The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time Essays

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time takes place in the year 1998 in and around the town of Swindon, England. The fifteen-year-old narrator of the story, Christopher John Francis Boone, discovers the slain body of his neighbor?s poodle, Wellington, on the neighbor?s front lawn one evening and sets out to uncover the murderer. His investigation is at times aided, and at other times hampered, by the mild form of autism he lives with. After Christopher hits a policeman in a misunderstanding at the scene of the crime, the police take Christopher into custody. They release Christopher with only a stern warning, under the condition that he promises to them and to his father not to look into the murder any further. Christopher chronicles his investigation in a book?the book we are reading?as part of a school assignment. Ignoring repeated warnings from his father, Christopher investigates the crime scene and conducts interviews with the residents of his block. He uncovers a more tangled plot than was first apparent when he discovers that his father and the owner of the slain dog, Mrs. Shears, had a romantic affair. He subsequently learns that their affair began in reaction to another relationship, one carried on between Mr. Shears and Christopher?s mother, before she disappeared from Christopher?s life. At school, Christopher prepares for an A-level math exam that will enable him to attend a university, a feat no other child at his school has managed. He also continues to work on his book. Upon returning home one afternoon, Christopher accidentally leaves his book in plain view on the kitchen table. His father reads it, becomes angry, and confiscates it. Later, Christopher searches for the book and uncovers a series of letters, hidden in a shirt box in his father?s closet, addressed to him from his supposedly dead mother. The letters chronicle a life that his mother has continued to lead with Mr. Shears in London and contain repeated requests for Christopher to respond. In shock, Christopher passes out in his bedroom surrounded by the evidence of his father?s deception. When Father comes home and realizes what has happened, he breaks down in tears. He apologizes for his lies, explaining that he acted out of a desire to protect Christopher from the knowledge of his mother?s abandonme nt of the family. Christopher?s father also admits to killing Wellington after an argument with Mrs. Shears, his lover. Christopher, now terrified of his father and feeling he can no longer trust him, sneaks out of the house and travels to London to live with his mother. During a harrowing journey, he copes with and overcomes the social fears and limitations of his condition, dodges police, and almost gets hit by a train. His arrival at his mother?s flat comes as a total surprise to her, as she had no idea that Christopher?s father had been withholding her letters. Christopher settles in for a time at his mother and Mr. Shears?s flat, but friction caused by his presence shortly results in his mother?s decision to leave Mr. Shears to return to Swindon. Christopher moves into a new apartment with his mother and begins to receive regular visits from his father. When Christopher?s pet rat Toby dies, Christopher?s father gives Christopher a puppy. At school, Christopher sits for his A-level math exam and receives an A grade, the best possible score. The novel ends with Christopher planning to take more A-l evel exams in physics and further math, and then attend a university in another town. He knows that he can do all of this because he solved the mystery of Wellington?s murder, was brave enough to find his mother, and wrote the book that we have read. Christopher?s defining characteristic is his inability to imagine the thoughts and feelings of other people. In other words, he cannot empathize. Because he cannot imagine what another person is thinking, he cannot tell when a person speaks sarcastically, or determine a person?s mood by his facial expression. This inability to empathize is one of the most prominent features of autism-related disorders, and this characteristic as well as a few others?Christopher?s difficulty understanding metaphors, his fixation on certain topics, and his computer-like ability

Polyprod and Ben Jerrys-Case analysis

Polyprod and Ben Jerrys-Case analysis The first activity in planning and implementing organisational change is to motivate commitment to it. The activity of motivating change aims to prevent the failure of change efforts by attending to the tasks of creating readiness for change and overcoming resistance to change (Cummings Worley, 2009). In our cases of two very different organisations, high-tech product manufacturer and distributor PolyProd, and Vermont-based ice-cream maker Ben Jerry's, a lack of motivation to change would doom any proposed organisational development intervention to failure. A first step in ensuring that this does not happen is to address both readiness for and resistance to change in each company. In considering the key issue of how to motivate change at the very outset of an intervention, we are most concerned with creating readiness for change and overcoming resistance.In PolyProd, a non-integrated organisational structure combined with previously failed change efforts have created significant re sistance to change; however, the widespread sense of hurt arising from an unsatisfactory status quo could be tapped to create readiness for change.Ford KugaTDCi, Gen1 (from 2008), BEN Jerry's, rapid growth and a "laid back" leadership style have contributed to their evolution into an under-organised company, with negative impact on working conditions. Readiness for change is palpable throughout the company, yet there is strong resistance to change from the founders, the eponymous Ben and Jerry. The founders are the defenders of company core values which put people first, yet change is needed to ensure that at the operational level the needs and aspirations of employees are actually met. Listening to each other's concerns empathetically and in an environment of trust would allow the alignment of goals resulting in a collaborative motivation to change.Motivating for Successful ChangeAlthough change...

