Teaching theories and assessment

First I am to give an overview of the cardinal theories of instruction and appraisal that I use mundane within my work as a coach. My learning involves a broad scope of scholars from E2e pupils ( 16-19 ) and grownups ( 19+ ) , so I use a big assortment of different ( sometimes contradictory ) methods. Pavlov- Pavlov identified two types of learned response to a topic. Reflex response- a response to a topic or state of affairs that is unconscious ( nonvoluntary ) Conditioned response- a response that is learnt or taught ( voluntary ) Through this theory I foremost use learning stuff to get down to condition a response and the ideal end is that these conditioned response bend to reflex responses after an initial â€Å" subsiding in † period. Maslow- Hierarchy of Needs- This is about common sense. Learners can non larn if they are uncomfortable, stressed or distracted. I believe people learn more expeditiously if they find the solutions to their ain jobs. As we all do in life. Skinner- â€Å" Operant conditioning † – This applies to both sets of scholars. It is my experience that larning takes topographic point more efficaciously if it is delivered as a series of little stairss that combine into a entire end or decision. But before learning can take topographic point the pupils need to be motivated to larn. In the instance of the E2e pupils Taylor ‘s theory of â€Å" economic adult male and McGregor ‘s â€Å" Theory X † comes into drama. The motivation theories for these pupils are fiscal and are rewarded for go toing learning Sessionss even if they do non desire to. On the other side of the graduated table, many of my grownup pupils are of a more mature age and are financially comfy and have no demand for a fiscal wages. Their wages can be found in other theories: Mayo- Social man- Many of my grownup scholars are on the classs non merely to larn, but to run into new people and bask the societal facets of acquisition. Once the scholar is in category it is indispensable that they are motivated to transport on acquisition. Hertzberg ‘s theory is so really applicable. The pupil must experience that they are being praised and that they feel good about their acquisition and all unfavorable judgment that is given must be really carefully worded and must ever be constructive. This so brings us to the importance of appraisal. There are many practical theories that are applicable to my mundane instruction. It is of import that I non merely measure my pupils ‘ work, but my ain instruction. First formative appraisal is used with pupils as an on-going procedure. It is indispensable that pupils work are continually assessed to non merely give pupils motivational feedback, but it is a step of comprehension and how much the pupil has understood and is besides a contemplation on your learning practise. This method is normally provided informally on a one to one footing, giving the pupil the chance to add his ain sentiments on his or her acquisition advancement which in bend starts the procedure of ego appraisal. Self-assessment is normally introduced when the pupil is constructing in assurance in a topic. Now that the pupil has a greater apprehension they are able to measure their ain work and able to reflect on their ain accomplishments or weaknesss now that their cognition of the topic becomes more advanced. One of the most successful appraisal methods seems to be a multiple of both ego and diagnostic appraisal. This where the pupil is set a short trial on a comparatively regular footing so the pupil is confident in the given undertaking and after finishing the trial the pupil measure his or her ain trial either separately or in a group. That manner the pupil is able to compliment themself or the others around him or the group is able to supply constructive feedback together. It is a great morale encouragement when the pupil has done good and is a great signifier of support when the pupil needs excess aid. The summational appraisal method tends to be used more for the E2e pupils that are accomplishing nationally recognised makings and normally take the signifier of coursework that is produced throughout the class and given a concluding grade. As I said at the beginning I have found that some of the theories that First the most complicated group to learn is the E2e group. As I said earlier they are ab initio influenced throughLearner Profile Angstrom:Wayne has late left school without any concrete makings. He has joined CG Partnership because of the fiscal wages he will acquire go toing the group and believes it will be easier than working for a life. He is being pressured to travel to college by other staff members, but does n't truly hold any involvement in this way and is merely interested in socializing with his friends and spends most of his trim clip either imbibing or taking drugs. He struggles to gel with the remainder of the category and â€Å" ca n't see the point † in a batch of the category activities. His is a victim of low self-esteem and frequently adheres to peer force per unit area to â€Å" play the category sap † for attending. Due to his hapless school attending his degree of basic accomplishments is really low and battles with any written undertaking and fails to hold on the simplest numerical constructs. He tends to arise against any signifier of authorization and â€Å" will non be told what to make † . His lone involvements tend to be music, skateboarding and surfing the Internet.Learner Profile B:Bob is 68 old ages old and has been out of instruction for many decennaries. He has a grade in technology. This is his first experience of instruction since go forthing school and attends the Sessionss along with his wife.. He lives locally and owns his ain place. He has been retired for 2 old ages and is financially stable. He now has plentifulness of clip on his custodies and is eager to larn new accomplishments and enthusiastic to maintain up to day of the month with modern engineering. He wants to utilize his new found accomplishments in mundane life and believes his new found accomplishments will let him to bask farther facets of acquisition. He sometimes becomes baffled when faced with engineering or rules he is non familiar with and sometimes struggles with different attacks to learning as he is used to traditional instruction methods. Stating this, he perseveres and is speedy to a ccept new rules that are presented. He is sometimes outspoken in category, but this because he enjoys the societal facet of the class and clearly revels in the company of others and enjoys being portion of that group.

Portrayal of Women in Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Bram stoker, in Dracula, showed his point of view of women. He represented Mina as a traditional woman who is quite passive and submissive. On the other hand, he represented Lusy and the three beautiful vampires who are active, voluptuous and sexually aggressive. When he was born in 1850s, the era of â€Å"Victorian Noon†, the society was about to face the radical changes in the culture and politics so the position of women who were educated was getting improved in the society.However, Bram stoker was a conservative and stressed paternalism so he considered ‘New Woman' as a depravity person. On the contrary, he emphasized the traditional victorian woman. Furthermore, he expressed his hostile feeling against women. â€Å"for nothing can be more dreadful than those awful women, who were, waiting to suck my blood. â€Å"(p74, line15~16), â€Å"I am alone in the castle with those horrible women, Faugh! Mina is a woman, and there is nought in common. They are devils of the Pit! â€Å"(p87, paragraph 6).From these sentences, we can see that Jonathan Harker abhors the three young women. It seems that Bram stoker detests the New Women. The group of people who called ‘New Woman' acted so free and had a sexual relationship with not only men but also the same gender so that it brought about other social aftermaths such as venereal disease and homosexuality. In terms of conservatism, he regarded ‘New Woman', considered a threatening group in the society, as immoral and anti-religious so it must be destroyed.Also, he insisted that men had to got power to control those women and dominated the society. In conclusion, the society in which Bram Stoker lived has shown a movement to accept both sides of the conservative which advocates the past values and the progressive which incessantly changes for new values. I think that he did not just blame the new woman, but the imperialism which means ‘continuously developing the society using the powerf ul science'.

School Trying Character Education on For Size

The role of the school is changing today. The school now must realize its role in character development. â€Å"Schools must recognize that they cannot accomplish the academic aspect of their mission if they do not attend to the needs of the whole child, and that the pursuit of a narrow academic missions alone is simply no longer sufficient†. This sentence should be a wake up call to schools today. We as teachers must understand that it is now becoming our job to develop the character of the children we teach. The character development of the child is not as strong as it once was. There are so many problems that kids are facing now. Children are now engaging in high-risk behaviors. These behaviors include alcohol, drugs, tobacco use, and violence. Children are not being taught at home the destruction that these things cause. Researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and business leaders are the ones addressing this lack of a full range of development in today†s youth. They feel that character development is as important to effective schooling as reading, math, science, or social studies. The youth will become active members of family, school community, and society as a whole. This development of character will also help them to more willingly take part in their education. Several things should be taken into consideration when we think about teaching character development. First off, we as educators must first understand what are role is and what is the purpose of schools today. Also, we have to know the students we teach. Knowing a student's home life should give us a better understanding of the type of character development they get from home. Then we must understand what to teach to help develop their character. How do we teach is the next thing we must look at How can we make this meaningful for the students, in and out of school. We need to make sure our staff is ready to teach. Finally, we need to find out where to teach. These questions are a guide for setting up a character development program. Character education helps its participants have more productive lives. It teaches the ability to distinguish between right and wrong. Character education teaches self-discipline, responsible decision making, respect for others, and a lot more qualities that help people to have healthy relationships and productive lives. When implementing a character education program, you need to follow some basic steps. Talk to the community, law enforcement, and teachers to find out some of the more dangerous problems that effect that community. Give schools the opportunity to find funds to implement a program, from business or industry. Help schools to find a model of character development from which they can get ideas and have an avenue to get questions answered.

Williams Syndrome in Psychology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Williams Syndrome in Psychology - Research Paper Example Yet, another similar condition can be compared with Down Syndrome, the Williams Syndrome--also known as William-Beuren Syndrome. Rare in characteristic, this type of syndrome was first recognized in the early 1960’s, where four young samples had been identified with such conditions, as all had presented â€Å"supravalvar aortic stenosis...mental retardation† and similar facial features. By such discovery, the said disorder had been named in honor of one of its founder, Dr. Williams--a cardiologist (Bellugi, Wang, & Jernigan, 1994, p. 3). Other than these initial diagnostic parameters, Williams syndrome is also characterized by hypercalcemia of unknown origin, accompanied by distinct cognitive and behavioral profile (Khan, Calureriu, Huang, & Robin, 2011). At this point, such concepts seemed to be more focused on the pathophysiological context of the said condition, disregarding the psychological elements of William syndrome. In appeal, this group is said to be hypersoci able, where they are into over-friendliness, as they appear to lack the adaptive behavior of covertly following the unwritten social rules common in most societal structures (Udwin, Davies, Howlin, & Stinton, 2007). With such social trait, one can assume that the interpersonal skills generated by individuals with William syndrome are adequate for daily public associations, yet, a number of literatures presented otherwise. The overtly sociable attitude by groups with William Syndrome may be acceptable in society, but their psychological status may not be as stable as most believed. This paper seeks to establish the paradoxical traits that individuals with Williams Syndrome seemed to have; present common psychological features and find patterns among such psychological manifestations. Biological Origins and Clinical Features The etiologic origins and pathological process seemed to be pointed back to genetic deficits. Generally thought of as a neurodevelopmental condition, most experts identified the â€Å"deletion of ~25–30 genes...(which span) about 1.5 megabases in the q11.23 region of chromosome 7† as the exact cause of the William Syndrome (Deutsch, Rosse, & Schartz, 2007, p. 903). Genetic in function, such dysfunction in the genetic level can significantly cause a series of physiological changes upon human anatomic development, especially in organ tissues of the heart. As this is genetic in origin, the defective genetic material is said to have a hereditary feature, where there can be a 50% chance that individuals might pass this DNA product to the next generation. Although random in pattern, studies showed that 1 infant in every 80,000 births can have this syndrome--a highly rare occurrence (â€Å"William Syndrome,† 2011). Like most genetic disorders, people with such condition can easily be distinguished due to their common appearance, where their faces may have an elfin quality, with prominent forehead and eyes, ample cheeks, expansi ve mouth, small nose, and broad earlobes (Semel & Rosner, 2003). In line with this, overall presentation of the condition can be divided into four sections: â€Å"cognitive development, language, auditory function, and visuospatial function† (Khan, Calureriu, Huang, & Robin, 2011). In context, cognition and language functions are quite delayed for their age, with highly sensitive hearing capabilities to auditory stimuli, and a disassociation between what is seen and its normative interpretations. As such, environmental adaptation of these groups is delayed, compared to their normal counterparts. Aside from these clinical symptoms, those with William Syndrome are also plagued with a number of medical disorders, which may range from clinically serious cardiac

