The Twilight Saga 4: Breaking Dawn 17. What Do I Look Like? …

17. What Do I Look Like? The Wizard Of Oz? You Need A Brain? You Need A Heart? Go Ahead.Take Mine. Take Everything I Have. HEART? GO AHEAD. TAKE MINE. TAKE EVERYTHING I HAVE. I sort of had a plan as I ran to the Cullens' garage. The second part of it was totaling the bloodsucker's car on my way back. So I was at a loss when I mashed the button on the keyless remote, and it was not his Volvo that beeped and flashed its lights for me. It was another car – a standout even in the long line of vehicles that were mostly all drool-worthy in their own ways. Did he actually mean to give me the keys to an Aston Martin Vanquish, or was that an accident? I didn't pause to think about it, or if this would change that second part of my plan. I just threw myself into the silky leather seat and cranked the engine while my knees were still crunched up under the steering wheel. The sound of the motor's purr might have made me moan another day, but right now it was all I could do to concentrate enough to put it in drive. I found the seat release and shoved myself back as my foot rammed the pedal down. The car felt almost airborne as it leaped forward. It only took seconds to race through the tight, winding drive. The car responded to me like my thoughts were steering rather than my hands. As I blew out of the green tunnel and onto the highway, I caught a fleeting glimpse of Leah's gray face peering uneasily through the ferns. For half a second, I wondered what she'd think, and then I realized that I didn't care. I turned south, because I had no patience today for ferries or traffic or anything else that meant I might have to lift my foot off the pedal. In a sick way, it was my lucky day. If by lucky you meant taking a well-traveled highway at two hundred without so much as seeing one cop, even in the thirty-mile-an-hour speed-trap towns. What a letdown. A little chase action might have been nice, not to mention that the license plate info would bring the heat down on the leech. Sure, he'd buy his way out of it, but it might have been just a little inconvenient for him. The only sign of surveillance i came across was just a hint of dark brown fur flitting through the woods, running parallel to me for a few miles on the south side of Forks. Quil, it looked like. He must have seen me, too, because he disappeared after a minute without raising an alarm. Again, I almost wondered what his story would be before I remembered that I didn't care. I raced around the long U-shaped highway, heading for the biggest city I could find. That was the first part of my plan. It seemed to take forever, probably because I was still on the razor blades, but it actually didn't even take two hours before I was driving north into the undefined sprawl that was part Tacoma and part Seattle. I slowed down then, because I really wasn't trying to kill any innocent bystanders. This was a stupid plan. It wasn't going to work. But, as I'd searched my head for any way at all to get away from the pain, what Leah'd said today had popped in there. That would go away, you know, if you imprinted. You wouldn't have to hurt over her anymore. Seemed like maybe getting your choices taken away from you wasn't the very worst thing in the world. Maybe feeling like this was the very worst thing in the world. But I'd seen all the girls in La Push and up on the Makah rez and in Forks. I needed a wider hunting range. So how do you look for a random soul mate in a crowd? Well, first, I needed a crowd. So I tooled around, looking for a likely spot. I passed a couple of malls, which probably would've been pretty good places to find girls my age, but I couldn't make myself stop. Did I want to imprint on some girl who hung out in a mall all day? I kept going north, and it got more and more crowded. Eventually, I found a big park full of kids and families and skateboards and bikes and kites and picnics and the whole bit. I hadn't noticed till now – it was a nice day. Sun and all that. People were out celebrating the blue sky. I parked across two handicapped spots – just begging for a ticket – and joined the crowd. I walked around for what felt like hours. Long enough that the sun changed sides in the sky. I stared into the face of every girl who passed anywhere near me, making myself really look, noticing who was pretty and who had blue eyes and who looked good in braces and who had way too much makeup on. I tried to find something interesting about each face, so that I would know for sure that I'd really tried. Things like: This one had a really straight nose; that one should pull her hair out of her eyes; this one could do lipstick ads if the rest of her face was as perfect as her mouth___ Sometimes they stared back. Sometimes they looked scared – like they were thinking, Who is this big freak glaring at me? Sometimes I thought they looked kind of interested, but maybe that was just my ego running wild. Either way, nothing. Even when I met the eyes of the girl who was – no contest – the hottest girl in the park and probably in the city, and she stared right back with a speculation that looked like interest, I felt nothing. Just the same desperate drive to find a way out of the pain. As time went on, I started noticing all the wrong things. Bella things. This one's hair was the same color. That one's eyes were sort of shaped the same. This one's cheekbones cut across her face in just the same way. That one had the same little crease between her eyes – which made me wonder what she was worrying about___ That was when I gave up. Because it was beyond stupid to think that I had picked exactly the right place and time and I was going to simply walk into my soul mate just because I was so desperate to. It wouldn't make sense to find her here, anyway. If Sam was right, the best place to find my genetic match would be in La Push. And, clearly, no one there fit the bill. If Billy was right, then who knew? What made for a stronger wolf? I wandered back to the car and then slumped against the hood and played with the keys. Maybe I was what Leah thought she was. Some kind of dead end that shouldn't be passed on to another generation. Or maybe it was just that my life was a big, cruel joke, and there was no escape from the punch line. â€Å"Hey, you okay? Hello? You there, with the stolen car.† It took me a second to realize that the voice was talking to me, and then another second to decide to raise my head. A familiar-looking girl was staring at me, her expression kind of anxious. I knew why I recognized her face – I'd already catalogued this one. Light red-gold hair, fair skin, a few gold-colored freckles sprinkled across her cheeks and nose, and eyes the color of cinnamon. â€Å"If you're feeling that remorseful over boosting the car,† she said, smiling so that a dimple popped out in her chin, â€Å"you could always turn yourself in.† â€Å"It's borrowed, not stolen,† I snapped. My voice sounded horrible – like I'd been crying or something. Embarrassing. â€Å"Sure, thatW hold up in court.† I glowered. â€Å"You need something?† â€Å"Not really. I was kidding about the car, you know. It's just that†¦ you look really upset about something. Oh, hey, I'm Lizzie.† She held out her hand. I looked at it until she let it fall. â€Å"Anyway†¦,† she said awkwardly, â€Å"I was just wondering if I could help. Seemed like you were looking for someone before.† She gestured toward the park and shrugged. â€Å"Yeah.† She waited. I sighed. â€Å"I don't need any help. She's not here.† â€Å"Oh. Sorry.† â€Å"Me, too,† I muttered. I looked at the girl again. Lizzie. She was pretty. Nice enough to try to help a grouchy stranger who must seem nuts. Why couldn't she be the one? Why did everything have to be so freaking complicated? Nice girl, pretty, and sort of funny. Why not? â€Å"This is a beautiful car,† she said. â€Å"It's really a shame they're not making them anymore. I mean, the Vantage's body styling is gorgeous, too, but there's just something about the Vanquish___† Nice girl who knew cars. Wow. I stared at her face harder, wishing I knew how to make it work. C'mon, Jake – imprint already. â€Å"How's it drive?† she asked. â€Å"Like you wouldn't believe,† I told her. She grinned her one-dimple smile, clearly pleased to have dragged a halfway civil response out of me, and I gave her a reluctant smile back. But her smile did nothing about the sharp, cutting blades that raked up and down my body. No matter how much I wanted it to, my life was not going to come together like that. I wasn't in that healthier place where Leah was headed. I wasn't going to be able to fall in love like a normal person. Not when I was bleeding over someone else. Maybe – if it was ten years from now and Bella's heart was long dead and I'd hauled myself through the whole grieving process and come out in one piece again – maybe then I could offer Lizzie a ride in a fast car and talk makes and models and get to know something about her and see if I liked her as a person. But that wasn't going to happen now. Magic wasn't going to save me. I was just going to have to take the torture like a man. Suck it up. Lizzie waited, maybe hoping I was going to offer her that ride. Or maybe not. â€Å"I'd better get this car back to the guy I borrowed it from,† I muttered. She smiled again. â€Å"Glad to hear you're going straight.† â€Å"Yeah, you convinced me.† She watched me get in the car, still sort of concerned. I probably looked like someone who was about to drive off a cliff. Which maybe I would've, if that kind of move'd work for a werewolf. She waved once, her eyes trailing after the car. At first, I drove more sanely on the way back. I wasn't in a rush. I didn't want to go where I was going. Back to that house, back to that forest. Back to the pain I'd run from. Back to being absolutely alone with it. Okay, that was melodramatic. I wouldn't be all alone, but that was a bad thing. Leah and Seth would have to suffer with me. I was glad Seth wouldn't have to suffer long. Kid didn't deserve to have his peace of mind ruined. Leah didn't, either, but at least it was something she understood. Nothing new about pain for Leah. I sighed big as I thought about what Leah wanted from me, because I knew now that she was going to get it. I was still pissed at her, but I couldn't ignore the fact that i could make her life easier. And – now that I knew her better – I thought she would probably do this for me, if our positions were reversed. It would be interesting, at the very least, and strange, too, to have Leah as a companion – as a friend. We were going to get under each other's skin a lot, that was for sure. She wouldn't be one to let me wallow, but I thought that was a good thing. I'd probably need someone to kick my butt now and then. But when it came right down to it, she was really the only friend who had any chance of understanding what I was going through now. I thought of the hunt this morning, and how close our minds had been for that one moment in time. It hadn't been a bad thing. Different. A little scary, a little awkward. But also nice in a weird way. I didn't have to be all alone. And I knew Leah was strong enough to face with me the months that were coming. Months and years. It made me tired to think about it. I felt like I was staring out across an ocean that I was going to have to swim from shore to shore before I could rest again. So much time coming, and then so little time before it started. Before I was flung into that ocean. Three and a half more days, and here I was, wasting that little bit of time I had. I started driving too fast again. I saw Sam and Jared, one on either side of the road like sentinels, as I raced up the road toward Forks. They were well hidden in the thick branches, but I was expecting them, and I knew what to look for. I nodded as I blew past them, not bothering to wonder what they made of my day trip. I nodded to Leah and Seth, too, as I cruised up the Cullens' driveway. It was starting to get dark, and the clouds were thick on this side of the sound, but I saw their eyes glitter in the glow of the headlights. I would explain to them later. There'd be plenty of time for that. It was a surprise to find Edward waiting for me in the garage. I hadn't seen him away from Bella in days. I could tell from his face that nothing bad had happened to her. In fact, he looked more peaceful than before. My stomach tightened as I remembered where that peace came from. It was too bad that – with all my brooding – I'd forgotten to wreck the car. Oh well. I probably wouldn't have been able to stand hurting this car, anyway. Maybe he'd guessed as much, and that's why he'd lent it to me in the first place. â€Å"A few things, Jacob,† he said as soon as I cut the engine. I took a deep breath and held it for a minute. Then, slowly, I got out of the car and threw the keys to him. â€Å"Thanks for the loan,† I said sourly. Apparently, it would have to be repaid. â€Å"What do you want now?† â€Å"Firstly†¦ I know how averse you are to using your authority with your pack, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I blinked, astonished that he would even dream of starting in on this one. â€Å"What?† â€Å"If you can't or won't control Leah, then I – â€Å" â€Å"Leah?† I interrupted, speaking through my teeth. â€Å"What happened?