Practical Demonkeeping Chapter 35

35 BAD GUYS, GOOD GUYS Rachel was drawing figures in the dirt of the cave floor with a dagger when she heard something flutter by her ear. â€Å"What was that?† â€Å"A bat,† Catch said. He was invisible. â€Å"We are out of here,† Rachel said. â€Å"Take them outside.† Effrom, Amanda, and Jenny were sitting with their backs against the cave wall, tied hand and foot, and gagged. â€Å"I don't know why we couldn't have waited at your cabin,† Catch said. â€Å"I have my reasons. Help me get them outside, now.† â€Å"You're afraid of bats?† Catch asked. â€Å"No, I just feel that this ritual should take place in the open,† Rachel insisted. â€Å"If you have a problem with bats, you're going to love it when you see me.† A quarter mile down the road from the cave, Augustus Brine, Travis, and Gian Hen Gian were waiting for Howard and Robert to arrive. â€Å"Do you think we can pull this off?† Travis asked Brine. â€Å"Why ask me? I know less about this than the two of you. Whether we pull it off depends mostly on your powers of persuasion.† â€Å"Can we go over it again?† Brine checked his watch. â€Å"Let's wait for Robert and Howard. We still have a few minutes. And I don't think that it will hurt to be a little late. As far as Catch and Rachel are concerned, you are the only game in town.† Just then they heard a car down-shifting and turned to see Howard's old black Jag turning onto the dirt road. Howard parked behind Brine's truck. He and Robert got out and Robert reached into the backseat and began handing things to Brine and Travis: a camera bag, a heavy-duty tripod, a long aluminum lens case, and finally, a hunting rifle with a scope. Brine did not take the rifle from Robert. â€Å"What's that for?† Robert stood up, rifle in hand. â€Å"If it looks like it isn't going to work, we use it to take out Rachel before she gets power over Catch.† â€Å"What will that accomplish?† Brine asked. â€Å"It will keep Travis in control of the demon.† â€Å"No,† Travis said. â€Å"One way or another it ends here, but we don't shoot anyone. We're here to end the killing, not add to it. Who's to say that Rachel won't have more control over Catch than I do?† â€Å"But she doesn't know what she is getting into. You said that yourself.† â€Å"If she gets power over Catch, he has to tell her, just like he told me. At least I will be free of him.† â€Å"And Jenny will be dead,† Robert spat. Augustus Brine said, â€Å"The rifle stays in the car. We are going to do this on the assumption that it will work, period. Normally I'd say that if anyone wants out, they can go now, but the fact is, we all have to be here for it to work.† Brine looked around the group. They were waiting. â€Å"Well, are we going to do this?† Robert threw the rifle into the backseat of the car. â€Å"Let's do it, then.† â€Å"Good,† Brine said. â€Å"Travis, you have to get them out of the cave and into the open. You have to hold the invocation up long enough for Robert to get a picture, and you have to get the candlesticks back to us, preferably by sending them down the hill with Jenny and the Elliotts.† â€Å"They'll never go for that. Without the hostages, why should I translate the invocation?† â€Å"Then hold it as a condition. Play it the best you can. Maybe you can get one of them down.† â€Å"If I make the candlesticks a condition, they'll be suspicious.† â€Å"Shit,† Robert said. â€Å"This isn't going to work. I don't know why I thought it would.† Through the whole discussion the Djinn had remained in the background. Now he stepped into the circle. â€Å"Give them what they want. Once the woman has control of Catch, they will have no need to be suspicious.† â€Å"But Catch will kill the hostages, and probably all of us,† Travis said. â€Å"Wait a minute,† Robert said. â€Å"Where is Rachel's van?† â€Å"What does that have to do with anything?† Brine said. â€Å"Well, they didn't walk here with hostages in tow. And the van isn't parked here. That means that her van must be up by the cave.† â€Å"So?† Travis said. â€Å"So, it means that if we have to storm them, we can go in Gus's truck. The road must come out of the woods and loop around the hill to the caves. We already have the recorder, so the invocation can be played back fast. Gus can drive up the hill, Travis can throw the candlesticks into the truck, and all Gus has to do is hit the play button.† They considered it for a moment, then Brine said, â€Å"Everyone in the bed of the truck. We park it in the woods as close to the caves as we can without it being seen. It's the closest thing to a plan that we have.† On the grassy hill outside the cave Rachel said, â€Å"He's late.† â€Å"Let's kill one of them,† the demon said. Jenny and her grandparents sat on the ground, back to back. â€Å"Once this ritual is over, I won't have you talking like that,† Rachel said. â€Å"Yes, mistress, I yearn for your guidance.† Rachel paced the hill, making an effort not to look at her hostages. â€Å"What if Travis doesn't come?† â€Å"He'll come,† Catch said. â€Å"I think I hear a car.† Rachel watched the point where the road emerged from the woods. When nothing came, she said, â€Å"What if you're wrong? What if he doesn't come?† â€Å"There he is,† Catch said. Rachel turned to see Travis walking out of the woods and up the gentle slope toward them. Robert screwed the tripod into the socket of the telephoto lens, tested its steadiness, then fitted the camera body on the back of the lens and turned it until it clicked into place. From the camera bag at his feet he took a pack of Polaroid film and snapped it into the bottom of the Nikon's back. â€Å"I've never seen a camera like that,† said Augustus Brine. Robert was focusing the long lens. â€Å"The camera's a regular thirty-five millimeter. I bought the Polaroid back for it to preview results in the studio. I never got around to using it.† Howard Phillips stood poised with notebook in hand and a fountain pen at ready. â€Å"Check the batteries in that recorder,† Robert said to Brine. â€Å"There are some fresh ones in my camera bag if you need them.† Gian Hen Gian was craning his neck to see over the undergrowth into the clearing where Travis stood. â€Å"What is happening? I cannot see what is happening.† â€Å"Nothing yet,† Brine said. â€Å"Are you set, Robert?† â€Å"I'm ready,† Robert said without looking up from the camera. â€Å"I'm filling the frame with Rachel's face. The parchment should be easily readable. Are you ready, Howard?† â€Å"Short of the unlikely possibility that I may be stricken with writer's cramp at the crucial moment, I am prepared.† Brine snapped four penlight batteries into the recorder and tested the mechanism. â€Å"It's up to Travis now,† he said. Travis topped halfway up the hill. â€Å"Okay, I'm here. Let them go and I'll translate the invocation for you.† â€Å"I don't think so,† Rachel said. â€Å"Once the ritual has been performed and I'm sure it has worked, then you can all go free.† â€Å"You don't have any idea what you're talking about. Catch will kill us all.† â€Å"I don't believe you. The Earth spirit will be in my control, and I won't allow it.† Travis laughed sarcastically. â€Å"You haven't even seen him, have you? What do you think you have there, the Easter Bunny? He kills people. That's the reason he's here.† â€Å"I still don't believe you.† Rachel was beginning to lose her resolve. Travis watched Catch move to where the hostages were tied. â€Å"Come, do it now, Travis, or the old woman dies.† He raised a clawed hand over Amanda's head. Travis trudged up the hill and stood in front of Rachel. Very quietly her said to her, â€Å"You know, you deserve what you are going to get. I never thought I could wish Catch on anyone, but you deserve it.† He looked at Jenny, and her eyes pleaded for an explanation. He looked away. â€Å"Give me the invocation,† he said to Rachel. â€Å"I hope you brought a pencil and paper. I can't do this from memory.† Rachel reached into an airline bag that she had brought and pulled out the candlesticks. One at a time she unscrewed them and removed the invocations, then replaced the pieces in the airline bag. She handed Travis the parchments. â€Å"Put the candlesticks over by Jenny,† he said. â€Å"Why?† Rachel asked. â€Å"Because the ritual won't work if they are too close to the parchments. In fact, you'd be better off if you untied them and sent them away with the candlesticks. Get them out of the area altogether.† The lie seemed so obvious that Travis feared he had ruined everything by putting too much importance on the candlesticks. Rachel stared at him, trying to make sense of it. â€Å"I don't understand,† she said. â€Å"Neither do I,† Travis said. â€Å"But this is mystical stuff. You can't tell me that taking hostages so you can call up a demon is consistent with the logical world.† â€Å"Earth spirit! Not demon. And I will use this power for good.† Travis considered trying to convince her of her folly, then decided against it. The lives of Jenny and the Elliotts depended on Catch maintaining his charade as a benevolent Earth spirit until it was too late. He glared at the demon, who grinned back. â€Å"Well?† Travis said. Rachel picked up the airline bag and took it to a spot a few feet down the hill from the hostages. â€Å"No. Farther away,† Travis said. She slung the bag over her shoulder and took it another twenty yards down the hill, then turned to Travis for approval. â€Å"What is this about?† Catch asked. Travis, afraid to push his luck, nodded to Rachel and she set the bag down. Now the candlesticks were twenty yards closer to the road that ran around the back of the hill – the road that Augustus Brine would drive when the shit hit the fan. Rachel returned to the hilltop. â€Å"I'll need that pencil and paper now,† he said. â€Å"It's in the bag.