The art deco Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The art deco - Research Paper Example Mathematical geometric shapes formed the basis of the structure of most Art Deco design patterns. They were generally seen to have trapezoidal, zigzag and triangular shapes, chevron patterns, stepped forms and sunburst motifs . Floral patterns and images of botanical objects were also part of the design. Plain or geometric fabrics were mostly used in Art Deco. Smooth fabrics such as wools, silks that lacked texture were used. Cushions sometimes covered in fabrics that contrasted with the rest of the body were sometimes used to enhance boldness. Art Deco reflected a shift to lighter and more neutral shades that had a metallic undertone. Popular colors in this design are such shades as black, gray, silver, white and brown variations. Bolder colors such as yellow, red, gold, green and blue were used minimally and were muted. Exotic pastels were a popular accent color at the time when Art Deco was popular. Art Deco fashion formed the next fashion look after the decline of art nouveau. It had two phases between 1910 to 1924 and between 1924 to 1930 . The former was built around neoclassical/ peasant designs while the latter was more minimalistic, with a modern touch. The first phase was led by Paul Poiret . He launched his first works in 1908 which was slim, simple, high waisted dresses that were delicately layered and exotic in style. His use of shades of pink, purple, blue, green and gold was inspired by his interest in Fauve paintings. In 1911, Paul organized the thousand and one night Ball.

Answers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Answers - Essay Example Places which were previously cold have now diseases of warmer climates due to movement of carriers of such diseases into these new regions because of suitable weather conditions. Toxicity diseases with unusual symptoms will start to emerge mainly eco-toxic disease in Canada due to long term exposure to chemical such as DDT and PCB’s. Apart from that diversity in population will increase as immigrants will continue to move into Canada. Effect of this has both positive and negative impacts. There will be healthier immigrants shifting into new environments but at the same time there will be some who’ll bring diseases of their native environments hence requiring extra precautionary measures to be taken. By 2020 the population dominance of Canada will be belonging to seniors and children and the major rises will be felt in three major states of Canada hence increasing inter state competition for getting highest health budget allocated. Hence we can infer from this that disea ses related to old age will spike up requiring additional efforts for curing diseases. However the efforts being put in today for better health and curing illnesses will resolve occurrences of diseases related to certain type habits. ... Apart from the mentioned trends the authorities have to b e proactive and react to the predicted scenarios by taking strong steps. People all around Canada in schools, offices, on the streets should be made well aware of importance of staying fit and healthy. A prototype of a system should be created which shall integrate the medical records of people. The system of health care that we know today will be quite different in 2020 which will look into all factors including diversity, taking extra care of patients and use of new technology. Explain how health psychology can make a contribution to health promotion. Where appropriate, use eating behavior which leads to obesity as an example. Ans: Health is something which everyone desires and staying healthy throughout is a dream for everyone. Yet normally no one makes significant efforts on daily basis to live this dream. Health like other things you want comes with effort. There are many things in our daily routine which if we ignore can make significant improvement in our health and on the contrary there are things which will only take little time of our day but by doing that we can stay healthy. For knowing these things awareness is needed. Either people can be made aware directly or we can influx awareness in their minds which will subconsciously make them put in effort to stay healthy or avoid unhealthy habits . Health psychology can help us achieve this task. The purpose of Health Psychology is to create awareness among groups of population regarding health. By creating this awareness segments of population previously involved in bad health habits can take a positive step towards moving towards a healthier lifestyle which will help them have a better and secure life ahead free from

FORMAL LETTERS AND REPORTS Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

FORMAL LETTERS AND REPORTS - Assignment Example Elsie Chan agreed with the report on the factor that there is a communication breakdown between some health professionals and their patients. Elsie agreed that some doctors judge patients based on past experiences of similar illnesses and on such basis may lose a point as all patients must be examined individually. The doctors failed to fully understand the patients problems as the patients were not given time to express themselves. Logan advocated for awareness to be created for all health professionals to examine patients individually and consider each situation on its own. Marion Hale considered the point of discrimination of patients to be totally unethical and that doctors should embrace the spirit of responsibility to their patients. Marion advocated for a separate office to be created in all hospitals to report cases of discrimination by doctors or nurses and the respective hospital management to reprimand such doctors accordingly. Kelly Mitchell seconded this idea. Mark Ryan advocated that all doctors should be reminded of their code of conduct and ethics which they vowed to follow when they graduated. Ryan proposed that these values be printed and posted in various sections of hospitals to remind them regularly. Nick Yanes raised concerns that patients too had a role to play in the whole scenario. He advocated for patients to be sensitized on the importance of them giving adequate information to doctors as this will help doctors assess them accordingly. Mitchell Jones advocated for strengthening of the counseling department in hospitals to assist those patients that are emotionally despaired due to their illnesses and not willing to

Finding George Orwell in Burma Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Finding George Orwell in Burma - Assignment Example The ‘threats’ to the government include people complaint of poor living conditions, peoples lack of faith in the government and peoples need to leave the country. The prevalence of spies has ensured that people are always enslaved to the government. Secondly, the government has instilled the element of fear to the people of Burma just like the British colonizers did. The use of fear and intimidation has made the people of Burma submissive to the government since repercussions of incitement charges or hate speech of the government are dire like extra judicial killings and sexual violence. The power of fear was what made the colonizers to rule for long periods of time everywhere they colonized because a people with fear are a people with no hope for a better tomorrow. Thirdly, the Burmese government has done away with free interaction of the Burmese people with the rest of the world. The country is cut off from the rest of the world as the citizens are not allowed to leave the country nor are people allowed into the country who are not Burmese. This cut off means that the Burmese people will not have any idea how to alleviate their situation because they need the UN and other foreign bodies to aid them. The British colonizers also cut off their colonies from the rest of the world so that the people could not free themselves from their bondage. Fourthly, the Burmese government has also enacted laws which have done away with any human rights policies in that country. Human rights are not heard of in Burma and the people have absolutely no right to anything unless the government allows it to be so. The British colonizers also denied their colonies the power of human rights thus they were able to rule with outmost power and authority. Foreign bodies have also not been able to penetrate the country as their policies on people

Marketing of luxury brand-VERSACE Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7000 words

Marketing of luxury brand-VERSACE - Dissertation Example Luxury products have currently become reasonably priced to more customers, especially for youth and hence, luxury brands have the probability to grow and establish their reputation globally (Semenik, 2001, p. 39). During the early part of 1990s, a number of luxury brands began to initiate their brands in China. The major cause for it is China being the world’s leading market. The Chinese market signifies a huge population and sturdy financial development. More significantly, Chinese customers - including students - have become more affluent than ever before, they are more accommodating towards western style traditions and they have a strong aspiration toward luxury products. In 2010, a study revealed that more than 15 million of existing and potential luxury brand customers are Chinese (Zarrella, 2009, p. 77). The combination of synchronizing the marketing communications across all medias together with the social media, the huge impact that social has for both individuals as w ell as businesses, the pace at which things progress within this field, and the comparative insufficiency of existing research regarding this field all are the bases for this study (Vivian & Anspaugh, 2000, p. 12). With reference to the discussion above, this study will also explain how companies can benefit from in social media in developing marketing messages to attract young customers including students. Figure 1: Growth of Internet Users from 1995 to 2010 (Malacrida, 2011, p. 122) During the past fifteen years, a huge amount of individuals have been able to access the Internet as a way to correspond, shop and collect data regarding pertinent issues and Versace gets the maximum benefit from this situation by modifying its marketing communication strategy. As soon as Versace started to recognize the transformation and saw the potentials of the Internet, it created new approaches to portray itself and speak to consumers via the online segment. Most of the companies started to gener ate static websites during the early phase, which became more dynamic â€Å"after the implementation of Web 2.0 in the early 21st century. With the implementation of Web 2.0 companies were not only able to present themselves, but also the establishment of two-way communication channels on the websites was technically possible† (Duncan & Moriarty, 2005, p. 11). This helped almost all luxury brands, including Versace, to respond more capably to the requirements and needs of customers. With the development of Web 2.0 the ‘so-far-inactive’ student was now capable of becoming a dynamic and processing user. The factor of consumers now being competent to develop, amend and remark on web material became commonly known as user generated content. The currently visible results of this content are blogs, YouTube, Facebook and other various platforms where users can correspond or share content with one another. Once businesses offering luxury brands realized how excited users were

Monetary Policy and the Stock Market Dissertation

Monetary Policy and the Stock Market - Dissertation Example One financial instrument that is normally used by governments is the issuance of treasury bills or government bonds wherein the earning interest rates will generally be followed by the banks of that country. By using the interest rates that will define the treasury-bill holder’s earnings will slowly influence the financial market to adjust its interest rates. In the absence of other economic indicators, the treasury-bill interest rates will not only be adopted by the banks in their own financial transactions but it will also be used as the bench mark for the amount of money that will be available to borrowers. In theory, if the interest rates are low more people will borrow money from the banks. If the interest rates are high, the theory sustains that little to no borrower will loan money from the banks and most economic activity will be financed from in-house sources. Other instruments or means of conducting monetary policy includes making the government as the lender of last resort wherein the government will be the source of funds that will be available to borrowers normally a function provided by banks and other financial institutions. Another means of conducting monetary policy includes changing the reserve requirements in banks in order for them to operate. Another is where the government announces its intent to reduce or control inflation or by simply indicating the interest rates it wants for the money it intends to loan out. And last but not the least is moral suasions.... Meanwhile the true value of money is dependent on several factors such as the actual value of the goods that can be bought by the money or its value as compared with other currencies. However, given that these factors are also dependent on other economic indicators such as inflation and the volume of foreign currency reserve a country has, the correlation of the monetary policy of a country with its interest rates, stock market performance, and inflation will be explored by this paper. Monetary policy is implemented by increasing or decreasing the interest rates that is in theory would be able to inversely increase or decrease the supply of currency in circulation. In fine, the monetary policy of a country controls the amount or volume of currency in circulation to stimulate growth or maintain the stability of its economy. The primary onus of a government’s monetary authority is to create the optimal monetary policy that will stabilize prices for its basic commodities and enco urage investment. The trick however is how to make banks and other financial institutions follow the interest rates the government’s monetary authorities’ desires. One financial instrument that is normally used by governments is the issuance of treasury bills or government bonds wherein the earning interest rates will generally be followed by the banks of that country. By using the interest rates that will define the treasury-bill holder’s earnings will slowly influence the financial market to adjust its interest rates. In the absence of other economic indicators, the treasury-bill interest rates will not only be adopted by the banks in their own financial transactions but it will also be

