Succubus Shadows Chapter 9

â€Å"She couldn't have!† I exclaimed. â€Å"He was with me all night.† â€Å"Not after the concert ended,† pointed out Roman. â€Å"You know, I think that band might really be going somewhere.† Whatever trace of sentiment he'd shown earlier with me had vanished in Carter's presence. â€Å"Simone was hanging out in that twenty-four-hour coffee shop,† Carter said. â€Å"Seth went there to work after – what was it you said? You were at a concert?† â€Å"Yeah,† I said. â€Å"Blue Satin Bra.† The angel gave Roman a nod of agreement. â€Å"Those guys are great.† â€Å"Hey, can we stick to the issue here?† I gave both of them glares. â€Å"What happened with Seth and Simone?† Carter shrugged. â€Å"Same as usual. He came in and noticed her first, though. She had her head in a book – didn't even look up until he walked over.† â€Å"Well played,† I said. â€Å"Forces him into the aggressive role.† â€Å"I don't think Seth's ever really in an aggressive role,† mused Carter. â€Å"It just put him in a position to make the first move, if he wanted to be polite.† During our brief affair, Seth and I had made love so tenderly and so sweetly that poets would have wept at its beauty. Other times, things had been downright dirty, and I think Carter might have reconsidered his comment about Seth being aggressive, had the angel known. â€Å"Then what?† I demanded. â€Å"Like I said, the same. They talked about different things – a lot of topics interesting to Seth, really. I think she might have done some research on him.† â€Å"Fucking lovely.† I collapsed onto the couch, and then I promptly shot back up. â€Å"I'm going over there – â€Å" â€Å"Gone,† interrupted Carter. â€Å"They went separate ways, and then she bagged some guy, and I decided it was time for me to fly away.† â€Å"Lucky bastard,† grumbled Roman. â€Å"You have no idea what kind of shit I had to sit through.† The hint of a smile flickered on Carter's face before he turned back to me. I sighed and sat back down. â€Å"Confronting her's no good anyway. You already did it, and nothing came of it. I'm guessing this would just be a repeat.† Probably a good point. Being in a conflict with a succubus kind of sucked. I could punch Hugh or the vampires, and even with immortal healing, they'd still sport a black eye for a few hours – longer if I was really good. But with a succubus? I could smack her around, and she'd shape-shift the damage. And as for verbal fighting? Well, seeing as I had no real leverage, I'd probably just fuel her further and provide more cat fight entertainment for my friends. â€Å"Well,† I said to Roman. â€Å"I think I'm pissed off enough now that you don't have to go to bed with me.† Carter's eyebrow rose again. â€Å"I mean, he doesn't have to watch me sleep,† I explained. â€Å"I was kind of glum earlier, and we were worried my mystery†¦thing†¦might show up again.† â€Å"Why glum?† asked Carter. He attempted innocence, but I wasn't fooled. Even without being at the concert, he could easily figure out what had me down. â€Å"Long story.† Those silvery gray eyes bored into me, and I shifted and looked away. I hated when he did that. It was like he could see into my soul. That was a place I didn't even want to look at – let alone have others do it. I attempted a change in subject. â€Å"You know, I was thinking about this thing that's going on†¦this force or siren song or whatever. It's not like what happened with Nyx, but there's still a dreamlike quality to it, you know? I mean, it certainly seems like I'm sleepwalking. Do you think she could be back?† â€Å"Nope,† said Carter. â€Å"She's definitely still locked up. I checked myself.† â€Å"Really?† â€Å"Really.† I didn't follow up with the obvious question. Had Carter done it for me? I mean, checking up on Nyx probably wasn't too hard for him. He probably just asked some angel buddy who asked another angel†¦etc. It still made me wonder about Carter's endgame. Why go to such trouble for me? Why look into this? Why track Simone? His expression made me think he guessed my thoughts, something I hated. â€Å"Thanks,† I said. â€Å"But I think I'm heading to bed now.† â€Å"And I,† said Carter, â€Å"am going to get a drink.† â€Å"Done with Simone for good?† asked Roman. Carter made a dismissive gesture. â€Å"At least for tonight. I'll find her in the morning.† â€Å"You're kind of a slacker spy,† I pointed out, though I definitely understood his reasons for avoiding the other succubus' liaisons. His only response was another smile before he vanished. â€Å"Now what?† I wondered aloud. â€Å"Now,† said Roman, â€Å"you get your beauty sleep so that I can have another captivating day of listening to you give recommendations for people who enjoyed The Da Vinci Code.† â€Å"You know you love it,† I said, walking off toward my bedroom. â€Å"Sure you don't want company?† I glanced back at him and studied his face, the lovely lines of it and blue-green eyes like the Mediterranean of my youth. His expression was speculative, wry humor twisting his lips. I couldn't entirely tell if he was joking. Or what his exact meaning was. â€Å"Positive.† My words were a little bolder than I felt, but the night passed uneventfully, again furthering the idea that my blue moods were the target. Consequently, this put me in a good mood when I went to work the next day. I even wore yellow in an attempt at further cheeriness and greeted my coworkers with such enthusiasm that Doug wanted to know what drugs I was taking – and if he could have some. All of that changed when, while headed for the science fiction section, I felt something totally unwelcome: an immortal signature. A succubus immortal signature. And I knew exactly which succubus it belonged to. I did a 180, took a few steps, and tried to pinpoint its direction. Fiction. I headed straight over there, and sure enough, there was Simone – with Seth. She wore that guise I'd heard reports of, the bookish – yet sexy – brunette. They were standing by Seth's section, and she was holding up one of his paperbacks, Idiosyncraso. I knew she could feel my signature as I approached, but her eyes stayed on Seth, her conversation not missing a beat. â€Å"You really wrote this in college?† â€Å"Yup,† he said. â€Å"It wasn't the first I had published, though. I shelved it for years before digging it out and revising it.† â€Å"Cool,† she said, flipping through the pages. â€Å"I can't wait to read it. It'll give me something to do before your next one.† â€Å"Well, don't get your – oh, hey.† Seth had spotted me. I came to a stop beside them, and Simone turned toward me politely. â€Å"How's it going?† I asked, voice harsher than I intended. Seth, always sensitive to me, looked a little surprised at my tone but didn't acknowledge it. â€Å"Fine. Georgina, this is Kelly. Kelly, Georgina. Georgina's the manager here.† â€Å"Hi, Kelly.† I shook her hand with a hardness she matched, and we both continued grinning at each other like Stepford Wives. â€Å"I met Kelly at a coffee shop,† said Seth mildly, not aware he was in succubus crossfire. â€Å"Told her she should see the store sometime.† â€Å"It's great,† said Simone, all adorable innocence. â€Å"I'm a big reader. I love all things books. And meeting one of my favorite authors has given me great insight.† â€Å"Well,† said Seth, a little embarrassed at the attention. â€Å"I don't know how much insight I'm really offering.† Simone laughed. â€Å"Lots. I feel like I'm getting something from you each time I see you.† â€Å"Have you seen each other a lot?† I asked. â€Å"Kelly moved to Queen Anne,† said Seth. â€Å"So we keep running into each other.† â€Å"It's a great area,† I said. â€Å"Where do you live?† Simone faltered. â€Å"Um, on Queen Anne.† â€Å"Street, Avenue, or Drive?† Seth seemed surprised at the interrogative style of the question. Simone turned nervous. â€Å"Eh, Avenue.† Damn. Lucky guess. Queen Anne Street didn't exist. â€Å"Nice place.† Turning my back on her, I looked at Seth. â€Å"I came over because I heard someone say Maddie was looking for you.† That wasn't true at all. Maddie wasn't even in for another hour. I gave Simone a casual glance. â€Å"Maddie's his fianc? ¦e.† â€Å"I didn't think she was in yet,† said Seth. Why, of all days, would his memory be up and running today? â€Å"Maybe I misheard,† I said with a shrug. â€Å"But I figured you'd want to check.† â€Å"I will,† he said, still a little puzzled. â€Å"I need to show Kelly one more book.† She shot me a triumphant look, but I knew she'd accomplished nothing with Seth. He had that expression he got when he was so focused on something – in this case, the history of books – that he was distracted from the world. â€Å"Kelly† was a pleasant coincidence. Simone was too overconfident to notice. Seth turned back to the shelves, and me staying would have seemed awkward. With his attention elsewhere, I shot Simone a warning look. â€Å"Well, I'm sure I'll see you around.† â€Å"Oh,† she said with a serene smile, â€Å"you will.† When I got home later that day, I was ready to break some furniture. â€Å"Did you see – â€Å" â€Å"Yes, yes, I saw,† said Roman, materializing beside me. â€Å"Calm down.† I let out a small cry of frustration, something primal with no real form. â€Å"I can't believe that bitch! Can't believe she'd actually do it right in front of me! She did it on purpose. She did it on purpose to taunt me.† Roman was the picture of tranquility as he leaned against the wall, a far cry from my frazzled, pacing state. â€Å"Of course she did. It's like mobsters who threaten their victims in a crowd – there's absolutely no way you could have fought back, not with that many witnesses.† â€Å"Nice analogy,† I muttered. â€Å"Maybe there'll be a horse head in my bed next.† â€Å"I could leave one in hers, if it would help,† he offered. That almost made me smile. Almost. Except I wasn't entirely sure he was joking. â€Å"The really comical part is that Seth brought it about, you know? He was trying to stay away from me and walked right into this.† â€Å"The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.† I didn't dignify that with an answer. â€Å"Look,† he said in all seriousness, taking a few steps toward me. â€Å"It sucks that she's doing this, and we can definitely rule out coincidence. But if Seth's with Maddie while she's there, you know nothing's going to happen. And Carter will report back to us. No point in getting worked up over it.† â€Å"Easier said than done. Nothing's going to distract me from this.† He moved closer still and rested his hands on my upper arms. â€Å"Oh? When was the last time you went dancing?† I blinked in surprise. The last time I'd been dancing? It had been a salsa lesson at the bookstore earlier this year, after which Seth and I had ripped each other's clothes off in my office. â€Å"A while ago,† I said evasively, thrown off by both the question and his fingertips on my skin. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Let's go out,† he said. â€Å"There are a million places we can go. Any kind of dance you want. If memory serves, you're an okay dancer.† I narrowed my eyes. â€Å"I'm an excellent dancer, and you know it.† He leaned his face closer. â€Å"Then prove it.† â€Å"Irrelevant. I don't feel like going out.