Saturday, August 31, 2019

The Twilight Saga 4: Breaking Dawn 6. DISTRACTIONS

My entertainment became the number-one priority on isle Esme. We snorkeled (well, I snorkeled while he flaunted his ability to go without oxygen indefinitely). We explored the small jungle that ringed the rocky little peak. We visited the parrots that lived in the canopy on the south end of the island. We watched the sunset from the rocky western cove. We swam with the porpoises that played in the warm, shallow waters there. Or at least I did; when Edward was in the water, the porpoises disappeared as if a shark was near. I knew what was going on. He was trying to keep me busy, distracted, so I that wouldn't continue badgering him about the sex thing. Whenever I tried to talk him into taking it easy with one of the million DVDs under the big-screen plasma TV, he would lure me out of the house with magic words like coral reefs and submerged caves and sea turtles. We were going, going, going all day, so that I found myself completely famished and exhausted when the sun eventually set. I drooped over my plate after I finished dinner every night; once I'd actually fallen asleep right at the table and he'd had to carry me to bed. Part of it was that Edward always made too much food for one, but I was so hungry after swimming and climbing all day that I ate most of it. Then, full and worn out, I could barely keep my eyes open. All part of the plan, no doubt. Exhaustion didn't help much with my attempts at persuasion. But I didn't give up. I tried reasoning, pleading, and grouching, all to no avail. I was usually unconscious before I could really press my case far. And then my dreams felt so real – nightmares mostly, made more vivid, I guessed, by the too-bright colors of the island – that I woke up tired no matter how long I slept. About a week or so after we'd gotten to the island, I decided to try compromise. It had worked for us in the past. I was sleeping in the blue room now. The cleaning crew wasn't due until the next day, and so the white room still had a snowy blanket of down. The blue room was smaller, the bed more reasonably proportioned. The walls were dark, paneled in teak, and the fittings were all luxurious blue silk. I'd taken to wearing some of Alice's lingerie collection to sleep in at night – which weren't so revealing compared to the scanty bikinis she'd packed for me when it came right down to it. I wondered if she'd seen a vision of why I would want such things, and then shuddered, embarrassed by that thought. I'd started out slow with innocent ivory satins, worried that revealing more of my skin would be the opposite of helpful, but ready to try anything. Edward seemed to notice nothing, as if I were wearing the same ratty old sweats I wore at home. The bruises were much better now – yellowing in some places and disappearing altogether in others – so tonight I pulled out one of the scarier pieces as I got ready in the paneled bathroom. It was black, lacy, and embarrassing to look at even when it wasn't on. I was careful not to look in the mirror before I went back to the bedroom. I didn't want to lose my nerve. I had the satisfaction of watching his eyes pop open wide for just a second before he controlled his expression. â€Å"What do you think?† I asked, pirouetting so that he could see every angle. He cleared his throat. â€Å"You look beautiful. You always do.† â€Å"Thanks,† I said a bit sourly. I was too tired to resist climbing quickly into the soft bed. He put his arms around me and pulled me against his chest, but this was routine – it was too hot to sleep without his cool body close. â€Å"I'll make you a deal,† I said sleepily. â€Å"I will not make any deals with you,† he answered. â€Å"You haven't even heard what I'm offering.† â€Å"It doesn't matter.† I sighed. â€Å"Dang it. And I really wanted†¦ Oh well.† He rolled his eyes. I closed mine and let the bait sit there. I yawned. It took only a minute – not long enough for me to zonk out. â€Å"All right. What is it you want?† I gritted my teeth for a second, fighting a smile. If there was one thing he couldn't resist, it was an opportunity to give me something. â€Å"Well, I was thinking†¦ I know that the whole Dartmouth thing was just supposed to be a cover story, but honestly, one semester of college probably wouldn't kill me,† I said, echoing his words from long ago, when he'd tried to persuade me to put off becoming a vampire. â€Å"Charlie would get a thrill out of Dartmouth stories, I bet. Sure, it might be embarrassing if I can't keep up with all the brainiacs. Still†¦ eighteen, nineteen. It's really not such a big difference. It's not like I'm going to get crow's feet in the next year.† He was silent for a long moment. Then, in a low voice, he said, â€Å"You would wait. You would stay human.† I held my tongue, letting the offer sink in. â€Å"Why are you doing this to me?† he said through his teeth, his tone suddenly angry. â€Å"Isn't it hard enough without all of this?† He grabbed a handful of lace that was ruffled on my thigh. For a moment, I thought he was going to rip it from the seam. Then his hand relaxed. â€Å"It doesn't matter. I won't make any deals with you.† â€Å"I want to goto college.† â€Å"No, you don't. And there is nothing that is worth risking your life again. That's worth hurting you.† â€Å"But I do want to go. Well, it's not college as much as it's that I want – I want to be human a little while longer.† He closed his eyes and exhaled through his nose. â€Å"You are making me insane, Bella. Haven't we had this argument a million times, you always begging to be a vampire without delay?† â€Å"Yes, but†¦ well, I have a reason to be human that I didn't have before.† â€Å"What's that?† â€Å"Guess,† I said, and I dragged myself off the pillows to kiss him. He kissed me back, but not in a way that made me think I was winning. It was more like he was being careful not to hurt my feelings; he was completely, maddeningly in control of himself. Gently, he pulled me away after a moment and cradled me against his chest. â€Å"You are so human, Bella. Ruled by your hormones.† He chuckled. â€Å"That's the whole point, Edward. I like this part of being human. I don't want to give it up yet. I don't want to wait through years of being a blood-crazed newborn for some part of this to come back to me.† I yawned, and he smiled. â€Å"You're tired. Sleep, love.† He started humming the lullaby he'd composed for me when we first met. â€Å"I wonder why I'm so tired,† I muttered sarcastically. â€Å"That couldn't be part of your scheme or anything.† He just chuckled once and went back to humming. â€Å"For as tired as I've been, you'd think I'd sleep better.† The song broke off. â€Å"You've been sleeping like the dead, Bella. You haven't said a word in your sleep since we got here. If it weren't for the snoring, I'd worry you were slipping into a coma.† I ignored the snoring jibe; I didn't snore. â€Å"I haven't been tossing? That's weird. Usually I'm all over the bed when I'm having nightmares. And shouting.† â€Å"You've been having nightmares?† â€Å"Vivid ones. They make me so tired.† I yawned. â€Å"I can't believe I haven't been babbling about them all night.† â€Å"What are they about?† â€Å"Different things – but the same, you know, because of the colors.† â€Å"Colors?† â€Å"It's all so bright and real. Usually, when I'm dreaming, I know that I am. With these, I don't know I'm asleep. It makes them scarier.† He sounded disturbed when he spoke again. â€Å"What is frightening you?† I shuddered slightly. â€Å"Mostly †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I hesitated. â€Å"Mostly?† he prompted. I wasn't sure why, but I didn't want to tell him about the child in my recurring nightmare; there was something private about that particular horror. So, instead of giving him the full description, I gave him just one element. Certainly enough to frighten me or anyone else. â€Å"The Volturi,† I whispered. He hugged me tighter. â€Å"They aren't going to bother us anymore. You'll be immortal soon, and they'll have no reason.† I let him comfort me, feeling a little guilty that he'd misunderstood. The nightmares weren't like that, exactly. It wasn't that I was afraid for myself – I was afraid for the boy. He wasn't the same boy as that first dream – the vampire child with the bloodred eyes who sat on a pile of dead people I loved. This boy I'd dreamed of four times in the last week was definitely human; his cheeks were flushed and his wide eyes were a soft green. But just like the other child, he shook with fear and desperation as the Volturi closed in on us. In this dream that was both new and old, I simply had to protect the unknown child. There was no other option. At the same time, I knew that I would fail. He saw the desolation on my face. â€Å"What can I do to help?† I shook it off. â€Å"They're just dreams, Edward.† â€Å"Do you want me to sing to you? Ill sing all night if it will keep the bad dreams away.† â€Å"They're not all bad. Some are nice. So†¦ colorful. Underwater, with the fish and the coral. It all seems like it's really happening – I don't know that I'm dreaming. Maybe this island is the problem. It's really bright here.† â€Å"Do you want to go home?† â€Å"No. No, not yet. Can't we stay awhile longer?† â€Å"We can stay as long as you want, Bella,† he promised me. â€Å"When does the semester start? I wasn't paying attention before.† He sighed. He may have started humming again, too, but I was under before I could be sure. Later, when I awoke in the dark, it was with shock. The dream had been so very real†¦ so vivid, so sensory†¦. I gasped aloud, now, disoriented by the dark room. Only a second ago, it seemed, I had been under the brilliant sun. â€Å"Bella?† Edward whispered, his arms tight around me, shaking me gently. â€Å"Are you all right, sweetheart?† â€Å"Oh,† I gasped again. Just a dream. Not real. To my utter astonishment, tears overflowed from my eyes without warning, gushing down my face. â€Å"Bella!† he said – louder, alarmed now. â€Å"What's wrong?† He wiped the tears from my hot cheeks with cold, frantic fingers, but others followed. â€Å"It was only a dream.† I couldn't contain the low sob that broke in my voice. The senseless tears were disturbing, but I couldn't get control of the staggering grief that gripped me. I wanted so badly for the dream to be real. â€Å"It's okay, love, you're fine. I'm here.† He rocked me back and forth, a little too fast to soothe. â€Å"Did you have another nightmare? It wasn't real, it wasn't real.† â€Å"Not a nightmare.† I shook my head, scrubbing the back of my hand against my eyes. â€Å"It was a good dream.† My voice broke again. â€Å"Then why are you crying?† he asked, bewildered. â€Å"Because I woke up,† I wailed, wrapping my arms around his neck in a chokehold and sobbing into his throat. He laughed once at my logic, but the sound was tense with concern. â€Å"Everything's all right, Bella. Take deep breaths.† â€Å"It was so real,† I cried. â€Å"I wanted it to be real.† â€Å"Tell me about it,† he urged. â€Å"Maybe that will help.† â€Å"We were on the beach. †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I trailed off, pulling back to look with tear-filled eyes at his anxious angel's face, dim in the darkness. I stared at him broodingly as the unreasonable grief began to ebb. â€Å"And?† he finally prompted. I blinked the tears out of my eyes, torn. â€Å"Oh, Edward †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Tell me, Bella,† he pleaded, eyes wild with worry at the pain in my voice. But I couldn't. Instead I clutched my arms around his neck again and locked my mouth with his feverishly. It wasn't desire at all – it was need, acute to the point of pain. His response was instant but quickly followed by his rebuff. He struggled with me as gently as he could in his surprise, holding me away, grasping my shoulders. â€Å"No, Bella,† he insisted, looking at me as if he was worried that I'd lost my mind. My arms dropped, defeated, the bizarre tears spilling in a fresh torrent down my face, a new sob rising in my throat. He was right – I must be crazy. He stared at me with confused, anguished eyes. â€Å"I'm s-s-s-orry,† I mumbled. But he pulled me to him then, hugging me tightly to his marble chest. â€Å"I can't, Bella, I can't!† His moan was agonized. â€Å"Please,† I said, my plea muffled against his skin. â€Å"Please, Edward?† I couldn't tell if he was moved by the tears trembling in my voice, or if he was unprepared to deal with the suddenness of my attack, or if his need was simply as unbearable in that moment as my own. But whatever the reason, he pulled my lips back to his, surrendering with a groan. And we began where my dream had left off. I stayed very still when I woke up in the morning and tried to keep my breathing even. I was afraid to open my eyes. I was lying across Edward's chest, but he was very still and his arms were not wrapped around me. That was a bad sign. I was afraid to admit I was awake and face his anger – no matter whom it was directed at today. Carefully, I peeked through my eyelashes. He was staring up at the dark ceiling, his arms behind his head. I pulled myself up on my elbow so that I could see his face better. It was smooth, expressionless. â€Å"How much trouble am I in?