† Rachel went back toward the bag. While she was retrieving the pencil and paper from the airline bag, Travis held the parchments out before him, one at a time, counting to six before he put the first one down and picked up the next. He hoped he had the angle to Robert's camera right and that his body was not in the way of the lens. â€Å"Here.† Rachel handed him a pencil and a steno pad. Travis sat down cross-legged with the parchments out in front of him. â€Å"Sit down and relax, this is going to take some time.† He started on the parchment from the second candlestick, hoping to buy some time. He translated the Greek letter by letter, searching his memory first for each letter, then for the meaning of the words. By the time he finished the first line, he had fallen into a rhythm and had to make an effort to slow down. â€Å"Read what he has written,† Catch said. â€Å"But he's just done one line-† Rachel said. â€Å"Read it.† Rachel took the steno pad from Travis and read, â€Å"Being in possession of the Power of Solomon I call upon the race that walked before man†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She stopped. â€Å"That's all there is.† â€Å"It's the wrong paper,† Catch said. â€Å"Travis, translate the other one. If it's not right this time, the girl dies.† â€Å"That's the last time I buy you a Cookie Monster comic book, you scaly fucker.† Reluctantly Travis shuffled the parchments and began to translate the invocation he had spoken in Saint Anthony's chapel seventy years before. Howard Phillips had two Polaroid prints out on the ground before him. He was writing a translation out on a notepad while Augustus Brine and Gian Hen Gian looked over his shoulder. Robert was looking through the camera. â€Å"They've made him change parchments. He must have been translating the wrong one.† Brine said, â€Å"Howard, are you translating the one we need?† â€Å"I am not sure yet. I've only translated a few lines of the Greek. This Latin passage at the top appears to be a message rather than an invocation.† â€Å"Can't you just scan it? We don't have time for mistakes.† Howard read what he had written. â€Å"No, this is wrong.† He tore the sheet from the notepad and began again, concentrating on the other Polaroid. â€Å"This one seems to have two shorter invocations. The first one seems to be the one that empowers the Djinn. It talks about a race that walked before man.† â€Å"That is right. Translate the one with two invocations,† the Djinn said. â€Å"Hurry,† Robert said, â€Å"Travis has half a page. Gus, I'm going to ride up the hill in the bed of the truck when you go. I'll jump out and grab the bag with the candlesticks. They're still a good thirty yards from the road and I can move faster than you can.† â€Å"I'm finished,† Howard said. He handed his notebook to Brine. â€Å"Record it at normal speed,† Robert said. â€Å"Then play it back at high speed.† Brine held the recorder up to his face, his finger on the record button. â€Å"Gian Hen Gian, is this going to work? I mean is a voice on a tape going to have the same effect as speaking the words?† â€Å"It would be best to assume that it will.† â€Å"You mean you don't know?† â€Å"How would I know?† â€Å"Swell,† Brine said. He pushed the record button and read Howard's translation into the recorder. When he finished, he rewound the tape and said, â€Å"Okay, let's go.† â€Å"Police! Don't anyone move!† They turned to see Rivera standing in the road behind them, his.38 in hand, panning back and forth to cover them. â€Å"Everybody down on the ground, facedown.† They stood frozen in position. â€Å"On the ground, now!† Rivera cocked his revolver. â€Å"Officer, there must be a mistake,† Brine said, feeling stupid as he said it. â€Å"Down!† Reluctantly, Brine, Robert, and Howard lay facedown on the ground. Gian Hen Gian remained standing, cursing in Arabic. Rivera's eyes widened as blue swirls appeared in the air over the Djinn's head. â€Å"Stop that,† Rivera said. The Djinn ignored him and continued cursing. â€Å"On your belly, you little fucker.† Robert pushed himself up on his arms and looked around. â€Å"What's this about, Rivera? We were just out here taking some pictures.† â€Å"Yeah, and that's why you have a high-powered rifle in your car.† â€Å"That's nothing,† Robert said. â€Å"I don't know what it is, but it's more than nothing. And none of you are going anywhere until I get some answers.† â€Å"You're making a mistake, Officer,† Brine said. â€Å"If we don't continue with what we were doing, people are going to die.† â€Å"First, it's Sergeant. Second, I'm getting to be a master at making mistakes, so one more is no big deal. And third, the only person who is going to die is this little Arab if he doesn't get his ass on the ground.† What was taking them so long? Travis had dragged the translation out as long as he could, stalling on a word here and there, but he could tell that Catch was getting impatient and to delay any long would endanger Jenny. He tore two sheets from the steno pad and handed them to Rachel. â€Å"It's finished, now you can untie them.† He gestured to Jenny and the Elliotts. â€Å"No,† Catch said. â€Å"First we see if it works.† â€Å"Please, Rachel, you have what you want. There's no reason to keep these people here.† Rachel took the pages. â€Å"I'll make it up to them once I have the power. It won't hurt to keep them here a few more minutes.† Travis fought the urge to look back toward the woods. Instead he cradled his head in his hands and sighed deeply as Rachel began to read the invocation aloud. Augustus Brine finally convinced Gian Hen Gian to lie down on the ground. It was obvious that Rivera would not listen to anyone until the Djinn relented. â€Å"Now, Masterson, where in the hell did you get that metal suitcase?† â€Å"I told you, I stole it out of the Chevy.† â€Å"Who owns the Chevy?† â€Å"I can't tell you that.† â€Å"You can tell me or you can go up on murder charges.† â€Å"Murder? Who was murdered?† â€Å"About a thousand people, it looks like. Where is the owner of that suitcase? Is it one of these guys?† â€Å"Rivera, I will tell you everything I know about everything in about fifteen minutes, but now you've got to let us finish what we started.† â€Å"And what was that?† Brine spoke up, â€Å"Sergeant, my name is Augustus Brine. I'm a businessman here in town. I have done nothing wrong, so I have no reason to lie to you.† â€Å"So?† Rivera said. â€Å"So, you are right. There is a killer. We are here to stop him. If we don't act right now, he will get away, so please, please, let us go.† â€Å"I'm not buying it, Mr. Brine. Where is this killer and why didn't you call the police about him? Take it nice and slow, and don't leave anything out.† â€Å"We don't have time,† Brine insisted. Just then they heard a loud thump and the sound of a body slumping to the ground. Brine turned around to see Mavis Sand standing over the collapsed detective, her baseball bat in hand. â€Å"Hi, cutie,† she said to Brine. They all jumped to their feet. â€Å"Mavis, what are you doing here?† â€Å"He threatened to close me down if I didn't tell him where you went. After he left, I got to feeling like a shit about telling him, so here I am.† â€Å"Thanks, Mavis,† Brine said. â€Å"Let's go. Howard, you stay here. Robert, in the bed of the truck. Whenever you're ready, King,† he said to the Djinn. Brine jumped into the truck, fired it up, and engaged the four-wheel drive. Rachel read the last line of the invocation with a grandiose flourish of her arm. â€Å"In the name of Solomon the King, I command thee to appear!† Rachel said, â€Å"Nothing happened.† Catch said, â€Å"Nothing happened, Travis.† Travis said, â€Å"Give it a minute.† He had almost given up hope. Something had gone horribly wrong. Now he was faced with either telling them about the candlesticks or keeping his bond with the demon. Either way, the hostages were doomed. â€Å"Fine, Travis,† Catch said. â€Å"The old man is the first to go.† Catch wrapped one hand around Effrom's neck. As Travis and Rachel watched, the demon grew into his eating form and lifted Effrom off the ground. â€Å"Oh my God!† Rachel put her fist to her mouth and started backing away from the demon. â€Å"Oh no!† Travis tried to focus his will on the demon. â€Å"Put him down, Catch,† he commanded. From somewhere down the hill came the sound of a truck starting. Gian Hen Gian stepped out of the woods. â€Å"Catch,† he shouted, â€Å"will you never give up your toys?† The Djinn started up the hill. Catch threw Effrom to the side. He landed like a rag doll, ten yards away. Rachel was shaking her head violently, as if trying to shake away the demon's image. Tears streamed down her cheeks. â€Å"So someone let the little fart out of his jar,† Catch said. He stalked down the hill toward the Djinn. An engine roared and Augustus Brine's pickup broke out of the tree line and bounced up the dirt road, throwing up a cloud of dust in its wake. Robert stood in the bed, holding onto the roll bar for support. Travis darted past Catch to Amanda and Jenny. â€Å"Still a coward, King of the Djinn?† Catch said, pausing a second to look at the speeding truck. â€Å"I am still your superior,† the Djinn said. â€Å"Is that why you surrendered your people to the netherworld without a fight?† â€Å"This time you lose, Catch.† Catch spun to watch the truck slide around the last turn and off the road to bound across the open grass toward the candlesticks. â€Å"Later, Djinn,† Catch said. He began to run toward the truck. Taking five yards at a stride the demon was over the hill and past Travis and the women in seconds. Augustus Brine saw the demon coming at them. â€Å"Hold on, Robert.