GM SWOT Essay - 2148 Words

MARKETING MANAGEMENT CASE ANALYSIS LECTURER: Boaz K. Ingari General Motors (K) ltd An Introduction General Motors East Africa Limited was formed in 1975 and is a joint venture between General Motors Corporation (57.8%), Industrial and Commercial Development Corporation (20%), Centum Investments (17.8%) and Itochu Corporation (4.4%). The vehicle manufacturing plant in Nairobi assembles a wide range of Isuzu trucks and buses. It is the largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles in the Eastern Africa region with more than fifteen models. GM East Africa also retails fully built Chevrolet brands. General Motors East Africa Limited is certified to ISO 9001:2008 (quality management system) and ISO 14001:2004 (environment†¦show more content†¦Maury F. Dieterich was appointed the new managing director of GM (K). Mr. Dieterich had been the financial director for three years prior to this, and he was therefore already well known by the local staff. Mr. Dieterich, as managing director, is a member of the board of GM (K), which is presently chaired by Mr. Bernard Hinga. Mr. Hinga and most directors are Kenyans. Company Objectives Discussing the production capacity of GM (K), Mr. Dieterich recently reported that the Nairobi plant was operating with only one shift (It has a three-shift potential) and forecast production at 2,300 units – approximately 60% of the capacity of one shift (E.g. 800 medium duty trucks, 600 light duty trucks, 500 pick-ups, 300 utility vehicles and 100 buses). This is reportedly a 50% increase over last year’s level of production. Utilizing a greater proportion of the production capacity would help GM (K) to fulfill a national goal of providing more jobs. Mr. Dieterich also stated that GM (K) had a responsibility to its customers and to the public to continually improve the quality and safety of its products to meet both strict international and GMC parent company standards, and to maintain high levels of service. In short, he stated that it is service and quality that really sells products. Finally, Mr. Dieterich said that he would follow his predecessor’s example of an open door policyShow MoreRelatedSwot of Gm1431 Words   |  6 PagesSWOT Analysis of General Motors Darien Connor MG352 10/03/2010 General Motors can trace it’s begins to 1908 the world largest automaker employing over 200K people in 157 countries. GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 31 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, FAW, GMC, Daewoo, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM s largest national market is China, followed by the United States, Brazil, GermanyRead MoreSwot Analysis- Gm (K)2152 Words   |  9 PagesQ1. Conduct a SWOT analysis for GM (K) SWOT analysis basically entails identifying and outlining the organization’s strong attributes that are helpful to achieving the objectives(strengths); weak attributes of the organization that are harmful to achieving its objectives (weaknesses); external opportune conditions that are helpful to achieving the organization’s objectives (Opportunities); external conditions that are harmful to achieving the organizations objectives(threats). Basically theRead MoreChevrolet Europe Essay2382 Words   |  10 PagesMotors, one of the world’s largest automakers, traces its roots back to 1908. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 204,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in some 140 countries. GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 34 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM’s largest nat ional market is the United States, followed by China,Read MoreHolden : An Australian Automobile Manufacturer1438 Words   |  6 Pages HOLDEN GM Holden Ltd known as Holden, is an Australian automobile manufacturer that operates in Australasia having it s headquarter in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The firm was initiated in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer (as J.A. Holden Co.) in South Australia by James Alexander Holden. Later in 1885, German-born H.A. Frost joined the business as a junior partner and the firm was renamed to Holden Frost Ltd. However the company was given kick-start by Holden s grandson who had an interestRead MoreSwot Analysis Of Swot Analysis : Swot1223 Words   |  5 PagesOnStar – SWOT Analysis To help OnStar determine if home monitoring services should be added to its list of products and services, a SWOT analysis should be completed. A SWOT analysis is a situation analysis or tool used to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of an organization (SWOT Analysis Definition | Investopedia, 2005). Thus, it is a basic straightforward model that determines what an organization, like OnStar, can and cannot do, as well as determines its opportunitiesRead MoreSwot Analysis : Volkswagen Group956 Words   |  4 Pagestool to understand the company’s past, present, and future situations both internally and externally. One among those tools being used is the SWOT analysis. On the whole, the SWOT analysis, being the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, is a helpful tool that can be handy to gage the overall situation of a company. This essay will complete a SWOT analysis on Volkswagen Group, one among the leading car manufacturers in the w orld to demonstrate its applications. Furthermore, an evaluationRead MoreToyota Marketing Plan4335 Words   |  18 Pagesdifferentiation strategy has made it enjoy an almost monopolistic presence especially in the developing nations of the world. On the other hand, the market structure can be seen as an oligopoly. This is due to the fact that there are other key players like GM who are peer competitors. Toyota is keen to see what these competitors are doing and make sure it reacts to their actions in a way that will guarantee its market leadership. 2.0 Strategic Focus and Plan There are three aspects of the existingRead MoreWhat Does It Happen?2202 Words   |  9 Pagesutilized as bolster vigor when power is demolished or when height request is high. Near to its three-pronged path of action of motion, Tesla presents money associated associations, like that of different automobile creators, much like normal Motors Co (GM). This joins typical advances and rents. For part of the frenzy wanders, it has a resale recognize to be a certain strategy. This gives some situation affirmation on cars appreciate must the consumer must alternate it. All matters regarded, Tesla hasRead MoreTiVo Strategic Audit Essay1663 Words   |  7 Pageson growing their business. II. Corporate Governance A. Top Management A.1. President and CEO- Thomas Rogers A.2. Senior Vice President and CFO- Steve Sordello A.3. Co-Founder and VP of Research and Development- James Barton A.4. Senior VP and GM- Jeffrey Klugman A.5. Senior VPs- Mark Roberts, Matthew Zinn, Nancy Kato, Joe Miller A.6. All of the top management possess the technical, marketing, and business knowledge necessary to running this specific business in this industry. B. Board ofRead MoreNeutrogenas Leadership: Vision, Mission, Value , and Swot Analyses Alignment with Jnj4783 Words   |  20 Pagescomprehension and community cooperation heavily rely on Leadership’s transparency and transfer of pivotal knowledge. This report analyzes the vision, mission, values and strategy of Neutrogena and Our Credo; Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT), internal processes, implementation timeliness and leadership roles. This report will help identify misalignment between the parent company and the organization to preserve core value and maintain competitive advantage. â€Å"Our Credo† is Our Commitments

El Nino Essay - 688 Words

El Nià ±o and La Nià ±a Worksheet After exploring the websites, you will have enough information to answer the following questions. There are 19 true/false questions and 1 short answer question that need to be answered. Submit your work to your instructor and then complete the El Nià ±o and La Nià ±a Quiz. The information below explains how to answer the questions. * If the statement is True, answer True for full credit. * If the statement is False, answer False for half credit and then rewrite the sentence to make it a True statement. To make it True, you will likely only need to swap no more than 2-4 words that describe the main concept to make it true. Here are a couple of examples. Example #1: True/False: Most†¦show more content†¦Answer: 7. Warm ENSO episodes result in abnormally wet conditions over northern Australia, Indonesia, and the Philippines in both winter and summer seasons. Answer: 8. During a warm ENSO episode, storms tend to be more vigorous in the Gulf of Mexico along the southeast coast of the U.S. resulting in wetter than normal conditions in that region. Answer: 9. During a La Nià ±a episode, higher than normal pressure is observed over Indonesia and northern Australia and lower than normal pressure is observed over the eastern tropical Pacific. Answer: 10. The southeastern U.S. becomes warmer and drier than normal during a cold La Nià ±a episode. Answer: 11. El Nino is closely related to global atmospheric oscillation known as the Northern Oscillation. Answer: 12. La Nià ±a represents the warm phase of the ENSO cycle and El Nino represents the cold phase of the ENSO cycle. Answer: 13. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center declares the onset of an El Nià ±o episode when the 6-month average sea-surface temperature departure exceeds 2.5 deg Celsius in the east-central equatorial Pacific. Answer: 14. El Nià ±o and La Nià ±a episodes typically occur every 2-7 years. However, in the historical record this interval has varied from 3-5 years. Answer: 15. El Nià ±o and La Nià ±a areShow MoreRelated El Nino Essay2743 Words   |  11 PagesEl Nino We live on an incredibly large planet. Even broader than the size of the planet are the amount of changes and relationships between humans, animals, environment, weather, and the effects of each. Many times with busy schedules and modern lifestyles we forget the interaction that goes on between any number of concepts or ideas. We fail to realize that a specific weather occurrence in the Pacific Ocean can have an effect on every day life in the United States. El Nino is one of the largestRead More El Nino, La Nina and Hurricanes Essay467 Words   |  2 PagesEl Nino, La Nina and Hurricanes How does the change in climate affect the frequency and the path of those powerful hurricanes and tropical storms in the tropical Pacific and Atlantic Oceans? Global warming has a profound vast impact on the Earth. Besides landmasses, ocean is warmed unevenly. Additionally, unexpected changes in ocean current will aggregate the uneven distribution of water temperatures along the globe. Warmer or cooler than normal sea surface temperatures occur alongRead More El Nino: Past, Present, and Future Essay example1296 Words   |  6 PagesEl Nino: Past, Present, and Future El Nino is both an atmospheric and oceanic phenomenon affecting weather patterns all around the world. It is complemented by La Nina in a cycle that occurs approximately every 4 years, varying as much as every two years to every six years (Wang 1999, 3331). La Nina has almost the opposite effect, however differs in its strength and duration randomly, as does El Nino (Fedorov 2000, 1998). The cycle is often paraphrased as ENSO, standing for El Nino-Southern OscillationRead MoreEl Nino2863 Words   |  12 PagesStates. El Nino is one of the largest scientific phenomenons that scientists have ever explored. The main concepts of El Nino are very simple and there are many variations, causes, affects, and relationships to study. The main idea behind El Nino is that the wind changes direction across the Pacific Ocean. In a non El Nino year (normal), the trade winds blow from east to west across the ocean, from North and South America towards the tropical regions of the Pacific Ocean. In an El Nino year, theRead MoreWhat Makes El Nino?2005 Words   |  9 PagesEl Nino is a phenomena that occurs when the ocean and the atmosphere collide. The warm atmosphere mixes with the water and creates a moisture in the air creating a low pressure system. A high pressure system is created when the cold water reduces the air above it. During a low pressure system the air becomes moist and can create severe tropical storms, on the other hand when there is a high pressure system the cold dry air goes back down and takes away all of the moisture. When combined this canRead MoreThe El Nino Southern Oscillation1878 Words   |  8 Pages Introduction The El Nino Southern Oscillation is a large scale circulation of atmospheric and oceanic interactions. It is a natural climate phenomenon where the tropical Pacific Ocean experiences higher than normal ocean temperature. The opposite, La Nina, refers to the unusual cooler than normal sea surface temperatures. It gained its name â€Å"the Christ child† in Spanish (â€Å"the girl† for La Nina) because the characteristic is most obvious around Christmas alone the western coast of South AmericaRead MoreEl Nino And Its Effects852 Words   |  4 PagesEl Nià ±o and its Effects Recently, the weather has varied greatly from traditional for many areas within the United States; the East Coast has had next to zero snow, while Midwest states have been hit by several heavy snowstorms. Although this change in weather patterns, compared to the average year, may appear unordinary and confusing, it can be attributed to the fact that a very strong El Nià ±o is currently underway. El Nià ±o occurs when trade winds in the Pacific Ocean decrease in magnitude, whichRead More El Nino Essay1144 Words   |  5 Pages El Nino nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Typically, the level of ocean water around the world is higher in the western Pacific and lower in the eastern, near the Western coast of South and North America. This is due primarily to the presence of easterly winds in the Pacific, which drag the surface water westward and raise the thermocline relatively all the way up to the surface in the east and dampen it in the west. During El Nino conditions, however, the easterlies move east, reducing the continuingRead MoreGlobal Warming As Causes Of El Nino Southern Oscillation Phenomena2540 Words   |  11 Pagesâ€Æ' ESSAY PLAN Global Warming As Causes Of El Nino-Southern Oscillation Phenomena The advancements in various sectors in the life of human beings, which often exploit natural resources without control, directly or indirectly lead to changes in the environment sustained effect unconsciously towards the emergence of a disaster. The other thing is the changes of natural phenomena that occur periodically turned into irregular and even a negative effect on habitat and human life. People unrealizedRead MoreThe El Nino : A Weather Phenomenon1548 Words   |  7 PagesThe El Nià ±o story starts on the eastern Pacific Ocean. Peruvian fisherman have alway known the usually very cold and plentiful waters every so often become exceptionally warm, followed by the collapse of fish stocks. These unusual events return every 3-7 years and, and peak around December (Christmas), the fishermen named the phenomenon El Nià ±o (Spanish for boy child). For decades, El Nià ±o was considered to be a weather phenomenon only correlating with the countries of western South America. Scientists