† I asked in a small voice. â€Å"Heaps,† he said, but turned his head and smirked at me. I breathed a sigh of relief. â€Å"I am sorry,† I said. â€Å"I didn't mean†¦ Well, I don't know exactly what that was last night.† I shook my head at the memory of the irrational tears, the crushing grief. â€Å"You never did tell me what your dream was about.† â€Å"I guess I didn't – but I sort of showed you what it was about.† I laughed nervously. â€Å"Oh,† he said. His eyes widened, and then he blinked. â€Å"Interesting.† â€Å"It was a very good dream,† I murmured. He didn't comment, so a few seconds later I asked, â€Å"Am I forgiven?† â€Å"I'm thinking about it.† I sat up, planning to examine myself – there didn't seem to be any feathers, at least. But as I moved, an odd wave of vertigo hit. I swayed and fell back against the pillows. â€Å"Whoa†¦ head rush.† His arms were around me then. â€Å"You slept for a long time. Twelve hours.† â€Å"Twelve?†How strange. I gave myself a quick once-over while I spoke, trying to be inconspicuous about it. I looked fine. The bruises on my arms were still a week old, yellowing. I stretched experimentally. I felt fine, too. Well, better than fine, actually. â€Å"Is the inventory complete?† I nodded sheepishly. â€Å"The pillows all appear to have survived.† â€Å"Unfortunately, I can't say the same for your, er, nightgown.† He nodded toward the foot of the bed, where several scraps of black lace were strewn across the silk sheets. â€Å"That's too bad,† I said. â€Å"I liked that one.† â€Å"I did, too.† â€Å"Were there any other casualties?† I asked timidly. â€Å"I'll have to buy Esme a new bed frame,† he confessed, glancing over his shoulder. I followed his gaze and was shocked to see that large chunks of wood had apparently been gouged from the left side of the headboard. â€Å"Hmm.† I frowned. â€Å"You'd think I would have heard that.† â€Å"You seem to be extraordinarily unobservant when your attention is otherwise involved.† â€Å"I was a bit absorbed,† I admitted, blushing a deep red. He touched my burning cheek and sighed. â€Å"I'm really going to miss that.† I stared at his face, searching for any signs of the anger or remorse I feared. He gazed back at me evenly, his expression calm but otherwise unreadable. â€Å"How are you feeling?'7 He laughed. â€Å"What?† I demanded. â€Å"You look so guilty – like you've committed a crime.† â€Å"I feel guilty,† I muttered. â€Å"So you seduced your all-too-willing husband. That's not a capital offense.† He seemed to be teasing. My cheeks got hotter. â€Å"The word seduced implies a certain amount of premeditation.† â€Å"Maybe that was the wrong word,† he allowed. â€Å"You're not angry?† He smiled ruefully. Tm not angry.† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"Well. . .† He paused. â€Å"I didn't hurt you, for one thing. It was easier this time, to control myself, to channel the excesses.† His eyes flickered to the damaged frame again. â€Å"Maybe because I had a better idea of what to expect.† A hopeful smile started to spread across my face. â€Å"I told you that it was all about practice.† He rolled his eyes. My stomach growled, and he laughed. â€Å"Breakfast time for the human?† he asked. â€Å"Please,† I said, hopping out of bed. I moved too quickly, though, and had to stagger drunkenly to regain my balance. He caught me before I could stumble into the dresser. â€Å"Are you all right?† â€Å"If I don't have a better sense of equilibrium in my next life, I'm demanding a refund.† I cooked this morning, frying up some eggs – too hungry to do anything more elaborate. Impatient, I flipped them onto a plate after just a few minutes. â€Å"Since when do you eat eggs sunny-side up?† he asked. â€Å"Since now.† â€Å"Do you know how many eggs you've gone through in the last week?† He pulled the trash bin out from under the sink – it was full of empty blue cartons. â€Å"Weird,† I said after swallowing a scorching bite. â€Å"This place is messing with my appetite.† And my dreams, and my already dubious balance. â€Å"But I like it here. Well probably have to leave soon, though, won't we, to make it to Dartmouth in time? Wow, I guess we need to find a place to live and stuff, too.† He sat down next to me. â€Å"You can give up the college pretense now – you've gotten what you wanted. And we didn't agree to a deal, so there are no strings attached.† I snorted. â€Å"It wasn't a pretense, Edward. I don't spend my free time plotting like some people do. What can we do to wear Bella out today?† I said in a poor impression of his voice. He laughed, unashamed. â€Å"I really do want a little more time being human.† I leaned over to run my hand across his bare chest. â€Å"I have not had enough.† He gave me a dubious look. â€Å"For this?† he asked, catching my hand as it moved down his stomach. â€Å"Sex was the key all along?† He rolled his eyes. â€Å"Why didn't i think of that?† he muttered sarcastically. â€Å"I could have saved myself a lot of arguments.† I laughed. â€Å"Yeah, probably.† â€Å"You are so human,† he said again. â€Å"I know.† A hint of a smile pulled at his lips. â€Å"We're going to Dartmouth? Really?† â€Å"I'll probably fail out in one semester.† â€Å"I'll tutor you.† The smile was wide now. â€Å"You're going to love college.† â€Å"Do you think we can find an apartment this late?† He grimaced, looking guilty. â€Å"Well, we sort of already have a house there. You know, just in case.† â€Å"You bought a house?† â€Å"Real estate is a good investment.† I raised one eyebrow and then let it go. â€Å"So we're ready, then.† â€Å"I'll have to see if we can keep your ‘before' car for a little longer___† â€Å"Yes, heaven forbid I not be protected from tanks.† He grinned. â€Å"How much longer can we stay?† I asked. â€Å"We're fine on time. A few more weeks, if you want. And then we can visit Charlie before we go to New Hampshire. We could spend Christmas with Renee___† His words painted a very happy immediate future, one free of pain for everyone involved. The Jacob-drawer, all but forgotten, rattled, and i amended the thought – for almost everyone. This wasn't getting any easier. Now that I'd discovered exactly how good being human could be, it was tempting to let my plans drift. Eighteen or nineteen, nineteen or twenty†¦ Did it really matter? I wouldn't change so much in a year. And being human with Edward†¦ The choice got trickier every day. â€Å"A few weeks,† I agreed. And then, because there never seemed to be enough time, I added, â€Å"So I was thinking – you know what I was saying about practice before?† He laughed. â€Å"Can you hold on to that thought? I hear a boat. The cleaning crew must be here.† He wanted me to hold on to that thought. So did that mean he was not going to give me any more trouble about practicing? I smiled. â€Å"Let me explain the mess in the white room to Gustavo, and then we can go out. There's a place in the jungle on the south – â€Å" â€Å"I don't want to go out. i am not hiking all over the island today. I want to stay here and watch a movie.† He pursed his lips, trying not to laugh at my disgruntled tone. â€Å"All right, whatever you'd like. Why don't you pick one out while I get the door?† â€Å"I didn't hear a knock.† He cocked his head to the side, listening. A half second later, a faint, timid rap on the door sounded. He grinned and turned for the hallway. I wandered over to the shelves under the big TV and started scanning through the titles. It was hard to decide where to begin. They had more DVDs than a rental store. I could hear Edward's low, velvet voice as he came back down the hall, conversing fluidly in what I assumed was perfect Portuguese. Another, harsher, human voice answered in the same tongue. Edward led them into the room, pointing toward the kitchen on his way. The two Brazilians looked incredibly short and dark next to him. One was a round man, the other a slight female, both their faces creased with lines. Edward gestured to me with a proud smile, and I heard my name mixed in with a flurry of unfamiliar words. I flushed a little as I thought of the downy mess in the white room, which they would soon encounter. The little man smiled at me politely. But the tiny coffee-skinned woman didn't smile. She stared at me with a mixture of shock, worry, and most of all, wide-eyed fear. Before I could react, Edward motioned for them to follow him toward the chicken coop, and they were gone. When he reappeared, he was alone. He walked swiftly to my side and wrapped his arms around me. â€Å"What's with her?† I whispered urgently, remembering her panicked expression. He shrugged, unperturbed. â€Å"Kaure's part Ticuna Indian. She was raised to be more superstitious – or you could call it more aware – than those who live in the modern world. She suspects what I am, or close enough.† He still didn't sound worried. â€Å"They have their own legends here. The Libishomen – a blood-drinking demon who preys exclusively on beautiful women.† He leered at me. Beautiful women only? Well, that was kind of flattering. â€Å"She looked terrified,† I said. â€Å"She is – but mostly she's worried about you.† â€Å"Me?† â€Å"She's afraid of why I have you here, all alone.† He chuckled darkly and then looked toward the wall of movies. â€Å"Oh well, why don't you choose something for us to watch? That's an acceptably human thing to do.† â€Å"Yes, I'm sure a movie will convince her that you're human.† I laughed and clasped my arms securely around his neck, stretching up on my tiptoes. He leaned down so that I could kiss him, and then his arms tightened around me, lifting me off the floor so he didn't have to bend. â€Å"Movie, schmovie,† I muttered as his lips moved down my throat, twisting my fingers in his bronze hair. Then I heard a gasp, and he put me down abruptly. Kaure stood frozen in the hallway, feathers in her black hair, a large sack of more feathers in her arms, an expression of horror on her face. She stared at me, her eyes bugging out, as I blushed and looked down. Then she recovered herself and murmured something that, even in an unfamiliar language, was clearly an apology. Edward smiled and answered in a friendly tone. She turned her dark eyes away and continued down the hall. â€Å"She was thinking what I think she was thinking, wasn't she?† I muttered. He laughed at my convoluted sentence. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Here,† I said, reaching out at random and grabbing a movie. â€Å"Put this on and we can pretend to watch it.† It was an old musical with smiling faces and fluffy dresses on the front. â€Å"Very honeymoonish,† Edward approved. While actors on the screen danced their way through a perky introduction song, I lolled on the sofa, snuggled into Edward's arms. â€Å"Will we move back into the white room now?† I wondered idly. â€Å"I don't know†¦. I've already mangled the headboard in the other room beyond repair – maybe if we limit the destruction to one area of the house, Esme might invite us back someday.† I smiled widely. â€Å"So there will be more destruction?† He laughed at my expression. â€Å"I think it might be safer if it's premeditated, rather than if I wait for you to assault me again.† â€Å"It would only be a matter of time,† I agreed casually, but my pulse was racing in my veins. â€Å"Is there something the matter with your heart?† â€Å"Nope. Healthy as a horse.† I paused. â€Å"Did you want to go survey the demolition zone now?† â€Å"Maybe it would be more polite to wait until we're alone. You may not notice me tearing the furniture apart, but it would probably scare them.† In truth, I'd already forgotten the people in the other room. â€Å"Right. Drat.† Gustavo and Kaure moved quietly through the house while I waited impatiently for them to finish and tried to pay attention to the happily-ever-after on the screen. I was starting to get sleepy – though, according to Edward, I'd slept half the day – when a rough voice startled me. Edward sat up, keeping me cradled against him, and answered Gustavo in flowing Portuguese. Gustavo nodded and walked quietly toward the front door. â€Å"They're finished,† Edward told me. â€Å"So that would mean that we're alone now?† â€Å"How about lunch first?† he suggested. I bit my lip, torn by the dilemma. I was pretty hungry. With a smile, he took my hand and led me to the kitchen. He knew my face so well, it didn't matter that he couldn't read my mind. â€Å"This is getting out of hand,† I complained when I finally felt full. â€Å"Do you want to swim with the dolphins this afternoon – burn off the calories?† he asked. â€Å"Maybe later. I had another idea for burning calories.† â€Å"And what was that?† â€Å"Well, there's an awful lot of headboard left – â€Å" But I didn't finish. He'd already swept me up into his arms, and his lips silenced mine as he carried me with inhuman speed to the blue room.