† Roman sighed and stepped away. I found I was a little disappointed to have him let go. â€Å"Man,† he said. â€Å"I remember when you used to be fun. I'm glad I left town when I did.† He walked over to my entertainment center and knelt down. â€Å"Well, if Muhammed won't come to the mountain†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Good grief. You're a wealth of religious proverbs tonight, aren't you?† â€Å"Hey, just trying to – Jesus Christ. CDs? You do know the Dark Ages ended a long time ago.† He pointed at my collection with disdain. â€Å"Everyone's gone digital now. You know, those little magical devices that store music? Or do you consider them some kind of witchcraft?† â€Å"Technology changes every year. Jump on a fad, and you're obsolete before you know it.† â€Å"Honestly, it's a wonder you aren't cooking over a fire in the middle of your living room.† â€Å"You forget – I don't cook.† â€Å"I live here. I haven't forgotten.† By then, he'd put one of my â€Å"archaic† CDs in the player. I laughed. â€Å"You're one to talk about ancient history. This is old school.† â€Å"Nah.† He rose and offered me his hands. â€Å"This is classic. Never goes out of style.† â€Å"Yeah,† I said, as the music began playing. â€Å"All the kids are doing foxtrot nowadays. Geez, it's even the slow style.† But I still let him take hold of my hands. â€Å"Hey, you're the one who owns that CD.† We both fell into the steps effortlessly, gliding around the living room and managing to dodge the furniture with some grace. Roman had a long list of flaws, but one of his better traits was that he was almost as good a dancer as me. â€Å"Why do you dance so well?† I asked, stepping over Aubrey. She didn't seem concerned at all about getting squashed and had shown no signs of moving when we began to dance. â€Å"What kind of a question is that? Why do you dance so well?† â€Å"Natural instinct, I guess. That's what I'm wondering. Was it something you were born with? Or is it something you can't help but perfect over the years? I mean, you've been around for a while. I suppose if you put your mind to something that long, you can't help but master it.† He laughed. â€Å"To tell you the truth, I don't know. Maybe it's in the blood.† â€Å"Oh, come on. I cannot picture Jerome out on the dance floor.† â€Å"Not him. My mother. She was a dancer. A slave girl for this king a long, long time ago†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Roman's gaze turned inward. He didn't seem angry, so much as nostalgic. â€Å"Of course, he was pretty pissed off when she got pregnant. That kind of thing tends to ruin the chorus line.† â€Å"What happened to her?† I hadn't been around that long ago, but certain things stayed the same through time. Slaves who angered their masters got beaten or sold to someone else. Or worse. â€Å"I don't know. Jerome took her away, off to some village where she could be a free woman.† I frowned. I still had trouble wrapping my mind around the idea of my boss falling – romantically and divinely – for a mortal. â€Å"Did he stay with her? He would have been a demon by then†¦.† â€Å"He never came back. First time I saw him was last year. My mother didn't hold a grudge, though. She would talk about him all the time†¦said he was beautiful. I don't know if she meant as an angel or a demon, though. Probably he looked the same, seeing as they're the same beings, really.† â€Å"I'm guessing he didn't look like John Cusack though.† â€Å"No.† This made Roman laugh again. â€Å"Probably not. My mother took on mundane jobs whenever we moved villages – washing woman, field worker. But at least she was free. And she still danced sometimes. I saw her once, when I was really young†¦just before she was killed. There was a festival, and I remember her dancing in front of the fire, wearing this red dress.† All mirth disappeared from him. â€Å"That image is burned into my mind. I can see how an angel would have fallen for her.† I didn't ask any questions about how she was killed. In those days, it could have been as simple as a raid or attack. They were commonplace. Or, more likely, she'd been killed in an attempt on Roman and his sister. He'd once mentioned that they were always on the run from angels and demons. â€Å"So maybe you learned to dance as a subconscious tribute to her,† I said, shifting to something lighter. That half-smile returned. â€Å"Or maybe I just inherited my father's attraction to graceful, sensual women.† The song ended, and we stood there, frozen in time with our hands still entwined. Foxtrot was hardly the bumping and grinding seen in modern clubs, but our bodies were close, and I felt like I could sense the heat from his. Whether it was real or imagined, I couldn't say. But I did know there was something very seductive about dancing, about mirroring another's body, and somehow, I wasn't surprised when he leaned down and kissed me. I was a little surprised that I kissed him back. But not for long. Because as our lips met, I realized how much I'd come to regard Roman as a comforting fixture in my life. We'd grown from adversaries to friends to†¦what? I didn't entirely know. I did know that I liked having him around and that I'd never really shaken the attraction that had drawn me to him long ago. I also knew that I was lonely for the touch of someone I liked and that I had an automatic instinct to respond to this sort of thing. His mouth pressed harder against mine, as hot and demanding as I recalled. His hands quickly moved from the formal orientation of foxtrot to something more intimate and eager, sliding down to my hips and somehow managing to push me against the wall while also shoving my shirt up. My own hands were around his neck, my lower body pressing against his as I felt all my nerves set on fire and lust coursing through me. He managed to break away enough to pull my shirt off, and then his hands moved to my breasts, which were wrapped in a white lace bra. He glanced down and made a face as he pulled from our kiss. â€Å"Can't you make it a front hook?† A small bit of shape-shifting made the bra disappear altogether. â€Å"Don't trouble yourself,† I said. He smiled and moved his lips to my neck while his hands cupped the curves of my breasts. It made it impossible for me to take his shirt off, but I slid my hands under it, loving the feel of his warm skin and taut muscles. I tipped my head back, letting him taste me and increase the intensity of his kissing. And through it all, there were no voices in my head. I heard none of his thoughts, sensed none of his feelings. I was alone – alone with my own reactions, simply enjoying the way my body felt with no other interruptions. It was glorious. I at last managed a break that let me pull his shirt off, and then my hands moved to his pants, putting us in a brief deadlock as he tried to move his lips to my nipples. I won and watched his pants fall to the floor. With that concession, he pulled me down as well and continued his efforts to kiss my breasts, almost kneeling before me as he did so. I ran my hands through his hair, gripping his head while his mouth sucked and teased. As he did, his eyes glanced up and met mine. I saw the desire in them and – something more. Something I hadn't expected to see. There was†¦what? Love? Adoration? Affection? I couldn't quite pin it down, but I recognized the general category. It was a slap to the face. I hadn't anticipated it. Lust, I'd expected. A primitive instinct to throw me down and fuck me, in order to relieve his body's need. For so long, I'd operated on the assumption that he kind of liked me and kind of wanted to hate me. Yet, now, I realized those nice moments we'd had recently weren't coincidence. His sharp attitude had been a facade, meant to hide his feelings. Roman still loved me. I identified it for what it was. He wasn't doing this just because he wanted my body. He wanted me. This was more than just fulfilling a physical instinct for him, and suddenly†¦suddenly, I didn't know what to do. Because I realized then, I didn't know why I was doing this. There was a fair amount of lust on my part, and I'd grown closer to him since his return to Seattle. But the rest†¦? I wasn't sure. There was so much going on right now: Maddie, Simone, Seth†¦Always Seth. Seth, who even now made my heart ache while I was wrapped in the arms of another man. My emotions were a tangle of confusion and hurt and desperation. I was with Roman as some sort of reaction, some attempt to fill the hole in my heart and seek false comfort. My feelings didn't match his. I couldn't do this with him. I didn't deserve to do this with him. I pushed him away and jumped to my feet, backing off toward the hallway. â€Å"No†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I said. â€Å"I can't†¦I can't. I'm sorry.† He stared up at me, understandably confused and a little hurt after the ardor I'd displayed seconds ago. â€Å"What are you talking about? What's wrong?† I didn't know how to explain it, didn't know how I could even begin to articulate what I felt inside of me. I just shook my head and continued backing. â€Å"I'm sorry†¦I'm so sorry†¦I'm just not ready.† Roman sprang to his feet in one graceful motion. He took a step toward me. â€Å"Georgina†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But I was already moving away, off to the safety of my bedroom. I slammed the door behind me – not from anger, but from a desperate need to stay away from him. From the hall, I heard him call my name and feared he'd come in anyway, despite my refusal to answer. I had no lock, and even if I did, it wouldn't stop him. He said my name a few more times, and then silence fell. I think he returned to the living room, backing off and giving me my space. I flung myself onto the bed, gripping the sheets tightly and trying not to cry. That horrible despair that plagued me so often filled me now. It was an old friend, one that I would never be able to leave. All my relationships – friends and lovers – were a mess. I was either hurting them, or they were hurting me. There was no peace for me. There never would be, not for this servant of Hell. And then, through that horrible, clenching pain inside me, I felt the lightest of touches. A whisper. A breath of music, of color, of light. I lifted my head up from where I'd buried it in my pillow and stared around. There was nothing tangible, not exactly, but I could sense it all around me: that warm, comforting siren song. It had no words, yet in my despair, I could hear it perfectly. It was telling me I was wrong, that I could have peace. And not just that – I could have comfort and love and so much more. It was like arms beckoning to me, a mother welcoming home a long-lost child. I slowly rose from my bed, moving toward that which had no form. Come, come. Outside my door, I heard Roman shout my name, but the tone was different from before. This wasn't confusion or pleading. It was frantic and concerned. The sound was grating to my ears as I stepped closer to that beautiful warmth. It was home. It was an invitation. All I had to do was accept. â€Å"Georgina!† The door blew apart, and Roman stood there, blazing with power. â€Å"Georgina, stop – â€Å" But it was too late. I had accepted. All that joy and protection wrapped around me, taking me into its arms. The world dissolved.