† Edward's face was hard. â€Å"She came up to see why you'd left so abruptly. I tried to explain. I suppose it might not have come out right.† â€Å"What did she do?† â€Å"She phased to her human form and – â€Å" â€Å"Really?† I interrupted again, shocked this time. I couldn't process that. Leah letting her guard down right in the mouth of the enemy's lair? â€Å"She wanted to†¦ speak to Bella.† â€Å"To Bella?† Edward got all hissy then. â€Å"I won't let Bella be upset like that again. I don't care how justified Leah thinks she is! I didn't hurt her – of course I wouldn't – but I'll throw her out of the house if it happens again. I'll launch her right across the river – â€Å" â€Å"Hold on. What did she say?† None of this was making any sense. Edward took a deep breath, composing himself. â€Å"Leah was unnecessarily harsh. I'm not going to pretend that I understand why Bella is unable to let go of you, but I do know that she does not behave this way to hurt you. She suffers a great deal over the pain she's inflicting on you, and on me, by asking you to stay. What Leah said was uncalled for. Bella's been crying – â€Å" â€Å"Wait – Leah was yelling at Bella about me?† He nodded one sharp nod. â€Å"You were quite vehemently championed.† Whoa. â€Å"I didn't ask her to do that.† â€Å"I know.† I rolled my eyes. Of course he knew. He knew everything. But that was really something about Leah. Who would have believed it? Leah walking into the bloodsuckers' place human to complain about how /was being treated. â€Å"I can't promise to control Leah,† I told him. â€Å"I won't do that. But I'll talk to her, okay? And I don't think there'll be a repeat. Leah's not one to hold back, so she probably got it all off her chest today.† â€Å"I would say so.† â€Å"Anyway, I'll talk to Bella about it, too. She doesn't need to feel bad. This one's on me.† â€Å"I already told her that.† â€Å"Of course you did. Is she okay?† â€Å"She's sleeping now. Rose is with her.† So the psycho was â€Å"Rose† now. He'd completely crossed over to the dark side. He ignored that thought, continuing with a more complete answer to my question. â€Å"She's†¦ better in some ways. Aside from Leah's tirade and the resulting guilt.† Better. Because Edward was hearing the monster and everything was all lovey-dovey now. Fantastic. â€Å"It's a bit more than that,† he murmured. â€Å"Now that I can make out the child's thoughts, it's apparent that he or she has remarkably developed mental facilities. He can understand us, to an extent.† My mouth fell open. â€Å"Are you serious?† â€Å"Yes. He seems to have a vague sense of what hurts her now. He's trying to avoid that, as much as possible. He†¦ loves her. Already.† I stared at Edward, feeling sort of like my eyes might pop out of their sockets. Underneath that disbelief, I could see right away that this was the critical factor. This was what had changed Edward – that the monster had convinced him of this love. He couldn't hate what loved Bella. It was probably why he couldn't hate me, either. There was a big difference, though. I wasn't killing her. Edward went on, acting like he hadn't heard all that. â€Å"The progress, I believe, is more than we'd judged. When Carlisle returns – â€Å" â€Å"They're not back?† I cut in sharply. I thought of Sam and Jared, watching the road. Would they get curious as to what was going on? â€Å"Alice and Jasper are. Carlisle sent all the blood he was able to acquire, but it wasn't as much as he was hoping for – Bella will use up this supply in another day the way her appetite has grown. Carlisle stayed to try another source. I don't think that's necessary now, but he wants to be covered for any eventuality.† â€Å"Why isn't it necessary? If she needs more?† I could tell he was watching and listening to my reaction carefully as he explained. Tm trying to persuade Carlisle to deliver the baby as soon as he is back.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"The child seems to be attempting to avoid rough movements, but it's difficult. He's become too big. It's madness to wait, when he's clearly developed beyond what Carlisle had guessed. Bella's too fragile to delay.† I kept getting my legs knocked out from under me. First, counting on Edward's hatred of the thing so much. Now, I'd realized that I thought of those four days as a sure thing. I'd banked on them. The endless ocean of grief that waited stretched out before me. I tried to catch my breath. Edward waited. I stared at his face while I recovered, recognizing another change there. â€Å"You think she's going to make it,† I whispered. â€Å"Yes. That was the other thing I wanted to talk to you about.† I couldn't say anything. After a minute, he went on. â€Å"Yes,† he said again. â€Å"Waiting, as we have been, for the child to be ready, that was insanely dangerous. At any moment it could have been too late. But if we're proactive about this, if we act quickly, I see no reason why it should not go well. Knowing the child's mind is unbelievably helpful. Thankfully, Bella and Rose agree with me. Now that I've convinced them it's safe for the child if we proceed, there's nothing to keep this from working.† â€Å"When will Carlisle be back?† I asked, still whispering. I hadn't got my breath back yet. â€Å"By noon tomorrow.† My knees buckled. I had to grab the car to hold myself up. Edward reached out like he was offering support, but then he thought better of it and dropped his hands. â€Å"I'm sorry,† he whispered. â€Å"I am truly sorry for the pain this causes you, Jacob. Though you hate me, I must admit that I don't feel the same about you. I think of you as a†¦ a brother in many ways. A comrade in arms, at the very least. I regret your suffering more than you realize. But Bella is going to survive† – when he said that his voice was fierce, even violent – â€Å"and I know that's what really matters to you.† He was probably right. It was hard to tell. My head was spinning. â€Å"So I hate to do this now, while you're already dealing with too much, but, clearly, there is little time. I have to ask you for something – to beg, if I must.† â€Å"I don't have anything left,† I choked out. He lifted his hand again, as if to put it on my shoulder, but then let it drop like before and sighed. â€Å"I know how much you have given,† he said quietly. â€Å"But this is something you do have, and only you. I'm asking this of the true Alpha, Jacob. I'm asking this of Ephraim's heir.† I was way past being able to respond. â€Å"I want your permission to deviate from what we agreed to in our treaty with Ephraim. I want you to grant us an exception. I want your permission to save her life. You know 111 do it anyway, but I don't want to break faith with you if there is any way to avoid it. We never intended to go back on our word, and we don't do it lightly now. I want your understanding, Jacob, because you know exactly why we do this. I want the alliance between our families to survive when this is over.† I tried to swallow. Sam, I thought. It's Sam you want. â€Å"No. Sam's authority is assumed. It belongs to you. You'll never take it from him, but no one can rightfully agree to what I'm asking except for you† It's not my decision. â€Å"It is, Jacob, and you know it. Your word on this will condemn us or absolve us. Only you can give this to me.† can't think. I don't know. â€Å"We don't have much time.† He glanced back toward the house. No, there was no time. My few days had become a few hours. don't know. Let me think. Just give me a minute here, okay? â€Å"Yes.† I started walking to the house, and he followed. Crazy how easy it was, walking through the dark with a vampire right beside me. It didn't feel unsafe, or even uncomfortable, really. It felt like walking next to anybody. Well, anybody who smelled bad. There was a movement in the brush at the edge of the big lawn, and then a low whimper. Seth shrugged through the ferns and loped over to us. â€Å"Hey, kid,† I muttered. He dipped his head, and I patted his shoulder. â€Å"S'all cool,† I lied. â€Å"I'll tell you about it later. Sorry to take off on you like that.† He grinned at me. â€Å"Hey, tell your sister to back off now, okay? Enough.† Seth nodded once. I shoved against his shoulder this time. â€Å"Get back to work. I'll spell you in a bit.† Seth leaned against me, shoving back, and then he galloped into the trees. â€Å"He has one of the purest, sincerest, kindest minds I've ever heard,† Edward murmured when he was outof sight. â€Å"You're lucky to have his thoughts to share.† â€Å"I know that,†! grunted. We started toward the house, and both of our heads snapped up when we heard the sound of someone sucking through a straw. Edward was in a hurry then.He darted up the porch stairs and was gone. â€Å"Bella, love, Ithought you were sleeping,† I heard him say. â€Å"I'm sorry, I wouldn't have left.† â€Å"Don't worry. Ijust got so thirsty – it woke me up.It's a good thing Carlisle is bringing more. This kid is going to need it when he gets out of me.† â€Å"True. That's a good point.† â€Å"I wonder if he'll want anything else,† she mused. â€Å"I suppose we'll find out.† I walked through the door. Alice said, â€Å"Finally,† and Bella's eyes flashed to me. That infuriating, irresistible smile broke across her face for one second. Then it faltered, and her face fell. Her lips puckered, like she was trying not to cry. I wanted to punch Leah right in her stupid mouth. â€Å"Hey, Bells,† Isaid quickly. â€Å"How ya doing?† â€Å"I'm fine,† she said. â€Å"Big day today, huh? Lots of new stuff.† â€Å"You don't have to do that, Jacob.† â€Å"Don't know what you're talking about,† I said, going to sit on the arm of the sofa by her head. Edward had the floor there already. She gave me a reproachful look. â€Å"I'm so s – † she started to say. I pinched her lips together between my thumb and finger. â€Å"Jake,† she mumbled, trying to pull my hand away. Her attempt was so weak it was hard to believe that she was really trying. I shook my head. â€Å"You can talk when you're not being stupid.† â€Å"Fine,I won't say it,† it sounded like she mumbled. I pulled my hand away. â€Å"Sorry!† she finished quickly, and then grinned. I rolledmy eyes and then smiled back at her. When I stared into her eyes, I saw everything that I'd been looking for in the park. Tomorrow, she'd be someone else. But hopefully alive, and that was what counted, right? She'd look at me with the same eyes, sort of. Smile with the same lips, almost. She'd still know me better than anyone who didn't havefull access to the inside of my head. Leah might be an interesting companion, maybe even a true friend – someone who would stand up for me. But she wasn't my best friend the way thatBella was. Aside from the impossible love I felt for Bella, there was also that other bond, and it ran bone deep. Tomorrow, she'd be my enemy. Or she'd be myally. And, apparently, that distinction was up to me. I sighed. Fine!I thought, giving up the very last thing i had to give. It made me feel hollow. Go ahead. Save her. As Ephraim's heir, you have my permission, my word, that this will not violate the treaty. The others will just have to blame me. You were right – they can't deny that it's my right to agree to this. ‘Thank you.† Edward's whisper was low enough that Bella didn't hear anything. But the words were so fervent that, from the corner of my eye, I saw the other vampires turning to stare. â€Å"So,†Bella asked, working to be casual. â€Å"How was your day?† â€Å"Great. Went for a drive. Hung out in the park.† â€Å"Sounds nice.† â€Å"Sure, sure.† Suddenly, she made a face. â€Å"Rose?† she asked. I heard Blondie chuckle. â€Å"Again?† â€Å"I think I've drunk two gallons in the last hour,† Bella explained. Edward and I both got out of the way while Rosalie came to lift Bella from the couch and take her to the bathroom. â€Å"Can I walk?† Bella asked. â€Å"My legs are so stiff.† â€Å"Are you sure?† Edward asked. â€Å"Rose'llcatch me if I trip over my feet. Which could happen pretty easily, since I can't see them.† Rosalie set Bellacarefully on her feet, keeping her hands right atBella's shoulders. Bella stretched her arms out in front of her, wincing a little. â€Å"That feels good,† she sighed. â€Å"Ugh, but I'm huge.† She really was. Her stomach was its own continent. â€Å"One more day,† she said, and patted her stomach. I couldn't help the pain that shot through me in a sudden, stabbing burst, but I tried to keep it off my face. I could hide it for one more day, right? â€Å"All righty, then. Whoops – oh, no!† The cup Bella had left on the sofa tumbled to one side, the dark red blood spilling out onto the pale fabric. Automatically, though three other hands beat her there, Bella bent over, reaching out to catch it. There was the strangest, muffled ripping sound from the center of her body. â€Å"Oh!† she gasped. And then she went totally limp, slumping toward the floor. Rosalie caught her in the same instant, before she could fall. Edward was there, too, hands out, the mess on the sofa forgotten. â€Å"Bella?† he asked, and then his eyes unfocused, and panic shot across his features. A half second later,Bella screamed. Itwas not justa scream, it was a blood-curdling shriek of agony. The horrifying sound cut off with a gurgle, and her eyes rolled back into her head. Her body twitched, arched in Rosalie's arms, and then Bella vomited a fountain of blood.