ETB Paper and Activity 3 and 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

ETB Paper and Activity 3 and 4 - Essay Example 2. The profile result is a good illustration of my work-related interests. The top 3 interests show what exactly what I look for in a job. I’m habitual of focusing on doing things nicely and completely, rather than messing it up for the sake of creating something new or extraordinary. The investigative interest is also what fanaticizes me, and I would love to adopt a profession, which requires investigative and analytical tasks. Enterprising is another interest, close to my personality. It is because of my interest in drawing innovative ideas and strategies for businesses or projects and the potential of leading a group of people to a desired goal. 3. The occupational matches of my interest are of sales and marketing. I find these occupations interesting as they offer room to potential ideas and investigating public behaviour. The occupation of marketing covers all the basic interests I look for in a work or occupation. That includes a conventional working environment, where w inning the trust of customers is the key element. Moreover in the marketing field, innovation and enterprising are always valued and serve as essentials of one’s recognition and success in this occupation (Ehret and Galanakis). Activity 4: e-Learning Business Skills Demos (Being an Effective Team Member) 1. The course being selected for this activity is â€Å"Being an Effective Team Member†. This course draws a nice outline of elements required in forming a stronger and productive team. The learning environment serves as a powerful tool in understanding the benefits of working in a team and prioritizing team’s interest over self interests. Another positive feature that this course offers to its participants is the knowledge of different behaviours that commonly exists in any team and how to deal with those effectively (skill Soft). One negative feature of this learning environment is that, it does not cover the hidden problems of mistrust, free loaders and polit ical activities among team members. These are areas that affect the productivity and willingness of a person to work in a team, or to put additional efforts (skill Soft). 2. Some of the major learning outcomes of this course include motivation and zest of an every team player, to work as a unit. The course focuses on the concept that, for a team to be productive, each of its members should be motivated and feel good about the team he or she is associated with (Dettmann). To achieve this outcome, this online medium of learning can prove beneficial as it uses practical and real life scenarios, to build a sound understanding about the topic. Examples and activities for team building and working proactively, can be taught nicely in this method of learning, by providing a cluster of theories and examples (skill Soft). 3. Online learning is not a recent method of studying, but was introduced many years back. Tough we can see that the awareness about e-learning has grown substantially over the years, but still its usage is limited to a group of people. This is because its benefits and adaptability varies with the type of people and their professions (Tellefsen). A particularly essential element in e-learning is computer literacy and accessibility, and those who do not have knowledge or access to computer, cannot adopt this medium for learning. However, there are several types of people, which have switched from the conventional method of studying to

Strategic Hospitality Management - A Plan for the Expansion of Accor Essay

Strategic Hospitality Management - A Plan for the Expansion of Accor - Essay Example So Europe as a whole (including France) has a total of about 50% of Accor’s business, but the Asian market has only 9%. Considering the populations of Asia and their growing middle class, this seems a somewhat skewed proportion with ample room for improvement. The proportions hotel business are as follows: As the company has been successful within the Economy sector it seems logical to plan for the future using the paradigm that has succeeded thus far. GOALS The Accor Board is planning on continued expansion with 10,000 rooms per annum over 2007/2008. This represents a fairly modest 2.2% rise per annum. This growth is planned across both established markets, such as in Europe and North America, and emerging markets in the developing world, such as Latin American, the Middle East, and Asia. PROPOSAL Established Markets Country The country chosen for expansion in the established market is Switzerland. The brand that will be expanded is the budget ETAP band. Switzerland is a logi cal and promising choice for the following reasons. 1)The Swiss economy is one of the most advanced in the world and has a broad range of economic activity, with a main focus on the banking and tourism sectors: â€Å"Switzerland’s economy is based on a highly qualified labor force performing highly skilled work. The main areas include micro-technology, hi-tech, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals, as well as banking and insurance know-how. Most of the people working in Switzerland are employed by small and medium-sized enterprises.†