Nike Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Nike - Research Paper Example This is to say that the company is one of the richest companies in Oregon. Mission statement and goals Nike’s Mission statement is: To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. According to Bill Bowerman, everybody who has a body is an athlete. The company therefore aims at bringing inspiration and innovation to the entire humanity. The company has five goals for its business processes. These are, to provide an environment which develops individuals to maximize their contribution to Nike, to provide innovative and quality products and services both internally and externally, to identify consumer segment opportunities that are focused, to establish and nurture good emotional ties with groups of consumer and to maximize profits (nikerepository.com 1). History and products Nike was founded in January 1964 by Philip Knight, a track athlete in the University of Oregon, and his coach Bill Bowerman. They gave the company the name Blue Ribbon Sports . Initially, the company operated as a distributor for Onitsuka Tiger (the current ASICS), a Japanese shoe maker. At that time, it was making high sales at local track meetings and other evens related to sports out of an automobile that belonged to Knight. The company grew rapidly and opened its first retail store in 1967. By 1971, its relationship with Onitsuka was almost ending and Blue Ribbon Sports prepared to launch its own line of shoes that would bear the Swoosh latest designed by Carolyn Davidson (nikerepository.com 1). In January 1971, Nike first used the swoosh and released its first group of products named Nike and bearing the swoosh. Their first products were brands of truck running shoes. In 1978, Knight and Bowerman changed the name of the company to Nike corporation. By 1980, the company had taken over almost half of the athletic footwear market even without TV advertisements. Since then, the company has expanded and as of November 2008, it had acquired some companies to become it s own major subsidiaries. These are Converse Inc, Umbro, Cole Haan and Hurley International and Nike Golf. Other Nike subsidiaries are Bauer NIKE Hockey Inc and Exeter Brands Group LLC. Nike produces a vast range of sports equipment and sportswear. Currently, the company produces a variety of shoes, shorts, jerseys, baselayers and other types of sportswear designed for use in a range of sport like basketball, ice hockey, cricket, tennins, lacrosse and other track and field sports. The name Nike is the name of a Greek goddess of victory and Nike Corporation markets all its products under its own name. This also include Nike Pro, Nike Golf, Nike+, Nike Skateboarding. Some of the products produced or sold by its subsidiaries are marketed under different brand names for example Air Jordan/Jordans which are sold by its Jordan brand subsidiary. Manufacturing, marketing and supply chain In order to meet its global demand, Nike has contracted over 700 shoe factories and these factories are now manufacturing Nike-branded products. Most of the contacted factories are located in Asia including China, India ,Indonesia, Vietnam, Pakistan, Taiwan, Thailand, Philippines and Malaysia. CRS Wire. (2005). Manufacturing and marketing is therefore achieved is therefore through subsidiaries and contracted companies. Currently, the company operate in over 160 countries globally. Nike recognised the need develop a well-coordinated and efficient SC for the

O-Fold Essay Example for Free

O-Fold Essay 1. As a part of the management team, how would you handle distribution and marketing of the O-Fold? Within the text I really liked the 2nd and 3rd option of distribution, which was going an online route or advertising I travel magazines. Although the adverting in magazines option is appealing when it comes down to it I don’t think it would reach as many people as online distribution. I would chose to create a website and distribute the O-Fold product through there. Creating a website would be extremely cost effective. I believe there are even some sites you can use for free, such as weebly.com. However, this option is risky because marketing would have to be very effective in order to generate the business he is looking for. Since the cost of a website is low, he should consider advertising in travel magazines. He probably would not need large ad space, which would help with the cost. If he could get a small section in the Sky Mall magazine on aircrafts with the link to his website, that could be a rewarding starting point. Another option is advertising on other large online retail sites, such as Amazon.com who now gives consumers an option to purchase provides from other retailers by providing a link to that product on their site. 2. At what points should Alex consider bringing on additional management? What positions should he fill and in what order? Defend your answer. I am a supporter of Alex’ crawl-walk-run strategy. I think initially he should partner with his brother and begin to make the product together and sell online through a website he creates. This way he can get an idea of how he can proceed with next steps and be able to create a business plan to present to Anger investors. Once he can seal the investment funds he should bring on a sales and marketing manager. This is one of the most important positions in a company. Alex needs to have someone with experience in sales and marketing, especially not having experience himself. He’s already contemplating different options in this area; someone who has worked in this department can give him real examples of the outcomes and weigh in on the best decision for O-Fold. Next, after he gets an investment, he should go with the outsourcing route. He already had a connection to hire a barn full of employees. He will need to hire a manager to oversee the production of these employees, and also a Human Resources Manager since he will have employees. He cannot manage everything himself so a good candidate for the productions manager would be his brother since he should have a good understanding by then of how to produce the items. 3. What are some pricing strategies you would consider utilizing in order to get the O-Fold to market? Do you agree with Alex’s pricing point? I would consider giving a special price to first time customers, or a discount when purchasing more then one O-Fold at the early stages of marketing. Alex will want to be competitive and the first thing that customers probably look for is good deals. If he creates a website and is directing people there through advertising he should try to close the sale with a discount. An option would be first time users get free shipping, or $5 off shipping. Customers buying more then one could receive $5 off their second purchase. I like the 123 percent market with the outsourcing options at $12.50 However, that would only be beneficial at wholesale, so he should price his products per item at $25, and offer the discount for the first 100 customers. He does not need to advertise the part about it only being for the first 100 customers but he should price out shipping costs for 100 people or costs of giving discounts and set a budget for it.

