone. â€Å"I was there because I wanted to be.† â€Å"You missed a performance because of me.† â€Å"I don't care – never have.† My gaze involuntarily flicks to his lips. Suddenly, I want to kiss him, like I did that night on the bridge. It makes me uncomfortable because the feeling owns me. I lean away, putting space between us. Sensing my transfer of attitude, he revs up the engine and spins the tires, fishtailing the car to the startup line. He shoots me a smug look, cocking an eyebrow. â€Å"Now that's showing off.† Shaking my head, I restrain a grin. Benny lines up the front of his GTO with Micha's Chevelle and his girlfriend struts up between the two cars. She's wearing jeans and a short t-shirt that shows her stomach. She flips her dark hair off her shoulder and then raises her hands above her head. People line up along the road, watching, and placing bets on the winner. I spot Ethan and Lila toward the front, chatting about something, and Lila is doing her flirty hair flip thing. â€Å"When did they get here?† Micha ignores me, eyeing Benny through his rolled down window. â€Å"To the baseline and back?† Benny's arm is resting casually on top of the steering wheel. â€Å"Yeah, man. First one back wins.† They look away from each other. Benny waves at his girlfriend and she nods her head. â€Å"On your mark. Get set. Go!† Her hands shoot down and screeches cut the air. A trail of dust engulfs us as we race off. The trees on the side of the road are a blur, and the sky is one big streak of stars. I keep silent as Micha shifts the car over and over again, but something inside me awakens from a very deep sleep. Benny pulls ahead and makes a sharp swerve right in front of us. His red tail lights are blinding in the night and his exhaust is puffing out thin clouds of smoke. Micha speeds up, inching the front end toward the rear of the GTO. As we approach the end, Benny pulls farther ahead, but it's not over yet. Micha has a thing for flipping the car around, without decreasing the acceleration. It's scary as hell, but it works every time. Besides with the longer body of Benny's GTO it doesn't have quite the turning power. We reach the end and I should probably be nervous. The road cuts off into a steep, rocky hill and the space to turn around is narrow, but I've never gotten scared, not even now. I guess I can't change what's in my blood. The GTO begins to slant sideways as Benny turns it. Micha veers to the side to get around him and shoots for the open gap between the car and the trees. I grab the handle above my head, the brakes squeal, and I brace my feet up on the dashboard. It's like being on a merry-go-round on crack. Everything spins – the trees, the sky, Micha. For a second, I shut my eyes and it feels like I'm flying. It takes me back to the night on the bridge. She said she could fly. The car straightens out and Micha floors the gas pedal. Like I predicted, Benny is having a harder time lining back up. By the time we're speeding up the road again, he's a small distance behind us. Micha punches the gas and shifts the car into a higher gear. The long front end of the GTO materializes through my window and Micha floors it, shooting me a look that lets me know I can tell him to slow down if I want. I don't. People flee to the side, panicking at our dangerous speed as we rip through the finish line. It isn't clear who the winner is or who's going to be able to get their car to stop in time, before crushing into The Hitch. Brakes shriek and dust swamps the windows. My body is thrown forward with the car's abrupt halt and I smack my head on the dashboard. Micha works to regain control of the wheel and straightens the car as it skids to a stop. Everything settles and the dust slowly clears. Micha and I stare out the windshield, breathing loudly, our eyes as wide as golf balls. The front bumper of the Chevelle is a sliver away from a very large tree. â€Å"Holy shit,† Micha whispers and looks at me, his eyes bulging. â€Å"Are you okay?† I lower my hand from the dashboard, my chest heaving with my breaths. Rubbing the bump on my head, I turn in my seat toward Micha. There is an eerie calm inside me and one of my worst fears becomes a reality. I'm an adrenaline junkie. Plain and simple, but I think it's how I've been all along. I just never admitted. I'm no longer in control. As I incline toward Micha, my heart flutters to life in my chest. My eyes shut and my lips brush his, gently tasting him. It feeds my hunger vaguely and I edge back, letting my eyes open. Micha is looking at me, his eyes pools of blue like the deep spots of the ocean hidden from the world. His hand comes up behind my head and he entices my lips back to his. Something snaps inside me, like a rubber band. With one swift movement, and the aid of my own willingness, Micha lifts me over the console and I straddle his lap, looping my arms around his neck. His hands burrow into my thighs and slip under my skirt onto my bare skin. My breath falters at the intimacy of his touch. No one has ever touched me like this before, without me running away. Usually, being this close to someone sends me into a room packed with self-doubt, panic, distrust, and unfamiliarity. My legs tense and Micha leans back. â€Å"Stay here, baby,† he whispers, like he can read my thoughts. â€Å"Trust me, okay? Don't run.