Robin lane fox

It is an immense task to relate the story of the world’s most successful conqueror in 553 pages but Robin Lane Fox manages to narrate the tale of Alexander the Great in a way no other author ever has.A story that has been repeated over and over again, and every account of the life of Alexander the Great has many versions which is somewhat shrouded in mystery, with elements of ambiguity.Main Body:  Fox manages to find a completely new angle on the intriguing account of the history’s most enigmatic leader, putting aside mundane details and stiff diction used by historians and instead using the evidence and facts and enveloping them with all the energy, passion and vigor which the incredible account of Alexander’s life deserves.Born in 336 BC Alexander became the king of Macedonia at the age of 20, from there on he established an empire far greater then any other conqueror could ever even think of, he was the only military leader who was never defeated in any batt le. The book has all the dramatic and tragic elements to make it seem like a work of fiction but the historically accurate details and facts used by the author makes this book a reliable source for historical information.Fox really made a reader see what Alexander’s times was like and how the people belonging to his times were like, he plunges into the depths of this man’s desires in a desperate need to narrate to the reader what motivated this young King to conquer the world.The account of Cleitus’s murder by Alexander is an exceptionally well written part; Mr. Fox writes that â€Å"the gist of the taunts that resulted in his murder can still be recovered today†. The description in the book about various aspects of the surroundings whether it be nature or interiors is superb the author really wants the reader to experience the times and events of Alexander the Great.Every chapter narrates the famous battles and conquests making them even more interesting with myths and legends related to them. Fox not only gives the report of the events happening at that time but also comments on how they affected the later civilizations. He writes about the various events that took place during Alexander’s life and what changes his conquests brought about in the world.  However there are shortcomings in the book as well for instance the author does not analyze the militarily tactics, all historians agree that military tactics show the true brilliance of Alexander the great, also the battle of Granicus is described very briefly and the description accepted by most historians is rejected by Fox where he says that it never took place as is told, but Alexander and his army fought in an open ground on the other side of the river.Conclusion:Many readers may find this book lacking in insight to the military life of this great leader. Fox perhaps wanted to give the reader an insight into what kind of a person Alexander the Great was instead of wh at he accomplished, since he often got distracted from narrating the story and goes on to making his own assumptions.The book is not an easy read but it does present Alexander the Great in a completely new light.WORKS CITEDBook Rags â€Å"Alexander the Great by Robin Lane fox†, Accessed October 9, 2006, from:http://www.bookrags.com/

External factors upon the activities of a business Essay

Introduction In this assignment, I will describe how external factors (political, legal, and social) are impacting upon the activities of a business. My chosen business is McDonalds and I will be explaining how the issues affect in both UK and India. McDonalds – is the world’s largest chain of fast food restaurants. They mainly serve hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken products, French fries, breakfast items, soft drinks, milkshakes and desserts. They also have options such as salads, apples, milk, and Snack Wraps on the menu. Legal Factors These are the laws and regulations affecting the business. Some of the other factors may include: freedom of information, data protection, employment law and copyright etc. UK and India’s Legal Factors Health and safety – In the UK and India, the health and safety law is very important for each individual or employees especially in the workplace, to prevent injury, death and illness. This affects some businesses especially in India because they need to have all equipment for health and safety which will cost them a lot to fill it up. Food Hygiene – In both countries, McDonalds has to be very hygienic in order for the business to stay open and successful. The impact of an unhygienic restaurant would be catastrophic for the company’s image. Recruitment and Selection Law – All workers must be treated equally. For example In UK, you cannot dismiss a worker for being pregnant. There should be proper warning before dismissing a worker otherwise it will be treated as unfair dismissal. The Government makes it mandatory to have a written contract of employment. It contains the details of the wage rate; working  hours, and other necessary details regarding working conditions. The National Minimum Wage in UK is currently  £6.31 while in India; the minimum wage is 118 rupees per day or about  £1.50 which is very low compare to UK. In contrast to the UK, India can employ individuals aged fewer than 16 and the child labour in India has a poor image as children are often left unpaid. Social Factors These are the aspects of population like for example; immigration, age of population, taste and fashion, belief, individual’s personality, attitudes and lifestyle. UK Social Factors Immigration – This has negative impact upon the social factors in UK. A long time ago, there wasn’t that many people living in the UK, however, in the 21st century, a lot of people from different part of the world started to migrate and live in UK. The major impact is on population. It has an advantage such as a lot of people are skilled to be employed in the business. However, some migrants might be illegal entrants or maybe visa over stayers. Ageing Population – The demographics in UK illustrate that the numbers of older people are increasing. McDonalds can benefit from this ageing population as they can increase the range of their hot drink products in order to target and meet the needs of older people. McDonalds can sell more healthy products such as fruits and salads. Lifestyle – Businesses are always affected by the lifestyle as people have different fashions, tastes, ethics, beliefs etc. As UK is a multi-cultural country, McDonalds needs to provide different selections of foods from different cultures such as in India McDonalds do not sell any beef products as it is prohibited in their religion. India Social Factors High population growth – In India, due to high population, people have a hard  time to find a job, as a result of this people don’t have enough funding for their daily expenses. High degree of corruption level – Corruption is a major issue that adversely affects its economy in India. The causes of corruption in India include excessive regulations, complicated taxes and licensing systems so they add extra cost to the business. Bollywood popularity – Bollywood is the nickname for the Indian film industry. It became very popular as Indians are in love with movies. Political Factors Political factors are factors that deal with the public. For example; EU membership, taxation government support for business, infrastructure (roads), skills, business ethics (corruption). UK Political Factors EU membership – McDonalds will need to act in accordance to the European regulations. One of the regulations is the working hours where workers must only work for no more than 48 hours. Taxation – McDonalds is affected by the government taxes, such as income taxes and business rates as it is a large business, meaning that a lot of tax is taken away from their profits. And McDonalds will have to pay tax. Tax has an impact on McDonalds as it will be taken off their annual profit which will result in less diligence for shareholders. India Political Factors Infrastructure – India isn’t modernized unlike UK; the technology systems are much less advanced which could affect the business ability to produce, to sell, expand, and demand. The roads are not well established. And if McDonalds in India have poor machinery, poor buildings and facilities, then  it won’t benefit the business and won’t be able to expand.

