Essay --

The Partition of India in 1947 illustrated what the real situation for decades with conflicts of religion and dominance as India gained independence from the British Raj. The process of dividing the subcontinent on sectarian lines resulted to the establishment of Pakistan as the predominantly Muslim sections of India and the establishment of the Republic of India composed of the southern and majority Hindu section of India. Religion played a major role in the conflicts that existed between Hindus and Muslims aggravated by British proudism. The Hindus were unwilling to accommodate Islam and the conflicting religious views between Hindus and Muslims made it extremely elusive for their peaceful co-existence. Hinduism is a strict hierarchical structure that is separated into thousands of castes to isolated units. Hinduism as a closed society commands loyalty from the implemented system of for each one caste with the presence of outsiders considered as the barbarians. Any conn ection with such outsiders through intermarriage and any other kind of relationship or by merely sitting, eating or drinking with them are forbidden because such outsiders would only pollute the purity of Hindus. Hinduism principles are primarily directed against those who do not snuff it to them and all foreigners even if such individuals referred to as Maleccha are inclined to their religion. Hinduism in its strict intolerance of other faiths led to the rejection of Hindus to assimilate Indian Muslims and ensured of a bar that always divided Hindus and Muslims. The religious differences were fundamental to the separation of Muslims and Hindus and the hostility that constrained the possibilities of cooperation between them. The Muslims shared a se... ...ions of right and wrong and has placed the British in a very ugly world impression of Britains evil capability of stirring up hatred and doing nothing to suppress the consequences of division the imperial power orchestrated and thus left the Hindus and Muslims in conflict and an absolute despise of the British. The scheme of winning wars using the troops of India clearly benefitted the British pudding stone even with the result of the loss of millions of Indian soldiers. The British were the great benefactors of the conquered peoples who generously gave in to promises to address the natives sentiments for independence. The British Empire was fed a boost for its multinational power with the ordinary public playing the no role in international politics except its consent to continue the illusion of popular code in the conception of state power by modern democracy.

Hybrid Cars Essay example -- Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Hybrid CarsIn my basic presentation, I examined the practicality of HEVs (Hybrid Electric Vehicles), otherwise known as hybrids. The presentation gave some background about laws pertaining to emissions but at the same time was designed more to educate the consumer as to what a hybrid actually is. You do not plug it in Current dismissal Standards are confusing. At this point in time, we are at a major transition as to what will be the future of combustion vehicles. designate day standards do not call for the kind of emission requirements that will account for the current rate of global warming. To fix this problem we must all cut back on the number of vehicles on the road (not likely to happen) or use less burn. There are many advantages to efficient fuel consumption. These advantages range from saving money to saving the environment. It will also make the United States stronger as a nation in that we can reduce settlement on foreign oil.The first question we ask ourselv es what is a hybrid? A hybrid is a vehicle that has both a combustion engine as well as an electric motor. With the batteries of today it is not possible to make a practical vehicle that will run solely on electric. These cars need to be recharged after a range of approximately 60 miles. This limitation does not make the car practical by today?s standards. Although, the number of hybrids on the road today is limited, in the future we should see most, if not all, passenger vehicles available with the hybrid option (an option that might actually well become a requirement).The primary goal of the hybrid vehicle is to cut down on global-warming. The only way in which we can in effect reduce green house gas emissions is by burning less fossi... ...eir combustion counterparts. However, this will change once they become popular and, in actuality, the additional cost up front can quickly pay for itself with increased fuel savings. There is also the question of all these batterie s. If the nickel metal hydride batteries aren?t disposed of properly, there could be environmental side effects. Who will fix these cars? Currently, a hybrid will have to be brought back to the dealership for maintenance and that could prove to be more expensive than a private mechanic. However, as hybrids become more popular and costs drop, so will the associated maintenance fees. With the benefits weighed against the drawbacks, it is mop up that hybrid vehicles are a plausible measure in controlling greenhouse emissions. Bibliographywww.epa.gov/greenvehicleswww.fueleconomy.govwww.ott.doe.gov/hevwww.insightcentral.net

Privacy in the Workplace Essay -- Employee Privacy Monitoring Workplac

Privacy. There seems to be no legal issue now that cuts so wide a swath through conflicts confronting American participation from AIDS tests to wiretaps, polygraph test to computerized data bases, the common denominator has been whether the right to privacy outweighs other concerns of society This quote from Robert Ellis Smith explains, in one sentence, the absolute contract to ensure privacy in the workplace. One of the most interesting, yet controversial, atomic number 18as concerning public personnel is employee privacy. What limits are there to employers intrusions into, and control over, employees behaviors and ad hominem properties? There are five major areas which trigger privacy matters in the area of public sector employment mount checks, cognizance of off duty conduct and lifestyles, drug testing, workplace searches, and monitoring of workplace activity. Of these five, the fifth area of privacy, monitoring of workplace activity, is the most controversial. The reason for this is the benefit of technology. These conflicts open anew the basic questions as to what is private, what is propriety, what legal rights an employee possesses, and what an employees obligations and responsibilities are within the sphere of public employment. Privacy has been defined as the claim of individuals, groups, or institutions to determine for themselves when, how, and to what extent information about them is communicated to others. The privacy claims of employees can vary in terms of the privacy interest involved and the conception of a need for privacy. In terms of background checks, the issue of autonomy is presented. Autonomy involves ones own personal and individual liberties. Autonomy embraces areas of central life choice and lifestyle that are important in terms of individual expression, but irrelevant to an employer and of no public concern. It has been associated with marital and other intimate relationships, home and family life, and association and repro ductive choices. Employees declare raised issues of employer intrusion into this area where the employer bemuses employment decisions on the basis of something in an employees personal history, or conditions employment on appropriate responses to inquires about personal activities which are not job-related. An employer may have interests which permit some limited intrusion into this area, if the behavior involves m... ...duals from fear, abuse and annoyance when it upheld the constitutionality of 47 U.S.C. 233, which makes the communication of obscene or harassive phone calls a federal crime. Employers have no less a responsibility. The responsibility is reinforced through anti-discrimination statutes like Title VII of the Civil Rights bring of 1964, which has been interpreted to prohibit direct harassment and creation of hostile environments in the workplace. The U.S. Constitution gives substantial protective cover to privacy in the home, but not where Americans make a living. To make up for federal inadequacy, some put forwards have enacted their own privacy statues. Federal law takes precedence, but where state laws provide greater protection, employers are usually subject to both. Several states have banned various activities, including the paper-and-pencil honesty test, which have not been scientifically validated. No state gives strong privacy protection to workers using e-mail, voice mail or telephone, nor does any state prohibit intrusive psychological testing. Unless or until national workplace laws can be passed, state laws will continue tp provide only spotty overall support for worker privacy.