Multinationals Advantages and Disadvantages

Multinational business relies on its imports and exports around the world. Factories may be set up in different areas of the world and have their business based on the import and export of raw materials, which is what is done by most of them.Developing countries can gain more from multinationals since they help increase labor and its opportunities, which then means that the average income of a person will increase allowing them to spend more and lead a better life-style, which helps the tax bases to increase due to people wanting to spend more, often on things they could not afford earlier, and if the tax base increase, the government will be able to supply more for their people and give better health support, better education and help the country to develop more.This could also help in stabilizing the economic system, and increasing the GDP and GNP. International firms that are implanted in developing countries will also help in educating part of the population by teaching the emplo yees the skills required for the job, making it a greater number of educated people. However, multinationals do not always have a good impact on the global business environment, especially in developed countries, as outsourcing to developing countries is happening which causes for jobs to be lost in developed countries and thus, making the average income lower.Also, small businesses do not benefit from this as they are dominated by the multinationals and their brand names. Their impact on our environment is not good, as they produce a lot of waste products, which are not always recycled or used properly, especially in smaller, less developed countries as the laws and restrictions are not always applied.

Leadership in Healthcare

Contents Introduction2 Interactive Model of Leadership3 Measure to Analyse Leadership Skills5 Introduction5 Critical Factors5 Identifying Leadership Gaps5 Closing the gaps6 Nature of Motivation, Satisfaction & Performance8 Task Orientation among Teams8 Nature of group & group development8 Leading Virtual teams8 Creating the Virtual Team9 Conclusion9 References10 Introduction The organization chosen for this assignment is Bupa Care Services, Leeds, UK. Founded in 1947, Bupa Care Services have believed in the motto that they should help people live longer, happier & healthier lives with provision of good quality healthcare.Bupa not being open to shareholders works purely for the benefits of its patients. Their various initiatives in terms of investment are aimed at better healthcare for their patients. The focus of this assignment is on the leadership programme conducted by Bupa in â€Å"Caring for elder people† Bupa, through its network of residential hospitals, retirement home s & nursing homes in the UK, Australia, Spain and New Zealand takes care of thousands of elder patients.Over a period of time with increase in experience they have identified lacunas in their processes and reached a maturity to excel in innovation and development of care facilities for the elderly. With collaborations with researchers, expert partners and academics they aim to find innovative ways to improve their services With the society at large being dominated by ageing individuals, it introduces the healthcare domain with new challenges to address. It is more prevalent in developed countries which have a strong healthcare system to support individuals during their more productive phase in life thus improving their life expectancy.Globally speaking, it is estimated in the next two decades that there would be about twice the percentage of elders in the UK as compared to today, while individuals who have completed their centenary would be 4 times as compared to today. In Australia , the numbers are expected to increase from the current 0. 2 million to an estimated 0. 5 million in the next two decades. A more similar trend is predicted in New Zealand whereby the current count is estimated to be doubled in the next three decades..The programme aims at trying to profile care home population, support initiatives to garner funds, target improvement of healthcare aspects and a aim at the greater good for improving the standard of living of the elderly. The programme was conducted under the able leadership of Mark Ellerby, Managing Director, Bupa Care Services and Dr. Clive Bowman, Medical Director, Bupa Care Services. Interactive Model of Leadership Response from people today in a corporate team based culture is largely influenced by the behaviour of their leaders.People like if their leaders are with them rather then above them, which gives them a feeling on belonging in the team and not a slave to the system. This calls for an innovative and lateral shift in the thinking behaviour on part of the leaders to be effective in their workplace. The interactive leadership development program helps leaders learn to effectively make that shift & excel as team players. The program offers a new lease of life and offers an opportunity for to be leaders to benchmark their skills against the best practises from around the world which is supported and well documented through a world class study of ore than three decades. The intent of the program is to make candidates test their inner skills and coach themselves against external actions. It provokes them to improve upon their competencies and be better leaders to achieve higher performance with results which have a long lasting impression. The research on interactive leadership has been conducted by founder David H. Burnham and Harvard psychologist Dr. David C. McClelland basis which they have observed the way leaders behave and most importantly how they think in the most critical of situations.The focus of the program is to inculcate a thought process to be able to engage with individuals and groups, improve the emotional intelligence and have a dedicated focus on results. Let’s now focus on applying the model to the leadership programme at Bupa Care Services. The primary premise on which the interactive leadership works is: Thoughts drive Actions to create Outcomes. Participants are given the opportunity to work through simulations, perform exercises and activities in each of the critical areas in order to: Experience and evaluate how their present thinking will help them drive outcomes in future ? Develop and invest in specific goals which would prepare them for any future change ? Identify the key areas that need development and have conscious thought process to achieve them ? Learn the nuances to make the change(s) happen. Measure to Analyse Leadership Skills 1 Introduction Leaders are aware of change and it is obvious to them that they need to adapt to the change as ind ividuals as well as a group and the industry at large.But considering today’s uncertain and complicated work culture, the importance lies in understanding the importance of leadership skills. The entire healthcare domain for years have been operating in a dynamic world with changes impacting everyone including insurance companies, healthcare providers, device firms and pharmaceutical to a great extent. The industry has been boosted by the advent of technology, newer & improved means of care, a more dynamic business model. Regulatory authority and ethical issues add to the existing woes of the healthcare industry.With such complexities, organisations find it cumbersome to identify the leadership talent which can help them set direction, gain commitment from employees as well as from partners and drive high quality care for the patients. With a volatile environment, the healthcare sector is looming large on drastic changes ahead in time and at the present moment; it is already amidst a phase of rapid change. This demands high levels of expertise in technology and thorough bred professionals with good leadership skills to be able to swim in the rough waters.The other problem for the healthcare domain is that it is extremely difficult for them to classify their challenges since these are multi dimensional and of a complex nature. In order to address these challenges, common strategies and processes have to be developed which would enable the organization to achieve high performance. It is the need of the hour and even a need for Bupa Care Services. 2 Critical Factors 1. Improve the ability to lead subordinates and work in groups. Leaders should be able to collaborate and should be capable of creating a culture to influence participation from all members in the group.It is also important for leaders to be able to deal with problem subordinates. 2. Create strategies to provide current and future leaders broad holistic view. In order to have a holistic view, l eaders are expected to have some critical qualities like self awareness, career management and functional know how. A majority of the leaders today have been found wanting in these critical areas. Such limitations are expected to be overcome through continuous training and development, feedback sharing, coaching and succession planning. 3. Leaders possess important strengths.They are well equipped to handle change and have the ability to achieve the end results. They possess some key additional qualities like cool composure, quick learning capability and clarity in thought process. Such qualities inherited by leaders provide enough proof that the healthcare leaders are a capable bunch of individuals who are assets to the industry. 3 Identifying Leadership Gaps Like in every exercise which involves comparison of two levels of attributes in any individual, there would always be some gaps in the expected level and actual level.With leadership this disparity can be arrived by the differ ence in current skills to expected skills. With this understanding, organizations can come up with powerful strategies to build a capable pool of able leaders. The process of identifying gaps leads us to the characterizing certain attributes which are important for leadership skills and certain factors that are termed as derailment factors. Important Factors 1. Resourcefulness. Possesses multiple qualities such as good decision making under pressure, setting up intricate systems, analytical thinking, flexible behaviour and problem solving skills.Gets along with seniors and has the capability to deal with higher management responsibilities. 2. Result Oriented. Has the capability to get things done by carefully investing in ideas and thrives to overcome hindrances with a dedicated focus. Can stand up and take responsibility to handle tasks individually and at the same time is open to learn from others to accomplish the task. 3. Quick Learner. Has the capability to quickly assimilate b usiness and technical know-how. 4. Decisive. Always looks for prompt and precise solutions to any of the management problems which otherwise would be slow and sluggish. . Leading Subordinates. Strong delegation powers and provides opportunities to budding subordinates to show case their talents. Always on the look out for fresh talent for hiring. Has an unbiased approach towards his subordinates. 6. Handling Problem Subordinates. Tries to understand the problem subordinate and only after proper evaluation decides to act upon a problem employee. Shows enough fairness and is unbiased with problem employees. 7. Encourages participation. Is a good listener and takes everyone’s opinion before arriving at a decision. 8. Handles change.Is always expecting changes and is ready to adapt. Also, takes efforts to overcome any resistance from his other subordinates with a view that the change has its benefits in the long run. 9. Build relationships. Capable of building and maintain good r elations with subordinates and external parties. Masters the skills of negotiation without hurting any of the subordinate sentiments. 10. Compassionate and Sensitive. Genuinely interested in solving others problems and is sensitivity to employees’ needs. 11. Composure. Does not get into blame game over a mistake committed by anyone in the team.Handles the problem calmly and looks at solving the same quickly. 12. Personal Life. Strikes a balance between his working commitment and personal life. Neither of them is ever side tracked. 13. Self-Awareness. Knows his strengths and weaknesses and has the willingness to improve. 14. Puts people at ease. Displays the right amount of warmth to people and has a good sense of humour. Having a good sense of humour is not at the expense of hurting subordinates sentiments. 15. Manages his career. Remains focussed towards building this career through continuous investing in training, coaching and feedback.Derailment Factors 1. Interpersonal R elationships. Finds it difficult to get along with subordinates which indirectly impact his work. 2. Building and Leading a Team. Finds it difficult to build and lead a team. 3. Manage change. He is not able to manage change. Finds it difficult to adapt to change and inherently shows resistance to change. 4. Fails to achieve goals. Finds it difficult to keep up with his commitments and fails to meet business objectives. 5. Narrow thinking. Does not get into details and fails to have a holistic view. 4 Closing the gapsTo close the leadership gap in the areas identified, organizations and individual leaders will need a solid understanding of the skills and behaviours required to be effective in each area. Here, is the starting point for understanding five areas that healthcare leaders and organizations should emphasize: 1. Leading employees. This requires a leader to be self aware and have strong interpersonal skills. They need to invest in creating and building a team. They provide a mple opportunities and challenges to their subordinates which is followed up with continuous guidance and coaching. They look at being mentors to future leaders. . Encourage participation. A leader should look at getting his teams involved, build a consensus and have a concurrent decision with everyone’s strong participation. Should be able to communicate well and also be a good listener in order to be able to get the best out of his team members. Looks at multiple perspectives before arriving at a decision. 3. Relationship Management. A leader should look at building relationships with his subordinates and also be fair in handling these relationships. He should be able to relate to all kinds of people and easily gain support and respect of peers, senior management and customers. . Self-Awareness. Be aware of ones strengths and weaknesses. Some one who is aware of his own being will always seek feedback from others and try to improve him continuously. He would be open enough to admit his mistakes and self correct himself. 5. Organizational perspective. A leader should have a broad and holistic organizational view. If the thinking is narrow then it would hurt the team was well as the organization in the long term. Should be capable enough to handle the tactical and technical points required to manage his work. Nature of Motivation, Satisfaction & PerformanceMotivation is something that makes people performs better. However, not everyone gets motivated by the same things: Someone who is motivated might be satisfied and would perform better by getting additional responsibilities, whereas someone would gets some flexibility in his working style might get motivated to perform better. It merely means that motivation to every individual might mean differently and his response to it would also differ. The various initiatives take at Bupa Care Services to contribute to the overall success of the leadership programme are listed below 1.Clinical Leadership: Direct or of mental and physical disability care, Dr Graham Stokes, is responsible for driving forward the quality and scope of care for people living with mental and physical disability in Bupa’s care homes in the UK, Australia, Spain and New Zealand. 2. Fund Raising: Bupa is continuing their successful partnership with Alzheimer’s Society in England and Wales, and Alzheimer Scotland for the Bupa Great Run Series. They managed to raise close to ? 1 million in 2009, which is evidence of the shared commitment to continue to raise awareness of mental and physical disability.Bupa has sponsored the Great Run Series for 17 years, making it one of the longest-running sporting partnerships in the UK. 3. Boosting Research: Alzheimer’s Society and the Bupa Foundation have formed a partnership to pioneer and boost research into physical & mental disability and its causes. They jointly launched a ? 1. 5 million fund to support research into the cause, cure, care, and prevention o f physical & mental disabilities. Task Orientation among Teams Every organization wants to have a well collaborated team which can provide results effectively.There are many factors which would define a team’s success but the key factor being a leader’s vision and control over his team. Leaders have to be a mix of task and team orientation. This capability to leverage on both orientations enhances the ability build trust, create stability, and bring effectiveness among the team. The various task orientation initiatives taken at Bupa Care Services are listed below. 1. Pioneering Champions: Alzheimer’s Society and Bupa have joined together to launch the first ever physical & mental disability Champions programme across 190 Bupa specialist care communities in the UK.The programme aims to develop in-house bred leaders to combat physical & mental disability care in their place of work and has been successfully piloted in Bupa care homes. By changing the culture, the physical & mental disabilities champions aim to further improve quality of care and quality of life for people with physical & mental disability. 2. Supporting careers in their own communities: Bupa’s partnership with the charity for physical & mental disability aims to build capacity by developing new Admiral Nurse Posts in communities not served by this specialist nursing discipline. Physical & mental disability Pioneers’ are appointed to selected areas to spearhead development plans. The work of the Admiral Nurse in helping families and those living with physical & mental disability is well proven. Admiral Nurses have a significant role in helping families cope with the difficulties faced through their journey with physical & mental disability. Nature of group & group development There are four distinct stages that a group passes through as it comes together and starts to operate. The process can be known to all, but an understanding of the stages can help everyone attain effectiveness more quickly. . Forming: Being humans, everyone thrives to be accepted in their groups and also looks to avoid getting into conflicts. Everyone has a part to play in the entire jigsaw puzzle and thus they avoid getting into issues and hurting others feeling. But they have to accomplice their task by being in touch with their sub ordinates in order to achieve the results. 2. Storming: Every group has Individuals with varied natures. Some have a high degree of patience while some just get annoyed at everything. Similarly there is a threshold to everyone’s patience which eventually might lead to minor disputes or confrontations.These might be related or totally unrelated to work. 3. Norming: As we progress from the storming stage, the group matures and starts understanding their roles and responsibilities. These become more clear and each one agrees to follow the same. They start understanding each other better having gone through the grind during the stormi ng stage. This eventually would lead to forming a cohesive unit which is capable of achieving the desired results. 4. Performing: Reaching this stage for any group is an achievement as not many groups reach this stage.Having attained this stage signifies that the group is highly collaborative and works as a cohesive unit. The group possesses high morale and has created a identity for itself which reflects through their loyalty for each of the members. Leading Virtual teams The last couple of decades have seen rapid globalisation which has also made an impact on the healthcare domain. Challenges have come up with leaders expected to manage teams which are geographically diverse in terms in distances and time zones and not being co located.The problems however with managing virtual teams especially in the healthcare domain has not received enough importance the world over. 1 Creating the Virtual Team With the above problem statement, leaders today have an inherent wish to be able to s elect team members based on their ability to work in virtual teams. However, in the healthcare domain, this is not an option which is readily available since there are very limited options available when it comes to having the right skill sets. The choices are therefore made as far as ossible; collate team members who have experience in virtual teamwork, rest of the parameters remaining same. 1. Discovering Commonalities: It is a difficult task to find commonalities within virtual teams as it is very much possible that the team leader has never met all members face to face and thus does not have enough data points to gauge them on a level scale. Extra efforts have to be taken by the leaders to Identify commonalities between people to actually arrive at trying to group similar minded or similar skilled team members together. . Creating Trust: Trust and respect cannot be commanded, it is almost always earned from the members of a team that trust each other and will go far in working t ogether as a team. It is important to make every member valued and appreciated. Everyone should be given the opportunity to voice their opinion and all opinions need to be heard. 3. Understanding team dynamics: Within virtual teams, there are no visual or physical cues and thus it makes it challenging for the leader to understand the team dynamics.The likes and dislikes of the team members are also difficult to assimilate since the communication most of the times would be on phone or emails. 4. Team member interaction: An important component of virtual teams else would be difficult to handle such diverse user groups. Working virtually sometimes has its limitations that some of the team members might get missed out in the communications and which would be harmful for the team as a whole. It is sometimes observed than one member gets invited to fewer and fewer meetings and suddenly one is a non-entity on the team.Now imagine this happening with multiple team members. 5. Communication: With virtual teams, there are various ways in which the communication happens – phone, phone conference, video conference, email, internet, chat rooms and IM. The leaders have to be well conversed with all these medias and should decide on the right channel when communicating with the members of the virtual team. Conclusion Hoping to get immediate results, healthcare organizations cannot be investing in too many leadership programmes especially in the uncertain times.Therefore, it is important for the team to be conservative when it comes to making such decisions. Yet, it should be noted that leadership talent and technical expertise are necessary to meet the population’s healthcare needs, manage operations and find innovative and effective solutions to complex challenges. Good leadership initiatives, then, are essential for success. To start with, healthcare organizations have the opportunity to re-assess their organizational leadership capabilities and begin focused efforts to develop leaders and create a culture of collaboration.References Ellerby, Mark and Dr. Bowman, Clive, Bupa Care Services, 2011, â€Å"Healthcare leadership in caring for older people† CCL Report Jun, 2010. â€Å"Addressing the Leadership Gap in Healthcare† retrieved on 29th September 2012 from â€Å"Group Dynamics: Basic Nature of Groups and How They Develop† retrieved on 29th September 2012 from < http://managementhelp. org/groups/dynamics-theories. htm > â€Å"Stages of Group Development† retrieved on 29th September 2012 from â€Å"InterActive Leadership†, Burnham Rosen Group retrieved on 29th September 2012 from