Employee Recognition and Employee Retention

Question: Discuss about theEmployee Recognition and Employee Retention. Answer: Introduction Human resource management is an important component of the organization, which includes activities such as recruitment and selection of employees. Through human resource management, organizations are able to drive the realization of organizational goals and objectives. This argumentative essay considers human resource management within the context of McDonalds as presented in the case study. The essay answers three questions related to the case study about McDonald's use of recognition as a key driver of its corporate culture and strategy. The main argument advanced is that McDonald's human resource approach is consistent with many of the human resource practices that are recommended in the literature and that it is a highly effective approach. The Importance of Employee Recognition Towards Employee Retention Employee recognition is an important avenue towards the retention of employees. This is because employee recognition plays an important role in ensuring the employees are satisfied with their current jobs. In fact, recognition is one of the factors that has been explicitly identified in the literature as contributing to employees dissatisfaction with their job positions and their consequent decision to exit an organization (Gregory, 2011). Thus, by having a recognition scheme, organizations are able to reduce the rate of labour turnover in their organizations. As shall be discussed in the ensuing paragraphs, the retention of employees is essential for a wide range of reasons, which include the retention of key talent. In the case of McDonald's the significance of retention is corroborated by its indication that up to 80% of its business managers began as crewmembers with the company. This high proportion is also evidence of McDonalds ability to retain its employees, which can partly be attributed to its practice of employee recognition, The recognition of employees contributes to employee retention by increasing the satisfaction levels of employees. Employee satisfaction is one of the most commonly discussed paradigms within the business literature. In the context of employee retention, employees dissatisfaction with their jobs is one of the most commonly cited reasons for high rates of labour turnover(Tracey Hinkin, 2008). Typical issues that employees will be dissatisfied with include their relationships with supervisors, the job content, job conditions and pay practices amongst other factors. Employees dissatisfaction with their jobs leads to outcomes such as lowered productivity, which in turn curtails the ability of the organization to realize its objectives. This is because employees who are dissatisfied tend to be unmotivated and non-committal, and are thus counterproductive to the organization (Gregory, 2011). It is therefore in the best interest of organizations to ensure that their employees are satisfied , as this will lead to an increase in motivation and in turn, enhance the productivity of employees. Ultimately, the positive effects will translate into the realization of organizational objectives. For McDonalds, one can argue that the company is able to satisfy its employees, given its high retention rates. However, rather than merely inferring McDonalds ability to satisfy employees, one can also demonstrate that this is the case, by analysing McDonalds practices from the context of theories of motivation. One of the ways in which employee satisfaction can be understood is through theories of motivation. Coomber Barriball (2007) highlight Maslows hierarchy of needs and Herzbergs two-factor theory. Maslows theory presents needs in a hierarchical form whereby lower level needs must first be satisfied before higher-level needs are satisfied. This theory is discussed in the next paragraph. With regard to the job satisfaction/dissatisfaction paradigm and the role of recognition, the two-factor theory presents a more explicit exemplification. The approach categorizes job factors into dissatisfiers and satisfiers. Dissatisfiers are those factors whose absence leads to job dissatisfaction, but whose presence has little impact on job satisfaction. They include factors such as pay and benefits, organization policies and the work environment (Coomber Barriball, 2007). Indeed, it has been noted in the previous paragraph that these are some of the factors with which employees tend to be dissatisf ied. Alternatively, job satisfiers include recognition and achievement, as well as self-satisfaction(Coomber Barriball, 2007). Evidently, recognition practices such as those exercised by McDonalds are vital in promoting retention, since, in their absence, employees will not be satisfied with their jobs. At the same time, McDonald's also astutely manages the dissatisfier components which otherwise have the capacity to cause employees to be dissatisfied. The other important theory is Maslows hierarchy of needs. Unlike the two-factor theory, whose moderating effect on employee retention occurs through the satisfier-dissatisfier paradigm, Maslows hierarchy considers the various levels of need that employees have, and the ability of the company to meet these needs. Thus, according to Coomber and Barriball (2007), the key activity within a Maslowian approach is to identify what needs and values need to be realized so that an employee is satisfied. The hierarchy is presented in the form of a pyramid, whereby the number of needs at each successive level reduces, but the needs increase in their complexity (Dubrin, 2011). The five levels of needs are further classified into the two categories of physiological and psychological needs. Factors such as recognition are related to the psychological level of needs. Employee recognition contributes to the satisfaction of self-esteem and self-actualization needs of employees. The satisfaction of the se needs contributes to employee job satisfaction, which in turn enhances the ability of the organization to retain its employees. Employee retention provides important support for organizational cultures such as that of McDonalds, which seeks to secure its talent and have them serve in top positions. Another manner in which McDonalds employee recognition supports its culture and programs is through employee empowerment. Employee empowerment is an important feature of performance management, which enables organizations to get the best out of their employees. According to Meyerson and Dewettinck (2012), there is a direct link between employee empowerment and issues like performance, job satisfaction, and commitment. As has been noted, employees who are satisfied with their jobs are likely to be more productive, and less likely to want to leave a company. Klidas, van den Berg and Wilderom (2007) highlight four features, which they contend, are antecedents to empowered employee behaviour. The first of this is training, which commences with the selection and recruitment of the right candidates for the job(Klidas, van den Berg, Wilderom, 2007). The assertion by Gregory (2011) that where there is a poor fit between an employee and a particular job, then dissatisfaction is most certain to follow, underscores the importance of proper selection. Secondly, there is reward practices, which play an important role by embedding particular practices and attitudes in employees. These include responsibility and innovativeness(Klidas, van den Berg, Wilderom, 2007). The third and fourth antecedents are the organizational culture and management practices. These antecedents are now considered in the context of McDonalds. A review of McDonalds practices reveals a consistency with the aspects of employee empowerment that have been outlined above. The first factor is training. McDonalds engages in an extensive and elaborate training of its employees, with the company being a registered training organization. Moreover, the company has an annual training budget of above $40 million. Further aspects of training include the significant amount of time spent by Frank McManus on training and development. Specifically, this senior vice president spends about 30 to 40 percent of his time on executive development and talent management. Secondly, there is reward practices, which McDonald engages in an elaborate reward scheme, which involves not just the payment of employees, but further, recognizing them for their exemplary performance. Employees receive a gift voucher as well as formal recognition in front of their peers. Also related to reward practices is McDonalds endeavour to guarantee transparency by ensurin g that its employees have a proper understanding of its pay decisions, and ensuring that there is equity between various roles. Here, there are two important aspects to note. One is the endeavour by the company to ensure fairness, and the second is its endeavour to communicate these practices to employees. Both of these aspects are important since according to Gregory (2011), they have the capacity to lead to employee dissatisfaction. Organizational culture and management practices are closely interrelated features, which affect employees motivations and job satisfaction. The corporate culture of a company influence the companys strategic direction and its ability to meet its strategic objectives. According to Rugman and Collinson (2012), human resource managers usually utilize organizational culture to embed certain practices such as innovativeness in their workforce. The organizational culture is closely linked to the management style adopted in a particular organization. According to Mosley and Patrick (2011), leadership styles contribute to a particular organizational culture, while conversely, the organizational culture tends to reinforce a particular leadership style. The management approach, through the leadership style adopted, is an important antecedent of employee empowerment. Certain leadership styles tend to empower management, while others tend to empower employees. Employee empowerment has been linked to those leadership approaches that are participative in nature (Bass, 2008). In particular, the transformational leadership approach is closely associated with employee empowerment, through its dimensions such as individualized consideration(Harms Cred, 2010). McDonald's corporate culture is one that places emphasis on people. While there is no clear-cut evidence that the company offers individualized consideration to its employees, one can nonetheless contend that the leadership approach is a transformative one. This is as opposed to a transactional leadership approach. This contention can be corroborated by considering the fact that transformational leadership approaches emphasize on people, while transactional approaches emphasize on tasks(Bass, 2008). Consequently, given McDonalds recognition of people as part of its culture, it is evident that the management approach conforms to a transformative leadership style. One of the most compelling challenges for organizations in the contemporary world is the attraction and retention of talent. This is the case for business institutions as well as non-profits such as the Spastic centre. One of the ways through which organisations cope with this challenge is using compensation packages. According to Tangthong, Trimetsoontorn, and Rojniruntikul, (2014), this use of compensation packages and benefits is a viable strategy. The approach by McDonalds, however, does not rely on compensation packages or benefits and is instead embedded in the use of practices such as recognition. While the use of recognition is successful within a business setting, it is unlikely that the direct application of such an approach would suffice for the retention of volunteers within a non-profit. This is because of the significant differences in the structure of a not-for-profit organization and that of a business organisation. For starters, the motivations that drive volunteers to enlist in a non-profit organisation are likely to be different from the motivations that drive individuals to apply for employment positions. While seeking volunteer opportunities, individuals may either be driven by altruistic motivations or by egoistic inclinations(Shye, 2010). Consequently, it is imperative that non-profit organizations first understand the motivation behind the decisions of individuals to volunteer. If individuals are driven by altruistic inclinations, then it is unlikely that recognition will further increase their level of satisfaction with the organization. According to Tomazos and Butler (2012), the motivation belying the engagement of deep or altruistic volunteers is an affinity to satisfy the psychological and altruistic needs. Alternatively, there are also shallow volunteers, whose main motivation behind volunteering is personal self-development. Such volunteers may seek rewards that can be translated into monetary value(Chen Chen, 2011). Consequently, it is imperative that non-profits first understand the nature of volunteering individuals. They can then classify these volunteers and assign them different roles according to their needs. In this way, they will satisfy the needs and expectations of volunteers and enhance the chances of volunteer retention. Conclusion Organizations today face the prospects of increasing competition at both ends of the supply chain, meaning that they not only have to contend for a space in the market but also, have to engage more aggressively when seeking resources. One such resource is the human resource component, which is an important source of competitive advantage. Organizations can enhance the retention of top employees in a number of ways, including the use of compensation packages and through astute management practices. The most important consideration for organizations, however, is to ensure that they guarantee the satisfaction of employees, and reduce employee dissatisfaction. This is because employee satisfaction/dissatisfaction has a great capacity to prompt an individual to either stay at or exit and organization. References Bass, B. (2008). The Bass Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research, and Managerial Applications (4th Edition ed.). New York: Free Press. Chen, L.-J., Chen, J. S. (2011). The motivations and expectations of international volunteer tourists: A case study of Chinese Village Traditions. Tourism Management, 32(2), 435-442. Coomber, B., Barriball, K. L. (2007). Impact of job satisfaction components on intent to leave and turnover for hospital-based nurses: a review of the research literature. International journal of nursing studies, 44(2), 297-314. Retrieved December 09, 2016 DuBrin, A. J. (2011). Human relations for career and personal success: concepts, applications, and skills. 9th ed. , . Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall/Pearson. Gregory, K. (2011). The importance of employee satisfaction. The Journal of the Division of Business Information Management, 29-37. Harms, P. D., Cred, M. (2010). Emotional intelligence and transformational and transactional leadership: A meta-analysis. Journal of Leadership Organizational Studies, 17(1), 5-17. Klidas, A., van den Berg, P. T., Wilderom, C. P. (2007). Managing employee empowerment in luxury hotels in Europe. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 18(1), 70-88. Meyerson, G., Dewettinck, B. (2012). Effect of Empowerment on Employees Performance. Advanced Research in Economic and Management Sciences (AREMS), 2, 40-46. Mosley, D. C., Patrick, D. K. (2011). Leadership and Followership: The Dynamic Process of Building High Performance Cultures. Organization Development Journal, 29(2), 85-100. Rugman, A. M., Collinson, S. (2012). International Business (6th ed.). Harlow England: Palgrave. Shye, S. (2010). The motivation to volunteer: A systemic quality of life theory. Social Indicators Research, 98(2), 183-200. Tangthong, S., Trimetsoontorn, J., Rojniruntikul, N. (2014). HRM Practices and Employee Retention in ThailandA. International Journal of Trade, Economics and Finance, 5(2), 162-166. Retrieved December 09, 2016 Tomazos, K., Butler, R. (2012). Volunteer tourists in the field: A question of balance? Tourism Management, 33(1), 177-187. Tracey, J. B., Hinkin, T. R. (2008). Contextual factors and cost profiles associated with employee turnover. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 49(1), 12-27. Retrieved December 09, 2016