Principles of managing information and producing documents Essay

Assessment You should use this file to complete your Assessment. The first thing you need to do is save a copy of this document, either onto your computer or a disk Then work through your Assessment, remembering to save your work regularly When you’ve finished, print out a copy to keep for reference Then, go to www.vision2learn.com and send your completed Assessment to your tutor via your My Study area – make sure it is clearly marked with your name, the course title and the Unit and Assessment number. Please note that this Assessment document has 5 pages and is made up of 4 Sections. Name: Sylvia Pratt Section 1 – Understand the purpose of information technology in a business environment 1. In relation to your current business environment (or one that you are familiar with), identify at least two different types of information technology that may be used when completing work tasks. The two different information technologies used are: 1. Spreadsheet 2. Word Processing 2. What are the benefits to businesses (and others) of using information technology for doing work tasks? Spreadsheet provides accurate calculation Section 2 – Understand how to manage electronic and paper-based information 1. Explain the purpose of agreeing objectives and deadlines when researching information. If possible, refer to specific examples from research tasks you have worked on to support your answer. 2. Identify the different ways of researching, organising and reporting information. 3a) For your own organisation (or one you know well), describe the procedures that need to be followed when archiving, retrieving and deleting information. Your answer should cover procedures for both electronic and paper-based information. 3b) When following the procedures outlined in Question 3a above, are there any legal requirements to consider? 4. Why is confidentiality critical when managing information? Section 3 – Understand the purpose of producing documents that are fit for purpose 1. Identify at least two reasons for producing documents that are fit for purpose. 2. Use the table below to describe some of the different types and styles of documents that are produced in a business environment, and then explain when these different options may be used. Documents When they are used Section 4 – Know the procedures to be followed when producing documents 1. In most organisations, time is taken to agree the purpose, content, layout, quality standards and deadlines for the production of documents. What are the reasons for doing this level of planning? 2. Businesses will spend time checking finished documents for accuracy and correctness. a) How is this done? b) Why is this done? 3. Explain the purpose of following confidentiality and data protection procedures when preparing documents. 4. In business environments, there is often a requirement to use notes as the basis for text and documents. a) Compare the different types of documents that can be produced from notes and include a description of the format of each document. b) Explain the procedures to be followed when preparing text from notes. Once you have completed all 4 Sections of this Assessment, go to www.vision2learn.com and send your work to your tutor for marking.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Biological Psychology Essay

Biological psychology, also known as biopsychology and psychobiology, is the field of research in psychology that gives emphasis on the use of principles of biology in explaining mental processes and behavior. It emerged as a scientific discipline in the 18th and 19th centuries when philosophers like Rene Descartes proposed physical models to explain animal and human behavior as opposed to subjective, semi-mystical approach that flourished during his time. Some of the Nobel Prize winners who are considered as biological psychologists include Charles Sherrington (1932), George Wald (1967), Konrad Lorenz (1973), David H. Hubel (1981), Eric R. Kandel (2000), and Linda B. Buck (2004). Sherrington and Adrian shared the 1932 Nobel Prize in Physiology for their discoveries that had something to do with how the neurons work. Sherrington postulated his â€Å"law of reciprocal innervation† stating that every neural activation in a muscle is inhibited by an opposing muscle. Adrian on the other hand accidentally discovered the presence of electricity with nerve cells in 1928. Wald is best known for his work with pigments in the retina. Lorenz won the 1973 Nobel Prize together with Niko Tinbergen and Karl von Frisch for their discoveries concerning behavior patterns of individuals and groups. Hubel and Torsten Wiesel shared the 1981 Nobel Prize â€Å"for their discoveries concerning information processing in the visual system.†Ã‚   Kandel won the 2000 Nobel Prize for â€Å"his research on the physiological basis of memory storage in neurons.† Buck is best known for her work on the olfactory system. Information about biological psychology can have wide applications in my everyday life. Through researches on biology applied in psychology, I am able to know more about mental processes and how I behave according to different conditions or stimuli. I am also able to understand psychological abnormalities and learn how to respond to such abnormalities. References Klein, S. B. (2007). Biological Psychology. New York, NY: Worth Publishers

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Security in New Generation Cell Phones Research Paper

Security in New Generation Cell Phones - Research Paper Example Technology in every new generation provides major improvements from the previous generations. In the cellular communications, there was first the 1G and 2G generations. These generations contributed to the provision of the internet for the mobile phones through the 3G dominated the scene. The third generation cell phone internet had advancements that made it stand up from the earlier versions of 1G and 2G. The 3G had the capacity to converge voice and the data with the wireless internet. This makes it suitable for transmitting data in high quantities. Additionally, migration towards the 4G technology has been witnessed. Regardless of these processes and developments, the security of cell phone remains paramount. Ensuring the security of the cell phones The continuity in the manufacturing and distribution of cell phones leads to the rise in the security risks in different ways. Users of electronic gadgets like cell phones should be more concerned about their safety. Lately, electronic devices such as the Apple’s iPhone latest version and the Google’s Android have committed themselves to the manufacturing and development of cell phones with 3G networks so that they possess the same features and functions of computers. Although this promotes great conveniences, it also comes with severe security risks. Both the new and future generations of cell phones require the setting up and update of security software. This software includes firewalls, anti-virus software, operating system patches, anti-spam software, file encryption, and the anti-spyware software. This requires the observance of the basic home computer internet safety and guidelines. The revolution in the field of information technology has enabled most financial institutions to adopt mobile banking technologies to enlarge their customer bases. Cell phones users are required to conduct their business and financial transactions online. As a result, they will need to store their login passwords w ith the information pertaining to their credit card and personal details. With this trend, there will be more cases of online fraud, identity theft, more spam, digital forgery, data theft, and any other cyber crimes. Besides, it can also lead to the denial of disseminated service attack. This has the risk of disabling the network service supplier. Additionally, cell phones are prone to theft based on their portability compared to desktop computers. Since most theft cases occur unexpectedly, a cell phone user can lose a lot of information and data stored in the mobile device. In the event that the mobile device contains business and financial information of the user, the thief can use it to defraud the user of his or her finances. This is a major security concern. Additionally, the new generation cell phones come with applications that display the user’s location and movements. One such application is the opt-in text advertisements that give information on the whereabouts of t he user round the clock. Hacker stalkers can use this information to trail their victims and even do felony acts to them.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Compare and contrast two readings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Compare and contrast two readings - Essay Example Henry David Thoreau is the writer of the seeing literally work and he implies the perspective of seeing and the outcomes of viewing things depends with each person and every other person can see what he or she intends to visualize thus it may be biased. Likewise, Ralph Waldo Emerson is also a writer in the natural literally work thus; a naturalist trying to argue the perception of how we see things should not only be based from what our ancestors had. The past influence, on the beliefs and ideologies are ridiculing whenever we follow what other people had there before since we are more capable of seeing, thinking and discovering things on our own. Emerson argues this since he finds that people are more dependent on the history that they found and want to still follow not because they cannot think but just want to follow the perception. Both are naturalists and are critical thinkers who can also be termed as philosophers as they both argue on the human point of view. In Thoreau’s work, we find that it takes preparation to see things in similar perspectives between two individuals. The more ready one can visualize and use their sight the greater the side of view. For instance, if one was not ready to look at a particular horizon then the existence of some things in the landscape and surroundings will not be evident. It takes the intent to observe and actualize for one to realize the whole range of things and objects that are there. Things can be at a certain place and we rarely see them out of our view though they are not hidden from us. In comparison to Emerson’s, literally work, he thinks that the atmosphere consists of very many stars that shine different rays yet someone can see the atmosphere as being transparent. He also compares to Thoreau work when he states that it takes an open mind to receive the influence of external forces from the universe. In both works therefore, it results to a personal initiative