Adult Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Adult Communication - Essay Example m the emphasis is on helping the individual members of the team to learn their potential for performance and through that learning maximize the performance of the team (Whitmore 2003). Managing in simple terms is the process of getting things done by individuals through planning, organizing, coordinating, directing and controlling their activities. Thus managing a team involves using the five functions of planning, organizing, coordinating, directing and controlling the activities of the team members towards the objectives of the team (Managing and Leading). The difference between coaching becomes evident from their definitions and is lies essentially in their approach. Coaching is people oriented in that it is concerned with the development of the individuals. Managing is task oriented in that the emphasis is on the task to be achieved. The individuals in the team are the means to achieving the task. This analogy gives provides clarity in the difference between coaching a team and managing a team. A given area of land is to be invested with oak saplings. Oak saplings have a unique feature in that there is a single tap root that extends, as the sapling develops. In nursery saplings the tap root tends to be curled up into a ball, because of the restrictive environment for growth. Managing the investing of the land with oak saplings would involve the transfer of the saplings into the allotted number of pits in as quick and efficient a manner and ensuring the required fertiliser and moisture is provided for growth. This approach is due to the task oriented approach in managing a team. In the coaching approach the curled up taproot would be first uncurled and in the replanting process care would be taken to ensure that the fragile taproot is extended deep into the ground without damaging it, as this would ensure proper development of the oak sapling into a tree. The necessary moistur e would then be provided. Coaching is oriented towards the development of the

Attention deficit disorder and comorbidity of depression Research Paper

Attention deficit disorder and comorbidity of depression - Research Paper Example Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder refers to an assorted disorder of unidentified etiology. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has an effect on 3% to 6% of kids who are at the age of going to school. The danger for comorbidity with additional psychiatric disorders is elevated, and the incidence of comorbid disorders necessitates special contemplation in the management of patients who have this disorder. Little is acknowledged in regard to the comorbidity of attention deficit disorder with disorders except for conduct. For that reason, the researcher will undertake a research of the psychiatric, as well as psychological writing for empirical evaluations that talk about the comorbidity of attention insufficiency hyperactivity disorder. The psychiatric disorder presently referred to as "ADHD" has progressed significantly over time. Early conceptualization of the syndrome from the years of 1930s to the years of 1960s stressed the prospective for nominal brain injury or even dysfunction. With the introduction of the Diagnostic, as well as Statistical handbook of Mental Disorders, in the year 1968, the condition was known as "hyperkinetic response of childhood," straining on the motor features (Biederman & Sprich, 2001). As the comprehension of the disorder well on within the 1980s, attentional, as well as impetuous/hyperactivity constituents were stressed. Present DSM-IV categorization of ADHD reproduces this transformation. Three secondary kinds of the disorder have been defined within the DSM-IV, counting ADHD principally distracted, ADHD primarily hyperactive-impulsive, as well as ADHD collective type. The ADHD collective kind is the most familiar and the distracted type is atypical. Numerous assessments have esta blished that the syndrome is common universal as school-age children within all nations suffer from this syndrome. The etiologic inputs to ADHD are multifaceted and incorporate neuroanatomic aberration, neurobiologic

Black Boy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Black Boy - Essay Example Accordingly, the author has chosen to focus on 5 unique situations that are indicative of the hardships caused by Jim Crow on Richard Wright’s formative years in Part 1 of the autobiography (the part that details his life in the South prior to a move to Chicago). The first of these is the general lack of work and economic hardships that is such a mainstay of the opening pages of the story. The hardship and deprivation were of course felt by many in the Deep South; however, none more so than the African American community. As these were both the least educated and most repressed, finding steady and gainful employment was nearly impossible. Something that is further evidenced by this is the fact that no one was able to fall back on their savings or any form of contingency plans they had made. Whereas many individuals in our current society have the ability to stash away a bit of savings in case the unthinkable happens, Richard Wright’s family was living on the very border of destitution even when the mother was employed and working multiple jobs. Of course this meant that when disaster struck and she was taken ill, there was no recourse but to fall back on the mercy and kindness of her extended family. ... A further evidence of how Jim Crow affected the life of young Richard Wright is seen in the fact that he regularly misses school and eventually drops out early on in his youth (Wright 18). However, what is noticeably absent is the mention of any type of truancy officer or guidance counselor that is able to check on young Richard Wright and encourage the family to keep the young boy in school. Rather, it is painfully evident that the educational system cares little for the loss of one little black boy from the system. Such an eventuality acquaints the reader with the net worth that the Jim Crow South placed on the black person’s role in society. Richard relates that life became noticeably better when he was able to move in with his aunt and uncle who, by the standards he was accustomed, earned a very good living. Richard’s uncle, Hoskins, ran a successful saloon in town and was able to adequately provide for all of the family members under his roof in this way. Howvever, the jealousy and horror of racism and Jim Crow reared its head again in this location and affected the murder of Hoskins at the hands of an angry and jealous group of white men in town. At the heart of Jim Crow one understands there is a primal fear that the black person would rise and better himself; thereby freeing himself/herself from the constraints of slavery and servitude that had for so long defined his/her existence. In this way, the reader is made aware of the fact that Hoskin’s death was merely an extension of the problems and issues of racism and Jim Crow that had been experienced in various ways previously in his story. The final instance of this which will be discussed in this brief paper is concentric around the

World War I and the End of the Progressive Movement Essay

World War I and the End of the Progressive Movement - Essay Example at everything we learned about the war, and the weapons of destruction that were used during the battles were more than just mere bullets, grenades, and canons. In fact, World War I laid out the foundation for modern germ warfare as we know it today. It is just that very little is known about how gas warfare was originally conceptualized and launched during the era. But thanks to historical researchers such as Ulrich Trumpener and his essay â€Å"The Road to Ypres: The Beginnings of Gas Warfare in World War I†, the readers are given a look into the little known facts about the Battle of Ypres which many believe to be the very first time that gas warfare was used in battle. Trumpeners argument in the essay is that the successful mounting of gas warfare at Ypres on April 22,1915 is incorrectly celebrated at the day that modern chemical warfare began. It actually began much earlier than that since records show that primitive methods of gas warfare began to see its wartime function on the battle front a year earlier in 1914. Records indicate that the French forces actually started using something similar to chemical warfare early on in the war. Trumpener also discussed the facts pertaining to the weak methods by which the German military developed their germ warfare program. Trumpner was right in saying that very little information can be found about the germ warfare program of both sides back in World War I. Reading his essay actually had a profound effect on the way that I viewed the history of the first world war. For me, it went from a war that used the most basic of armaments, to the war that redefined the meaning of battle. I originally believed germ warfare to have been used to annihilate the Jews during World War II. Little did I know that the terrors of germ warfare had been around far longer than that. In fact, it is probably the early existence and experimenting of the German forces during World War I that led to the death camps of Nazi Germany during World

Compare of Artwork the Mayan and Apulian Bowls Research Paper - 1

Compare of Artwork the Mayan and Apulian Bowls - Research Paper Example The Apulian Lekanis: Head of a Woman and Winged Genie, and Bowl and Lid with Boar Head is credited as a gift to Mrs. Henry E. Perry in the late 4th century B.C. This work was created as part of Greek culture. It falls under the visual labor sculpture using terracotta as the medium and is currently visible in Indianapolis museum under the Classical collection. Conversely, the bowl and lid with boar head is the work credited to the Maya culture and falls under the Native American collection. The creation date was around 350-500 A.C and the art is credited as a gift of Bonnie and David Ross. The materials used include slithered and painted earthenware. Amongst the Apulian or South Italian vases, some of the common themes were transcendent sections of love and merriment (Indianapolis Museum of Art n.p). The urns were then offered to the dead with the offering venue being the tombs. The Lekanis portrayed red-figures of ladies of style. These Lekanis were routinely on the lids secluded fro m each other by huge palmettes on both sides (Ambrose 14). Additionally, each lady had a half palmette in front of her and behind her a volute. Some of the attributes of the Lekanis were that they were identical in terms of Stephane, Saccos, and neatly comprehensive ribbons. The lid of the Apulian vases also had winged genies. The Greeks believed that the genies would help with the valedictory rites and with the switch to the afterworld. Unlike the Apulian Lekanis, the Bowl with a Boar Head was mostly used to recognize Maya civilization (Indianapolis Museum of Art n.p). The boar was linked with the heavens and the sun’s movement. Additionally, the Bowl with a Boar Head was an earthenware container and not a sculptured container like the Apulian Lekanis. The boar head was used as a handle for opening the boar and not just a decorative picture.  Ã‚  

Compare Devices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Compare Devices - Essay Example This paper will compare Shakespeare’s poem titled, â€Å"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?† and Marvell’s poem titled, â€Å"To his coy mistress†. Marvell’s poem â€Å"To his coy mistress† depicts a male speaker addressing his mistress. The speaker speaks in reference to how much time he will spend loving the mistress and uses different ideas linked to time to convince the mistress that the relationship needs a deeper level of commitment. In a bid to achieve this purpose, Marvell made use of numerous devices to place emphasis on his theme. From the title of the poem, one can begin to understand the male speaker and the words that he utters to his mistress. Evidently, the term used â€Å"coy† implies that the mistress is reserved explaining why the speaker makes efforts to convince her. He makes use of imagery such as â€Å"vegetable love† to place emphasis on the kind of love he had for the mistress. This type of imagery brings about the idea that his love was fresh and blossoming and with a great capacity to grow. Moreover, he also uses an additional imagery â€Å"Times winged chariot† (Marv ell). In a real sense, time does not have a chariot to signal people. However, Marvell used this imagery to emphasize his fear that time would pass by too soon, leaving them without an opportunity for their love. On the other hand, Shakespeare wrote his highly influential poem â€Å"Shall I compare thee to summer’s day† which also depicts a male speaker addressing a woman. In this poem, the speaker places emphasis on the beauty and youth of the loved woman. Just like Marvell, Shakespeare was an expert in the use of imagery which he relied on in the development of the theme of love and praise to the woman. In references to the woman’s youth, he says, â€Å"But thy eternal summer shall not fade† (Shakespeare). This powerful imagery is used to illustrate the woman’s beauty and youth which are not subject to fading for

Effectiveness of Public Private Partnerships Cooperation Between Essay

Effectiveness of Public Private Partnerships Cooperation Between Business and The Government - Essay Example In such sort of relationship, there is a co-dependency of both the parties involved. The responsibility of government is of primal importance as it is solely the duty of government to provide the private sector with public services. Hence, governments are making use of such partnerships thereby getting massive financial benefits from public private partnerships. Apart from providing value for money, public private partnerships are also useful for providing newly formulated designs, advanced public services, and an excessively rapid process of construction. Some governments are facing alleged accusations of using public private partnership for political motives. It is a substantial fact that public private partnership function properly under the mutual affinity between the private and public sector thereby making pp services as non-privatized and non-nationalized services. In addition to it, such partnerships offer mutual dependency upon each other, which allows them to attain remarka ble results. The core issue related to public private partnership is budgeting for it entirely depends upon the financing of the private group. For instance, if finances and cost of the project are the responsibilities of the private sector, the government does not feel the necessity to take control of matters related to finance. However, when funds are un-available, government feels the need to meet the financial requirement by imposing public taxes. Trans-European Network for transport is proposed to alleviate problems related to financing in public private partnership. This network is constructed to meet the requirements of recession and inflation. As with the descending economical condition of many countries,...This paper outlines the growing importance of successful cooperation between public and private sector in form of public private partnerships in the world today. The well designed project not only helps the parties to stay committed to their work but it also offers them a scope of improvement than the previous project, the risk factors are reduced, reliability is higher and the efficiency of the project is also higher. One of the biggest advantage of public private partnership is that in case of any mishap or loss in the project; the expenses are shared by both the parties involved. The risks of bigger losses are minimized. Another significant advantage of these partnerships is achieved by the fact that it is essentially duty of the government to decide the user charges on which a normal person can use the infrastructure. Due to the current economic recession, the significance of public-private partnership has been increased as now governments are facing grave economical pressure and private-public partnership has become a strong medium to facilitate the building of infrastructure because the investors have been encouraged to invest in the building of infrastructure that may include hospitals, re-creational parks, educational institutions, etc. Apart from providing value for money, public private partnerships are also useful for providing newly formulated designs, advanced public services, and an excessively rapid process of construction. There are many forms of public private partnerships depending upon the business and finance controller of the project as sometimes it is solely in control of the public sector or in control of the private sector the other times.

