The Memoir Of A Recovering Skinhead - 895 Words

In the Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead, Frank met multiple people who changed his life. For instance, his family had an impact on his life. His father had not been there for him as he grew up, while his mother changed his last name to hers so Frank would not know he was Irish. John’s introduction into Frank’s life was what had truly ignited Frank’s anger. John was his mother’s new boyfriend, who eventually married his mother and raised two children with her. He also beat Frank as a child and would often call him stupid or mentally retarded. After for what seemed like a while, John convinced Frank’s mother to kick Frank out of the house, which she has responded accordingly to. He leaves to live with his cousin Shawn, who would introduce him to life as a skinhead. Shawn and his friends introduced and taught Frank about neo-nazi customs Frank became a skinhead. Frank’s cousin Nick was another huge element in his life, since he taught him many life lessons. An example of such is seen when Frank joins and takes part in Nick’s crew, which Nick then explains to Frank that he cannot protect him despite the fact that they are family. In addition to family, Frank also met more people that changed his life during his time in an Illinois prison. For example, his best friends in prison (Little G. and Jello) allowed him see the world without hatred and see that race or skin color does not make them any different from one another. Their words broadened Frank’s newly foundShow MoreRelatedOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesimmigration and the expulsion of those immigrants already present. At the street level, fights between immigrant and native youths became frequent, sometimes leading to fire bombings. In many European cities, nativist youths shaved their skulls and, as â€Å"skinheads,† went out seeking â€Å"foreigners,† even those who had been in place for a generation and more. In England, the phenomenon earned its own name: â€Å"Paki[stani]-bashing.† In France, as the Muslim population coming from the former colonies in North Africa

The Horror of Christianity Essay - 1966 Words

quot;A Pagan Jokequot; A Pagan died and, much to her surprise, found herself at the Pearly Gates facing St. Peter. He walked up to her and said, quot;Hello, and welcome.quot; She stared at St. Peter in complete confusion. quot;Wait a minute,quot; she said. quot;I was supposed to end up in the Summerlands.quot; He smiled. quot;Ah, you must be one of our Pagan sisters. Follow me, please.quot; Peter gestured for her to follow him down a small path, which went through the gates and down a bit to the left. They walked for a short while, then he stepped back and gestured her forward. Looking past his hand, she saw the verdant fields and forests of her desired Summerlands. She saw people feasting, dancing, and making merry, exactly as†¦show more content†¦From this mighty pedestal they judge all other faiths and cultures to be inferior. They send forth missionaries and warriors into heathen lands, to bring the true faith to the pagan people. Christians will go into tribes in Africa and New Guinea, preach to the natives, and tell them to go and follow Exodus 22:18 (Thou shall not suffer a witch to live), and kill their healers and shamans. This is not a new idea, however: The Old Testament is riddled with references of God either killing someone not worshipping Him, or telling his followers to put to death those who do not honor him: â€Å"If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; lt;notes.htmlgt; Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you lt;notes.htmlgt;, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. lt;notes.htmlgt;† (Deut. 13:6-9) nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;One might wonder WHY the Bible, the cornerstone of a religion and the basis for all Christians morals would be so riddled with these injustices? The answer is two-fold, andShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Novel The Great God Pan 941 Words   |  4 PagesArthur Machen and H.G. Wells were one of the most influential writers in the history of the English language. Through their works, both Machen and Wells illustrated the themes of sexuality and horror by exploring the idea of the supernatural. However, Machen’s gothic novella The Great God Pan (1894) and H.G. Wells’ sci-fi novel The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896) further exemplified the theme of humankind’s relationship to God. In the late Victorian period, the influence of religious mythology fell uponRead MoreProsperity for the Spaniards in the New Wold was the Downfall for America920 Words   |  4 Pagestrue god they would be the most fortune people in the world. His Descriptions of the indigenous was the absolute contrary to the â€Å"Barbarous, uncultivated and inhumane† descriptions of the indigenous by previous Spaniards. He also describes the horrors the Spaniards did in the new world. His main example is the island Hispaniola. He observes how the Spaniards started their first ravages and oppressions in the island. The Spaniards killed, tortured, and destroyed the native people with the mostRead MoreAnalysis Of Dracul Old Vampire / Nobleman From Transylvania1622 Words   |  7 PagesSex and Violence = total opposites, very confusing, meant to confuse the readers and create horror, blood is passion and lustful, shared blood brings people together (Mina and Dracula), sacred like sex = scary part. Blood = exchange of body fluids, like sperm Victorian era = strict about mixing â€Å"blood†, stay within your race, insanity if you have little blood(disease), significant in society New Horror = not typical like monsters and zombies thin stream trickled down the man s bare breast. RapeRead MoreUncle Toms Cabin Analysis1017 Words   |  5 Pagescorrespond with her husband’s actions or unfulfilled promises toward the slaves. She even admits to her husband that her kindness would never be enough to compensate for the horrors of the slave trade itself (pg. 21). Her opinions, based on her morals as a Christian, show slavery’s evilness and its strong rebuttal to Christianity. According to her morals, Mrs.Bird feels that helping slaves is the least she can do because doing otherwise would be a sin (pg. 47). She even further debates this sin by proclaimingRead MoreSlavery in the English Colonies Essay837 Words   |  4 Pagesslaves. The rapid increase in the slave population led to strict control, cruelty and justification to brutality. Englishman called slave the† strength and the sinews of this western world . The slave trade horrors were inconceivable. Oladah Equiano, a slave from Nigeria described some horrors of slavery the â€Å"Middle pa ssage†. Equiano and his youngest sister were seized by raiders. They passed from one trader to another. Majority of their slave group died, because of exhaustion or hunger. They wereRead MoreJoseph Conrad s Heart Of Darkness1120 Words   |  5 Pageslight. People are unable to distinguish the difference between good and bad. The darkness can blind people to what is actually happening. Europe was known to have a very powerful civilized country, full of educated white people that believed in Christianity. Africa was thought of to have a very weak uncivilized country, full of dark uneducated people that believed in Paganism. The people in Europe looked at Africa as being worse than them. Africa and Europe are both known to be a monster. In AfricaRead MoreThe Narrative Of The Life Of Olandah Equiano1716 Words   |  7 Pagesprovides a primary source for the history of the slave trade in Africa and Nigerian history. If he was born in South Carolina, his narrative provides a seco ndary source for these areas. In either case, Equiano’s narrative accurately reveals the horrors of the Atlantic Slave Trade and the struggles of being a minority in a world and industry dominated by the Europeans, particularly the British. He also uses his narrative to explore the racism faced by Africans and the African Diaspora and to criticizeRead MoreA Good Man By Flannery O Connor1369 Words   |  6 PagesCritics also noticed her use of Christianity in the short stories, which only amplified accusations of them being sarcastic to which O’Connor replied, â€Å"I am tired of reading reviews that call A Good Man brutal and sarcastic...The stories are hard but they are hard because there is nothing harder or less sentimental than Christian realism...when I see these stories described as horror stories I am always amused because the reviewer always has hold of the wrong horror† (The Habit of Being 90). AlthoughRead MoreTheme Of Imperialism In Heart Of Darkn ess1662 Words   |  7 Pagesare supported in the novel, Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, who employs his narrative to showcase how the drive for Imperialism stripped away the humane reasoning for colonizing the Congo, as the protagonist is brought face to face with the horrors of this colonization. The novel’s themes are furthered by first-hand account articles that depict the violence that Conrad fictionalized to stress that Europe’s goal for imperialism was not altruistic. Europe used the excuse of saving natives fromRead MoreThe Madness of War1458 Words   |  6 Pagesand that is what motivates their narrative (Klinkowitz 335). In his anti-war novel Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut expresses the adverse emotional effects of war through the psyche of Billy Pilgrim. Vonnegut’s distinct style conveys that the horrors of war are not only tragic, but inexplicable and absurd. His use of black humor, such as Billys attempts to publicize his encounters with the Tralfamadorians, conveys the incongruity/senselessness of war (â€Å"Slaughterhouse-Five† 267). While this