Comparing the Role of Social Class in The Necklace and Recitatif Essay

The Role of Social Class in The Necklace and Recitatif Often in a piece of literature, a story will appear to be about one issue when, in actuality, the author intended it to be about another. In the short stories The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant and Recitatif by Toni Morrison, the issues of partitioning interval and struggle, though they may appear at first glance to be unimportant, are in fact the central points around which these twain stories revolve.In The Necklace and Recitatif, class differences affect the ways in which the characters interact with one another. Nowhere in the story Recitatif is this more apparent than in the meeting between Roberta and Twylas set outs at the orphanage. Twyla describes Robertas mother as tall, prim, and proper. She adds, on her chest was the biggest cross Id ever seen... (page 213). In direct contrast to this is the image of Twylas mother, a woman who wears revealing pants and a provoke old jacket and curses in church. Robertas mother c learly looks down upon Twylas because she is of a lower class, as illustrated by her refusal to shake her hand. In The Necklace, class differences between Mathilde and Mme. Forestier endue an obvious restriction upon their relationship. By the end of the story, Mathilde becomes a member of the lower class - the woman of impoverished households - strong and hard and rough... (page 71). When the two ladies meet again in the last lines of the story, Mme. Forestier is astonished to be addressed by this plain goodwife (page 72). In a parallel event from Recitatif, Roberta looks down upon Twyla when they meet in a Howard Johnsons. She sees Twyla in her blue-and-white triangle uniform, her hair shapeless in a net, and her ankle... ... between the characters play the central role in the action of the story. These differences affect the ways in which these characters interact, they create the conflict in the story, and they affect the way the reader feels about and reacts to each of the c haracters. In making the issue of social class the focus of these two works, the authors successfully communicate to the readers their belief that, no matter how hard we might try to avoid it, class is indeed a major factor in todays society. Works Cited de Maupassant, Guy. The Necklace. Understanding Fiction . third ed. Eds. Cleanth Brooks and Robeert Penn Warren. Englewood Cliffs, NJ Prentice-Hall, 1979. 66-72.Morrison, Toni. Recitatif. New Worlds of Literature Writings from Americas Many Cultures. second ed. Eds. Jerome Beaty and J. Paul Hunter. New York Norton, 1994. 209-225.

Hope Leslie, The Perfect Storm, and Dinosaur in a Haystack :: Persuasive Writing Essays

Hope Leslie, The Perfect Storm, and Dinosaur in a Haystack The three books, Hope Leslie, by Catharine Maria Sedgwick, The Perfect Storm, by Sebastian Junger, and Dinosaur in a Haystack, by Stephen Jay Gould, each persuade the reader to see a one sided story. The reader believes each author and allows himself to be persuaded for two reasons. One reason is he has corporate trust in the writer because he has not researched the 16th century, nor ever delved into the scientific world of evolution, nor investigated the perfect storm that sunk the Andrea Gail. Sedgwick did research the sixteenth century in order to write her clean about the puritans and Indians. Gould is an accredited scientist and has researched the scientific theory of evolution. Junger actually interviewed the family and friends of the real people that died on the Andrea Gail, and investigated the weather conditions to write his novel. On the early(a) hand, The readers that do know about the 16th century, or evolution , or the storm can agree with or dispute the author or dispute him or her. In Hope Leslie, Sedgwick tells a fictional story about a puritan familys tragic separation caused by an Indian family during the historic colonization of the new(a) World. She presents her story line from the puritans point of view. Sedgwick has one of her puritan characters say, I had rather meet a legion of Frenchmen than a company of these savages. They atomic number 18 a winning of beast we dont comprehend-out of the range of Gods creatures-neither angel or man...(42). The Indians are made out to be savages and evil beasts. The uninformed reader that reads Catherine Sedgwicks novel is convinced that this lie true and becomes angry towards the Indians. He is overcome by Sedgwicks persuasiveness and completely agrees with her that the Indians were savages and had no right to murder the Fletchers. In reality, both sides are equally cruel to each other. The Indians kill and separate the puritan Fletcher fa mily only because members of their tribe and family had been killed and separated from the rest of the tribe. An informed reader knows about the tragedies that both the Indians and puritans endured during this time. He can read Sedgwicks novel and agree with her, or dispute her. Obviously, she has researched the sixteenth century and knows both sides of the story. However, Sedgwick only tells the reader about both families tragedies in such a way that it seems justified for the puritans to have killed the Indian family, but bloodthirsty for the Indians to have killed the

Disney Vs French Government :: Disney France Business

The most fundamental requirement for a rational, efficient agreement is he ability of the parties involved to determine their interest in the talks in question. How successful were Disney and the French establishment ina) Identifying their underlying interests?The interests of each side were quite different. In fact, those of Disney were mainly financial interests, whereas those of the French governments were political and economic. The opposite distinction highlighted is that the French interests were linked together, whereas those of Disney were different interest without links in between.Disneys interests were clearly defined. scarcely they have a strategy that put forward other side for the future park Barcelona. Disney was more attracted by the French proposal but put the two in competition. Then they hope that the French government will make some concessions. For that they make Barcelona more attractive than it really was.They wantedfavourable land purchase terms a direct enthronement funds basis (no licensing)a financial scheme that will reduce their initial capital investmentto increase as much as possible the Disneys deal out of upside potentialthe French government to make concessions on taxthe government to finance the improvement of the transportation infrastructures in the areaTheir interests were well underlined. Indeed, concerning the investment question, the French site was really favourable as it is situated in the villes nouvelles, which went only through one authority called EPA (Etablissements Public dAmnagement). This element is crucial for the while of the negotiation. In fact, the more intermediaries there are, the longer the negotiation will be. The other major advantage of the French project is that the French government is not antipathetic to expropriate the land needed for the park.Disney could have seen a positive point in the negotiation when the French prime minister signed the initial earn of understanding between the t wo parts. Indeed, the fact that the Prime Minister himself signed the letter implies how important the project was for the French government. Then Disney knew they were in strength position, and that they could dumbfound concessions from the French government.On the other side, the French government had various interests. It put clearly in advance that their major interest was the employment and the revenues created by the project.But there are other intereststhe development of Pariss eastern suburbsthe creation of 60 000 jobs, that will decrease unemploymentthe impact on the construction industry, which went through a severeness periodcreation of revenue for French suppliers during the construction and operational phases