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Managing Change Master Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Managing Change Master - Case Study Example Also, measures and ways to monitor the change process will be examined. The project will end with an examination of other change management methods that XYZ aught to have used, and the challenges that the organization may face in the foreseeable future spanning from the next five to ten years and possible contingent solutions to these problems. For change to be successful, commitment is vital. According to Kotter, "Most people won't go on the long march unless they see compelling reasons to do so and the reasons are producing expected results". This question addresses the internal and external forces of change affecting XYZ construction Organisational paradigm according to Johnson & Scholes (1997) are those set of assumptions, beliefs which are rarely talked about, which are not considered problematic and most often managers in an organisation are unlikely to be explicit about it. It reflects the collective experience without which members of an organisation would have to do things their own way in different situations they face (Johnson 1992, Johnson &Scholes 1997). According to Dwyer & Kemp (2000:3), "the forces at work in the environment and the organisations capabilities in coping with these, are made sense of in terms of the individual experience of managers and the collective assumptions within the paradigm". Figure one below summarises the cultural web and the organisational paradigm as construed by Johnson and Scholes (1997 Fig. 2.10, p. 69) These assumptions are more commonly observed in conversations, discussions between the different stakeholders in an organisation (Dwyer & Kemp 2000). In some situations assumptions are deeply embedded in an organisation and its' members that it can only be manifested through peoples action (Dwyer & Kemp 2000). In all, these assumptions, ways of doing things are the backbone of the organisation (Johnson 1992, Johnson &Scholes 1997). In XYZ company, the internal factors affecting the change process as deduced from the case include the poor working relationship, less friendly workers who make cooperation and team work difficult, poor management and the autocratic management style of the previous director. The culture and the taken for granted assumptions were at the

Monday, August 26, 2019

Artificial intelligence will never be a safe option to substitute Essay

Artificial intelligence will never be a safe option to substitute human thinking and abilities - Essay Example The computers programs are fast and they have a very good memory compared to that of human beings whose level of intelligence is different. Human beings have an IQ that differs among different individuals while computers use programs that are well designed. This process has achieved some success but not 100% because some of the human thoughts which are basic have not yet been understood by scientists. Turing in 1947 was the first one to research artificial intelligence and discovered that it could only be attained by computer programming and not by manufacturing machines that had an inbuilt artificial intelligence. Human beings have different degrees of intelligence depending on some factors e.g. where they live and other psychological factors. Research on artificial intelligence is still in progress but much has been attained since in the current world, computers are being used to perform some tasks. Researchers have discovered that computers with multiple processors are faster than those with single processors (MacCarthy 2007). Computers are able to play games and still more progress is being made as stated by MacCarthy, the father of artificial intelligence. I strongly support artificial intelligence because it makes solving real life problems quick and easy. Once you feed the computer with the required information, the computer gives the response immediately. Doctors are able to diagnose diseases easily and fast with the use of computers (Copeland 2000). It is easy for computer literate people to use these programs when problem solving. This is because one just chooses an action from the many that are given and then the computer internalizes and gives a solution. A person doesn’t have to be present for an operation to be preformed. Computers only perform the instructed tasks. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage. They cannot perform what they are not instructed to do and therefore, the user obtains the

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Reviewing Mixed Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Reviewing Mixed Methods - Essay Example This statement is the hypothesis. A hypothesis is not always necessary for a study because â€Å"some areas of research are too new to warrant tests of hypotheses or the findings are so mixed that a specific hypothesis is not supported by the literature† (Cengage Learning, 2005b). However, they are a feature of the hypothetico-deductive scientific method. When testing a hypothesis, we do not necessarily predict the outcome of one variable based on a change in another, though this may also be the case. But herein lies the difference between a hypothesis and a prediction because testing a hypothesis can alternatively be concerned for example, with whether or not effects actually occur, whether some treatments have effects on an outcome measure, or groups differ from each other (Cengage Learning, 2005a). In short, a hypothesis concerns â€Å"a testable statement about the relationship between two or more variables† (Gross, 1996), which may or may not be a predictable cause and effect relationship. In factorial designs for example, a hypothesis â€Å"typically involves an interaction between your Ivs† (Cengage Learning, 2005b) i.e. the independent variables. Thus, a hypothesis allows a prediction to be made, but it is not itself a prediction, whereas a prediction is the expected result of an experiment based on a given hypo thesis (Hays, 1999). This distinction between a hypothesis and a prediction is often unclear (Singer, 2007) in students. The accuracy of a prediction related to a hypothesis could give a strong indication that the hypothesis is true (and so the null hypothesis is to be rejected). At the heart of research through hypothesis formation and testing is the drive for scientific exploration. However, when several hypotheses arise together we are dealing with broader theories. Whilst a hypothesis deals with specific sets of phenomena, a theory constructs a framework of plausible rational explanations for the whole phenomena. The general everyday

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Business portfolio. Company Google Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business portfolio. Company Google - Term Paper Example Google was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin whilst studying for their doctorate Stanford University in 1995. However, the company was founded in 1998. The company mainly specializes in Internet-related products and services. These products and services include software, search, online advertising technologies, cloud computing. The company also derives a lot from returns from ads. The company also offers online productivity software including Gmail, as well as a social networking site. The other products offered by the company particularly in the desktop section include web browsing applications, instant messaging, and photo editing. Last but not least, the organization leads the development of the mobile operating system for Android.The mission of Google is mainly to organize the information and make it universally useful and accessible by every person. The company’s initial goal before it diversified to collect all global information and organize it.A good mission and vi sion statement should capture the aspirations of the company and should also indicate where the company wants to go, and along with its core products. In the case of Google, the mission and vision statement does not meet the criteria. This is because it aims to organize information and make it universally available to all people. This kind of mission does not even indicate which kind of information it wanted to organize and how people will access given that not everybody across the world has access to the Internet.

Friday, August 23, 2019

The Federal Registers Executive Order in Public policy Essay

The Federal Registers Executive Order in Public policy - Essay Example The president quoted a number of cases where the discussions on the security issues about Somalia were evident (Obama, 2010). These include the resolutions by United Nations Security Council, which took place between the year 2001 and 2009. The president also quoted the resolutions on US national security and policies on foreign affairs affecting the State, which took place in May 2009 (Obama, 2010). The orders concurred with the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s (OFAC) that dealt with sanctions to specific persons of USA who violated the US foreign-based business procedures. The main target group in this sanction included the following: individuals collaborating with pirates and armed robbers along Somalia coast and those who arm the pirates (Obama, 2010). The order also applies to those threatening the 2008 Djibouti Agreement and Transitional Federal Institutions including African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), and any other threatening persons to peacekeeping missions and humanitarian groups in Somalia (Obama, 2010). Any person who involves himself in offering military training or supplying destructive equipments to the pirates could face seizing of his property in or out of USA (Obama, 2010). The implementation of the order took place immediately the president signed the law. The congress received a letter from the president’s office and made a clarification of the order to the treasury for implementation (Obama, 2010). The report of the order reached OFAC, which issued the list of the affected people to the media houses. The order received a boost from the media housed who announced that the law was in effect immediately after the president’s signature. The media also made the blacklisted list public (Obama, 2010). The order generated confusion among insurance companies and shipping industries. This is because most of the shipping companies have insured their

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Indian Philosophy. What Is Indian Philosophy Essay

Indian Philosophy. What Is Indian Philosophy - Essay Example The main consideration is that, the practical drive of Indian Philosophy is motivated by the view that human life is full of suffering. Human beings suffer in their journey to realize actual truth about their life. Despite of many sufferings, Indian philosophy brings into light the importance of worship and meditation to achieve peace and liberty provided by the Supreme Being. Indian philosophy is strongly spiritual and emphasizes the need of realizing the truth about life. The philosophy aims at achieving the knowledge of truth. It helps human beings to attain instinctive vision of reality and perception of truth, which leads to actual realization. According to Datta (571), Indian philosophy is intimately linked with religious facts. For instance, Indians believe on the fact that existence does not come from non-existence. In other words, there is nothing in this world comes out of nothing. There is a supreme being who is sole cause and source of the universes. This contradicts with Descartes who in his philosophy believed that all philosophy do not start with God’s scripture. Descartes believed that all philosophy should start with the argument â€Å"I think I am†. Descartes assumed that existence occur in the essence of being perfect being without believing in the essence of finite thing. This follows that; the existence of human beings should not be compared with God’s existence. Secondly, most of Indian philosophies are derived from Vedas principles. Basically, these principles explore that just as a seed flourishes one time, human beings have all knowledge to become the best. The Vedas principles guide human beings to live in peace with one another and life in reference with the fear of Supreme Being. The principles guide human beings to live a life that is fulfilling in the spiritual realm. Indian philosophy accepts the principles and authority of Veda. Therefore, human beings are unable to seek realization and truth openly and freel y. This contradicts with the Western philosophers who believe in having complete freedom to do and act the way one wishes. Indian philosophy rejects the notion of doing things as per one’s desires and wishes but as per principles that guide human beings to live in harmony with one another. The nature of man depends on the nature of reality and his destiny. The Indian’s philosophy affirms that man is not an animal or plant, but a spiritual and thinking being set to accomplish his dreams and goals for higher purposes. Human beings should strive to live an integrated life that honours the maker. The accepted position in Indian Philosophy provides steps of obtaining truth to life. First, human beings are encouraged to read and hear the truth from a book or a teacher. Secondly, it is crucial to apply what one has heard or read in search for truth. Thirdly, human beings should meditate on the teachings and truth taught in books or by teachers. Indian philosophy values the co ncept of meditation as one that seize and motivates human beings to have a peace of mind and live in peace with another. According to Datta (571), Indian philosophy depends on direct and mystical experience. Indian philosophy is concerned with norms and values that relate to religion. However, western philosophy relates to the notion of science and nature, and in most cases it is concerned with facts. The doctrine or principle of inwardness is a major concern for Indian philosophy. Specifically, Indian philosophy is mainly concerned with the aspect of changing man’s mind rather than changing the world in which human being live. The whole aspect points out on the importance of changing the mindset to succeed and achieve the best in life. Based on this analysis, one would argue that Indian philosophy

