Paper presentation competition Essay Example

Paper introduction rivalry Essay Paperâ presentationâ competitionâ atâ collegeâ wasâ alwaysâ goingâ toâ beâ tough.â Iâ startedâ myâ preparationâ withâ goingâ intoâ deepâ researchâ onâ topicâ ofâ myâ paper.â Secondaryâ dataâ collectionâ andâ questionnaireâ wereâ theâ methodsâ thatâ I usedâ forâ collectingâ information.  I counseled  withâ theâ concernâ facultyâ toâ guideâ â meâ further.â Onâ theâ basisâ ofâ recommendationsâ toldâ byâ theâ faculty,â Iâ madeâ theâ requiredâ changes.â Finishingâ theâ paperâ withâ ampleâ amountâ ofâ timeâ leftâ forâ theâ presentationâ helpedâ meâ inâ preparingâ forâ presentation.â Iâ rehearsedâ forâ theâ presentationâ twoâ toâ threeâ timesâ beforeâ going forâ theâ finalâ presentation.â Itâ boostedâ myâ confidenceâ andâ onâ theâ dayâ ofâ presentation,â Iâ presentedâ myâ paperà ¢ withâ full confidenceâ andâ ultimatelyâ wonâ theâ competition.â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â STORY SUMMARY: Expectedâ toughâ competitionâ atâ paperâ presentationâ motivatedâ meâ toâ carryâ outâ aâ deepâ studyâ ofâ topicâ ofâ myâ paper.â Preparingâ forâ theâ paperâ presentationâ inâ timeâ alongâ withâ variousâ stepsâ takenâ byâ meâ inâ preparingâ theâ paperâ ultimatelyâ servedâ meâ andâ Iâ wasâ theâ winnerâ atâ paperâ presentationâ competition.â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â     Skills whichâ Iâ identifiedâ duringâ myâ successâ are:â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â Planning,â timeâ management,â analyticalâ skills,â hardâ work,â articulation.SUCCESS STORY 2â TITLE: KEY TO ADMISSION IN MANAGEMENT SCHOOL DATE: 04/08/09â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â Howâ difficultâ  isâ toâ achieveâ success,â Iâ realisedâ itâ whileâ preparingâ forâ theâ entranceâ examâ ofâ â bestâ the board  schoolsâ inâ theâ country.â Testâ wasâ goingâ toâ beâ extremelyâ toughâ withâ moreâ 0.2â millionâ studentâ appearingâ forâ it.â Projectâ workâ ofâ myâ engineeringâ atâ theâ sameâ timeâ madeâ theâ situationâ moreâ difficult.â Iâ startedâ withâ studyingâ forâ twoâ hoursâ everyâ dayâ and thenâ graduallyâ increasesâ theâ studyingâ hours.â Toâ keepâ trackâ ofâ myâ progress,â Iâ writeâ onlineâ testâ everyâ weekend.â Iâ preparedâ aâ timeâ tableâ andâ followedâ itâ accordingly.â Iâ wroteâ theâ mockâ testsâ atâ the coachingâ centreâ toâ understandâ myâ standingâ atâ the nationalâ level.â Finallyâ theâ dayâ came,â Iâ wroteâ theâ examâ withâ fullâ confidenceâ andâ gotâ admissionâ inâ oneâ ofâ theâ bestâ managementâ school.â â â â â â â â â â â â â                                                                  STORY SUMMARY: Gettingâ admissionâ intoâ oneâ ofâ theâ topâ managementâ schoolâ isâ oneâ ofâ theâ toughestâ taskâ oneâ couldâ have.â Iâ startedâ myâ preparationâ withâ properâ managementâ ofâ time.â Afterâ workingâ onâ areasâ ofâ improvementâ Iâ wroteâ theâ testâ withâ fullâ confidenceâ andâ finallyâ receivedâ theâ admissionâ callâ fromâ oneâ ofâ theâ topâ managementâ school.â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â                                                       Skills identifiedâ byâ meâ duringâ theâ processâ are:â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â Timeâ management,â concentration,â dedication,â â criticalâ thinking.â (www.studygs.net)DISAPPOINTMENT STORY TITLE: SERVING THE SCOIETY   DATE: 02/07/09â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â FULL STORY: Lastâ yearâ Iâ startedâ myâ website,â theâ mainâ motiveâ wasâ toâ helpâ theâ society.â Throughâ thisâ websiteâ Iâ wasâ invitingâ peopleâ fromâ differentâ backgroundsâ toâ serveâ theâ societyâ inâ differentâ mannerâ dependingâ onâ theirâ background.â Missionâ ofâ myâ websiteâ wasâ toâ identifyâ theâ variousâ issuesâ inâ theâ societyâ andâ thenâ toâ carryâ outâ differentâ  measuresâ toâ solveâ theseâ issues.â Overwhelmingâ responseâ boostedâ myâ confidence.â Butâ problemâ arisesâ whenâ theseâ peopleâ contactedâ meâ andâ toldâ meâ thatâ theyâ willâ helpâ meâ butâ underâ someâ conditions.â Atâ oneâ pointâ ofâ timeâ mostâ ofâ themâ hadâ someâ conditionâ andâ unfortunatelyâ Iâ gaveâ upâ theâ wholeâ projectâ andâ closedâ myâ websiteâ â â â â â â RESULTS ACHIEVED: Supportâ ofâ theâ individualsâ whoâ wereâ reallyâ interested.â Theyâ persuadedâ meâ toâ continueâ withâ theâ projectâ despiteâ beingâ awareâ ofâ allâ theâ problems.â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â à ¢ â â RESULTS NOT ACHIEVED: Ultimateâ failureâ inâ servingâ theâ society.â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â MY DISAPPOINTMENT LEARNING: Peopleâ willâ helpâ youâ onlyâ ifâ theyâ areâ gettingâ anythingâ outâ ofâ it.â Anotherâ learningâ outcomeâ wasâ thatâ ifâ youâ wantâ toâ doâ something,â you shouldâ doâ itâ onâ yourâ own.â Neverâ dependâ onâ anyone,â itâ will createâ problemsâ inâ mostâ ofâ theâ cases.Works Citedwww.studygs.net. 09 February 2010 http://www.studygs.net/timman.htm.

Raman Spectroscopy of Toluene and Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Lab Report

Raman Spectroscopy of Toluene and Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Rhodamine 6G - Lab Report Example In Raman spectroscopy, light and matter associates. Both IR and Raman vibrational groups are depicted by their recurrence (i.e vitality), band shape, and power. At low frequencies, the unique mark area is found for most mixes. Raman spectroscopy is a lot simpler to use at low frequencies contrasted with IR, this is on the grounds that at low frequencies a lot of groups are noticeable on the range. With Raman spectroscopy, it is conceivable to dismiss the laser pillar at low recurrence modes; this would limit the groups that are seen at the unique mark district. With IR, this is preposterous, and subsequently the range can't be refined to decrease the clog of pinnacles. Toluene (methylbenzene) has a CH3 bunch joined to the benzene ring, for IR spectroscopy, the CH3 bunch exists at just underneath 1500 cm-1. This is exactly toward the beginning of the unique mark locale; thusly Raman spectroscopy would be vastly improved at clarifying its structure over IR. Fluorescence is a spectrochemical strategy for investigation where the atoms of the analyte are energized by light at a specific frequency and emanate radiation of an alternate frequency. The discharge range gives data to both subjective and quantitative examination. At the point when light of a suitable frequency is consumed by a particle (i.e., excitation), the electronic condition of the atom changes starting from the earliest stage to one of numerous vibrational levels in one of the energized electronic states. The energized electronic state is typically the principal energized singlet state, S1 (Figure 1). When the atom is in this energized state, unwinding can happen through a few procedures. Fluorescence is one of these procedures and results in the outflow of light. Fluorescence compares to the unwinding of the atom from the singlet energized state to the singlet ground state with outflow of light. Fluorescence has short lifetime (~10-8 sec) so that in numerous atoms it can contend well with crash deactivation, intersystem crossing and

Explain the characteristics of assessment for learning Essay

Evaluation for learning centers around the learning procedure and how to improve a child’s scholarly movement, discovering where understudies are inside a learning range, where they have to go and how best to arrive. An assortment of evaluation for learning systems can be utilized to helper youngsters in their learning and these can be received by instructors to increase a comprehension of what has been accomplished and what following stages will be required to take a child’s learning forward. Regular qualities of evaluation for learning are; †¢ Enable educators to design the following stages in a child’s figuring out how to guarantee singular advancement. †¢ Provide a predictable entire school approach that energizes instructing and learning. †¢ To ensure that students are effectively engaged with exercises from the very beginning. †¢ Helping students comprehend and know the standard of work that they are focusing on in class by posing inquiries of themselves for example â€Å"what have I learnt?† ~ â€Å"what might I be able to have done to enhance that bit of work?† †¢ Providing valuable criticism that will assist understudies with recognizing improvement and by additionally teaching students in self appraisal techniques so as to learn zones for advancement . †¢ In request for educators and understudies to assume a significant job in encouraging learning encounters then there must be a component of undivided attention from both kid and instructor. †¢ Have confidence that each kid can advance as opposed to before accomplishments they had made. †¢ By perceiving that energy and confidence which is imperative for compelling learning and progress will be expanded by utilizing viable appraisal techniques. †¢ In request for students to comprehend where they are in their learning they ought to be urged to think, pose inquiry and work together in bunches as this will permit them to assess their own comprehension. †¢ Pupils ought to be urged to interface their figuring out how to different exercises, themes or life outside of school.