Disney Vs French Government :: Disney France Business

The most fundamental requirement for a rational, efficient agreement is he ability of the parties involved to determine their interest in the negotiation in question. How successful were Disney and the cut government ina) Identifying their underlying interests?The interests of each side were quite different. In fact, those of Disney were mainly financial interests, whereas those of the French governments were political and economic. The other distinction highlighted is that the French interests were linked together, whereas those of Disney were different interest without links in between.Disneys interests were clearly defined. But they have a strategy that put onward another side for the future park Barcelona. Disney was more attracted by the French proposal but put the two in competition. Then they hope that the French government will make some concessions. For that they make Barcelona more attractive than it really was.They wantedfavourable land purchase terms a put investment basis (no licensing)a financial scheme that will reduce their sign capital investmentto increase as much as doable the Disneys share of upside potentialthe French government to make concessions on taxthe government to finance the improvement of the transportation infrastructures in the areaTheir interests were well(p) underlined. Indeed, concerning the investment question, the French site was really favourable as it is situated in the villes nouvelles, which went only through one authority called EPA (Etablissements Public dAmnagement). This element is authoritative for the duration of the negotiation. In fact, the more intermediaries there are, the longer the negotiation will be. The other major advantage of the French project is that the French government is not reluctant to expropriate the land needed for the park.Disney could have seen a positive point in the negotiation when the French prime minister signed the initial letter of understanding between the two parts. Indeed, the fact that the Prime Minister himself signed the letter implies how important the project was for the French government. Then Disney knew they were in force-out position, and that they could obtain concessions from the French government.On the other side, the French government had various interests. It put clearly in advance that their major interest was the employment and the revenues created by the project.But there are other intereststhe development of Pariss eastern suburbsthe creation of 60 000 jobs, that will decrease unemploymentthe impact on the construction industry, which went through a bad periodcreation of revenue for French suppliers during the construction and operational phases

Dunlap V. Tennessee Valley Authority

1. What were the legal issues in this case? The U. S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit was to determine if the plaintiff, David Dunlap Dunlap, had met the burden of turn upment that the Tennessee V anyey Authority (TVA) was liable at a lower place Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by intentionally discriminating against him under both disparate bear on and disparate sermon analyses and whether the TVA appeal to the govern Court erred in each of these analyses could be legally supported to reverse their decision FindLaw, 2011).David Dunlap brought suit under Title VII, alleging racial inconsistency by the TVA. The territory dally found that Dunlap had been subjected to discrimination under both disparate treatment and disparate impact analyses, concluding that TVAs subjective hiring mental branches permitted racial bias against both Dunlap and other black applicants (Walsh, 2010). The Appeals Court affirmed the disparate treatment cry, reversed the disparate impact call for, and affirmed the district courts award of damage and fees to Mr. Dunlap (Walsh, 2010). 2. Explain why the plaintiffs disparate (adverse) impact claim failed. The disparate impact theory requires a plaintiff to demonstrate that an apparently electroneutral employment practice affects one group more harshly than another and that the practice is not justified by business necessity. Under this theory, proof of jaundiced intent is not required.Although the district court concluded that TVAs interview process had been manipulated to exclude African-American candidates in general, the court of appeals disagreed, citing the lack of statistical proof demonstrating that a protected group was adversely affected thus establishing a prima facie case. Mr. Dunlap couldnt prove his claim by only challenging the process used in his own interview, thus the ruling was that the district court clearly erred in finding a prima facie case of disparate impact (FindLaw, 2011). 3. Explai n why the plaintiffs disparate treatment claim ac high societyed. The disparate treatment doctrine requires a plaintiff to demonstrate that an employer has treated many(prenominal) people less favorably than others because of their race, color, religion, sex, or home(a) origin. Three provisions required to prove disparate treatment are (1) the plaintiff must establish a prima facie case of racial discrimination (2) the employer must articulate some legitimate, nondiscriminatory resolve for its actions, and (3) the plaintiff must prove that the stated reason was in fact pretextual.Proof of discriminatory motive is critical and may be inferred from the mere fact of differences in treatment. Proof may in like manner be inferred from the faithlessness of the employers explanation for the treatment, (Walsh, 2010). Mr. Dunlap successfully established a prima facie case of disparate treatment by meeting the above 3 provisions (1) he was African-American (2) he was qualified for the position sought and (3) white applicants with less experience were taked for 9 of the 10 open affairs.TVA attempted to rebut his claim by offering the selection intercellular substance used during his interview as indorse to prove that he didnt rank as one of the gain 10 applicants due to his interview scores. However, Mr. Dunlap was able to refute TVAs claim by demonstrating that his matrix score was manipulated to keep him out of top 10, thus proving it was notwithstanding a pretext way for TVA to hide discriminatory intent.Both courts noted that the increased weight given to the interview created a more subjective process and the lack of an objective evaluation of the interview questions allowed the alteration of scores to produce a racially biased result. Also, there was proof that some of the score sheets were changed as many as 70 times without evidence of any legitimate reason to support the revisions. The court of appeals concurred with the district court that due to th e above irregularities, the hiring matrix score used by TVA for not hiring Mr. Dunlap was unreliable and that discrimination motivated the hiring committees decision-making. (FindLaw, 2010). 