Marketing Plan: Donor Recognition and Stewardship

Marketing Plan: Donor Recognition and Stewardship INTRODUCTION Economic recession has had its impact on the number of donors. As the economy is recovering, the trends indicate that non-profit organizations continue to lose donors faster than they gain them even if the giving amounts are increasing. The results are troubling because were seeing a trend of charities relying on fewer donors giving larger gifts, said Elizabeth Boris, director of the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute. Charities need to work harder on reaching out to new and different groups of donors. More important, however, is keeping donors for longer than a year, since its much cheaper to retain existing donors than it is to continually find new ones. Non-profit sector is undergoing changes. Maybe its the already-begun exodus of Baby Boomers in nonprofit leadership positions. Maybe its the scramble to understand shifting giving habits as younger donors enter the philanthropic discussion in greater numbers. Whatever it is, it makes us rethink donor relat ions, which is undergoing a metamorphosis in both thinking and approach. background Market Analysis. Childrens Health Foundation is an independent incorporated non-profit organization dedicated to raising and granting funds to supportChildrens Hospital at London Health Sciences Centre, Thames Valley Childrens Centre and Childrens Health Research Institute. Since 1922, funds raised have helped deliver exceptional care and support for children and their families by providing specialized pediatric care, equipment, education programs, therapy, rehabilitation services and research. Childrens Health Foundation is regional pediatric referral center for South Western and North Western Ontario. Childrens Health Foundation is operating in an extremely competitive industry. Canadas charitable and nonprofit sector is the 2nd largest in the world with 170,000 non-profit organizations. Ontarios 46,000+ NFP organizations employ about one million people, 15% of Ontarios total workforce, and have an economic impact of nearly $50 billion. This represents more than 7.1% of Ontarios GD P- greater than the automobile and construction industries combined. More than 5 million Ontarians donate over 820 million hours of their time volunteering every year, valued at the equivalent of 400,000 full-time jobs. Health care is the second largest recipient of donations in Canada (behind religious organizations) and makes up approximately 13% of all donations received from Canadians. Large philanthropic donations from individuals or corporations are becoming increasingly important sources of donations. At the same time, in both urban and rural communities, donor fatigue is becoming a real concern. As residents continue to be asked to contribute to charitable organizations, there comes a point at which their willingness or ability to donate is exhausted. This is of particular concern in large urban areas like the GTA, where there is fierce competition for donor dollars, according to Anthony Dale, CEO of the Ontario Hospital Association. Philanthropy in Canada is highly dependen t on oil and gold prices. Looking back within Canadas philanthropic history, it is noticeable that a year after a recession there was a significant decrease in fundraising contributions. And with Canadas health care system becoming increasingly dependent on philanthropy, its capital planning may become increasingly vulnerable to fluctuations in Canadas resource economy. Philanthropy is essential to the wellbeing of the health care system, allowing hospitals to improve and develop their infrastructure and conduct innovative medical research. This is the reality for Childrens Health Foundation as well, whose infrastructure, hydro, water and salaries only are funded by government. All the specialized programs the foundation provide and equipment is covered with donor dollars. But as we enter the era of plunging oil prices and economic uncertainty, hospital foundations are likely to face harder times fundraising, and this may make any disparities in access to capital projects among comm unities worse. In addition to that, Canadians are becoming less generous and giving fewer donations to charity than they did a decade ago, according to the 2016 Generosity Index published by the Fraser Institute, a think tank. Acquisition of the gift today has become a measuring stick for performance for many non-profits. The fact that 15% of Canadian population makes over 80% of all charitable contributions is evidence of how important stewardship became. Brand Analysis. The brand identity of Childrens Health Foundation which comprises the logo and the tagline is very clear and concise. Their mission to mobilize the community to support excellence in health care, rehabilitation and research for children and their families is fully backed up by all the programs and support they offer (innovative research, world-class hospital facilities and equipment; wide range of financial, legal and moral support to families with sick children). They are very consistent in updating their online s ocial blog, website, Facebook page, as well as uploading not only visuals but also the documentaries on regular basis to strengthen the impact of the message they are trying to convey. Childrens Health Foundation constantly conduct different campaigns to increase their reach and revenue. For the time being they cover South West Ontario, some parts of North West Ontario and have established good relationships with Thunder Bay hospitals. Childrens Health Foundation is promoting their brand on their website by using stories, visuals and documentaries for people to see the harsh reality of ill children and understand the difference they can make with their donations. The foundation also uses the social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to increase their reach as well as newsletters. They are raising funds and increase awareness of the cause by running campaigns, accepting donations on different levels andorganizing fundraising events. Childrens Health Foundations bra nd IDEA (integrity, Democracy, Ethics, Affinity) is very effective which increases its credibility. Childrens Health Foundation focuses on providing full range aid to the sick children and their families by providing high quality support on various levels (treatment, rehabilitation, financial, legal, moral), which is something unique and is the base of their positioning in the market against other non-profit organizations like Sunshine, Save the Children or World Vision. All of these organizations cover different needs of children make their dreams come true, provide financial support or food supplies to malnurished kids. Childrens Health Foundations brand evolve around the most vulnerable part of our society sick children. Because children are our future, donors are very willing to support this cause and it does attract significant amounts of funds. Childrens Health Foundation has raised $8mln. last year. In terms of donations Childrens Health foundation is targeting corporation s and people with various income levels that are not indifferent to the cause as every dollar that comes in is important. The donor segmentation is as follows: individuals, corporations, lifetime giving, legacy, community fundraising. Varied demographics is one of the challenges the foundation is facing when trying to build their donor recognition and stewardship programs because every demographic group depending on level of donations is expecting different things. Looking at the ways to donate, however, it is clear, that the foundation fails to address and engage in their efforts the generation of millennials. The objective of the Childrens Health Foundation is to come up with a plan on how they can recognize and steward all different demographics and customize these programs according to different levels of donations by remaining inclusive. SWOT Analysis Childrens Health Foundation Strengths Brand associated with children. People like to help children. Affiliation with Childrens hospital, Childrens Research Institute and Thames Valley Childrens Centre, so donor dollars are kept under one umbrella. The third largest children health research institute in Canada. Offer various specialized programs to sick children. Strong community event partnerships. Childrens Health Research Institute leverages the seed funding from Childrens Health foundation 10 times over, with external and peer-reviewed grant success. Tax exemption Family Centered care environment through programs as: fund specialized equipment, comfort sick children, establish a new simulation, support families in need, fund pro-bono legal services for patient families. Weaknesses Limited budget. Hospital policy limitations. Limited staff. Targeting a wide range of demographics without particular focus. Website is not very graphic. Opportunities Tap into the market of Millennials and encourage involvement in the cause Cause Related Marketing Innovative donor recognition stewardship programs Having limited resources to focus their efforts towards actions that would bring the biggest return Threats Vulnerable to economic crisis. Charitable giving is one of the first cash outflows that consumers cut back on when money is tight. Since they depend on contributions, they need to avoid the perception of impropriety. Even a small scandal can be damaging. Donor engagements are difficult in hospitals due to health, safety privacy issues Giving trends are changing, its important to adjust competitive evaluation Childrens Health Foundation is competing with every cause being promoted by other more than 60 not-for-profit organizations in London, Ontario. The advantage of Childrens Health Foundation is that their mantra evolves around sick children, which is more likely to win donors hearts than any other cause. On regional and national level Childrens Health foundation is facing more fierce competition. We will look closer at 3 of 13 Children Hospital Foundations in Canada Childrens Health Foundations, Sick Kids and McMaster Children Hospital Foundation, as they are all competing in exactly same field and are part of Childrens Miracle Network. The point of parity is that all these organizations are Hospital Foundations and provide help to children with severe health problems. Competitive Evaluation Childrens Health Foundation Sick kids foundation McMaster Children Hospital Foundation Simple, clear landing page. Appealing video on the landing page of their website. Simple landing page. No specific partners mentioned. Partners are not listed. Partnerships with well-known companies. Not very pictorial when it comes to kids. Very creative in terms of content and use of graphics. Impactful. Good content. Easy way to donate whatever amount you wish to. Different approaches to donate for specific programs. Easy way to donate. There is a donor recognition page on the website. Donor wall shows how the foundation have recognized their donors. No donor wall to identify donors. Conducts bowling competition to save lives of children. Have kids lottery system to raise funds. No upcoming specific programs to raise funds. Does not target millennials. Has a page on their website which allows to create own fundraising campaign and customize it for birthday etc. Does not target millennials. Has an extensive specialized program variety for family support (financial, legal etc.) Deals with a large variety of serious diseases and has a long history and solid reputation as an establishment offering word class programs like Motherisk. Focus on cancer, mental health and eating disorders for children. Sick Kids is very established foundation with long history, strong website and variety of programs they offer. They do target millennials offering them to customize their fundraising activity on Sick Kids website. Childrens Health Foundation should look into this market as well as to enhance their website for a stronger impact. opportunity identification Childrens Health foundation is very similar to competitors in terms of services, target audiences and fundraising activities. The opportunity lies in differentiation. The organization could do that by implementing innovative donor recognition and stewardship program, segment their donors more efficiently to focus their efforts in order to maximize the return and tap into market of young donors. goal statement In this marketing plan, we will focus on developing Donor Recognition Stewardship strategies for several donor segments: Planned giving as one of the sources of large donations to ensure future gifts. The planned giving component can promote long-term endowment building as well as assisting support over time as an inflation hedge. Lifetime giving to ensure loyalty and repeat gifts to support steady funds. Individual giving by millennials to ensure we engage the young generation in philanthropic activities. marketing objectives To increase planned giving by 10% by the end of the year. To maintain ongoing relationship with long time loyal donors. To increase millennial giving by 20% with engaging recognition and stewardship program by the end of the year. communication objectives   Ã‚   Planned Giving: Raise awareness about planned giving opportunities for a good cause -Childrens Health Foundation Lifetime Giving: Increase engagement with lifetime donors to strengthen the relationship. Individual Giving: Raise awareness about giving opportunities among millennials and engage them in such activities. creative objective planned giving Our basic creative strategy is to position planned giving as the most meaningful way to leave a legacy. creative strategy planned giving Target audience for this campaign are people of 60 and above (70% women as they are more likely to donate to health-related charities), who will be soon retiring or already retired with a significant amount of funds or estate at their disposal in South West and North West Ontario. Some of them have already started will /estate planning. They are single with small or no family, married with no children, or married couples with successful children. They have been donating to charities regularly or are connected to charitable giving in other ways, like volunteering. They are quite conservative and relationship is very important to them. This audience is into traditional media and listen to classic radio. They search online for real estate or auctions, could use twitter, but mobile phone is regarded as a practical tool rather than entertainment device. This audience are big fans of both water and motor sports. They have high rates for going to community theatres, baseball games and golf events. And personal finance appears to be one of their favorite indoor hobbies. We have chosen this segment because Childrens Health Foundation finds it challenging to steward this type of donors and often, some of the greatest and most transformational gifts to an organization come through bequests and other planned gifts. In Canada, the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce estimates that Canadian boomers are about to inherit approximately $750 billion from their aging relatives over the next decade. Now the baby boomer generation is entering retirement and many are willing to pass on their inheritance to charities rather than to their children. Regional disparities should be taken into consideration as well. Ontario residents expect to get the bigger bequests: 6.4 % look to receive more than $500,000, almost half as many as the 4.4 % across Canada who anticipate receiving such a large inheritance. As the boomer generation ages, it is increasingly crucial for all health care foundations to establish a planned giving strategy, giving donors even more ways to fulfi ll their philanthropic goals and touch the lives of others. The population of people of 55 years of old and over is continuously increasing in London and make up around 35% of its population. Seniors are most likely to donate to health-related charities. Positioning For lifetime Philanthropists, the Childrens Health Foundation is the ultimate way for leaving legacy by providing long lasting value to the most vulnerable part of our society sick children and contribute to our future. Childrens Health Foundation commits to full support for these kids and their families including treatment, rehabilitation, innovative research, financial and legal assistance. Recognition and Stewardship Conventional donor recognition and stewardship model does not work for this type of giving. As planned gifts are revocable, deferred and can be changed by the donor at any time, it is very important that these donors are recognized and thanked systematically. Proposals for planned giving could be shared with the current donor database. Planned gifts can be an important part of most major gift proposals to donors who pledge a specific amount while alive to purchase equipment or help pay for construction. A deferred planned gift can supplement this support by creating a permanent endowment that will provide perpetual support for the same program or building. Planned gift proposal could be incorporated into all charitys fundraising efforts. Donors who establish life income arrangements (charitable trusts, gift annuities), arrange for retained life estates, or donate life insurance policies (all irrevocable) as well as those providing for bequests or naming your charity as a beneficiary of their retirement