EPA †Policy-making in the Federal System Essay Example for Free

EPA – Policy-making in the Federal System Essay The federal government enacted the Clean Air Act, so as to protect the citizens of the United States. At the same time Congress created the Environmental Protection Agency with its primary role of regulating and the enforcement of environmental policies at the state and tribal levels. A brief history on air pollution, in October 1928 in the industrial town of Donora Pennsylvania a thick cloud formed. This thick cloud lingered for five days, causing sickness in 6,000 and killing 20 of the town’s people. And in 1952, over 3,000 people died in London to what is known as the â€Å"Killer Fog†. These events alerted the federal government to the dangers that can come from air pollution and the public health issues that can arise from pollutants in the air. The original Clean Air Act of 1963 was passed, establishing funding for the study and cleaning of air pollution. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established and began operating on December 2, 1970. The EPA’s primary responsibility is enforcing and regulating the laws, these regulations and laws are for protecting the environment and public health. The EPA is a regulatory agency that Congress has authorizes to write regulation that explains the critical details that are necessary to implement environmental laws. (epa.gov/laws-regulation) The Clean Air Act 42 U.S.C.  §7401 et seq. (1970), regulated air emissions from stationary and mobile sources. With the approval of this Act the EPA was able to establish the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) which regulates emissions of hazardous air pollutants that can harm public health. The Energy Policy Act 42 USC  §13201 et seq. (2005) addressing energy  production in the United States, such as Energy efficiency; Renewable energy; Oil and gas; Coal; Nuclear matters; Vehicles and motor fuels. This Act provides loan guarantees for entities that develop or use inventive was that avoid producing greenhouse gases. Another provision of the Act increases the amount of biofuel that must be mixed with gasoline sold in the United States. (epa.gov/laws-regulation) America’s federal environmental laws set national standards, and on the condition that a state can shoulder the crucial task by enforcing these standards, they do by adopting laws that are as severe as the federal laws. Many states have assumed these responsibilities of enforcing the national standards by giving responsibility of specific programs throughout agencies within the state. The federal government is the overseer that enforces all cases and supervises the states’ activities while also monitoring state and the tribal operations of the Environmental Protection Agency programs. The Environmental Protection Agency supports the states and tribes to achieve effective enforcement and environmental compliance, and maintains support approved state programs through grant funds, and involvement. The Environmental Protection Agencies and state agencies make active efforts to educate the regulated community. A numerous compliance assistance tools have been put in place to help business, industry and state governments to conform to the environmental requirements. Web sites have been developed; hotlines, workshops, compliance training, fact sheets, and additional compliance guidelines are given to the regulated community. The Clean School Bus Program unites businesses, education, transportation, and public health organizations to encourage actions to stop the unnecessary idling of public schools busses. Modifying old schools busses with better emissions control technologies and proving cleaner fuels. The EPA is publishing a proposed rule designed to reduce air pollution, in 2017 the Tier 3 design would set new standards for vehicle emissions criteria and lessen the sulfur found in gasoline. This new rule would reduce tailpipe and evaporative emissions. The lower sulfur gasoline will improve  fuel economy by reducing gas consumption as well as reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Environmental Protection Agency seeks to provide a healthy environment. By partnership-building with states and communities the reduction of environmental pollutants becomes a joint venture. References: Retrieved from: http://www2.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-energy-policy-act Retrieved from: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/documents/tier3/420f13016a.pdf Retrieved from: http://www.epa.gov/air/caa/peg/understand.html

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Rolex Company Analysis

Rolex Company Analysis This report is about the research on a premium product brand on the market. The premium product out team agrees to choose is the Rolex Company product. Rolex Company was the companies that manufactures a high quality hand watch and sells the product to an upper high value to the consumer, Rolex Company also provide technical repair service especially for its product user at different places or facilities due to its different region and its global market or business operations. The objective of Rolex Company is to provide the high and luxury hand watch with innovative technology and design which also promote its brand to a kind of collection item which symbolize as prestige, luxury and high quality. The Vision and mission of Rolex Company was to always put the customer at the first place and make sure that their customer are satisfied with their product and services. Objective Provide the high and luxury hand watch with innovative technology and design and promote its brand to a kind of collection item which symbolize as prestige, luxury and high quality. Vision Mission Statement Always put the customer at the first place. Ensure that their customers are satisfied with their product and services. 2.0.0 Company Summary Rolex is the worlds well known brand in luxury watches. In addition to that, Rolex was included in the luxury watch list of the worlds top brands. It is only brand that able to produce 2000 watches per day and able to earn 3 billion per day. lts brand name , exclusiveness and unique style attract people from all strata of society. 2.1 Background Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law Alfred Davis founded Wilsdorf Davis and signed as WD in the year of 1905 in London, England. Later the name Rolex trademark was registered in 1908 and opened a office in La-Chaux_de-Fond, Switzerland, which was the worlds center for most high quality watch making. The name Rolex in phrase of French were horlogerie exquise which mean exquisite horology. In 1919, the companys headquarters was moved to Geneva, Switzerland, because taxes and export duties in the United Kingdom were driving up costs. The company was first established in Geneva as the Rolex Watch Company. Later, the name changes toÂÂ  Montez Rolex, SAÂÂ  and finally just Rolex, SA. To add on, Rolex was the first company to produce fully waterproof watch (1926), auto-winding watch (1932). 2.2 Company Location Rolex Company split its product and services into two different sections one was the normal direct selling and the other was the service facilities. Until now, The Rolex main headquarter is on Geneva of Switzerland by Rue Francois-Dussaud. In Malaysia are only on Kelantan, Perak, Pulau Pinang, Sabah, Sarawak, and Selangor which the center for direct selling. But there was only one Rolex service center at Malaysia which in Jalan Sultan Ismail at Menara Dion 3.0 Product and services People satisfy their wants and needs with products and services. A product can be provided to a market to satisfy a need or want. Besides that, product include services, which are benefits or activities provided for sale that virtually intangible. Examples include insurance, airline, banking, home repair services and so on. 3.1 Product Description A product is anything that is capable of satisfying customer needs. (David Jobbs) The product was a physical product and took the form of a hand watch. The previous Special edition hand watch manufacture by Rolex Company hand watch model Submarine have evoke a feeling to the customer like a sea because of its blue design on the watch. Rolex Company took the symbol of a crown and places it on its company name to be its brand or logo (figure 1.1) 3.2 Competitive Comparison The Swiss luxury watch making industry is a profitable market. However, new entrants find it difficult to enter the market due to the numerous barriers. In addition to that, there were still many top brands of luxury watches in the market to come up with different styles of watches. Here are some of the top brands and competitors of luxury watches which are famous. Cartier Cartier is a company of the first worldwide luxury watchmaking group and Richemont Compagnie Financiere Group. Cartier enjoys the fame for selling only the first rate quality of jewellery and accessories. Tag Heuer Tag Heuer name has its distinct reputation and status in the world of luxury watches. Furthermore, many Hollywood stars also like to wear Tag Heuer watches. Blancpain Blancpain was founded in 1735 by Jehan Blancpain and is one of the luxury watches in the market. Famous businessmen and celebrities prefer Blancpain watches because Blancopain watches show the exclusiveness and individuality of their personality. 3.3 Supply Demand Details Due to concentrated on its quality and its image, Rolex company supply cannot exceed demand because using the certificate high quality material and qualified craftsmanship to produce each watch will very time taking and some model even required some special technology to produce the model. Refer to the market, this product was considered as inelastic product because increase in price lead to fewer customer to purchase the product. 3.4 Technology needs Rolex has a few series of its watches. There are Automatic Movement, Classic watches, Quartz Movements, Water resistant cases, Collection, Certified Chronometers and Ceramic bezels. Ceramic bezels-The bezel of a watch will exacerbate when exposed to sunlight. Regarding to this issue, Rolex have been motivated to create a unique bezel with a Cerachrom disc. It is essentially scratch-proof and its colour remains unaffected by ultraviolet ray. They are available on the Daytona models, Sea Dweller-Deepsea, Submariner and GMT Master ll. Water-resistant cases- The watch can be survived withstand pressure to a depth of 100m. Classic watches- The classic watches assembled with scrupulous attention to detail and crafted from the first-rate raw materials. 4.0 Market Analysis Market analysis is to understand its evolving threats and opportunities and determine the attractiveness of a market. 4.1 Target Market Segment Strategy Rolex Company using the differentiated Segment by dividing the target market to three group that is normal model, female model, and the special model. These targets also targeting upper high or high social class population because are affordable compare to the lower class. 4.1.1 Industrial Participants / Key Player 1.Rolex 2.Cartier 3.Breitling 4.IWC 5.FranckMuller 6.Blancpain 7.Corum 8.GIRARD-PERREGAUX 9. Audemars Piguet 10. Hublot 4.2 SWOT Analysis Rolex: Strength Brand awareness involves the ability of consumers to remember to the brand name or recognition brand. In the purchase decision, it can play a vital role because people usually like to buy familiar brands. Brand awareness has been calculated by a variety of brands and is available at Annex lV: Brand Awareness. This result shows that Rolex has 97% for awareness. The Rolex brand value is quite high and the name is known around the world. Weakness The strategy has been defined so well but it is hard for the company to change its strategy even how innovative the strategy are. The weakness is that could remain some segments that hard to be achieved on the market. For instance, if the fashion goes to GPS watches, Rolex is hard to changes the strategy because Even they try to change their product to GPS watches, people assume that Rolex to be classic watches. In this case, Rolex would be hard to get a market share of GPS watches Opportunity Rolex brand name is very valuable. It seems that I can be diversified in related fields. Rolex should take the opportunity to open jewelry line over the world. Rolex has the ability to produce jewelry with its technical. Threats The threat of Rolex is youth does not recognize the name of Rolex. Normally, the most mid age people recognize the name of Rolex because most of the segments were set only for mid age people or middle upper social people. Market Need Now days Customers are very concern and picky about on quality on a product especially luxury or premium product or services. To this situation, Rolex Company is very caution on its every product so that will not disappoint the customer and remain the good name of its Company. Other than that, Rolex Company also cautious on its design for every product example what meaning or message want to tell the wearer, or how attractiveness on the customer and probably create a new function technology. 5.0 implementation and strategies 5.1 Marketing strategy The marketing goals of the company are increase awareness of your products and services and increase sales by 150% for next few months. Besides that, the company could use the 5Ps of marketing to achieve its goal. There are product, price, promotion, place and people. After that, the company will test ideas by doing research. The company could done its research through personal interview, survey, e-mail and telephone. 5.2 Pricing Strategy In a nutshell, the Rolex Company could work on value-based pricing structure. Rolex Company will determine the price or value that their consumers willing to buy it. 5.3 Promotion Strategy There are a few ways to promote the company and its products such as advertising, sales promotion and public relation. Those ways able to present information make it clearly to consumers. Furthermore, those ways also able to increase demand and differentiate the products. The company could use advertising as their main components of promotion. Advertising able to spread and present information to people from all strata. The company uses the informative advertising to introducing the new product. Moreover, its objective are telling the market about the new product and building company image. 5.4 Distribution Patterns The company initial focus will be in the China Guang Dong market. There are huge populations and demand strong in China. Such a case, the interest for particular brands is stronger than others in some areas. Omega and Longines got the top two positions in most Chinese provinces. Besides that, the people who live in Guang Dong have preference for Rolex. 5.5 Marketing Program The company could hold the program that retain existing customers and customer retention program. So that, this program able to encourage consumers loyalty and build a strong connection with consumers. This program will uses those social networking to communicate with existing customer and keep updating the information to consumers. 6.0 Web Plan Summary Nowadays, Internet has played an important role in the business. Websites became a dynamic marketing tool for sales. Websites have the ability to build the connection with customers, connection with market partner and connection with the world around us. 6.1 Website Marketing Strategy The use of E-business in Rolex Company. There are intranet, extranets and internet in E-business. Rolex Company creates intranets to help employees able to communicate and to access the information found in the company computers. Furthermore, company should set up the extranet with their supplier to enable information exchange, payments, transactions and orders. The E-commerce able to provide buyers access to comparative information, competitors, products and information about company. Besides that, company could create a marketspaces to offer buyers their products and services online. By using E-marketing, company can communicate about, sell product and services and promote their product over the internet. Company could create or design an attractive website to attract consumer. Creating a website is one thing; getting people to visit the site is another (Marketing an Introduction sixth edition 2003 p99). The important key is to create a good and enough value to get consumers to come to the site , stick around the site and come back again.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Scarcity and the Unlimited Wants of Mankind