Total Quality Management System Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Total Quality Management System. Answer: Quality management system used in the organisation Quality management system refers to the business systems that focus on the satisfaction of the customers. The satisfaction of the customers has aligned with the purpose of an organisation and the strategic direction that it provides. Quality management systems such as ISO 9000 and ISO 9001 series are recognised for ensuring that the requirements of the customers are met by following every legal activity that exists in an organisation. The standards vary depending upon its application in the organisational context and the unique needs of the organisations (Dale 2015). The focus of the assignment is on Ahmed Seddiqi Sons. The quality manager of the company is Mohammad Ahmed; he has been working in the company for 5 years. The employee interview is Gholam Usman; he been working in the company for 2 years. The organisation in focus is Ahmed Seddiqi Sons a boutique and watch company located in the U.A.E. The company was formed in 1950 and it retails Swiss brand watches and jewelleries to royal customers and political figures (Seddiqi.com. 2018). The quality management system that is used in the organisation includes the ISO 9001:2015. In the words of the quality manager, Mohammad Ahmed this particular ISO considered as the most popular and implemented quality management system standard that is used in every organisation. One of the employees of the organisation Gholam Usman believes that due to its popularity this applicability of this particular standard can help in increasing the popularity of the organisation and increase productivity. The main purpose of QMS According to Goetsch and Davis (2014), Quality Management System is considered important for maintaining the satisfaction and loyalty of the customers. The primary goal of a quality management system is to beat the competition that exists in the market. For an organisation adopting the quality management, it can gain a competitive advantage by producing products and services that are convenient for the organisation as well as the customers. Hence, it can be said that Quality Management System helps to eliminate mistakes instead of controlling every unit of production. In this regard, it was said by Mohammad Ahmed that to achieve proper quality management system, the organisation need to ensure that the products and services it provides meet the requirements of the customers. Apart from this quality management, the system also focuses on making every employee the owner of the customers (Jimnez-Jimnez et al. 2015). Tasks are provided to the employees so that they can ensure the fact that collaboration and motivation exist among the employees so that they can work together in supporting the employees. Quality management can help in the identification of wastes and decrease inefficiencies in business. It helps in increasing the goodwill of a business organisation. Compatibility of QMS of organisation with the TQM principle The Quality Management System of an organisation needs to focus on the satisfaction of the customers. The engagement of the employees, as well as the empowerment of the employees, needs to be provided so that they can engage themselves in the matter of the organisations. Thus, the level of satisfaction of the customers requires the proper engagement of employees so that quality product and services can be maintained for their satisfaction. Hence, it is necessary according to Oakland (2014), it is necessary to align the quality management with the empowerment and engagement of employees. In the case of Ahmed Seddiqi Sons, the managers provide the necessary freedom to the employees so that they can assist in satisfying the customers. Ahmed Seddiqi Sons is a retail company for watches and it is necessary for the organisation to provide full empowerment to the employees to satisfy the customers. The employee Gholam Usman said, One of the objectives of a quality management system is to ensure that the employees have enough opportunities to interact with the customers and ensure that their demands are met. This can help the company to increase its reputation in the market (Seddiqi.com 2018). Thus, the QMS of Ahmed Seddiqi Sons can help in maintaining the principles of TQM. Effects of employee deviation from QMS According to Calabrese and Corb (2015), Quality Management System helps in providing the best quality product and service. However, if there is any deviation from the application of the Quality Management System in the organisations, then the organisations may suffer from negative effects. One such negative consequence is the fact that without the registration under an ISO series, quality of products cannot be checked. In the words of the quality manager Mohammad Ahmed, Customers cannot provide value to the products they are purchasing and it can cause organisations to lose its reputation. This may also result in the dissatisfaction of the customers. Another negative consequence that the deviation for Quality Management System can be the fact that professional culture and employee morale is reduced. Quality Management System provides organisations with clear expectations about the products that are to be manufactured. In the words of Fonseca (2015), it is essential that the organisations improve the consistency of the products and services so that the customers can have faith in it. Any type of deviation from the implementation of the quality management system can make employees and managers lose focus on the goal. Thus, it is necessary that every organisation maintain the requirements in accordance with the ISO so that it can continue gaining a reputation in the market. Reflection on the QMS According to Sanz-Calcedo et al. (2015), Quality Management System is a continuous process for the satisfaction of the customers. Hence, every organisation needs to ensure that proper quality management system needs to be followed so that customer satisfaction can be maintained and revenue of the organisation can be increased. In this regard, it is necessary to understand the Quality Management System of Ahmed Seddiqi Sons. In my opinion, the Quality Management System in the company provides opportunities for employees to be involved in the decision-making activities. This can help Ahmed Seddiqi Sons to ensure that the interaction with the customers is maintained. The application of the Quality Management System in the organisation is to provide continuous improvement of the products and services. This is done in order to ensure that the organisation gain proper exposure in the market and become the top watch brand company in the U.A.E. I believe that such an approach can help Ahmed Seddiqi Sons to attain its goal and maintain the service quality that needs to be provided to the customers for their satisfaction. References Calabrese, A. and Corb, M., 2015. Design and blueprinting for total quality management implementation in service organisations.Total Quality Management Business Excellence,26(7-8), pp.719-732. Dale, B., 2015.Total quality management. John Wiley Sons, Ltd. Fonseca, L.M., 2015. From Quality Gurus and TQM to ISO 9001: 2015: a review of several quality paths.International Journal for Quality Research (IJQR),9(1), pp.167-180. Goetsch, D.L. and Davis, S.B., 2014.Quality management for organizational excellence. Upper Saddle River, NJ: pearson. Jimnez-Jimnez, D., Martinez-Costa, M., Martnez-Lorente, A.R. and Rabeh, H.A.D., 2015. Total quality management performance in multinational companies: A learning perspective.The TQM Journal,27(3), pp.328-340. Oakland, J.S., 2014.Total quality management and operational excellence: text with cases. Routledge. Sanz-Calcedo, J.G., Gonzlez, A.G., Lpez, O., Salgado, D.R., Cambero, I. and Herrera, J.M., 2015. Analysis on integrated management of the quality, environment and safety on the industrial projects.Procedia Engineering,132, pp.140-145. Seddiqi.com. 2018.Ahmed Seddiqi and Sons. [online] Seddiqi.com. Available at: https://www.seddiqi.com/en [Accessed 20 Mar. 2018].

PART2.0-SHORT Essays - Jacob Batalon, Maricar, Actors,

PERCEPTION S OF TEACHERS ON THE REMOVAL OF FILIPINO SUBJECTS IN THE TERTIARY LEVEL A Research Paper submitted to The Faculty of Senior High School Department Of Ramon National High School Oscariz , Ramon, Isabela In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement Of the subject Practical Research 1 (Qualitative Research) Submitted By: Dinahum Danaleth , Batalon Jomel , Dela Cruz Nathaniel J , Eduarte Arneliza , Jacinto Gesel P, Lorenzo King Edmar D , Reyes Maricar . March 2019 Second Semester APPROVAL SHEET This research entitled "Perception s of Teachers on the Removal of Filipino Subjects in the Tertiary Level ", prepared and submitted by D analeth Dinahum , Jomel Batalon , Nathaniel Delacruz, Arneliza Eduarte , Gesel Jacinto, King Edmar Lorenzo and Maricar Reyes in a partial fulfillment of the requirement for the subject Practical Research 1 has been examined and hereby recommended for approval and acceptance. SHEENA R. DOMINGO Subject Teacher Approved by the COMMITTEE ON ORAL EXAMINATION on the March 2019: MARITES C. BUGARIN ,PhD MERCY E. BINWAG, MaEd Chairman Member ANTONIO G. DICION, EdD TERENZ KHRYST P. ARELLANO Member Member Accepted in partial fulfillment of the requ irement for Practical Research 1 (Qualitative Research) THELMA P. AMBATALI, Ed D Principal ll ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We would like to thank all the persons who have been part of this study. First is our Almighty GOD who guided and who gives us strength and knowledge. Second, to our families who are always there as an inspiration and as well as motivation and also for giving us support in terms of moral and financial. To Ms. Sheena R. Domingo, our subject teacher who is also always there to guide and support in order to finish this study of ours and for trusting our capability on this field. To our dearest principal Mrs. Thelma Paraiso Am batali , the principal of Ramon N ational High School, who gives permission to us to gather all the necessary data from our target respondents for the sake of this study. The Researchers DEDICATION This research study is dedicated to th e Almighty GOD, to our parents, friends and to our subject teacher who is Ms. Sheena R. Domingo for the support you rendered. The Researchers TABLE OF CONTENTS Title P age ... ............. . . .. i Approval S heet .................... ....... i i Acknowledgement.... .. iii Dedication... i v Table of C ontents ................ v List of T able.. ..... .. vi CHAPTER 1 PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING Introduction . 1 Statemen t of the Problem.. .. 4 S cope and Delimitation .. .. 4 Signifi cance of the Study.. .. 5 Definition of Terms. 6 CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE R elated Literature... . 8 Related Studies.. ... 12 CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Res earch Design .... .... 15 Respondent. .. 15 Instrument s ... 16 Data Gathering Procedures.. .. ... 17 Data Analys is Strategy. .. .. . . 18 CHAPTER IV RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS Result an d Discussion. . 19 CHAPTER 5 SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECCOMENDATIONS Summary. . 36 Findings ... . 37 Conclusion ... . .. . 38 Recommendations ... 39 REFERENCES . . .. 40 APPENDICIES Communic ation Letter..... ... 41 Respondents Questionnaire.. . . 44 CURRICU LUM VITAE.. . 66 LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE Percepti on of high school teachers who use Filipino 19 language as a medium of instruction regarding on Filipino subjects' removal in CHED Responde nts' perceptions regarding on Filipino subjects' 24 removal in CHED in terms of job employment Possible impacts of Filipino subjects' removal in CHED 28 to the students regarding on their patriotism or nationalism 4 Summary of the de nouement brought by Filipino subjects ' 33 removal in CHED to the High School teachers who use Filipino language as a medium of instruction

Gnostics & Orthodox Christians essays

Gnostics & Orthodox Christians essays It is not permitted for a woman to speak in the church, nor is it permitted for her to teach, nor baptize, nor to offer the eucharist, nor to claim for herself a share in any masculine function-least of all, in priestly office (p.155). In the beginning of Christianity this was not the view towards women and even todays modern times many of these restrictions against women have been removed. Orthodox Christians placed many of these restrictions against women in the first century after the death of Christ. These restrictions were strongly rejected by the Gnostics who felt that women were equals to men. In this paper the differences between the orthodox Christians and the Gnostics will be examined. Such issues as views of sexuality, creation, the Trinity, the gender of God, and the role of women in church will be discussed. I hope to have provided a full understanding of all these issues and differences by the end of this paper. Many people think that the battle of the sexes is a new thing but this war has been raging since the time of Jesus with males being the predominant winners. When it comes too superior or not superior the orthodox will take men over women every time. The orthodox even thought that since men made up the body of the community that only men were allowed into heaven and the only way for women to get into heaven was to assimilate themselves to men (p.142). Gnostics felt that man and woman were created equally and that woman did not have to conform to enter the gates of heaven. When it come to the story of creation the orthodox believe in the story that is told today to describe creation. It is the story of God creating the world the world in seven days and creating woman from man. There are several Gnostics accounts one states as follows, From the power of silence appeared a great power, the Mind of the Universe, which manage ...