Maya Angelou, Writer and Civil Rights Activist

Maya Angelou (born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928–May 28, 2014) was a celebrated poet, memoirist, singer, dancer, actor, and civil rights activist. Her autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, a bestseller published in 1969 and nominated for the National Book Award, revealed her experiences growing up as an African-American during the Jim Crow Era. The book was one of the first written by an African-American woman to appeal to a mainstream readership. Fast Facts: Maya Angelou Known For: Poet, memoirist, singer, dancer, actor, and civil rights activistAlso Known As: Marguerite Annie JohnsonBorn: April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, MissouriParents: Bailey Johnson, Vivian Baxter JohnsonDied: May 28, 2014 in Winston-Salem, North CarolinaPublished Works: ï » ¿I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Gather Together in My Name, The Heart of a Womanï » ¿Awards and Honors: National Medal of Arts,  Presidential Medal of FreedomSpouse(s): Tosh Angelos, Paul du FeuChild: Guy JohnsonNotable Quote: My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style. Early Life Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Ann Johnson on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. Her father Bailey Johnson was a doorman and navy dietitian. Her mother Vivian Baxter Johnson was a nurse. Angelou received her nickname from her older brother Bailey Jr., who couldnt pronounce her name so he called her Maya, which he derived from my sister. Angelous parents divorced when she was 3. She and her brother were sent to live with their paternal grandmother Anne Henderson in Stamps, Arkansas. Within four years, Angelou and her brother were taken to live with their mother in St. Louis. While living there, Angelou was raped before she turned 8 years old by her mother’s boyfriend. After she told her brother, the man was arrested and, upon his release, was killed, probably by Angelous uncles. His murder and the trauma surrounding it caused Angelou to be almost completely mute for five years. When Angelou was 14, she moved with her mother to San Francisco, California. She took lessons in dance and drama on a scholarship to the California Labor School and  graduated from George Washington High School. That same year, at the age of 17, she gave birth to her son Guy. She worked to support herself and her child as a cocktail waitress, cook, and dancer. Arts Career Begins In 1951, Angelou moved to New York City with her son and her husband Tosh Angelos so that she could study African dance with Pearl Primus. She also took modern dance classes. She returned to California and teamed with dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey to perform at African-American fraternal organizations as â€Å"Al and Rita† throughout San Francisco. In 1954, Angelou’s marriage ended but she continued dancing. While performing at San Franciscos Purple Onion, Angelou decided to use the name Maya Angelou because it was distinctive. She combined the nickname her brother had given her with a new last name she derived from her former husbands surname. In 1959, Angelou became acquainted with novelist James O. Killens, who encouraged her to hone her skills as a writer. Moving back to New York City, Angelou joined the Harlem Writer’s Guild and began to publish her work. About the same time, Angelou landed a role in a State Department-sponsored production of George Gershwin’s folk opera  Porgy and Bess and toured 22 countries in Europe and Africa. She also studied dance with  Martha Graham.  Ã‚   Civil Rights The following year, Angelou met Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and she and Killens organized the Cabaret for Freedom benefit to raise money for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Angelou was appointed the SCLC’s northern coordinator.  Continuing her performance career, in 1961 she appeared in  Jean Genet’s play  The Blacks. Angelou became romantically involved with South African activist Vusumzi Make and moved to Cairo, where she worked as an associate editor for the Arab Observer. In 1962, Angelou moved to Accra, Ghana, where she worked at the University of Ghana and continued to hone her craft as a writer, working as a feature editor for The African Review, a freelancer for the Ghanaian Times, and a radio personality for Radio Ghana. While living in Ghana, Angelou became an active member of the African-American expatriate community, meeting and becoming a close friend of Malcolm X. When she returned to the United States in 1965, Angelou helped Malcolm X develop the Organization of Afro-American Unity. Before the organization could really begin working, however, he was assassinated. In 1968, while she was helping King organize a march, he, too, was assassinated. The death of these leaders inspired Angelou to write, produce, and narrate a 10-part documentary titled â€Å"Blacks, Blues, Black!† The following year, her autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, was published by Random House to international acclaim. Four years later, Angelou published Gather Together in My Name, which told about her life as a single mother and budding performer. In 1976, Singin and Swingin and Gettin Merry Like Christmas was published. The Heart of a Woman followed in 1981. Sequels All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986), A Song Flung Up to Heaven (2002), and Mom Me Mom (2013) came later. Other Highlights   In addition to publishing her autobiographical series, Angelou produced the film Georgia, Georgia in 1972.  The following year she  was nominated for a Tony Award for her role in Look Away. In 1977, Angelou played a supporting role in the Golden Globes-winning TV mini-series Roots. In 1981, Angelou was appointed the Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Then, in 1993, Angelou was chosen to recite her poem â€Å"On the Pulse of Morning† at President Bill Clintons inauguration. In 2010, Angelou donated her personal papers and other items from her career to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The following year, President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor. Death Maya Angelou had been having health issues for many years and was suffering from heart problems when she died on May 28, 2014. She was found by her caretaker at her home in Winston-Salem, where she had taught for a number of years at Wake Forest University. She was 86. Legacy Maya Angelou was a trailblazer in achieving success in so many fields as an African-American woman. Immediate respondents to her passing indicated the breadth of her influence. They included singer  Mary J. Blige, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, and President  Barack Obama. In addition to the National Medal of Arts presented by President Clinton and the  Presidential Medal of Freedom presented by President Obama, she was given the Literarian Award, an honorary National Book Award for contributions to the literary community. Before her death, Angelou had been awarded more than 50 honorary degrees. Sources Maya Angelou Biography. Biography.com.Maya Angelou: American Poet, Memorist, and Actress. Encyclopedia Britannica.Poet Maya Angelou. Poets.org.Maya Angelou. Poetryfoundation.org.

John Bowlby An Attachment Theory - 1830 Words

However one person can not provide everything a growing child needs and children can form close attachments with a number of people. These emotional bonds that children develop with their parents and other caregivers are vital for their personal, social and emotional development. A child with secure attachment feels able to rely on their parents and caregivers for safety and comfort and uses these important attachment relationships as bases from which they explore and learn about the world. John Bowlby (1907-90) has made an attachment theory. He believed that relationships are a key to meeting the emotional needs of children. He has suggested that babies need a strong stable relationship with their main careers to be emotionally confident in the adulthood. Also his later developed theory described that the main carer did not have to be the person with whom a child form the attachment. In my opinion his theory is correct as babies do need the stable relationship and the love to feel safe and secure and if they do not get that it would affect their development because not giving baby the love and attention they need is classed as neglecting which could affect all the aspects of development and then lead the baby to grow into unhappy adult. Psychologist Mary Ain sworth has developed an assessment technique called the Strange Situation Classification (SSC) in order to examine how attachments might differ between children; it was done by observing a child in a series of eightShow MoreRelatedThe Attachment Theory By John Bowlby Essay2611 Words   |  11 Pagesthe life parables, birth place, and experiences that make us, us. Personality Theory: The Attachment Theory. Our first relationship in life tends to be the mother. The attachment theory by John Bowlby emphasizes the importance and need of attachment. In addition, Mary Ainsworth created the idea that there are three styles of attachment. These include secure attachment, ambivalent attachment, and avoidant attachment. Despite some problems my parents had, I feel that I was loved and cared for theRead MoreAttachment Theory By John Bowlby981 Words   |  4 PagesAttachment theory constituted by John Bowlby suggested the child’s early attachment with a primary caregiver predicts their later adulthood relationship style. There are three patterns of adult attachment theory: secure, avoidant, and ambivalent relationship styles. First, the secure relationship style shows few problems with developing satisfying friendships and relationships, such as trusting others and developing the bond with others (Larson Buss, 2014). Second, the avoidant relationship styleRead MoreAttachment Theory By John Bowlby881 Words   |  4 PagesAttachment theory, developed by John Bowlby, Attachment is defined as the formation of a psychological and emotional relationship between an infant and its primary caregiver. It’s also a pattern of relational style that the child learns from the adults and caregivers whom play the largest role in the child’s life. That pattern is learned in early childhood and thought to repeat itself throughout an individual’s life, in both their social and romantic relationships. Secure attachment tends to beRead MoreAttachment Theory By John Bowlby1976 Words   |  8 Pages Attachment theory constituted by John Bowlby suggested the child’s early attachment with primary caregiver predicts their later adulthood relationship style. There are three patterns of adult attachment theory: secure, avoidant, and ambivalent relationship styles. First, the secure relationship style shows few problems with developing satisfying friendships and relationships, such as trusting others and developing the bond with others (Larson Buss, 2014). Second, the avoidant relationshipRead MoreJohn Bowlby s Theory Of Attachment1581 Words   |  7 Pagesoccur in the prenatal development, infancy and childhood, as new-borns develop into young adulthood capable of becoming a parent themselves. This assignment will discuss the developmental stage of a chosen child scenario and apply to John Bowlby’s theory of attachment. It will also discuss the key safeguarding issues within the child scenario and how they could have been prohibited. Scenario The chosen child scenario for this assignment is Paul (see appendix). Paul is six years of age and is theRead MoreJohn Bowlby s Theory Of Attachment1439 Words   |  6 Pagesabout John Bowlby and his theory of attachment plus criticisms and how these come into effect in practice and legislation. Edward John Mostyn Bowlby was born February 27th 1907 and died September 2nd 1990. He was born in London to a middle class family. He was mostly taken care of by his nanny because his parents believed that spending too much time with him could lead to him becoming a spoilt child. At age 7 he was sent to boarding school by his parents. After finishing boarding school Bowlby wentRead MoreThe Pioneer Of Attachment Theory By John Bowlby1826 Words   |  8 PagesOxford, Kelly, Nelson Fleming, 2012). The pioneer of attachment theory, John Bowlby (1969), underscored the importance of child to parent attachments in his landmark trilogy, Attachment and loss (Bowlby, 1982, 1973, 1980). Bowlby’s ideas began to shape research in the field of developmental psychology during the 1960s and promoted research into the precise operationalisation of the ‘attachment’ construct (Woolgar Scott, 2014). Attachment relationships serve the function of providing protectionRead MoreJohn Bowlby s Theory Of Attachment1423 Words   |  6 PagesJohn Bowlby’s theory of attachment asserts that an infant forms an attachment to the primary caregiver to ensure survival. Developmental psychologist Mary Ainsworth furthered this idea by devising attachment styles in infants. Ainsworth believed that the quality of care given by the mother or primary caregiver results in the infant developing a secure or insecure attachment. Ainsworth identified three attachment styles, namely; secure, avoidant and anxious/ambivalent attachments. As the word infersRead MoreThe Theory Of Attachment Proposed By John Bowlby And Mary Ainsworth1177 Words   |  5 Pagesthe characteristics of human nature, which is relationships and attachment. The course materials emphasized the critical role of relationship and attachment to the development of the children. The internship site also provided an opportunity for me to visualize different attachments and relationships between parent and child in action. As the chapter readings from the textbook explore different perspectives of relationship and attachment proposed by various theorists, the class discussions and lectures