plans or life insurance policies (revocable) should be nominated for Guardian Circle. The common theme of these donors is their belief that providing for the future of the organization is important and that their funds will be used for a noble cause to help those in need when they will no longer be with us. Donors are becoming philanthropists and investors, and will require different types of information, greater transparency and access to leadership. Which means legacy donors should be provided with Inside Reports on a regular basis or perhaps a personal perspective on something happening at the charity. These should be from someone high in the organization and could be sent on society letterhead to reinforce the feeling of belonging to a community of special donors. It is important to meet them face to face and as often as a donor deems necessary. Small tokens of appreciation could be sent on regular basis: crafts made by kids, maybe some tickets to a classical music concert given by sponsor or other type of gift received on the basis of partnership with for profit organizations. There is no cost involved and shows that these donors are being though off. Planned gift donors should be invited into every fundraising event to make sure Childrens Health Foundation has as many touch points with these donors without forcing unnatural interactions like compulsory monthly calls. To keep a database of their birthdays or anniversaries, their children or grandchildren birthdays or other events (exotic holiday, wedding, someone is sick) to make sure that these donors and their families receive a card or follow up phone call (with no ask) on these occasions. Greeting cards could be prepared by kids. It is a very personalized attention, that shows the donor that you care and remember. In this way, it is possible to involve all the family in philanthropic activities and potentially increase donations from other sources. Board members could organize a yearly lunch or dinner evening only for this type of donors to discuss in more detail the struggles and plans of the foundations. The cost of such a dinner could as well be a gift from a restaurant to the Childrens Health Foundation if arranged. Every planned gift donor should have an opportunity to have a tour of the facilities, to speak with researchers and employees of the hospitals at least once, so they would get a feeling of how they can contribute to the cause rather than just see the numbers on the paper. This would help them to feel more involved. Planned gift donors may as well become monthly donors to assist in covering some immediate needs or vice versa, so while maintaining an ongoing relationship it is important to leverage different opportunities and to offer them to the donor as an option. Planned gift donors should have contact details of their main contact in the foundation should he have any questions. All their problems should be resolved in a timely and effective manner. Donors should be publicly recognized to the greatest extent theyll allow, which, would help make planned giving more accessible to other potential contributors. It would be nice to name a building, garden of the hospital or some other place of the facilities after the name of the legacy leader and honor a person with the largest contribution this way. Media Channels Ad on Classic Radio, TV and magazines, brochures to be handed out at theatre, art galleries, golf events, fundraising events; Twitter, announcements on website, face to face, telephone. creative objective lifetime giving Our basic creative strategy is to position lifetime giving as a vital source of income, enabling Childrens Health Foundation continue making difference for many families lives. creative strategy lifetime giving Target Market INDIVIDUALS Target audience is 40+ years old persons (men and women) with advanced degrees and minimum $100,000 + income per household who have already made at least 3 donations in their lifetime. They are either empty nesters or married couples with university-aged children They have high rates for going to the theatre, symphony, art galleries and the ballet. At home, they read lots of books, listen to classical music radio stations and subscribe to business, news and travel magazines. They are politically active, rank high for working on community projects, serving as volunteers and writing letters to public officials. They also support a long list of philanthropic causes, exercising their well-developed social conscience with both their time and money. They read business and travel publications, watch TV golf shows and jazz festivals. This audience is one of the top clusters for buying financial products. These savvy Canadians invest in virtually every kind of mutual fund available. Positioning For philanthropists, the Childrens Health Foundation is an investment that makes a real difference and offers a priceless return a tremendously improved quality of life of children with severe health issues. Childrens Health Foundation commits to full support for these kids and their families including treatment, rehabilitation, innovative research, financial and legal assistance. CORPORATE Target audience consists of large and mid-size businesses Childrens Health foundation have not cooperated with. These businesses are looking to incorporate philanthropic activities into their brand and culture to raise awareness and increase their brand equity as well as to contribute to their communities. Positioning For socially responsible businesses, investment in Childrens Health Foundation is a most efficient way to make a difference in the lives of their communities, by helping the most vulnerable part of our society children to lead a quality life recovering from life threatening diseases. Childrens Health Foundation commits to full support for these kids and their families including treatment, rehabilitation, innovative research, financial and legal assistance. We have chosen these target markets because middle class is declining and it is increasingly important to retain the loyalty of the donors to ensure steady revenue flow. Corporations is as well an important source of continuous revenue for charities for smooth daily operations. Childrens Health Foundation is currently working on the recognition and stewardship plan and came up with the below thresholds for lifetime giving. Individual $25,000 $99,999 Individual $100,000 $499,999 Individual $500,000 + Corporations $250,000 + Recognition and Stewardship Donor recognition and stewardship program should be aimed to form deep and lasting relationships with the donors, by adopting a long term ongoing mindset rather than to check off a box on a checklist. Conversation should be dynamic and ongoing rather than static. Ideally every level should have a name of the circle who would enjoy the benefits of a specific level of donation. INDIVIDUALS Individual $25,000 $99,999 Give donor a photo frame of the children being helped. To thank them in person if feasible to strengthen the relationship. Develop a stewardship section on the website where all new memberships of the circle are being announced acknowledging the loyalty and support of the new member. A pin of the circle. Invitations to all fundraising events Individual $100,000 $499,999 A painting with colorful handstamps of children of the hospital as an authentic way to say THANK YOU. It should be given in person. Send cards or make a phone call during these birthdays, anniversaries, etc. That way, your donor will know that theyre on the top of your mind. Invitations to all fundraising events. A pin of the circle. Tickets to an art show or complimentary golf rounds received from sponsor so it would not cost anything and donors would feel appreciated. Individual $500,000 + A necklace made by children in the hospital as a thank you gift. A yearly dinner with board members to discuss issues and make the donors feel they are part of the family and get a feeling of what is happening behind the scene. A pin of the circle. Invitations to exclusive events received from sponsors. Send cards or make a phone call during these birthdays, anniversaries, etc. That way, your donor will know that theyre on the top of your mind. Invitations to all fundraising events. A public announcement (if donor agrees). Media Channels Brochures to be handed out in art galleries, theatres, symphonies, fundraising events; ads in business and travel magazines; TV golf shows or jazz festivals; email, face to face, website, Twitter, LinkedIn. CORPORATIONS $250,000 + At the completion of a project or campaign, provide them with a small photo book that showcases the project from inception to completion. A photo book is tangible evidence of how their dollars were spent and serves as a constant reminder of the organization. When creating the photo book, we should be certain to select results-oriented pictures that are tied to your cause and show the impact our organization makes. Highlight a donor on the website or with newsletter. Include why they are such an important part of your organizations family. Honor major donors that stand out with a personalized plaque. A 2 to 5 minute thank you video to publicly recognize them through social media and promote your organization to other potential supporters. Use social media provide the chance to recognize donors in a regular and ongoing way. Media Channels Face to Face, telephone, brochures, email. creative objective individual giving/millennials Our creative strategy is to position Childrens Health Foundation as a cause that invites our young generation to participate and therefore, make a difference. creative strategy individual giving/millennials Target Audience is men and women from 18 to 30 years old singles or young families. Their income is not very high as they are still in college/university or working in entry level jobs that do not bring high income. These young, tech-savvy consumers find their entertainment online. They are doing volunteer work in an effort to improve their community. They tend to donate to whatever inspired them at the moment and are looking for causes with social value and alignment to a higher purpose. They want to participate and co-create products as well as for disruption of the status quo in ways that appeal to their sensibilities. This group is very influenced by their peers. < Rainforest Deforestation | Essay Rainforest Deforestation | Essay There are many reasons why the rainforests are disappearing right before our eyes. There are two main causes total deforestation, agriculture and fuel wood collection in dry areas. The main cause of the disappearing forests are logging, mining, industrial development and large dams. Tourism is also a large threat in deforestation. They all play a major part in the degradation of all forests. What is logging? Many may ask that question to a forest expert. Logging is simply the cutting down of mature trees for their timber. Large areas of the forest are destroyed only to remove a few of its logs. The heavy equipment used to break through the forest causes even more damage. As the soil is compacted and the trees are cut down by the heavy machines, the chance for the regeneration of the forest decreases significantly. The tracks made by the heavy machinery are a site foe extreme soil disturbance which will eventually erode in heavy rains. Now the lives of all the forests inhabitants are disrupted by the removal of only a few logs. The International Tropical Trade Organization (ITTO), was established in 1988 to regulate the trade of tropical timber, but the amount of logging was insignificant on a world wide scale. Most rainforest timber on the international market is exported to rich countries. There, it is then sold hundreds of times the original price paid to the indigenou s people whose forest have been plundered. The timber is then used for the production of doors, wood frames, crates, house hold utensils, and other items. The next cause of deforestation is agriculture, the shifted cultivators, cash crops, and cattle ranching. The term shifted cultivators is commonly used for the people who have moved into the rainforest and established small scale farms. These people are landless peasants who followed roads into the damaged areas of the forests. Shifted cultivators are being blamed for 60% of tropical forest lost. The reason they are called shifted cultivators is that they are forced to move off of their own land and move into the forest which they had no knowledge in order to sustain themselves and their families. After a time these farmers encounter the same problems as the cash crop farmers do. The foil does not stay fertile for a long time, so they are forced to move or shift again to a new area in the forest destroying it more and more. Its evident that shifted cultivators have become part of the destruction of the rainforests but not the cause. Undisturbed areas of the rainforests are being clea red in order to provide land for food crops and grazing cattle. Much of these crops are grown to be exported to rich industrialized countries, which leaves the poor population to go hungry and fend for their selves. Because of the delicate nature of the rainforest soil the productivity of cash crops grown declines after a few years. Mono-culture plantations are those that produce only one species of tree or type of food. The reason they are referred to as cash crops is that the only reason they are planted is simply to make money and make it fast, with very little concern about the environmental damage they are causing. Most cases involve cattle damage, the cattle damage the land to such an extent where the ranchers have no use for it anymore, they move on destroying more and more of the rainforest. The forest is not the only thing being destroyed; cattle ranchers have exploited the land leaving it barren and stripped of nutrients not being able to sustain any life at all. The third cause of deforestation is fuel wood, fuel wood is used for heating and cooking. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 1.5 to 2 billion worldwide rely on fuel wood for many purposes. The problem is worse in drier regions of the tropics. A solution will probably mean the return of the forest to local people who know how to control it. Another cause is the production of large dams, in India and South America millions of acres of forests are being destroyed by the building of these large hydro-electric dams. It was a dominant view that hydro-electric dams had to be built or these countries would suffer from am energy crisis. The construction of the dams not only destroys the forests but also displaces the tens of thousands of families, not only destroying their land, but also their culture. The rates of waterborne diseases increase significantly. The downstream ecosystems are destroyed by the dams which trap the silt, trapping many valuable nutrients. The irrigation and industrial projects that are powered by these dams lead to extensive environmental damage in the future. The irrigation leads to destruction of soils and the industry leads to pollution. Mining and industry is the fifth cause of rainforest destruction. Mining and Industrial development lead to direct forest loss due to the clearing out of land to establish projects. Roads are built through unattainable land, which then opens up the rainforest. This later causes sever water, air, and land pollution. One more being the Colonization Schemes, government and international aid agencies for a time believed that by encouraging the colonization and the trans-migration schemes into the rainforest, they could improve the poverty felt by the people of the financially poor countries. It has become obvious that such schemes have failed numerous times, hurting the indigenous people and the environment. These schemes involved the relocation of millions of families into over populated parts or the forest. For example, in Indonesia, the Transmigration program begun in 1974. it is believed to be the greatest forest lost in Indonesia, directly causing an average loss of 200,000 hectares. These people suffered the same problem as the shifted cultivators did. The soil was not fertile enough, which made them move into another part of the forest destroying more land that was originally intended. The last cause is tourism, the creation of national parks has unquestionably protects rainforests. Though national parks are open to the public, the tourism is damaging most if these areas. National Parks are often advertised to vacationers before sufficient management plans have been developed. Insufficient financial support is to be paid for the preservation of forests by government departments. These government departments see tourism as an easy way to make money, therefore tourism is highly encouraged. Ecotourism or environmentally friendly tourism should educate the tourists to be more environmentally aware. Unfortunately many companies and resorts that advertise themselves as being ecotourist establishments are only exploiting the land for a profit. In conclusion we all have a part in destroying the rainforests; whether it be by logging, mining, industrial development, agriculture, or tourism. In order to make the world a better place for everyone to live in we all must come together and protect what we are destroying. Without the rainforests there wouldnt be oxygen and without oxygen there will be no way for any for of life to survive. So I ask how important are the rainforests to you?