† He wrenched the wheel to the side to throw the truck into a slide. Catch lowered his shoulder and rammed into the right front fender of the truck. Robert saw the impact coming and tried to decide whether to brace himself or jump. In an instant the decision was made for him as the fender crumpled under the demon and the truck went up on two wheels, then over onto its roof. Robert lay on the ground trying to get his wind back. He tried to move, and a searing pain shot through his arm. Broken. A thick cloud of dust hung in the air, obscuring his vision. He could hear the demon roaring behind him and the screeching sound of tearing metal. As the dust settled, he could just make out the shape of the upside-down truck. The demon was pinned under the hood, ripping at the metal with his claws. Augustus Brine hung by his seat belt. Robert could see him moving. Robert climbed to his feet, using his good arm to push himself up. â€Å"Gus!† he shouted. â€Å"The candlesticks!† came back. Robert looked around on the ground. There was the bag. He had almost landed on it. He started to reach for it with both hands and nearly passed out when the pain from his broken arm hit him. From his knees he was able to scoop up the bag, heavy with the candlesticks, in his good arm. â€Å"Hurry,† Brine shouted. Catch had stopped clawing at the metal. With a great roar he shoved the truck up and off of him. Standing before the truck, he threw his head back and roared with such intensity that Robert nearly dropped the candlesticks. Every bone in Robert's body said flee, get the hell out of here. He stood frozen. â€Å"Robert, I'm stuck. Bring them to me.† Brine was struggling with the seat belt. At the sound of his voice the demon leapt to the driver's side of the truck and clawed at the door. Brine heard the skin of the door go with the first slash. He stared at the door in terror, expecting a claw to come through the window at any second. The demon's claws raked the support beam inside the door. â€Å"Gus, here. Ouch. Shit.† Robert was lying outside the passenger side window, pushing the bag with the candlesticks across the roof of the truck. â€Å"The play button, Gus. Push it.† Brine felt the pocket of his flannel shirt. Mavis's recorder was still clipped there. He fumbled for the play button, found it, and pushed, just as a daggerlike claw ripped into his shoulder. A hundred miles south, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, a radar technician reported a UFO entering restricted air space from over the Pacific. When the aircraft refused to respond to radio warning, four jet fighters were scrambled to intercept. Three of the fighter pilots would report no visual contact. The fourth, upon landing, would be given a urinalysis and confined to quarters until he could be debriefed by an officer from the Air Force Department of Stress Management. The bogey would be officially explained as radar interference caused by unusually high swell conditions offshore. Of the thirty-six reports, filed in triplicate with various departments of the military complex, not one would mention an enormous white owl with an eighty-foot wingspan. However, after some consideration, the Pentagon would award seventeen million dollars to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for a secret study on the feasibility of an owl-shaped aircraft. After two years of computer simulations and wind-tunnel prototype tests, the research team would conclude that an owl-shaped aircraft would, indeed, be an effective weapon, but only if the enemy should ever mobilize a corps of field-mouse-shaped tanks. Augustus Brine realized that he was going to die. In that same moment he realized that he was not afraid and that it did not matter. The monster clawing to get at him didn't matter. The chipmunk chatter of his voice playing back double-speed on the recorder didn't matter. The shouting of Robert, and now Travis, outside the truck didn't matter. He was acutely aware of it all, he was part of it all, but it did not matter. Even the gunfire didn't matter. He accepted it and let it go. Rivera came to when Brine had started the truck. Mavis Sand was standing over the policeman with his revolver, but she and Howard were watching what was going on up the hill. Rivera glanced up the hill to see Catch materializing in his eating form, holding Effrom by the throat. â€Å"Santa Maria! What the hell is that?† Mavis trained the gun on him. â€Å"Stay right there.† Ignoring her, Rivera stood and ran down the road toward his patrol car. At his car he popped the trunk lid and pulled the riot gun out of its bracket. As he ran back past Howard's Jag, he paused, then opened the back door and grabbed Robert's hunting rifle. By the time he was again in view of the hill, the truck was upside down and the monster was clawing at the door. He threw the riot gun to the ground and shouldered the rifle. He braced the barrel against a tree, threw the bolt to jack a shell into the chamber, sighted through the scope, and brought the cross-hairs down on the monster's face. Resisting the urge to scream, he squeezed the trigger. The round hit the demon in his open mouth and knocked him back a foot. Rivera quickly jacked another shell into the chamber and fired. Then another. When the firing pin clicked on an empty chamber, the monster had been knocked back from the truck a few feet but was still coming. â€Å"Santa fucking Maria,† Rivera said. Gian Hen Gian had reached the top of the hill where Travis knelt by Amanda and Jenny. â€Å"It is done,† the Djinn said. â€Å"Then do something!† Travis said. â€Å"Help Gus.† â€Å"Without his orders I may carry out only the command of my last master.† Gian Hen Gian pointed to the sky. Travis looked up to see something white coming out of the clouds, but it was too far away to make out what it was. Catch recovered from the rifle slugs and went forward. He hooked his huge hand behind the reinforcement beam of the truck's door, ripped it off, and threw it behind him. Inside the truck, still hanging from the seat belt, Augustus Brine turned calmly and looked at the demon. Catch drew back his hand to deliver a blow that would rip Brine's head from his shoulders. Brine smiled at him. The demon paused. â€Å"What are you, some kind of wacko?† Catch said. Brine didn't have time to answer. The reverberation of the owl's screech shattered the windshield of the truck. Catch looked up as the talons locked around his body, and he was swept into the air flailing at the owl's legs. The owl climbed into the sky so rapidly that in seconds it was nothing more than a tiny silhouette against the sun, which was making its way toward the horizon. Augustus Brine continued to smile as Travis released the seat belt. He hit the roof of the truck with his injured shoulder and passed out. When Brine regained consciousness, they were all standing over him. Jenny was holding Amanda's head to her shoulder. The old woman was sobbing. Brine looked from face to face. Someone was missing. Robert spoke first. â€Å"Tell Gian Hen Gian to heal your shoulder, Gus. He can't do it until you tell him. While you're at it, tell him to fix my arm.† â€Å"Do it,† Brine said. As he said it, the pain was gone from his shoulder. He sat up. â€Å"Where's Effrom?† â€Å"He didn't make it, Gus,† Robert said. â€Å"His heart gave out when the demon threw him.† Brine looked to the Djinn. â€Å"Bring him back.† The Djinn shook his head balefully. â€Å"This I cannot do.† Brine said, â€Å"I'm sorry, Amanda.† Then to Gian Hen Gian, â€Å"What happened to Catch?† â€Å"He is on his way to Jerusalem.† â€Å"I don't understand.† â€Å"I have lied to you, Augustus Brine. I am sorry. I was bound to the last command of my last master. Solomon bade me take the demon back to Jerusalem and chain him to a rock outside the great temple.† â€Å"Why didn't you tell me that?† â€Å"I thought you would never give me my power if you knew. I am a coward.† â€Å"Don't be ridiculous.† â€Å"It is as Catch said. When the angels came to drive my people into the netherworld, I would not let them fight. There was no battle as I told you. We went like sheep to the slaughter.† â€Å"Gian Hen Gian, you are not a coward. You are a creator – you told me that yourself. It's not in your nature to destroy, to make war.† â€Å"But I did. So I have tried to vindicate myself by stopping Catch. I wanted to do for the humans what I did not do for my own people.† â€Å"It doesn't matter,† Brine said. â€Å"It's finished.† â€Å"No, it's not,† Travis said. â€Å"You can't chain Catch to a rock in the middle of Jerusalem. You have to send him back. You have to read the last invocation. Howard translated it while we were waiting for you to wake up.† â€Å"But Travis, you don't know what will happen to you. You may die on the spot.† â€Å"I'm still bound to him, Gus. That isn't living anyway. I want to be free.† Travis handed him the invocation and the candlestick with the Seal of Solomon concealed in it. â€Å"If you don't, I will. It has to be done.† â€Å"All right, I'll do it,† Brine said. Travis looked up at Jenny. She looked away. â€Å"I'm sorry,† Travis said. Robert went to Jenny's side and held her. Travis walked down the hill, and when he was out of sight, Augustus Brine began reading the words that would send Catch back to hell. They found Travis slumped in the backseat of Howard's Jaguar. Augustus Brine was the first to reach the car. â€Å"I did it, Travis. Are you all right?† As Travis looked up, Brine had to fight the urge to recoil. The demonkeeper's face was deeply furrowed and shot with broken veins. His dark hair and brows had turned white. But for his eyes, which were still young with intensity, Brine would not have recognized him. Travis smiled. There were still a couple of teeth left in front. His voice was still young. â€Å"It didn't hurt. I expected one of those wrenching Lon Chaney transformations, but it didn't happen. Suddenly I was old. That was it.† â€Å"I'm glad it didn't hurt,† Brine said. â€Å"What am I going to do?† â€Å"I don't know, Travis. I need to think.†