Human Resource Management in Canada Essay Example for Free

Human Resource Management in Canada Essay The human resource department of any company plays a significant role to the advancement of its employees as well as the increase of the company’s profits and improvement of the manner of production. Although the process of hiring employees may appear to be a simple task, the execution thereof as well as the complications and intricacies involved in the process is not that easy to counter. The job of the human resource department, according to Dessler and Cole is two-fold. First the human resource is responsible for the handling of the hiring of employees. They assess the qualifications of the employees and determine if their skills and capabilities are suited for the job that they are applying for. It is essential that the human resource adequately match the capabilities and educational attainment of the applicant as this will benefit the company in the long run. Hiring employees who cannot deliver the expectations of the company from them will not only be problematic, it will also unjustly drain the resources of the company. Another role of the human resource is to employ individuals who will meet the strategic goals of the company. Going over the qualifications of an applicant is not enough in order to complete the task of hiring. There must be a suitable position for him and the placement of this individual to such position should be made not just because of pure discretion but also in order to meet the goals of the company. There should be human resource planning in order to anticipate the future needs and demands of the company. Without this process, it will be more difficult for companies to combat the different challenges that may hamper their path to success. Having strategic goals mean evaluating the available resources of the company and the needs thereof. This is important so as to avoid the creation of redundant positions and it will also allow the employees and the management to maximize their skills and resources respectively. There are several ways and means in order to plan for the human resource needs of a company. Among these ways are the quantitative techniques for forecasting and the two qualitative techniques which are utilized for forecasting demand. Aside from setting the strategic goals of the company, there is also a need for the human resource department to go through job analysis. Through the job analysis, the people from the human resources department of a company will investigate and collect data regarding the needs of the company. Dessler and Cole have indicated six steps in order to complete the process of job analysis and they are as follows: determining the information that will be assessed, collecting background information, selecting the positions as well as the jobs that will be analyzed, collecting the available data, reviewing the information which are collected with the superiors, and developing the specifications of the job as well as the job descriptions. After the creation of a plan, recruitment and the assessment of the qualifications of the applicant, the human resource department goes through reference checking. This is very essential as the process will spill relevant information about the applicant. Once the human resource is satisfied with the qualification and the information gathered about the applicant, the latter will go through a training period. This process will show whether or not the applicant is capable of meeting the expectations from him. Orientation follows after the hiring. Through the orientation process, the newly-hired employee become knowledgeable with the do’s and dont’s in the company and for them to be fully aware of the systems and procedures. The job however of the human resource does not end in the hiring of the employee. Just like a guardian, the human resource continuously oversees the performance of the employee. Such performance will be used as the basis of the employee is entitled to a promotion or to the assignment of different tasks. Overseeing the performance of the employee is not limited to his work productivity. Other factors such as work ethics and the way the employee deals with his superiors, subordinates and other co-employees will also be assessed. The information gathered in this process may be instrumental in deciding issues which may concern the employee in the future. In addition to the task of overseeing the employees, it is also the job of the human resource to determine the ways and means to motivate employees and improve their performance. Among these methods are the appraisal and giving of additional pay or benefits to those who have exhibited excellent performance. Coming up with effective incentive plans may increase the productivity of the employees and yield to the increase in profits that employers are looking for. In the creation of such plans, the interests and needs of the employees should be taken into consideration in order to attain the greater success rate. In order to determine what the employees desire, it is important that the human resource make an effort to establish good communication relations with them. Good communication as well as the imposition of proper and fair treatment may help the company in avoiding labor cases. The human resource should take an extra effort to make sure that the employees are short changed by the company or the other way around. The human resource should make sure that the employees’ rights are not being violated. The role that the human resource undertakes is very important to the advancement of the company since they handle all matters which concern the employeesthe life blood of every company. Without the human resource, the company may face great difficulties in attaining the progress that it desires.

Seven Steps to Project Planning Essay Example for Free

Seven Steps to Project Planning Essay Seven Steps of Project Planning April Willochell Project Management Every project is an opportunity to produce something new, to make a real difference. You can introduce change, increase productivity, enhance capabilities of your company or of a client or build new relationships. Seven steps are essential to success in organizations that simultaneously manage multiple initiatives. Effectiveness begins with good pre-project planning plus an understanding of what a project is and what can be at stake. Consistently following these seven key steps can directly improve a company’s operations, profitability and sanity. The first step is a setting goals phase. â€Å"During this stage the teams responsible for the project are assigned and a brief is provided containing information on what the project hopes to achieve and what approach will be taken to complete various actions required. Additionally, this stage usually leads to the appointed of a project manager and executive in charge who with the help of the team start to plan the next step. † (7 Steps, 2013) In this stage all stakeholders should state their needs and how they would like them to be fulfilled. Ultimately, this is the goal setting phase. The next step would be initiating the process. This means that a team would be assembled and the overall project is outlined to detailed specifications. This includes strategic planning, like how long the project will take, how many steps will take place, and what tools will be needed to execute the project. Deciding how the project will be controlled is the third step. This step is also called directing the project. This means that the organization that is controlling the project is defined. Also, all organizations within the company that will be involved are determined. This part of the planning process will determine who receives reports and makes final decisions in the planning process. â€Å"This step is about developing a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) that identifies the low-level tasks and activities required for doing project work and producing the deliverables. The WBS is a critical piece of the project planning process because it defines how tasks will be structured and what dependencies will be created. It is also used for setting up urations, task assignments, resource requirements, and cost estimates. † (The Planning Process, 2013) The control stage is the fourth stage. â€Å"You must develop a project strategy that follows the mission and outlines the high-level actions for implementing the project objectives. You must develop a project strategy that follows the mission and outlines the high-level actions for implementing the project objectives. â⠂¬  (The Planning Process, 2013) This process will let the team know who will need to sign off for what processes in the project. This stage will also let the team know where potential problems may arise and if they do how they should be dealt with. This stage is very important in the planning process. The fifth stage of project planning is setting up boundaries for each stage of the project. This is basically setting up deadlines for each stage of the project. If a stage is not met, there also needs to be backup plan on how the plan will play out in this event. This stage also determines how each stage will close and the steps following that closing. â€Å"The penultimate stage is the management of product delivery. In this step the project manager works with team managers to ensure that a set of formal requirements are created for every piece of work contained in the project. Essentially if this is done correctly all of the work should be delivered on time and to a suitable standard. † (7 Steps, 2013) This sixth stage is to make sure that all paperwork is in order, the project and its product follow all regulations, and all parts are in working order. This is basically, a quality control stage. The seventh and final stage is the closing stage. This step is the risk management assessment part of the planning process. Project managers and their teams must identify all the risks in their project and discuss the alternatives. The plan will be reviewed, discussed, and any potential changes will be made. Once all seven steps are followed accurately a project plan should be planned perfectly and executed just as well. Resources 7 Steps to Project Planning. Retrieved on January 17, 2013 from http://EzineArticles. com/4767743 The Planning Process. Retrieved on January 18, 2013 from