Customer Satisfaction Research on Bank

Customer Satisfaction Research on Bank CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 COMPANY PROFILE HDFC bank was founded in august 1994. It was among the first companies to receive an ‘in principle’ approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to set up a branch in the private sector. The bank operated as a commercial bank under the liberalization policies of RBI. In February 2000, this bank experienced a merger with Times Bank owned by The Times Group (Bennett Coleman co.). This was the first merger between two private banks in India. 1 share of HDFC Bank was received by shareholder of Times bank for every 5.75 shares of their own. HDFC bank acquired Centurion Bank of Punjab on 23 May 2008 taking its total branches to more than 1000. The amalgamated bank came out with a base of Rs. 1, 22,000 crores and net advances of about Rs. 89,000 crores. HDFC Bank Limited provides banking as well as various financial services to different corporations, and middle upper income customers in India. The bank operates through three main divisions which are wholesale banking, retail banking, and treasury operations. HDFC also provides services like credit cards, debit cards, third party distribution, investment advisory services, card and automated teller machine (ATM) acquiring transactions, and depositary services. Foreign exchange and derivative products is provided by the treasury division. The bank also provides telephone banking, Net Banking, Internet banking, and mobile telephone banking services.It is the largest bank in India by market capitalization as of 24 February 2014. On January 2 2014, the market cap value of HDFC was found to be USD 27.00B, as compared to the credit Suisse group with USD 48.00B. It was promoted by the housing development finance corporation, a premier housing finance company of India set up in 1977. Some of the latest achievement of HDFC bank are: Table 1.1: Achievements of 2014 and 2013. 2014 Asiamoney Best of Best Domestic Banks-India. 2014 Dun Bradstreet- Mannapuram Finance Limited Corporate Award 2014 Best corporate in Banking Sector. 2013 Asiamoney Best domestic bank in India. Best local cash management bank in India. 2013 Institute for development and research in banking technology awards Best bank- managing IT risks. Best bank- best IT team. 2013 Businessworld Best bank in India. OBJECTIVE OF THE REPORT To study the satisfaction received by the customer form HDFC staff as well as technical staff in Noida region, Uttar Pradesh, India. To study the areas in which the customer from this particular region invest in. To know the problems faced by the customers. CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Research design: Exploratory design has been selected as data has been collected from questionnaire as well as direct contact to understand the satisfaction level of the customer and to study the areas in which these customers prefer to invest their money. 3.2 Data Collection Method: Most of the data has collected from secondary sources whereas for conduct of research the primary data has been collected through a structured questionnaire wherein a total of 120 respondents took part out of which only 100 have been taken into consideration inorder to reduce the error. This data collected is from Noida region only and has been collected according to the convenience of the researcher. 3.3 Sampling The study mainly deals with the satisfaction of the customer in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. The required data was collected through a pretested questionnaire administered on a combination of convenience andjudgment sample of 100 individual investors. Judgment sample selection isdue to the time. Respondents were screened and inclusion was purely on the basis of their knowledge about financial organizations, HDFC in particular. This was necessary, because the questionnaire presumed awareness of some basic terminology used in these organizations. The purpose of the survey was to understand where the interest of the customer lies when investing in these organizations depending on various like satisfaction, awareness level. Sample of the questionnaire is given in Annex. A. 3.4 Instruments Used: The primary data was collected through a structured questionnaire by interactions with investors through telephone and through emails. 3.5 Analysis: After the data collection, it was compiled, classified and tabulated manually with the help of the computer. CHAPTER 4: INTERPRETATION AND FINDINGS Why you chose HDFC? The survey was conducted to see whether the customers are happy with the service provided by the bank. The study is given below Graph 4.1 It was revealed that the customers were highly satisfied by the communication (80%) followed by the problem solving capabilities (75.24%) of the staff. The customers were not much satisfied by the reliability of this organization. Interpretation: the bank should focus on its ability to perform well consistently and increase responsiveness to attract more customers. Analysis of investors preference The survey was conducted to capture investor objective for investment in financial instruments, reveals the following. Graph 4.2 Most of the investors invest money for the purpose of future welfare followed by high growth, so company should suggest those instruments which have a positive return for their investment which will help in fulfilling both the objectives. Customers reasons for being a part of this organization Customers were asked about the reasons because of which they became a part of this organization, the study showed a following results. Pie chart 4.3 From the study it was found that 25% people joined this organization because of the image, 25% people because of the extra services and 45% mainly because of the normal services provided by them whereas only 5% joined this bank because of all the above factors. Best service provided by the bank This was done to get an idea of the service most liked/preferred by the customers. The result showed, Table 1.2 Service Respondents % of respondents Savings a/c 33 33% Fixed deposits 40 40% Current a/c 12 12% Demat a/c 0 0% Credit cards 0 0% Mutual funds 10 10% Loans 5 5% Graph 4.4 According to the results, the customers find fixed deposit to be the best service provided, followed by savings and currents a/c. not even a single customer opted for demat a/c or credit cards. Perception about the services of the bank The customers were given three choices and the result was recorded to know the problems with the services and how to solve them in order to provide better services from the next time. Table 1.3 Response No of respondents % of respondents Good 35 35% Average 55 55% Poor 10 10% Graph 4.5 The result clearly shows that 55 % found the service to be average whereas 35 % found to be good. The remaining 10% found the service to be poor. Satisfied with the dealing of bank officials. Dealing with the customer plays an important role in the organization and to check it, a report has been made. The results show, Table 1.4 Response No of respondents % of respondents Yes 30 30% No 25 25% To some extend 45 45% Pie chart 4.6 The pie charts shows that maximum customers were satisfied by the dealing to some extend whereas 30% were completely satisfied. Only 25% were not satisfied and asked to make appropriate changes. Problems faced regarding the bank? Table 1.5 Response No of respondents % of respondents timeliness 78 78% Customer relationship 12 12% infrastructure 10 10% others 0 0% Graph 4.7 Most of the customers face a problem with the timeliness (78%), whereas only 12 % and 10% people face problems with customer relationship and infrastructure respectively. Will you recommend this bank to any of your friends? Table 1.6 Response No of respondents % of respondents Very unlikely 8 8% Somewhat unlikely 30 30% Neither likely nor unlikely 17 17% Somewhat likely 35 35% Very likely 10 10% Pie chart 4.8 According to the result, around 40% of the people agreed to recommend this bank to their friends whereas 25 refused to do so. Rate HDFC bank in maintaining good customer relationship Table 1.7 Respondents No of respondents % of respondents Good 20 20% Average 57 57% Poor 23 23% Graph 4.9 The result shows perfectly that the customers found the service to be average in terms of customer relations. Overall satisfaction rating with HDFC Table 1.8 Respondents No of respondents % of respondents Very dissatisfied 2 2% Somewhat dissatisfied 9 9% Neutral 21 21% Somewhat satisfied 48 48% Very satisfied 20 20% Graph 5.0 Review from customers show that 48% are somewhat satisfied whereas 21 percent are neutral about the satisfaction level. Only 2% and 9% customer were very and somewhat dissatisfied respectively. 4.1 Findings Majority of the customers are satisfied with the service provided. Majority of the customers found the services to be average. They also found that the respondents are average in maintaining good customer relations. Majority of the customers are facing the problem of timeliness. The perception of the majority of the customers is good and are satisfied with the services and were ready to recommend the products of the bank. Majority of the customers are interested in fixed deposits, savings a/c, and mutual funds. Majority of the customers are satisfied with the dealing of the bank officials. The most important point is that, services provided by the banks attract customers. CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 5.1 Suggestions More stress should be given on advertisement and promotional activities. Banks should improve the efforts to make good relationship with the customers. Enhancing their services should also be an important task. Procedures should be made less time consuming. Banks should inform their customers about their extra services. 5.2 Limitations The research was carried out in a short period of 6 weeks because of which simple random and judgemental sampling is used. Limited sample size (100). The information might be biased because the information collected is given by the customer which doesn’t have any proof and depends upon different customers according to their satisfaction level. 5.3 Conclusion At the end I would like to conclude by saying that the Indian banking market is growing at an astonishing rate. HDFC bank have a network of 1142 branches and 3295 automated teller machines in 528 cities in India. The majority of customers are satisfied but the bank should target the unsatisfied customers. Even though the customers are aware about the services, the bank should try to create more awareness among people. HDFC should use printing as well as other media to do so. Formalities should be reduced to a minimum level as the customers feel irritated and the whole process becomes a burden on them. BIBLIOGRAPHY www.google.com www.hdfcbank/products/finance www.iloveindia.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDFC_Bank http://www.slideshare.net/ankurshrivastava3762/customer-satisfaction-level-in-hdfc-bank http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2002-11-16/news/27339334_1_sanjay-ralhan-primus-and-american-express-auto-finance ANNEXURE ANNEXURE 1: Questionnaire NAME ________________ AGE ___________________ GENDER_______________ OCCUPATION______________ EMAIL_________________ ADDRESS__________________ Why you chose HDFC? Resolve problems Communications Reliability Responsiveness What are your investment objective in HDFC bank? High income Stable income Future welfare Tax benefit High growth Reasonable income Retirement protection What are the reasons that attract you to be a customer? Image Services Products All of the above Best service provided by the bank are? Savings a/c Fixed deposit Current a/c Demat a/c Credit cards Insurance Mutual funds Loans What are your perceptions about the services of the banks? Good Average Poor Are you satisfied with the dealing of the bank officials? Yes No To some extend Any problems you are facing regarding the bank? Timeliness Customer relationship Infrastructure All of the above How likely are you to recommend the services to your friend or family? Very unlikely Somewhat unlikely Neutral Somewhat likely Very likely How will you rate HDFC bank in maintaining customer relationship? Good Average Poor What is your overall satisfaction with the company? Very dissatisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Neutral Somewhat satisfied Very satisfied

Big Fun in BookWorld: Jasper Fforde’s The Well of Lost Plots :: Essays Papers

Big Fun in BookWorld: Jasper Fforde’s The Well of Lost Plots The Well of Lost Plots is a highly entertaining romp through the strange, yet mostly familiar world from the imagination (and extensive reading list) of Jasper Fforde. This is the third book in a series that continues to grow. In the first two books, The Eyre Affair and Lost in a Good Book, our heroine Thursday Next is a literary detective for the Special Operations Network (or SpecOps) of the British Police Force. She verifies the authenticity of rare books and manuscripts, investigates thefts and other criminal behavior, and looks into anything out of the ordinary related to the literary world. Thursday Next’s world is our world – with a few twists. Due to the invention of time travel, and subsequent disruptions of the time line, things have turned out a little different in Thursday’s mid-1980’s England. For instance, when the series begins England is still fighting the Crimean War. This world is a strange mixture of high-tech and no-tech. The airplane was never invented, nor apparently needed. But mega-corporations such as the sinister and omnipresent Goliath Corporation engage in genetic experiments that, among other things, reintroduce from extinction both the Dodo bird and Neanderthal man. In The Eyre Affair Thursday discovers that she has an unexpected talent – she can read herself into books. She discovers BookWorld, the world behind the world of fiction, where characters from literature have lives beyond the pages of their books. In Lost in a Good Book Thursday becomes an agent for Jurisfiction, the agency that keeps order in BookWorld. She is recruited by Miss Havisham (yes, from Dickens’ Great Expectations) and, in addition to retrieving a former enemy from Poe’s The Raven, she manages to save all life on earth from turning into a gooey pink sludge. In The Well of Lost Plots, the third book of the series, Thursday is living in BookWorld hiding out from the Goliath Corporation and hoping to find some peace and quiet. What she finds instead is bureaucracy, politics, intrigue, and a messy underworld; all of which fuel the creative process of fiction writing. When Jurisfiction agents start dying in freak accidents, Thursday begins an investigation that leads her to uncover corruption at the highest levels in BookWorld. This series is the embodiment of metafiction, which The American Heritage Dictionary, 4th Edition (http://www.dictionary.com) defines as â€Å"fiction that deals, often playfully and self-referentially, with the writing of fiction or its conventions.