Enlightenment Philosophers Influencing the American Documents Essay Example

Enlightenment Philosophers Influencing the American Documents Essay Example Enlightenment Philosophers Influencing the American Documents Essay Enlightenment Philosophers Influencing the American Documents Essay During the 1600- 1700â„ ¢s enlightenment philosophers all had different ideas on government and the way of living. All these ideas greatly impacted the colonists, encouraging the American Revolution and helping form its government. These political, economic, and social changes from the Enlightenment also influenced the American documents; the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Five great philosophers greatly impacted the Revolution and the documents and although many think that Montesquieu influenced more ideas then Baccaria, Rousseau, Voltaire, and Locke, Locke truly impacted the most in the creation of U.S. government and its documents. The rights in the Bill of Rights werenâ„ ¢t based on the ideas of Baron de Montesquieu but the ideas of John Locke. Lockeâ„ ¢s ideas of the Natural Rights were the general foundation of the bill, Voltaire and Baccaria went more into detail on his beliefs. In the first amendment, ideas of freedom of speech, press, and religion are a very crucial part of the Bill of Rights. This idea was by Voltaire, he believed strongly in all the rights. He believed in the freedom of speech and press because he was a writer himself and thought you can have a right of thought and expression. He is famous for the powerful quote, I may not agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it. Voltaireâ„ ¢s second idea was freedom of religion. He believed in this because he lived in France and at that time you could only be catholic. Everyone that was not catholic was kicked out of their homes so he believed that there should be religious toleration. Religion toleration i s an important right because there is many religions in the world and is the one of the main causes of war, so if people have freedom of religion there is more hope that there will be fewer wars. The main second philosopher that helped with the Bill of rights was Baccaria; his ideas were put into amendments five, six, and eight. In amendments 5 and 6 he influenced that every mean should have the right to a speedy and public trial and torture is not allowed. Amendments five and six were important because people used to torture others so that they will say one thing even if it is untrue and with no torture there will be fair trial. The eighth amendment is the prohibition of excessive bail and cruel, unusual punishment. This means that a personâ„ ¢s crime should determine the type and severity of the punishment, this is one of the fairest rights because you can not get equality for all people, no one can be prejudice to the person and everyone gets equal treatment for the crime that is done. Baccariaâ„ ¢s ideas were like Lockeâ„ ¢s ideas of all men are equal giving men equal treatment. Montesquieu inspired the U.S. constitution greatly but Locke still had a main idea in the document. Montesquieu believed in checks and balances giving him the idea of the 3 branches of government; judicial, executive, and legislative. All three of the branches had equal amount of power, this way not group could take over and corruption wouldnâ„ ¢t occur. The judicial branch is made up of the judges of the Supreme Court; they interoperate the laws to see how each applied to a specific case. The executive branch is made up of the leader (president or king) and his ministers; they carried out the laws of the state/ country. The last branch, legislative; they were made up of parliament (congress) and they made the laws. These branches carefully check each other, the leader can veto a law by congress but congress can override a vito by 2/3 vote, also the judicial branch can determine the when a law is unconstitutional. These all work perfectly to make sure that no one gets more power then the other and is superior to another. John Locke believed in equality for all and this represents it, all branches are equal and no branch has more authority. Lastly, the declaration of independence was based on mostly Lockeâ„ ¢s brilliant ideas, leaving Montesquieu in the dust for most influential. John Locke advocated the 3 natural right of man, which were the basis that Thomas Jefferson made for the Declaration. Lockeâ„ ¢s natural rights state that everyone is able to have life, liberty, and the right to own property. No one is able to take away these rights because they are given to you by god. He also stated that if the government did not protect these rights, that the citizen had the right to overthrow or remove it from being in office. This was in the opening of the document because it was that most important, main idea that gave people more freedoms. Locke was not the only philosopher that influenced it, Jean Jacques Rousseau had man important ideas to add. He impacted it by the idea that nobility should be abolished, that all men are created equal, and also along with Lockeâ„ ¢s ideas about the social contract. The soci al contract is that persons in a state would willingly come together to form a state and that individuals would agree to form a state that would provide a neutral judge that could protect the lives, liberty, and property of those who live within the state. Locke was the main contributor to the Declaration for all his brilliant ideas. The enlightenment was a very important to shape America into what it is today. Without the central ideas and figures of the enlightenment, the U.S. would have been drastically different from what it is today. Both during and after the American Revolution many of the core ideas of the enlightenment were the basis for the important documents; declaration of independence, the constitution, and the bill of rights. Concepts such as freedom form oppression, natural rights, and the new ways of thinking about the governmental structure came from the philosophers such as Montesquieu, Baccaria, Rousseau, Voltaire, and most importantly Locke. They all made the foundations of colonial and modern America.

Organizational Turn Over, Empowerment Dimensions, Performance Dissertation

Organizational Turn Over, Empowerment Dimensions, Performance Improvement, and Job Satisfaction - Dissertation Example If the information isn’t perceived in the correct manner, then it may relate directly to the employee turn – over rate, job performance and satisfaction. This research study will examine the several dimensions of employee turn – over, what this relates to and how this is also potentially based on the amount of information which is retrieved from a company. Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦5 1.1 Background†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦5 1.2 Problem Statement†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.7 1.3 Purpose†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...8 1.4 Significance of the Study†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.10 1.5 Nature of the Study†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..12 1.6 Hypothesis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦13 1.7 Theoretical framework†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.13 1.8 Assumptions†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.15 1.9 Scope, Limitations, and Delimitations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.15 1.10 Summary†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦16 2.0 Literature Review†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.17 2.1 Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..17 2.2 History of Organizational Turn – Over and Empowerment†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦18 2.3 Individual Relationships to Turn – Over†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦19 2.4 Cultural Behaviors in Organizations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...21 2.5 Leadership Roles in Turn – Over Rates†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..22 2.6 Motivational Theories†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.24 2.7 The External Environment†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..26 2.8 Communication, Information and Job Performance†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...28 2.9 Summary†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..30 3.0 Research Methods†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦31 3.1 Research Method and Design Appropriateness†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...31 3.2 Population, Sampling and data Collection Procedures†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦32 3.3 Validity – Internal and External†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...32 3.4 Data Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...33 3.5 Summary†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..33 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..34 1.0 Introduction Organizational turn – over is a difficulty that most businesses face, specifically because it leads to gaps in the work flow, changes the pace which many are working in and alters the way in which businesses are able to develop and grow. Organizational turn – over becomes detrimental for the overall production of a company and can create lapses with those who are interested in

Economic Integration Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6500 words

Economic Integration Law - Essay Example They represent free trade area while resulting in trade creation by shifting the production of some items from less efficient member countries to more efficient member countries. Regional economic integration encourages countries in a geographic region to reduce or remove tariff and non-tariff barriers which allow free flow of goods and services among them. At the end, the system promotes global business (OPPapers.com, 2011). In recent years, international trade has been witnessed an emergence of two parallel trends, the first one is the rise of regionalism, and the second one is legalism in the enforcement trade agreements. In case of regionalism, there is a host of new integration initiatives drawn along the geographical lines. The two trends have succeeded to garner scholarly attention and spark comparative analysis of regional versus multilateral arrangements. And, at the same time they lead debate regarding the political dynamics of judicialisation within individual facts. Trade facts at regional level exhibits considerable variation in governance structures which are an interesting factor. Moreover, a question of institutional design has proven contentious in recent trade negotiations which underscore their political salience. The creation of supranational institutions in regional trade agreements have direct implications for the academic debates in related to globalisation, sovereignty, and interdependence (Smith, J. 2003). Post Second World War witnessed a prominence of multilateralism and regionalism as more and more countries joined the process of economic integration. We can see the trend during the period 1940-1990. In the process of economic integration, countries those who have entered into the free trade area have introduced several measures for the easy flow of goods and services between the member countries. As a result role played by tariffs in international trade has been declined. Generally countries used trade barriers such as customs, quot as, taxes, duties, anti dumping measures, health, environmental, and safety certification requirements, countervailing duties, constitutional laws, and licenses for the restriction of trade. But, when countries entered into the economic integration, these restrictions have been liberalised for the facilitation of free trade movement. Agreements at regional level which are known as Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) generally restricted to a particular geographical location and are becoming a defining feature of the modern economy. These are the free trade agreements among the countries of a particular geographical location. Following the success of European Union, which shows that RTAs can build prosperity and peace, countries in other geographical region came closer to form the similar agreements at the regional level. As a result more than 300 regional trading arrangements were registered under World Trade Organisation, and majority of the countries belonging to European Union, Amer ica, Austria, Africa, and Asian continent joined regional grouping of one sort or the other. Compare to other regions, countries of the Asian continent were the recent entrants for this field, but they rapidly catching up the race. On the other hand, RTAs in African continent