Women should get a chance to use birth control Essay

Women should get a chance to use birth control - Essay Example ines that, â€Å"Some women are afforded greater privacy in matters of reproductive control, while others are subjected to limited opportunities† (p.61). At the same time, birth control helps women to lead healthy sex lives because it reduces the scope of pregnancy. Zorea (2012) states that, â€Å"The intentional prevention and control of human conception is identified by many names but is today most commonly referred to as birth control† (p.3). So, birth control must be considered as an individual freedom of womenfolk in general. One can easily identify the fact that birth control is to be considered as a social responsibility. For instance, access to birth control methods prevents the rapid spread of some diseases; especially STDs. Rees (1997) states that, â€Å"Untreated STDs can cause lasting damage to the female reproductive organs, leading to ectopic (tubal) pregnancies, miscarriages, and infertility† (p.11). Besides, population explosion is a burning issue and the same can be resolved by controlling high birth rate. Women must have access to birth control methods because it is a moral responsibility. Engelman (2011) states that, â€Å"Birth control, however, unabashedly affirms the moral necessity of family limitation† (p.95). To be specific, birth control leads to the prevention of abortion. In addition, unwanted pregnancy is a moral issue and the same can be reduced by birth control. Summing, one can see that birth control is related to the individual freedom, social responsibility, and moral responsibility of womenfolk. So, birth control helps women to enjoy their individual rights. Besides, birth control acts as a social responsibility towards the society. On the other side, birth control is a moral responsibility. In short, women must fight for their rights and must gain access to different methods of birth