What Ethical Responsibility Does the United States Have to Provide Heal

The subject of illegal immigration coupled with the concern of the growing number of illegal immigrants in the United States has been a long standing national debate. A single finite definition of the term â€Å"illegal immigrant† has proven difficult to specify. For the purposes of this paper, I will use the term â€Å"undocumented immigrant† defined as an individual who has â€Å"entered the United States illegally or violated the terms of their residency status† (Chan, Scott, Krishel, Bramwell, and Clark, 2006). Over the years there has been a growing debate as to whether or not the United States should provide health care services to undocumented immigrants. Those siding against providing health care services for undocumented immigrants deem that those individuals which reside in the United Stated illegally have no right to be in the country; therefore they should not have a rightful claim to health care benefits. Those on the opposing side arguing for the proposition of providing healthcare services to these undocumented individuals consider that access to health care is a basic human right; therefore the United States cannot ethically deny undocumented immigrants health care services. The question at large is what ethical responsibility does the United States have to provide health care to undocumented immigrants, if any? Case Study Human Migration is not uncommon and dates back to the beginning of human existence. Over the years, individuals have migrated for various reasons, most linked to economic, political and natural factors. A number of individuals will depart, or emigrate, from their initial location to another location that promises opportunity or improved economic or social prospects for themselves or... ...earson. Mohanty, S. A., Wollhandler, S., Himmelstein, D. U., Pati, S., Carrasquillo, O., & Bor, D. H. (2005). Health care expenditures of immigrants in the United States: A nationally representative analysis. In American Journal of Public Health, 95(8), 1431-1438. Okie, S. (2007). Immigrants and health care: at the intersection of two broken systems. In The New England Journal of Medicine, 357(6), 525-529. Retrieved from http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp078113 Rhodes, J. (2005, August). Mentoring immigrant youth. In Mentor: National Mentoring Partnership. Retrieved March 2, 2012, from http://www.mentoring.org/downloads/mentoring_1318.pdf Wolf, R. (2008, January 22). Rising health care sosts put focus on illegal immigrants. In USA Today. Retrieved March 6, 2012, from http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-01-21-immigrant-healthcare_N.htm What Ethical Responsibility Does the United States Have to Provide Heal The subject of illegal immigration coupled with the concern of the growing number of illegal immigrants in the United States has been a long standing national debate. A single finite definition of the term â€Å"illegal immigrant† has proven difficult to specify. For the purposes of this paper, I will use the term â€Å"undocumented immigrant† defined as an individual who has â€Å"entered the United States illegally or violated the terms of their residency status† (Chan, Scott, Krishel, Bramwell, and Clark, 2006). Over the years there has been a growing debate as to whether or not the United States should provide health care services to undocumented immigrants. Those siding against providing health care services for undocumented immigrants deem that those individuals which reside in the United Stated illegally have no right to be in the country; therefore they should not have a rightful claim to health care benefits. Those on the opposing side arguing for the proposition of providing healthcare services to these undocumented individuals consider that access to health care is a basic human right; therefore the United States cannot ethically deny undocumented immigrants health care services. The question at large is what ethical responsibility does the United States have to provide health care to undocumented immigrants, if any? Case Study Human Migration is not uncommon and dates back to the beginning of human existence. Over the years, individuals have migrated for various reasons, most linked to economic, political and natural factors. A number of individuals will depart, or emigrate, from their initial location to another location that promises opportunity or improved economic or social prospects for themselves or... ...earson. Mohanty, S. A., Wollhandler, S., Himmelstein, D. U., Pati, S., Carrasquillo, O., & Bor, D. H. (2005). Health care expenditures of immigrants in the United States: A nationally representative analysis. In American Journal of Public Health, 95(8), 1431-1438. Okie, S. (2007). Immigrants and health care: at the intersection of two broken systems. In The New England Journal of Medicine, 357(6), 525-529. Retrieved from http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp078113 Rhodes, J. (2005, August). Mentoring immigrant youth. In Mentor: National Mentoring Partnership. Retrieved March 2, 2012, from http://www.mentoring.org/downloads/mentoring_1318.pdf Wolf, R. (2008, January 22). Rising health care sosts put focus on illegal immigrants. In USA Today. Retrieved March 6, 2012, from http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-01-21-immigrant-healthcare_N.htm