Internet Governance

Introduction Internet governance is crucial for the security of the world’s nations. The Internet is the most commonly used source of information in the modern digitalized economies regardless of a nation’s development status.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Internet Governance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More On the other hand, terrorists use the Internet to access information about their target areas of attack across the world; hence, there is a great need for Internet governance that offers security mechanism for shielding information that could benefit terrorists in their missions. Since its inception, the Internet has lacked a centralized governing body, hence making it freely accessible to everyone with an Internet access around the globe. Consequently, many people have suffered from acts of terrorisms and huge data leaked to the hands of the Internet hackers. In addition, individuals, co rporate organisations, and even governmental bodies have suffered huge losses due to the Internet virus spread coupled with malwares that corrupt computer memories leading to loss of data. In addition, many people have lost trust with the Internet security mechanism for its lenience on tightening security for fear of denying people the freedom of expression over the Internet. Some countries oppose the idea of introducing central governing bodies for the Internet fearing that their communication technology development might be hampered by the developed countries1. In contrast, some developed nations fear that other countries would take that advantage to hinder their development thus opposing the idea of centralised Internet governance. Internet Governance Forum (IGF) There is no universal definition of the term â€Å"Internet Governance†, which has been agreed upon by the involved stakeholders. The simplest definition of Internet Governance is the management, control, and coor dination of the Internet.2 However, in 2005, the United Nations held the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), in which the delegates agreed upon the definition of the term â€Å"Internet Governance†. According to Kruger, the agreed definition defined the Internet Governance as â€Å"the development and application by governments, the private sector, and civil society, in their respective roles, of shared principles, norms, rules, decision-making procedures, and programmes that shape the evolution and use of the Internet†.3Advertising Looking for case study on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The coming of the Internet has led to the changes in the mode of international telecommunications processes in the world. Initially, growth and development of the Internet had been without guidance and participation of intergovernmental processes until the adoption of the International Telec ommunication Union (ITU) in 1973.4 However, the Internet had not fully grown to a level of becoming a global communication, economic, political, and social platform as it is in the contemporary times. The role of ITU was to manage and standardize the technical and operation tasks of the Internet, which include the standardization of communication protocols, managing web names, and numerical addresses used over the Internet. The rapid growth and development of the Internet in many countries all over the world stirred concerns over the introduction of a multi-stakeholder Internet governance rather than giving the United States full control over the management of the Internet. Fidler claims that the main objective of these countries was â€Å"to bring the role of Internet governance within the intergovernmental processes and under the international Internet law treaties†5. In 1988, members of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) adopted the International telecommunica tion Regulations (ITRs), which according to Fidler ,it â€Å"focused on interconnection and universal operation ability of communication services brought about by the growth of the Internet, and hence replaced Telegraph and Telephone Regulations that ITU had espoused upon its adoption in 1973†6. According to Kruger, the ITRs contained the â€Å"governing principles rather than rules that formed a simple framework for the international communication cooperation, which are still been in use today†.7 Over the last few decades, the use and development of the internet in the world has been growing rapidly, and that has posed a great challenge on the Internet governance and administration policies. Internet governance underscores a wide area of study and it entails a number of administrative aspects that seek to keep Internet content under check. Some policies are difficult for national regulative mechanisms, and thus they require international co-operation, of which some po licies are often difficult to agree upon their international uniformity.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Internet Governance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There have been heated deliberations over the aspects that touch on Internet governance coupled with the necessary regulations governing the same. According to Kruger, â€Å"the United Nations held the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) in two stages, viz. the first and the second in 2003 and 2005 respectively, which gave momentum to the debate on Internet Governance†8. The ultimate goal of holding the summit was to discuss the methods that would increase the access of communication and information technologies in the applied when applied on the global platform. Much of the discussions made in the summit relied heavily on the centralisation of the technical administration of the internet, which disappointed a majority of the participants and especially the delegates from the third world countries. However, a key outcome of the summit was an agreement upon the establishment of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), and the aim of the governance forum was to bring together multi-stakeholders in its management, which included the governments, industry, and civil societies. The WSIS of 2003 summit did not reach a consensus because of presence of many disagreements between the proponents and proposers of the adoption of the multi-stakeholder approach to the Internet governance. While China and third world countries proposed for the adoption of the Multi-stakeholder approach, the United States and other western developed countries advocated for the introduction of more governmental and intergovernmental control mechanisms. Those disagreements led the WSIS to advising the then UN Secretary-General to establishing the Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) in December 2004. Much heated debate over the Internet control l ed to the confrontation of the WGIG by the parties of both sides. Those confrontations forced the WGIG to recommend the establishment of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), which was passed on the second WSIS summit in 2005.Advertising Looking for case study on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, the initial IGF lacked the decision-making authority, despite its being a multi-stakeholders discussion forum. Moreover, in 2006 ITU members decided to hold an international conference on the international telecommunication for the ITRs that would empathize on the much-evolved international telecommunication environments, which they proposed to hold in 2012. In 2012, delegates filled the ITU conference on the international telecommunication with heated debates over the stand of the ITU on Internet governance. Proponents of the multi-stakeholders approach believed that ITU was using the conference as a platform of bringing Internet governance under the control of both the governmental and non-governmental organisations and hindering innovation, growth of the e-commerce, the Internet development, people’s democracy, and the human rights. Many scholars viewed the idea of the reviewing the ITRs as a move to tie the government regulations on the Internet, and hence keepin g the free usage of the Internet away from the future generations. They argued that in order to prevent that case from happening coupled with any fundamental shift concerning the modern Internet governance, influential stakeholders should seek ways of protecting it. However, the secretary general of ITU, Hamadoun Tourà ©, had stated that the conference would not address any issues relating to the Internet governance, but some members proposed for changes that focused much on Internet governance, and they considered it prudent to hold discussions over them. For instance, according to Fidler, in an article on the Internet, Russia had discussed on the multi-stakeholder model, viz. â€Å"Member States shall have equal rights to manage the Internet, including in regard to the allotment, assignment and reclamation of the Internet numbering, naming, addressing and identification resources, and to support for the operation and development of the basic Internet infrastructure†9. Othe r forms of proposed revisions on ITRs included the financing model for the Internet communications and measures that affect the security of both computer and the Internet security.10 Unfortunately, the conference ended without mutual consensus. There were 144 delegates having the voting rights out of whom eighty-nine appended their signs on the revision of ITRs including many from the third world countries, China, and Russia. On the other hand, delegates from the Unites States, European nations, and Australia did not sign for the revision. The fact that both sides had powerful nations led to the ending of a conference without consensus. However, the ITU secretary-general noted later that the revised ITRs did not mention the word ‘Internet’; hence, there was a need for the revision and thus he made a resolution to adopt the revision. The new revised ITRs included a preamble language, which required ITU members to remain committed in implementing the proposed regulations in manners, which respected and upheld human rights. The major difference between this form of language and others is its responsiveness to debates over the human rights and the Internet while others relied heavily on the freedom of expression as the only basic human right over the communication technologies11. In addition, there were articles of the revised ITRs that brought controversies among the members of the ITU. For instance, article 1 contained a provision that allowed private institutions that engage in the provision of international communication services to govern the Internet. This move brought about the question on the purpose and scope of the ITRs to the government of the United States. Hence, according to Drake, â€Å"the United States strongly opposed the provision by arguing that the revised ITRs broadened the scope of Internet governance to the point that the private sector and government operators could play a crucial role in the governance of the Internet across the world†.12 There was also a controversy about the added language in the article1.1 (a), which touched on the human rights and addressed the Internet content as a human right. In essence, content-related issues cannot be termed as human rights to the freedom of expression. The provision failed to convince the majority of members, and as a result, ITU dropped it after much criticism concerning its provision to post harmful contents over the Internet under the human rights provision. Article 5A provided for the provision of information security and cyber-security by individual member states. The United States strongly opposed that provision and described both ITU and ITRs as inappropriate avenues for the world’s Internet security issues. The manner in which some developed countries signed the revision of ITRs was questionable to the United States and consequently it viewed Russia and China as geared towards introducing the Internet security covers that could limit the public usage of the Internet at freewill. Hence, it strongly opposed that provision terming it as a risky move to the human rights. The ITU also adopted an additional revision to the ITRs concerning the enabling of the greater growth of the Internet by all stakeholders called Resolution 3.13 However, Resolution 3 was a non-binding regulation though it received much criticism from some countries especially the United States that viewed it as a contravention to the promise by the ITU secretary general, Hamadoun Tourà © that WCIT would not touch on anything related to the Internet in the discussions. The United States feared that the proponents of the revision would extend this provision to the point of allowing government and non-government bodies to have great influence over the