Analysis of Agency Theory

Analysis of Agency Theory Agency theory is one of the most important concepts of the business areas especially financial economics. Because of its importance, this theory is included in most of the introductory chapters of the modern financial economics books and publications. It is commonly cited as one of the key areas for progress and improvement of the modern financial economics. Moreover, its assumptions provide wide explanations for crucial business areas such as: merger activities, dividend policies, capital structure, corporate restructuring, and executive compensations, etc Agency theory defines the company or the firm as â€Å"nexus of contracts† between different resource suppliers. It is centralized on two different parties: principal, who supply the capital, and the agent who manage the day to day operations for the firm. In other words, it is the relation between one who determines the work and another who does the work. For example, in corporations, principals are the shareholders who delegates work to the agent which is the manager in the company. Agency theory assumes that shareholders and managers are motivated by their self –interest, thus managers are likely to persist their self-interest goal that contradicts with the goals of the owner. However, agents are supposed to work for the self-interest of the principal. This conflict results with a cost called the agency cost. This cost represents the cost of supervising the behavior of the agents as well as the profit loss resulting from operating policies and restrictions on managem ent. Although the agency theory is controversial and contradictory, many scientist talked about this concept and explained its advantages and disadvantages on many business fields’ especially financial economics. Many scientist and scholars talked about the agency theory, and it is one of the most crucial theory in the economic and financial history fields. This theory was originated and created by two scholars, Stephen Ross and Barry Mitnick. Each one had a take a part of the agency theory and created. Economic wise, Stepeh Ross is the one responsible for the economic theory of agency, and financial wise, Barry Mitnick is responsible for the institutional theory of agency. These two scholars used the same concepts but under different assumption. Everyone introduced the theory in his own way or thinking. Ross introduces the agency theory from the side of problems of compensation relation and as an incentive problem. On the other side, Mitnick introduced how the institutions should evolve to deal with deficiencies that is created by the agency relationships. According to Mitnick, â€Å"Behavior never occurs as it is preferred by the principal because it does not pay to make it perfect.† This is the main problem that Mitnick suggest as a deficiency of the agency relationship and he suggested that the society created rules and policies that help the companies to attend these imperfections, managing to deal with them, and adapting to them. Therefore, in order to understand the agency, people need both sides to see the incentive side as well as the organizational structure. However, this theory did not accurately defined properly and introduced to the world until the initiation of Jensen and Meckling articles in 1976. Jensen and Meckling introduces the agency theory as a relationship problem that arises between the owner of the resources and the one who is managing those resources. More general speaking, a conflict can arise between one who owns the capital and the one who is controlling the day to day operation since every party has his own interest that wants to be achieved and those interests can be contradictory. According to Jensen and Meckling, â€Å"Agency cos t arise from the conflict of interest between a principal and an agent.† For example, when managers, who are responsible for decisions that impact the operation of the firm, are not the primary beneficiary of the firm net assets, and do not accept any effect regarding his or her decisions. Moreover, the agency cost is divided into three type of cost: structuring cost, monitoring cost, and bonding cost. Structuring cost is the cost that a firm should take it when manufacturing any product or service such as transaction cost, suck cost, and fixed cost. It is the fixed cost divided by the variable cost. Monitoring cost is watching and supervising the recording of cost daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. It is very important for the owner to have mangers that allocate the proper time to the proper work and minimize cost as much possible. Due to this problem, Jensen offers many solutions to save the firm from this problem. Setting the use of contract is a cost that the firm should use in order to align the actions of the mangers with the actions of the owner. As Jensen (1994) suggests, â€Å"Managerial decisions designed to strengthen organizations often meet with opposition from colleagues, employees†¦ providing managers with incentives to compromise their decisions.† In other words, the best way to insure that the decisions are not conflicting is to ensure that the trade-off that mangers face are pushing them to take the correct decisions. Therefore, the goal of the agent should increase the firm wealth that lead to increase the performance and market price. Moreover, in order the manager to increase value of the firm, the owner should create compensation plan that trigger the agent to spend his or her efforts or works to maximize the firm profits and productivity. According to the agency theory, the shareholder should have the sense that offering a compensation package to the agents can reduce the agency cost which means that interest of the two parties will be in the interest of the firm as whole, and the two parties will be one team working to maximize the value and the wealth of the organization. The agency theory creates many obligations that shareholders must take into consideration in order to save their firm. The agency cost is one of these assumption that is created in order to show the types of expenses that the firm should spend. It is divided into three types: expenditures to monitor managerial activities such as audit cost. Nowadays, auditing becomes one of the most important business issues that every organization especially the banking sector should apply. For example, due the agency problem, the Lebanese central bank oblige all the banking sector to have two independent big four auditors in order to assure all the financial information that is created by the managers. The second cost is the cost of structuring the organization such as appointing outside members to the board of directors or reengineering the organizational chart in the firm. To have a well design organization charts in a firm is very effective since it helps to allocate the jobs in a way that can m aximize efficiency and get rid of relation problems. The third cost is the opportunity cost that is created by the owner such as voting in specific issues and limit the ability of the managers regarding the actions that advance the shareholder wealth. For this purpose, many mechanism are introduced to the business world that can minimize those costs and solve the agency problems. First, compensation plan can be applied for the mangers such owning a stock in the firm and stock price changes. In this case, managers I obliged to work efficiently for the sake to increase the financial wealth to increase his or her stock value. Another extreme, is to have in the firm stockholders that have a theory X management style which means that they will manage each step or decision that is taken by the managers, but this would be costly and inefficient. The best solution to have a compensation that is based on performance and some monitoring should be undertaken. Moreover, the owner can create a s ense for managers that if they make any wrong decision that affect the firm negatively, they will be fired or replaced by another manager. However, this solution is somehow risky in a case that creates problems in the workplace. For example, many publicly traded companies are creating shares based on performance levels which are shared given for the mangers based on performance which are explained by many financial measures such as earing per share, return on assets, and return on equity etc†¦ If the performance is below the level, the shares will be less than 100 percent. These incentives are created for two main goals. First, they offer executives to take action that will increase shareholder wealth. Second, these types of plans help the firm to retrain managers that can have confidence to risk their financial wealth based on their abilities which can lead to better performance.

Caesars Speech in Julius Caesar -- William Shakespeare

The Irrefutable Man The Shakespearean play Julius Caesar, tells the behind the scenes story of the conspirators plan to kill the influential ruler, Caesar. In the play Caesar makes a speech referring to himself and describes his method of ruling Rome while comparing himself to the North Star. Prior to the speech the conspirators have come to the Senate to convince Caesar to forgive and restore Cimber after his banishment. But Caesar responds with this speech about him being persistent about his decisions. The speech that Caesar makes about himself can be considered an Epideictic or a Forensic speech, for the reason that he commends himself while creating an opinion of his past actions. This excerpt from the play leads up to the devious conspirators plan unfolding and the upsetting death of Caesar. Rhetoric is used throughout the speech in order to manipulate and convey how invincible Caesar is as well as express the overall theme of the play, be means of delivery, disposition, and style. Delivery is used to persuade others by the way the speech is performed. It can be presented in ways such as tone, voice, emotion, and volume in order to convince the audience where he stands. An example of Caesar praising himself by using a tone change to make sure the attention is on him is, â€Å"I could be well moved if I were as you, If I could pray to move, prayers would move,† here he is saying that if he were in the Senate’s situation that he could easily be persuaded by Caesar’s oration, which gets the attention of the Senate and gives Caesar the floor (3,1,58 & 59). While Caesar says these lines it creates a picture in my mind of Caesar gesturing toward himself and the pride he has in his voice. Another example of Caesar’s delivery of thi... ...ler star, which represents the commoners of Rome, with one larger star that represents Caesar. Using figurative language and imagery in speeches adds to the excitement of the scene, and in this case, the theme of the play, being fate vs. free will. With this speech, Caesar seals his fate. After disregarding three separate warnings that his life would be in danger and he still goes to the Senate that day, Caesar sits surrounded by the noblemen and denies their request to revoke the banishment of Cimber. He denies fate and believes that his free will is enough to save him. His ego and self-importance grows stronger by the word, as he compares himself to the brightest star in the sky. He is stabbed to death by men who, until they were convinced otherwise, had been loyal to Rome and Caesar. By the end of the play, Caesar’s supercilious opinion of himself proves true.

E-Commerce In Latin America Essay -- Consumer Markets Business Essays

E-Commerce In Latin America Where Is It Now, Where Is It Going, Who Is Taking It There? In recent years, the media has made much of the growing consumer markets in Latin America. North Americans have to come to understand that much of the health of the U.S. economy is tied to the economic well-being of Latin countries such as Brazil and Mexico. Yet even with our awareness of the market size of our neighbors and awareness of our increasing interdependence, most North Americans consider the emerging Latin American markets to be underdeveloped, backwards, comprised of technologically unprepared people. How accurate is this conception, and specifically, what is the status of the Latin American market for e-commerce? In order to understand any market for the first time, one must answer several basic questions: How large is the market? How fast is it growing? What are the buying patterns in the market? How might they change? When will the market â€Å"take off?† What is blocking or helping market growth? Who is already in the marketplace? Who is likely to enter? This paper outlines the answers to these initial questions, and makes the case that North Americans need to pay attention to emerging Latin ecommerce markets- whether as advertisers, consumers, or trendwatchers. Market Size and Growth Rate As recently as August 1999, the Boston Consulting Group stated that on-line retailing in Latin America will reach $77 million in 1999. This figure represents web sales earned by Latin American based e-tailers. The same report states that an additional $90 million in revenues will be earned by U.S.-based online merchants this year. This results in a total of $167 million in domestic and international ecommerce r... ...n America, I will continue to follow these related trends with increased interest. [1] Emarketer, August 2, 1999, www.emarketer.com/estats/080299_beg.html. [2] Emarketer, June 28, 1999, Is Latin American eCommerce Ready to Take Off?, www.emarketer.com/estats/062899_latam.html. [3] Ibid. [4] eMarketer, Latin American Retail Ecommerce to Reach $160 Million, August 2, 1999, www.emarketer.com/estats/080299_beg.html. [5] Ibid. [6] eMarketer, March 22, 1999, Latin America Gets Fired Up for EC, www.emarketer.com/estats/032299_latin.html. [7] Emarketer, â€Å"Telephone Costs Holding Back Access In Latin America,† September 28, 1998, www.emarketer.com. [8] Ibid. [9] Emarketer, â€Å"UOL,† October 1999, www.emarketer.com. [10] Ibid. [11] â€Å"Building the First Web Brand in Latin America,† From metasearch using keyword â€Å"StarMedia.† [12] Ibid. E-Commerce In Latin America Essay -- Consumer Markets Business Essays E-Commerce In Latin America Where Is It Now, Where Is It Going, Who Is Taking It There? In recent years, the media has made much of the growing consumer markets in Latin America. North Americans have to come to understand that much of the health of the U.S. economy is tied to the economic well-being of Latin countries such as Brazil and Mexico. Yet even with our awareness of the market size of our neighbors and awareness of our increasing interdependence, most North Americans consider the emerging Latin American markets to be underdeveloped, backwards, comprised of technologically unprepared people. How accurate is this conception, and specifically, what is the status of the Latin American market for e-commerce? In order to understand any market for the first time, one must answer several basic questions: How large is the market? How fast is it growing? What are the buying patterns in the market? How might they change? When will the market â€Å"take off?† What is blocking or helping market growth? Who is already in the marketplace? Who is likely to enter? This paper outlines the answers to these initial questions, and makes the case that North Americans need to pay attention to emerging Latin ecommerce markets- whether as advertisers, consumers, or trendwatchers. Market Size and Growth Rate As recently as August 1999, the Boston Consulting Group stated that on-line retailing in Latin America will reach $77 million in 1999. This figure represents web sales earned by Latin American based e-tailers. The same report states that an additional $90 million in revenues will be earned by U.S.-based online merchants this year. This results in a total of $167 million in domestic and international ecommerce r... ...n America, I will continue to follow these related trends with increased interest. [1] Emarketer, August 2, 1999, www.emarketer.com/estats/080299_beg.html. [2] Emarketer, June 28, 1999, Is Latin American eCommerce Ready to Take Off?, www.emarketer.com/estats/062899_latam.html. [3] Ibid. [4] eMarketer, Latin American Retail Ecommerce to Reach $160 Million, August 2, 1999, www.emarketer.com/estats/080299_beg.html. [5] Ibid. [6] eMarketer, March 22, 1999, Latin America Gets Fired Up for EC, www.emarketer.com/estats/032299_latin.html. [7] Emarketer, â€Å"Telephone Costs Holding Back Access In Latin America,† September 28, 1998, www.emarketer.com. [8] Ibid. [9] Emarketer, â€Å"UOL,† October 1999, www.emarketer.com. [10] Ibid. [11] â€Å"Building the First Web Brand in Latin America,† From metasearch using keyword â€Å"StarMedia.† [12] Ibid.