Practical Demonkeeping Chapter 19-20

19 JENNY'S HOUSE Jenny parked the Toyota behind Travis's Chevy and killed the lights. â€Å"Well?† Travis said. Jenny said, â€Å"Would you like to come in?† â€Å"Well.† Travis acted as if he had to think about it. â€Å"Yes, I'd love to.† â€Å"Give me a minute to go in and clear a path, okay?† â€Å"No problem, I need to check on something in my car.† â€Å"Thanks.† Jenny smiled with relief. They got out of the car. Jenny went into the house. Travis leaned against the door of the Chevy and waited for her to get inside. Then he threw open the car door and peeked inside. Catch was sitting on the passenger side, his face stuck in a comic book. He looked up at Travis and grinned. â€Å"Oh, you're back.† â€Å"Did you play the radio?† â€Å"No way.† â€Å"Good. It's wired into the battery directly; it'll drain the current.† â€Å"Didn't touch it.† Travis glanced at the suitcase on the backseat. â€Å"Keep an eye on that.† â€Å"You got it.† Travis didn't move. â€Å"Is there something wrong?† â€Å"Well, you're being awfully agreeable.† â€Å"I told you, I'm just glad to see you having a good time.† â€Å"You may have to stay the night in the car. You aren't hungry, are you?† â€Å"Get a grip, Travis. I just ate last night.† Travis nodded. â€Å"I'll check on you later, so stay here.† Travis closed the car door. Catch jumped to his feet and watched over the dashboard while Travis went into the house. Ironically, they were both thinking the same thing: in a little while this will all be over. Catch coughed and a red spiked heel shot out of his mouth and bounced off the windshield, spattering the glass with hellish spit. Robert had parked his truck a block away from his old house and walked up, hoping and dreading that he would catch Jenny with another man. As he approached the house, he saw the old Chevy parked in front of her Toyota. He had run through this scene a hundred times in his mind. Walk out of the dark, catch her with the guy, and shout â€Å"Ah ha!† Then things got sketchy. What was the point? He didn't really want to catch her at anything. He wanted her to come to the door with tears streaming down her cheeks. He wanted her to throw her arms around him and beg him to come home. He wanted to assure her that everything would be fine and forgive her for throwing him out. He had run that scene through his mind a hundred times as well. After they made love for the third time, things got sketchy. The Chevy was not part of his preconceived scenes. It was like a preview, a teaser. It meant that someone was in the house with Jenny. Someone who, unlike Robert, had been invited. New scenes ran through his mind: knocking on the door, having Jenny answer, looking around her shoulder to see another man sitting on the couch, and being sent away. He couldn't stand that. It was too real. Maybe it wasn't a guy at all. Maybe it was one of the women from the coven who had stopped over to comfort Jenny in her time of need. Then the dream came back to him. He was tied to a chair in the desert again, watching Jenny make love with another man. The little monster was shoving saltines in his mouth. Robert realized he had been standing in the middle of the street staring at the house for several minutes, torturing himself. Just be adult about it. Go up and knock on the door. If she is with someone else, just excuse yourself and come back later. He felt an ache rising in his chest at the thought. No, just walk away. Go back to The Breeze's trailer and call her tomorrow. The thought of another night alone with his heartbreak increased the ache in his chest. Robert's indecision had always angered Jenny. Now it was paralyzing him. â€Å"Just pick a direction and go, Robert,† she would say. â€Å"It can't be any worse than sitting here pitying yourself.† But it's the only thing I'm good at, he thought. A truck rounded the corner and started slowly to roll up the street. Robert was galvanized into action. He ran to the Chevy and ducked behind it. I'm hiding in front of my own house. This is silly, he thought. Still, it was as if anyone who passed would know how small and weak he was. He didn't want to be seen. The truck slowed almost to a stop as it passed the house, then the driver gunned the engine and sped off. Robert stayed in a crouch behind the Chevy for several minutes before he moved. He had to know. â€Å"Just pick a direction and go.† He decided to peek in the windows. There were two windows in the living room, about six feet off the ground. Both were old-style, weighted-sash types. Jenny had planted geraniums in the window boxes outside. If the window boxes were strong enough, he could hoist himself up and peek through the gap in the drawn curtains. Spying on your own wife was sleazy. It was dirty. It was perverse. He thought about it for a moment, then made his way across the yard to the windows. Sleazy, dirty, and perverse would be improvements over how he felt now. He grabbed the edge of the window box and tested his weight against it. It held. He pulled himself up, hooked his chin on the window box, and peered through the gap in the curtains. They were on the couch, facing away from him: Jenny and some man. For a moment he thought Jenny was naked, then he saw the thin straps of her black dress. She never wore that dress anymore. It gave out the wrong kind of message, she used to say, meaning it was too sexy. He stared at them in fascination, caught by the reality of his fear like a deer caught in car headlights. The man turned to say something to Jenny, and Robert caught his profile. It was the guy from the nightmare, the guy he had seen in the Slug that afternoon. He couldn't look any longer. He lowered himself to the ground. A knot of sad questions beat at him. Who was this guy? What was so great about this guy? What does he have that I don't? Worst of all, how long has this been going on? Robert stumbled away from the house toward the street. They were sitting in his house, on his couch – the couch he and Jenny had saved up to buy. How could she do that? Didn't everything in the house remind her of their marriage? How could she sit on his couch with some other man? Would they screw in his bed? The ache rose up in his chest at the thought, almost doubling him over. He thought about trashing the guy's car. It was pretty trashed already, though. Flatten the tires? Break the windshield? Piss in the gas tank? No, then he would have to admit to spying. But he had to do something. Maybe he could find something in the car that would tell him who this home wrecker was. He peered through the Chevy's windows. Nothing much to see: a few fast-food wrappers, a comic book on the front seat, and a Haliburton suitcase on the backseat. Robert recognized it immediately. He used to carry his four-by-five camera in the same model suitcase. He had sold the camera and given the suitcase to The Breeze for rent. Was this guy a photographer? One way to find out. He hesitated, his hand on the car door handle. What if the guy came out while Robert was rummaging through the car? What would he do? Fuck it. The guy was rummaging through his life, wasn't he? Robert tried the door. It was unlocked. He threw it open and reached in. 20 EFFROM He was a soldier. Like all soldiers, in his spare moments he was thinking of home and the girl who waited for him there. He sat on a hill looking out over the rolling English countryside. It was dark, but his eyes had adjusted during his long guard duty. He smoked a cigarette and watched the patterns the full moon made on the hills when the low cloud cover parted. He was a boy, just seventeen. He was in love with a brown-haired, blue-eyed girl named Amanda. She had down-soft hair on her thighs that tickled his palms when he pushed her skirt up around her hips. He could see the autumn sun on her thighs, even though he was staring over the spring-green hills of England. The clouds opened and let the moon light up the whole countryside. The girl pulled his pants down around his knees. The trenches were only four days away. He took a deep drag on the cigarette and stubbed it out in the grass. He let the smoke out with a sigh. The girl kissed him hard and wet and pulled him down on her. A shadow appeared on the distant hill, black and sharply defined. He watched the shadow undulate across the hills. It can't be, he thought. They never fly under a full moon. But the cloud cover? He looked in the sky for the airship but could see nothing. It was silent except for the crickets singing sex songs. The countryside was still but for the shadow. He lost the vision of the girl. Everything was the huge, cigar-shaped shadow moving toward him, silent as death. He knew he should run, sound the alarm, warn his friends, but he just sat, watching. The shadow eclipsed the moonlight and he shivered, the airship was directly over him. He could just hear the engines as it passed. Then he was bathed in moonlight, the shadow behind him. He had survived. The airship had held its bellyful of death. Then he heard the explosions begin behind him. He turned and watched the flashes and fires in the distance, listened to the screams, as his friends at the base woke to find themselves on fire. He moaned and curled into a ball, flinching each time a bomb exploded. Then he woke up. There was no justice; Effrom was sure of it. Not an iota, not one scintilla, not a molecule of justice in the world. If there was justice, would he be plagued by nightmares from the war? If there was any justice would he be losing sleep over something that had happened over seventy years ago? No, justice was a myth, and it had died like all myths, strangled by the overwhelming reality of experience. Effrom was too uncomfortable to mourn the passing of justice. The wife had put the flannel sheets on the bed to keep him cozy and warm in her absence. (They still slept together after all those years; it never occurred to them to do any different.) Now the sheets were heavy and cold with sweat. Effrom's pajamas clung to him like a rain-blown shroud. After missing his nap, he had gone to bed early to try to recapture his dreams of spandex-clad young women, but his subconscious had conspired with his stomach to send him a nightmare instead. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he could feel his stomach bubbling away like a cannibal's caldron, trying to digest him from the inside out. To say that Effrom was not a particularly good cook was an understatement akin to saying that genocide is not a particularly effective public relations strategy. He had decided that Tater Tots would provide as good a meal as anything, without challenging his culinary abilities. He read the cooking instructions carefully, then did some simple mathematics to expedite the preparation: twenty minutes at 375 degrees would mean only eleven minutes at 575 degrees. The results of his calculation resembled charcoal briquettes with frozen centers, but because he was in a hurry to get to bed, he drowned the suffering Tots in catsup and ate them anyway. Little did he know that their spirits would return carrying nightmare images of the zeppelin attack. He had never been so frightened, even in the trenches, with bullets flying overhead and mustard gas on the wind. That shadow moving silently across the hills had been the worst. But now, sitting on the edge of the bed, he felt the same paralyzing fear. Though the dream was fading, instead of the relief of finding himself safe, at home, in bed, he felt he had awakened into something worse than the nightmare. Someone was moving in the house. Someone was thrashing around like a two-year-old in a pan-rattling contest. Whoever it was, was coming through the living room. The house had a wooden floor and Effrom knew its every squeak and creak. The creaks were moving up the hall. The intruder opened the bathroom door, two doors from Effrom's bedroom. Effrom remembered the old pistol in his sock drawer. Was there time? Effrom shook off his fear and hobbled to the dresser. His legs were stiff and wobbly and he nearly fell into the front of the dresser. The floor was creaking outside the guest bedroom. He heard the guest room door open. Hurry! He opened the dresser drawer and dug around under his socks until he found the pistol. It was a British revolver he had brought home from the war – a Webley, chambered for.45 automatic cartridges. He broke the pistol open like a shotgun and looked into the cylinders. Empty. Holding the gun open, he dug under his socks for the bullets. Three cartridges were held in a plate of steel shaped like a half-moon so the pistol's six cylinders could be loaded in two quick motions. The British had developed the system so they could use the same rimless cartridges in their revolvers that the Americans used in their Colt automatics. Effrom located one of the half-moon clips and dropped it into the pistol. Then he started searching for the sound. The doorknob of his room started to turn. No time. He flipped the gun upward and it slammed shut, only half loaded. The door slowly started to swing open. Effrom aimed the Webley at the center of the door and pulled the trigger. The gun clicked, the hammer fell on an empty chamber. He pulled the trigger again and the gun fired. Inside the small bedroom the gun's report sounded like the end of the world. A large, ragged hole appeared in the door. From the hall came the high-pitched scream of a woman. Effrom dropped the gun. For a moment he stood there, gunfire and the scream echoing in his head. Then he thought of his wife. â€Å"Oh my God! Amanda!† He ran forward. â€Å"Oh my God, Amanda. Oh my†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He threw the door open, leapt back, and grabbed his chest. The monster was down on its hands and knees. His arms and head filled the doorway. He was laughing. â€Å"Fooled you, fooled you,† the monster chanted. Effrom backed into the bed and fell. His mouth moved like wind-up chatter dentures, but he made no sound. â€Å"Nice shot, old fella',† the monster said. Effrom could see the squashed remains of the.45 bullet just above the monster's upper lip, stuck like an obscene beauty mark. The monster flipped the bullet off with a single claw. The heavy slug thudded on the carpet. Effrom has having trouble breathing. His chest was growing tighter with each breath. He slid off the bed to the floor. â€Å"Don't die, old man. I have questions for you. You can't imagine how pissed I'll be if you die now.† Effrom's mind was a white blur. His chest was on fire. He sensed someone talking to him, but he couldn't understand the words. He tried to speak, but no words would come. Finally he found a breath. â€Å"I'm sorry, Amanda. I'm sorry,† he gasped. The monster crawled into the room and laid a hand on Effrom's chest. Effrom could feel the hand, hard and scaly, through his pajamas. He gave up. â€Å"No!† the monster shouted. â€Å"You will not die!† Effrom was no longer in the room. He was sitting on a hill in England, watching the shadow of death floating toward him across the fields. This time the zeppelin was coming for him, not the base. He sat on the hill and waited to die. I'm sorry, Amanda. â€Å"No, not tonight.† Who said that? He was alone on the hill. Suddenly he became aware of a searing pain in his chest. The shadow of the airship began to fade, then the whole English countryside dissolved. He could hear himself breathing. He was back in the bedroom. A warm glow filled his chest. He looked up and saw the monster looming over him. The pain in his chest subsided. He grabbed one of the monster's claws and tried to pry it from his chest, but it remained fast, not biting into the flesh, just laid upon it. The monster spoke to him: â€Å"You were doing so good with the gun and everything. I was thinking, ‘This old fuck really has some gumption.' Then you go and start drooling and wheezing and ruining a perfectly good first impression. Where's your self-respect?† Effrom felt the warmth on his chest spreading to his limbs. His mind wanted to switch off, dive under the covers of unconsciousness and hide until daylight, but something kept bringing him back. â€Å"Now, that's better, isn't it?† The monster removed his hand and backed to the corner of the bedroom, where he sat cross-legged looking like the Buddha of the lizards. His pointy ears scraped against the ceiling when he turned his head. Effrom looked at the door. The monster was perhaps eight feet away from it. If he could get through it, maybe†¦ How fast could a beast that size move in the confines of the house? â€Å"Your jammies are all wet,† the monster said. â€Å"You should change or you'll catch your death.† Effrom was amazed at the reality shift his mind had made. He was accepting this! A monster was in his house, talking to him, and he was accepting it. No, it couldn't be real. â€Å"You're not real,† he said. â€Å"Neither are you,† the monster retorted. â€Å"Yes I am,† Effrom said, feeling stupid. â€Å"Prove it,† the monster said. Effrom lay on the bed thinking. Much of his fear had been replaced by a macabre sense of wonder. He said: â€Å"I don't have to prove it. I'm right here.† â€Å"Sure,† the monster said, incredulously. Effrom climbed to his feet. Upon rising he realized that the creak in his knees and the stiffness he had carried in his back for forty years were gone. Despite the strangeness of this situation, he felt great. â€Å"What did you do to me?† â€Å"Me? I'm not real. How could I do anything?† Effrom realized he had backed himself into a metaphysical corner, from which the only escape was acceptance. â€Å"All right,† he said, â€Å"you're real. What did you do to me?† â€Å"I kept you from croaking.† Effrom made a connection at last. He had seen a movie about this: aliens who come to Earth with the power to heal. Granted, this wasn't the cute little leather-faced, lightbulb-headed alien from the movie, but it was no monster. It was a perfectly normal person from another planet. â€Å"So,† Effrom said, â€Å"do you want to use the phone or something?† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"To phone home. Don't you want to phone home?† â€Å"Don't play with me, old man. I want to know why Travis was here this afternoon.† â€Å"I don't know anyone named Travis.† â€Å"He was here this afternoon. You spoke with him – I saw it.† â€Å"You mean the insurance man? He wanted to talk to my wife.† The monster moved across the room so quickly that Effrom almost fell back on the bed to avoid him. His hopes of making it through the door dissolved in an instant. The monster loomed over him. Effrom could smell his fetid breath. â€Å"He was here for the magic and I want it now, old man, or I'll hang your entrails from the curtain rods.† â€Å"He wanted to talk to the wife. I don't know nothin' about any magic. Maybe you should have landed in Washington. They run things from there.† The monster picked Effrom up and shook him like a rag doll. â€Å"Where is your wife, old man?† Effrom could almost hear his brain rattling in his head. The monster's hand squeezed the breath out of him. He tried to answer, but all he could produce was a pathetic croak. â€Å"Where?† The monster threw him on the bed. Effrom felt the air burn back into his lungs. â€Å"She's in Monterey, visiting our daughter.† â€Å"When will she be back? Don't lie. I'll know if you are lying.† â€Å"How will you know?† â€Å"Try me. Your guts should go well with this decor.† â€Å"She'll be home in the morning.† â€Å"That's enough,† the monster said. He grabbed Effrom by the shoulder and dragged him through the door. Effrom felt his shoulder pop out of its socket and a grinding pain flashed across his chest and back. His last thought before passing out was, God help me, I've killed the wife.