Project Implementation, Control, and Termination Essay Example for Free

Project Implementation, Control, and Termination Essay Using knowledge gained from this course Team A has demonstrated their capacity for conceptualizing the concepts and practical application of project management and life cycle phases. This paper is the compilation of three successive papers submitted and revised by Team A that includes the project proposal paper, the project planning technical paper, and the project human capital paper. In the final phase of the project lifecycle the implementation process of terminating the project will be presented in such a way that the input will be based on observations in relation to how well the triple constraints and tradeoffs were handled. The balance between timing, budget and project specifications is used as a performance measurement to guide Team As future success by determining lessons learned, what might be performed differently that must be corrected with the next project, and help determine what went right with the project that must be repeated on the next project. In addition, the steps needing to be taken to return the human resources to the organization will be provided. Background and Statement of NeedThe increasing population of Lo Ki, California has resulted in an influx of new apartments, condominiums and small homes being built with little or inadequate storage and deed restrictions limiting what can be placed in driveways and side yards of the homes. Lo Ki is a mid-sized community lacking storage facilities within proximity. This has created a need that Store -N- Lock, a California-based self-storage facility, plans to address by building a new storage facility. This facility will meet the needs and demands of the citizens of Lo Ki for storage space, in addition increasing profits for Store -N-Lock. Building a new storage facility will require a project management team that has a clear understanding of whom is responsible for what. This management team needs a clear vision of what the facility would look like, what the costs would be, what the processes and procedures would be, what the time frame is from conception to completion, what revenue would be expected from the final project and what the payback period would be. With that being said financing would be needed with a loan that allows some breathing room during lease up. In addition, in any new type of construction the management team will need to have a good relationship with the contractors, engineers, the  architects, and any stakeholders. Clearly communicating the plan and approach will be beneficial because this will provide a way for stakeholders and anyone involved in the project to have a clearly defined goal, vision and mission of what the expectations of this project are in addition to any profit and loss shari ng, equity positions, decision making and exit strategies. Once this project is up and running a permanent loan can be locked in. Project StakeholdersThe project customers include the investors and owners of the facility. These individuals have added their resources and information in order to get the project off the ground, and stand to lose the most if the project fails. The customers will hold Team A accountable for any unforeseen circumstances that might occur. These project customers have also given time and assistance to ensure that the project will succeed. Other project stakeholders include the city of Lo Ki since permits and licensing from the local municipality is required. This project will provide revenue to the city in the form of taxes. In addition, the bank providing the financing will be a stakeholder and benefit from the interest and association with the project. The project leader and team members of the project, such as upper management, the architect, the construction team, the management team (Team A) the classmates and instructor of this Project Management course including resource managers, and line managers involved in the project that stand to gain financially from this project. Each of these additional stakeholders will stand to gain either from recognition of a successful project completed or from the benefit of having a storage facility that they can use to store their belongings. Project Goals in Terms of Triple Constraint The triple constraints of timing, budget and scope are being monitored daily by the project managers and the team. This is done to make sure that everything is completed in the correct order in which the network results have suggested. At the beginning of the project Team A made sure to ask the sponsors to prioritize the triple constraints. The team wanted to ensure that what they  were doing was consistent with the sponsors expectations. Initially, the sponsors stated that all the constraints were important. However, after contemplation the sponsors were able to assign weights to the constraints when they came to the realization that they are all important but not equal. After the feasibility study, and the project was deemed suitable the sponsors decided that the project in no way could go over budget. The second most important criterion was time with scope ranking last. Timing The timing of each project phase will keep a continuous flow of work since the network was set up to flow horizontally downward following the critical path so the project will finished in the allotted timeframe. Many areas will not take as much time as others but every task has an established and set time frame of one to 17 days. This set schedule and time frame should effectively minimize and limit problems that may occur if handled efficiently and things go as planned. Resources The resource was the highest ranked constraint indicated by the sponsors. They do not want to go over the calculated project. Team A will ensure that no problems will occur with the actual budget that has been set forth in the beginning phase of the project. The budget should remain the same as long as the timing is kept on track for each task and preceding event. This will be accomplished by monitoring progress and the network in the Gannt chart. If by chance something occurs that will change the time frame of the task affecting the budget, then the budget will then need to be revisited and revised. The entire amount the project estimated to cost is approximately $2,000,000. At any time this amount could change because of changes in the project risk and risk management, project constraints with specific emphasis on the project timeline, deadlines, milestones or price increases in either labor or materials. Scope The scope that has been set forth is going to be effective if certain tasks are kept in the time frame in which they are set up to take place in. Within the scope enough space has been set aside for change control processes if warranted. At this point the network result has an outlook of completion of the project in four months and not to exceed $2,000,000. Team Selection Team A has chosen the Pure Project organizational structure. Team A gained written approval from the customer in the form of a signed charter, which became the contractual agreement and project proposal. This document will provide the directives to be established and implemented by the PM. The Pure Project Structure was chosen because this is a project driven structure and is best for construction companies (if the cost is not too vast), or a one-time, highly specific, unique tasks that requires careful control and are not appropriate for a single functional area such as the development of a new product. (Mantel, Meredith, 2006, p199). Other reasons why Team A chose this organizational structure are as follows:Communications ManagementA solid communication plan is the most vital element of achieving a successful project. A communication plan is used to keep the PM and all stakeholders involved in the ongoing progress of the project. Communication management is a tool the PM of Store-N-Lock will use to convey performance evaluations to stakeholders. Evaluations are performed regularly and consistently to ensure various project objectives are completed on time and within the project scope for successful results. The following considerations will be taken into account when meetings are scheduled:1.Project meetings communicating performance evaluations to management are somewhat flexible. 2.Management can request meetings at their discretion; however, the PM has the authority to change the requested date if needed to one that is more suitable. 3.Meetings with customers are less flexible requiring the PM to plan carefully to ensure all of the materials needed such as handouts and other literature are ready for the meeting. Poor communication can cause bottlenecks, therefore, BETCO has taken into consideration the many elements of effective communication and potential barriers and prepared accordingly. To keep information effectively clear and  concise the BETCOs project manager has used earned value management to convey project progress throughout the duration of the project. Earned value management combines measurements of scope, cost and schedule to measure project progress and can indicate to the PM impending problems. The PM can then act quickly taking the appropriate proactive and reactive measures to reduce the impact of these risks. Gantt charts will also be provided to all stakeholders for easier visualization and tracking of actual progress made. The advantages of effective communication using software are as follows:1.Prevents bottlenecks2.Prevents barriers to success3.Gantt charts provide clear views on constraints, timing, and milestones. 4.Gantt charts provide an easy way to revise plans and update progress. 5.Communication and the use of Gantt charts allow visualization and effective tracking. Scheduling face-to-face meetings can be difficult: therefore, BETCO uses conference calling, emails and text messaging to stay in contact. This will allow rapid and up to the minute changes to be communicated; since visual aids will be transmitted to the needed stakeholders for review during the conference calls. Those involved, can then walk through the progress of the project together identifying any action items needing attention. The BETCO representative, the Team A PM and staff and Store-N-Lock have decided to conduct twice weekly face to face meetings for the project team and weekly conference calls for all other stakeholders. Risk Management In planning for this project understanding the combination of uncertainty and constraints based on estimation will require selecting areas of the project with the most severe constraints and the highest uncertainty. Once that is complete the PM will do a Risk Assessment exploring each task for uncertainty. The construction industry is subject to more risk and uncertainty than many other industries. (Flanagan, Norman, 1993). This construction job will require a multitude of people requiring coordinative efforts between several interrelated activities compounded by many uncontrollable external forces. Some of the key areas that Team A will focus on in their risk management are as follows:The key will be coordination of different construction phases and adjustments or tradeoffs that will need to be made the triple constraints. This is especially important since they may impact the quality design and construction times. The following are a list of constraints:Project management, according to (Mantel, Meredith 2006, p. 179), is prone to the following problems: ·Inadequate resources ·Meeting unrealistic deadlines ·Unclear goals/direction ·Uncommitted team members ·Insufficient planning ·Breakdown of communications ·Changes in goals and resources ·Conflicts between departments or functionsProject success has four dimensions as quoted by (Mantel, Meredith, 2006 p.3) from empirical studies conducted by Shenhar, Levy, and Dvir (1997). These include: ·Project efficiency ·Impact on the customer ·The business impact on the organization ·Opening new opportunities for the futureTeam A can focus on to the following areas to decrease the impact of the above issues:Almost everything that can go wrong with project performance, cost, or schedule is theresult of uncertainty. (Meredith, Mantel, 2006, p 541). According to (Ibbs, Kwak, 2000, Project Risk Management.) The Risk managements project management maturity level was the lowest among all eight knowledge areas.The following are six areas that are impacted by risk management. (Project Management Institute, 2000, p.128). Other areas that can cause a project to require the control of performance, costs, or time were identified (Mantel, Meredith, 2006, p. 542). Timing is crucial to project success and since most all projects do not go as planned, nearly every time related category with the exception of governmental regulation would be considered lessons learned for Team A. In the previous section on performance, each of these areas would be considered areas for improvement and would most likely have affected the overall completion of the project. Most likely all cost related issues pertain to Team As project and would be considered lessons learned. Contingency PlansManaging project risk and potential problems like bottlenecks requires a contingency plan. This will help mitigate the impact of the problem. In each phase of the construction will have milestones, which indicate that the project can move forward as planned. If problems occur with the timing of tasks and phases of the construction the plans will need to be altered to reflect either the backup resources such as time, or materials and money required for successful completion. At this point the Gantt chart will need updating and each person affected by the changes will need updated schedules. (Heerkens, 2002). BudgetControl of cost is a concern that this team has for this project. The team believes this should be of concern to all involved. As stated in Project Management, a Managerial Approach, Budget plays an important role in the entire process of management (Mantel. Meredith, 2006, pp. 327). Project budgets are estimated above what is calculated to ensure that the project is covered against any unforeseen problems, mistakes and miscalculations. In order to develop a budget the team must forecast what resources the project will require, the required quantity of each, when they will be needed and how much they will cost including the effects of potential price inflation (Mantel, Meredith, 2006, pp. 327). The budget is going to cover everything that is needed including materials, equipment and salaries to be paid to the contractor, subcontractors, and the management team including the BETCO representative and the Team A PM and associates. Below in figure 1.1 are estimates of items that will be needed for the construction of the storage facility. These are estimates that will be used toward the facility construction. The figure below indicates estimates of materials; construction and other items needed items to construct the storage facility. Figure 1Item descriptionDelivery schedule(Business days)Cost(estimate)Contractors and Subcontractor FeesMonday -Friday 7am-5pm approximately 10% of all costsCost of the management teamMonday-Friday8am-5pm$65,000Building and roofing  materials$400,000Material for the walls and doors$375,000Sprinkler system$225,000Temperature Control System$150,000Security surveillance and monitoring systems $185,000Asphalt for parking and driveways$150,000Concrete Pad for Office$80,000Office Roof$185,000Office Windows$5,000Office doors $1,200Office heating and air conditioning$2,700Kitchen counters and cupboards$4,500Kitchen bathroom including sinks (2)$225Bathroom counters (2)$1,600Office computers (2)$4,000Printer and fax equipment$575Phone and answering system$1,400Office desks (2)$2,000Tile flooring for office and bathrooms$4,500Gutters$8,000As stated above these numbers are estimates. Due to unforeseen events these numbers may change but the project and upper management believe that these numbe rs are the best estimates for the beginning of the project. Desired OutputsThe desired performance criteria for building a high-quality self-storage facility allowed Team A to measure the successes and failures of the project in order to recognize areas where the project team was strong and areas where the project team could improve. This ensured that the team provided the client with a product that meets their full expectations. The project performance measures include time, budget, and quality. These measures aided in ensuring that the work completed during each phase of construction is of a quality that protects the client and their customers with safe storage of belongings without compromising quality in craftsmanship or increased costs. Quality assurance is another way to provide a low-cost facility with limited maintenance in terms of repairs, upkeep, and operation. Team A also used the initial cost estimating budget and the systems development cycle to ensure