Scarcity and the Unlimited Wants of Mankind Introduction In my view, economic is a study of the how the society uses the scarcity of resource to satisfy the needs and wants of people. Different well-known economists have different interpretations of the economic statement. So, economics is not a specific answer and explanation, It is made of various well-known economists to identify the definition and awareness of economic. As we know that, economics is very important to a country, not only country, it also important to people. Body Economics is the study of resources, their scarcity and the unlimited wants of mankind. From this sentence, it was talking about economics is the study of resources, the resources are categories by 4 type of resources. Firstly, the resource of land, the land not only represents a piece of land in a country; the land is containing all the natural resources such as trees, mineral, rivers and etc. Secondly, the resource of labour, the resource of labour is mean that consists of the physical and mental abilities of a worker. The worker able to work according to the job responsibility and job routine, for example of the worker, is engineer, supervisor, manager and so on. Thirdly, the resource of capital, capital refers to goods produced in an economy that are used to produce other goods and services. For example, machines, tools, vehicle and so on. Lastly, entrepreneur, the entrepreneur is mean a person who has to organize resources for production, has an idea and able to introduce new pr oduct or techniques of production. Other than this, the person gains the rewards and bears the risks of such endeavours. An entrepreneurs purpose is bringing innovation and risk-taking. There are 3 basic economic issues which is what goods to produce and in what quantities, how to produce them and for whom to produce them? In these 3 basic economic issues, it will cause the decision making to become many changes as the scarce resources. Besides that, it also will cause the demand changes in the market, it maybe affects the quantities of using the scarcity of resources. In this case, we may choose the most appropriate, efficient, and best option in order to overcome these 3 basic economic issues. Because it can help the producer or manufacturer to make a decision which goods and service to consume and utilize by effective using the scarcity resource. From this situation, the opportunity cost will occur. What is an opportunity cost? Opportunity cost is mean that the cost of an item measured in terms of alternatives forgone. For example, a financial manager who is living in Johor state and he/she working in Singapore and earn 2500 dollars by the month but he/she need to pay for the bus fees in 300 dollars and take a long time for Johor state to Singapore. Besides that, he/she able to work in Johor state as a financial manager too. The salary by a month is RM 3500 and the company provides transportation, and take a very short time for travel from the company to his/her home. In this situation, the financial manager needs to make a decision in order to make self as convenience as possible and calculate the best reward included the transport fees, so he/she need to foregone one job to satisfy his/her desire. From this, the opportunity cost was related between scare of resource, so a company, firm or organization need to choose the bes t option to develop. Different economists have different terms, view and statement to describe and delimit the economics. The most appropriate definition is that by Lionel Robbins who defined economics as The science which studies human behaviour as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses. Lionel Robbins as a British famous economist was defined economics as the science which studies human behaviour as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses. In these phrases, there are few basic propositions emphasized in Lionel Robbinss definition as follows. Firstly, in this phrase, we talk about what actually meaning of human behaviour. Human behaviour in this phrase is meant that the human has unlimited human wants, even consumer. Basically human is looking for something in needs and wants to full fill their demand and able to reach their satisfaction even same as the consumer are looking for good quality of products and efficiency services. However, humans satisfaction is not fixed such as high demanding or easily satisfies, this also same as a consumer because consumer also has different satisfaction in products and services due to they are post-purchase. On the other hand, human is always insatiability in their need. The needs have to be satisfied for the life and the wants have to satisfy in order to live comfortably. Besides that, Human is also never feel satisfied as they have something they still want to get something that is better than the things they have. For example, previously we just need phones that can help us call each other, afterwards, we start to want some music in our phones, hence the radio and mp3, afterwards people have more needs, we want to be able to watch videos, internet, make video calls and so on. Limitless needs and wants make resources scarce and difficult to sustain. Therefore, needs are never-ending by the human and human was never stop working or keep hard work to earn money in order to satisfaction of their needs. Next, when human faced many options of wants, they need to choose the best one of the wants in order to achieve their satisfaction based on their limited resource. Based on the Lionel Robbinss theory, it talks about all wants are not same important, some are more important and some are less important, so we have to consider by well which wants is most important and arrange the wants we have by most important to less important. Then we choose the most important one to first and delaying the other wants. There are 4 basic resources which are land, labour, capital and entrepreneur. Sometimes these four resources will be scarcity it may cause the demand to exceed the supply. So, in order to avoid this situation occur, the decision making must be made by rational. First, lands are being inefficiency in the world, so that the people must be plan out the most effective method for using the limited land. For example, Singapore is a modern country nowadays, Singapore has fast development such as modern building, modern transportation and so on. In order to develop, it needs a large of space of land. Singapore is a country which is small and a narrow, in order to let more people living in Singapore so that, the government construct the high building to the people for live and builds more high building for other uses, thus the lack of land resource problem solved. Of course, the problem has been solved, but it spends much of funds to fetch up the defect, so it will cause Singapore to forego s ome projects and plans. Secondly, we talk about the labour, labour is referred that employee and workers which is willing to work and have the ability to work. Labour is a very important one in the 4 resources too, if a company lack of labour, which will cause many problems such as less production, the whole operation might be slowed down and so on. For example, a manufactory was facing less of labour, it caused the production is going slowing down and the packaging department was slow operation too. In order to solve the problem, the manufactory itself has to increase the salary to attract more people to come in the manufactory to work. Besides that, the manufactory also needs to buy the machine to replace the human resource. So that, the manufactory itself will be more efficiency in production, packaging and so on. Although the problem was solved, the net profit of the manufactory will decrease because of spending the income to the worker, it may cause the manufactory itself may foregone some plan or proj ect such as expand the manufactory scale and development of branches. Thirdly, we talk about the resource of capital. Capital is the items that a manufactory or a company using to produce goods and services such as machines, tools and vehicles. In other hand capital also refers to the real estate of a company or manufactory. Furthermore, a resource of capital is a very close relationship between resource of labour, it is because the capital needs labour to control or use. Resource of capital is quite important to a manufactory, firms, company and so on, it is because they using the resource of capital to serve the customer in order to earn a profit. Resource of capital is a resource which is tangible and intangible, so for the tangible capital resource will going to degradation because of the flow over time. So, some manufacturing factory or firms will renew update and be buying new capital to replace the old capital. For, example, a new manufacturing factory is full of the capital resource but lack of the technical staff and the capital resource withi n the new manufactory is used for mass production. In order to fulfil the capital resource being to control, the manufactorys labour resource manager has to hire the workers which able to control the capital to produce the product in the manufactory. If it hired the technical staff successfully, the lack of control of capital is been solved, but the manufactory are spent much of money in the salary to the workers. In this case, the headquarter has to consider by rational to make a decision as able to supply the product to the demand of the consumer as moderate as possible. In order to complete the production, they have to forgo some plans and program such as establish more branches in other areas, buy over the supplier and so on, it is because the new manufactory is spending much of money in the salary of the workers. So, it takes time to earn back the money and the other plans and program will be postponed. The last resource is the entrepreneur; an entrepreneur is a person who has the ability to organise resources for production and has the ability to introduce new products and services. The entrepreneur also has the ability to bring the innovation of the products and services, the entrepreneur also receives the reward and bears the risks. In economy, scarcity of resource will occur and not excluded entrepreneur. Why will the entrepreneur be scarcity? That was being many factors to cause it. For example, Sabah state was a second largest area of the state in Malaysia; these states are be living most poverty people, so the people unable to study in school and unable to enter a higher school because of financial problems. As an entrepreneur, besides having an education background and creativity of idea it also need the resources to produce goods and services such as land, capital, and labour resource. For example, an entrepreneur has idea to produce the product which is cloth, it needs workers, machine and place to produce this product, but the entrepreneur does not have enough too much of funds to buy over the factory and the entrepreneur only have funds to buy the machinery and able to hire some workers to work. So the entrepreneur just has to rent the factory to produce the product. In this case, the entrepreneur have to choose the best way to satisfy his/her wants if the entrepreneur spends the funds to buy over the factory it does not have enough to buy machinery and hire workers. In this scenario, the entrepreneur has to foregone to buy over the factory, so the entrepreneur can produce the product by renting the factory. Conclusion In the economy, the land, labour, capital and entrepreneur is very important to a company, manufactory and firms. When the company, manufactory and firms are facing scarcity of the resource, it needs to choose the best wants, arrange the important wants to first and postpone or foregone the less important wants. Furthermore, decision making is also very important. For the opportunity cost, for example, scarce of the resource is happened in a company, the companies headquarter has to choose the best wants in order to develop within some wants. In this case, it has to foregone the other wants. If the company headquarter has had chosen a wants to develop, after a period of time, there are no regret of chosen the wants to develop and no regret do not choose other wants before. So, in this situation, the companys headquarter have to consider by clear and be rational in order to make sure that does not feel regret after the decision is making by over a period of time. In this assignment, I was learning much of knowledge such as Lionel Robbinss theory and gain some useful information by doing internet research. Besides that, I also had an understood the 4 resources such as land, labour, capital and entrepreneur.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Benjamin Banneker :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Benjamin Banneker was born in 1731 near Baltimore. His Grandmother, an Englishwoman, taught him to read and write. For several winters he attended a small school open to blacks and whites. There he developed a keen interest in mathematics and science. Later, while farming, Banneker pursued his mathematical studies and taught himself astronomy. In 1753, he completed a remarkable clock. He built it entirely of wood, carving each gear by hand. His only models were a pocket watch and an old picture of a clock. The clock kept almost perfect time for more than fifty years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1791, Banneker served as assistant to Major Andrew Ellicott, the surveyor appointed by President George Washington to lie out the boundaries of District of Colombia. Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson had recommended Banneker to help in this work.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From 1791 to 1796, Banneker made all the astronomical and tide calculations and weather predictions for a yearly almanac. Banneker sent Jefferson a copy of his first almanac. With it he sent a letter in which he called for the abolition of slavery and a liberal attitude toward blacks. Banneker’s skills impressed Jefferson greatly. Jefferson sent a copy of the almanac to the Royal Academy of Sciences in Paris an evidence of the talent of Negroes. Opponents of slavery in the United States and England also used the almanacs as evidence of blacks’ abilities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Publishers of Banneker’s almanacs printed contributions by prominent Americans in addition to his material. In the 1793 almanac, for example, the famous surgeon and statesman Benjamin Rush proposed the appointment of a U.S. secretary of peace. Banneker himself probably contributed a few proverbs, essays, and poems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I think Benjamin Banneker changed the world with his almanac.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Breastfeeding vs. Bottle Feeding Essay -- Nutritional Advantages of Br