Report - Usability and Anthropometrics for ROWENTA Intensium Bagless Assignment

Report - Usability and Anthropometrics for ROWENTA Intensium Bagless Vacuum Cleaner - Assignment Example By the end of the report a clear evaluation of the appliance achieved by experimenting it with users will be covered. The report also offers an analysis of performance in regard to ergonomic principles. Although, it is widely thought that bag-less vacuums were developed just the recently, the features have been in use since time immemorial.  The previous vacuums, for example used bag-less qualities until about three decades ago, when the feature was discarded.   The manufacturers abandoned making bag-less vacuums on hygienic grounds.   The usability of such appliances was low.  One had to remove the bag part off and empty the dirt in the garbage. This was a daunting task, especially when a dustbin or refuse disposal was not near.  Additionally, the appliance’s use over time would result in the clogging of the filtration in the bag, following more dust accumulation (Gavriel, 2012). Most users were prompted to wash the cloth bag in order to achieve adequate efficiency when the cloth had become dirty.  The current world has, however, seen the comeback of the bag-less vacuum. Rowenta Intensium Bag-less Vacuum Cleaner is arguably one such equipment that is as well-lik ed as before due to its effective usability qualities. According to Gavriel (2012), the primary reason behind the widespread use of the appliance is that one does not need to purchase vacuum bags to operate it. This implies more savings on the part of the user.  Additionally, as the chamber in which dirt collects becomes increasingly filled with dirt, it should just be removed and emptied in the refuse bin.  Another advantage of using the Rowenta appliance is that any more accumulation of dirt in the chamber does not impact its continued functionality, and that one can practically read the amount of dirt being absorbed by the vacuum cleaner, hence the ease to tell whether the appliance is functioning well, and the level of dirt

Jobs and Career Goals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Jobs and Career Goals - Essay Example This begs the question, when is it right for an individual to focus on financial progress and when should the family be given time? This question has arisen as more and more families find themselves in a state of disconnection with one another as a result of spending a decreasing amount of time with each other (Latshaw, 2011). The argument can be made that the time taken away from the family is placed in providing for their needs but it can also be stated that the physical presence of an individual in a relationship can be one of those needs. The economic downturn has also affected those yet without families but looking to start one as well (Gerson, 2011). This is because the increase in hours that an individual has to work in order to make ends meet has in turn decreased the amount of time that they have to go out and socialize with people thus denying them the opportunity to meet potential partners. There are a number of ways in which working long hours can have an impact on an ind ividual’s lifestyle (Rampell, 2013). Some of these include the fact that the longer hours will mean that by the time an individual gets through the day they are too tired to do any socializing. This decreases the chances they have of meeting potential partners. ... a person goes without socializing the more awkward they are likely to be when given the opportunity so it can be said that a long term result of the long hours is that an individual is left a little â€Å"rusty† in their social skills especially with jobs that based in solitary environments. The marriage of an individual is also affected by long working hours and they are number of considerations that should be taken into account for couples that find themselves in such a situation. The first is always finding time for your spouse despite the busy schedule one may have (Estes, 2011). This will make an individual feel loved and appreciated as they can see the individual making an effort to make time for them despite the other responsibilities that they may have. Communication is also another very important tool that should be used in the battle against long working hours versus marriages (Rampell, 2013). Keeping in touch with one’s spouse on a fairly regular basis allows both sides to sync up their plans for the day and if possible find a time of the day where both parties are free to meet up (Gerson, 2011). In today’s society the financial turmoil has made it so that in most households both parents have to work and as such it is essential that both spouses respect each other’s jobs so as to avoid any form of tension that may arise from doing otherwise. The most important thing to remember is that a successful marriage requires time and effort from both sides and thus it is essential that both parties find time to be together. There is also a third party that may be potentially involved when dealing with matters of family and that is the children. The children in a family can be seen as the binding thread that ties a relationship together in some instances and it

Porter's Management Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Porter's Management Theory - Essay Example The book, which has been published in nineteen languages and re-printed approaching sixty times, changed the way business leaders' minds worked. Further, it remains a guide of choice for strategic managers on a global scale. Apart from being rich in lessons about why and how industries, regions, and nations succeed or fail, this book is of great value as the first serious attempt to develop a really original grand theory of national economic development processes since the early years of Postwar development economics, and one of the most original ways of thinking about development policy in years. This brings us to a discussion on the technicalities of the model proposed by Porter. Porter's Five Forces model provides suggested points under each main heading. When taken into consideration individually, each of these gives rise to the development of a broad and sophisticated analysis of competitive position. This may further be used during the creation of a strategy, plans, or even where making investment decisions about a business or organization is concerned. These five competitive forces determine industry profitability and attractiveness apart from being responsible for shaping the prices that firms can charge, the costs they have to bear, and the required investments to engage in industry level competition. We are concerned with the fact that Porter's essentially ahistorical approach cannot provide a full account of either a nation's competitive advantage and corporate strategies or the growth and development of industrial clusters. For this, let us first understand competitive advantage. Competitive advantage is the response of afirm to the pressing need to organize and perform discrete activities. While these needs may not be perpetually spelt out, it is the responsibility of the planners and executers of policies to foresee such situations when catering for growth and development of the firm n various levels. So does this mean that we are dealing with changes and issues only on an individual level and not a national level The basic explanation for this comes from the fact that any change on an individual level is effected by changes on a national level. Yet, Porter's theory cannot accommodate strategies and competitiveness at such levels due to various constraints. The first of these emerges from the fact that people run businesses and economies - and everyone has his or her own unique style. These cannot be covered at length when talking which factors and resources will be utilized in which combination. Thus Porter's theory does not provide an accurate account of the diversity and dynamism in the corporate and commercial environment that businesses and firms thrive in. Secondly, there are various activities to take into consideration. The activities performed when competing in a particular industry can be grouped into categories, as these activities can be divided broadly into primary activities and support activities. It has been noted that primary activities are those involved in the ongoing production, marketing, delivery, and servicing of the product.

How hip hop has a positive influence in America Essay

How hip hop has a positive influence in America - Essay Example In this paper I will expound on the positive influences of hip hop music in America. The American society has remained silent on issues affecting them for a long time but hip-hop has been like a savior to those people. This music generally educated and shed light on issues that related or affected life for example violence through promoting a message of peace among the Americans. Hip- hop was used as a means of passing grievances and also by people who wanted to raise their views to the public. Some hip- hop songs tried to show the seriousness and effects of using drugs and it also spread communal messages across the country to inform people on what was happening in the ghetto life. In addition, hip-hop music has been a means of expression of the minority. Its main aim is to raise voices for the youths alienated  and show that they also have positive impacts in helping the community. Moreover, those people who are mistreated silently and they have no-one whom they can share their problems with are considered by the hip- hop music. In addition, graffiti which is also associated with this genre of music renders a means of unconventional means expression. Hip hop also encourages its listeners who are mostly youth to never give up in life and to push on and they will succeed in spite of the problems they are facing. Thus, hip-hop culture has had a positive influence of being the voice of those who are rendered helpless and voiceless by their status either due to hardships, race etc. Hip- hop has endorsed acute thinking on issues that the media find sensitive or fear to raise to the public. It has been used as tool for activism against vices in the society. In the United States of America Hip- hop has really tried in the elimination of racism. Hip- hop dancing moves have been used to eliminate violence. Due to gender inequality in America, hip-hop has been promoting issues affecting gender equality by making sure that

The Sources of Competitive Advantage of Rolls-Royce PLC and Tesco PLC Essay - 1

The Sources of Competitive Advantage of Rolls-Royce PLC and Tesco PLC in Harvard Style - Essay Example Traditionally, the competitive advantage business organizations can be fully identified by conducting a value chain analysis. However, recognizing the numerous changes in the businesses’ market environment, this paper will also complement value chain analysis with a method introduced by Shawn Cartwright, the value web analysis. It should be noted that this tool brings into consideration the analysis of competitive advantage of dotcoms or firms whose operations are conducted online or whose brick and mortar strategies are complemented by the online presence (Cartwright and Oliver 2000). This report will be organized as follows. The first section will take a look at the operations of Rolls-Royce Plc. A brief organizational profile will be presented together with the company’s identified core competencies. The second section will also evaluate Tesco Plc in the same manner.  This paper will conclude with a comparison and contrast of the previously identified competitive a dvantages. Rolls-Royce is currently the world’s second-largest airline engine manufacturer behind the General Electric Aviation. Aside from aero-engine, the company is also involved in other industries like defense, marine, and energy markets. The business organization traces its origin in 1971 and was founded by Henry Royce and CS Rolls. With its humble beginning, it has now ascended in the global business marketplace with its cutting edge technology and diverse product offerings. The company is not just a provider of high-quality products but also offers unmatched after sales service to its clients.

The Impact Prison Has on Families and Children Essay

The Impact Prison Has on Families and Children - Essay Example However, studies have revealed that problems ensue when parents have committed violations and infractions that led to their imprisonment (Robertson, 2007; King, 2002; Cunningham, 2001). As emphasized, parental imprisonment have been validated to provide negative effects on the lives of the children and those of the family members. The current essay hereby aims to determine and expound on the impact prison has on families and children by initially enumerating the effects of parental imprisonment on children in terms of their behavioral manifestations, in terms of financial situations and in the parent-child relationships or bonds. Effect on Children’s Behavior When parents are incarcerated, the reactions of children could be varied depending on demographic factors: their age, the social status of the family, the income level, peers, and the availability and access to forms of support. As disclosed by Robertson (2007), â€Å"often children of prisoners are discriminated against and stigmatised as a result of parental imprisonment and have suffered from trauma, fear, shame, guilt and low self-esteem. Relationships with other family members frequently suffer.Some children become withdrawn, are affected by increased health problems and regressive behaviour such as bed-wetting, suffer worsening performance and attendance rates at school or display increased aggression, antisocial or criminal tendencies† (Robertson, 2007, p. 9). These findings were corroborated in the study conducted by King (2002) who revealed that among the changes eminent from children’s behavior when their parent/s were imprisoned include: either becoming withdrawn and quiet or being hyperactive; acting up with the remainign caregiver; depression; and shyness exhibited to imprisoned parent/s (p. 56). Likewise, physical and mental health changes were also reported by Roberston (2007) to wit: â€Å"noted problems have included: changes in sleep patterns or eating behaviour; sta rting or increasing their use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco; stress; depression; and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder such as flashbacks about the crimes or arrests† (p. 9). Effect on Financial Situations Evidently, for very young children, the primary effect of parental imprisonment is the curtailment of regular and appropriate financial support. If the parent who was incarcerated was the breadwinner, the sole parent left to attend to the financial needs of the family will bear the burden for financial support. On the other hand, for parent/s who have had previous experiences of drug abuse prior to the incarceration were noted to have led to some improvement in the financial situation of the family (King, 2002, p. 54). Also, as emphasized by Cunningham (2001), â€Å"incarceration may necessitate relocation for the rest of the family, and hence disruption of schooling and loss of support networks. Moving house may result from economic hardship arising from the loss of the breadwinner, or a desire to escape media or family attention† (p. 36). Effect on Parent-Child Relationships Due to the restrictions posed in the prison setting, prisoners with children were reported to have difficulties maintaining their relationships with their children. As a consequence, there are perceived diminishing of parent-child established bonds and the loss of parental authority (King, 2002). Likewise, as it was apparently noted that children with parents