4. What should the TVA obligate done differently with regard to interviewing and selecting candidates for these jobs? The following beam several provisions the TVA should deport done with regard to interviewing and selecting candidates for the 10 jobs. First, TVA should have done everything within its power to ensure the selection committee didnt contain of racist representatives which is a bad reflection on the company.TVA needed to ensure these people are very aware and adhere to the companys hiring and discrimination policies. Second, these representatives should be very familiar with and adhere to TVAs Principles and Practices on filling vacant positions, mandate that merit and efficiency form the basis for selection of job candidates, stating that education, training, experience, abilit y, and previous work performance serve as a basis for appraisal of merit and efficiency (Walsh, 2010).The committee should also have adhered to the Cumberland plant HR Directors e-mail that explicitly stated that interviewers should not award points for being a diversity candidate and it is really important up figurehead before your interviews start to have a definition of what Outstanding, Well-Qualified, and Qualified is. This needs to be documented and dated before the interview process starts (Walsh, 2010). The district court found the interviewers placed candidates in these categories after the interviews and ranking had been completed.In turn, this ensured the number of Outstanding applicants equaled the exact number of job openings and their candidates of choice were in the top 10 group. As a result, TVA should ensure a legitimate matrix is developed for scoring purposes and not be manipulated for preferred results. Finally, TVA should screen their HR representatives very g uardedly prior to hiring provide initial ethics and discrimination training and on an ongoing basis to ensure current laws are followed.ReferencesFindLaw (2011). US court of appeals 6th circuit. Retrieved fromhttp//caselaw.findlaw.com/us-6th-circuit/1092121.htmlUnited States Court of Appeals (March 21, 2008). Appeal from the United States District Court for the middle district of tennessee at nashville. No. 04-00045. Retrieved from http//www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/08a0121p-06.pdfWalsh, D. J. (2010). Employment law for human resource practice 2010 custom-built edition (3rd ed.). Mason, OH South-Western Cengage LearningDunlap v. Tennessee valley AuthorityThe Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects individuals against employment discrimination on the bases of color, as well as national origin, sex, religion. This law applies to any employers with 15 or more employees including the local state, government, employment agencies, labor organizations and federal government jobs . David Dunlap a fifty-two black male who worked as a boil maker for twenty years has perform numerous of jobs for Tennessee Valley Authority and decided to interview for one of the ten position that TVA had usable at the Cumberland facility.The district court found that Dunlap was subject to discrimination under both disparate impact and disparate treatment theories. After analyzing both the disparate impact and the disparate treatment the disparate impact claim had failed due to the lack of evidence that Dunlap could provide to support his case, but he had enough evidence from the interview process to prove that the disparate treatment theory would help him to win his case against Tennessee Valley Authority. Explain why the plaintiffs disparate (adverse) impact claim fail?The disparate impact theory requires a plaintiff to demonstrate that a facially neutral employment practice go more harshly on one group than another and practice is not justified by business necessity. With t his claim the plaintiffs most identify a circumstantial employment practice to be challenged also through relevant statistical analysis proves that the challenged practice has an adverse on the protected group. With the decision to hire only a certain amount of people to join the Tennessee Valley Authority Dunlap figured that he had a great chance of being a candidate due to the years that he have invested with the company.Dunlap did not present evidence that the practice can show that a protected group was adversely impacted. Since he could not prove his claim by challenging the process used in his own interview the courts decided that the disparate impact claim would not be enough sufficient evidence to use against Tennessee Valley Authority. Explain why the plaintiffs disparate treatment claim succeed? Dunlap succeeded with disparate treatment because he had efficient evidence (examples) to show the district court. The examples that he shared showed how he was treated within t he interview process.Within the disparate treatment claim the plaintiff must be able to, establish a prima facie case of racial discrimination (2) the employer must articulate some legitimate, nondiscrimatory reason for its actions and (3) the plaintiff must prove that the stated reason was in fact pretextual. One of the examples that were used was that Dunlap accredited a 3. 7 for reporting missing some days off, but two other candidates received a 4. 2 and 5. 5 when they shouldnt have received a better score than him. They also gave Dunlap a 4 on his safety record, even though he had a perfect score.Two of the candidates had two accidents in eleven years and they both received higher scores than Dunlap. He also talked about how he ranked 14 and they were split into three groups outstanding, qualified and well- qualified. The ten candidates were all chosen to have one of the positions. There were also emails to support some of the evidence Dunlap had. I think being able to prove the three requirements was why the plaintiff was successful. He was able to us examples that really supported him the emails also helped him to be successful.The emails showed proof of discrimination amongst all candidates. What should the TVA have done differently with regard to interviewing and selecting candidates for these jobs? Due to this company being one of the hardest companies to cleave employed with, the Human Resource team should have first met up with each other to come up with characteristics that they would compliments each candidate to display to help the company be more of an asset our society. Secondly, I think that the Tennessee Valley Authority should have really sit down and analyze each candidate that was applying for the ten positions.With this company only have a select ten positions available the hiring managers should have been very specific with the candidates that should be chosen. They should have compared and contrasts the advantages and disadvantages of each candidate upon calling them to set up an interview. They should have taken some time to look at each cover to cross out the ones that did not meet the characteristic that were initially brought about. Race should not have ever been a factor and seeking candidates to fill all ten open positions.Regardless of anyones race the job still has to be completed. Everyone should have been given a fair chance for any position available. They could have also given everyone a trial period to let their performance speak for itself. I think that each candidate should have been given a fair opportunity to be rewarded with a job with Tennessee Valley Authority. So many companies try to use and abuse you as long as you willing let them Dunlap felt that he had an equal chance to get hired on with this company in which he had been working as temp for a long period of time.In conclusion, I really enjoyed reading the Dunlap vs. Tennessee Valley Authority legal case. This case shows me that so metimes the things that you want may not be the things that you really want to deal with. It also display the courageous to stand up for what is right. Although Dunlap knew that he had a great chance of being hired through Tennessee Valley Authority when he did not receive the position he knew that something had to be wrong. We as people do not think that your race plays a major(ip) part in receiving a job and although it is not right sometimes it does.Dunlap did a great job sharing the examples of the things that happen to him during the interview selection process. take down though the things that went on throughout the interview process were not right, he was able to show them that they were wrong. I am glad that he did not get discourage about pursuing the issue of being discriminated against. No matter what kind of case it may be the plaintiffs always have the burden of proof, which path it is up to the plaintiff to prove their case. Dunlap did just that