that, from conception, to initiation and feasibility, the project was clearly defined and a detailed planning analysis provided an accurate schedule. Updated Statement of Work/SMART ObjectivesDuring phase one of the construction of Store-N-Lock BETCO has made some adjustment to the statement of work. This was done with approval from the customer and added on as an addendum that can be located in Appendix A. The completion date has been delayed by eight days from the original start date set. This was because of inclement weather, resulting in equipment delivery delays and thus, causing  further delays with installation. BETCO has created a SOW that mirrors the SMART requirements to ensure full understanding of what deliverables will include, what costs will be incurred and deadlines of work activities and tasks. SMART objectives illustrate that every requirement of the project should be specific, measurable, attainable, and realistic and time bound. The Following are SMART objectives for project Construction Store-N-Lock. BETCO has been hired by Store-N-Lock to build a public storage facility with a specified start date of August 15, 2009 and a completion date of November 23, 2009. The project completion will reflect the construction of a high quality storage facility at a negotiated agreed upon cost that meets the demands of Store-N-Lock and Store-N-Locks target market. BETCO has created a WBS accompanied by a logical hierarchy of sequenced events and related tasks of the project scope to define and group the discreet tasks of the project and create the project map for clearer navigation and understanding by all stakeholders. MetricsMetrics BETCO will use are project timelines, earned value management and Gantt charts. These metrics will be reviewed in the beginning of each task, during each task and at the end of each task and phase. The will be beneficial for the PM since problems and bottlenecks and foreseeable threats can be evaluated, brainstormed and mitigated to allow for flexibility whereby better decisions could have been made. These metrics will also be used to communicate performance progress to stakeholders. Project AchievabilityProject Construction Store-N-Lock is a very achievable project for BETCO as they are experienced in this field with solid relationships established with numerous contractors and subcontractors. BETCO knows standard timelines of completion for individual processes and based upon these the complete timeline outlined in the timetables and deliverables statements is an achievable and manageable task for BETCO with this project type. The project is realistic since BETCO has substantial experience in many types of construction projects. With their expertise and relationships with subcontractors BETCO has a vast array of resources for many types of projects. To stay within the agreed upon completion date BETCO  is using a project timeline to specify completion dates for each objective to be achieved throughout the three month and one week timeframe for completion of the entire project. The SOW indicates the completion date to be August 23, 2009. Task and Performance Schedules, Responsibility and Resource Availability MatricesTime is money and time is of the essence in project management. Because of this, time is used to sequence events, ensure that each event occurs within the specified timeframe and is used to compare the completion of events with the time allocated for each task. If each phase of a project is not completed within the scheduled time frame bottlenecks can occur and the project runs the risk of going over budget. The effect on the scope of the project would compromise quality as corners are cut to get back on schedule. Constructing a storage facility required that a detailed cost estimation and budget follows the WBS. (Everett, 2007). The schedule of resource allocation required detailed cost schedules and forecasts so that the project manager was able to analyze the pattern of expenditures and permitted enough time to make adjustments to the schedule for each phase of construction. All work packages were scheduled with enough time to complete the preceding phase and to cover for any uncertainty and lack of accurate information (Everett, 2007). These unforeseen occurrences may be because of inclement weather, delivery delays, or labor issues. The PM and Team A staff have set up a task schedule to assign each task with enough time to be completed, and organized in such a way as to identify the predecessors of the tasks, when applicable. AGantt chart is attached with this paper identifying the critical path through the network. Table 1 on the next page includes the task schedule for the project. E: Execution responsibility. Stakeholder is responsible for getting the work done. Not necessarily a decision maker, but drives the group to make decisions in a timely manner. A: Approval authority. Has final approval on accepting the outcome of this activity and makes decisions. C: Must be consulted. As work is performed this stakeholder contributes information. Does not make decisions but is asked for input prior to decisions. Performance Monitoring A good communication plan is essential for appraising the project progress to various project sponsors and executives. With this communication, the project managers ensure all staff is meeting acceptable progress goals toward the final product. This is basically meant to communicate and cover important variables of the project time, cost, scope, and parameters of deliverables. Other objectives are to provide clarity of the progress with the continuation of the project, so that the management and team can engage in early corrective action when the performance of the project alters considerably from initial plans. As with the project of Store-N-Lock, set schedules of work will need to be executed by the builders. Whenever things go awry, a corrective action plan should be set in place to get the project back on schedule. To avoid this type of confusion or mishap the project manager is to set out standards that are to be followed. Project Performance Overall, the project went well. The team went one week over the projected completion date, as enough time was not allocated for every step of the project. Though the project stayed within budget, many resources that were necessary for the completion of the project were not included in the budget. However, the project budget manager allowed for enough funds at each phase of the building to cover the additional materials and resources needed. Conflict amongst the team was the most challenging aspect of the project. Learning Team A did not clearly define the roles and responsibilities of each team member until the final week of the project. As a result, communication breakdowns and personality conflicts abounded throughout, and decisions were not made quickly and effectively. Learning Team A also lost a member of the team early in the project, which nearly created bottlenecks  and tasks had to be reassigned to cover the workload. Despite these issues, Learning Team A was able to overcome these obstacles and persevere. Team members were willing to compromise as each task came due and were willing to help his or her fellow teammates with any problems or concerns. Network Results and Triple Constraint Towards the middle of the project the sponsors made a few demands as to the budget and the scope but the project manager called a meeting. This meeting was set in order for the project manager to inform the sponsors of the triple constraints and how they are supposed to be managed and how to manage them efficiently and effectively. Timing At the end of the project and after reviewing network results the team realized they had gone one week over the time that was scheduled per the Gantt chart. Not enough time was given for each portion of the project the needed to be completed within the four month timeline. Each task was done efficiently but the timelines that the team had set forth were not thought in enough detail. The problems and breakdowns that occurred within the group may have been a contributing factor to the problems in the timeline. Resources Although there was a significant amount of time that the project went over the intended time frame, the team was able to stay within the budget that was stated at the beginning of the project. At the beginning of the project the sponsors made it known that the budget was the most important of the triple constraints. In no means was the project to go over the $2,000,000 mark. The project manager and the team made certain that no matter what occurred with the time constraints they would ensure that the budget would remain the same. Scope The project manager did not want to change anything within the scope of the project. At one point towards the middle of the project the sponsors decided they wanted to change the most important constraint to the scope. This did not go over well with the project manager. The sponsors and the project manager had to sit down and have a meeting concerning what was going to occur. The sponsors believed that there could be changes made within the budget in order to make changes in the scope, and the project manager let  them know that was not going to occur. Some instances like this made it difficult to remain in the allocated time frame. Steps Taken to Return the HR to the OrganizationAn element of project termination is the return or reassignment of project team members within the organization. Construction projects are able to handle this issue with more ease than other types of projects. In this current age of increased development and BETCOs good reputation in the business, contracts for construction projects are acquired on a regular basis. This allows the company easily to reassign their project team members to other projects in their areas of expertise. Upon completion date BETCO and the Team A project manager have conducted a meeting with the project team and customer. They have discussed any future follow up needs and provided the appropriate contacts for the customer. A private internal meeting for project team members has also been conducted to discuss the strengths and weaknesses that occurred during Construction Store-N-Lock. The construction of Store-N-Lock was a success with only a slight delay in the completion date. The building met the customers expectations and because the delay in completion was minimal Store-N-Lock was satisfied with the results. After all the end details were addressed the project team members received an appreciation and recognition lunch and received much kudos. Input for Future Projects For future projects, Learning Team A will learn from the experience that this project provided. From the onset, the team will need to select project roles for each member and have clearly defined conflict resolution and change control processes in place. There will also need to be a communication plan to ensure that every member of the team understands what is expected from them and are able to communicate effectively with other members. This will aid in faster decisions to be made. Team members must understand that the team should be open to innovative ideas and use critical thinking skills. Each member of the team will also need to be committed to the project as well. Meredith and Mantel (2006, p.595 4) have outlined key factors that need to be considered when  starting the next project. These factors include: ·Identify problems earlier ·Clarify cost, performance, and time relationships ·Improve the process of risk identification and management ·Identify mistakes, correct them, and avoid them in the future ·Reconfirm the project teams interest and commitment to the project ·Improve processes for organizing and managing projects ·Provide an amiable environment where project team members can work creatively togetherLessons LearnedThe most important factor affecting this project was a need to clearly establish roles and responsibilities in the beginning charter. By firmly establishing these early, the team could have saved a many of the initial stages of storming which preceded the norming. In addition, this would have helped to identify the hierarchy of leadership and helped to prevent duplication of work, eliminate conflicts and expedite decision making. Other areas that were difficult included a few of the essential elements of construction materials that were left out in the initial estimation phase, like the insulation, and gutters. Although, this impacted the budget the additional cost did not cause the project to go too far over a normal distribution or standard deviation of price increase to be problematic. In the next project the SOW and WBS would need to be finalized before the budget and schedule were completed and finalized. The project went as planned with only minor problems and trade offs of the triple constraints, between time, budget and performance. Although, potentially there were areas where bottlenecks could have occurred if things did not run on schedule and as planned. The monitoring of the milestones and critical path in the network helped to keep the project on track. Team A will continue use performance measures, networks and Gantt charts since these contributed to the project success. Overall, the things that Team A would do differently next time is to clearly define roles and responsibilities, and to make sure that they use the same list of construction phases and supplies and add to this for the next project if need be. In addition, in the future the WBS and SOW need to be completely correct before the budget and schedule are completed, which could  help prevent having to make some tradeoffs between the triple constraints. Contingency plans or change control processes always need to be set in writing to ensure that a definite path would be taken when tradeoffs between the triple constraints are visible. Conclusion Overall, the project team (Team A) and PM accomplished the goal of opening Store-N-Lock, a self-storage facility in Lo Ki, California with the use of exceptional planning and team communication. The initial planning was systematically and carefully thought through and allowed for the project to run very efficiently. Communication is the main obstacle in a team project and without it a project may not come to fruition as initially intended. Ensuring that the proper resources are on hand and a designation of team members play an enormous part in the success of a project. With that being said, Team A has overcome all obstacles and have met each goal to make Store-N-Lock a success. With this success and experience, Team A is sure to tackle any project with confidence and extreme efficiency. References Flanagan, R., Norman, G., (1993). Risk management and construction. Wiley and Sons. Retrieved August 12, 2009 fromhttp://books.google.com/books?hl=enlr=id=CPMaX2dikTACoi=fndpg=PR11dq=inherent+risks+in+consturction+job+estimationots=oiC3hNxXB3sig=STHby74x4f-utDVhu2k3-68LUUw#v=onepageq=f=falseHeerkens, G. (2002). Project management. McGraw-Hill. New York, N.Y. Ibbs, C.W., Kwak, Y.H. (2000). The Berkeley project management process maturity model:Measuring the value of project management. Assessing project maturity model. Project management journal. 31(1), 35-42. Retrieved August 23, 2009 from home.gwu.edu/~kwak/Berkeley_Model.pdfKerzner, H. (2006). Project management: A systems approach to planning, scheduling,and controlling. 9e. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Retrieved August 13, 2009 from [University of Phoenix custom Edition e-text]. Retrieved from University of Phoenix Website. McKinn, R.D., Stevens.N (2000) The Project Lifecycle: The Termination phase. Retrieved onAugust 19, 2009 from AllBusiness website. http://www.allbusiness.com/management/444125-1.htmlMeredith, J. R. Mantel, S. J. (2006). Project management: A managerial approach. 6e. Hoboken,NJ: Wiley. Retrieved July 31, 2009 from [University of Phoenix custom Edition e-text]. Retrieved from University of Phoenix Website. Office of Enterprise Technology, Project Management Office. (2006). Resource plan template. State of Minnesota. Retrieved August 15, 2009 from state.mn.us//Resource Plan_030702_Resource_Plan_Template_053006.docProject Management Institute. (2000). A Guide to the project management body of knowledge,PMBOK Guide. Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, USA. Shenhar, A., Dvir, D, Levy, O. (1997). Mapping the dimensions of project success. Project management journal. 28(2), 5-13. Retrieved August 23, 2009 from business.rutgers.edu/default.aspx?id=1748Verzuh, E. (2006). Project Responsibility Matrix. LSA Global. Retrieved August 15, 2009 from http://www.lsaglobal.com/business-solutions/proj-mgmt-templatesWheelwright, S.C., Clark, K.B. (1992). Introduction to managing the innovation process: Creating Project plans to focus product development. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved August 23, 2009 from kwanghui.com/mit15351.pdf