The Responsibility Project Essay Example for Free

The Responsibility Project Essay In viewing a short film Table Guardians in The Responsibility Project website, organizational issues were displayed. The short film acted out a community coffee shop that different groups of individuals came and gone. An early aged male engaged in conversation with a mid-aged female requesting that she oversee his belongings and table while he quickly went to the copy shop a block away and ensured her that he will return quickly in a matter of minutes, 10 minutes; 12 minutes max. The women, although partially hesitant, agreed to watch over his table and belongings that included a personal computer and writing supplies. As time passed, several individuals attempted to make use of the crowded coffee shop table; however, the women overseeing the table informed those individuals that table was taken and the young man will soon return. After the women waited for over an hour guarding the table, she was asked if she was leaving her table by another women and she explained to her that she would have been gone, but she is overseeing the table across the way for a gentlemen. The women offered the exchange of overseeing the table for her table and she gladly accepted. After the exchange of four other overseers of this table, the gentleman finally returns. The fourth individual overseeing table doesn’t allow the gentlemen to easily recover his table and personal belongings. She informs him that the table is taken and belongs to a gentleman that will be coming back. He tries to explain that he is that gentleman and that he is back. She then requests proof of identity for the gentleman to recover his goods. Throughout the films entirety, it shows the communities ethical and moral reasoning of treating others as you wish to be treated by not leaving the gentleman’s personal belongings unattended as given word by a complete stranger initially. The integrity was kept throughout the exchange of overseers. The coffee shop employee kept his interests as a stakeholder by making the right decision to protect the employers’ expectations by statin g that he is not able to take responsibility of watching the table. By doing so the employee alleviated any possibilities of liability to the employer. It was also noted in the short film that the consumers in the coffee shop showed ethical reasoning by respecting the issue at hand that  the table was taken and not causing conflict in the coffee shop although the tables were filled and that table was sitting empty unattended. The end of the short film showed the same situation appearing to repeat itself; however, it is unknown whether or not it will end the same if it were in a different community. Also the outcome will depend on the ethical and moral interests for individuals involved. It could result in stolen or damaged goods. External social pressures have an influence on organizational issues. For instance, if this community discussed previously in the busy coffee shop had different ethical and moral interests in the community, the gentleman leaving his personal belongings may not have been comfortable in leaving his belongings with a stranger nor would he have asked. It was the gentleman’s belief that his belongings will be in safe keeping. The gentleman was apparently comfortable with outside factors of his community’s environment and the people; therefore, comfortable with the individual in the coffee shop to oversee his belongings. The coffee shop does not function alone, it is the outside of the business that influences how business is carried out inside. The guardians of the gentleman’s belongings were polite and moral by overseeing his belongings. It was morally and ethically wrong for the gentlemen to have left his belonging with an individual for longer than he had given his word for. The coffee shop employee responded ethically to the women who wanted him to oversee the table while working by stating he could not take responsibility while working. External social pressures can create a downside to organizations if social critics are not considered in organizations because consumer’s today is more â€Å"socially† aware. By organizations considering social pressures, this may assist in gearing their organization or business on the right direction for success. Concerning personal decision making, external social pressures may change decisions by simply the pressures of another outlook on the situation. An organization can simply apply pressure to have someone select their organization by offering free tutoring to an enrolled student or a business offering free gym membership for a year with purchase of insurance plan. Social pressure comes in numerous forms. The short film Table Guardians did not clearly show any legal issues per say; however could have resulted a legal issue if the employee decided to watch the gentleman’s belongings while working. Instead, the employee stated that he was could not oversee the table because liability reasons. Should the employee decide to watch table and the gentleman’s belongings came up stolen or damaged, it would have been a liability to coffee shop owner. The employee made the ethical decision. Overall, the short film addressed responsibility ethically, morally, and legally. Ethically is protecting concepts of right or wrong. Morality is more of the personal characteristics of interests and decision making. Ethics and mortality are subjective because no two individuals think alike. The legal system retains general humanities ethics; otherwise, we will suffer the consequences. References The Responsibility Project. (2008). Retrieved from http://responsibility- project.libertymutual.com/films/table-guardians#fbid=S14kx8DovBx