Information resource managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Information resource managment - Essay Example The paper will consider the role of a chief information officer in the organization USAID. The United States Agency for International Development is a United States of America based organization that offers assistance to international countries especially those that might be disaster stricken; hit by natural calamities like typhoons, earthquakes and drought. The USAID organization is highly organized to ensure that all the funds that are come in, are well accounted for, and the solutions offered to different companies are well tailored so as to suit their different needs. The USAID organization operates under the mandate of the United States Secretary of State Office and US Federal government office. Being under the US government administration, the office is able to take advantage of the latest information technology related information through the government administration. The United States government is one of the most competitive in terms of availability of the latest information and access to information technology systems to support technical services available. Being part of the government, USAID is able to access and make use of the latest information technology information that it can utilize to make its systems efficient. The USAID information systems ensure that the necessary aid is delivered where it is required. As the Chief Information Officer at USAID, the professional in charge of the title ensures that the policy that is formulated by the organization is in line with the whole organizational strategy, mission and vision (USAID, 1). The CIO also ensures that the USAID information technology related policy is aligned to those of the communities that the agency intends on assisting. Most of the areas where the company does its work are developing countries where they might not have the latest information systems and supporting network infr astructure. In such cases,

Hotel on a corner of bitter and sweet Essay Example for Free

Hotel on a corner of bitter and sweet Essay Maintaining privacy and confidentiality for patients is a fundamental duty of care as a nurse. It is clearly stated that a nurse must treat personal information obtained in a professional capacity as confidential (ANMC, 2003, pg. 4). Although the terms privacy and confidentiality are often interchanged, they should be distinguished. Privacy refers to ones ownership of ones body or information about ones self, whereas confidentiality refers specifically to limits upon private information revealed in confidence, as a responsible promise that the information will not be revealed to others (Kerridge et al. , 1998). It is essential that the data will be used and reported in such a way that no one is able to identify the source (Behi Nolan, 1995). It is important to uphold both the privacy and confidentiality of patients whilst in nursing care to protect clients against the morally harmful consequences that can occur when unconsented disclosures are made (Crisp Taylor, 2005). For example, a clients newly diagnosed HB positive status could result in the client being rejected by family and friends and hence left without social support at a time when most needed. The Privacy Act 1988 requires Commonwealth agencies to conform to a set of Information Privacy Principles when dealing with personal information. State and territory legislation also places similar obligations on their respective agencies, which includes hospitals (Crisp Taylor, 2005). At common law, there are expectations that contracts will contain a confidentiality clause and tort will include a duty of confidentiality (Crisp Taylor, 2005). Under most circumstances information gained in the professional-client relationship should not be disclosed, however there is an exception if there is an overriding legal reason that disclosure should be made. For instance, this occurs where such disclosures help prevent harm to innocent others (Crisp Taylor, 2005), such as in a case that a client disclosed that he intended to kill someone he disliked. In conclusion, protecting privacy and confidentiality for patients is essential in the field of nursing, both morally and legally, as this ensures that the patients well-being are not jeopardized by the unwarranted disclosure of such confidential material. Reference 1. Australian Nursing Midwifery Council. (2003). Code of Professional Conduct for Nurses in Australia. 2. Behi R. Nolan M. (1995). Ethical issues in research. British Journal of Nursing. 4, 12, 712-716. 3. Crisp J. Taylor C. (2005). Potter Perrys fundamentals of Nursing 2nd Edition. Sydney: Elsevier Australia Limited. 4. Kerridge I. , Lowe M. McPhee J. (1998). Ethics and law for the health professions. Katoomba, N. S. W. : Social Science Press. 5. The Privacy Act 1988.