Journey Towards Racial Reconciliation Essay -- The Harlem Renaissance,

The Harlem Renaissance poets had to overcome many obstacles to establish themselves in the world of American poetry. They faced overt racism, harsh criticism, and racial isolation. Out of these impediments came a multitude of great literary contributions. However, some of the best poems came from the critical self-analysis of four highly influential Harlem Renaissance poets. Hughes, McKay, Cullen, and Bennett each wrestled with the issue of uncertain racial identity. Each pair had poems with identical titles: â€Å"Mulatto† for Hughes and McKay and â€Å"Heritage† for Cullen and Bennett. The analysis of each pair of poems and how the respective authors handle the subject material will reveal a distinctive pattern of racial confusion. For many of the Harlem Renaissance poets, establishing a definitive place of belonging was virtually impossible. Their poems portray individuals are conflicted as to where they belong and how they identify themselves. While the differences between the poems are telling in their own right, the similar theme of racial identity is what links all four poets together in the larger context of being â€Å"negro poets†. â€Å"Mulatto† is the strongest case for racial confusion of the two titles that will be analyzed. A mulatto is someone who is classified as a person of mixed white and black ancestry, especially a person with one white and one black parent. It is this exact type of person that Hughes and McKay are writing about in their identically titled works. During the 1920’s, when both of these men were writing poetry, people of mixed races were looked down upon by both blacks and whites. They were oddities and not accepted by either ancestral group. This fostered feelings of isolation in these individuals. Conflicted, the... ...Fiction. New York: Atheneum, 1969. Print. Bontemps, Arna. The Harlem Renaissance Remembered; Essays,. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1972. Print. Emanuel, James A., and Theodore L. Gross. Dark Symphony: Negro Literature in America,. New York: Free, 1968. Print. Gibson, Donald B. Modern Black Poets; a Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1973. Print. Maxwell, William J., and Joseph Valente. "Metrocolonial Capitals of Renaissance Modernism: Dublin's 'New Ireland' and Harlem's 'Mecca of the New Negro." (2001): n. pag. Modern American Poetry. Department of English, University of Illinois. Web. Nelson, Cary. "Claude McKay." Anthology of Modern American Poetry. New York: Oxford UP, 2000. 314-19. Print. Parham, Marisa. "Hughes, Cullen, and the In-sites of Loss." ELH. Vol. 74. N.p.: Johns Hopkins UP, 2007. 429-47. Print.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 10