Foreshadowing in Oedipus the King and The Marriage of Figaro :: comparison compare contrast essays

Foreshadowing in Oedipus the King and The Marriage of Figaro      Ã‚   `You are the curse, the corruption of the land!'.   With these words, Tiresias, a blind prophet in `Oedipus The King' set the actions in play that would turn king to beggar within the day.   Prophecy and foreshadowing is an important part of playwriting, and adds an element of suspense that is not possible any other way.   Whether it be the witches of MacBeth, the ramblings of Tiresias in Oedipus the King, and Antigone, or whether it is the unrealized foreshadowing by Figaro in `The Marriage of Figaro', foreshadowing gives the reader or the audience something to puzzle themselves over, until the play or novel is actually over.   It would not be a stretch of the imagination to say that some of the greatest plays ever written would be impotent if their elements of foreshadowing was removed.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Foreshadowing is defined, in Webster's dictionary, as `to give a hint or suggestion of beforehand'.   In drama, foreshadowing is generally used for several purposes, including the creation of tension, creation of atmosphere, and adds an element of credibility to a character.   All of these are important elements of a play.   However it is not hard to imagine a play in which more then half of the elements of a plot, namely exposition, discovery, point of attack, complication and crisis all be caused by an act of foreshadowing or prophecy.   Indeed, "Oedipus the King", which was considered the greatest play in history by Aristotle, was one such play.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "Oedipus the King" was the story of the King of Thebes, Oedipus, and his dark past history which no one, including himself to a point, was aware of, one that involved abandonment, patricide and incest.   Thebes was beset by a plague, and a delegation was sent to Apollo, the Greek God of healing, where they received instructions to find the murderer of the previous king of Thebes, King Laius.   This form of foreshadowing was necessary for the storyline to have a starting place, and acts not only as foreshadowing, but also as discovery, because it gave new information that moved the plot forwards.   A problem with this is the fact that it requires an act of God, something that Aristotle frowned upon in his definitive text