Internet governance. However, the reviewed ITRs policies would be put in place at the start of 2015 to the countries that appended the revision. On the other hand, others, who did not append to the revision, would remain bound by the current ITRs. There are various questions about the adverse effect of Internet governance on businesses conditions, planning, decision-making processes, and other important sectors in an economy14. In addition, the scope of Internet governance also seems unclearly defined as to where it should take place, the Internet issues that should be addressed, and outcomes to be sought in the application of Internet governance mechanisms. These serious issues hamper good international relations amongst different states such as Russia, United States, and China. Lack of consensus in the world conference of international telecommunication (WCIT) hints at a probable lack of signs of a meaningful comprise in the future. Going by the international laws, the WCIT tried to introduce Internet governance as a set of international rules. Opposition by any state to these rules did not pose any danger of prosecution, but rather the consequences of failing to adhere to such rules and policies. The ITU members realised such discrepancies, which compelled the ambassador of the United States to conclude that his country would support the multi-stakeholders approach of the Internet governance, which incorporates industries, civil societies, and other major stakeholders of economic growth and development. In October 2006, the UN summit held the first meeting that discussed issues on the Internet Governance Forum. In attendance were the delegates from different economic sectors and countries all over the world. In addition, those delegates from different sectors that included government, industries, charities, and civil organisations. According to Drake, â€Å"the main theme of the conference was Internet Governance for economic growth and development, and had four main subcategories, which included viz. openness, security, access issues, and cultural and linguistic diversity†.15 Internet Governance does not make decisions, but it provides an Internet plat form for democratic decision-making by setting up dynamic coalitions for the process. The key issues in the dynamic coalitions include privacy, open standards, and rights and responsibilities of the Internet users. Beginning with the privacy, the Internet governance forum provided for rules that regulate the web and the Internet users about the handling of privacy. Privacy protection is the first step to ensuring the security of the Internet users through emails, web pages, and databases. Secondly, the Internet security is a major issue of concern in today’s digital world. The major Internet security threats include spam, malwares, and cyberspace attacks. Spam is unwanted message sent by unanimous senders to recipients and mostly contains immoral and security threatening messages. Internet governance has the responsibilities of prohibiting the sending of spam messages over the Internet. Malware refers to application software products sent over the email and destroys the compu ter database whenever they run in a computer. However, there is a major concern that Internet governance should also control the Internet content despite it being open and global. However, since the inception of the Internet, it has never been under control of a controlling body or organisation. The Internet abuse is controllable and Internet governance mechanisms need to be introduced for the execution of the Internet control processes. For instance, in the UK, unlawful Internet content leads to the prosecution whereby the Internet Watch Foundation controls the Internet contents that are abusive to under-aged individuals. In addition, Ofcom, a UK Internet regulator, works to control the standards of the contents broadcasted over the Internet. It does not prosecute the law offenders, but its duty is to raise awareness to the stakeholders, who include industries and civil societies among others, about the self-regulatory capability that each have over the content displayed over the I nternet. Ofcom is a good example of the Internet governance by the multi-stakeholders. In the United States, network neutrality policy advocates for equal treatment of the information displayed over the Internet regardless of the nature and impacts of the content. Considering the future of Internet governance, this paper would conclude by saying that it is at a greater stake considering the policies that are available today for governing the Internet content16. This policy has brought issues in the United States over a majority of the Internet users displaying contents that are abusive to minors and insulting to the religious individuals. However, the government emphasizes on the issuance of freedom of expression to its citizens, and hence no limit to the Internet contents. Through the Internet governance mechanisms, numerous organisations are involved in the administration of the Internet at both the national and international spectrum. The most common organisation that governs int ernet addresses and security is the Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) located in the United States. In addition, ICANN is a non-profit making organisation for assigning domain names and the IP addresses. Domain Name System (DNS) is a system for allowing computers to identify each other through unique numerical labels and IP addresses. This system ensures security of the Internet users by the identifications of the computers being used over the Internet, and thus it is easy to track the Internet offenders by the location of the used computers. University of Southern California was the first institution mandated, by the government of the United States, with the role of issuing DNS and IP addresses until the introduction of ICANN in early1998. The US government mandated ICANN with the role of delegating top-level domain names to some organisations that maintained two level domain names such as.com and.net17. Secondly, it is responsible for allocating blocks of the Internet protocol ad dresses to five most common regional Internet registries, and thirdly it authorises the creation of high-level domain names. However, the US department of commerce had much control over the ICANN until in 2006 when a joint agreement to allow it to have full independence over its responsibilities was reached by various government institutions, but the department of commerce has the authority to oversee how ICANN issues the domain registries to some organisations and specific clients18. Internet Governance Forum wishes to introduce new technologies in the governing of the Internet activities that use the detection of the IP addresses of the computers being used for the Internet networking at certain locations. For instance, the Google map application is used in the identification of specific geographical locations of interest all over the world. Google maps are widely used by navigators as well as the Internet governance bodies such as the United States Marine Corps who use special sa tellite assisted maps in the identification of locations of interest all over the world. However, some critics argue that Internet governance tends to limit the Internet freedom, and this assertion can be looked into two different perspectives. First, Internet governance could limit the Internet freedom through allowing much involvement of the government regulators into the regulatory bodies such as the ICANN of the United States. Secondly, the Internet freedom is denied when the Internet governance mechanisms, which control the nature of the Internet content, are put in place and they end up limiting some individuals from posting contents that are harmful to some individuals such as the Ofcom, which protects the minors. Works Cited Benedek, Wolfgang, Veronica Bauer, and Matthias Ketterman. Internet Governance  and the Information Society: Global Perspectives and European Dimensions, New Jersey: Eleven International Publishing, 2008. Print. Drake, William. Reforming Internet Gover nance: Perspectives from the Working  Group on Internet Governance, New York: United Nations Publications, 2005. Print. Fidler, David. â€Å"Internet Governance and International Law: The Controversy Concerning Revision of the International Telecommunication Regulations.† American Society of International Law 17.6 (2013): 7-14. Gelbstein, Eduardo, and Jovan Kurbalija. Internet governance: issues, actors, and  divides, Merbourne: Diplo Foundation, 2005. Print. Kruger, Leonard. Internet Governance and the Domain Name System: Issues for  Congress, Washington, D.C: The Library Congress, 2010. Print. Mathiason, John. Internet Governance: The New Frontier of Global Institutions,  London: Routlegde, 2008. Print. Mueller, Milton. Ruling the root: Internet governance and the taming of cyberspace,  Washington D.C.: MIT Press, 2004. Print. Thierer, Adam, and Wayne Crews. Who rules the net: Internet governance and  jurisdiction, Boston: Cato Institute, 2003. Print. United Nat ions ICT Task Force. Internet Governance: A Grand Collaboration: an  Edited Collection of Papers Contributed to the United Nations ICT Task Force Global Forum on Internet Governance, New York: United Nations Publications, 2004. Print. Footnotes 1 John Mathiason. Internet Governance: The New Frontier of Global Institutions, London: Routlegde, 2008. Print. p.94. 2Ibid, p.27. 3Leonard Kruger. Internet Governance and the Domain Name System: Issues for Congress, Washington, D.C: The Library Congress, 2010. Print. p.162 4David Fidler. â€Å"Internet Governance and International Law: The Controversy Concerning Revision of the International Telecommunication Regulations.† American Society of International Law 17.6 (2013): 7-14. 5Fidler, p.8. 6Ibid, p.13. 7 Kruger, p.163. 8Ibid, p.168. 9 Fidler, p.9. 10 Mathiason, p.105 11Adams Thierer and Wayne Crews. Who rules the net: Internet governance and jurisdiction, Boston: Cato Institute, 2003. Print. p.128. 12 William Drake. Reforming Int ernet Governance: Perspectives from the Working Group on Internet Governance, New York: United Nations Publications, 2005. Print. p.162. 13 Kruger, p.73. 14 Wolfgang Benedek, Veronica Bauer, and Matthias Kettermaand. Internet Governance and the Information Society: Global Perspectives and European Dimensions, New Jersey: Eleven International Publishing. 2008. Print. p.111. 15 Drake, p.201. 16 Milton Mueller. Ruling the root: Internet governance and the taming of cyberspace, Washington D.C.: MIT Press, 2004. Print. p.183. 17Thierer and Crews, p.136. 18 United Nations ICT Task Force. Internet Governance: A Grand Collaboration: an Edited Collection of Papers Contributed to the United Nations ICT Task Force Global Forum on Internet Governance, New York: United Nations Publications, 2004. Print. p.47 This case study on Internet Governance was written and submitted by user Brodie J. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Declaration Of Independance Analysis.

Declaration Of Independance Analysis. At the beginning of the Civil War president Abraham Lincoln was primarily concerned with preserving the Union and reuniting the United States. However, after his reading of the Gettysburg address the more prominent concern came to be the freeing of slaves from the South. His Gettysburg address speech was only about three minutes long it was more affective and more undying than the speech made by Everett's long-forgotten two-hour oration.Lincoln's speech is very chronological, he begins with stating that 87 years ago our forefathers were concerned with preserving our nation. Not to mention reinforcing the idea that all men are created equal.Next he talks about the present Civil War going on in our "United" States. He begins with saying that it is our duty to dedicate ourselves to the unfinished work of preserving our nation. Then saying they have all gathered here (Gettysburg) to honor our loved ones and heroes for dying so that our nation can live on.Lithograph of the Assassination o f Abraham Lincoln...It is only the right thing to do to be here.The last major point he makes is what we should hope to accomplish from this war. Lincoln makes it very clear that we should honor the dead, preserve the nation. So that our whole country knows that none of these soldiers died in vain. He then goes on to say how people will quickly forget his speech, but he will never forget the men who died saving our country. He says there is still a great task of reuniting to go through and the whole country needs to come together to make that happen, and make sure that their efforts do not go unnoticed. The nation is dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal and is a government of, by, and for the people, to...