Chapter 10 The angel and I had been watching a movie about Moses. Raziel was angry because there were no angels in it. No one in the movie looked like any Egyptian I ever met. â€Å"Did Moses look like that?† I asked Raziel, who was worrying the crust off of a goat cheese pizza in between spitting vitriol at the screen. â€Å"No,† said Raziel, â€Å"but that other fellow looks like Pharaoh.† â€Å"Really?† â€Å"Yep,† said Raziel. He slurped the last of a Coke through a straw making a rude noise, then tossed the paper cup across the room into the wastebasket. â€Å"So you were there, during the Exodus?† â€Å"Right before. I was in charge of locusts.† â€Å"How was that?† â€Å"Didn't care for it. I wanted the plague of frogs. I like frogs.† â€Å"I like frogs too.† â€Å"You wouldn't have liked the plague of frogs. Stephan was in charge. A seraphim.† He shook his head as if I should know some sad inside fact about seraphim. â€Å"We lost a lot of frogs. â€Å"I suppose it's for the best, though,† Raziel said with a sigh. â€Å"You can't have a someone who likes frogs bring a plague of frogs. If I'd done it, it would have been more of a friendly gathering of frogs.† â€Å"That wouldn't have worked,† I said. â€Å"Well, it didn't work anyway, did it? I mean, Moses, a Jew, thought it up. Frogs were unclean to the Jews. To the Jews it was a plague. To the Egyptians it was like having a big feast of frog legs drop from the sky. Moses missed it on that one. I'm just glad we didn't listen to him on the plague of pork.† â€Å"Really, he wanted to bring down a plague of pork? Pigs falling from the sky?† â€Å"Pig pieces. Ribs, hams, feet. He wanted everything bloody. You know, unclean pork and unclean blood. The Egyptians would have eaten the pork. We talked him into just the blood.† â€Å"Are you saying that Moses was a dimwit?† I wasn't being ironic when I asked this, I was aware that I was asking the eternal dimwit of them all. Still†¦ â€Å"No, he just wasn't concerned with results,† said the angel. â€Å"The Lord had hardened Pharaoh's heart against letting the Jews go. We could have dropped oxen from the sky and he wouldn't have changed his mind.† â€Å"That would have been something to see,† I said. â€Å"I suggested that it rain fire,† the angel said. â€Å"How'd that go?† â€Å"It was pretty. We only had it rain on the stone palaces and monuments. Burning up all of the Jews would sort of defeated the purpose.† â€Å"Good thinking,† I said. â€Å"Well, I'm good with weather,† said the angel. â€Å"Yeah, I know,† I said. Then I thought about it a second, about how Raziel nearly wore out our poor room service waiter Jesus delivering orders of ribs the day they were the special. â€Å"You didn't suggest fire, initially, did you? You just suggested that it rain barbecued pork, didn't you?† â€Å"That guy doesn't look anything like Moses,† the angel said. That day, thrashing in the sea, trying to swim to catch the merchant ship that plowed through the water under full sail, I first saw that Raziel was, as he claimed, â€Å"good with weather.† Joshua was leaning over the aftrail of the ship, shouting alternately to me, then to Titus. It was pretty obvious that even under the light wind that day, I would never catch the ship, and when I looked in the direction of shore I could see nothing but water. Strange, the things you think of at times like that. What I thought first was â€Å"What an incredibly stupid way to die.† Next I thought, â€Å"Joshua will never make it without me.† And with that, I began to pray, not for my own salvation but for Joshua. I prayed for the Lord to keep him safe, then I prayed for Maggie's safety and happiness. Then, as I shrugged off my shirt and fell into a slow crawl in the direction of the shoreline, which I knew I would never see, the wind stopped. Just stopped. The sea flattened and the only sound I could hear was the frightened cries of the crew of Titus's ship, which had stopped in the water as if it had dropped anchor. â€Å"Biff, this way!† Joshua called. I turned in the water to see my friend waving to me from the stern of the becalmed ship. Beside him, Titus cowered like a frightened child. On the mast above them sat a winged figure, who after I swam to the ship and was hoisted out by a very frightened bunch of sailors, I recognized as the angel Raziel. Unlike the times when we had seen him before, he wore robes as black as pitch, and the feathers in his wings shone the blue-black of the sea under moonlight. As I joined Joshua on the raised poop deck at the stern of the ship, the angel took wing and gently landed on the deck beside us. Titus was shielding his head with his arms, as if to ward off an attacker, and he looked as if he were trying to dissolve between the deck boards. â€Å"You,† Raziel said to the Phoenician, and Titus looked up between his arms. â€Å"No harm is to come to these two.† Titus nodded, tried to say something, then gave up when his voice broke under the weight of his fear. I was a little frightened myself. Decked out in black, the angel was a fearsome sight, even if he was on our side. Joshua, on the other hand, seemed completely at ease. â€Å"Thank you,† Josh said to the angel. â€Å"He's a cur, but he's my best friend.† â€Å"I'm good with weather,† the angel said. And as if that explained everything, he flapped his massive black wings and lifted off the deck. The sea was dead calm until the angel was out of sight over the horizon, then the breeze picked up, the sails filled, and waves began to lap at the bow. Titus ventured a peek from his cowed position, then stood up slowly and took one of the steering oars under his arm. â€Å"I'm going to need a new shirt,† I said. â€Å"You can have mine,† Titus said. â€Å"We should sail closer along the coast, don't you think?† I said. â€Å"On the way, good master,† Titus said. â€Å"On the way.† â€Å"Your mother eats the fungus from the feet of lepers,† I said. â€Å"I've been meaning to speak to her about that,† Titus said. â€Å"So we understand each other,† I said. â€Å"Absolutely,† Titus said. â€Å"Crap,† Joshua said. â€Å"I forgot to ask the angel about knowing women again.† For the rest of the journey Titus was much more agreeable, and strangely enough, we didn't have to man any of the huge oars when we pulled into port, nor did we have to help unload or load any cargo. The crew avoided us altogether, and tended the pigs for us without our even asking. My fear of sailing subsided after a day, and as the steady breeze carried us north, Joshua and I would watch the dolphins that came to ride the ship's bow wave, or lie on the deck at night, breathing in the smell of cedar coming off the ship's timbers, listening to the creaking of rope and rigging, and trying to imagine aloud what it would be like when we found Balthasar. If it hadn't been for Joshua's constant badgering about what sex was like, it would have been a pleasant journey indeed. â€Å"Fornication isn't the only sin, Josh,† I tried to explain. â€Å"I'm happy to help out, but are you going to have me steal so I can explain it to you? Will you have me kill someone next so you can understand it?† â€Å"No, the difference is that I don't want to kill anyone.† â€Å"Okay, I'll tell you again. You got your loins, and she's got her loins. And even though you call them both loins, they're different – â€Å" â€Å"I understand the mechanics of it. What I don't understand is the feeling of it.† â€Å"Well, it feels good, I told you that.† â€Å"But that doesn't seem right. Why would the Lord make sin feel good, then condemn man for it?† â€Å"Look, why don't you try it?† I said. â€Å"It would be cheaper that way. Or better yet, get married, then it wouldn't even be sin.† â€Å"Then it wouldn't be the same, would it?† Josh asked. â€Å"How would I know, I've never been married.† â€Å"Is it always the same for you?† â€Å"Well, in some ways, yes.† â€Å"In what ways?† â€Å"Well, so far, it seems to be moist.† â€Å"Moist?† â€Å"Yeah, but I can't say it's always that way, just in my experience. Maybe we should ask a harlot?† â€Å"Better yet,† Joshua said, looking around, â€Å"I'll ask Titus. He's older, and he looks as if he's sinned a lot.† â€Å"Yeah, well, if you count throwing Jews in the sea, I'd say he's an expert, but that doesn't mean – â€Å" Joshua had run to the stern of the ship, up a ladder to the raised poop deck, and to a small, open-sided tent that acted as the captain's quarters. Under the tent Titus reclined on a pile of rugs, drinking from a wineskin, which I saw him hand to Joshua. By the time I caught up with him Titus was saying, â€Å"So you want to know about fucking? Well, son, you have come to the right place. I've fucked a thousand women, half again as many boys, some sheep, pigs, a few chickens, and the odd turtle. What is it you want to know?† â€Å"Stand away from him, Josh,† I said, taking the wineskin and handing it back to Titus as I pushed Joshua back. â€Å"The wrath of God could hit him at any moment. Jeez, a turtle, that's got to be an abomination.† Titus flinched when I mentioned the wrath of God, as if the angel might return to perch on his mast any second. Joshua stood his ground. â€Å"Right now let's just stick with the women part of it, if that's all right.† Joshua patted Titus's arm to reassure him. I knew how that touch felt: Titus would feel the fear run out of him like water. â€Å"I've fucked every kind of woman there is. I've fucked Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Jews, Ethiopians, and women from places that haven't even been named yet. I've fucked fat ones, skinny ones, women with no legs, women with – â€Å" â€Å"Are you married?† Joshua interrupted before the sailor started into how he had fucked them in a box, with a fox, in a house, with a mouse†¦ â€Å"I have a wife in Rome.† â€Å"Is it the same with your wife and, say, a harlot?† â€Å"What, fucking? No, it's not the same at all.† â€Å"It's moist,† I said. â€Å"Right?† â€Å"Well, yes, it's moist. But that's not – â€Å" I grabbed Joshua's tunic and started to drag him away. â€Å"There you have it. Let's go, Josh. Now you know, sin is moist. Make a mental note. Let's get some supper.† Titus was laughing. â€Å"You Jews and your sin. You know if you had more gods you wouldn't have to be so worried about making one angry?† â€Å"Right,† I said, â€Å"I'm going to take spiritual advice from a guy who fucks turtles.† â€Å"You shouldn't be so judgmental, Biff,† Joshua said. â€Å"You're not without sin yourself.† â€Å"Oh, you and your holier-than-thou attitude. You can just do your own sinning from now on if that's how you feel. You think I enjoy bedding harlots night after night, describing the whole process to you over and over?† â€Å"Well, yeah,† Joshua said. â€Å"That's not the point. The point is, well†¦the point is†¦well. Guilt. I mean – turtles. I mean – † So I was flustered. Sue me. I'd never look at a turtle again without imagining it being molested by a scruffy Phoenician sailor. That's not disturbing to you? Imagine it right now. I'll wait. See? â€Å"He's gone mad,† Titus said. â€Å"You shut up, you scurvy viper,† Joshua said. â€Å"What about not being judgmental?† Titus said. â€Å"That's him,† Josh said. â€Å"It's different for me.† And suddenly, having said that, Joshua looked as sad as I had ever seen him. He slouched away toward the pigpen, where he sat down and cradled his head in his hands as if he'd just been crowned with the weight of all the worries of mankind. He kept to himself until we left the ship. The Silk Road, the main vein of trade and custom and culture from the Roman world to the Far East, terminated where it met the sea at the port city of Selucia Pieria, the harbor city and naval stronghold that had fed and guarded Antioch since the time of Alexander. As we left the ship with the rest of the crew, Captain Titus stopped us at the gangplank. He held his hands, palm down. Joshua and I reached out and Titus dropped the coins we'd paid for passage into our palms. â€Å"I might have been holding a brace of scorpions, but you two reached out without a thought.† â€Å"It was a fair price to pay,† Joshua said. â€Å"You don't have to return our money.† â€Å"I almost drowned your friend. I'm sorry.† â€Å"You asked if he could swim before you threw him in. He had a chance.† I looked at Joshua's eyes to see if he was joking, but it was obvious he wasn't. â€Å"Still,† Titus said. â€Å"So perhaps you will be given a chance someday as well,† Joshua said. â€Å"A slim fucking chance,† I added. Titus grinned at me. â€Å"Follow the shore of the harbor until it becomes a river. That's the Onrontes. Follow its left bank and you'll be in Antioch by nightfall. In the market there will be an old woman who sells herbs and charms. I don't remember her name, but she has only one eye and she wears a tunic of Tyran purple. If there is a magician in Antioch she will know where to find him.† â€Å"How do you know this old woman?† I asked. â€Å"I buy my tiger penis powder from her.† Joshua looked at me for explanation. â€Å"What?† I said. â€Å"I've had a couple of harlots, I didn't exchange recipes.