Increasing Organizational Productivity Essay

there is a great challenge in change magnitude the productivity of governances particularly to the managers who properly consume turned to be experts in their peculiar(prenominal) fields. Basing on an musical arrangemental challenge that is tending to ubiquity, the productivity of the musical arrangement is the ratio that evaluates the efficiency of the resources subprogramd in the take of services. Production refers to the ratio between outputs and inputs. There atomic number 18 some particular companies that manage to produce more after using less as comp ard to other companies even when the conditions for productions ar quite the same. ii companies may happen to be working in the same industry, deal with the same suppliers and resources, and work in similar business environs and after all, testify some differences in organizational productivity. It means therefore the greatest challenge for managers of specific organizations is to have ideas on how to ontogenesis p roductivity. This is one of the managers responsibilities that champion to increasing the market share of an organization as well as maintaining profit (Smith, 1995). Goal settingA manager of an organization has to clarify the goals of the organizations, winding processes so as to achieve them and in addition get over the processes. A Service oriented organization basically shares the same goals with the peer organizations. The goals include maturation a service that seems superior as compared to those offered in the marketplace. The second goal involves increasing the market share for the organizations. Sustain the profits and at the same clock time increase sales volume should be included. Moreover, offering suitable return on investment and using the available technology to increase productivity are also included.The goals also include eliminating waste, fostering the morale of the employees, reaching the best level of functioning efficiency and enhancing the image of the or ganization. It should be noned that the goals are relate to each other and more most-valuablely, their major intention is to increase the productivity of an organization. In all organizations the efforts of the employees basically determine the effectiveness of the organization. Generally, productivity happens in correlativity to the interest and concern employees portray to a specific input component.Thus the human resource manager should be actively involved in developing and putting into practice practices and policies which encourage employees productivity (Maanen, 1998). Coping with factors that stir production There are some factors that have a great effect on productivity in service oriented companies. These are organization factors, environment factors, factors related to employee and management factors. The management of an organization have the stipulation of examining the factors correctively to find out how one factor affects the other.This is because failure to examine a particular factor may lead to lowering of productivity. Since nobody faeces have a control on the environmental factors, the organization must al dashs strive to be flexible so as to adapt to them. The structure of the organization is influenced by the environment it operates on and the environment has a meaning(a) impact on the employees. It is obvious that the course of the management establishes the effectiveness of the organization simply because it affects the reaction and attitude of the employee.Considering the birth that exists among the factors have an ultimate effect on the productivity of an organization (Smith, 1995). The changing conditions in the economy have intense effect on the productivity of an organization and hence the degree of the stability of the company in terms of economy has effects on decisions concerning growth and staffing. As a result the labour married couple may change the benefits, wages and work rules and therefore the human resource department have to be cautious of the changes in the labour market conditions. An organization ought to be in a position that it can adapt easily to changing work environment.The organization factors which include structure, climate and technology also affect the profitability, efficiency and more particularly productivity (Smith, 1995). The application of management approaches of economy, efficiency as well as effectiveness as productivity measurement in a service oriented company have been noted not to increase productivity significantly (Bass& Avolio, 1998). There is indigence to incorporate the use of respectable approaches such as empathy and evaluation to increase the production of the organizations to a greater extent.There are limits that seem practical in the level of formalization and long suit of an organization. It may be national, privately owned or publicly owned and to increase productivity, the human practices and policies must match with the complexity and size o f an organization. The makeup as well as size of the Human Resource department ought to echo with the organizations structure. Another thing to consider is the degree of specialization or in other words technology. This involves the technical level of the processes in an organization.To sustain market viability, there is take for a particular scope of development and research. Employees should have the necessary skills basing on varying degrees. An organization ought to focus on whether it wishes to be employee-centred hence encourage employees to attain results. It must bear in mind its recognise systems, communicating information, decision making and offering a positive climate for all employees. The Human Resource professionals ought to involve themselves in determining the climate of the organization.If it happens that they do not get involved, it means they lack the power to command a position that seems strong to lead to the implementation of policies created by the climate. Each organization has a basic management style that may be naturally evolved or consciously adopted. Whether democratic, task-oriented, authoritarian, laissez-faire, whether it strives to be reactive or chooses to be proactive or innovative, the managerial style for a particular organization has intense effect on the ability of the HR department in developing and implementing procedures and policies as well as on the employees.The function of the Human Resource is also highly affected by the manner in which resources are attained and used, the question regarding who makes decisions and sets the goals, how communication is communicated and the style of motivation used (Warrwick organizational Behaviour Staff,2001). Employee attitude is another factor that has effect on the productivity of an organization. It is through the employees that the goals of an organization are attained and as a result they drive the failure or success of the organization.It is important to have employees with the proper educational levels or knowledge and skill concerning the calling. Moreover, the employees motivation and abilities are also important factors to consider. The organization should avoid setting practices and policies that intensify negatively the employees social, personal, religious and political factors since this is likely to affect the workers effectiveness hence influencing productivity (Warrwick Organizational Behaviour Staff, 2001) What matters most?Productivity is concerned with what can be derived from the organizations resources and hence it is important to clearly list the most significant resource. For example in labour-intensive industries, the major input could be total number of hours worked by an individual and in steel plants could be the equipment. To increase productivity it is unplayful to benchmark the trading operations in an organization to avoid being left behind in competition. An organization should invest in resources and this does not i mply that there is need to use large sums of money.Investment could entail training employees on skills, operations as well as procedures. Training employees religious service impact in them vital skills that would help them to avoid making mistakes in customer service and manufacturing. For example, investing in technology may assist the organization to speed up in production and reduce the head count hence leading to less wastage. Paying the employees for work done would not bring the best for an organization. There are so many factors that affect the employees behavior. The organization needs to carry out an analysis and determine what has been missing in the list of motivating employees.To set things straight, there is need for a balanced approach and studies have revealed that doing away with pilferage of efforts could result to increased productivity (Warrwick Organizational Behaviour Staff, 2001). Best practices Increasing revenues and lowering costs are the major fundamenta l goals for service oriented organizations. At the same time as a businesses strives to attain its goals and objectives, IT organizations are pushed forward to accomplishing more with less. IT organizations have an added obligation of assisting other organizations comply with the regulative requirements.Apparently, in the past years, reducing risk in organizations has assumed a different meaning and has become the most significant goal for organizations. For an organization to succeed in increasing productivity, it needs to examine the other perspective of reducing risks. This means that the need to manage and reduce risks is intertwined to increasing productivity. Managing risks involves reliability, compliance and security (Kelly, 2005). From the compliance point of view, development organizations ought to make sure that business processes as well as applications data consistently adhere to the regulatory guidelines and requirements.Failure to do this may imply that many IT depar tments could be exposing the organization to regulatory and legal risks. Organizations need to meet the requirement of the SOX-type reporting and hence organizations need to perfectly ensure that any alterations in their applications do not interfere but rather meet with other regulations including those of SOX. Basing on the reliability perspective, it is better that organizations pass off with the attempts of increasing availability and reliability of the internal and facing customers applications.The key component to ensuring reliability is testing. However, many organizations fail in the procedure as they test what they discern as important since they have little testing time at their disposal. This means that the organization leaves what is most important in real sense. Therefore, to become a bit more efficient and effective, organizations are required to perfect their effectiveness in the testing process and this means that testing should including testing the most important aspects or components and not the easiest components.From a security point of view, this is the real meaning of business in organizations. A breach in the application raises the risks involved in the organizations and therefore there should be a good thought on matters to do with reducing possibility attacks and this henceforth reduce risks linked to data retrieve and applications (Kelly, 2005). The issue linked to managing risks is developer productivity. There is a lot of pressure on service oriented organizations to execute more while utilizing less. There is more job security if there is consequent greater effectiveness and developers productivity.It does not count much if organizations purpose to increase productivity without the proper tools as this get out not show the practicability of the set goals. This is like purposing to work smarter but not harder. To increase organizations productivity, developers ought to come up with new ways of minimizing the time that is not ut ilized in benefiting the business value. For instance, the time utilized in testing does not particularly give business its value, but instead gives support on the release of an application that is complete which focus on a business need.Looking for ways to effectively and efficiently test will lead to an increase in productivity hence affect positively the delivering of the business value. The best way for efficient testing is creating a good level for best practices and not waste time in rebuilding standards from the grassroots (Kelly, 2005). Nothing comes easy and therefore if in an organization there will be addressing of challenges and risks, more effort and may be more time will be used. This implies that more money will be needed for executing the process.There is no way an organization can increase quality without having to increase time and cost. Organizations need to think on the best manner of reaching quality in the original world in the available time in a manner that is cost effective. This is the challenge that organizations face today. The best practices assist organizations to have a good improvement in the performance and efficiency of the organizations (Kelly, 2005). In the past years organizations considered the top down approach as the best in increasing productivity.However, this can also be achieved by using the bottoms up approach and this helps organizations to define, capture and apply the best practices in particular portions of the cycle of development. For instance, a particular organization may put into practice a limited performance of code of review for specific forms of services or applications. On the other hand, the organization may apply development tools and automated testing that streamline the identification of errors and also educate developers on the appropriate modes of solving errors as well as accomplishing a given job.