Executive Financial Plan Summary Essay

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for reaching out to me. One of the first steps towards financial clarity and meeting your financial goals is to reach out to specialists who can identify your needs and financial position. I am pleased to help you get started on your journey and look forward to seeing you meet your goals! Throughout this document, I will be using various numbers and concepts under the assumption that they represent your financial position. In truth, these numbers are meant to be fluid and may change with time depending on the course of events in your life. Reviewing the document carefully to understand the underlying concepts and financial patterns is necessary given that change is constant. Resources Available: The best place to start is by reviewing the attached cash flow summary. This is a tool which can help you both visualize and quantify your goals. Items that are included on the cash flow include investments you are making, debt payments, and unallocated cash flows as an example. Additionally, I have tracked the costs or savings associated with each of my recommendations in the cash flow summary as well. The summary should allow you to see an action plan for achieving your goals while keeping yourself within your budget. Issue 1: Emergency Funds While you have a good start on accumulating sufficient emergency reserves, your current amount would last 3.4 months without covering any additional out of pocket expenses for medical insurance in case of a job loss or medical expenses in case of an illness. Recommendation: Increase emergency reserves this year to at least 4 months of reserves which requires an additional $5,000 deposited this year. Move funds from the taxable money market to the Colorado municipal money market which has a better after tax return. Additionally, any tax refunds (estimated to be about $500 after changing withholdings) or â€Å"found money† should be dedicated to this goal, increasing it up to $33,000 over the next few years. Advantages: Increases your ability to handle any emergencies that come along. Using the municipal money market is more efficient with a better after tax return than your current money market. As long as one of you is working, this would cover six months of unemployment. Disadvantages: Funds invested in safe liquid assets earn less than those that have higher risk. Alternative: Use Roth IRA to begin accumulating more emergency reserves beyond the current $25,000 because you can withdraw your principle anytime without penalty and the funds are protected from creditors. In that case, we would not count earnings toward your emergency reserves but principle only. Issue 2: Paying off credit card debt as soon as possible. Paying off credit card debt starting now will free up money to accomplish other goals. Currently you are in a position where you can pay off debt immediately if you utilize current cash flows. This will save on interest payments and allow you to allocate cash flow to other goals. Recommendation: Pay off your $6,158 of credit card debt immediately using the re-allocable savings, tax withholding, and estate distribution. These additional cash flows of $20,300 should be more than enough to cover the credit card debt. Advantages: You will stop interest from accumulating on your credit cards, which frees up cash flow for other purposes in the future. Your $6,000 of per year expenses previously allocated to credit card debt is now freed up for other financial goals. With your credit card debt off of your credit report, your credit score will improve. With the increase in credit score, you may qualify for better debt financing rates in the future. An example of this would be if you refinance your home. Current lending rates (fixed) are lower than your current mortgage rate of 6.88%. Disadvantages: This is a significant upfront cost as far as cash flow is concerned. The additional resources could be used towards other goals in the short term. Depending on the actions you take, you may not have a need for more affordable lending rates. Issue 4: Homeowner’s Coverage Your current homeowner’s coverage is adequate from a baseline perspective, but I believe some minor improvements can be made to your coverage. With the cash flow we currently have available, minor tweaks can be made to your policy to ensure that you are covered under the most strenuous of circumstances and can have peace of mind regarding your home. Recommendation A: My first is that you increase your base coverage by $10,000; this will cover you for the full value of your home as you currently are covered for only 96% of its value. Advantages: The advantage of increasing your homeowner’s coverage on your dwelling from $310,000 to $320,000 is that you will receive the full replacement cost of your home in the event of a catastrophe. Increasing your homeowner’s coverage is also quite cheap; the additional cost is only $35 per year. Disadvantages: The additional homeowner’s coverage is cheap, but modest in its advantages. The $35 you are spending on these could easily go elsewhere. Recommendation B: My second recommendation is you take an inventory of your personal property. Advantages: A personal property inventory will ensure you know the value of your possessions in the event of a catastrophe. Appraisals of high-value items such as your jewelry, wedding ring, antiques, and guns will be beneficial not only for your personal property inventory but also for your personal benefit; you can have an appraisal on hand in case you want to sell something, for instance. Disadvantages: The personal property inventory will require regular appraisals if you are to keep up with maintaining it on a consistent basis. Appraisals for personal property are oftentimes costly. This is actually only a problem if you get a large number of items appraised. Recommendation C: My third recommendation is you add an inflation rider to  your policy. Advantages: The benefit of the inflation rider is that it increases your base policy by the amount needed to keep it on par with yearly inflation. It will automatically increase both coverage and the premium. It is also cheap at only $20 per year. Disadvantages: Similar to the increase in homeowners coverage, modest in its advantages. The $20 could go elsewhere. Issue 5: Automobile Coverage You have not had a review of your automobile coverage for four years. Looking at changes to your automobile policy can help us see areas where you are more at risk