Environmental Costs of Hydrofracking

Environmental Costs of Hydrofracking Natural gas drilling with high volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing (hereafter referred to as fracking) has exploded onto the energy scene in the last 5 or 6 years, and the promise of vast stores of natural gas under American soil has prompted a true natural gas rush. Once the technology was developed, new drill rigs appeared all over landscapes in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Texas, and Wyoming. Many have worries about the environmental consequences of this new approach to drilling; here are some of those concerns. Drill Cuttings During the drilling process, large amounts of ground up rock, mixed with drilling mud and brine, are pulled out of the well and transported off the site. This waste then gets buried in landfills. Beside the large waste volume that needs to be accommodated, a concern with drill cuttings is the presence of naturally occurring radioactive materials in them. Radium and uranium can be found in drill cuttings (and produced water – see below) from a proportion of wells, and these elements eventually leach out of the landfills into the surrounding ground and surface waters. Water Use Once a well has been drilled, large amounts of water are pumped into the well at very high pressure to fracture the rock in which the natural gas is located. During a single fracking operation on a single well (wells can be fracked multiple times over their lifetime), on average 4 million gallons of water are used. This water is pumped from streams or rivers and trucked to the site, bought from municipal water sources, or is reused from other fracking operation. Many are concerned about these important water withdrawals, and worried that it may lower the water table in some areas, leading to dry wells and degraded fish habitat. Fracking Chemicals A long, varying list of chemical additives is added to the water in the fracking process. The toxicity of these additives is variable, and many new chemical compounds are created during the fracking process as some of the added ingredients break-down. Once the fracking water returns to the surface, it needs to be treated before disposal (see Water Disposal below). The amount of chemicals added represents a very small fraction of the total volume of fracking water (around 1%). However, this very small fraction detracts from the fact that in absolute terms it is rather large volumes that are used. For a well requiring 4 million gallons of water, about 40,000 gallons of additives are pumped in. The greatest risks associated with these chemicals occur during their transportation, as tanker trucks must use the local roads to bring them to the drill pads. An accident involved spilled contents would have significant public safety and environmental consequences.   Water Disposal A large proportion of the prodigious amounts of water pumped down the well flows back up when the well starts producing natural gas. Besides the fracking chemicals, brine that was naturally present in the shale layer comes back up, too. This amounts to a large volume of liquid that is released into a lined pond, then pumped into trucks and transported to either be recycled for other drilling operations, or to be treated. This â€Å"produced water† is toxic, containing fracking chemicals, high concentrations of salt, and sometimes radioactive materials like radium and uranium. Heavy metals from the shale are of concern too: produced water will contain lead, arsenic, barium, and strontium for example. Spills from failed retention ponds or botched transfers to trucks do happen and have an impact on local streams and wetlands. Then, the water disposal process is not trivial. One method is injection wells. Waste water is injected into the ground at great depths under impermeable rock layers. The extremely high pressure used in this process is blamed for earthquake swarms in Texas, Oklahoma, and Ohio. The second way fracking waste water can be disposed of is in industrial wastewater treatment plants. There have been problems with ineffective treatments at Pennsylvania municipal water treatment plants, so that practice has now ended and only approved industrial treatment plants can be used. Casing Leaks The deep wells used in horizontal hydrofracking are lined with steel casings. Sometimes these casings fail, allowing fracking chemicals, brines, or natural gas to escape into the shallower rock layers and severely contaminating ground water that may reach the surface of be used for drinking water. An example of this problem, documented by the Environmental Protection Agency, is the Pavillion (Wyoming) groundwater contamination case.   Greenhouse Gases and Climate Change Methane is a major component of natural gas, and a very powerful greenhouse gas. Methane can leak from damaged casings, well heads, or it may be vented during some phases of a fracking operation. Combined, these leaks have significant negative impacts on the climate. Carbon dioxide emissions from burning natural gas are much lower, per quantity of energy produced, than from burning oil or coal. Natural gas would then seem to be a reasonably good alternative to more CO2 intensive fuels. The problem is that throughout the entire production cycle of natural gas, a great deal of methane is released, negating some or all of the climate change advantages natural gas seemed to have over coal. Ongoing research will hopefully provide answers as to which is least damaging, but there is no doubt that mining and burning natural gas produces great amounts of greenhouse gases and thus contributes to global climate change. Habitat Fragmentation Well pads, access roads, waste water ponds, and pipelines crisscross the landscape in natural gas producing regions. This fragments the landscape, reducing the size of wildlife habitat patches, isolating them from one another, and contributing to detrimental edge habitat. Peripheral Aspects Fracking for natural gas in horizontal wells is an expensive process that can only be done economically at high density, industrializing the landscape. Emissions and noise from diesel trucks and compressor stations have negative impacts on the local air quality and overall quality of life. Fracking requires large amounts of equipment and materials which themselves are mined or produced at high environmental costs, notably steel and frac sand. Environmental Benefits? At the local scale, the land footprint from fracking operations, especially once the well has been established and the drill rig is gone, is smaller than that of coal strip mines, mountain-top removal mines, or tar sands fields. The footprint of thousands of wells and pipeline right-of-ways over an entire region do add up, though.Natural gas from Marcellus, Barnett, or other North American shale deposits allows us to rely on a domestic source of energy.   That means less energy spent transporting fossil fuels from overseas, and more importantly maintaining the ability to have stricter environmental controls over the entire energy production process. Source Duggan-Haas, D., R.M. Ross, and W.D. Allmon. 2013. The Science Beneath the Surface: A Very Short Guide to the Marcellus Shale. Paleontological Research Institute.

The Vikings Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Vikings - Research Paper Example The Vikings abandoned their homes and travelled into Europe and settled there. However, there is no vivid explanation of what made the Scandinavians to leave their homelands permanently to settle abroad. The Vikings left their Scandinavian homelands and expanded across Western Europe and they also traded with locals and raided coastal regions and as a result of their intense contact, many words across Europe have Scandinavian. Initially, the Vikings were exclusively fishermen and farmers and throughout the Viking age, farming and fishing were the key activities practiced during this era. These individuals took advantage of fertile soils and well-stocked fishing grounds to ensure that they produce enough food for consumption. Most of them were farmers and some of the crops they cultivated include barley and oats plus a variety of fruits and vegetables. In addition, they raised livestock including goats, pigs, cattle and sheep and they as well practiced crafting as they had the ability to make use of raw materials to make various tools and equipments they needed. Moreover, they built long and slender ships called longboats which they used for raiding and shorter and broader ships known as knorrs for trading activities and they built a small rowing boat for fishing. In the Vikings society, those in the upper class were referred to as jarls and they were followed by a class of farmers and craftsmen who were called Karls, however, the lower class was occupied by the slaves also called thralls.

Analysis of Jean Watson's Transpersonal Caring Theory Essay

Analysis of Jean Watson's Transpersonal Caring Theory - Essay Example An in-depth analysis of the Jean Watson’s theory suggests that it promotes the worldview of pragmatism rather than realism. This can be estimated from the fact that realists consider reality independent of human mind. To realists, reality is what happens in the world of physics. Realism is more about technicality and science than spirituality or sociology. On the other hand, pragmatism is more concerned with the sociological side of the picture. Pragmatism promotes the belief that humans can make a difference by manipulating things in the right manner. To pragmatists, reality is what is experienced. Reality changes as experiences change. Thus, we can improve our experiences by applying theory into practice. Pragmatism essentially links theory to practice and this is indeed, the crux of Jean Watson’s theory. According to Watson, nursing is â€Å"a human science of persons and human health—illness experiences that are mediated by professional, personal, scientific , esthetic, and ethical human care transactions† Nurses can use Jean Watson’s theory as a guide to learn what kind of interpersonal skills are fundamental to the building up of their rapport with the patients. In order to inculcate the theoretical principles into their practice, nurses need to identify the elements Watson has stressed upon. There are three primary elements of the Jean Watson’s theory, which include the carative factors, the occasion of caring, and the transpersonal caring relationship (Cara, n.d.). ... To pragmatists, reality is what is experienced. Reality changes as experiences change. Thus, we can improve our experiences by applying theory into practice. Pragmatism essentially links theory to practice and this is indeed, the crux of Jean Watson’s theory. According to Watson, nursing is â€Å"a human science of persons and human health—illness experiences that are mediated by professional, personal, scientific, esthetic, and ethical human care transactions† (Watson, 1988, p. 54). Thus, Jean Watson’s theory is based upon the worldview of pragmatism. How can nurses use Jean Watson’s Theory to further nursing knowledge in practice? Nurses can use Jean Watson’s theory as a guide to learn what kind of interpersonal skills are fundamental to the building up of their rapport with the patients. In order to inculcate the theoretical principles into their practice, nurses need to identify the elements Watson has stressed upon. There are three prima ry elements of the Jean Watson’s theory, which include the carative factors, the occasion of caring, and the transpersonal caring relationship (Cara, n.d.). Watson has discussed carative factors in order to distinguish them from the conventional curative factors. Watson believes that the curative factors are meant to â€Å"honor the human dimensions of nursing’s work and the inner life world and subjective experiences of the people we serve† (Watson, 1997, p. 50). Nursing occasion is any occasion in which a nurse encounters a patient with a need of human caring. The transpersonal caring relationship is a human care relationship which is influenced by a nurse’s commitment towards her job and her moral understanding of the nursing practice. In order to integrate the nursing knowledge into the nursing practice,

Children and Play Essay Example for Free

Children and Play Essay In my experience I have witnessed many children challenging themselves to take risks, for example when my target child was playing outside he challenged himself to climb higher on the climbing frame, which he achieved and then after I explained to him how this activity provides risks for him and other children, also I explained to him that there is nothing wrong with taking risks and that they help you learn how to do certain things. Another time when one of the children at my setting was challenging them self was when they were learning how to ride a bike, I saw the child getting frustrated and angry with them self because they kept stumbling and nearly falling off, I then stopped the child and told him how learning to ride a bike is a challenge and a risk for them and explained that it is fun but it comes with a few risks e. g. possibly falling off and injuring themselves. After I told him this he was more careful on the bike and after some encouragement he felt more comfortable when challenging himself and taking risks in the near future. Children benefit from play activities that challenge them in many ways, one way is that it provides them with a learning curve to try new things even if they can’t do them at first, for example climbing high ropes. Everyday life always involves some kind of risk and children need to learn how to cope with this. They need to understand that the world can be a dangerous place and that care needs to be taken when negotiating their way around it. Inevitably the most powerful learning comes from not understanding or misjudging the degree of risk. Similarly the toddler who ignores the warning, for example if the child says â€Å"don’t climb too high, you might fall†, and experiences this then they are not likely to make the same mistake again. Being told about possible dangers is not enough, children need to see or experience the consequences of not taking care. When I observe young children, I have seen that from an early age, they are motivated to take risks; they want to learn to walk, climb, ride a bike and are not put off by the tumbles they experience as they are developing coordination and control. In my setting children find their own physical challenges and, in doing so learn about their own strengths and limitations. Children who are sheltered from risk and challenge when young will not be able to make judgements about their own capabilities and will not be well equipped to resist peer pressure in their later years.