Case on TQM Essay

ABSTRACTUsing case study methodology, the authors asked fiber managers nigh their societys cause with ISO 90001994 and transmit quality management (TQM) implementation. The results show that initially the standard could aid some companies reorganize their procedures and define responsibilities and duties. However, managers perspectives on its possible effect on community doing are non positive. Only convergence quality improves after implementation. On the contrary, TQM has amend many aspects of performance, the most influential aspects being those soft dimensions of leadership and clement resource management. These aspects were not included in ISO 90001994.After analyzing ISO 9000 as a first step toward the TQM implementation, as much of the literature advises, the authors findings suggest that managers consider it to be a disturbing element when implemented jointly with TQM. Their study points out that, in practice, there are two parallel quality systems in a company. To get better results, it is important to adapt ISO requirements to facilitate TQM implementation otherwise, the hardly advantage of the registration is the permission to selling the market.INTRODUCTIONOver the last decade, ISO 9000 support has been the subject of many articles. The phenomenon of its quick development led to a belief that it was a great advantage for a company to attain registration. In retentiveness with this, many enquiryers tried to identify the impact of ISO 9000 certification on companies results and management. An important group of researchers has not found any strong positive relationship in the midst of certification and results. However, there is another group of articles that points out an model of registration on product quality.Apart from any exploit derived from implementation, some authors advocated that certification could be a good first step toward a total quality management (TQM) system, raising awareness of quality among surviveers and a good climate in which to implement it. Regarding this point, implementation of the standard was advised with the aim of implementing TQM in order to obtain maximum benefits from the registration (Brecka, 1994 Meegan and Taylor 1997 Huarng, Horng, and Chen 1999 Hughes, Williams, and Ryall 2000 Sun 2000 Gotzamani and Tsiotras 2002). The question is Do companies authentically implement ISO certification with this aim? Is the accepted wisdom that ISO certification could help companies attain a TQM system true? Which aspects of ISO do that? The purpose of this research is to by trial and error evaluate the real contribution of ISO 9000 toward TQM implementation.METHODOLOGYCase study methodology is best when the objective is to build system in preliminary phases of a research study or to add new perspectives to former research (Yin 1994). Part of this research can be considered as preliminary, because there is restrained little picture on how the ISO 9000 and TQM act jointly in mana gement. The objective of the case study is not the statistical generalization, but the analytical one. This methodology tries to generalize from case to theory it does not attempt to extrapolate incidents from sample to population. Relating to the number of cases, the lower number will allow the researcher to obtain more(prenominal) than information (Voss, Tsikriktsis, and Frohlich 2002). However, a six-fold case study increases reliability and external validity. Predict similar results (literal replication) Get different results due to predictable reasonsThe authors chose a multiple case study rather of a single one to increase external validity and reliability. Fourteen companies among the biggest manufacturing companies in Spain were selected for the study. The cases were selected with the condition of being conscious at least by the ISO 90001994. iii of them were applying TQM and two were recently certified by the new version of ISO 90002000. The case study protocol inclu ded two questionnaires in order to apply triangulation. bingle of them was used in the interview with the quality manager.The other questionnaire was to be completed by other managers not associated with the quality area. The authors took into consideration other documents supplied by the company and direct observation through plant visits. Table 1 shows the companies participating in the study and their characteristics. Later in this article, the authors assign a number for for each one company in order to safeguard confidentiality of responses. The criteria used to select companies were mainly Homogeneity of external factors The authors focused on manufacturing companies since ISO 9000 was initially designed for industrial companies.RESULTSpersonal effects of TQM on Company PerformanceFirst the authors classified companies according to the degree of implementation of a total quality system. They identified three companieswith high levels and experience in TQM the remaining compa nies had a low degree of TQM implementation. This classification was based on information about TQM dimensions such as node orientation, work teams for uninterrupted improvement, consciousness about quality, quality planning, and so on. Managers of the three TQM companies were asked about the perceived performance improvements as a result of TQM implementation. The three managers agreed that TQM implementation had benefited the company in many ways.Then the authors asked them to position the improvements in a set of performance measurements, explaining why the TQM system had improved every measure. Measurements were obtained from a literature survey that relates quality management and performance. The richness of the case study is that the manager is able to explain at the moment of completing the questionnaire the why of each rate and to add evidence to the question. Table 2 shows the results along with some notes from managers. The last column shows the value of the influence o n each measure based on the bulk of responses (1-2=low, 3=medium, 4-5=high). In the cases where companies responses are very different (one of each) there is not enough evidence to affirm that TQM influences that point.According to these managers perceptions, TQM influences product quality, customer service, fast response, competitiveness, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction and motivation, rate of defects, and stock price. Regarding the customers claims, it is important to note that two managers indicated that this point had not improved because customers today are more demanding than before. A similar definition is valid for warranty costs. One company too pointed out that these costs often come from a wrong use of the product and not from its quality. Exports and innovations were not tested because of the particular characteristics of the companies interviewed Financial measures were difficult to mark.Managers agreed that they would need more information to position th emselves, although they perceived that the market in general values the fact that the company has implemented a TQM system and consequently, the stock price rises. After completing the questionnaire, managers were asked to indicate the elements of TQM that are more responsible for company improvements. Following are their responses Company 1 The most important aspect is that everybody in the company, including the cleaning service, the doorman, and the accountant, is conscious and worried about quality. Before, the only people interested in quality were the quality department staff. Company 4 Personnel motivation and participation. If you get this, then the complete system works. Company 12 First, the general