Cross Cultural Psychology Essay

Cross cultural psychology is a sub-discipline within the wide psychology discipline that is concerned with the cultural factors that affects the behavior of human beings. Cross cultural psychology looks at the behavior of humans and its relationship with the mental processes. The behaviors are studies in the context of the cultural conditions taking into consideration the variations in the cultural influences. Since the early 1970s when the International Association of Cross-Cultural Psychology was founded, the field of study has continuously grown. Numerous researches have been carried out since then as the number of scholars in the field increase. Most of the research in this field has concentrated on how behaviors of individuals vary depending on their cultural background. The research has been prompted by the large variation on individual behaviors around the world with people from the same culture exhibiting a characteristic behavior (Berry, et al, 1992). Cross cultural psychology is quite different from other fields of psychology. Almost all other fields of psychology looks at the how the behaviors of the individual are influenced by their parent, their peers and generally people around them. However, they do not take into consideration the powerful effect of culture on the behaviors of people. While looking at the behaviors of different people, cross cultural psychology takes into account this powerful influence of culture. Some of the most important topics covered in the cross cultural psychology include child rearing, personality and language development (Ho & Wo, 2001). Culture and cross culture psychology Cross cultural psychology is closely related to culture psychology. Cultural psychology is a branch of psychology that is based on the assumption that the culture and mind of an individual cannot be separated. It looks at how the cultures and social practices in a certain society influence the psyche of individuals. It is therefore mainly concerned with the impacts of the traditions and cultures of the society on the mind of individuals resulting into unity of humankind (Shore, 1996). However, the two branches of psychology are very distinct though they are closely related. This is because the cross cultural psychology is mainly used in psychology as a measure of how the psychological processes in individuals are universal in a certain cultural setting rather than testing the influence of the culture and traditions on the psychological processes. Therefore, cross cultural psychology will seek to explain why stages of human development may be universal when different cultures are considered while cultural psychology focus on the influence of culture and traditions on the cognitive development of individuals (Heine, et al, 2002). In the past few years, there has been some collision between cultural and cross cultural psychologists. This has been as a result of recent studies that indicate the differences in attentions, cognition, perception and self when Americans and Asians are considered. The cultural psychologists have been criticized as a result of these research and accused of cultural stereotyping. They have responded to these accusations blaming the criticism on the increased emphasis of psychologists on cross cultural studies. The cultural psychologists have defended their finding since their research is based on ethnographic and tangible evidence while the cross cultural findings are based on laboratory findings (Masuda & Nisbett, 2001). Critical thinking in Cross Culture Psychology Cross cultural psychology research has indicated that people from Western Europe and North American culture think more critically when compared to people from Asia. Individuals from Asian cultures have been found to be faced with difficulties in the development of informed opinion or argument. They have limited ability to judge an argument or arrive to conclusions by integrating the information available and reject or accept the argument. Cross cultural psychology research has played an important role in the explanation of these variations in individuals from different cultures (Shiraev & Levy, 2006). Cultures have different ideal qualities that are considered desirable which are the main sources of variation in the level of critical thinking. For example, obedience and religious standards are considered the ideal qualities in the Asia societies. On the other hand, independence of thought and the ability to develop one owns opinions on different issues are considered to be undesirable in the society. Cross culture psychologists have suggested this to be one of the reasons why the Asians have difficulties in critical thinking (Shiraev & Levy, 2006). Methodologies in cross culture research Despite cross cultural psychology playing an important role in the explanation of the cultural aspects that affects the behaviors of individuals; it has experienced several methodology and theoretical challenges. This has been as a result of misunderstanding of the relationship between the cultural issues in the society and psychology. This misunderstanding has obscured the relationship between psychology and biological and cultural aspects of the individual. Other challenges are related measurements and definitions of cultural aspects that effect individuals and errors on data analysis and interpretation (Ratner, 2003). There is no doubt that methodology is an important aspect of cross cultural psychology. Cross cultural psychology is mainly based on positivistic methodologies. On the other hand, cultural psychology mainly focuses on humanistic methodologies which are based on the classical hermeneutic psychology. Positivistic methodologies have resulted in research on the relationship between culture and psychology being in line with basic principles of analysis. However, measurement and analysis based on positivistic methodologies principles in many cases obscure the cultural and traditions features and origin of behaviors and psychological aspects of an individual (Ratner, 2003). Cross cultural psychologists are for the argument that if the conclusions drawn from the research has to be accurate and reliable, the methodologies used which includes the materials used as well as the conditions should have the ability to stimulate the social environment of the people. However, many researchers in this field of psychology in many cases use artificial materials in spite of the caution. The reason why psychologists use these materials is because of the ease at which they can be controlled or calibrated. However, if positivist methodologies have to be effective, the measurement and analysis of the data stimuli must be as simple as possible, easy to manipulate, not vague and quantifiable. This is because it is possible to obtain more straightforward and quantitative responses. It has been found that artificial test materials and conditions though unfamiliar fit better when compared to natural circumstances and are thus preferred by many cross cultural psychologists (Ratner, 2003). Conclusion Cross cultural psychology is an important branch of psychology. It seeks to explain the relationship between the culture and traditions of the people and the behaviors of the individuals. This field of psychology has received a lot of attention in the last three decades due to criticisms against cultural psychology. Reference Berry, J. W. , Poortinga, Y. H. , Segall, M. H. , & Dasen, P. R. (1992). Cross-cultural psychology: Research and applications. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Heine, S. J. , Lehman, D. R. , Peng, K. , & Greenholtz, J. (2002). â€Å"What’s wrong with cross-cultural comparisons of subjective Likert scales: The reference-group problem. † Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, pp 903-918. Ho, D. Y. F. , & Wu, M. (2001). â€Å"Introduction to cross-cultural psychology. † In L. L. Adler & U. P. Gielen (Eds. ), Cross-cultural topics in psychology, pp. 3-13. Westport, CT: Praeger. Masuda, T. , & Nisbett, R. A. (2001). â€Å"Attending holistically versus analytically: Comparing the context sensitivity of Japanese and Americans. † Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81(5), 922–934. Ratner, C. (2003)†Theoretical and Methodological Problems in Cross-Cultural Psychology. † Journal for the Theory of Social Behavior 33, pp. 67-94. Shiraev, E. & Levy, D. (2006). Cross- Cultural Psychology: Critical Thinking and Contemporary Applications, ISBN: 0205474322; Allyn & Bacon Shore, B. (1996). Culture in mind: Cognition, culture and the problem of meaning. New York: Oxford University Press

Health Care Spending Essay

Healthcare is a very important sector in the countries around the world. The countries and the government always keep some money in their budget in relation to the health care activities in their countries. In the United States of America also, there are certain provisions in relation to the health care. The paper shall discuss about the health care spending in relation to United States of America. It shall discuss about the current level of health care expenditure in United States of America. There are shall be a lot of discussion in relation to the fact that whether the expenditure on health care in United States of America is appropriate or not. It shall also discuss about the manner in which the health care needs of the people in United States of America are paid by the government. In the end of the paper, there shall be a forecast in relation to the health care spending in United States of America. All the above said things shall be discussed in detail in the current paper. The government of United States of America has made a lot of provisions in relation to the expenditure of health care facilities in United States of America. In the United States of America, the health care spending has been increasing continuously (Hawe, 2008). There have been a lot of funds kept by the government of United States of America in its budget in relation to the health care services. In the year 1990, the expenditure made by the government of United States of America in relation to the health care spending was $714 million. Since then, the amount of expenditure on health care has increase to $2. 3 trillion. This is around 3 times of what it was in the year 1990. The government of United States of America is spending around 16% of its total gross domestic production on providing the health care facilities to the people. It is estimated that around $7600 are spent by the government of United States of America for each and every resident in the country. In this way, it can be said that the expenditure in relation to health care in United States of America is quite good and the country is taking adequate steps for making sure that adequate health care facilities are provided to the people in a proper and appropriate manner. The health care spending of the United States of America is the highest all around the world. There is no problem with the extent of money spend by the country towards the health care. Other countries around the world are also spending some money towards the health care but the expenditure made by the government of United States of America is the highest. Currently the expenditure incurred in United States of America towards is adequate and appropriate. It has to increase only with the increase in population. According to the per capita expenditure, the current expenditure in the country towards the healthcare is appropriate. When the country makes the budget in relation to the health care expenditure, then it has to take care that adequate expenditure is incurred on each and every activity related to health care. The government of United States of America should make sure that it spends appropriate expenditure on each and every area of the health care. The expenditure should be more on the critical areas and it should be reduced on the areas which are not very difficult to handle for the government. The government of United States of America should make sure that it increases the expenditure of the health insurance of those people which are not in a position to afford the costs for themselves (U. S. Health Care Costs, n. d. ). The government should also increase the expenditure in relation to the funds provided to the health care organizations for providing the benefits to the poor people in the United States of America. The government of United States of America should also increase the expenditure in relation to some specific and high risk diseases such as Cancer, Aids etc. If the expenditure shall be reduced in relation to the above said activities then, there is a possibility that the people in United States of America shall be benefitted to a very high extent. Other than the above areas, there are certain areas in which the government of United States of America should look to reduce the expenditure. The cost on some of the areas in the health care should not be reduced to the extent it hampers the health care services. If there is a requirement to reduce the health care costs then, these should be reduced only till the services are not affected in a negative manner. The areas in which unnecessary costs are incurred by the government should be recognized and the costs should be reduced in those areas. In the United States of America, there are adequate sources used for the purpose of financing the health care services in the country. In the country, the funding for the health care services is done together by the government and the non government agencies in the country. While preparing the budget, the government of United States of America keeps a percentage of funds in relation to providing the health care services to the people who are in need and also the people which are not able to have the health care insurance for themselves. Other than the government of United States of America, there are various other forms of associations which work for the purpose of providing the health care services to the people. They not only provide the health care services but also provide the financial for the insurance of the patients. There are few programs also in relation to the same. The programs include Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program, Community Health Accreditation Program and various other programs. The health care finance in the United States of America are funded by the above said facilities and things. In the United States of America, the government and the non government associations share 50% of the expenditure each. In this way, there is a proper sharing the expenditure. For the last few years, the healthcare expenditure in United States of America has been increased considerably at an increasing rate. It is expected that the healthcare expenditure in United States of America shall increase in the same rate as it was increasing earlier (Scambler, 2008). In the year 2007, the health care expenditure in United States of America was $2. 2 trillion. This amount increased to $2. 3 trillion in the financial year 2008. In this way, there was a definite increase in the health care expenditure in the two years. It is expected that the health care expenditure will grow even more. In the year 2013, the healthcare expenditure is expected to reach the figure of $3 trillion and in the year 2017, it is expected that the health care expenditure shall reach the figure of $4. 3 trillion. In this way, it can be said that there is a forecast of increased expenditure on health care in the years to come. The chart below provides the forecast for health care in a proper manner. This chart is showing the healthcare expenditure in United States of America. The government of United States of America is spending a lot of money on the healthcare services in the country. With the kind of expenditure, the government of United States of America is spending on the health care facilities in the country, it can be said that the government is spending sufficient amount of money on the health care facilities.

Some Patterns of Paragraph Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Some Patterns of Paragraph Development - Essay Example pets feed on a special diet that the owners fully budget for and higher personal veterinary doctors, who monitor and keep a close check on the pets’ health. The unique treatments highlighted are the exact treatments parents give their children to show affection and love to them. Since the pets receive treatment in a similar manner as children, it is, therefore, justifiable to conclude that people treat pets like surrogate children. In the social media for instance, there exist several pages created using the pet’s names for profiles. The owners of the pets buy gifts for them and organize anniversary celebrations after they die. Driving should be subject to utmost keenness and concentration. Most reckless drivers have caused more incidences of road accidents in several instances. The drivers fail to abide by the set traffic rules that should guide driving in the specific state. The failure to observe such rules causes accidents leading to massive loss of lives. For instance, some of the drivers take alcohol on duty. Alcohol reduces a driver’s alertness and visibility while driving. The result is an increasing in the number of traffic related accidents. Such accidents are avoidable by the drivers following the traffic rules to the latter. Deliberate assumption and ignorance of the regulation leading to loss of life is foolishness. Such foolishness makes the drivers’ actions unbelievable. Tobacco use is the principal cause of preventable health hazards, disabilities, and premature death in most states. Smoking leads to the development stroke and coronary heart diseases. Passive smokers are the indirect users of tobacco who inhale the exhaled smoke that the active smokers smoke out. Smoking leads to lung cancer and lung-related diseases like emphysema and bronchitis. The diseases have no definite treatment or cure, hence making tobacco a serious health peril. The passive smokers are at a higher risk of contracting the smoking related diseases and health