AHP-Based Approach to ERP System Selection

Question: Discuss about the Essay for AHP-Based Approach to ERP System Selection. Answer: Introduction The report presented below discusses the AHP based approach to Enterprise resource planning system selection for a Bioplus cosmetic company in Greek. The document is been prepared on the basis of the goal or objective of the company they wish to meet by the integration of Enterprise resource planning system. The document explains their proper implementation requirement such as the total amount, time, and the kind of functionality they are looking for, the flexibility and reliability of the system and other factors that will affect the company. The overall idea of presenting the report is to have an idea that how the ERP system in the Bioplus cosmetic company plays a critical role and why it is been required by the Bioplus cosmetic company. Goal The firms aim was to provide its mobile users, ranging from sales people to beauty advisors, with more varied and integrated mobile communication and collaboration services than had previously been the case (Asl et al., 2012). A further goal was to enable staff to access exactly the same services on the road as they could at head office, no matter where they happened to be in the world. Endeavor asset arranging in combination with the corporate capacities that differs from each other and utilizes data innovation (Enea Muriana, 2014). The primary target of small scale or large scale assembling organization's Enterprise Resource Planning is tracking the network of the store; estimate the stock of the company and to manage the stocks and track the last shipment of the goods (Lee et al., 2012). If the organization follows this method this can enhance the sharing of the data and cooperate with the practical and the corporate boundary. ERP System Selection For the choice of the ERP framework the business procedure environment must understood. The ERP selection proceduce is a coordinated arrangement of projects that give backing to center business procedures, for example, generation, information and yield logistics, fund and bookkeeping, deals and showcasing and asset (Asl et al., 2012). As it were, an ERP framework is the data spine of an association and ventures into all regions of the business and quality chain (Oztaysi, 2014). Since it has a long and problematic implementation procedure, and is a very expensive investment, due to the high costs and risks in this systems it is important to select an ERP that adapt with organization requirements, selection is a complex process that need identification criteria and choosing a suitable and reliable approach for select an alternative from the available options. On the other hand the failure of an ERP project can cause the negative effects on organizational processes and bring irreparable damage for organization (Shen, Chen, Wang, 2016). An effective ERP venture includes supervision of the business process, selection of Enterprise Resource Programming and an agent commercial, actualizing this business process, and looking at the rationality of the new business process (Wang, Lin, Wang, 2013). Inferable from the multifaceted nature of the business situation the constraints in easy to get to the assets, and the differences of ERP options. Hence, it is important to make a healthy selection about which ERP fits the organization the most (Asl et al., 2012). The report presents a technique for selecting an appropriate ERP framework in light of fuzzy logic. This model has 3 inputs and 1 output. We use triangular fuzzy membership function for each criterion. Three criteria: functionality, cost and vendor support to evaluate the alternatives was presented. PriEsTis an acronym for 'Priority Estimation Tool' which is open-sourcedecision-making softwarethat implements theAnal ytic Hierarchy Process(AHP) method - a comprehensive framework for decision problems. PriEsTcan assist decision makers in prioritizing the options available in a given scenario (Chou et al., 2014). Criteria Recently many works in ERP selection is proposed, some of those presented a set of factors that important for ERP selection and a few of those presented methods based on mathematic approaches, fuzzy logic and AHP (Enea Muriana, 2014). In this section we introduce this works. Seven criteria for ERP selection in Bioplus cosmetic company is introduced. Some of those are (Reliability and Functionality) based on quality metrics in software and some of those are related to organization for example, cost, convenience, simplicity of customization and simplicity of usage and merchant notoriety is criteria for the company (Hasibuan Dantes, 2012). The criteria for ERP selection introduces functionality, reliability, fit with business process of organization, cost, level of customization, vendor support, compatibility, availability, vendor reputation, technology, module integration, fit with parent/allied organization system. This work has not an approach for ERP selection, only introduced criteria that important in ERP selection is presented in the report. In the proposed report an approach for selecting suitable ERP for organization based on AHP (Mijovic et al., 2016) is proposed for selecting the suitable ERP for an organization based on AHP. This method assigned adds weights to the criteria, and finally the ERP software is selected from the created hierarchy (Asl et al., 2012). Bioplus cosmetic company identifies 9 attributes like execution time, costs, and usefulness, ease of use, adaptability, unwavering quality, seller notoriety, merchant specialized ability, and merchant management. An investigation is done to assess the progress of the system to identify the effectiveness of application of the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP). The AHP and the numbers of fuzzy are used for selecting a suitable ERP for Bioplus cosmetic company. Their criteria are: maintenance cost, vendor good reputation, R and D capability, training performance, infrastructure cost, ease to in- house development, recovery ability, integration of legacy systems, vendor support, license fee, maintenance cost, vendor consulting performance, capability for the technical support, ability to upgrade, integration with ease, completion of the module, utility, security level, fitness, stability, easy of operations, ease to learn, standardization, ease to maintain (Saini, Nigam Misra, 2013). In this report a fuzzy logic approach for ERP selection is proposed. In this method they used 27 criteria such as: trust in the ERP framework, measured quality, possibility of the application of arrangement in industry, believability of the framework, incorporation ability of the ERP with the current Information Security/Information Technology, instinct of the Enterprise Resource Planning framework, adjustment of the Enterprise Resource Planning according to the present needs of the framework, capacity of the Enterprise Resource Planning framework to offer data on time, programming costs, counsel costs, support costs, equipment prerequisites, expert group necessities, high normal usage time, parameter multifaceted nature, venture arranging, probability of dispassionately characterizing the ideas, worker proceeding with training, normal age of the faculty, proceeding with instruction of the basic leadership bunch, proposals/suggestions made by the clients, customary authoritative society, many-sided quality of the hierarchical structure, superior, numb er of representatives/organization size, conventional hierarchical technique, intricacy of hierarchical procedures (Asl et al., 2012). In the utilized information envelopment investigation to assess mid-level ERP bundles. They used a broad investigation of the accessible elements and capacities and execution of different mid-level bundles in these elements and capacities (Silva et al., 2013). As to examination, the accompanying criteria were utilized: administration and encourage, preparing, adaptability, usage adaptability, mix, producing process, center financials, acquiring and deals, human asset process, global expense bolster, normal expense of bundles, support charges, preparing charges and normal execution (Wang, Lin, Wang, 2013). Multi-criteria supplier selection method is used in an analytic hierarchy process model to ERP selection. They used 4 criteria: strategic fitness, function and technology, vendors reputation and vendors ability. Fuzzy logic is used for the selection of the ERP model. In this method, recommended ERP bundles and sellers were looked at by a Fuzzy-AHP framework (Asl et al., 2012). Total Cost Price The implementation of ERP system in a large scale enterprise is very costly that may be up to millions of dollars. The cost of ERP implementation varies with the size of the company. Costs scale with company size (Refer to appendix) The quantity of clients and applications required for the most part correspond with the span of the business: Larger organizations ordinarily have more clients who need to get to the framework, and require more applications and more notable usefulness (Asl et al., 2012). The greater number of user accessing the system with more complexity in the system increases the price of the ERP system software. For a specialized business process, customization can be made for example if the company needs to launch a new product and change the manufacturing details the software must be flexible to change (Enea Muriana, 2014). The major question for choosing an ERP system for a business looking for new Enterprise Resource Planning software is to deploy a cloud based or on premise ERP system. The company can implement two types of ERP system and the pricing of both the system is different, the cloud based ERP system is available on the basis of subscription of billed per user per month (Kapp, Latham, Ford-Latham, 2016). The on premise systems are sold to the customer with a perpetual license. Figure 1: Cost of Implementation of ERP (Source: Katerattanakul et al., 2014, pp- 190) Maintenance Cost Depending on the trade, upkeep and backing might be incorporated, or may cost additional. With an on-reason arrangement, clients should even now pay yearly backing and support costs that keep running somewhere around 10 and 20 percent of the first permitting expense (Asl et al., 2012). Implementation Time Timeframe for the implementation of ERP in the Bioplus cosmetic company: Time period to project If there is a need of integration of another system in the current scenario the time frame would be increased. The phases of an ERP project are as follows: Time taken Phases 1-3 weeks Requirement analysis and specification 3-6 weeks Prototyping or setting up the ERP system for testing purpose 8-14 weeks Implementation or testing of the configured ERP system and development continues. 