Essay --

Assistive technology has a great impact on the lifestyles of people with physical disabilities. AT provides necessary assistance for people with disabilities in education, employment, and gaining independence for a good quality of life. Many people with physical disabilities are in need of mobile devices as well as communication devices to enhance their overall quality of life. As technology advances developers of AT devices, law makers, and rehabilitation counselors are instrumental in providing services that will close the gap and include instead of isolate people with disabilities. Impact of AT in Education â€Å"Assistive technology can be a powerful tool to help equalize learning environments for students with disabilities† (Stumbo, Martin & Hedrick, 2009, p.103). For example distance learning, online classes, and the use of the internet provide an alternative to the struggles and hardships for people who rely on mobility devices. For that reason AT devices such as computers are vital for providing communication in the educational journey of people with physical disabilities. Although distance learning and online classes are â€Å"typically not created with the intention of serving disabled students† it demonstrates an effective course of action for individuals to enhance their education (Foley & Ferri, 2012, p. 197). Acquiring the knowledge to use computers and the different AT devices, such as Ipads and smartphones at an early stage in the educational process offers the ability to keep up with the AT devices enhancements and new developments. The correlation betw een education and employment is well documented with higher education increasing the quality of employment and earnings. Stumbo et al. refer to a case study of 71 Au... ...l as Rehabilitation counselors promote autonomy and accessibility within education, the workplace, and the quality of life of people with physical disabilities. Barzegarian & Sax conducted a study of 140 professionals who graduated from San Diego State University Rehabilitation Program to determine how well graduate students who have taken a class in AT have incorporated AT device selection and referrals into their professional practice. They found that the majority of referrals for AT devices were recommended â€Å"first† to people with low-vision impairments, â€Å"second† to people with upper extremities impairments, and â€Å"third† to people who were paraplegic or quadriplegic. (pp. 381 – 383). Therefore educating and bringing awareness of AT to clients, professionals, and the community must continue to assure a good quality of life for people with physical disabilities.

Addiction Counselor Essay

The Human Service Career of Addiction Counseling has inspired me to learn all I can to help people, and has given me the opportunity to make an honest living. I was in desperate need of a behavior and attitude change about my life, for I have received the information from others in the field and made a conscious decision to help others who have a desire for change and a new way of life. Substance abuse counselors advise people who have alcoholism or other types of addiction, behavioral problems, or help the client recover from addiction by providing treatment and support. Substance abuse counselors and behavior disorder counselors do the following: Help people in treatment centers, jails, institutions with mental and physical, addiction or problem behavior. In these settings they assist people develop treatment goals and plans. They help people with family problems. Help people with behavioral and attitude to recover from their addiction. Work with families about addiction or behavioral disorders, and help them develop strategies to cope with those problems. Refer people to other resources or services, such as job placement services and support groups. The support groups of Narcotic’s Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous are just a couple of positive resources addicts in recovery attend. There are a number of career centers located in metropolitan areas which help people with job placement or assist them to obtain the skills to get a job. Addiction counselors also work with other health and mental health professionals, such as psychiatrists, social workers, doctors, and nurses. They work in places that employ many types of healthcare and mental health professionals. Addiction treatment counselors may work in teams to best develop a treatment plan and coordinate the suggested care for a patient. Counselors work with those who have been ordered by a judge to receive treatment for addiction problems. Counselors work in a wide variety of settings; mental health centers, prisons, probation or parole agencies and juvenile detention facilities. They also work in halfway houses, detox centers, or in employee assistance programs. EAP’s are mental health programs provided by some companies to help employees deal with personal problems. Addiction counselors work in residential centers, where clients live in the facility for thirty days, sixty days, six months, one year, and eighteen month long term program. They work with clients in outpatient treatment centers or programs. Addiction counselors also work in private practice, where they work alone or with other professionals. They have sometimes have large caseloads, and do not always have enough counselors to meet the demand for their services. They may have to work together in some situations to deal with agitated clients, which can be very stressful. Addiction counselors work full time, and overtime in inpatient facilities, you may have to work evenings, nights, or weekends. Education requirements are from a high school diploma to a master’s degree, depending on where you’re working and state regulation. Counselors with a license are able to do more with their clients, such as private one-on-one counseling sessions. If this is what you’re interested in you need to reach your state’s education requirements. Substance abuse and behavioral disorders counselors in private practice must be license. Private practice, requires a master’s degree and 2,000 to 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience. Counselors must pass a state-recognized exam and complete continuing education every year. Contact information for your state’s regulating board can be found through the National Board for Certified Counselors. The licensure or certification criteria for substance abuse and behavioral counselors outside of private practice may vary from state to state. The state you’re working in may or may not require a specific degree, but many require applicants to pass an exam. Addiction Counselor’s with less education, such as a high school diploma, may be required to go through a period of on the job training. Training prepares counselors how to respond to a crisis situation, and interact with families and people with addictions. The wages for substance abuse behavioral disorder counselors in the industries employing the most counselors were as follows: Hospitals, state, local. Private –$ 45,000, Local Government –$ 45,000, Individual and family services – $ 37,000, Outpatient mental health and substances abuse centers – $ 35,000 and Residential mental health and substance abuse facilities – $33,570. The median is annual wage of substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors was $ 38,120 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $ 24,690 and the top 10 percent earned more than $ 60,400. Employment of addiction counselors is expected to grow more than average for all occupations. Growth is expected as more people seek treatment for their addictions or other behaviors and drug offenders are increasingly being sentenced to treatment rather than jail time. The court system has recognized that people committing crimes related to drugs are less likely to offend again if they get treatment for addiction. As the population grows, the number of individuals entering treatment is expected to increase as well. This is expected to cause a continued demand for counselors in mental health centers, halfway houses, detox centers, and treatment programs. Important qualities for this kind of work are as follows: Compassion; Counselors often work with people who are dealing with stressful and difficult situations, so they must be compassionate and empathize with their clients. Listening skills; Good listening skills are essential for substance abuse counselors, they need to give their full attention to a client to be able to understand that client’s problem and values. Patients; Counselors must be able to remain calm when working with all types of clients, including those who may be distressed or angry. People skills; Counselors must be able to work with different types of people. They spend most of their time working directly with clients or other professionals and must be able to develop and nature good relationships. Speaking skills; Counselors need to be able to communicate with clients effectively. They must express ideas and information in a way that their clients easily understand. Job prospects are excellent for substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors, particularly for those with specialized training or education. Employers often have difficulty recruiting workers with the proper educational requirements and experience in working with addiction. Although, many workers leave the field after a few years and jobs need to be replaced. Those interested in entering this field should do some searching and find the right place suitable to your liking so you can enjoy helping others while earning a responsible living. References Occupational outlook handbook (2012-13 ed, pp, 192-194). Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorders Counselors. Baton Rouge, LA: Claitor’s Pub. Division.