Vegetarianism :: Healthy Lifestyle Essay

Vegetarianism is a good idea for anyone, whether young or old, healthy or sick. Reasons supporting vegetarianism are inarguable since becoming a vegetarian is scientifically proven to improve one’s lifestyle in several different ways. First and most importantly to many, vegetarianism improves one’s health tremendously. Secondly, it can improve or display one’s spirituality and beliefs. Another reason for changing to a vegetarian lifestyle that most people don’t know is for the ecology and our surroundings. All of the above reasons and many more show that vegetarianism is a wonderful enhancement to anyone’s overall life. Health should be a considerable priority in every individual’s life and vegetarians are proven to be healthier than carnivorous humans in various ways. First, medical studies show that a human being’s body was not made to be carnivorous (for example; humans have no fang s or claws) and because are digestive system was not made to digest meat, a vegetarian diet is much easier and healthier for our bodies. Secondly, as known around the world, the most common cause of death is heart attack and the average man is at a 50% risk while a vegetarian man is at a 4% risk. Another fact most don’t think about is that every one out of three chickens is infected with salmonella bacteria. Speaking of bacteria and disease, the U.S. Department of Agriculture implies that it protects meat-eaters through regular and thorough meat inspection while in reality, fewer than one out of every 250,000 slaughtered animals is tested for toxic chemical residues. As a matter of fact, breast mi lk of a meat-eating mother versus a non meat-eating mother is 35 times higher for contamination of milk due to pesticides found in meat. Vegetarianism also prevents cancer by 50%, and prevents heart disease, lowering blood pressure, gallstones, kidney stones, osteoporosis and can even reverses diabetes. Finally, maintaining a vegetarian diet will not only make you physically healthier but will improve your psychiatric health also. In fact, many psychiatrists recommend a vegetarian diet to those with violent anger problems. As provided above, becoming a vegetarian would improve anyone’s health and give all nutrition needed including protein. Many vegetarians do what they do for spiritual reasons and all have much supporting logic behind all the spirituality. Others claim they are spiritual people who are compassionate but how can one who eats meat be so with the knowledge of the suffering animals whose pain are beyond calculation? Vegetarianism :: Healthy Lifestyle Essay Vegetarianism is a good idea for anyone, whether young or old, healthy or sick. Reasons supporting vegetarianism are inarguable since becoming a vegetarian is scientifically proven to improve one’s lifestyle in several different ways. First and most importantly to many, vegetarianism improves one’s health tremendously. Secondly, it can improve or display one’s spirituality and beliefs. Another reason for changing to a vegetarian lifestyle that most people don’t know is for the ecology and our surroundings. All of the above reasons and many more show that vegetarianism is a wonderful enhancement to anyone’s overall life. Health should be a considerable priority in every individual’s life and vegetarians are proven to be healthier than carnivorous humans in various ways. First, medical studies show that a human being’s body was not made to be carnivorous (for example; humans have no fang s or claws) and because are digestive system was not made to digest meat, a vegetarian diet is much easier and healthier for our bodies. Secondly, as known around the world, the most common cause of death is heart attack and the average man is at a 50% risk while a vegetarian man is at a 4% risk. Another fact most don’t think about is that every one out of three chickens is infected with salmonella bacteria. Speaking of bacteria and disease, the U.S. Department of Agriculture implies that it protects meat-eaters through regular and thorough meat inspection while in reality, fewer than one out of every 250,000 slaughtered animals is tested for toxic chemical residues. As a matter of fact, breast mi lk of a meat-eating mother versus a non meat-eating mother is 35 times higher for contamination of milk due to pesticides found in meat. Vegetarianism also prevents cancer by 50%, and prevents heart disease, lowering blood pressure, gallstones, kidney stones, osteoporosis and can even reverses diabetes. Finally, maintaining a vegetarian diet will not only make you physically healthier but will improve your psychiatric health also. In fact, many psychiatrists recommend a vegetarian diet to those with violent anger problems. As provided above, becoming a vegetarian would improve anyone’s health and give all nutrition needed including protein. Many vegetarians do what they do for spiritual reasons and all have much supporting logic behind all the spirituality. Others claim they are spiritual people who are compassionate but how can one who eats meat be so with the knowledge of the suffering animals whose pain are beyond calculation?

Markets Price And Non Price Economics Essay

An agreement made where purchasers and Sellerss come in close contact with each other straight or indirectly to sell or purchase goods and services.Categorization of MarketsMarket CharacterisitcsMarket TYPE NO.OF Buyers NO.OF Firms Entry Conditionss Market power Demand snap Merchandise Differentiation Net income maximastion status Pricing Power Perfect competition Many purchasers Many Sellerss Free None Absolutely elastic Homogeneous P=MR=MC=AR=Min AC Monetary value Taker Monopolistic competition Many purchasers Many Sellerss Free Limited Relatively elastic Close Substitutes with differentitated merchandises MC=MR To the extent of their merchandises Oligopoly competition Many purchasers Few Restricted Some Relatively elastic Close replacements, differentiated or homogeneous merchandises MC go throughing through discontinuous MR Uncertain Duopoly competition Many purchasers Two Restricted Divided Relatively elastic Very near replacements–_Monopoly competition Many purchasers One Restricted Full moon Relatively inelastic No replacements MC=MR Monetary value Maker Monetary value and Non-Price Competition: non monetary value competion may be describe as the selling scheme under which the peculiar house tires to diffrentitate its merchandise from the competitiors merchandise this distinguish is done by the designor workmenship. It can be besides distinguish merchandise by offereing through quality service, client attending, distribustion scheme and other promotional activity. Where as the monetary value competion is refered to when the houses attempts to separate its productfrom the rival by maintaining the monetary value of the merchandise lower than the competitiors one. Now a yearss more houses are engaged with the non monetary value competion though it is really expensive in nature the ground behind that it is more profitable than selling the goods at lower monetary value and avoid the hazards of monetary value war. By and large in oligopoly markets and monopolistic markets are utilizing the non monetary value scheme because in this competions the houses becomes extermely competent with each other. Central of the non monetary value competion is merchandise diffrentiation. Hence the characteristics of merchandise diffrentiation are: Technical criterions Quality criterions Design characteristics Service characteristics Merchandise diffrentiation as the footing of set uping a down ward falling demand curve. This were introduced by the SRAFFA.but the chamberlin suggested that the demand is non merely determined by the pricind scheme of the house but besides by the manner of the merchandise and the services associated with them.he introduces two policy variables ; which are merchandise itself and selling activities. Individual house is incorporated with this dimensions therefore, the demand curve will switch if: The manner, servicesor the merchandising scheme of the house alterations Rivals change their monetary value, end product and servicesor merchandising policies Tastes incomes, pricesor selling policies of merchandise from the other industry alteration Non monetary value competition: Non monetary value competition is applicable to all types of markets except than the monopoly and perfect competition: Perfect competition: exclusion because the in this state of affairs he all merchandise are homogeneous in nature Monopoly: exclusion because the individual marketer is the accountant of Te market so no 1 at that place for the non monetary value competitio Non monetary value determiners of demand: non monetary value deteminants can be described as the any attempt made by the house to prolong in the market to gain the net income and to increse their demand in the market. Following are the some non monetary value determiners of the demand, Tastes and prefrences Income Monetary values of sustitutes Number of purchasers Future outlooks of purchasers Financing footings. As the determiners of demand are of import in the monopolistic market we besides should give equal importance to the determiners of the supply in the non monetary value competition Factor inputs alterations Production technique Change in no of Sellerss in the market Expectation of future alterations in monetary value Advantages of the non monetary value competition ; Consumers gets low monetary values Manufacturers and providers are going more displine in natureto cust down the monetary values. New betterments in engineering Enormous betterment in the quqlity or service Imformation for the consumers leting people to do more informed pick Price snap of the demand: Responsiveness on the snap of the measure demanded of a good or service to a alteration in its monetary value.it gives the per centum alteration in the measure demanded in responses to the 1 % alteration in the monetary value. Price competion is applicable in all types of markets except so perfect competion and monopoly competion. Perfect competion: exclusion because in perfect competion the houses are monetary value takers the monetary value is non decided by the house it is accepted. Monopoly competition: exclusion because in this state of affairs there is a individual marketer in the market who is the decider of the monetary value hence it is non applicable. Price snap of demand with reapect to the markets Perfect competition: in the the perfect competion the elasticiy of edmand is prefectly elastic in nature because all the merchandises availble in this market are homogeneous in the nature. As the homogeneous merchandises are perfect replacement for each other the market becomes extremely recative in nature. monopolistic market: snap of demand is comparatively elastic In nature as the stopping point substitues are availble in the market this substitues are availble with the small diffrention. Oligopoly market: oligopoly market is some how combination of the perfect competition and monopolistic market so the snap of the demand the comparatively high in nature as the all merchandises are homogeneous in nature and they are utility for each other. Duopoly market: in he duopoly market there are merely two Sellerss in the markets with regard to many purchasers. The snap is comparatively elastic because in this state of affairs there are really close substitues are availble for the merchandise. Monopoly market: in this market the snap is comparatively inelastic nature as there is merely one goad the reactivity of the demand for a good to alter in the monetary value of anthoer good.it is measured as the per centum alteration in demand for the first good that occurs in reactivity to % alteration in monetary value or 2nd good.Cross monetary value snap of the perfect competion with regard to replacements:the reactivity of the demand for a good to alter in the monetary value of anthoer good.it is measured as the per centum alteration in demand for the first good that occurs in reactivity to % alteration in monetary value or 2nd good.Cross monetary value snap of the perfect competion with regard to replacements:ucer in the market so the manufacturer is holding the full market poer in the custodies. there is no sustitute availble in the market. Cross monetary value snap of demand with the availble substitues: Cross monetary value snap: the reactivity of the demand for a good to alter in the monetary value of anthoer good.it is measured as the per centum alteration in demand for the first good that occurs in reactivity to % alteration in monetary value or 2nd good.Cross monetary value snap of the perfect competion with regard to replacements:Perfect competiton: the high monetary value cross snap can be seen in this market as the manufacturer Is monetary value taker and non the monetary value shaper. More over that the merchandises are homogeneous in nature which are replacement for each other. Monopolistic competition: there are figure of manufacturers are at that place in the market.du to the high competition the manufacturers are willing to do more market portion so the cross monetary value snap is comparatively high in nature. Oligopoly competition: in this market the cross monetary value snap do issues because in this market. As the replacements are availble in the market with the homogenity or merchandise diffrention. Duopoly competition: there are merely two manufacturers are availble in the markets there are really close replacement for each other and because of this cross monetary value snap is low. Monopoly competition: there is merely one manufacturer in the market and no replacement is availble so there is no inquiry of cross monetary value snap.