Methods To Prevent Barre In Knitted Fabric

Methods To Prevent Barre In Knitted Fabric In textile production, one of the most common and perplexing quality issues is barrà ©. The factors that can cause or contribute to barrà © are varied and diverse. For this reason, when a barrà © problem is detected, the skills of a sleuth may be required to expose the problem and eliminate its cause. Once a cause is identified, steps can be taken to minimize or eliminate the barrà ©, and better quality fabrics can be produced. This discussion will center on knitted fabrics. DISCUSSIONS The noun barrà © is defined by ASTM1 as an unintentional, repetitive visual pattern of continuous bars and stripes usually parallel to the filling of woven fabric or to the courses of circular knitted fabric. In a warp knit, barrà © normally runs in the length direction, following the direction of yarn flow. Barrà © can be caused by physical, optical, dye related differences in the yarn, geometric differences in the fabric structure, or by any combination of these differences. A barrà © streak can be one or several courses wide. A typical characteristic of barrà © is that it generally consists of stripes that repeat. Isolated or intermittent defects may or may not be barrà ©. 1 ASTM D123-96a Standard Terminology Relating to Textiles 1 Various aspects of barrà © are important for consideration and discussion. The first is the identification of barrà ©. Secondly, how can barrà © be analyzed? What are the causes of barrà ©, and finally, how can it be prevented? IDENTIFICATION OF BARRÉ The first step in a barrà © investigation is to observe and define the problem. Barrà © can be the result of physical causes that can usually be detected, or it can be caused by optical or dyeability differences that may be nearly impossible to isolate in the fabric. Barrà © analysis methods that help to discriminate between physical barrà © and barrà © caused by other reasons include Flat Table Examinations, Light Source Observation, and the Atlas Streak Analyzer. Flat Table Examination For a visual barrà © analysis, the first step is to lay a full-width fabric sample out on a table and view both sides from various angles. Generally, if the streaky lines run in the yarn direction that is in the course direction, apparent color differences can be seen by looking down at the fabric in a direct visual line with the yarn or course direction, and the defect can be positively identified as a barrà © defect. Viewing the fabric with a light source in the background will show if the barrà © is physical. Light Source Observation After completing an initial Flat Table Examination, a Light Source Examination may provide further useful information. Full width fabric samples should be examined 2 under two surface lighting conditions, ultraviolet (UV) and fluorescent light. Observations that should be made while viewing under lights are: 1. the frequency and width of the barrà ©, 2. whether the streaks are dark or light, and 3. the total length of pattern repeat. Ultraviolet light, commonly referred to as black light, allows the presence of mineral oils to be more easily detected, due to their radiant energy (glow). When observed under UV light, fabrics with streaks that exhibit glow suggest improper or insufficient preparation. A change in composition or content of oil/wax by the spinner or knitter without appropriate adjustments in scouring can create this problem. Fluorescent lighting simulates the mode of observation that is common to most inspection tables in mills and will highlight whether the barrà © is perceivable in an industry quality control setting. Atlas Streak Analyzer The function of the Atlas Streak Analyzer is to isolate barrà © caused by physical differences. A fabric swatch is combined with polystyrene sheet film, and the Atlas Streak Analyzer produces a plastic impression of a fabric surface by incorporating specific conditions of pressure and heat. The absence of color on the plastic impression ensures that only physical streak effects will be seen. The plastic impression is examined to determine whether the streak alignment matches the 3 streaks observed on the fabric. However, impressions made from spun yarns such as cotton can be difficult to read due to the inherent yarn variation characteristic of spun yarns. Also, a too rapid cooling of the test specimen after making an impression can produce a moirà © pattern. From a valid plastic impression, the barrà © source can be identified as: 1. physical with all streaks showing on the impression, 2. optical or dyeability variations where none of the color streaks are aligned on the impression, and 3. a combination of physical and dyeability differences where some streaks align with those on the impression, and some do not. Fabrics with combination causes present the greatest challenge for analysis. If the streak analyzer indicates the same barrà © pattern as seen in the fabric, then the barrà © stripes are physical in nature. This can relate to several physical causes such as yarn tensions, stitch length, yarn count, twist differences, etc. Yarn tension causes can be found by raveling adjacent courses and measuring the lengths of yarn removed from each course. If all the lengths raveled from the fabric are the same, the pieces can be weighed to determine if the yarn counts are the same. 4 If the plastic replica shows no stripes, then the barrà © is due to chemical causes or to light reflectance differences. Chemical causes relate to improper preparation, and light reflectance differences relate to non-uniform dyestuff penetration or reflectance. The next step is to remove the color and evaluate the stripped sample before re-dyeing to determine if the removal of dye was complete and if the barrà © is still present. An uneven or incomplete stripping can indicate an additional strip. If the color is stripped uniformly and the barrà © is gone, then the sample should be re-dyed. If after stripping and over dyeing the fabric no longer has barrà ©, then the barrà © was caused by improper preparation. If the barrà © remains, then the problem is related to optical or light reflectance problems. PHYSICAL BARRÉ ANALYSIS When the cause of barrà © is determined or presumed to be physical in nature, physical fabric analysis should be done. Physical barrà © causes are generally considered to be those which can be linked to yarn or machine differences. Methods of physical barrà © analysis include fabric dissection, microscopy, and the Roselon Knit Extension Tester. Fabric Dissection To perform accurate fabric dissection analysis, a fabric sample that contains several barrà © repetitions is required. First, the barrà © streak boundaries are marked by the placement of straight pins and/or felt markers. Individual yarns are removed from light and dark streak sections, and twist level, twist direction, and cut length 5 weight determinations are made and recorded. For reliable mean values to be established, data should be collected from at least two light/dark repeats. After compilation of yarn information, the numbers can be compared individually to adjacent yarns as well as by groupings of light and dark shades. Microscopy Microscopic examination is useful for verifying yarn-spinning systems. Yarns from different spinning systems can have different light reflectance and dye absorption properties resulting in barrà © when mixed. Ring-spinning produces yarn that is smooth with all fibers twisted in a tight helix. Open-end spinning produces yarn with wrapper fibers that form a belt around the diameter of the yarn at irregular intervals. Air jet spinning produces yarn with more wrapper fibers that form a continuous spiraling band around the inner fibers that are more parallel to the axis of the yarn. Microscopy can also reveal a shift in loop formation in knitted fabrics when twist direction (S and Z) differences are present. Roselon Knit Extension Tester2 Barrà © produced by knitting machinery is relatively common, is the easiest to see in the greige, and is the easiest to correct. Often uneven yarn tension during knitting may be a cause. To test for uneven tension, the Roselon Knit Extension Tester can be used. For this test, a fabric sample is cut and raveled to yield yarn samples from light and dark streak areas. The yarn ends are taped and clamped 2 Source: Spinlon Industries Incorporated, 18 S. Fifth Street, Quakertown, Pennsylvania 18951 6 to the tester. As each yarn is stretched to the maximum extension point, the points are plotted on graph paper. Comparisons are usually made visually rather than mathematically. CAUSES OF BARRÉ The varied and diverse causes of barrà © can generally be summed up in one word INCONSISTENCY. An inconsistency that leads to barrà © can originate in one or more of the following categories: ! fiber quality/raw material management, ! yarn formation/supply management, ! knitting processes, and ! preparation and dyeing techniques Fiber Quality/Raw Material Management 1. Failure to control fiber diameter (micronaire or denier) from laydown to laydown. 2. Too high a C.V. of micronaire in the laydown for a given mills opening line blending efficiency. 3. Failure to control the fiber color in the mix (grayness Rd, yellowness +b). 4. Failure to control maturity/fineness in a laydown 5. Most, if not all, fiber barrà © can be controlled by the above four items; however, under certain unusual circumstances, it may be beneficial to also select mixes using ultraviolet reflectance information for each bale of cotton. 7 Micronaire Average micronaire must be controlled within a laydown and from laydown to laydown. Controlling average micronaire in the laydown may not be sufficient to completely eliminate barrà ©. Other micronaire related causes of barrà © are: ! > 0.2 difference in micronaire. ! > 0.1 change in mix-to-mix average micronaire. ! > 12.0 % CV of micronaire within the laydown. It may be necessary to change the laydown averages periodically to make use of all the bales in the warehouse. This must be done slowly with no more than a 0.1 change in mix-to-mix averages. Figure 1 shows acceptable changes in micronaire from laydown to laydown. No barrà © from micronaire differences should show in knitted fabrics when yarns are mixed on the knitting machine from consecutive laydowns. However, if laydowns vary more than 0.1 micronaire, for example laydowns #1 (4.3 mic.) and #6 (4.6 mic.) in Figure 1, then barrà © is much more likely to occur. 8 Figure 1: Slowing Changing Micronaire Average in Laydown Acceptable Change in Micronaire From Laydown to Laydown3.53.63.73.83.94.04.14.24.34.44.51234567891011121314Laydown NumberMicronarie Figure 2 shows a high CV% in the micronaire for bales within a laydown. The laydown shown has 24 bales with an average of 4.1 micronaire and a CV% of 17.7. The change in micronaire from bale to bale is more than a 0.1 change. Also, the CV% is more than 12.0% and would probably result in barrà ©. High Micronaire CV% in Laydown3.53.73.94.14.34.54.7123456789101112131415161718192021222324Bale NumberMicronaireAvg. 4.1 CV% 17.7 * Figure 2: Results of Changing the Micronaire Average too Rapidly Max +/- 1.0 mic 9 Maturity and Fineness Although micronaire gives an indication of fiber maturity, it does not directly measure that property. Maturity and fineness related causes of barrà © include: ! Blending cotton from different growth areas or seed varieties. ! Immature fiber content such as white specks, neps, etc. Yarn Formation/Supply Even with proper fiber selection to reduce raw material effects on barrà ©, techniques in the opening, cleaning, blending, and carding areas can have an impact on barrà ©. These variations can occur at carding where different amounts of non-lint content removal from card to card can be a problem. Poor blending of fiber from opening through finisher drawing cannot be overlooked. In ring spinning, the running of different types of spindle tapes and the use of different cots or new and used cots mixed together on the same frame can create barrà ©. Faulty management in the spinning plant can result in the following yarn related causes of barrà ©: 1. Yarn count variations. 2. Yarn twist variation. 3. Wrong yarn size, color, blend level, twist direction. 4. Mixed yarn lots. 5. Mixed shipment dates of same dye lot. 10 6. Uneven waxing or oiling of yarn 7. Improper conditioning. Knitting Processes and Yarn Management The set-up and operation of a knitting machine is complex and requires precision settings to produce first quality goods. Machine related causes of barrà © include: 1. Different stitch settings (stitch lengths). 2. Improper tension at a feed. 3. Faulty cylinder or dial cam settings. 4. Malfunctioning of storage or tape feeders. 5. Improper threading of yarn. 6. Variations at take-down or spreader system. 7. Machine vibration. 8. Dirt, lint, and/or yarn fragments in the camming system, tricks, needles, or sinkers. 9. Variation in oil content. 10. Worn needles, which generally produce length direction streaks. 11. Uneven cylinder height needles (wavy barrà ©). 12. Worn cylinder and/or dial. Even with a properly set-up machine, barrà © can still occur at knitting due to poor yarn management. Examples of poor yarn management at knitting include: 11 1. Mixing yarns of different counts. 2. Mixing yarns from different spinning systems. 3. Mixing yarns with different blend levels. 4. Mixing yarns from different suppliers. 5. Mixing yarns with different twist level/twist direction. 6. Mixing yarns with different degrees of hairiness. 7. Mixing yarns with different amounts of wax. 8. Mercerization differences. 9. Excessive backwinding or abrasion during this process. 10. If yarns are conditioned, then each lot must be uniformly conditioned. Preparation and Dyeing Techniques Normally, dyehouses have standard preparation procedures and formulas that work very well in terms of removal of non-fibrous contaminants and natural fiber pigmentation. However, some fabrics can exhibit barrà © that is caused by either optical or dyeability issues. Often, the barrà © is not created in dyeing, but can be highlighted. In this scenario, the dyeing is not the cause but the messenger of the problem. Typically, barrà © is not a problem in whites, only in dyed fabrics. Therefore, if a fabric is known to have barrà ©, then that roll should be processed into a white. 12 Preparation can help mask barrà ©, but cannot and will not eliminate it. The cause of the barrà © must be eliminated for future rolls to be free of the defect. The scour and/or bleach procedure can be intensified to mask the barrà ©. This can be done by combinations of using a higher temperature or longer processing times. Usually the chemistry will remain the same; however, in some cases, it may have to be increased or changed. If any changes are made in the preparation procedure, the fabric and resultant shade will possibly change in whiteness, strength, and appearance. In fact, the whiteness will almost always change. If whiter, the old dye formula will need to be adjusted. The strength of the fabric may be affected to the point where it becomes a problem. Finally, the surface of the fabric may change so that it may not match previous lots. As a result of more aggressive preparation to cover barrà ©, it is important to evaluate such changes on small samples in the lab or a sample machine. Tension can play an integral role in not only the formation of the fabric, but also during preparation, dyeing, and finishing. As with all variables, it must be controlled to known parameters and be consistent. Any inconsistencies in tension could change the morphology of the cotton (i.e. during mercerization), level of dye pick- 13 up, or surface appearance (i.e. during mechanical finishing such as brushing or sanding). PREVENTION OF BARRÉ As discussed in the text, barrà © is caused by inconsistencies in materials, equipment, or processing. To prevent barrà © from occurring, consistency must be maintained through all phases of textile production. Stock yarns should be properly and carefully labeled to avoid mix-ups. Fugitive tints and/or marked cones can be useful for accurate yarn segregation. Inventory should be controlled on a first in/first out basis. All equipment should be properly maintained and periodically checked. In spinning and knitting before beginning full-scale production, sample dyeings can be done to check for barrà ©. Knit machine operators should be trained to look for barrà © as it occurs in the greige. If spotted, the machine should be stopped until the cause is eliminated. Salvaging a fabric lot with a barrà © problem may be possible through careful dye selection. Color differences can be masked by using shades with very low light reflectance (navy blue, black) or high light reflectance (light yellow, orange, or finished white). Dye suppliers should be able to offer assistance in this area. Also, if the cause of the barrà © is an uneven distribution of oil or wax, a more thorough preparation of the fabric before dyeing may result in more uniform dye coverage. 14 With close cooperation between production and quality control personnel, barrà © problems can be successfully analyzed and solved. Recommendations to minimize barrà © include: ! Knit an entire dye lot from the same knitting machine. ! Use only yarn from the same spinning lot. ! Use only from the same shipment date if possible. ! If yarn shipment dates must be mixed, then use consecutive shipment dates. ! Determine through laboratory analysis and experience if the preparation procedures are sufficient or can they be modified to eliminate the problem. ! Determine if some shades and dyestuffs are less susceptible to showing barrà ©, and apply those to problem fabrics. ! Make use of yarn/fabric analysis systems such as CYROS ®. ! Identify those rolls within a dye lot that have mixed yarn shipment dates so that it is known when the fabrics go through the dyehouse. ! Identify dye lots that have rolls from different yarn shipments before dyeing. CASE STUDY IN BARRÉ A 100% cotton, ring-spun single jersey style T-shirt is knitting in production with a yarn that does not have a barrà © problem. This style has been knitting for numerous days and no more of the yarn is available for creeling on the machine as the yarns are knitting out. Some yarn packages are skinners and others are full five-pound packages. The machine is 24-inch diameter with 80 feeds. 15 When the new yarn is creeled onto one of the 80 positions, the mixing of yarn shipment dates begins to take place. For this discussion, we will assume that this new yarn will cause barrà © when mixed with the old yarn. Once all positions are knitting the new yarn, there will be no barrà ©. How many rolls of fabric will have barrà © when both these yarns are present in the rolls? If the knitter is making 50 pound rolls, then each yarn package will supply 1/80th of the 50-pound roll or 0.625 pounds of yarn. Therefore, the new yarn will make 8.0 rolls of fabric with barrà © (5-pound package divided by 0.625 pounds per package for a 50 pound roll). It is important to realize that while this new package is knitting, other old yarn positions on the creel are also being replaced by new yarns. By the time the first new package has knitted out, all feeds will be using the new yarn. When the last old package is replaced and all positions have new yarn, the barrà © will disappear. Often, many machines will be knitting the same style. If ten machines are knitting this style and are using the old yarn and new yarns are placed on these 80 feed machines, then the total number of rolls knitted with barrà © will be 80. A total of 4,000 pounds of fabric will be made with barrà ©. If the style in question weighs 5.8 ounces per linear yarn, then a total of 11,035 yards of fabric will be made. Further, if it can be assumed that each yard of fabric can make 1.2 shirts, then a total of 13,240 defective T-shirts will be made. This is 1,103 dozen 16 garments. If the cost per shirt is $2.05 per unit, then a loss of $27,142 plus is realized. If open-end yarn was used for this case study instead of ring-spun yarns, then 8-pound packages of yarn could be used. This would result in 128 rolls containing 6,400 pounds and 17,655 yards of fabric. From this, 21,186 T-shirts (1766 dozens) would have been made. Based on a cost per shirt of $1.86, the loss would be $39,405. The result is that bigger packages mean bigger losses. The best methods to reduce the possibility of this catastrophe are listed below: 1. When mixing yarn shipment dates of only one week, try to reduce the number of machines using the old and new yarns. 2. As more machines are expending the old yarn, consolidate the old packages to fewer machines. This means removing the yarns from one creel and using them on other machines that are still knitting the old yarn. 3. Knit dye lots from a single machine if possible. 4. When a roll is known to have mixed yarns, a laboratory dyeing should be done on a swatch from the roll to determine if barrà © is present. If not, then proceed as normal. If barrà © is present, then the roll should be processed in 17 shades that are not known to be barrà © sensitive or prepared with more aggressive chemistry. CONCLUSIONS It is evident that barrà © is a problem that results from inconsistencies and is a result of poor management of fiber, yarn, and/or related knitting processes. The spinner, the knitter, and the dyer must communicate and work as a team to reduce the potential for barrà © to occur. A well planned and executed system of monitoring the spinning, knitting, dyeing, and finishing systems in the mill can provide for defect free fabrics. 18