Programable logic controllers (PLC) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Programable logic controllers (PLC) - Essay Example On its site, Wikipedia says a PLC is used for the automation of electromechanical processes for example controlling factory machinery or running amusement rides. It says that its function is unlike a computer that is built for a general purpose, and that it is designed to accommodate multiple inputs and output arrangements, resistant to vibrations, impact or temperature changes. The controlling programs are generally stored in a non-volatile memory as these controllers operate in different kinds of environment, fitted into machines where the controlling program must be kept stable at all times. They are designed for real-time use and are often subjected to extreme environments where it cannot afford to malfunction; its circuitry keeps a check on multiple sensor inputs which control the output actuators, for example, solenoids, lights and valves (Blacharski, 2003). The first Programmable Logic Controller to be developed was by General Motors in 1968 when its Hydramatic Division wanted to counter the soaring costs involved in the existing inflexible relay-controlled systems. The starting PLCs had relay functionality, substituting the traditional hard-wired relay logic which used electrically run devices to mechanically switch circuits. They offered a lot of advantage as they were far easier to use in an industry; the installation wasn’t tough, they needed less space and they were re-usable. The benefit of PLCs quickly caught on to other businesses like food, beverage and manufacturing and by 1971, they were providing relay replacement which was the first step to contr ol automation (Bryan and Bryan 1997, 16-18). The CPU, consisting of the processor, memory system and the power supply runs all PLC activities. The I/O system is physically connected to devices used in the control of a process or machine and its interface provides the connection between the CPU, the information providers

Case Study for Student Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Case Study for Student Analysis - Essay Example Upon realization Carl robin find himself in a very puzzled situation where he thinks that every thing is not going very well and he might not be able to complete his task successfully. New employees data was not organized and pre-orientation tasks were not completed. Moreover orientation room was also not free for the orientation day. The main problems that lead Carl to this dilemma were his mismanagement and not organizing everything ahead. He was not quite ready for this task and shouldn't have taken the challenge for the big project. It was his first project, which should be rather small than this one. Apart from having past experience he was less familiar with the working disciplines in his new organization. He was not well coordinated and then he mismanaged his time. While working on his very first project with a new company, he was expected to be more upright and alert. He did not communicated well though and was not aware of the situation until it was very late. Being new at his job, he was not being supervised and there was no communication in any of his matters. Carl was new at his job, only six months had passed and in this time this was his first recruitment. It would have been good for him to start from small project then taking up the challenge for the big one. His company shouldn't have allowed him to take up the responsibility on the first place. It will be considered more of the company's fault than his own. In spite of this there was no monitoring of his job and he did not pursue communication at any moment in any of his matter. When there is no movement and no aggression while he is working, it is obvious that things are going smooth or he is unaware of the real situation. The fact is that he was not aware of the situation until it was too late proves that he was not well experienced and well equipped to perform the task. I would consider this as a company fault to allow him to take the responsibility of this project. After taking up the challenged Carl didn't work on a straight plan, as a matter of fact there was no plan. There was no paper work involved. When he interviewed the employees he didn't ask them to come with all their transcripts and other official paper required. He had not planned to inform the newly hired of the drug tests. He didn't communication with the newly hires as well as in his organization for things that were left to be done. He did not double-checked for the missing documents well before the time. The recruitment process was not organized and there were no planned steps that he followed. He had not drafted his work and due to this he was unable to monitor his performance and to find where he was lagging. There was no such body where he would become aware of such potential issues. He was disorganized in all of his matters. On May 15 he was reminded of important tasks, which he overlooked yet again. His approach to the project overall made him a total failure. The key to his job was communication. Communicating with the concerned departments to make sure he is on the right track. He was well aware that on June 15 is the big day and orientation will be held on that day and he never thought that he should be reserving orientation room for that day. This was his high priority but he was unable to figure it out. The cause to all of his problems was his mismanagement and not organizing every thing ahead. Moreover he was not ready for this project and his disability to handle the burden lead

The end of Povery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The end of Povery - Essay Example Poverty has sustained due to this unfair debt and there will be no end to poverty of this system continues as it hinders political and economic stability (Diaz (2008)). Thus, in order to end the global poverty, first world countries must try to look for ways in which the debt can be forgiven or compensated. The most important cause of the unfair third world debt is the colonization. The colonizing states had transferred an unfair debt on the independent states in 1960 which had to be returned with an additional interest. This meant that the newly born states were already under a heavy burden of debt which eventually hindered their economic and political stability. Moreover, it was soon realized that the only way to get rid of this unfair debt is to get it forgiven by the rich countries. The continuation of this system since decades has pushed the poor countries into extreme poverty (Shah (2007)). Many developing and under-developed countries are under the burden of unfair debt partly because of the policies of certain international institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). They have worst programs and policies for the global poverty which have been greatly criticized. The developing and poor countries have had an increased dependence on the richer countries. IMF and World Bank have continually claimed that they will introduce policies to reduce poverty levels but they have failed to do so as their policies have increased the burden of the poor nations (Jarman 54). Policies to ensure debt repayment and the economic restructuring have been imposed but the policies have simultaneously leaded the poor countries to reduce their spending on health, development, and education in order to make debt repayment and economic stability as their priority. IMF and the World Bank have also demanded that these poor nations should lower their standard of l iving

Assessments for Marketing Management Term Paper

Assessments for Marketing Management - Term Paper Example In order to effect substantial growth, businesses have aimed to market their businesses beyond their geographical borders. This has made way to international marketing enabling businesses to compete at a global scale. As part of s marketing strategy, it is vital for a business to ascertain its status and relevance within a market in order to pave any way forward. The timing and the level of consumer demand help a business in establishing the right marketing avenue. The one in charge of the marketing strategy is usually the marketing managers in many organizations. In addition, a business should have detailed objectives and a better understanding of their businesses in order to initiate appropriate and cost friendly marketing engagement strategies. In this context, the marketing principle collides with strategic planning for effective implementation of the goals intended plan (Hill & Jones, 2012). For a long time, this form of management depended on three crucial aspects that are the customer, the competitor, and the company analysis aspects. These constitute the three C’s of marketing. However, this paper will dwell on various aspects that contribute towards effective marketing and access of a market audience. Question 1: Different needs that most consumers have Majorly, there are categories of consumer needs. These needs are stated, real, unstated, delight and secret needs. Ideally, a customer buys a product mainly for its ability to offer a solution to the need presented. In a break down, stated needs are those that a customer has articulated and seen the importance of having as a matter of priority. Here the cost of the solutions not the customer’s priority but the priority is the having any product satisfy the need. In addition, the taste or the choices of the product do not matter, as it is a matter of immediate problem solving and not spoiled choice. The second type of need is the real needs category that involves the consumer’s speci fic action in to what they are looking for. For instance, a consumer may mention what they do need but when it comes to the actual search or picking of the solution to their problem, they may pick on something different. In this regard, the price of the product that they intend to buy may hinder them from going for the most expensive hence meeting the real need with a relatively affordable product. Thirdly, there are the unstated needs that a customer may have but they do not say them out loud (Krishnamacharyulu & Ramakrishnan, 2011). This is to mean that these are needs, which a customer may not express, but still expected by the consumer. Essentially, these could be in terms the consumer expected prices of the commodity and assistance in ascertaining which product will have a pocket friendly price. In this regard, this need draws facilitation from the retailer selling the products. The fourth need that a consumer may have is the delight need that entails the surprise additional be nefits of acquiring the product during its sale. In essence, it is more appealing to a consumer when the product that they intended to buy has a buy one-get one free tag line. Ideally, any consumer would tend to go for a product that will give more for less irrespective of their quality attributes. Therefore, a consumer may go out to buy products to solve their needs but then change their minds when they get to the retail store because of the extra incentive factor. Lastly, the fifth type of need is the secret needs that are concealed inside a consumer’s head. Essentially, these are the needs, which application of a product solution will help the consumer be like a symbol within the products image. For instance, the hidden need when one uses a facial cream would be the need to become as the beauty queens used

Resume chapter 15 (trade and policy reform in latin america) Essay

Resume chapter 15 (trade and policy reform in latin america) - Essay Example The ISI saw its end during the crisis of the 80’s and the vision that it can create long term economic inefficiencies. For many years, the region relied much on exports of agricultural commodities to earn foreign revenue but most of the export sectors were often owned and controlled by foreign capitalists. However, during World War 1 and the Great Depression of the thirties, the flow of Latin American exports was disrupted reducing their export earnings. Although World War 2 increased the demand for their minerals and foodstuffs, it nevertheless dropped again after the war ended. Trade analysis or the ratio of average export prices to average import prices or terms of trade (TOT) reported an export pessimism as the prices for the raw materials Latin America exported fell. This was why the head of the UN Economic Commission on Latin America (ECLA), Prebisch, ruled that the region veer away from their dependence on raw material exports and concentrate on industrial development b y replacing imported manufactured goods with domestic ones. This was his idea of â€Å"import substitution industrialization†. ... It was criticized that governments misallocated resources when they got too involved in production decisions of companies. Other criticisms included the overvaluation of exchange rates; policies being biased in favour of urban areas; the inequality of income worsened and the controversy of widespread rent-seeking. ISI did not succeed in furthering the region’s economy, but it had less of an effect in creating the economic crisis of the 80’s than misguided macroeconomic policies of the countries in Latin America. Economic populism or the acquisition of support from labor and domestically oriented business has been blamed for such faulty macroeconomic policies. This was triggered by the deep satisfaction with the status quo due to slow growth or recession; the rejection of policy makers of traditional constraints on macro policy such as the justification of printing money due to the existence of high unemployment and idle factories offering its space without inflation. Po licy makers vowed to raise wages while freezing prices and restructure the economy by expanding the domestic production of imported goods. Still, in reality, wages were lower than before and international interventions led by IMF were implemented to stop high inflation and to end a balance of payment crisis. Being sunk in debt was blamed on the collapse of oil prices in the early eighties as well as the fact that the foreign currency owed was dollars, which had variable interest rates. The faulty macroeconomic policies of Latin America left national expenditure much higher than the national income, hence a return to growth was not very likely. In an attempt to keep government expenditures higher than warranted, many Latin American countries