Nutrition and breastfeeding are subjects that can relate greatly to each other. New mothers are in a need of information regarding breastfeeding. Mothers receive the information and instructions on how to breastfeed at the hospital where they bear their children. That information is essential in the decision making process of whether to breastfeed or not. Still the clear choice for mothers everywhere is breastfeeding for several important life affecting reasons. Breast milk is highly nutritional, protects from various diseases, ideal in growth, promotes bonding, and is beneficial for the mother in a recovery process after labor. People tend to find other ways to feed the new born babies other then breastfeeding. That way is the usage of baby formulas. Sometimes mother tend to use formulas instead of breast milk. Below are some of the reasons why a mother may choose to feed her baby with a formula: The mother or baby has a chronic illness or condition. An example is a mother with Hepatitis B. The mother may use prescription medications or other drugs. These may be passed through the milk and harm the baby. The mother is returning to work and finds breastfeeding too difficult. The mother is uncomfortable with the process. All of these reasons are acceptable, and mothers know the possible consequences of their actions. Breastfeeding usually goes on for within the first twelve months of infant's life; nevertheless, there are some extreme breast feeders that do it for years. Although most mothers try to breastfeed the infants no matter what condition they are in. A vitamin called Colostrums is high in protein, zinc, and other minerals. It contains less fat, carbohydrates, and calories t... ... or woman should get pregnant in order to lose weight. Females should not do that because it is just a scientific fact that affected not all individuals in the same way. Nutrition and breastfeeding are essential parts of the nursing mother. It is essential because without it we would have a world with sick, underdeveloped, malnutritioned, and untrusting individuals. Fortunately breastfeeding gets rid of all these extremities. Feeding from the breast is something that protects not only the mother, but the baby too. There is nothing else in the world like it. Some nutrients in it are only found in a human body. What else could a mother ask for? All the diseases that are easily acquired by a defenseless organism of a baby are now stoppable because of the mother's natural resistant and supplier of necessary material. That resistant and material is breast milk.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Conflict and Generosity Within the Grapes of Wrath Essay

When a family becomes a victim to severe debt, attitudes change, the family tends to grow apart, and the members must cope. This was common during the Great Depression in the 1930’s after the collapse of the stock market, and a plethora of families flooded to California in search of a promising future. Home to Tom Joad and his family, the deteriorating economy of the Great Depression depicts the changing attitudes of many families and how they adapted to this difficult time period. The work captures how many families like the Joads have to change to accommodate the financial shortage of the 1930s, and how they grow with this struggle. With that, John Steinbeck constructs The Grapes of Wrath to include a family that is still generous in the midst of many trials and tribulations. The Grapes of Wrath depicts how great struggle is juxtaposed with an immense appetite for wealth, and how this conflict elicits generosity. John Steinbeck grew up around Salinas, California. Even though he was not raised by parents who were poor, he witnessed discrimination upon the many dust bowl migrant workers who came from states that were â€Å"less fortunate† like Oklahoma and Texas. Steinbeck channeled his anger and frustration from observing the heartbreak and struggle during the Great Depression into crafting The Grapes of Wrath. According to Carroll Britch and Cliff Lewis in their article â€Å"Growth of the Family in The Grapes of Wrath,† â€Å"Although it addresses issues of great sociological change, The Grapes of Wrath is at its core about the family and struggle of its members to assert their separate identities without breaking up the family. 1)† He utilized his aggravation for the people to illustrate the drastic changes that occur in the characters over a period of time, such as the way in which the community is altered when financial hardship is imminent. But for Tom Joad and his family, staying together as a whole is one aspect that has not yet been lost in the troubling times. Though the Joad family has had a great deal of troubling experiences, in a way this brings them closer holistically. The way that Steinbeck crafts the family to adapt to the varying conditions like when someone dies, or loses work, llustrates how the family becomes more resilient to variety. The Joads and many families like them must leave behind their felt notions of idealism and work towards an â€Å"I to We† relationship with the others if they are going to survive during this great struggle, especially with the way that nothing financial wise is stable during the depression. For a large percent of the population, the scarcity of funds leads to chaos within families and friends across America. The hedonistic views of the public drive people virtually insane, with car salesmen selling run-down vehicles for outrageous prices, to corrupted citizens stealing from stores who are going out of business. With money no longer an abundant commodity, banks and businesses began to shut down and fail, forcing many hard-working Americans to begin a life on the streets, which is not a welcoming new habitat by any stretch. This relates to the novel in that the Joads were forced out of their farm and had no choice but to flee to California in search of work and a brighter future, which appears to be a promising alternative. Though the trend to fall a victim to the circumstances is growing, there are still some people like Tom Joad and his family who do not seem to fit this statistic yet. When the family reaches the government camp Weedpatch, they to some extent â€Å"forget† about the troubles of the economy. Warren French in his article Chapter 6: From Naturalism to the Drama of Consciousness—The Education of the Heart in the Grapes of Wrath, states that, â€Å"The self- governing arrangement of the camp also makes the Joads feel like decent people again (4). This shows how despite the troubling situation, the Joads can still find remote happiness among a time of desperation. There is an apparent change in attitude once the Joads reach the Weedpatch camp. Warren French writes; â€Å"The easy atmosphere of the government camp, where—as one man observes—â€Å"We’re all a- workin’ together† (448), is in striking contrast to the tense atmosphere at the Hooper Ranch. There the prevailing attitudes are epitomized by a checker’s remark that putting holes in the bottom of buckets â€Å"keeps people from stealing them (4). This suggests that having others to work alongside of eases the tension of being forced to work for almost nothing. The atmosphere seems lighter at the Weedpatch camp due to the migrant workers having others with similar circumstances amongst them. This makes the thought of poverty less menacing because for the migrant workers at the camp, they are beginning to collaborate and become a unit. Another aspect of â€Å"working together† is shown after the miscarriage of Rosasharn’s baby. If the baby was not kin to Pa Joad and the family, he may never have been motivated to build a dike so his family can stay dry. Britch and Lewis quote Steinbeck in their article, â€Å"Well, we ain’t doin nothin’†¦. We can do her if ever’body helps. † Building the dike with Wainwright and the others replenishes Pa Joad’s spirit, and teaches him that there is way more to be achieved with the â€Å"We† attitude. A major turning point in The Grapes of Wrath transpires when Tom murders the man that killed Casy. Though Tom committed a crime, Ma Joad and the family suggest that hiding him from the authorities would be a decent idea. The family pleads for him to stay but quickly realizes he must leave to avoid getting arrested. This occurrence represents the growth of the family unit, the way they care for one of their own even though he is now a criminal shows the drastic change that has developed over the course of the Great Depression. This also depicts how the situation elicits generosity within the family. It is imperative that Tom leaves the family but aside that, Ma Joad and the others beg for Tom to stay. The difficult situation made them realize how quickly they can lose Tom, and with that the desire to help Tom is now apparent. The Joads have gone through a metamorphosis with their attitudes and thoughts towards one another. Due to the series of events the Joads have encountered, they have faced many obstacles and this brings them closer over all. A significant incident like this causes the family unit to become more protective over the other members, even after losing Tom, Noah, and Connie. All of the events that transpired along the course of the novel have affected the overall dynamic of the Joad family either positively or negatively, more so positively. With that, if nothing else, the experience of having to survive amongst one another in a time of great sociological downfall mends the family closer than one would think. The family traveled together, they slept together, and they even worked together. The Joads spent gratuitous amounts time as one unit just in completing those tasks, so even when bonding was not necessarily a part of the agenda, the way in which they became used to each other blossomed rather quickly into a stronger relationship for the family. Generosity amongst the Joad family was more or less noticeable in the beginning of the novel, and became more of a characteristic of the family as the story progressed. The hardships they faced along the way with searching for work subconsciously drew the family closer. The longer the Joads were among one another, and the more trials and tribulations they faced, generosity among the group developed into the norm. This transformed the Joads from the persona of an average family, into an inseparable unit of people who fought for one another.