Foundation’s Edge CHAPTER FOUR SPACE

SPACE The ship looked even more impressive than Trevize – with his memories of the time when the new cruiser-class had been glowingly publicized – had expected. It was not the size that was impressive – for it was rather small. It was designed for maneuverability and speed, for totally gravitic engines, and most of all for advanced computerization. It didn't need size – size would have defeated its purpose. It was a one-man device that could replace, with advantage, the older ships that required a crew of a dozen or more. With a second or even a third person to establish shifts of duty, one such ship could fight off a flotilla of much larger non-Foundation ships. In addition, it could outspeed and escape from any other ship in existence. There was a sleekness about it – not a wasted line, not a superfluous curve inside or out. Every cubic meter of volume was used to its maximum, so as to leave a paradoxical aura of spaciousness within. Nothing the Mayor might have said about the importance of his mission could have impressed Trevize more than the ship with which he was asked to perform it. Branno the Bronze, he thought with chagrin, had maneuvered him into a dangerous mission of the greatest significance. He might not have accepted with such determination had she not so arranged matters that he wanted to show her what he could do. As for Pelorat, he was transported with wonder. â€Å"Would you believe,† he said, placing a gentle finger on the hull before he had climbed inside, â€Å"that I've never been close to a spaceship?† â€Å"I'll believe it, of course, if you say so, Professor, but how did you manage it?† â€Å"I scarcely know, to be honest with you, dear fel – , I mean, my dear Trevize. I presume I was overly concerned with my research. When one's home has a really excellent computer capable of reaching other computers anywhere in the Galaxy, one scarcely needs to budge, you know. – Somehow I expected spaceships to be larger than this.† â€Å"This is a small model, but even so, it's much larger inside than any other ship of this size.† â€Å"How can that be? You are making fun of my ignorance.† â€Å"No, no. I'm serious. This is one of the first ships to be completely graviticized.† â€Å"What does that mean? – But please don't explain if it requires extensive physics. I will take your word, as you took mine yesterday in connection with the single species of humanity and the single world of origin.† â€Å"Let's try, Professor Pelorat. Through all the thousands of years of space flight, we've had chemical motors and ionic motors and hyperatomic motors, and all these things have been bulky. The old Imperial Navy had ships five hundred meters long with no more living space in them than would fit into a small apartment. Fortunately the Foundation has specialized in miniaturization through all the centuries of its existence, thanks to its lack of material resources. This ship is the culmination. It makes use of antigravity and the device that makes that possible takes up virtually no space and is actually included in the hull. If it weren't that we still need the hyperatomic†¦Ã¢â‚¬  A Security guard approached. â€Å"You will have to get on, gentlemen!† The sky was grooving light, though sunrise was still half an hour off. Trevize looked about. â€Å"Is my baggage loaded?† â€Å"Yes, Councilman, you will find the ship fully equipped.† â€Å"With clothing, I suppose, that is not my size or to my taste.† The guard smiled, quite suddenly and almost boyishly. â€Å"I think it is,† he said. â€Å"The Mayor had us working overtime these last thirty or forty hours and we've matched what you had closely. Money no object. Listen,† he looked about as though to make sure no one noticed his sudden fraternization, â€Å"you two are lucky. Best ship in the world. Fully equipped, except for armament. You're swimming in cream.† â€Å"Sour cream, possibly,† said Trevize. â€Å"Well, Professor, are you ready?† â€Å"With this I am,† Pelorat said and held up a square wafer about twenty centimeters to the side and encased in a jacket of silvery plastic. Trevize was suddenly aware that Pelorat had been holding it since they had left his home, shifting it from hand to hand and never putting it down, even when they had stopped for a quick breakfast. â€Å"What's that, Professor?† â€Å"My library. It's indexed by subject matter and origin and I've gotten it all into one wafer. If you think this ship is a marvel, how about this wafer? A whole library! Everything I have collected! Wonderful! Wonderful!† â€Å"Well,† said Trevize, â€Å"we are swimming in cream.† Trevize marveled at the inside of the ship. The utilization of space was ingenious. There was a storeroom, with supplies of food, clothing, films, and games. There was a gym, a parlor, and two nearly identical bedrooms. â€Å"This one,† said Trevize, â€Å"must be yours, Professor. At least, it contains an FX Reader.† â€Å"Good,† said Pelorat with satisfaction. â€Å"What an ass I have been to avoid space flight as I have. I could live here, my dear Trevize, in utter satisfaction.† â€Å"Roomier than I expected,† said Trevize with pleasure. â€Å"And the engines are really in the hull, as you said?† â€Å"The controlling devices are, at any rate. We don't have to store fuel or make use of it on the spot. We're making use of the fundamental energy store of the Universe, so that the fuel and the engines are all – out there.† He gestured vaguely. â€Å"Well, now that I think of it – what if something goes wrong?† Trevize shrugged. â€Å"I've been trained in space navigation, but not on these ships. If something goes wrong with the gravitics, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about it.† â€Å"But can you run this ship? Pilot it?† â€Å"I'm wondering that myself.† Pelorat said, â€Å"Do you suppose this is an automated ship? Might we not merely be passengers? We might simply be expected to sit here.† â€Å"They have such things in the case of ferries between planets and space stations within a stellar system, but I never heard of automated hyperspace travel. At least, not so far. – Not so far.† He looked about again and there was a trickle of apprehension within him. Had that harridan Mayor managed to maneuver that far ahead of him? Had the Foundation automated interstellar travel, too, and was he going to be deposited on Trantor quite against his will, and with no more to say about it than any of the rest of the furniture aboard ship? He said with a cheerful animation he didn't feel, â€Å"Professor, you sit down. The Mayor said this ship was completely computerized. If your room has the FX Reader, mine ought to have a computer in it. Make yourself comfortable and let me look around a bit on my own. Pelorat looked instantly anxious. â€Å"Trevize, my dear chap. You're not getting off the ship, are you?† â€Å"Not my plan at all, Professor. And if I tried, you can count on my being stopped. It is not the Mayor's intention to allow me off. All I'm planning to do is to learn what operates the Far Star.† He smiled, â€Å"I won't desert you, Professor.† He was still smiling as he entered, what he felt to be his own bedroom, but his face grew sober as he closed the door softly behind him. Surely there must be some means of communicating with a planet in the neighborhood of the ship. It was impossible to imagine a ship deliberately sealed off from its surroundings and, therefore, somewhere – perhaps in a wall recess – there would have to be a Reacher. He could use it to call the Mayor's office to ask about controls. Carefully he inspected the walls, the headboard of the bed, and the neat, smooth furniture. If nothing turned up here, he would go through the rest of the ship. He was about to turn away when his eye caught a glint of light on the smooth, light brown surface of the desk. A round circle of light, with neat lettering that read: COMPUTER INSTRUCTIONS. Ah! Nevertheless his heart beat rapidly. There were computers and computers, and there were programs that took a long time to master. Trevize had never made the mistake of underestimating his own intelligence, but, on the other hand, he was not a Grand Master. There were those who had a knack for using a computer, and those who had not – and Trevize knew very well into which class he fell. In his hitch in the Foundation Navy, he had reached the rank of lieutenant and had, on occasion, been officer of the day and had had occasion to use the ship's computer. He had never been in sole charge of it, however, and he had never been expected to know anything more than the routine maneuvers being officer of the day required. He remembered, with a sinking feeling, the volumes taken up by a fully described program in printout, and he could recall the behavior of Technical Sergeant Krasnet at the console of the ship's computer. He played it as though it were the most complex musical instrument in the Galaxy, and did it all with an air of nonchalance, as though he were bored at its simplicity – yet even he had had to consult the volumes at times, swearing at himself in embarrassment. Hesitantly Trevize placed a finger on the circle of light and at once the light spread out to cover the desk top. On it were the outline of two hands: a right and a left. With a sudden, smooth movement, the desk top tilted to an angle of forty-five degrees. Trevize took the seat before the desk. No words were necessary. It was clear what he was expected to do. He placed his hands on the outlines on the desk, which were positioned for him to do so without strain. The desk top seemed soft, nearly velvety, where he touched it – and his hands sank in. He stared at his hands with astonishment, for they had not sunk in at all. They were on the surface, his eyes told him. Yet to his sense of touch it was as though the desk surface had given way, and as though something were holding his hands softly and warmly. Was that all? Now what? He looked about and then closed his eyes in response to a suggestion. He had heard nothing. He had heard nothing! But inside his brain, as though it were a vagrant thought of his own, there was the sentence, â€Å"Please close your eyes. Relax. We will make connection.† Through the hands? Somehow Trevize had always assumed that if one were going to communicate by thought with a computer, it would be through a hood placed over the head and with electrodes against the eyes and skull. The hands? But why not the hands? Trevize found himself floating away, almost drowsy, but with no loss of mental acuity. Why not the hands? The eyes were no more than sense organs. The brain was no more than a central switchboard, encased in bone and removed from the working surface of the body. It was the hands that were the working surface, the hands that felt and manipulated the Universe. Human beings thought with their hands. It was their hands that were the answer of curiosity, that felt and pinched and turned and lifted and hefted. There were animals that had brains of respectable size, but they had no hands and that made all the difference. And as he and the computer held hands, their thinking merged and it no longer mattered whether his eyes were open or closed. Opening them did not improve his vision nor did closing them dim it. Either way, he saw the room with complete clarity – not just in the direction in which he was looking, but all around and above and below. He saw every room in the spaceship and he saw outside as well. The sun had risen and its brightness was dimmed in the morning mist, but he could look at it directly without being dazzled, for the computer automatically filtered the light waves. He felt the gentle wind and its temperature, and the sounds of the world about him. He detected the planet's magnetic field and the tiny electrical charges on the wall of the ship. He became aware of the controls of the ship, without even knowing what they were in detail. He knew only that if he wanted to lift the ship, or turn it, or accelerate it, or make use of any of its abilities, the process was the same as that of performing the analogous process to his body. He had but to use his will. Yet his will was not unalloyed. The computer itself could override. At the present moment, there was a formed sentence in his head and he knew exactly when and how the ship would take off. There was no flexibility where that was concerned. Thereafter, he knew just as surely, he would himself he able to deride. He found – as he cast the net of his computer – enhanced consciousness outward – that he could sense the condition of the upper atmosphere; that he could see the weather patterns; that he could detect the other ships that were swarming upward and the others that were settling downward. All of this had to be taken into ac, count and the computer was taking it into account. If the computer had not been doing so, Trevize realized, he need only desire the computer to do so – and it would be done. So much for the volumes of programming; there were none. Trevize thought of Technical Sergeant Krasnet and smiled. He had read often enough of the immense revolution that gravities would make in the world, but the fusion of computer and mind was still a state secret. It would surely produce a still greater revolution. He was aware of time passing. He knew exactly what time it was by Terminus Local and by Galactic Standard. How did he let go? And even as the thought entered his mind, his hands were released and the desk top moved back to its original position – and Trevize was left with his own unaided senses. He felt blind and helpless as though, for a time, he had been held and protected by a superbeing and now was abandoned. Had he not known that he could make contact again at any time, the feeling might have reduced him to tears. As it was he merely struggled for re-orientation, for adjustment to limits, then rose uncertainly to his feet and walked out of the room. Pelorat looked up. He had adjusted his Reader, obviously, and he said, â€Å"It works very well. It has an excellent Search Program. – Did you find the controls, my boy?† â€Å"Yes, Professor. All is well.† â€Å"In that case, shouldn't we do something about takeoff? I mean, self-protection? Aren't we supposed to strap ourselves in or something? I looked about for instructions, but I didn't find anything and that made me nervous. I had to turn to my library. Somehow when I am at my work†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Trevize had been pushing his hands at the professor as though to dam and stop the flood of words. Now he had to speak loudly in order to override him. â€Å"None of that is necessary, Professor. Antigravity is the equivalent of noninertia. There is no feeling of acceleration when velocity changes, since everything on the ship undergoes the change simultaneously.† â€Å"You mean, we won't know when we are off the planet and out in space?† â€Å"It's exactly what I mean, because even as I speak to you, we have taken off. We will be cutting through the upper atmosphere in a very few minutes and within half an hour we will be in outer space.† Pelorat seemed to shrink a little as he stared at Trevize. His long rectangle of a face grew so blank that, without showing any emotion at all, it radiated a vast uneasiness. Then his eyes shifted right – Left. Trevize remembered how he had felt on his own first trip beyond the atmosphere. He said, in as matter-of-fact a manner as he could, â€Å"Janov,† (it was the first time he had addressed the professor familiarly, but in this case experience was addressing inexperience and it was necessary to seem the older of the two) â€Å"we are perfectly safe here. We are in the metal womb of a warship of the Foundation Navy. We are not fully armed, but there is no place in the Galaxy where the name of the Foundation will not protect us. Even if some ship went mad and attacked, we could move out of its reach in a moment. And I assure you I have discovered that I can handle the ship perfectly.† Pelorat said, â€Å"It is the thought, Go-Golan, of nothingness†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Why, there's nothingness all about Terminus. There's just a thin layer of very tenuous air between ourselves on the surface and the nothingness just above. Ail we're doing is to go past that inconsequential layer.† â€Å"It may be inconsequential, but we breathe it.