#3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

#3 - Essay Example Drugs addicts have continued to increase as the drugs are cheap. The illegalization of these drugs has not helped in reducing the criminals and several people including the chief police in Britain have opted for the decriminalization of these drugs in a bid to stop the drugs circulating in the streets of continuing to increase the number of drug addicts. The research recommendations are that the country should look for other options to help the users of drugs as taking them to jail is not the solution. Some of the alternatives provided in the article include: community health and addiction treatment. I agree with the researchers and other opposes of criminalization of drug users and abusers. This has been the only solution in almost all the nations of the world facing drug problems but nothing has stopped the increase in drugs in the streets and the number of drug users. It is time to seek alternative solutions which will make those dealing with drugs stop doing so and transform on their own accord. Examples should be drawn from other decriminalization issues where once a law is passed on decriminalization, the previously illegal activity ceases on its own accord and I strongly believe this will be the same with the drug issue. The news clip was reliable because it came from published research in a peer reviewed medical journal that is renowned and valid. This therefore means that the research was also valid and hence reliable. The news article is printed in the BBC website. BBC is one of the oldest form of media communication and has reached this far due to the reliability of the information they publish hence making this news article reliable as well. Lastly is the fact that the information in discussion is nothing new but a reiteration of what is truly happening in the society. It is evident that drugs have increased and various reports confirm that and issues of

Analysis of Various Programs Essay Example for Free

Analysis of Various Programs Essay I will produce various systems to manage and run a supermarket. I will use a lot of different programs. Each will be used differently and for various tasks. Some of the packages and programs I will use are: Microsoft Word This program I cannot do without and is most important. I will use this word processing program to type up all of my documentation. Because of its many uses, I can also use this program to make posters, letters etc. The main use for this program, however, will be the word processing. Advantages: * Can change size, font, colour and shape of text. * Can insert pictures that can be resized and moved freely. * Has a formal layout that is easy to use. * Mistakes can be rectified easily. If writing by hand and you make a mistake, you would have to use liquid paper. Using a word processor you can just delete the mistake. * Spelling and grammar checks can be used. * Documents can be changed, saved and loaded an infinite amount of times. * Drafts of documents can be printed and proofread. If any mistakes are made, the document can be reloaded, changed, printed and resaved. * Text and pictures can be moved. Disadvantages: * The whole page cannot be viewed efficiently without first either zooming out or going into Print Preview. * Pictures and text boxes cannot be moved easily. * You must have access to a computer to open or view the document. * Cant put pictures on as easily as a DTP program. Microsoft Publisher This program would be useful for the advertisements and the posters, and possibly the letters. It would be best to use for these tasks as the program was purposely written to perform these tasks. Advantages: * Text boxes and picture boxes can be moved easily and more efficiently than Word. * The whole page can be viewed, zoomed in and zoomed out and still can be used efficiently. * Text can be placed anywhere on the screen instead of in set places on a page (like Word). * Borders can be placed on the page by just outlining a picture box that covers the page. Disadvantages: * Large file size. * Crashes now and again. Microsoft Excel This spreadsheet program is ideal for working out all of my costs. Its mathematical capabilities are very useful for this type of task. I could also use it to make graphs for business and financial statistics. (I could also use Microsoft Works for these tasks) Advantages: * It has the option of typing formulae into the cells. These formulae will perform mathematical calculations that are quicker and easier than working it out in your head. * The formulae in the cells work with each other and with the cells, so if you change a cell or a formula, the other cells with formulae in them will change to compensate. * Can produce graphs with one click of the mouse. * Has a layout that is easy to use and to see. * Can be used to make simple tables. Disadvantages: * I cant think of any, this program has no faults. Microsoft PowerPoint This program is wonderfully useful if you want to make a slideshow. It has the capability of making not just still slides, but slides that animate and move. I could also use it to make little presentations. Advantages: * Slides can be made up of images, text, animations and sounds. * Slides can be animated and changed automatically, making a fully working slide show. * It can be used for advertisements and educational shows. * Its many functions and efficient layout makes making slides easier. * Sound can be used. * Timings and transitions are fully customisable. Disadvantages: * The amount of different controls can be overwhelming. * Large file size can restrict the size of the presentation. Microsoft Works This program is very useful as it has all the major programs fitted into one. It has a Database, Spreadsheet and Word Processor in one. This could be useful in ways described below. Advantages: * Spreadsheets, Databases and Word Documents can be transferred from and to each other without exiting the program.

Teens at High Risk of Suicide Essay Example for Free

Teens at High Risk of Suicide Essay Teen suicide is a major problem in today’s society and it is totally preventable. This issue needs to be taken care of immediately. Teen should not be taking their lives intentionally. Teen suicide is derived from three major factors: bullying, drug/alcohol abuse, and most commonly mental illness. It has been a pretty popular topic in the media world but it still just gets pushed under the rug. Suicide is currently the third leading cause of death in the United States between the ages of 15 and 24 (Holmes 1). It is also one of the most preventable forms of death because the person will show warning signs. This is a common myth; that people do not show any warning signs. That in fact is wrong, someone who is thinking about committing suicide almost always shows warning signs it is whether or not you pay attention and take action towards them. Although there are many factors that can lead people to cause suicide mental illness is the leading cause. Bulling, depression, anxiety, drug and alcohol abuse, and sexual or physical abuse follow close behind (Teen Suicide Statistics 2). Bullying is quickly starting to become one of the major leading causes of teen suicide. There are plenty of news stories on how yet another teen has taken their life due to being bullied. Bullying has been a serious problem in schools for many years now and somehow it needs to be put to an end. School should be a safe place where you go to get an education. You should not have to worry about if your going to get picked on today before school, during lunch, or after school and so your day is just spent in fear. In the past year bullying in schools has been brought to the public attention more but nothing is really successfully being done about it. Most bulling occurs in the elementary and high school years. Everyone knows that kids and teenagers can be curl towards each other at times. A common reason that kids or teens feel the need to bully someone is peer pressure. Almost everyone has experienced some type of bullying in their lifetime, whether they were the victim, the one doing the bullying, or even just being a bystander. ABC news has reported that almost 30 percen t of students are bullies or bullying victims. It is not uncommon to hear of those that were often bullied became bullies themselves in return. It is not always just the nerdy kid with glasses that gets bullied on the playground by the jock it can be anyone. Once it gets to the point where the kid doesn’t even want to come to school  anymore and they aren’t acting like themselves it is time to really be concerned. According to a study completed by Yale University it states; â€Å"victims of bullying are two to nine times more likely to contemplate suicide than people who aren’t bullied† (ABC 1). We all have heard of teenagers that were bullied and as a result they took action in an extravagant way. An example of this is the columbine shooting that happened on April 20th, 1999 in Colorado. Dylan Kelbord and Eric Harris had known each other since middle school and one day they were so fed up with their peers and they took violent action. On April 20th, 1999 the boys’ seek to get revenge on those that had ever made fun of them. During the middle of the school day the boys walked into the sch ool with guns, knives, and bombs and walked down the hallways to kill. By the time that it was over twelve students, one teacher, and the two boys were dead, and 21 more were injured. (Rosenberg 1) All of this could have been prevented. Both Kelbord and Harris showed suicidal signs. Stated in the video left behind by them Kelbord states that he had been contemplating suicide since 1997 and the boys started thinking of a large massacre in 1998. They even wrote about this plan in each other’s yearbooks. Also stated in the Columbine Massacre by Jennifer Rosenburg is that â€Å"looking back, there were telltale hints and clues that something was seriously wrong. Video tapes, journals, guns and bombs in their rooms would have been easily found if the parents had looked† (Rosenburg 4). So, all of this could have been prevented if people had paid more attention to their personalities. After this incident it started to become more common to hear about teen suicide in the media related to being bullied. It got so bad that celebrities such as Elen Degeneres, Elton John, Anne Hathaway, and many more began posting video messages to reach out in an attempt to stop bullying. There are so many bullying prevention programs out there that not only help those cope with being bullied, but they also try and help the ones that are doing the bullying. These programs help them direct their anger in a non-harmful ways. Some of these programs are B.R.A.V.A. (Bully Resistance and Violence Avoidance Program), T.E.A.C.H. (Teens Educating and Confronting Homophiba) and the RISE (Rise in Schools Everywhere) (Registry of Bullying Prevention Programs 1 2). These programs are all created to focus on putting  an end to bullying. Theses programs are great because bullying affects those of all ages. Everyone is guilty of it and everyone knows how it feels to be put down. So together we need to stand up against bullying in every school and if this were to happen the number of teen suicides related to being bullied could be reduced greatly. Even just paying attention to warning signs can help those in need get help. â€Å"According to the Canadian Metal Health Association some warning signs include but are not limited to; repeated expressions of hopelessness, helplessness or depression, behavior that is out of character, signs of depression – sleeplessness, social withdraw, loss of appà ©tit, giving away prized possessions, telling final wishes, remarks related to death and dying, or an expressed intent to commit suicide† (Preventing Suicide 1). All of these signs should be taken seriously in order to prevent the worse. However bullying is of course not the only factor that leads many teens to suicide. Drug and/or alcohol abuse is also a contributing factor that may lead a teen to suicide. It could be that they have an addiction to drugs or alcohol and has led them to commit suicide or that they had tried using these substances to cope with their feelings and they ended up having an overdose or poising. No matter what the scenario is there is still help for substance abuse so it does not have to lead to accidental or intentionally overdoses or suicide due to withdrawal. There are all kinds of support groups, therapy or even having a friend sit them down and talk to them about their concerns they have been noticing can help lesson the numbers of death from these substances. Talking with the person directly about the situation can be very beneficial. It could be that all the person needs is someone to listen to what they are going through and what feelings they are having without being judged or looked down upon. Giving them your support can help them work through it and make them feel like life is tough but it is worth living. There is also the myth that talking to a person about their suicidal thoughts will push them over the edge and cause them to actually follow through with it. In reality talking to someone about suicide will most often times do more good than harm; in fact the worst thing you can do is not take any action at all (Teen Suicide is Preventable 1). Helpguide.org states in their article, â€Å" Suicide Prevention: Spotting the Signs and Helping and  Suicidal Person,† that Talking to a friend or family member about their suicidal thoughts and feelings can be difficult but, if you even think they might be thinking about it its better to ask. You cannot make a person suicidal by showing that you care. In fact, giving a suicidal person the opportunity to express their feelings can provide relief from loneliness and may prevent a suicidal attempt. If a friend or family m ember is suicidal, the best way to help is by offering an empathetic listening ear. (Suicide Prevention 2) Just letting your loved one know that he or she is not alone and that you care can make a world of difference. However, don’t put the responsibility of making them well on you. Still offer them recovery options. Drug and alcohol abuse is often times common for depressed people and is a hard habit to break that is not easy to do alone. Depression is a leading cause of suicide and falls under the category of mental illness. All mental illness can be anything from depression to bipolar disorder. Although depression is the leading cause of suicide it does not mean that everyone who commits suicide was depressed. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are other common mental illnesses that have been proven to be causes of suicide according the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI 1). Sexual orientation, which can also fall into the cat orgy of mental illness, also plays a major role in suicides among teens and young adults. According to the Centre for Suicide Prevention, gay, lesbian and bisexual teens have a higher chance of committing suicide than other teens. â€Å"According to a study completed in 2001, 48% of gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth have said that their contemplation of suicide was related to, or was a result of their sexual preference† (Suicide among Gay†¦ 1). Out of all causes of suicides, mental illness had proven to be the leading basis; in fact only about 10% of people who have committed suicide were not suffering from a mental illness of some sort. With the majority of people that have committed suicide suffering from a mental disorder or substance abuse, they often times â€Å"have difficulty coping with such crippling stressors. They are unable to recognize that suicide is a permant solution to a temporary problem according to the National Institute of Mental Health† (NAMI 3). There are many factors that play a role in teenage suicide. Being a teenager is not an easy thing. You are going through all kinds of body, thought and feeling changes during your teen years. School is not easy and people are not always nice. That is just how life goes. Teens need to know that everyone faces these problems and there are many other ways to cope with any situation before it has to lead to suicide. Anti- depressant drugs have proven to be highly effective in helping teens steer away from the thought of suicide. People need to stand up against bullying and take into general consideration that every action will have a reaction on a person, whether it is good or bad. Suicide is preventable and if people were more considerate of others feelings, then the number of teen deaths could easily be reduced. When someone gives up hope on living there needs to be more hands reaching out to them and showing them why they are here today.