3-6 weeks User acceptance test and training to use the system Few days Live phase 1-2 weeks Live support Table 1: Implementation Time (Source: Created by Author) Functionality The use of the ERP in business can provide better control in the billing section of the customers and the sellers (Mijovic et al., 2016). The ERP has the ability to automatically handle the process and a better financial, operational and control over the accounts in the billing and the receivables. The Enterprise Resource Planning is also used for the accomplishment of the assigned task with the integration of the information system that causes a flawless flow of the data throughout the departments. An automated business process is very helpful for the management of the company (Oztaysi, 2014). As the Enterprise Resource Planning works on the basic rules of input and output in information technology it is also used as a MIS (management information system). An organization is treated as a single entity under the Enterprise Resource Planning (Asl et al., 2012). It caters the needs of the information in the organization as information plays the key resource of the organization to be the winner in the competitive market. The ERP structure gives important, precise and expediency data to all divisions on one programming structure (Saini, Nigam, Misra, 2013). The principle of the Enterprise resource planning is that the data can be upgraded at any instance. In Enterprise Resource Planning, the user can get answer to any question by posting an enquiry; the answer is imported from the office database (Asl et al., 2012). Computer programming is used to outline the business process of the company and work according with the needs of the client. ERP gives additionally all money related examination under fund modules and agree to India's and other universal bookkeeping benchmarks. ERP framework can without much of a stretch use in, social insurance, Government, budgetary, retail and other administration parts (Silva et al., 2013). System Flexibility Upgrade Ability The ERP system can be upgraded according to the user requirement such as: Illogical and unnecessary requirements Change in implementation and design of architecture Involvement of organization needs Uncertain need of consumer Demand in market place Change in shareholders expectations Ahead leap up or competitive catch up Change of priorities requirements The ERP system can be upgraded according to the change in technology and the developmental process of the company like Platform delivery External components interfaces Components change in third party Change in software development technologies and methodologies New and advanced technologies exploitation Old technology termination Up gradation in automotive technology Ease of Integration The company implemented the enterprise resource planning system to manage all the vital levels to enhance their communication (Zeng Skibniewski, 2013). It works as a management tool for a company where it implements their different departments and functions in the enterprise resource planning system. The department can be marketing, sales, purchasing, finance, etc (Asl et al., 2012). For an example, for a Bioplus cosmetic company each different department is responsible for managing their own system to make sure that they outline their tasks separately. But when the ERP system is been integrated in the company then each department can share the data and communicate effectively. One of the important benefits of integrating ERP system is the customer relationship management which is developed and designed to help the cosmetic business to enhance and maintain their customer information with accuracy (Hasibuan Dantes, 2012). System Reliability Undertaking measured organizations have it really simple as to ERP arrangements, in any event as far as unwavering quality. There are just 3 merchants to look over, and every one of the three are accustomed to managing extensive customers who expect only the best (Asl et al., 2012). SMBs have a much bigger field to browse as far as sellers to work with, however a littler possibility of getting a dependable item. SMBs need to do somewhat more footwork to ensure they wind up with an answer that works best for them. Reputation Financial Condition The finance module of an ERP system is used to gather the data regarding the finance and generate the reports such as trial balance data, quarterly statement of finance, overall balance sheet and generation of ledger reports in Bioplus cosmetic company. ERP software solution is used mainly in industry to manage the various business conditions. The information made accessible through an enterprise resource planning framework gives deceivability to key execution pointers required for meeting corporate destinations. Enterprise resource planning programming applications can be utilized to oversee item arranging, buy parts, keep up and monitor inventories, interface with suppliers, give client administration, and track orders. Scale of Vendor Choosing the right system for the implementation of the ERP in the Bioplus cosmetic company is a critical task for the company. Selecting the right vendor can help the company to develop at a rapid rate. The ERP system solutions are not available to the company as readymade software solution (Enea Muriana, 2014). The company has to make some tweaks on the choose ERP software to meet their requirement and the business that is looking to implement ERP software in their system must identify its needs and choose the vendor accordingly (Asl et al., 2012). Market Share There is a huge growth in the ERP system in the year 2013, the market share of ERP software grew to 3.8% in one year. In the year 2012 the worldwide ERP software market grew 3.8% from $24.4B in 2012 to $25.4B in 2013. SAP retained their market leadership position in 2013, selling $6.1B in ERP software up from $6B in 2012 (Kapp, Latham, Ford-Latham, 2016). Oracle is second with $3.117B in sales in 2013, down .2% from 2012s sales of $3.124B. Sage is third with $1.5B in sales in 2013, Infor is fourth with $1.5B in sales, and Microsoftis fifth with $1.169B in sales in 2013. The following graphic shows worldwide ERP software market share for 2013. Please click on the graphic to expand for easier reading (Asl et al., 2012). Alternatives Microsoft Dynamics NAV As part of Bioplus cosmetic company vision to create a single, integrated technology platform, it introduced Microsoft Dynamics NAV ERP system to run its key business operations. The next step was to move to cloud-based Office365, which saved the firm significant amounts of money in hardware, support and upgrade costs. Its subsequent migration to Lync, which was integrated with SharePoint and Exchange, supported further business growth by enabling enterprise-wide communication and collaboration for both road warriors and remote users (Kilic, Zaim, Delen, 2015). SAP The Bioplus cosmetic company picked in the report creates, delivers, and markets contemporary, moderate restorative and cleanliness items. To bring its clients and suppliers nearer together and make more esteem for all gatherings, the firm can execute SAP (Software Application Program) Advanced Planning and Optimization a segment of the SAP Supply Chain Management application and focused on a progression of new procedures. Impressive reserve funds have come about, making ready for comparative measures in different territories (Asl et al., 2012). SAP is an ERP bundle and is utilized as a part of the vast majority of the business organizations. Singular Logic Business ERP Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is the key system in a business organization that helps in the seamless operation of the systems and it also makes the executive managers to take decision quickly (Mijovic et al., 2016). Singular Logic Business ERP has an important role in the reek market and it offers Business solution for an enterprise of different sizes. The ERP package offered by the company is based on its own products integrated with international platforms (Lee et al., 2012). The software is integrated as a bundle and it ensures a good quality of service giving a high end satisfaction to the client. The requirement of the customers is meeting and the specified needs are also fulfilled, the singular Logic Business ERP is used in public sectors to customize the solution in a large scale. Conclusion This report concludes that an AHP based approach is used to find out which ERP system is valuable for a Greek Bioplus cosmetic company. The report presented above find out that the cloud based ERP system is the right solution for the Bioplus cosmetic company. The report provides an overall conclusion of the other aspects of ERP integration in the company. The decision making tool PriEsT is also been discussed in this report and its importance. The overall idea of the reports is to provide the detailed information about the ERP implementation in the Bioplus cosmetic company. References Almajali, D. A., Masa'deh, R. E., Tarhini, A. (2016). Antecedents of ERP Systems Implementation Success: A Study on Jordanian Healthcare Sector. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 29(4). Asl, M. B., Khalilzadeh, A., Youshanlouei, H. R., Mood, M. M. (2012). Identifying and ranking the effective factors on selecting Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system using the combined Delphi and Shannon Entropy approach. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 41, 513-520. Bernroider, E. W., Wong, C. W., Lai, K. H. (2014). From dynamic capabilities to ERP enabled business improvements: The mediating effect of the implementation project. International Journal of Project Management, 32(2), 350-362. Chandrakumar, T., Parthasarathy, S. (2016). An approach to estimate the size of ERP package using package points. Computer Standards Interfaces, 47, 100-107. Chou, H. W., Lin, Y. H., Lu, H. S., Chang, H. H., Chou, S. B. (2014). Knowledge sharing and ERP system usage in post-implementation stage. Computers in Human Behavior, 33, 16-22. Enea, M., Muriana, C. (2014). An AHPbased approach to PMISs assessment. International Journal of Business Environment, 7(1), 32-60. Hasibuan, Z. A., Dantes, G. R. (2012). Priority of key success factors (KSFs) on enterprise resource planning (ERP) system implementation life cycle. Journal of Enterprise Resource Planning Studies, 2012, 1. Hung, W. H., Ho, C. F., Jou, J. J., Kung, K. H. (2012). Relationship bonding for a better knowledge transfer climate: An ERP implementation research. Decision Support Systems, 52(2), 406-414. Kapp, K. M., Latham, W. F., Ford-Latham, H. (2016).Integrated learning for ERP success: A learning requirements planning approach. CRC press. Katerattanakul, P., J. Lee, J., Hong, S. (2014). Effect of business characteristics and ERP implementation on business outcomes: An exploratory study of Korean manufacturing firms. Management Research Review, 37(2), 186-206. Kazemi, A., Saeidi, S. R., Azizmohammadi, M. (2014). Selecting an ERP system using multi-criteria decision making method: a goal programming and fuzzy approach. International Journal of Business Information Systems, 16(1), 55-71. Kilic, H. S., Zaim, S., Delen, D. (2015). Selecting The Best ERP system for SMEs using a combination of ANP and PROMETHEE methods. Expert Systems with Applications, 42(5), 2343-2352. Lee, S., Kim, W., Kim, Y. M., Oh, K. J. (2012). Using AHP to determine intangible priority factors for technology transfer adoption. Expert Systems with Applications, 39(7), 6388-6395. MijoviĆ¡, P., KoviĆ¡, V., De Vos, M., MaÄ uÃ…Â ¾iĆ¡, I., JeremiĆ¡, B., GligorijeviĆ¡, I. (2016). Benefits of Instructed Responding in Manual Assembly Tasks: An ERP Approach.Frontiers in human neuroscience,10. Molnr, B., Szab, G., Benczr, A. (2013). Selection Process of ERP Systems. Business Systems Research, 4(1), 36-48. Oztaysi, B. (2014). A decision model for information technology selection using AHP integrated TOPSIS-Grey: The case of content management systems. Knowledge-Based Systems, 70, 44-54. Saini, S., Nigam, S., Misra, S. C. (2013). Identifying success factors for implementation of ERP at Indian SMEs: A comparative study with Indian large organizations and the global trend. Journal of Modelling in Management, 8(1), 103-122. Shen, Y. C., Chen, P. S., Wang, C. H. (2016). A study of enterprise resource planning (ERP) system performance measurement using the quantitative balanced scorecard approach. Computers in Industry, 75, 127-139. Shitkova, M., vom Brocke, J., Riedl, R. (2015). Choice of a NeuroIS Tool: An AHP-Based Approach. In Information Systems and Neuroscience (pp. 51-58). Springer International Publishing. Silva, J. P., Gonalves, J. J., Fernandes, J. A., Cunha, M. M. (2013, June). Criteria for ERP selection using an AHP approach. In 2013 8th Iberian Conference on Information Systems and Technologies (CISTI) (pp. 1-6). IEEE. Vahidi, J., SalooKolayi, D. D., Yavari, A. (2014). A model for selecting an ERP system with triangular Fuzzy numbers and Mamdani inference. J. Math. Comput. Sci, 9, 46-54. Wang, M. L., Lin, H. F., Wang, K. W. (2013). The Application of AHP in Biotechnology Industry with ERP KSF Implementation. In The 19th International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management (pp. 565-574). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Zeng, Y. R., Wang, L., Xu, X. H. (2015). An integrated model to select an ERP system for Chinese small-and medium-sized enterprise under uncertainty. Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 1-21. Zeng, Y., Skibniewski, M. J. (2013). Risk assessment for enterprise resource planning (ERP) system implementations: a fault tree analysis approach.Enterprise Information Systems,7(3), 332-353.