Patient-Physician Relationship Essay

The functional perspective is a perspective theory based on the following hypotheses. First, a society is made up of several institution which works together to promote the integration, balance, stability and consensus building within the said society, thus, the society’s main aim is to maintain social order. The society, as a system is made up of different parts each of which has a dysfunction, latent and manifest functions. Health is a very important aspect of the human life. From a functional perspective it is quite clear that the subject of health is integrated into every aspect of life from work to leisure. The manifest function of the institution of health care is the provision of health services to the people. The institution has other latent functions, for instance, the creation of employment to lecturers, doctors, surgeons and nurses. A common dysfunction in the health care institution is the failure to provide its services even though it is in a position to bring about the misunderstandings between the practitioners and the patients. There are thus several proposals that have been brought forward to deal with the situation which brings about the dysfunctional aspect of the health care sector. It is clear that, the health care sector has been a constituent part of the society from time immemorial. This sector has also been integrating with other aspects of life for instance, education from which the qualified physicians are made. The health care sector is also responsible for the stability of the society by ensuring that other aspects of the society are attended to by providing the health of the work force. The heath care sector of the society brings about consensus in the society by integrating other constituent areas of the society in it’s decision making and ensuring the decisions made are for the goodness of the society at large. Traditionally, physicians were seen as properly having total control over their patients; now the pendulum is swinging the other way and patients are demanding substantially more power in the relationship. In the past, the relationship between the patient and the physician was strained as the physician was viewed as the superior of the two. This made the physicians arrogant as the patients became more frustrated. The importance of health care and the dependence of other sectors on it has brought about the need for reforms in the sector thus, bringing about the dysfunction aspect of the health sector. According to the function perspective, any constituent part of a society should have a mechanism for trouble shooting as the occurrence of inconsistencies is inevitable. This is the dysfunction characteristic of the functional perspective. Great changes in politics, social lifestyles and technology have greatly affected the communication between the physician and the patients. The complexity of the heath care system, and it’s need for a lot of decision making, cost of health care coupled with the hard economic terms have all driven people to seek information on alternative sources of health care. The current advocacy for informed consent, patient’s rights and access to medical records is viewed as a need by the customer to defend themselves from the predatory nature of heath care providers. Patients are keen on getting information regarding signs and symptoms of diseases, medical tests, drugs and alternative treatment options. The information obtained has been the main source of the revolution as the patients are more informed about the available options and their patients rights. This further goes on to prove that the society is an integrated setting because changes in areas like social lifestyle and technology have brought about the need for change in health care. This further pushes forward the agenda of viewing the society from a functional perspective. There are several issues that affect a patient- physician relationship. The issues that affect the relationship between a physician and a doctor includes: First, there is need for trust between the doctor and the patient, as this is very important to the diagnostic and therapeutic process. It is of critical importance for the communication between the patient and the physician if they can develop a feeling of mutual trust between them. This in turn perfects the diagnostic process and eventually eases the healing process. This clearly shows the need to integrate every aspect of the society’s daily life to smoothen the daily flow of the society. In the past, patients relied on the physician to do all the work, thus, there was heavy reliance on the practitioner’s professional authority. This trend, which did not in any way consider the patient’s preferences, has been around for quite a long time. In the later stages of the twentieth century, this trend seemed to change as the patient was brought into play. This changes have continued and currently the patient almost have as much say on the mode of his treatment as the physician. Physician-patient communication is mainly in two aspects: the Technical and the Samaritan aspects. The technical aspect is concerned with coming up with a proper diagnosis and prescribing a proper remedy, whereas, the humanitarian aspect is mainly concerned with supportive care. Patients are increasingly looking for information on supportive care. Traditionally, the patient was viewed as unable to cope with the medical information and his knowledge of medical issues was viewed as a threat to the profession. Presently, it is mandatory to consult the patient and seek her consent for any decision on a treatment plan, thus, the patient should be well informed in order to make rational choices and implement them correctly. This is a clear demonstration of the consensus building aspect as demonstrated by the view of the society from a functional perspective. To ensure that the patient benefits from the health care sector, there is need to ensure the provision of adequate information on various health issues, and the physician should ensure a patient is well briefed on his condition, what caused it and the recuperation period. Libraries should provide information that support the improvement of physician-patient relationship. The range of information available to consumers needs to be widened. A mechanism should be put in place to disseminate findings related to clinical practice. The creation of a decision making software for use by the consumers will also go a long way in enlightening and helping the patients to make informed decisions. Bodies that deals with the provision of information to the professional societies should have their mandate extended to enable them provide information that will help the consumers on their services in decision making. The above demonstrates some ways in which the various aspects of the system works together in a harmonious manner in order to create a more stable society. This is an aspect of the functional perspective of the society. The other issue is based on the question is â€Å"can students be trusted? †. Medical students find it hard when placed in a position of a patient as they generally have trust issues. There is a need to find ways to ease the treatment process of such students. Moreover, some patients, especially the youth, are more comfortable in dealing with physicians of their age with whom they feel they can easily relate to. Furthermore, bringing a personal touch puts the patients at ease with physicians. The physician may relay relevant aspects of his experiences on the patient. This helps the patient to feel at ease, knowing that, the physician has been in his shoes and is therefore more qualified to deal with his situation. This also facilitates the ease of communication between the concerned parties. The other issue affecting the provision of health care services is a decision on a physician’s beliefs and feelings which affects his or her decisions and judgment on clinical issues. It is quite important to find out the patient’s beliefs and thus be informed of what other suitable avenues there are to the solution of his health problems. Furthermore, some patients are quite demanding and may unnecessarily take up clinical time. In dealing with such patients, a physician is advised to kindly state to them the situation and give them a few alternatives or means to reach to a compromise. These mechanisms, used to smoothen the provision of health services and promote the patient -doctor relationship, are characterized by a balancing process in which the physician is forced to abandon his beliefs for the good of the patients and thus of the society as a whole. Creation of balance is a key characteristic in parties involved in a society from a functional perspective. The other issues that needs to be addressed in the bid to improve the patient-physician relationship are factors that hinder the communication between a physician and his patient. Communication between a doctor and a patient can be hindered by either parties for instance, patients may omit some details of their medical history which they consider embarrassing or private. On the other side, the physician may not be keen on the patient’s narration or accounts especially if he is judgmental. To facilitate the ease of communication between the two, there is a need for the physicist to make the patient aware that he has his full attention, ensure they are both comfortable, and ask explicitly on the key areas of concern. Moreover, it is believed that a third of the patients disagree with the doctor’s analysis and recommendation, this pose a great risk to the patient’s health (Armstrong, 1991). To reduce such cases, there is need for the patient and the physician to both participate in the decision making process. A patient has the right to refuse some forms of medical interventions prescribed to him by the physician based on his beliefs and personal preferences. There is need to determine a set point after which the decision to override a patient’s preferences should be reached. It is agreed that the influence of the patient’s preferences to the physician’s course of action should be limited. This creates an avenue to help patients who for one reason or the another, are unwilling to help themselves by consenting to the physician’s prescribed course of action. At times, the practitioners may even be forced to go to court in order to force the patients to accept treatment. The other key issue is confidentiality, information on a person’s health status is very secretive and personal and should be kept as secure and confidential as possible. The knowledge that his medical information is confidential, helps the patient develop a feeling of trust in the physician which leads to improved provision of health services. Confidentiality may cause a problem in cases where the practitioner is legally obliged to give an account on a patient’s health record. These issues addressed above, clearly demonstrate how various building blocks of the society interact in order to come up with a stable, balanced and integrated society in which balance, stability and consensus building are the main mechanisms used in dealing with any anomalies that may befall the constituent parties. This is the key principle in the functional perspective view of a society. The issues addressed above are currently being addressed by several countries. Some countries started addressing these issues in the seventies leading to the marking the start of a revolution, as other countries emulated their example. These reforms have led to patients wanting to know more about matters affecting their health. Currently, there is a need for doctors to be on the forefront in empowering their patients by advising them on suitable sources of information (Burnum, 1985). The nineties witnessed the commercialization of medical services bringing the need to better customer relations. This in medical terms refers to better patient-physician relationship. The commercialization has empowered patients as they are now treated with much respect and their needs are adhered to promptly (Eysenbach & Diepgen, 1998). This trend is expected to continue for a few couple of years as the world becomes more and more commercialized. The downside of the above improved relations are considerable. First, it is quite true that the improved patient-physician relationship is closely associated with commercialization of medical services. In a commercialized setting, the patients preferences will be put before his actual medical needs. This will eventually lead to the erosion of medical ethics, as the commercial code will come in play (Robinson & Gustafson,1988). Secondly, access to basic medical care will be above the reach of the average person as the health providing institution will only aim at larger profit margins rather than provision of affordable services. Lastly, the increased power given to the patient will eventually lead to low morale in medical workers as the patients will be so bossy, this will lead to poor service delivery (Lazare, 1987). The improvement of patient-physician relationship has associated pros and cons. There is thus an urgent need for medical governing bodies and governments to come up with legislations that will ensure that the medical code of conduct and ethics are adhered to and medical services are within the reach of the poor and thus regulating medical services while at the same time, ensuring the said improvements thrive.