Recent Organisational Changes in the Virgin Group

Recent Organisational Changes in the Virgin Group These assignments discuss the organisational changes that the Virgin Group has been during the last few years, and how they are adapting to the changes in the operating environment. This will be in the context of the employees perception of the changes, and how the Virgin Group can lower their resistance to change. This is a natural feeling from employees, when faced with uncertainty, and this needs to be managed. The assignment focuses on the Virgin Group airline operation, Virgin Atlantic. Virgin Atlantic Airways was founded in 1984, and it is the UKs second largest carrier. The company is based at Gatwick, Heathrow and Manchester airport; Virgin Atlantic operates long haul services to over thirty destinations globally. The organisation has been recognised through awards from top business, consumer and trade (www.virgin.com). 2.0 THEORECTICAL FRAMEWORK 2.1 Meaning of Change management Change management is not a distant discipline with rigid and clearly defined boundaries. Rather, the theory and practice of change management draws on a number of social science disciplines and traditions. Three schools of thought form the central plank on which change management theory stands. This includes: The Individual perspective school: This school is split into Behaviourist and Gestalt-Field theory. The Gestalt-Field theorists believed that behaviour is not just a product of external stimuli; rather it arises from how the individual uses reasons to interpret the stimuli. The behaviourists, on the other hand seek to achieve organisational change solely by modifying the external stimuli acting upon the individual. The Group Dynamics school: This originated from the work of Kurt Lewin. According to Lewin (1974) people in organisations work in groups, and individual behaviour must be seen, modified or change in the light of groups prevailing practices and norms. HENCE the focus of change must be at the group level and should concentrate on influencing and changing the groups norms, roles and values (Cummings and Huse, 1989). The Open Systems school: The school is concerned with understanding organisations in their entirely. It attempts to take a holistic rather than a particularistic perspective. This is reflected in its approach to organisational change. Change management can be defined as a systematic approach to dealing with change, both from the perspective of an organization and on the individual level. A somewhat ambiguous term, change management has at least three different aspects, including: adapting to change, controlling change, and effecting change. A proactive approach to dealing with change is at the core of all three aspects. For an organization, change management means defining and implementing procedures and/or technologies to deal with changes in the business environment and to profit from changing opportunities. Daft (2000) states that change is a necessary evil and all organisation undergo change at one time or another if not continuously. Organisations usually change in response to political, economical, social, technological and legal forces. There are four different types of change that an organisation can undertake, they are technological change, new product based change, structural change, and cultural change. According to Bass (1985) successful adaptation to change is as crucial within an organisation as it is in the natural world. Just like plants and animals, organisations and the individuals in them inevitably encounter changing conditions that they are powerless to control. The more effectively you deal with change, the more likely you are to thrive. Adaptation might involve establishing a structured methodology for responding to changes in the business environment (such as a fluctuation in the economy, or a threat from a competitor) or establishing coping mechanisms for responding to changes in the workplace (such as new policies, or technologies). 2.2 RESISTANCE FOR CHANGE Many authors (Lawrence, 1954; Maurer, 1996; Strebel, 1994; Waddell and Sohal, 1998, among others) stress that the reasons for the failure of many change initiatives can be found in resistance to change. Resistance to change introduces costs and delays into the change process (Ansoffs, 1990) that are difficult to anticipate (Lorenzo, 2000) but must be taken into consideration. Resistance has also been considered as a source of information, being useful in learning how to develop a more successful change process (Beer and Eisenstat, 1996; Goldstein, 1988; Lawrence, 1954; Piderit, 2000; Waddell and Sohal, 1998). Undoubtedly, resistance to change is a key topic in change management and should be seriously considered to help the organisation to achieve the advantages of the transformation. To manage resistance change effectively, the following methods could be used: Communication and Education: This is by far one of the most effective implementation tactics that can be used by an organisation. Communication is used when solid information is required to ensure that employees buy into the process and education should always be used when the change pertains to the introduction of a new technology or product or service (Bunker and Alban, 1992). Participation: This will help with the smooth transition from the pre change phase to the post change phase and if employees were encouraged to participate in the change initiation phase then most of the problems that can occur when the change is implemented could be eliminated as the issues and problems may have been identified and solved in the initiation process (Buller, 1988). Negotiation: This can be used when there is severe resistance and management needs to sell the idea to the employees. Top Management: The visible support of top management to the change process can help reduce and eliminate resistance (Daft, 1982). 3.0 IMPLEMENTING CHANGE IN VIRGIN GROUP One of the largest internal change moves by the Virgin Group, was when Sir Richard Branson, became disillusioned by the public listings, obligations and corporate bureaucracy of a publically listed organisation, he sought after to taking the organisation back to private ownership (Johnson, G Scholes J 2004). This was from the philosophy that forgoing short-term profits for long-term expansion is the way forward (www.virgin.com). This contingency approach of the Virgin Group is formed from the business requirements, and the structure (which will take the shape of what is needed to operate within the change environment) as this has a considerable direction on the overall organisational performance (Burnes, B. 2000). The structure of the Virgin Group and its accomplishments, are contingent the environmental influences. As a result by changing the structure, this is an internal driver of change in reaction to the external markets (Mullins, L 2005). With the change in the listing of the organisation, came the reduction in organisational bureaucracy. The need for bureaucracy and a hierarchical structure in the Virgin Group was reduced greatly (Johnson, G Scholes J 2004). As a result Sir Richard Branson assumed a hands-off stance, with the managers, encouraging them to use their initiative, skills and experiences (www.virgin.com). This change to the organisational structure has led to a separation of the employees, through now working in specific groups or parts of the business. The variety in locations that the Virgin Group operates, and the wide range of services and goods they offer has led to divisions in the work force. Therefore they are not a centralised team; some divisions could operate in an insular manner, which is easier said than done to change, without altering the structure (Burnes, B. 2000). Some of the internal drives of change the Virgin Group faced with, were the several layers of managers, which can slow down the management reporting systems and their reaction to situations they are faced with. With the contemporary environment, this is negative to change and will slow down the internal management process (Burnes, B. 2000). There have been internal issues since the structural change, with communication across the group and this was particularly noticeable in the middle and lower levels of employees. They were not receiving enough information on the proposed changes, leaving them unable to instruct employees on the organisational changes (Johnson, G Scholes J 2004). The organisational structure of the Virgin Group is a group de-centralised; this could encourage silo behaviour, from the different business teams and the different locations in which they operate. There is a natural competiveness between groups, and operating under this structure can encourage competitive behaviour between them (Johnson, G Scholes J 2004). To encourage the Virgin organisation working as a group, and to reduce silo behaviour caused by the structural change they started using a single web address, Virgin.com, for the whole of the organisation customers has entrance to all the Virgin services under a solo portal. These strategies assist in supporting the organisational parenting strategy and improve the synergies already imitative from the organisational branding of the Virgin Group (www.virgin.com). Virgin Atlantic service is very much customer focused with a prominence on value for money, quality, fun and innovation. The organisation is 51% owned by the Virgin Group and 49% owned by Singapore Airlines, and employees over 9000 people (www.virgin.com). This change has led to two internal parent organisations, but with Virgin retaining the majority share. Changes to organisations are almost at an epidemic status, reducing the organisations control of the external environment. All organisations are faced with incessant change; this is in their operational environment and the organisational context. In the modern-day organisational situation, there is enormous attention and spotlight on the human resource. The drivers from this change can be both internal and external to the organisation (Coram,  R Burnes B 2001). The human resource is not excluded from this change process, and is a significant part of the organisational context (Frank F et al 2004). Contemporary theorists advocate that if organisations want to be effectual, in both their current and future operating environment, they must focus on the composition and motivation of their human resource (Beardwell, I. et al. 2004). Virgin Atlantic values their employees and trains them to maintain the high service levels and to be able to remain effective (www.virgin.com). As a result of the change it is vital to manage the human resource fairly. When organisations use human resource management as a tool, it will assist them to encourage and motivated their employees to adapt to the proposed changes. The future prospects for all organisations are unpredictable and it is difficult to confirm what is required from the human resource, when an organisation is changing (Bratton, J Gold J 2003). An internal driver of change is the HR responses to market forces. The HR function should mix the current issues of their human resource with the wider financial and business requirements, that change will force upon them (Bratton, J Gold J 2003).The Virgin Group including Virgin Atlantic focus on their employees, as they see the value in managing the resource. Employees are recruited who fit within the culture and support the Virgin ethos. Internal change is driven by an organisations strategy (Bellin, B Pham C 2007). The strategy is a consciously created plan, which will include the methods and actions, to achieve the desired result. An organisation mission statement is normally a non monetary realisation. This mission is the future direction of the organisation (Johnson, G Scholes J 2004). The internal forces for change includes making the organisational structure more effective, reducing diversification through streamlining the portfolio and identifying new and emerging markets. This change has realigned the organisation on their mission, focusing employees to assist in the transformation (Groucutt, J. et al 2004).   