DOS And Unix Essays - Software, Computer Architecture,

DOS And Unix Compare and Contrast Microsoft DOS with UNIX As is suggestive of its name, an operating system (OS) is a collection of programs that operate the personal computer (PC). Its primary purpose is to support programs that actually do the work one is interested in, and to allow competing programs to share the resources of the computer. However, the OS also controls the inner workings of the computer, acting as a traffic manager which controls the flow of data through the system and initiates the starting and stopping processes, and as a means through which software can access the hardware and system software. In addition, it provides routines for device control, provides for the management, scheduling and interaction of tasks, and maintains system integrity. It also provides a facility called the user interface which issues commands to the system software. Utilities are provided for managing files and documents created by users, development of programs and software, communicating between users with other computer systems and managing user requirements for programs, storage space and priority. There are a number of different types of operating systems with varying degrees of complexity. A system such as DOS can be relatively simple and minimalistic, while others, like UNIX, can be somewhat more complicated. Some systems run only a single process at a time (DOS), while other systems run multiple processes at once (UNIX). In reality, it is not possible for a single processor to run multiple processes simultaneously. The processor of the computer runs one process for a short period of time, then is switched to the next process and so on. As the processor executes millions of instructions per second, this gives the appearance of many processes running at once. User programs are usually stored on a hard disk and need to be loaded into memory before being executed. This presents the need for memory management, as the memory of the computer would need to be searched for a free area in which to load a users program. When the user was finished running the program, the memory consumed by it would need to be freed up and made available for another user when required (CIT). Process scheduling and management is also necessary, so that all programs can be executed and run without conflict. Some programs might need to be executed more frequently than others, for example, printing. Conversely, some programs may need to be temporarily halted, then restarted again, so this introduces the need for inter-program communication. In modern operating systems, we speak more of a process (a portion of a program in some stage of execution (CIT, 3)) than a program. This is because only a portion of the program is loaded at any one time. The rest of the program sits waiting on the disk until it is needed, thereby saving memory space. UNIX users speak of the operating system as having three main parts: the kernel, the shell and the file system. While DOS users tend not to use the term kernel and only sometimes use the term shell, the terms remain relevant. The kernel, also known as the "Real Time Executive", is the low-level core of the OS and is loaded into memory right after the loading of the BIOS whenever the system is started. The kernel handles the transfer of data among the various parts of the system, such as from hard disk to RAM to CPU. It also assigns memory to the various system-level processes that occur whenever the computer does anything. The kernel is also responsible for scheduling the CPU's operations and for letting the shell access the CPU (PC Mag, 1). The shell is the visible user interface to the OS and is a program that loads on top of the operating system and offers users commands that lets them access the OS. Strictly speaking, the shell is an input utility that offers access to the operating system. Technically speaking, the shell, being a separate program, is not a part of the OS at all. In the UNIX world a number of shells are available, among them the Korn shell, the C-shell, the Bourne shell and the Bourne Again shell (yes, really). In DOS, the standard shell is COMMAND.COM, again nothing more than a program. As different versions of command.com came with different versions of DOS, each added new commands and new things that could be done by the user. For example, DOS 4's COMMAND.COM added the /P switch to DEL to verify each deletion, and DOS 5's COMMAND.COM provided the ability to

Christmas holiday Essay Example

Christmas holiday Essay Example Christmas holiday Essay Christmas holiday Essay An example of this type of leadership at Waitrose is when they ask the employees in specific areas of the company for advice in the section that they are experts in i. e. in the bakery section, if Waitrose for example was looking to increase the amount of bread produced during Christmas holiday at a specified time, the employees will be affected as they will have to make the bread at the best quality , and have the product ready on time for the customers to collect.It is important that Waitrose does this as these are matters directly affecting the employees, thus may need consultation, if they dont, the employees may be offended and may decrease staff morale. Overall by having democratic leadership, Waitrose will have good advice from expertise to ensure that they have made the right decision and will allow the employees to feel more involved, resulting in increase of motivationAnother example where this type of leadership exists at Waitrose is how they allow employees input on judging how to achieve their personal goals e. g. Waitrose have appraisals which involve congratulating their employees on achieving their personal objectives as well as the company’s within the year.This lies on the democratic management style as both the employees and their section management at Waitrose have a meeting for the employee to have the opportunity to discuss any achievements that they have accomplished with their manager and additionally have the chance to come up on the next objective that will help their own personal development as well as the company’s as a whole which means that due to this compromise between two tittles i. e. mangers allowing the employees input in a business decisions, it works under democratic leadership style.This type of leadership is good for Waitrose, as it will mean that employees will feel they are value in the business and this makes them more motivated to do well in the company, due to feeling like an important member in the business. This also allows the company to ensure that they are making the right decisions, as even though the manger manages the employees, he/she is not qualified for all the sections in Waitrose, which is why it is important that they involve the employees that are, to ensure that they are making the most effective decision.However there are negatives that come with democratic style of management. An example being when different holidays occur, Waitrose need to ensure that they are working efficiently, such as if it was the Christmas holidays, Waitrose employees and managers cannot waste any time negotiating on different ideas of conclusions of whether the y should have a discount on a certain product or not. This needs to be done by one manager in the company, as this will ensure that Waitrose will be run efficiently and smoothly.This is due to Waitrose not being able to afford disagreements as this will lead to delays on the production line, and customers will not be satisfied due to the wait they must take to receive the product they want. If customers are not happy then this will result in profit levels decreasing, as they will not want to shop at Waitrose again. Another negative that can occur with democratic leadership is delays on stock.This is a negative to Waitrose as this means that if employees cannot come up with a conclusion, on what which stock they need for the section at Waitrose, delays may occur on the whole company due to not receiving the particular stock on time and this causes the whole company to run slower making customers not happy with the service given to them, which will lead bad reputation. Only one leader should make decisions for Waitrose, as this means that they can make the final say and there is no confusion on what stock to get thus eliminates mistakes occurring.Laissez-Faire (let it be): This is when the leadership responsibilities are shared with all the employees in the organisation. Allowing this type of management style to happen in a business can be very useful in companies where creative ideas are important, as different people have different ideas, which if you combine will create a fantastic outcome. By having all the employees involved can be highly motivational, as people have control over their working life as they get a say in their working hours and other decisions which may affect them.However it can make coordination and decision-making time-consuming due to lack in overall direction, as there is no manager in the team, which makes the final say to what the outcome should be due to this style relying purely on good teamwork and good interpersonal relations, whic h is not certain in the business. businessdictionary. com/definition/laissez-faire-leadership. htmlThis style of management would work at Waitrose by allowing different departments in the company to have their own inputs on decision-making e. g. for the marketing department, they will have the responsibility to find out ways to attract customers as they are trusted by the managers at Waitrose due to them being highly experienced and an expert in that area and this lies on the Laissez-Faire’ management style as employees are free to work independently when making decisions, without supervision from managers.Another example of how this management style could work in Waitrose is when different occasions occur throughout the year. E. g. for Christmas holidays the manager would need to ask employees for their input on what special theme they should do at the workplace, as employees are more in contact with customers i. e. employees who are working at the tills have friendly chats ’ with the customers. This will benefit the company as they will be able to get the theme right which leads to them standing out compared other supermarkets and this also lies on Laissez-Faire’ management style, as managers are giving the employees the opportunity to input their opinion, due to it being important in determining the success of the company.A strength of using this leadership at Waitrose would be, giving the responsibility to workers at Waitrose as it will mean that the staff will be motivated to do the work, therefore this means that it increases their staff morale, this is due to them being trusted by Waitrose, in addition to this, it will mean that instead of the mangers spending their time watching over employees they can spend it on something else which is important such as the customers, this is because the employees don’t need supervision, especially those that have worked for many years at Waitrose.Therefore this makes the company run smoot hly and efficiently. However there are negatives with this type of leadership, this is because the employees at the business may make mistakes, due to the manager not being there to guide them in decision making and this therefore means that there is a chance that they will make mistakes. For example if they have to make a decision on a particular stock to get for Waitrose and the manger is not available, they will have to come up with a decision on their own and with all that pressure and responsibility they may encounter mistakes.All this will affect Waitrose such as it running slower due to delays as the mistakes are occurring and externally due to the customers not being happy thus reputation decreases. Another negative is, the employees will learn that there is no manger there to supervise their every move, which means that their performance of high quality service and products will decrease. This is because they see that there is no point in working hard if they don’t g et noticed doing it. Therefore this will affect Waitrose as this means that that the reputation will decrease due to the quality of products and service decreasing.