† Then I looked to Titus. â€Å"Should I have?† â€Å"It's for my knees,† the sailor said. â€Å"They hurt when it rains.† Joshua took my shoulder and started to lead me away. â€Å"Go with God, Titus,† he said. â€Å"Put in a good word with the black-winged one for me,† Titus said. Once we were into the wash of merchants and sailors around the harbor, I said, â€Å"He gave us the money back because the angel scared him, you know that?† â€Å"So his kindness allayed his fear as well as benefiting us,† Joshua said. â€Å"All the better. Do you think the priests sacrifice the lambs at Passover for better reasons?† â€Å"Oh, right,† I said, having no idea what one had to do with the other, wondering still if tigers didn't object to having their penises powdered. (Keeps them from chafing, I guess, but that's got to be a dangerous job.) â€Å"Let's go find this old crone,† I said. The shore of the Onrontes was a stream of life and color, textures and smells, from the harbor all the way into the marketplace at Antioch. There were people of every size and color that I had ever imagined, some shoeless and dressed in rags, others wearing expensive silks and the purple linen from Tyre, said to be dyed with the blood of a poisonous snail. There were ox carts, litters, and sedan chairs carried by as many as eight slaves. Roman soldiers on horseback and on foot policed the crowd, while sailors from a dozen nations reveled in drink and noise and the feel of land beneath their feet. Merchants and beggars and traders and whores scurried for the turn of a coin, while self-appointed prophets spouted dogma from atop the mooring posts where ships tied off along the river – holy men lined up and preaching like a line of noisy Greek columns. Smoke rose fragrant and blue over the streaming crowd, carrying the smell of spice and grease from braziers in the food booths whe re men and women hawked their fare in rhythmic, haunting songs that all ran together as you walked along – as if one passed his song to the next so you might never experience a second of silence. The only thing I had ever seen that approached this was the line of pilgrims leading into Jerusalem on the feast days, but there we never saw so much color, heard so much noise, felt so much excitement. We stopped at a stand and bought a hot black drink from a wrinkled old man wearing a tanned bird carcass as a hat. He showed us how he made the drink from the seeds of berries that were first roasted, then ground into powder, then mixed with boiling water. We got this whole story by way of pantomime, as the man spoke none of the languages we were familiar with. He mixed the drink with honey and gave it to us, but when I tasted it, it still didn't seem to taste right. It seemed, I don't know, too dark. I saw a woman leading a nanny goat nearby, and I took Joshua's cup from him and ran after the woman. With the woman's permission, I squirted a bit of milk from the nanny goat's udder onto the top of each of our cups. The old man protested, making it seem as if we'd committed some sort of sacrilege, but the milk had come out warm and frothy and it served to take away the bitterness of the black drink. Joshua downed his, then asked the old man for two more, as well as handing the woman wi th the goat a small brass coin for her trouble. Josh gave the second drink back to the old man to taste, and after much grimacing, he took a sip. A smile crossed his toothless mouth and before we left he seemed to be striking some sort of deal with the woman with the goat. I watched the old man grind beans in a copper cylinder while the woman milked her goat into a deep clay bowl. There was a spice vendor next door and I could smell the cinnamon, cloves, and allspice that lay loose in baskets on the ground. â€Å"You know,† I said to the woman in Latin, â€Å"when you two get this all figured out, try sprinkling a little ground cinnamon on it. It just might make it perfect.† â€Å"You're losing your friend,† she said. I turned and looked around, catching the top of Joshua's head just as he turned a corner into the Antioch market and a new push of people. I ran to catch up to him. Joshua was bumping people in the crowd as he passed, seemingly on purpose, and murmuring just loud enough so I could hear him each time he hit someone with a shoulder or an elbow. â€Å"Healed that guy. Healed her. Stopped her suffering. Healed him. Comforted him. Ooo, that guy was just stinky. Healed her. Whoops, missed. Healed. Healed. Comforted. Calmed.† People were turning to look back at Josh, the way one will when a stranger steps on one's foot, except these people all seemed to be either smiling or baffled, not annoyed as I expected. â€Å"What are you doing?† I asked. â€Å"Practicing,† Joshua said. â€Å"Whoa, bad toe-jam.† He spun on his heel, nearly turning his foot out of his sandal, and smacked a short bald man on the back of the head. â€Å"All better now.† The bald guy turned and looked back to see who had hit him. Josh was backing down the street. â€Å"How's your toe?† Joshua asked in Latin. â€Å"Good,† the bald guy said, and he smiled, sorta goofy and dreamy, like his toe had just sent him a message that all was right with the world. â€Å"Go with God, and – † Josh spun, jumped, came down with each hand on a stranger's shoulder and shouted, â€Å"Yes! Double healing! Go with God, friends, two times!† I was getting sort of uncomfortable. People had started to follow us through the crowd. Not a lot of people, but a few. Maybe five or six, each of them with that dreamy smile on his face. â€Å"Joshua, maybe you should, uh, calm down a little.† â€Å"Can you believe all of these people need healing? Healed him.† Josh leaned back and whispered in my ear. â€Å"That guy had the pox. He'll pee without pain for the first time in years. ‘Scuse me.† He turned back into the crowd. â€Å"Healed, healed, calmed, comforted.† â€Å"We're strangers here, Josh. You're attracting attention to us. This might not be safe†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It's not like they're blind or missing limbs. We'll have to stop if we run into something serious. Healed! God bless you. Oh, you no speak Latin? Uh – Greek? Hebrew? No?† â€Å"He'll figure it out, Josh,† I said. â€Å"We should look for the old woman.† â€Å"Oh, right. Healed!† Josh slapped the pretty woman very hard in the face. Her husband, a large man in a leather tunic, didn't look pleased. He pulled a dagger from his belt and started to advance on Joshua. â€Å"Sorry, sir,† Joshua said, not backing up. â€Å"Couldn't be helped. Small demon, had to be banished from her. Sent it into that dog over there. Go with God. Thank you, thank you very much.† The woman grabbed her husband by the arm and swung him around. She still had Joshua's handprint on her face, but she was smiling. â€Å"I'm back!† she said to her husband. â€Å"I'm back.† She shook him and the anger seemed to drain out of him. He looked back at Joshua with an expression of such dismay that I thought he might faint. He dropped his knife and threw his arms around his wife. Joshua ran forward and threw his arms around them both. â€Å"Would you stop it please?† I pleaded. â€Å"But I love these people,† Josh said. â€Å"You do, don't you?† â€Å"Yeah.† â€Å"He was going to kill you.† â€Å"It happens. He just didn't understand. He does now.† â€Å"Glad he caught on. Let's find the old lady.† â€Å"Yes, then let's go back and get another one of those hot drinks,† Joshua said. We found the hag selling a bouquet of monkey feet to a fat trader dressed in striped silks and a wide conical hat woven from some sort of tough grass. â€Å"But these are all back feet,† the trader protested. â€Å"Same magic, better price,† said the hag, pulling back a shawl she wore over one side of her face to reveal a milky white eye. This was obviously her intimidation move. The trader wasn't having it. â€Å"It is a well-known fact that the front paw of a monkey is the best talisman for telling the future, but the back – â€Å" â€Å"You'd think the monkey would see something coming,† I said, and they both looked at me as if I'd just sneezed on their falafel. The old woman drew back as if to cast a spell, or maybe a rock, at me. â€Å"If that were true,† I continued, â€Å"I mean – about telling the future with a monkey paw – I mean – because he would have four of them – paws, that is – and, uh – never mind.† â€Å"How much are these?† said Joshua, holding up a handful of dried newts from the hag's baskets. The old woman turned to Josh. â€Å"You can't use that many,† the hag said. â€Å"I can't?† asked Joshua. â€Å"These are useless,† said the merchant, waving the hind legs and feet of two and a half former monkeys, which looked like tiny people feet, except that they were furry and the toes were longer. â€Å"If you're a monkey I'll bet they come in handy to keep your butt from dragging on the ground,† I said, ever the peacemaker. â€Å"Well, how many do I need?† Joshua asked, wondering how his diversion to save me had turned into a negotiation for newt crispies. â€Å"How many of your camels are constipated?† asked the crone. Joshua dropped the dried newts back into their basket. â€Å"Well, uh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Do those work?† asked the merchant. â€Å"For plugged-up camels, I mean.† â€Å"Never fails.† The merchant scratched his pointed beard with a monkey foot. â€Å"I'll meet your price on these worthless monkey feet if you throw in a handful of newts.† â€Å"Deal,† said the crone. The merchant opened a satchel he had slung around his shoulder and dropped in his monkey feet, then followed them with a handful of newts. â€Å"So how do these work? Make them into tea and have the camel drink it?† â€Å"Other end,† said the crone. â€Å"They go in whole. Count to one hundred and step back.† The merchant's eyes went wide, then narrowed into a squint and he turned to me. â€Å"Kid,† he said, â€Å"if you can count to a hundred, I've got a job for you.† â€Å"He'd love to work for you, sir,† Joshua said, â€Å"but we have to find Balthasar the magus.† The crone hissed and backed to the corner of her booth, covering all of her face but her milky eye. â€Å"How do you know of Balthasar?† She held her hands in front of her like claws and I could see her trembling. â€Å"Balthasar!† I shouted at her, and the old woman nearly jumped through the wall behind her. I snickered and was ready to Balthasar! her again when Josh interrupted. â€Å"Balthasar came from here to Bethlehem to witness my birth,† said Joshua. â€Å"I'm seeking his counsel. His wisdom.† â€Å"You would hail the darkness, you would consort with demons and fly with the evil Djinn like Balthasar? I won't have you near my booth, be gone from here.† She made the sign of the evil eye, which in her case was redundant. â€Å"No, no, no,† I said. â€Å"None of that. The magus left some, uh, frankincense at Joshua's house. We need to return it to him.† The old woman regarded me with her good eye. â€Å"You're lying.† â€Å"Yes, he is,† said Josh. â€Å"BALTHASAR!† I screamed in her face. It didn't have the same effect as the first time around and I was a little disappointed. â€Å"Stop that,† she said. Joshua reached out to take her craggy hand. â€Å"Grandmother,† he said, â€Å"our ship's captain, Titus Inventius, said you would know where to find Balthasar. Please help us.† The old woman seemed to relax, and just when I thought she was going to smile, she raked her nails across Joshua's hand and leapt back. â€Å"Titus Inventius is a scalawag,† she shouted. Joshua stared at the blood welling up in the scratches on the back of his hand and I thought for a second that he might faint. He never understood it when someone was violent or unkind. I'd probably be half a day explaining to him why the old woman scratched him, but right then I was furious. â€Å"You know what? You know what? You know what?† I was waving my finger under her nose. â€Å"You scratched the Son of God. That's your ass, that's what.† â€Å"The magus is gone from Antioch, and good riddance to him,† screeched the crone. The fat trader had been watching this the whole time without saying a word, but now he began laughing so hard that I could barely hear the old woman wheezing out curses. â€Å"So you want to find Balthasar, do you, God's Son?† Joshua came out of the stunned contemplation of his wounds and looked at the trader. â€Å"Yes, sir, do you know him?† â€Å"Who do you think the monkey's feet are for? Follow me.† He whirled on his heel and sauntered away without another word. As we followed the trader into an alley so narrow that his shoulders nearly touched the sides, I turned back to the old crone and shouted, â€Å"Your ass, hag! Mark my words.† She hissed and made the sign of the evil eye again. â€Å"She was a little creepy,† Joshua said, looking at the scratches on his hand again. â€Å"Don't be judgmental, Josh, you're not without creepiness yourself.† â€Å"Where do you think this guy is leading us?† â€Å"Probably somewhere where he can murder and kill us.† â€Å"Yeah, at least one of those.†