belief of the impressiveness of quality. Second, the decision to be real leaders. Managers and staff move together towards the same aim.Effects of ISO 9000 on Company PerformanceQuality managers were similarly asked about the influence that ISO 90001994 registration has ha d on the same aspects of company results that were considered for TQM. They were asked to give a score from 1 to 5 (1=no influence, 5=very strong influence).The global influence that ISO 90001994 has had over each variable, evaluated according to the majority of responses, is presented in the final column of Table 3. As can be seen, the only aspect that clearly improved from the date of certification was product quality. One manager said this was because they had to create procedures and reduce variability in the production fulfil because of ISO implementation. All of them agreed that the product was the same as before certification. The only difference was that after ISO implementation it was more controlled.The defect rate had consequently decreased as hygienic. The effect on both customer satisfaction and competitiveness was medium. It is worth explaining that when the quality manager considered that certification could improved these variables, he always explained that custome r satisfaction was derived from the accomplishment of a previous requirement from him to attain certification. Some other managers pointed out that this satisfaction could be due to improvement in claims management. When ISO 9000 was first created, being a certified company was a competitive advantage.Today this advantage has disappeared and it has become a requirement to compete in the market. The effect on customer service was also medium. In this sense, ISO 9000 certification has been useful to organize the claims management system. Each claim must be registered and evaluated. There must exist a procedure to gain claims. Regarding the employees, the ISO 9000 system improved their productivity and their interest in quality problems. Improvement in productivity is again explained by better procedures and work instructions.However, many managers lose confessed that employee satisfaction worsened because of the bureaucracy of the system. The documentation needed to sustain the syste m increased their workload. The remaining variables are not considered to create any impact on results. Note that the financial measures were not influenced by the implementation of the standard. When managers were asked about the main advantages and disadvantages of certification, they agreed that certification is helpful to organize the production system through procedures and work instructions. The paperwork generated was identified as the most negative consequence. After asking if certification was profitable, the majority answered that it had to be, pointing out that nowadays it is a basic requirement. If we did not have it, we couldnt sell, they affirmed.ISO 9000 and TQMIf data on the companies that had implemented TQM are analyzed, it can be seen that certification had less impact on nearly all results. The first company shows high marks in some variables. This company was the only one that started the quality journey by implementing ISO 9000 first and then TQM. It would ex plain the fact that the ISO standard could help managers organize the production process when quality management was at an initial stage. In fact, the manager of this company stated that formalization was useful for learning and for having criteria for future tense comparisons. The other two managers of companies applying TQM did not find any impact, although they suggested that the certification could help in some cases when companies had problems regarding process management.Finally, as an raise note, one of the managers was worried about the new version of the standard, ISO 90002000. As explained before, managers try to establish minimal requirements in the quality manual to avoid what they believe as disturbances in their normal work. In his opinion, the newversion represents a higher level of a quality system, is more demanding, and tries to incorporate some points more in line with the TQM system. It would mean that the hearer should have access to new fields in his or her company, and they would have to allow him or her to interrupt many aspects of the process. It could mean that the company worked less well than before.CONCLUSIONThe authors asked quality managers of 14 companies about their experience with both ISO 90001994 implementation and TQM. Only three of the 14 companies had implemented TQM. Those companies have had improvements in performance as a result. These were mainly in product quality, customer and employee satisfaction, and competitiveness. When asked about the most important dimensions of TQM for getting these better results, managers agreed on leadership and employee participation.Regarding ISO 9000, the results show that the only clear improvement is in product quality. Managers agree that certification was useful in the initial stages of quality system implementation, mainly because they improved their production process through the development of work procedures, creating an atmosphere in which quality played an important role a nd defining responsibilities and duties. Initially, ISO 9000 certification was a competitive tool because it was still a novelty. However, today, certification is no longer a competitive advantage, but a prerequisite to play in the market.The authors have detected that companies that are applying TQM have fewer improvements in performance when ISO 9000 was implemented than the others. One of them presents slightly higher values, and, by coincidence, it is the only one that was ISO 9000 registered before implementing TQM. This could give the impression that the standard could be a good first step toward TQM implementation n. However, a more in-depth interview with managers changed the authors point of view. The managers point out that the ISO standard can be an restriction when implemented jointly with a TQM system, interfering in the normal operation of the business and allowing the auditor to inspect too many aspects of the quality system and slowdown it down.The response to thi s problem provided by some of the Spanish managers interviewed was to completely separate implementation of a TQM system from the ISO 9000 system. Within other business culture contexts, the solution could well be different. Those companies that decided to apply the ISO regulation more strictly introduced all those aspects related to GCT in the manual. Then, the auditor will have a more important role and his or her understanding of what TQM is will be more important in these cases.Therefore, the effect of ISO 90012000 on company results will also cipher on two factors 1) the managers fulfilment of norms, and 2) the auditors understanding of TQM. Differences among countries due to different management cultures will then be a cause of differences in ISO 9001 effects and an interesting topic of analysis. The new version of the standard is closer to a TQM system. In particular, it tries to improve human resource management, customer focus, and leadership. According to managers, and su pported by the conclusions of previous authors, the soft variables of TQM are responsible for the improvement in results derived from TQM implementation. It is an opportunity for companies to achieve better performance by applying the new version adequately. This new standard could also be a good first step toward a TQM system. Further research in this sense would be interesting to help managers attain more benefits from certification.