Literature review of Fourteen Foorces of Magnetism Essay

Literature review of Fourteen Foorces of Magnetism - Essay Example It was built as a result of a lack of a real hospital in that location which led to the death of many local people with emergency medical conditions. Being the first and best hospital on the area, St. Luke’s has one of the biggest positive images in that society and its respect surpasses all. It is with this image that made it be accredited as an inpatient rehabilitation unit (the only national one in that area) by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). Most of the forces of magnetism in this organization are consistent with their intent. Some however have inconsistencies which according to research may be as a result of the organization being alone and of its kind for a long time and hence had enjoyed market monopoly and even when another hospital was unveiled, no changes were made and no one seems to notice these inconsistencies. One of the inconsistencies is in the fourth force about personnel policies and programs which advocated for competitive salaries and benefits. In the organization, this is not the case and most nurses especially are underpaid compared to the work they perform daily. Even though the organization strives to achieve force thirteen about interdisciplinary relationships being valued and upheld, doctors still look down upon other members of the health care team due to their differences in qualifications. This however does not seem to affect the overall quality of the health care being provided by the organization (Malloch and O’Grady, 2010). The consistencies in force of magnetism have made the organization gain a lot of support from the surrounding community and this has improved the image of not only the hospital in general but also of its medical personnel. The fact that the hospital puts the needs of the community first at all times and even forgets about the needs of its own staff especially on

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 60

Case study - Essay Example The deal was going on well with the company making small losses and gains to balance the losses, an indication that all systems were right. However, in mid April 1994, Artzt, the chairman of P & G, made a shocking revelation that the company had made a whopping $157 million loss after liquidating two interest rate swap contracts (Smith, 68). This was in addition to a $102 million after tax charge against the company’s third quarter profits to cover the losses incurred in the transaction (Malkin, 1994). The scenario was that P $ G had a signed a contract that considerably magnified the interest rates swings in a 3 years swap in which the company paid a floating rate on Libor (Smith, 69). The intention of the company was to make an interest in the event that interest rates fell or remained constant, which could have led the prices of the relevant bonds increasing or remaining constant. As a result, the company could have paid the expected Libor rate while still benefiting from t he income from Bankers Trust for the options. However, the short interest rates rose significantly leading to a decline in the prices of the long term bonds, forcing P & G to buy the derivatives at rates way above the selling value. In other words, P &G found itself paying rates above the selling value due to the sensitivity of the long term bonds to the slightest movement in interest rates. Consequently, P & G had to pay much higher to purchase back the derivatives from Bankers Trust than what the bank had paid for them due to the increase in the value of the options held by the bank as a result of a rise in interest rates (Heffernan, 641). P & G incurred the above losses due to interest rates volatility in the market, which made the company buy its swiped instruments at much higher costs than the bank had paid. The outcome of the transaction was that two P & G employees considered to bear the

Jewish American Literature Essay Example for Free

Jewish American Literature Essay Jewish American Literature holds an essential place in the literary history of the United States. It encompasses traditions of writing in English, primarily, as well as in other languages, the most important of which has been Yiddish. While critics and authors generally acknowledge the notion of a distinctive corpus and practice of writing about Jewishness in America, many writers resist being pigeonholed as Jewish voices. Also, many nominally Jewish writers cannot be considered representative of Jewish American literature, one example being Isaac Asimov. Beginning with the memoirs and petitions composed by the Sephardic immigrants who arrived in America during the mid 17th century, Jewish American writing grew over the subsequent centuries to flourish in other genres as well, including fiction, poetry, and drama. The first notable voice in Jewish- American literature was Emma Lazarus whose poem ‘The New Colossus’ on the Statue of Liberty became the great hymnal of American immigration. Gertrude Stein became one of the most influential prose-stylists of the early 20th century. The early twentieth century saw the appearance of two pioneering American Jewish novels: Abraham Cahans The Rise of David Levinsky and Henry Roth’s Call it Sleep. It reached some of its most mature expression in the 20th century ‘Jewish American novels’ by Saul Bellow, J. D. Salinger, Norman Mailer, Bernard Malamud, Chaim Potok, and Philip Roth. Their work explored the conflicting pulls between secular society and Jewish tradition which were acutely felt by the immigrants who passed through Ellis Island and by their children and grandchildren. More recent authors like Nicole Krauss, Paul Auster, Michael Chabon, Jonathan Safran Foer andArt Spiegelman have continued to examine dilemmas of identity in their work, turning their attention especially to the Holocaust and the trends of both ongoing assimilation and cultural rediscovery exhibited by younger generations of American Jews. Arguably the most influential of all American- Jewish novels was Leon Uris Exodus. Its story of the struggle to create the modern state of Israel translated into Russian became the inspiration for hundreds of thousands of Russian immigrants to Israel. Modern Jewish American novels often contain (a few or many) Jewish characters and address issues and themes of importance to Jewish American society such as assimilation, Zionism/Israel, and Anti-Semitism, along with the recent phenomenon known as New Anti-Semitism. Two Jewish- American writers have won the Nobel Prize, Isaac Bashevis Singer and Saul Bellow. Bernard Malamud is considered one of the most prominent figures in Jewish –American literature. BERNARD MALAMUD ( 1914-1986). Malamud’s stories and novels, in which reality and fantasy are frequently interfaced have been compared to parables, myths and analogies and often illustrate the importance of moral obligation. Although he draws upon his Jewish heritage to address the themes of sins, suffering, and redemption, Malamud emphasizes human contact and compassion over orthodox religious dogma. Malamud’s characters, while often awkward and isolated from society, evoke both pity and humor through their attempts at survival and salvation. Sheldon J. Hershinow observed: â€Å"Out of the everyday defeats and indignities of ordinary people, Malamud creates beautiful parables that capture the joy as well as the pain of life; he expresses the dignity of the human spirit searching for freedom and moral growth in the face for hardship, injustice, and the existential anguish of life. BIOGRAPHY Malamud was born on April 28, 1914, in Brooklyn, New York, to Russian Jewish immigrants. His parents, whom he described as â€Å"gentle, honest, kindly people,† were not highly educated and knew very little about literature of the arts: â€Å"There were no books in the house, no records, music, pictures on the wall. † Malamud attended high school in Brooklyn and received his bachelor’s degree from the City College of New York in 1936. After graduation, he worked in a factory and as a clerk at the central bureau in Washington, D. C. Although he wrote in his spare time, Malamud did not begin writing seriously until the advent of the Second World War and the subsequent horrors of the Holocausts. He questioned his religious identity and started reading about Jewish tradition and history . He explained: â€Å"I was concerned with what Jews stood for, with their getting down to the bare  bones of things. I was concerned with their ethnically –how Jews felt for they had to live order to go on living. † In 1949, he began teaching at Oregan State University; he left this post in 1961 to teach creative writing at Bennington College in Vermont. He remained there until shortly before his death in 1986. Starting in 1949, Malamud taught four sections of freshman composition each semester at Oregon State University (OSU), an experience fictionalized in his 1961 novel ‘A New Life’. Because he lacked the Ph. D., he was not allowed to teach literature courses, and for a number of years his rank was that of instructor. In those days, OSU, a land grant university, placed little emphasis on the teaching of humanities or the writing of fiction. While at OSU, he devoted 3 days out of every week to his writing, and gradually emerged as a major American author. In 1961, he left OSU to teach creative writing at Bennington College, a position he held until retirement. In 1967, he was made a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1942, Malamud met Ann De Chiara (November 1, 1917 March 20, 2007), an Italian-American Roman Catholic, and a 1939 Cornell University graduate. They married on November 6, 1945, despite the opposition of their respective parents. Ann typed his manuscripts and reviewed his writing. Ann and Bernard had two children, Paul (b. 1947) and Janna (b. 1952). Janna Malamud Smith is the author of a memoir about her father, titled My Father is a Book. Malamud died in Manhattan in 1986, at the age of 71. WORKS OF MALAMUD Malamud’s first novel, ‘The Natural’ (1952 ) ,is considered one of his most symbolic works . While the novel ostensibly traces the life of Roy Hobbs, an American baseball player , the work has underlying mythic elements and explores such themes as initiation and isolation. For instance, some reviewers cited evidence of the Arthurian legend of the Holy Grail; others applied T. S. Eliot’s ‘wasteland’ myth in their analyses ‘The Natural’ also foreshadows what would become Malamud’s predominant narrative focus: a suffering protagonist struggling to reconcile moral dilemmas, to act according to what is right, and to accept the complexities and hardships of existence. Malamud‘s second novel, ‘The Assistant’ (1957), portrays the life of Morris Bober, a Jewish immigrant who owns a grocery store in Brooklyn. Although he is struggling to survive financially, Bober hires a cynical anti-semitic youth, Frank Aloine after learning that the man is homeless and on the verge of starvation. Through this contact Frank learns to find grace and dignity in his own identity. Described as naturalistic fable, this novel affirms the redemptive value of maintaining faith in the goodness of the human soul. Malamud’s first collection of short stories, ‘The Magic Barrel’, (1958) was awarded the National Book award in 1959. Like ‘The Assistant’, most of the stories in this collection depict the search for hope and meaning within the grim entrapment of poor urban settings and were influenced by Yiddish folktales and Hasidic traditions. Many of Malamud’s best known short stories, including ‘The Last Mohican’, ‘Angel Levine’, and ‘Idiots First’, were republished in ‘The Stories of Bernard Malamud’ in 1983. ‘A New Life’ (1961), considered one of Malamuds most true-to-life novels, is based in part on Malamuds teaching career at Oregon State University. This work focuses on an ex-alcoholic Jew from New York City who becomes a professor at a college in the Pacific Northwest. It examines the main characters search for self-respect, while poking fun at life at a learning institution. Malamuds next novel, ‘The Fixer’ (1966), is one of his most powerful works. The winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, this book is based on the historical account of Mendel Beiliss, a Russian Jew who was accused of murdering a Christian child. With ‘The Tenants’ (1971), Malamud returns to a New York City setting in a contrast between two writers—one Jewish and the other African American—struggling to survive in an urban ghetto. Malamud further addresses the nature of literature and the role of the artist in ‘Dublin’s Lives’ (1979). In this work, the protagonist, William Dublin, attempts to create a sense of worth for himself, both as a man and as a writer. Malamuds last finished novel, ‘Gods Grace’ (1982), studies both the original Holocaust and a new, imagined Holocaust of the future. The novel is a wild, at times brilliant, at times confusing, description of a flood similar to that in the Bible story of Noahs ark. Malamud continued to place stories in top American magazines. Mervyn Rothstein reported in the New York Times that Malamud said at the end of his life, With me, its story, story, story. In Malamuds next-to-last collection, ‘Rembrandts Hat’, only one story, ‘The Silver Crown’, deals with Jewish themes. Malamud is also renowned for his short stories, often oblique allegories set in a dreamlike urban ghetto of immigrant Jews. Of Malamud the short story writer, Flannery OConnor wrote: I have discovered a short-story writer who is better than any of them, including myself. He published his first stories in 1943, ‘Benefit Performance’ in Threshold and ‘The Place Is Different Now’ in American Preface. In the early 1950s, his stories began appearing in Harpers Bazaar, Partisan Review, and Commentary. ‘The Magic Barrel’ was his first published collection of short stories (1958) and his first winner of his first National Book Award for Fiction. Most of the stories depict the search for hope and meaning within the bleak enclosures of poor urban settings. The title story focuses on the unlikely relationship of Leo Finkle, an unmarried rabbinical student, and Pinye Salzman, a colorful marriage broker. Finkle has spent most of life with his nose buried in books and therefore isn’t well-educated in life itself. However, Finkle has a greater interest – the art of romance. He engages the services of Salzman, who shows Finkle a number of potential brides from his magic barrel but with each picture Finkle grows more uninterested. After Salzman convinces him to meet Lily Hirschorn, Finkle realizes his life is truly empty and lacking the passion to love God or humanity. When Finkle discovers a picture of Salzman’s daughter and sees her suffering, he sets out on a new mission to save her. Other well-known stories included in the collection are: ‘The Last Mohican’, ‘Angel Levine’, ‘Idiots First’, and ‘The Mourners’. This last story focuses on Kessler, the defiant old man in need of social security and Gruber, the belligerent landlord who doesnt want Kessler in the tenement anymore. Malamud’s fiction touches lightly upon mythic elements and explores themes like isolation, class, and the conflict between bourgeois and artistic values. His prose, like his settings, is an artful pastiche of Yiddish-English locutions, punctuated by sudden lyricism. Writing in the second half of the twentieth century, Malamud was well aware of the social problems of his day: rootlessness, infidelity, abuse, divorce, and more. But he also depicted love as redemptive and sacrifice as uplifting. In his writings, success often depends on cooperation between antagonists. For example, in The Mourners landlord and tenant learn from each others anguish. In ‘The Magic Barrel’, the matchmaker worries about his fallen daughter, while the daughter and the rabbinic student are drawn together by their need for love and salvation. Malamuds third story ‘Rembrandts Hat’ collection is noteworthy for its consistently pessimistic tone and theme of failed communication in stories such as ‘My Son the Murderer’, ‘The Silver Crown’, and ‘The Letter’. ‘The volume The People’, and ‘Uncollected Stories’ contains an unfinished novel about a Russian Jewish peddler in the American West who becomes a marshal and is kidnapped by Indians. It also includes fourteen stories written between 1943 and 1985. LIST OF OTHER NOTABLE JEWISH AMERICAN WRITERS †¢ Aimee Bender — novelist and short story writer, known for her often fantastic and surreal plots and characters †¢ Saul Bellow, novelist that won the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the National Medal of Arts †¢ Bernard Cooper, novelist, short story writer †¢ E. L. Doctorow, novelist †¢ Richard Ellmann, literary critic, won National Book Award for Nonfiction †¢ Barthold Fles, literary agent and non-fiction writer †¢ Emma Goldman, anarchist writer †¢ Joseph Heller, author of Catch-22 †¢ Christopher Hitchens, literary critic and political activist †¢ Irving Howe, literary critic †¢ Roger Kahn. The Boys of Summer 1972 †¢ Jerzy Kosinski, author of The Painted Bird †¢ Emma Lazarus, poet and novelist †¢ Fran Lebowitz, author, known for her sardonic social commentary on American life through her New York sensibilities †¢ Seymour Martin Lipset, political sociologist. †¢ Reggie Nadelson, novelist known particularly for her mystery works †¢ Mark Obama Ndesandjo, author, half-brother of President Barack Obama †¢ Cynthia Ozick, short story writer, novelist, and essayist †¢ Jodi Picoult, novelist †¢ Ayn Rand, novelist and founder of Objectivism †¢ Lea Bayers Rapp, non-fiction and childrens fiction writer †¢ Philip Roth, known for autobiographical fiction that explored Jewish and American identity. †¢ Norman Rosten, novelist †¢ J. D. Salinger, author of The Catcher in the Rye †¢ Gary Shteyngart (born 1972) Russian-born writer †¢ Isaac Bashevis Singer, leading figure in Yiddish literature, won Nobel Prize †¢ George Steiner (born 1929) literary critic †¢ Daniel Stern, novelist] †¢ Leopold Tyrmand, writer †¢ Judith Viorst (born 1932) author, known for her childrens literature †¢ Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and author of 57 books CONCLUSION The situation and the position of the Jewish-American writer have always been different from that of the other ethnicities in America and still remain so until today. One difference is highlighted by a comparison with the African-American writers. The marginal position of black authors has disappeared on the book market in the United States, but the themes of alienation and anger will not vanish as readily from their works. Instead of integration into the Literary and artistic mainstream, black writers and artists wanted, especially since the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s, to arrive at their own forms of literary expression which would have direct relevance for their lives. They wished to answer the question of their relationship to white mainstream culture by implementing a multicultural strategy: their literature is not that of assimilation, but in many ways that of establishing difference, separatism, and cultural resistance. While with the African-American writers there is no sense of the success or even desirability of social and cultural integration into the predominantly white mainstream of American society, many Jewish-American authors felt it as necessary and desirable, and as a result even managed to acquire it. Indeed, a great number of contemporary Jewish-American writers such as Norman Mailer, Saul Bellow, Joseph Heller, Bernard Malamud, Arthur Miller, Philip Roth and others have had literary success. The language employed by these writers is standard American English, they are socially accepted, and their works are read by a wide Jewish and non-Jewish audience. For this reason it is widely considered that their texts form part of a recognized literary canon, and belong to the American literary center or mainstream, as far as this may still be defined today. As much as we agreed to this idea we cannot ignore several facts which underline the necessity to view Jewish American literary productions as shaped by strong ethnic forces, and Jewish American literature as both belonging to and standing out in the multicultural American landscape. BIBLOGRAPHY Books Sanford, Sternlicht Masterpieces of Jewish American Literature Cristina, Nilsson Jewish American Literature: Bernard Malamud, Philip Roth and Cynthia Ozick Websites http://en. wikipedia. org http://www. swiftpapers. com http:// Top of Form.