Gattaca Defying All The Premises Philosophy Essay

Gattaca Defying All The Premises Philosophy Essay Imagine a society where everyone is more intelligent and healthier than you. Imagine a society where your genetic makeup-engineered or natural-determines the job for which you are eligible, whether or not you can be insured, and who associates with you. Gattaca by Andrew Niccol tells the story of Vincent, a young man naturally and traditionally engendered in a world where genetic engineering is the followed pattern to have a child. Few minutes after his birth, Vincents fate is revealed through a DNA analysis. His first genetic test revealed high probabilities of hyperactivity, sight troubles and serious heart diseases, a life expectancy of 30 years and 2 months and quite low intellectual faculties. At that time, the artificial insemination of test tube babies selected according to their genetic potential had become for many people the natural way of making children. But Vincents parents had preferred to let the other nature take its course. Of course they regretted it, and for their next child they went to see a geneticist. A perfect son has been born to them, a son who deserved to be called Anton, like his father. While Vincent was forced by his genetic code and the system to study at home, Anton was taller and better at anything than his elder brother. They used to play at softy. The game consisted of swimming in the sea as far as possible and being the last to make an about-turn. Vincent was always the softy. But besides his weak health, he had a very strong will. His lifelong dream was to join Gattaca, probably the most prestigious company on earth whose activity was to explore galaxies, and go into space. To achieve his aim, he did not stop studying during his whole adolescence, despite his fathers discouragements. The film shows a world where life is highly determined by genetics, and happiness is mostly based on the quality of the genetic profile, a kind of identity card for people. Vincent, who wants to become an astronaut and work for Gattaca, overcome s all the difficulties presented to him defying all the premises of the genetic engineering. However, it is not so clear that only free will is which will lead him to his dream; that significant amount of determination has to do with his success. At a time when we read about cloned sheep and the unraveling of the human genome, the science in Gattaca is theoretically possible. In the futuristic world of Gattaca, society has developed the technology to manipulate human procreation and designed children with impeccable genetic compositions. I suspect most people will order up the make and model they wanted rather than take chances on a throw of the genetic dice. Everyone will live longer and healthier in the Gattaca world. As a result, a new social caste system is created in which the artificially created, genetically superior humans called valids, dominate all major aspects of society. In contrast, the naturally born humans, called invalids, become a mistreated minority. Although all aspects of society are affected by the new genetic technology, the greatest impact is on the job market. As a result, the easiest way to analyze the job market is to compare the occupations of the valids and to the occupations of the invalids. Vali ds are instantly granted powerful, high-paying jobs, regardless of their training or background. For example, when applying for a job at the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation, Vincent, under an alternate identity, is only required to provide a blood test before he is hired and prepped for flight missions into space. Valids also tend to have computer-based jobs so that they make full use of their genetic intelligence. Invalids are only allowed to have demeaning, low-paying jobs. For instance, before assuming an alternate identity, Vincent is only allowed to work at the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation as a cleaner. In addition, invalids are forced to take jobs in which they perform manual labor. I think the Gattaca world is a realistic future even though it might face a lot of social and ethical problems. Firstly we are getting to the technology that is needed for the level of genetic engineering in Gattaca. Human Genome project begun formally in 1990, the U.S. Human Genome Project was a 13-year effort coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health. The project originally was planned to last 15 years, but rapid technological advances accelerated the completion date to 2003. The goals were to identify all the approximately 20,000-25,000 genes in human DNA, determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs that make up human DNA and store this information in databases. The knowledge about the effects of DNA variations among individuals can lead to revolutionary new ways to diagnose, treat, and someday prevent the thousands of disorders that affect us. However there are many social and ethical problems that human might face on the way to Genetic engineering in Gattaca. Firstly people were taking other peoples DNA without that persons consent in Gattaca, and this could also happen in reality too. Just like what Vincent said in the movie Of course, its illegal to discriminate. But no one takes the law seriously. People were unable to choose their own destiny. You would never be able to hope or dream of anything because your life is already planned out for you. If its not a part of your life plan, then that would be something you dealt with. Invalids were being discriminated against. According to the Nuremberg Code, which is a set of ethical rules a doctor or scientist must follow when experimenting on a human, it states that The voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential (Nuremberg Code, 1949). In Gattaca, when applying for a job, the interviewer often takes saliva or a sample of urine from the interviewee without telling him/her why. Normally, if a person says no, after the interview, the interviewer would simply take DNA from a handshake, the doorknob, or even the seat without the interviewees permission. This is serious violations of the free will and rights of human beings. Secondly, discriminations could be anywhere. In the movie, people can actually choose the traits and gender of the child. This can cause a lot of problem: e.g. in China most people want boys rather than girls because people think boys could do more labor works than girls and boys can pass down their family name. As a result, the male-female ratio of world population could change drastically. The discrimination against in-valid in the movie could happen in reality too. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has duties to the community which allow the free and full development of a persons personality. Vincent has the right to express himself, which he is unable to do because he would never be allowed to because of his heart disease. Furthermore, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that in the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due to recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just society (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948). Vincent worked really hard and strived to become an astronaut but was held back because he wasnt perfect enough. This article is saying that a person should be allowed to express oneself as long as it is legal and not disturbing the public order or general order or general welfare of others. Vincent becoming an astronaut wouldnt affect any of these, he cannot even get a chance to try in the Gattacan world. All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection to the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in viol ation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination (Universal Declaration of Human Rights). The invalids were treated inhumanely, as if they were all criminals. Discriminations problems can be one of the biggest concerns of most people if Gattaca world becomes real. Thirdly if everybody uses genetic engineering, people would have a longer life span. Earth may face an energy crisis and cause the extinction of human beings. Another problem might come from different religions, a lot of people believe in natural process too. Furthermore this is not something that could be undone easily, once people start using genetic engineering, they will just rely on it. Fortunately, most of the problems I came out with were considered by experts from the Human Genome Project. One of the main goals of the Human Genome Project is to address the ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) that may arise from the project. (Human Genome Project 2003) The whole project has nine princ iples: 1. Fairness in the use of genetic information; 2. Privacy and confidentiality; 3. Psychological impact and stigmatization; 4. Reproductive issues; 5. Clinical issues; 6. Uncertainties; 7. Conceptual and philosophical implications; 8. Health and environmental issues; 9. Commercialization of products. Those nine principles can ensure everyone that the problems happened in the movie Gattaca will not occur in reality. I think there is a bright future for Human Genome Project as long as the nine principles are followed. I really enjoyed Gattaca. It raises some very good points that question the uses of technology in the not so distant future. The use of genetic research has led to humanity bio-engineering children to be free of defects and disabilities. Furthermore, I feel really pleased for Vincent as he mixes with members of the valid world despite his own in-Valid condition, he manages to gain considerable respect and admiration because of his persistence, even from people unaware of his status as a genetic impostor. Although Vincent is at the lower end of the genetic hierarchy, it is due to his ferocious determination and unquenchable desire that he is able to rise above his colleagues and achieve his dreams. It is these qualities that deem the central protagonist unique in the world of Gattaca. In the end, this movie also made me question where we should draw the line between science and ethics.