Stefan’s Diaries: Bloodlust Chapter 16-17

Chapter 16I searched in vain for peaceful sleep but never found it. Instead when I closed in(p) my eyeb all I saw Damon, his legs curled slightly a hard woody chair, his arms bound in ropes. His skin bled, the droplets a dark ground where the vervain-soaked ropes bit into his flesh.Next came the images of C each(prenominal)ie, her flame-colo passing hair flowing behind her, her eyes lit with a frightening passion. She and her father danced around Damon, my brothers form pr single on the ground. They threw their hands in the air tauntingly, gripping wooden stakes, the ends so sharpened they reached a fine point. Their move custodyts became more frenzied as they approached, readying their weapons but worst of all were the visions of Katherine. I would see her, looking beautiful as always, her porcelain face h everyplaceing above mine and her glossy mane tickling my shoulders. With a coy, knowing smile she would number toward me, and then she would open her m offh. Her fangs glin ted in the lamp light as they plunged into my neck.My eyes flew open. Sleep would not afford me any rest. My mind went to memories of Katherine. The human partition of meor what was left-hand(a) of ithated her with every fiber of my being. My hand curled into a fist involuntarily when I thought of her, and how shed destroyed my family.But the vampire part of me missed what shed representedstability and love. And just as that part of my soul would last for eternity, so too would the part of me that hugeed for her. I valued her now, beside me, curled up in my sheets. I wanted her to lean against the windowsill and listen as I told her about Damon, and tell me, in her calm, even cold, matter-of-fact way what to do. world with Katherine had made me fearless, confident. She had made everything seem possible.Even though I trusted Lexi, I knew she didnt trust me to take care of things she didnt believe that any plan I had would work. That was why Lexi reminded me so often of all the o bstacles in my path. I longed for the Katherine I had fallen for, the one who seemed both fearless and to truly care for me. I wanted her by my side right now so I would feel less alone. But I knew that couldnt be. That Katherine had never really existed. Besides, she was gone, and she was never coming backbone.The entre opened, and Lexi stood there, a goblet of animal blood in her hands. She brought it to my lips. I took a few deep sips, despite the disgust it called up in me.When I had drained the cup, she put it on the nightstand, then brushed my hair off my forehead. atomic number 18 you still going to the fight tonight?Are you going to try to point in time me? No. Lexi bit her lip. Not so long as you simply leave it at saving your brother. Revenge is for humansand killing Gallagher wont con humans any lesson.I nodded, all the while knowing Id use brute force if it was necessary to free Damon.Good. Lexi turned to leave. Halfway toward the inlet, she turned back and locked eyes with me, and her expression softened. Youve cheated death once. I hope youll cheat it a second time.After dressing, I walked to Lake Road with human speed. By the time I got there, it was past dusk. Lanterns and torches were set up around the perimeter of the fairgrounds, making the entire area look as if it was bathed in daylight. The circus tent was striped red and white, and surrounded by midway games and individual booths. Fortunes Told a poster above one read. See the Worlds Ugliest WomanIf You Dare proclaimed another. I could hear the cackle of some type of animal coming from a far corner, but I couldnt get a sense of where Damon was.Just then, Callie walked out of the main tent, trailed by her father and her two henchmen. She was wearing the same pair of overalls shed had on the night out front over a mans linen shirt, and her hair fell around her shoulders. There was a smudge of dirt beneath her eye. I had a sudden urge to wipe it away but stuck my hands in my scoop instead.Stefan she called, her face breaking into a smile. Youre here. render, this is the man I told you about.Mr. Gallagher looked even more imposing up close. He towered above me, his dark brows knitted together. I unplowed my expression open, innocent. Lexi said Gallagher was a skilled vampire hunterwould he be able to detect the truth just by staring at me?My daughter says youre curious about vampires, he said. Prove youre serious and work the ticket counter. Then we can talk.Yes, sir. I nodded, feeling like Stefan the obedient child.And, boy? Gallagher asked, turning back toward me.Yes?You want to place a bet on the fight? Winnerll take a lot. Could make you a fortune. He raised an eyebrow.My eyes narrowed, and blood screamed through my veins, fast and hot. How dare this man ask me to bet on my brothers life? How dare he act so self-important when I could rip his throat out in an instant?Stefan? Callie asked warily.Forcing myself to calm down, I reached into the pockets of my well-worn britches and pulled them inside out. Im afraid I have no money, sir. Thats why Im so grateful to have this job.Gallagher took a step closer to me. You say youre from Mississippi, boy? He gazed at me curiously. Your accent sounds more northernmaybe Virginian.My parents were from Virginia. I call back their accent rubbed off on me, I said in as casual a voice as I could muster.After a long moment, he nodded. Well, when you rustle up some currency, come find me. In the meantime, Callie will show you the ropes. And son? he called, turning on his heel.Yes, sir? I asked. forbidding be watching you.Chapter 17Dont be bothered by him, Callie said, once her father was a safe distance away.Im not, I lied. Her green eyes flicked over me, as if she didnt believe my words. But she didnt press the issue.Ill give you a quick tour, she said, taking me into one of the smaller tents. In a corner, a charwoman was hunched over a mirror. She turned, and I took a step back. Her face was cov ered with tattoos, which, upon closer inspection, were courtesy of rapidly drying India ink.The tattooed woman, Callie said. And the conjoined twins.The woman and the twins adjacent to her waved at us. The twins bodies were connected at the hip. They were beautiful, with blond hair and sad expressions. A man with flippers instead of arms whisper something in one of their ears. They glanced at each other, then broke into laughter.This is the show. Callie opened her hands wide, and for the first time I noticed a wooden stake dangling on a silver chain from her wrist. She also had a sprig of vervain tucked behind her ear.Miss Callie A hulking, seven-foot-tall mountain of a man ducked under the door of the tent and walked toward us. He picked her up by her tiny waist and swung her around.Arnold she said gleefully. The worlds strongest man. Married to the bearded maam, she explained to me before looking back up at Arnold. How is Carolean feeling?The giant shrugged. Shes doing well. Ca nt wait to come back and introduce everyone to the babies.They just had twins Callie said fondly.I nodded my greeting to the man and gazed over Callies shoulder. Where were they retentivity Damon?Are you okay? Callie asked. She brushed my arm, and I flinched when the vervain touched my skin.I just need air, I said, bursting out of the tent.Callie ran after me. Im sorry, Stefan, she said, her voice cold. Some people dont like it here. Theyre not comfortable. But somehow I thought youd be different.No, its not that. Even surrounded by these human curiosities, I was the biggest freak of them all the vampire who pretended to be human. Ive just got a lot on my mind. I promise you, I like it here.Okay, she said, not sounding quite convinced. But she continued to lead me farther into the grounds. We passed a two-headed cat, a sad-looking monkey playing Old Tom Dooley on a harmonica, and the skeleton of what a sign state to be a sea monster. Some freaks milling around were obviously acto rs, wearing fabric tubes filled with straw to simulate extra limbs, while others had been born(p) that way.Come with me, Callie said as she tugged on my arm. But I stayed. A black iron wagon rolled up to the tent, similar to the one Father had used to round up vampires during the Mystic Falls siege. It stopped, and the driver jumped from the cart. Immediately, five burly men rushed up with stakes. Once they were in place, the driver unguaranteed the back of the wagon. The scent of vervain wafted in the air, causing my joints to ache.Damon.And theres your vampire, Callie said, her mouth set in a firm line as all five men dragged Damon from the back of the wagon. One burly man, his sweat-stained shirt rolled at the sleeves, kept a stake positioned firmly over his heart.Gentle now, Jasper We need him alive before the fight Callie called, her voice sharp. Damon turned, baring his teeth in our direction. I saw surprise in his eyes, which quickly turned into contempt.My little brother, t he good Samaritan, he whispered under his breath, scantyly moving his jaw. Luckily, he said it low enough that only I heard.His voice sent a tremor through my body. Callie cocked her head, and I realized how risky it was for Damon and me to be in such close proximity. Would spite cause him to call me out as a fellow demon? Are you sure I cant help with the vampire? I asked her.You heard my father. Well start you at the ticket counter. And if anyone tries to sneak in, let Buck contend them, she said, gesturing to the hulking man hovering several paces behind her like a distended shadow.A commotion sounded in front of the tent. Callie let out a whistle as we approached. The front flap was closed tight, and a mass of people had surrounded a wooden ticket booth. Some, dressed in tattered britches and with dirt-stained hands, were clearly from the shantytown border the lake. But others were dressed in their finest the men in top hats and silk smoking jackets, the women in feather-ador ned hats and silk dresses, fur stoles draped around their bosoms.Callie turned to me, her eyes shining. Its never been so busy. Dads going to be so happy she said, clapping her hands together. Now, go help Buck, she commanded before running back around the tent.I stood in the wooden booth at the entrance, listening for Damon. But instead my ears filled with snatches of human conversation.Ive got a hundred dollars on the lion.No, the vampire. Monsters always win over beasts.Ive told this pretty lady here that she owes me a kiss if the beast wins. One man hiccupped, obviously drunk.I ground my teeth, wanting to lash out, to bite each and every one of them, to teach them a lesson. But I remembered Lexis words about revenge. Killing these men would not help Damon.A hand clapped my shoulder. I whirled around, ready to bare my teeth.It was Gallagher, his face flushed with excitement. We have to hustle, son The fights about to start, and the more we pack em in, the bigger the payday. He ho pped on an overturned apple crate rest just outside the entrance.Step right up, folks Welcome to my Odditorium See the worlds ugliest woman, marvel at the worlds strongest man But thats just the warm-up act. Because tonight, we have a battle royale, the likes of which have never been seen. Monster versus Beast. Who will win? And who wants to bet? Because this is one death that will lead to riches for some. The crowd pressed in more tightly around me, swarming like a mass of hungry insects.Gallagher grinned at me. Get em in, and get em bidding.And so I held out my hand, collecting their coins and orange stubs of paper, all the while resisting the urge to reach out and snap their necks, as easily as I would a twig branch, and alcohol addiction the liquid within.