Comparison of the American and French Revolutions Essay -- American Fr

Comparison of the American and French Revolutions The American and French revolutions both compare and contrast in their origins and outcomes; both revolutions began due to the common peoples need to obtain independence and liberty from an oppressive government. The American Revolution was triggered by the American colonists need for financial independence from the overpowering nation of Great Britain, while the French revolution was a struggle to gain social equality among the masses. Although the American and French Revolutions were fought over the same ideas, the American Revolution is considered more â€Å"conservative† than the French. The intent of the American revolutionaries was not to initiate a revolution, but rather to gain their freedom from a â€Å"long train of abuses,† The French however were trying to cause a true revolution they were not just fighting for freedom but instead to over throw and remove the monarchy. The American revolutionaries had no choice but to defend their liberties; the tactics used by the Americans were not as directly aggressive as those used by the French. The American Revolution, beginning in 1776, was initiated due to the tension that existed between the thirteen American colonies and the island of Great Britain due to the war debt Great Britain had incurred when defending American colonists against the French and Indians. As a solution to the debt the British began passing legislation, which increased the taxation of American colonies, tightening their control over the colonists. One of the regulations that Parliament passed was the Stamp Act of 1765. This taxed all printed documents, including: wills, newspapers, and pamphlets. The colonists felt they were not fairly represented because they held no seat in Britain’s parliament. The rallying cry for the colonists became â€Å"no taxation without representation." After years of boycotting and peaceful protest the American colonists could no longer stand the abuse from Great Britain and decided that they had had enough. In 1775 the British troops and American Militia exchanged first shots of the Revolution. On July 4th, 1776, the Second Continental Congress issued the Declaration of Independence, written mostly by Thomas Jefferson. Due to a decisive American victory at Saratoga, the French agreed to aid the Americans, mainly because of a longstanding hatred between the French... ...g an impartial solution for all. The National Assembly took the Tennis Court Oath, which stated that no one was to leave unless a constitution was enacted for France. On August 26th, the Assembly drew up the Declaration of The Rights of Man and citizen. In contrast to the American Revolution, the French Revolution was more violently approached. Both the American and French revolutions ended with a victory of independence. In the American Revolution, the American colonists gained their independence from Great Britain while the French gained social equality and converted from an overpowering monarchy to a republic. They differed, however, by the means in which each set of revolutionaries went about revolting. The American Revolution was less violent and the Americans had attempted to first establish a compromise with King Louis XIV. The French Revolution was much more aggressive; the storming of the Bastille and massacre of many French nobility are prime examples of the violent tactics used during the revolution. Both revolutions have not only adequately show the importance of individual and universal rights, but also show two different ways of achieving liberty through revolt.