from financial loss. We currently see that improvement can be made to your base policy as well as how your deductible is structured. These issues and recommendations are ultimately to be addressed with your insurance agent; I am merely providing a perspective. Recommendation A: I recommend that you raise your current base policy to double its current amount. Along with this, you will also raise your uninsured motorist’s coverage to match the amounts of the base policy. Advantages: The primary benefit of raising the base policy to double its current amount is you concurrently raise your uninsured motorist’s coverage to match. Your current uninsured motorist’s coverage is lower than your base policy; raising the uninsured motorist’s coverage provides substantially more financial protection in the event of bodily injury or the potential loss of one of you as a breadwinner. Disadvantages: The cost of doubling your base policy is quite substantial compared to the alternatives. The total cost is of doubling the base policy is $120. Recommendation B: I recommend that you raise your comprehensive and uninsured motorist’s coverage deductibles from $500 to $1,000 each. Advantages: Raising your deductible’s from $500 to $1,000 each will provide you with $250 of cash flow yearly which can be used towards your other financial goals. These changes to your coverage are designed to maximize cash flow coming in while adapting to the financial needs that arise from certain risks. In sum total our recommendations result in positive cash flow for you while maximizing the benefit you gain from insurance claims. Disadvantage: In the event you do have to file an insurance claim, your insurance deductible for both comprehensive and uninsured motorists is going up to $1,000 from the previous $500. Alternatives: You could leave your base policy alone but double your uninsured motorist’s coverage by paying only $40 instead of $120. This will free up cash flow of $80 compared to my recommendation for meeting your other financial goals. Your total bodily injury and property damage will remain the same. The uninsured motorist’s coverage will double. This still gives you greater financial protection in the case of a loss of income compared to leaving uninsured motorist’s coverage alone. Issue 6: Umbrella Coverage You are not adequately protected from liability with your umbrella coverage. As an example, you have risks related to the ownership of your jet skis, snowmobiles, and horses. In the event you are sued for damage to either property or persons, you could be liable for anywhere between 5-15 times your annual income or even the sum total of your net worth. At your current level of coverage of $500,000, your financial security is at a high risk for being jeopardized in the event of a legal meltdown as well. Your current coverage premiums are above the average rates. None of the property previously mentioned is listed on your homeowner’s insurance policy either. Recommendations: Switch your umbrella policy from your current carrier to the same carrier as your homeowner’s policy. Under your new policy increase your total coverage from $500,000 to $1,500,000. Advantages: Combining these policies under one company will confer you a monetary benefit of $25 per year in savings. We have calculated your recommended coverage quote by multiplying your yearly gross wages of $150,000 by a multiple of 10. This multiple is considered because you are established with a home, cars, retirement, and educational needs. A young couple with few assets would use a multiple of 5 whereas a larger family with more assets might use a multiple of 15. Your situation calls for something in the middle. Your deductibles for the umbrella policy will integrate with the existing policy  limits. Disadvantages: The cost of the $1,500,000 is $200. This is $75 more than what you are paying with your previous policy. In the event you get rid of some higher risk items, such as your snowmobiles and jet skis, your coverage might need reevaluating as it would be too high relative to risk factors. You mentioned your personal items are low in value so retiring them soon would be an example of needing to discuss with your agent options regarding risk. Alternatives: Instead of raising your policy level to $1,500,000, raise it to $1,000,000 only. The primary benefit of this is the cost savings from a cash flow standpoint. You are already adding your snowmobile and fishing boat to your homeowner’s policy for $300 annually. While the additional cost savings is modest, it simply affords a little bit more cash to be used for your other financial goals. Issue: Disability Coverage You lack an adequate budgetary plan in the event either one of you becomes disabled. At your ages, you have roughly a 21% chance that either one of you will unemployed for longer than three months as a result of disability. The impact of a disability with either one of you would be disastrous to your financial goals. The most important goals that would be compromised include your retirement and saving for your son’s education. Buying a car for your son, jet skis, and traveling, these luxuries would have to be reconsidered and more likely would be impossible. As a result of your disability you would further have additional health insurance premiums to pay; other out of pocket costs related to your disability not currently included in your budget would be necessary to account for. Both of your long term disability plans factor in inflation. If Jim becomes disabled in the long term, a sharp drop in income occurs almost immediately and until retirement. If Anne becomes disabled, your income remains relatively the same until retirement. A question you should further consider is what happens at retirement? Your target income in retirement is $211,436. If Jim becomes disabled, your projected income in retirement is $83,285; this is 39% of your projected income. If Anne becomes disabled, your total income in retirement will be  around $97,000; this is 46% of your projected goal. Understanding the realities of a potential disability for either one of you and putting a plan in place is primary. Recommendation: 1) Purchase a $1,743 monthly benefit individual policy to age 67 with an inflation rider of 3% on Jim. Purchase a rider premium with this policy. The total premium cost will be $829. 2) Purchase an additional 10-year benefit with a 365-day elimination to supplement Nancy’s income. The total premium cost will be $433. 3) Add a rider premium to your mortgage.