Organisational structures Essay

An organisation can be defined as a group of people who work over a period of time together to achieve a common goal or objective. An organisational structure can be classified into a number of different types, examples are listed below: * Tall, flat, hierarchal * Line structures * Line and staff structures * Centralised and decentralised structures * Matrix structures Mars Confectionery in Slough comprises two factories and an office, all of which are situated in Slough Trading Estate. Their factories operate around the clock, 24 hours a day. The two main types of chart are a flat organisational chart and a tall organisational chart. A flat organisational chart is used when a company have very little hierarchy; there are few levels of authority and more departments. A tall organisational chart shows the hierarchical structure of the organisation, the different levels of authority. 2.4a Flat Organisational Charts- A flat organisational chart is when an organisation has very little hierarchy, there are few levels of authority. Mars have a tall organisational structure and also a tall hierarchal structure. The managing Director is at the top and below are seven departments. Each department is made up of a team. Flat Tall The advantages of an organisational chart is that is shows the position of your company at a particular time- needs reviewing. It can show anomalies and efficiency- shows faults in fundamental structure. It also shows new employees and shows a broad outline of the company and where they fit in. It is also essential for the day to day planning. The disadvantages are that it shows formal organisation- not personalities (people mould job). And it may lead to disputes if not applied rigidly. It also shows that companies status at only one point in time (when the chart is being drawn). After it has been drawn a new employee may start up at the organisation and then the old chart would need to be upgraded. This type of structure provides possibilities for promotion for any staff. Mars use â€Å"critical thinking† this is where managers are looking to promote someone with initiative, who can handle difficult situations and make the right decisions quickly. An organisational chart is a diagrammatic presentation of the structure of an organisation, showing the department within that organisation e.g. Finance, R&D, Administration, Personnel, Marketing, Sales Logistics and Production. An organisational chart also shows the level of responsibility and authority for individuals or departments, it also shows the span of control, so the number of people a person in supervising. At Mars they operate a line structure is the relationship between a senior and a subordinate at any level within the organisation. This is simple to understand so staff know exactly where they are in the structure. Managers will also have a clear understanding of the roles of people when allocating work. A centralised organisation is when decisions are made at the top of the organisation and the activities are shared out centrally. The advantage of centralisation are that the senior management is aware of how both internal external factors are likely to affect individual departments and the organisation in general. Decentralised structures are used when managers or supervisors take the authority in decisions The Mars decentralised because the head of each department has the authority to make decisions; therefore this saves time allow managers to take control of the work undertaken by their department and motivates staff because they have more responsibility. A matrix structure can be used by Mars when they are going to develop or launch a new product as it enable people from each functional area in order to complete the task. There are six types of organisational structures, which are line structures, staff structures, Functional structures, matrix structures, Centralised and De-Centralisation. 2.4b Line Structures Each unit is a microcosm of the whole. Each unit will have its own specialised staff carrying out the specialist management function. In a line structure, a company is usually organised into functional department, each headed by a senior manager, below whom is a chain of command. This shows there is a line of authority and responsibility as you go down the structure. For example, in Mars in the production department the line may pass down from production director to production manager, quality control, plant manager, process control, production supervisors and finally operatives. Each person in the line has authority of the one below. The advantages of a line structure is that it is simple to understand because staff know exactly where they are in the structure. Managers in Mars have a clear understanding of the roles of people when allocating work and spend less time monitoring work because subordinates are not distracted or confused by instructions from other sources. A well establishes line authority makes it possible for work to be delegated further down the line. Mars would use the line structure as it is simple to understand because staff know exactly where they are in the structure. The disadvantages are that it can involve a very long chain of command. Instructions may take a considerable amount of time to filter from the top and impact on the functional department, which would be a major drawback on a company in a rapidly changing market. Individuals may only respond to commands from their direct superior. The flow of information up the chain of command may take a long time, causing delays. 2.4c Staff Structures The senior management In Mars have a team of advisors to help them co-ordinate the activities of the whole organisation. A Mars member with the staff authority can provide services and advice to those in the line of authority in other departments. The training and recruitment of Human Resources management department are bound to involve other departments. Senior staff of Mars in the production department may have staff authority in the purchasing department. Mars staff in the finance department may have staff authority across all departments. Managers within Mars do not have the power or authority to control or give instructions, but rather the authority to deal with other departments and offer advice and services in relation to their problems. The advantages of staff structures are that it enables expertise and experience of specialists to be used to a greater extent across the Mars’ organisation. By having access to all areas of the business managers with staff authority can coordinate the organisations objectives and ensure a more immediate response to changes in technology or market conditions. Staff authority prevents individual departments from being too inward looking. In Mars it makes communication more efficient, without staff authority, communications between departments are a director level, and so any inter departmental communication ahs to pass up the chain of command in one department to director level and then down the other before it reaches the appropriate level. The disadvantages of a line and staff structure are that there is a risk that staff authority may diminish the authority of individuals in line management, particularly is those with staff functions acquire informal power and authority. In Mars this can lead to some subordinates becoming confused about whether they should take instructions from and be responsible to their line managers with staff authority. It can lead to clashes of personality and options. This may strain relations between staff, affecting productivity and morale. 2.4d Matrix Structures A matrix structure is an organisational structure set out as a grid, which shows the different ways an individual can be affected by authority. Here the projects need a variety of people from each functional area and there will be two managers that individual employees will have to report to. The advantages of the matrix structure are; making sure there is co-ordination between departments this is because it moves into the boundaries of each department boundary. This encourages greater flexibility and creativity, which is produced by the cross-fertilisation of knowledge and skills. It also enables lower staff to gain experience in management of a project team, which could be preparing them for promotion to become a higher manager. A disadvantage, however is that it can lead to confusion between project teams as individuals are involved in a large number of different relationships which create a complex pattern of authority and responsibility. In Mars they use a matrix structure which consists of specialist expertise who concentrate in specialist departments. Specialist staff are allocated to work on specialist projects. Project managers in Mars are responsible for completing the project calling on departmental specialise as they are needed. Promotion to higher levels of management is primarily based on technical expertise- merit or seniority. Communication chains are primarily downloaded and take the from of instructions and commands. This is an example of a Matrix structure used in Mars: Chief Executive The Mars Organisation structure is a grid showing the different ways an individual can be affected by authority. Here the projects need authority of people from each functional area and individuals will have to report to two managers. Organisational structures are divided by 1 product, 2 process, 3 customer, 4 geographical area. Division by product is when the organisation is separated by product lines. The advantage’s of a Mars matrix organisational structure is that it promotes an increased coordination between departments because it cuts across departmental boundaries-it encourages greater flexibility and creativity produced by cross fertilisation of knowledge and skills. It also allows for the involvement of relatively junior staff in Mars, giving them valuable experience in a wider field for the expression and application of their popular skills. The staff lower down the line structure can also gain valuable management development in a project team, preparing them for promotion. The involvement from specialists in other areas reduces the risks of resources being wasted on projects with no future. Matrix structures do have their disadvantages, the existence of a matrix structure in Mars and project teams can lead to confusion as individuals are involved in a large number of different relationships creating a complex pattern of authority and responsibility. A line manager may resent a subordinate receiving orders from anyone other than him or herself. 2.4e Centralised Organisations A centralised organisation is when decisions are made at the top of the organisation and the activities are carried out centrally. E.g. if a item needs to be purchased then all the purchases must go through the purchasing team. NO BODY has the authority to purchase separate items. Mars is not an example of a centralised organisation. Centralisation is where an organisation carries out its activities centrally in the business, so for example if an organisation wished to purchase equipment the purchasing department would carry it out, because no one else has the authority to do that. Most of the decisions are taken by employees at the top of the organisation and further down, they don’t need to make decisions. An advantage of centralisation is the fact that the management team is aware of how much internal and external factors effect each individual department and the organisations general, meaning decisions can be made, based on what Mars needs as a whole. 2.4f De-Centralisation Is when each department manager has the ability to organise his own services making the decision on a day to day bases for his functional area. Mars is an example of a decentralised organisation; because the authority to make decisions on many activities is put to managers and sometimes maybe even supervisors, which is what takes place in Mars. This means that each department manager has the ability to organise there own services, making the decision on a day to day basis for their functional area. 2.4g The relationship between Culture and structure and management: There is a clear relationship between the structure and the culture of the Mars’ organisation. Tall organisations tend to have a culture based on a ‘them and us’ attitude, which depends on where individuals stand in the hierarchy. There is likely to be a authoritarian culture. Mars have a tall organisational structure and also a tall hierarchal structure. The managing Director is at the top and below are seven departments. Each department is made up of a team. This means that an organisational chart shows the position of your company at a particular time- needs reviewing. It can show anomalies and efficiency- shows faults in fundamental structure. It also shows new employees and shows a broad outline of the company and where they fit in. It is also essential for the day to day planning Flat organisations tend to be more democratic, with multi directional flows of communication between organisational members, there is more likely to be a team approach. Matrix structures are more democratic than tall organisations. In the matrix people will mix with people from more than one functional area, so there is less likely to be a situation where departments become defensive of their territories. The matrix involves process teams this creates bonds between its team members and development of ideas. Hierarchical organisations are based on a top down approach which a main emphasis on communication. Centralised organisations are likely to lead a power based authoritarian structure. The centre of the organisation or team leaders will make or major dictions of the company. Distrust may be a major aspect from the centre of the organisation, people not involved or surrounded by the decision makers ill feel pushed out and unwelcome. An advantage of centralisation is the fact that the management team is aware of how much internal and external factors effect each individual department and the organisations general, meaning decisions can be made, based on what Mars needs as a whole. Decentralised organisations are most likely to be based on democratic structures teamwork and empowerment. Mars are not Delayering they are not laying people off when they want a flat organisational structure. This has not happened in Mars but this has happened in Nestle in 2002 who closed plants and made redundancies.