Virgin Atlantic is reliant on their branding, this is recognisable when they enter new markets, and this has been an internal driver of change (Groucutt, J. et al 2004). The Virgin brand name is the most significant benefit and asset to the organisation. This brand of Virgin and Sir Richard Branson was capitalised on, when an adverts for Apple Computers, Sir Richard Branson was connected to Einstein and Ghandi, as a shaper of the 20th century (www.virgin.com). The management of Virgin Atlantic has been very strong, during the changes over the past five years. This strong leadership of the organisation will focus the employees during periods of change. An organisations efficiency and survival during periods of change, is dependent on the ability of their management and leadership team. (Bailey, J. 2009). Gupta (2004) concluded that the ideal world of vision, the leadership transfers this to the real world, making it happen (Gupta, S 2004). The virgin group is a good parent to Virgin Atlantic, with Richard Branson as an effectual leader (Bailey, J 2009). This will assist in the stabilisation of the organisation during times of change, and reduce employee resistance. The success of the organisation is, in addition, dependant on clear-cut communication and management of the behaviours that motivate employees performance to be an effective organisation (Gupta, S 2004). Through proving freedom of decision making to the managers with Virgin Atlantic, encourage a responsibility of their actions and ownership of the organisation. This provided an organisational culture that encouraged growth with the managers. When recruiting new management, potential employees are shortlisted for innovation, abilities and competitive nature (www.virgin.com). In addition, Virgin Atlantic is capable to cope with the possible downsides of this autonomy and decentralisation. To prevent the failing of communication links and the potential threat of single business units chasing their own strategies, the Virgin Charter sets out a management system and internet business strategy that takes gains from the of information technology, further extending the Virgin brand (www.virgin.com). External forces have led the separate business within the Virgin Group to move towards the tactically five pillar realm. The core strategy is the heart of Virgins core strategy to develop the five pillars of the business empire: travel, leisure, mobile phones, entertainment retailing and personal finance (www.virgin.com). This during periods of change keeps employees focused on the organisational goals, and unites the organisation (Groucutt, J. et al 2004). The accomplishments of the Virgin Group are reliant on their corporate parenting strategy, and the competitive advantage is dependent on the culture (Groucutt, J. et al 2004). The Virgin Groups strategy is executed through the decentralisation of the businesses and the unified branding. In the short run, the strategy looks very strongly constructed, and some commentators believe it is near enough unstoppable (Johnson, G Scholes J 2004). On the other hand, in the long term, they need to be a succession plan, to replace the natural wastage of management, with individuals that believe in Virgin Charter. They will need to continue the legacy of the Virgin Groups corporate ethos, through successful execution of the Virgin Charter (Groucutt, J. et al 2004). Virgin Atlantic must also carefully consider the new markets they plan to enter. One solitary slip-up can blemish or even destroy the Virgin Brand, and this could be disastrous for the group (Johnson, G Scholes J 2004). Diversifying too much could weaken the Virgin brand, especially when a service or product does not meet the expected Virgin standard. The news on a loss of reputation will travel faster than the success of a product or service. Therefore the association of a single Virgin brand can also have a negative effect on the group (Kotler, P et al 2005). As previously discussed, organisational change is an existing and inevitable aspect of organisational life. The environment surrounding the organisation in the operational and market context is in a continuous situation of change, this through the worldwide economy and the speed and change of technology. As a result, organisations should take action to reduce the impact of forced change, through predicting and assessing the possibilities (Groucutt, J. et al 2004). There are numerous external factors, which will have an effect on the Virgin Atlantic, and how they manage their operations. The external political environment includes the administrative and legal systems, which govern the organisation where they operate. The external operational environment for the Virgin Group will influence the internal procedures and ultimately the organisational effectiveness. These external political influences can be drivers of change, which manage over the organisation. For example an unfavourable political environment can prevent expansion into the location (Klein, L 2008).   The national financial trends will also be a driver of change, for example a down turn on the economy will impact on an organisations expansion plan. This driver of change can reduce the economic stability of the finances of the organisation; as a result, less investment will be attracted. The state-run legal systems are made up from the policy, laws, and regulations of the host country.   As a result the organisation must survive within this legal framework, and audit their systems to ensure compliance to local regulations (Baldry, C et al, 2007). This economic stability is vital for organisational survival. This is achievable through re-evaluating their present market position, and tactically plan where they want to be. This is the organisations strategic fit, aligning their strategy with the environment, through matching their core competencies and skills, to the required strategy. This is a simple process that some organisations overlook (Kotler, P et al 2005). This continuous organisational change has an effect on the employees; this can impact the workplace, these changes can leave the workforce unsettled and can leave individuals uncertain of their role, and how this fits in with the organisations strategy. Change is unsettling for employees, and in times of economic downturn, they can become fearful of their job security (Hunter, D 2006). The very structure of an organisation can add to employees uncertainty in periods of change. The organisation hierarchical structure can put off the workforce from acquiring the details of the planned change. This is a basic change process, which is regularly overlooked, to the determent of the strategy (Hesketh, A Fleetwood S 2006). Consequently, the workforce is not aware of the full extent of the organisational change strategy, or their role within it. The structure of the organisation is capable of covering up what is really is occurring, frequently with just the summit of the management team being conscious of the full strategic intent of the organisation (Groucutt, J. et al 2004). The constant change in the Virgin Atlantic can lead to uncertainly with some employees. This uncertainly can lead to resistance to the change. This resistance is not malicious, and is not intended to disrupt, but some employees feel more secure through holding on to the way things are, and not changing working patterns and behaviours. When the employee relationship is not as strong as it should be, then any change to the working environment will be met with resistance (Beardwell, I. 2002). The most important tool that the management has during periods of organisational change is communication. Through setting up formal and informal communication channels, the employees can be given the information on the changes, leading to them understanding the rationale and the benefits to the organisation. The employee voice is a fundamental human right, for free speech, which should be encouraged in the workplace (Hunter, D 2006). These employee forums can be used as a platform for the Virgin Atlantic to discuss organisational changes that will affect the employees working lives. This will give the employees a voice, to openly discuss their concerns. Prosser (2001) concluded that the collective voice of the employees achieves what the lone voice could never do: it humanises and civilises the workplace (Prosser, M 2001). Therefore, it is vital to give employees a collective voice. The Virgin Group can also measure the employees feelings, fears and attitude to the proposed change, through employee surveys. This is good human resource management practice. This method of gauge the employee attitudes is only of assistance to the organisation when they are surveyed on a regular basis, to be used as benchmarks of the progress of the organisation in the employee relationship (Marchington, M et al, 2001). There are arbitrating factors when employees attitudes are surveyed, and this is further enhanced to benefit the organisation, when they are used with other forms of listening to the employee, for example discussion and communication (Hesketh, A Fleetwood, S 2006). When concerns are discussed it is imperative to pay attention to the motivational factors, which will maintain the employee interaction with the employer (Parker, S (2000) cited in Dorenbosch, L et al 2005). Not all theorists agree that employee attitude surveys are the way forward in industrial relations. When they have the results from the surveys employers do not have to respond to the conclusion from them, sometimes it is just lip service (Blyton, P Turnbull, P 2004). Union representation in organisations is frequently viewed as ideal in employees voice, and there is support that there is considerably more to the employees voice, than any survey can reveal (Dundon, T 2003). Virgin Atlantic has successfully managed organisational change through changing the structure of the organisation. This is in reaction to the different markets they operate in and the changes individually to their environment. This has led to an insular culture; this can be addressed through communication across the group. One of the major issues the organisation has faced is the employees rà ©sistance to the changes, sparked by uncertainty of their current and future working environments. Employees as individuals enjoy security, and when this becomes uncertain, there is a natural reaction to resist the change. 4.0 CONCLUSION The objectives of the assignment is the implementation of change in an organisation through understanding of the theoretical aspects of change management and the best way change management can be effectively implemented. It is absolutely clear that the support of senior management staff need to be sorted, development of effective strategies, tackling staff resistance to change, and implementing plans for accomplishing each goal stated need to be taken serious during implementation process to gaining comparative advantage over competitors. Virgin Group, are successful and encourage innovation. They must now ensure that all employees are committed to organisational strategy, and will through the knowledge accept the change.