The Silver Linings Playbook Chapter 45

Break Free of a Nimbostratus A week after my cast has been removed, I stand alone on the footbridge in Knight's Park, leaning my weight on the railing, gazing down at a pond I could walk around in less than five minutes. The water underneath me has a thin layer of ice on top, and I think about dropping rocks through it, but I do not know why, especially since I have no rocks. Even still, I want to drop rocks through the ice so badly, to puncture it, proving that it is weak and temporary, to see the black water below rise up and out of the hole I alone will have created. I think about the hidden fish – mostly those big goldfish people stock the pond with so old men will have something to feed in spring and little boys will have something to catch in the summer – fish now burrowed in the mud at the bottom of the pond. Or are these fish burrowing just yet? Will they wait until the pond freezes completely? Here's a thought: I'm like Holden Caulfield thinking about ducks, only I'm thirty-five years old and Holden was a teenager. Maybe the accident knocked my brain back into teenager mode? Part of me wants to climb up onto the railing and jump off the bridge, which is only ten yards long, only three feet above the pond; part of me wants to break through the ice with my feet, to plunge down, down, down into the mud, where I can sleep for months and forget about all I now remember and know. Part of me wishes I never regained my memory, that I still had that false hope to cling to – that I still had at least the idea of Nikki to keep me moving forward. When I finally look up from the ice and toward the soccer fields, I see that Tiffany has accepted my invitation to meet, just like Cliff said she would. She is only two inches tall in the distance, wearing a yellow ski cap and a white coat that covers most of her thighs, making her look like a wingless angel growing and growing – and I watch her pass the swing sets and the large pavilion with picnic tables inside. I watch her walk along the water's edge until she finally reaches her usual height, which is five feet and a few inches tall. When she steps onto the footbridge, I immediately look down at the thin layer of ice again. Tiffany walks over to me and stands so her arm is almost touching mine, but not quite. Using my peripheral vision, I see that she too is now looking down at the thin layer of ice, and I wonder if she also wishes she could drop some rocks. We stand like this for what seems like an hour, neither of us saying anything. My face gets very cold, until I can no longer feel my nose or ears. Finally, without looking at Tiffany, I say, â€Å"Why didn't you come to my birthday party?† which is a stupid question to pose at this time, I realize, but I can't think of anything else to say, especially since I haven't seen Tiffany for many weeks – not since I screamed at her on Christmas Day. â€Å"My mom said she invited you. So why didn't you come?† After a long pause, Tiffany says, â€Å"Well, like I said in my letter, your brother threatened to kill me if I made contact with you. Also, Ronnie came to my house the day before your party and forbade me to go. He said they never should have introduced us in the first place.† I had already talked to Jake about his threat, but I have a hard time imagining Ronnie saying such a thing to Tiffany. And yet I know Tiffany is telling the truth. She seems really hurt and vulnerable right now, especially because she is sort of chewing on her bottom lip as if it were a piece of gum. Surely Ronnie said these words against Veronica's wishes. His wife would never let him say something so potentially ego-damaging to Tiffany, and the thought of Ronnie keeping Tiffany from attending my party makes me a little proud of my best friend, especially since he went against his wife's wishes to protect me. â€Å"Bros B4 Hos† is what Danny said to me every time I would lament Nikki, back when we were both in the bad place – before he had that second operation. In art therapy class, Danny even made me a little poster with the words written in stylish gold letters, which I hung on the wall space between my bed and my roommate Jackie's – back in the bad place – but one of the evil nurses took Danny's artwork down when I was not in the room, a fact Jackie confirmed by blinking and banging his head against his shoulder. Even though I realize the phrase is sort of sexist (because men should not refer to women as hos), saying â€Å"Bros B4 Hos† in my mind now sort of makes me smile, especially since Ronnie is my best bro in New Jersey, now that Jake and Danny live in PA. â€Å"I'm sorry, Pat. Is that what you want to hear? Well, I'll say it again, I'm really, really fucking sorry.† Even though Tiffany uses the f-word, her voice sort of quivers like Mom's when she says something she truly means, and it makes me think that Tiffany might actually start crying right here on the bridge. â€Å"I'm a screwed-up person who no longer knows how to communicate with the people I love. But I meant everything I told you in my letter. If I were your Nikki, I would have come back to you on Christmas Day, but I'm not Nikki. I know. And I'm sorry.† I don't know what to say in response, so we stand there for many minutes, saying nothing. Suddenly – for some crazy reason – I want to tell Tiffany the ending of the movie, the one that was my old life. I figure she should know the ending, especially since she had a starring role. And then the words are spilling out of me. â€Å"I decided to confront Nikki, just to let her know I remember what happened between us but do not hold any grudges. My brother drove me to my old house in Maryland, and it turns out that Nikki is still living there, which I thought was sort of strange, especially since she has a new me – this guy Phillip who works with Nikki as a fellow English teacher and always used to call me an illiterate buffoon because I never used to read literary books,† I say, leaving out the part about my strangling and punching naked Phillip when I caught him in the shower with Nikki, â€Å"and if I were Phillip, I probably would not want to live in my wife's ex-husband's house, because that is just sort of weird, right?† Tiffany doesn't say anything when I pause, so I just keep on talking. â€Å"When we drove down my old street, it was snowing, which is a little more rare in Maryland and therefore a big deal to little kids. There was only maybe a half inch on the ground – a dusting – but enough to scoop up in your hands. I saw Nikki outside with Phillip, and they were playing with two children – by the colors each was dressed in, I figured the one in navy blue was a little boy and the one mostly in peach was an even littler girl. After we rolled by, I told Jake to circle the block and park the car half a block away so we could watch Nikki's new family play in the snow. My old house is on a busy street, so we weren't likely to draw Nikki's attention. Jake did as I asked and then killed the engine but left the windshield wipers on so he could see. I rolled down my window, as I was in the backseat because of my cast, and we watched the family play for a long time – so long that Jake finally started the car back up and turned on the heat becaus e he was too cold. Nikki was wearing the long green-and-white-striped scarf I used to wear to Eagles games, a brown barn coat, and red mittens. Her strawberry blond hair hung freely from under her green hat, so many curls. They were having a snowball fight; Nikki's new family was having a beautiful snowball fight. You could tell the kids loved their father and mother, and the father loved the mother, and the mother loved the father, and the parents loved the children – as they all tossed the snow at each other so lovingly, taking turns chasing each other, laughing and falling into one another's heavily bundled bodies, and †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I pause here because I am having trouble getting the words out of my throat. â€Å"And I squinted hard trying to see Nikki's face, and even from a block away I could tell she was smiling the whole time and was so very happy, and somehow that was enough for me to officially end apart time and roll the credits of my movie without even confronting Nikki, so I just asked Jake to drive me back to New Jersey, which he did, because he is probably the best brother in the entire world. So I guess I just want Nikki to be happy, even if her happy life doesn't include me, because I had my chance and I wasn't a very good husband and Nikki was a great wife, and †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I have to pause again. I swallow several times. â€Å"And I'm just going to remember that scene as the happy ending of my old life's movie. Nikki having a snowball fight with her new family. She looked so happy – and her new husband, and her two children †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I stop talking because no more words will come out. It's as if the cold air has already frozen my tongue and throat – as if the cold is spreading down into my lungs and is freezing my chest from the inside out. Tiffany and I stand on the bridge for a long time. Even though my face is numb, I begin to feel a warmth in my eyes, and suddenly I realize I am sort of crying again. I wipe my eyes and nose with my coat sleeve, and then I am sobbing. Only when I finish crying does Tiffany finally speak, although she doesn't talk about Nikki. â€Å"I got you a birthday present, but it's nothing much. And I didn't wrap it or get you a card or anything, because, well †¦ because I'm your fucked-up friend who does not buy cards or wrap presents. And I know it's more than a month late, but anyway †¦Ã¢â‚¬  She takes off her gloves, undoes a few buttons, and pulls my present from the inside pocket of her coat. I take it from her hands, a collection of ten or so heavily laminated pages – maybe four by eight inches each and held together by a silver bolt in the top left corner. The cover reads: SKYWATCHER'S CLOUD CHART An easy to use, durable identifying chart for all outdoor enthusiasts â€Å"You were always looking up at clouds when we used to run,† Tiffany says, â€Å"so I thought you might like to be able to tell the difference between the shapes.† With excitement, I rotate the cover upward so I can read the first heavily laminated page. After reading all about the four basic cloud shapes – stratus, nimbus, cumulus, and cirrus – after looking at all the beautiful pictures documenting the different variations of the four groups, somehow Tiffany and I end up lying on our backs in the middle of the exact soccer field I used to play on when I was a kid. We look up at the sky, and it's a sheet of winter gray, but Tiffany says maybe if we wait long enough, a shape will break free, and we will be able to identify the single cloud using my new Skywatcher's Cloud Chart. We lie there on the frozen ground for a very long time, waiting, but all we see up in the sky is the solid gray blanket, which my new cloud chart identifies as a nimbostratus – â€Å"a gray cloud mass from which widespread and continuous rain or snow falls.† After a time, Tiffany's head ends up on my chest, and my arm ends up around her shoulders so that I am pulling her body close to mine. We shiver together alone on the field for what seems like hours. When it begins to snow, the flakes fall huge and fast. Almost immediately the field turns white, and this is when Tiffany whispers the strangest thing. She says, â€Å"I need you, Pat Peoples; I need you so fucking bad,† and then she begins to cry hot tears onto my skin as she kisses my neck softly and sniffles. It is a strange thing for her to say, so far removed from a regular woman's â€Å"I love you,† and yet probably more true. It feels good to hold Tiffany close to me, and I remember what my mother said back when I tried to get rid of my friend by asking her to go to the diner with me. Mom said, â€Å"You need friends, Pat. Everybody does.† I also remember that Tiffany lied to me for many weeks; I remember the awful story Ronnie told me about Tiffany's dismissal from work and what she admitted to in her most recent letter; I remember just how bizarre my friendship with Tiffany has been – but then I remember that no one else but Tiffany could really even come close to understanding how I feel after losing Nikki forever. I remember that apart time is finally over, and while Nikki is gone for good, I still have a woman in my arms who has suffered greatly and desperately needs to believe once again that she is beautiful. In my arms is a woman who has given me a Skywatcher's Cloud Chart, a woman who knows all my secrets, a woman who knows just how messed up my mind is, how many pills I'm on, and yet she allows me to hold her anyway. There's something honest about all of this, and I cannot imagine any other woman lying in the middle of a frozen soccer field with me – in the middle of a snowstorm even – im possibly hoping to see a single cloud break free of a nimbostratus. Nikki would not have done this for me, not even on her best day. So I pull Tiffany a little closer, kiss the hard spot between her perfectly plucked eyebrows, and after a deep breath, I say, â€Å"I think I need you too.†