† He waits for me to nod and then crashes his lips into mine, keeping his hands under my skirt. I arch my body into him, pressing my chest against his, and my nipples tingle. His tongue sensually plays with mine, tracing every spot on my mouth and my lips. My body starts to fill with a secret longing. Micha moves his mouth away from mine and my legs tremble in objection. He sucks a path of kisses down my jawline, moving to my neck and residing on my chest right above where my breast curves out of the top of my shirt. It sends a shock through my body and my legs uncontrollably tighten around him, my knees pressing into his sides. He lets out a slow, deep groan and his hand slides higher into my skirt as he guides me closer. I can feel him pressing in between my legs and it scares the shit out of me, but not enough to make me stop. It's like all the sexual tension I ran away from has sprung free all at once. My fingers sneak under the bottom of his shirt and trace along the outline of his lean muscles. I don't know where to stop or how to put the line back up. My mind is racing and I clutch onto his shoulders needing my control back. Someone bangs on the window. â€Å"Are you two having fun in there?† I jump back and my cheeks start to heat at the sight of Ethan and Lila staring at us through the window. In his black tee and jeans, Ethan blends in with the night, but his dark, insinuating smile glows. Lila's eyes are magnified and her jaw is hanging open. Micha does nothing to help the situation. A lazy grin spreads across his face as he watches me through hooded eyes, looking very pleased with himself. The adrenaline washes out of me and leaves a numb feeling in its place. I climb off his lap and straighten my skirt and hair before getting out of the car. I calmly walk around the back of the car and join Ethan and Lila. â€Å"So who won the race?† I ask, smoothing the last of the wrinkles out of my skirt. Ethan smirks at me. â€Å"Is that what you're really thinking about at the moment?† I stare at him blankly. â€Å"What else would I be thinking about?† Micha climbs out of the car, stretching his long legs. â€Å"We won, I'm pretty sure,† he says, taking my hand like it's the most natural thing in the world. â€Å"Although, I'm betting there's an argument going on about it.† Ethan nods agreeably and takes a sip of his soda. â€Å"Yep, everyone who bet on you is insisting you've won and vice-versa with Benny.† Micha interlaces our fingers. â€Å"So the same old, same old.† â€Å"You know how these things go.† Ethan pats Micha's shoulder sympathetically. â€Å"They're never going to come to a decision.† My hand is sweating in Micha's. He just cracked me open and my mind is racing with a billion thoughts. I can't do this with him. I can't crush him. I need to repaint the lines somehow. â€Å"We should just leave,† Micha says to me. â€Å"Let's not even give them the benefit of our argument.† â€Å"You want to drive out of here all suave?† I ask. â€Å"And make a grand exit?† Micha smiles and squeezes my hand. â€Å"A grand statement.† â€Å"Which would be?† â€Å"That we don't give a shit.† I let out a shaky breath and nod. â€Å"That sounds good to me.† â€Å"You want to meet up at the house?† he asks Ethan. â€Å"I'm sure we're going to have to do some tuning up on The Beast after what I just did.† Lila scrunches her nose and pops her gum. â€Å"The beast? Do I even want to know what that is?† Micha taps the car door with his free hand. â€Å"Yep, that's what I named it. Kind of like how you call your car your baby.† Lila laughs. â€Å"Oh, I get it. Although, I like my name better.† Micha traces his thumb along the palm of my hand. â€Å"Are you ready to go? Or do you want to go pick a fight with someone first.† I flash a panicked glance at Lila, who knits her eyebrows. â€Å"Maybe Lila and I should ride together. I haven't spent any time with her today.† â€Å"You've spent time with me every day for the last eight months,† she replies. â€Å"I think we're good for a few hours.† â€Å"I'll take care of her.† Ethan chucks the empty bottle of soda across the parking lot and it lands in the back of his truck. â€Å"Really, really good care of her.† Lila lets her blonde hair fall into her face to hide her blush. I've never seen her blush like that. What exactly have the two of them been up to tonight? Micha shakes his head at Ethan. â€Å"Be good.† Ethan rolls his eyes and then walks off with Lila toward his truck. Micha and I get into his car and I prepare myself to make a speech. Micha squeezes his eyes shut and holds his hand up. â€Å"Don't even say it. Just let it go for the night. Please. I need to just feel this.† The pain in his voice causes me to fasten my jaw shut. Opening his eyes, he starts up the car and we drive down the road. Micha waves to Benny as we pass and everyone's eyes follow us. Then the darkness takes over as we pull out onto the main road and the headlights light up the night like a tunnel that leads to the unknown.