† â€Å"We breathe here, too. The air on this ship is cleaner and purer, and will indefinitely remain cleaner and purer than the natural atmosphere of Terminus.† â€Å"And the meteorites?† â€Å"What about meteorites?† â€Å"The atmosphere protects us from meteorites. Radiation, too, for that matter.† Trevize said, â€Å"Humanity has been traveling through space for twenty millennia, I believe†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Twenty-two. If we go by the Hallblockian chronology, it is quite plain that, counting the†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Enough! Have you heard of meteorite accidents or of radiation deaths? – I mean, recently? – I mean, in the case of Foundation ships?† â€Å"I have not really followed the news in such matters, but I am a historian, my boy, and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Historically, yes, there have been such things, but technology improves. There isn't a meteorite large enough to damage us that can possibly approach us before we take the necessary evasive action. Four meteorites – coming at us simultaneously from the four directions drawn from the vertices of a tetrahedron – might conceivably pin us down, but calculate the chances of that and you'll find that you'll die of old. age a trillion trillion times over before you will have a fifty-fifty chance of observing so interesting a phenomenon.† â€Å"You mean, if you were at the computer?† â€Å"No,† said Trevize in Scorn. â€Å"If I were running the computer on the basis of my own senses and responses, we would be hit before I ever knew what was happening. It is the computer itself that is at work, responding millions of times faster than you or I could.† He held out his hand abruptly. â€Å"Janov, come let me show you what the computer can do, and let me show you what space is like.† Pelorat stared, goggling a bit. Then he laughed briefly. â€Å"I'm not sure I wish to know, Golan.† â€Å"Of course you're not sure, Janov, because you don't know what it is that is waiting there to be known. Chance it! Come! Into my room!† Trevize held the other's hand, half leading him, half drawing him. He said, as he sat down at the computer, â€Å"Have you ever seen the Galaxy, Janov? Have you ever looked at it?† Pelorat said, â€Å"You mean in the sky?† â€Å"Yes, certainly. Where else?† â€Å"I've seen it. Everyone has seen it. If one looks up, one sees it.† â€Å"Have you ever stared at it on a dark, clear night, when the Diamonds are below the horizon?† The â€Å"Diamonds† referred to those few stars that were luminous enough and close enough to shine with moderate brightness in the night sky of Terminus. They were a small group that spanned a width of no more than twenty degrees, and for large parts of the night they were all below the horizon. Aside from he group, there was a scattering of dim stars just barely visible to the unaided eye. There was nothing more but the faint milkiness of the Galaxy – the view one might expect when one dwelt on a world like Terminus which was at the extreme edge of the outermost spiral of the Galaxy. â€Å"I suppose so, but why stare? It's a common sight.† â€Å"Of course it's a common sight,† said Trevize. â€Å"That's why no one sees it. Why see it if you can always see it? But now you'll see it, and not from Terminus, where the mist and the clouds are forever interfering. You'll see it as you'd never see it from Terminus – no matter how you stared, and no matter how clear and dark the night. How I wish I had never been in space before, so that – like you – I could see the Galaxy in its bare beauty for the first time.† He pushed a chair in Pelorat's direction. â€Å"Sit there, Janov. This may take a little time. I have to continue to grow accustomed to the computer. From what I've already felt, I know the viewing is holographic, so we won't need a screen of any sort. It makes direct contact with my brain, but I think I can have it produce an objective image that you will see, too. – Put out the light, will you? – No, that's foolish of me. I'll have the computer do it. Stay where you are.† Trevize made contact with the computer, holding hands warmly and intimately. The light dimmed, then went out completely, and in the darkness, Pelorat stirred. Trevize said, â€Å"Don't get nervous, Janov. I may have a little trouble trying to control the computer, but I'll start easy and you'll have to be patient with me. Do you see it? The crescent?† It hung in the darkness before them. A little dim and wavering at first, but getting sharper and brighter. Pelorat's voice sounded awed. â€Å"Is that Terminus? Are we that far from it?† â€Å"Yes, the ship's moving quickly.† The ship was curving into the night shadow of Terminus, which appeared as a thick crescent of bright light. Trevize had a momentary urge to send the ship in a wide arc that would carry them over the daylit side of the planet to show it in all its beauty, but he held back. Pelorat might find novelty in this, but the beauty would be tame. There were too many photographs, too many reaps, too many globes. Every child knew what Terminus looked like. A water planet more so than most-rich in water and poor in minerals, good in agriculture and poor in heavy industry, but the best in the Galaxy in high technology and in miniaturization. If he could have the computer use microwaves and translate it into a visible model, they would see every one of Terminus's ten thousand inhabited islands, together with the only one of them large enough to be considered a continent, the one that bore Terminus City and Turn away! It was just a thought, an exercise of the will, but the view shifted at once. The lighted crescent moved off toward the borders of vision and rolled off the edge. The darkness of starless space filled his eyes. Pelorat cleared his throat. â€Å"I wish you would bring back Terminus, my boy. I feel as though I've been blinded.† There was a tightness in his voice. â€Å"You're not blind. Look!† Into the field of vision came a filmy fog of pale translucence. It spread and became brighter, until the whole room seemed to glow. Shrink! Another exercise of will and the Galaxy drew off, as though seen through a diminishing telescope that was steadily growing more powerful in its ability to diminish. The Galaxy contracted and became a structure of varying luminosity. Brighten! It grew more luminous without changing size, and because the stellar system to which Terminus belonged was above the Galactic plane, the Galaxy was not seen exactly edge-on. It was a strongly foreshortened double spiral, with curving dark-nebula rifts streaking the glowing edge of the Terminus side. The creamy haze of the nucleus – far off and shrunken by the distance – looked unimportant. Pelorat said in an awed whisper, â€Å"You are right. I have never seen it like this. I never dreamed it had so much detail.† â€Å"How could you? You can't see the outer half when Terminus's atmosphere is between you and it. You can hardly see the nucleus from Terminus's surface. † â€Å"What a pity we're seeing it so nearly head-on.† â€Å"We don't have to. The computer can show it in any orientation. I just have to express the wish – and not even aloud.† Shift co-ordinates! This exercise of will was by no means a precise command. Yet as the image of Galaxy began to undergo a slow change, his mind guided the computer and had it do what he wished. Slowly the Galaxy was turning so that it could be seen at right angles to the Galactic plane. It spread out like a gigantic, glowing whirlpool, with curves of darkness, and knots of brightness, and a central all-but-featureless blaze. Pelorat asked, â€Å"How can the computer see it from a position in space that must be more than fifty thousand parsecs from this place?† Then he added, in a choked whisper, â€Å"Please forgive me that I ask. I know nothing about all this.† Trevize said, â€Å"I know almost as little about this computer as you do. Even a simple computer, however, can adjust co-ordinates and show the Galaxy in any position, starting with what it can sense in the natural position, the one, that is, that would appear from the computer's local position in space. Of course, it makes use only of the information it can sense to begin with, so when it changes to the broadside view we would find gaps and blurs in what it would show. In this case, though†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"We have an excellent view. I suspect that the computer is outfitted with a complete map of the Galaxy and can therefore view it from any angle with equal ease.† â€Å"How do you mean, a complete map?† â€Å"The spatial co-ordinates of every star in it must be in the computer's memory banks.† â€Å"Every star?† Pelorat seemed awed. â€Å"Well, perhaps not all three hundred billion. It would include the stars shining down on populated planets, certainly, and probably every star of spectral class K and brighter. That means about seventy-five billion, at least.† â€Å"Every star of a populated system?† â€Å"I wouldn't want to be pinned down; perhaps not all. There were, after all, twenty-five million inhabited systems in the time of Hari Seldon – which sounds like a lot but is only one star out of every twelve thousand. And then, in the five centuries since Seldon, the general breakup of the Empire didn't prevent further colonization. I should think it would have encouraged it. There are still plenty of habitable planets to expand into, so there may be thirty million now. It's possible that not all the new ones are in the Foundation's records.† â€Å"But the old ones? Surely they must all be there without exception.† â€Å"I imagine so. I can't guarantee it, of course, but I would be surprised if any long-established inhabited system were missing from the records. Let me show you something – if my ability to control the computer will go far enough.† Trevize's hands stiffened a bit with the effort and they seemed to sink further into the clasp of the computer. That might not have been necessary; he might only have had to think quietly and casually: Terminus! He did think that and there was, in response, a sparkling red diamond at the very edge of the whirlpool. â€Å"There's our sun,† he said with excitement. â€Å"That's the star that Terminus circles.† â€Å"Ah,† said Pelorat with a low, tremulous sigh. A bright yellow dot of light sprang into life in a rich cluster of stars deep in the heart of the Galaxy but well to one side of the central haze. It was rather closer to the Terminus edge of the Galaxy than to the other side. â€Å"And that,† said Trevize, â€Å"is Trantor's sun.† Another sigh, then Pelorat said, â€Å"Are you sure? They always speak of Trantor as being located in the center of the Galaxy.† â€Å"It is, in a way. it's as close to the center as a planet can get and still be habitable. It's closer than any other major populated system. The actual center of the Galaxy consists of a black hole with a mass of nearly a million stars, so that the center is a violent place. As far as we know, there is no life in the actual center and maybe there just can't be any life there. Trantor is in the innermost subring of the spiral arms and, believe me, if you could see its night sky, you would think it was in the center of the Galaxy. It's surrounded by an extremely rich clustering of stars.† â€Å"Have you been on Trantor, Golan?† asked Pelorat in clear envy. â€Å"Actually no, but I've seen holographic representations of its sky.† Trevize stared at the Galaxy somberly. In the great search for the Second Foundation during the time of the Mule, how everyone had played with Galactic maps – and how many volumes had been written and filmed on the subject And all because Hari Seldom had said, at the beginning, that the Second Foundation would be established â€Å"at the other end of the Galaxy,† calling the place â€Å"Star's End.† At the other end of the Galaxy! Even as Trevize thought it, a thin blue line sprang into view, stretching from Terminus, through the Galaxy's central black hole, to the other end. Trevize nearly jumped. He had not directly ordered the line, but he had thought of it quite clearly and that had been enough for the computer. But, of course, the straight-line route to the opposite side of the Galaxy was not necessarily an indication of the â€Å"other end† that Seldom had spoken of. It was Arkady Darell (if one could believe her autobiography) who had made use of the phrase â€Å"a circle has no end† to indicate what everyone now accepted as truth And though Trevize suddenly tried to suppress the thought, the computer was too quick for him. The blue line vanished and was replaced with a circle that neatly rimmed the Galaxy in blue and that passed through the deep red dot of Terminus's sun. A circle has no end, and if the circle began at Terminus, then if we searched for the other end, it would merely return to Terminus, and there the Second Foundation had indeed been found, inhabiting the same world as the First. But if, in reality, it had not been found – if the so-called finding of the Second Foundation had been an illusion – what then? What beside a straight line and a circle would make sense in this connection? Pelorat said, â€Å"Are you creating illusions? Why is there a blue circle?† â€Å"I was just testing my controls. – Would you like to locate Earth?† There was silence for a moment or two, then Pelorat said, â€Å"Are you joking?† â€Å"No. I'll try.† He did. Nothing happened. â€Å"Sorry,† said Trevize. â€Å"It's not there? no Earth?† â€Å"I suppose I might have misthought my command, but that doesn't seem likely. I suppose it's more likely that Earth isn't listed in the computer's vitals.† Pelorat said, â€Å"It may be listed under another name.† Trevize jumped at that quickly, â€Å"What other name, Janov?† Pelorat said nothing and, in the darkness, Trevize smiled. It occurred to him that things might just possibly be falling into place. Let it go for a while. Let it ripen. He deliberately changed the subject and said, â€Å"I wonder if we can manipulate time.† â€Å"Time! How can we do that?† â€Å"The Galaxy is rotating. It takes nearly half a billion years for Terminus to move about the grand circumference of the Galaxy once. Stars that are closer to the center complete the journey much more quickly, of course. The motion of each star, relative to the central black hole, might be recorded in the computer and, if so, it may be possible to have the computer multiply each motion by millions of times and make the rotational effect visible. I can try to have it done.† He did and he could not help his muscles tightening with the effort of will he was exerting – as though he were taking hold of the Galaxy and accelerating it, twisting it, forcing it to spin against terrible resistance. The Galaxy was moving. Slowly, mightily, it was twisting in the direction that should be working to tighten the spiral arms. Time was passing incredibly rapidly as they watched – a false, artificial time – and, as it did so, stars became evanescent things. Some of the larger ones – here and there – reddened and grew brighter as they expanded into red giants. And then a star in the central clusters blew up soundlessly in a blinding blaze that, for a tiny fraction of a second, dimmed the Galaxy and then was gone. Then another in one of the spiral arms, then still another not very far away from it. â€Å"Supernovas,† said Trevize a little shakily. Was it possible that the computer could predict exactly which stars would explode and when? Or was it just using a simplified model that served to show the starry future in general terms, rather than precisely? Pelorat said in a husky whisper, â€Å"The Galaxy looks like a living thing, crawling through space.† â€Å"It does,† said Trevize, â€Å"but I'm growing tired. Unless I learn to do this less tensely, I'm not going to be able to play this kind of game for long.† He let go. The Galaxy slowed, then halted, then tilted, until it was in the view-from-the-side from which they had seen it at the start. Trevize closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He was aware of Terminus shrinking behind them, with the last perceptible wisps of atmosphere gone from their surroundings. He was aware of all the ships filling Terminus's near-space. It did not occur to him to check whether there was anything special about any one of those ships. Was there one that was gravitic like his own and matched his trajectory more closely than chance would allow?