What Are The Drivers Of Organisational Change Commerce Essay

This assignment was undertaken with the purpose of analyzing what organizational alteration is within the concern universe, what are the drivers of organizational alteration and the different types of organizational alteration, it will look at four different schools of alteration in peculiar the classical attack, human dealingss, systematic attack, the eventuality attack and it will complete off with a decision. The undermentioned quotation mark identifies the grounds for alteration within the concern universe:â€Å" If the environment were absolutely inactive†¦ and if tomorrow were ever precisely the same as today, organizational alteration would hold small or no relevancy to directors † ( Robbins & A ; Judge 2008:280 )Change happens daily as the universe transforms and alters, because of this administration ‘s must be willing and able to alter along with the universe so to be in a place to be able to run into the outlook of everybody and everything linked with the administration in order to remain competitory within the concern universe, everybody in concern is affected by organizational alteration from the minor alterations such as the execution of a new type of package into the company to the bigger alterations such as a amalgamation with another company or a take-over which could affect the execution of new systems and protocols ( Senior, 2002 ) . Change is affected by drivers and drivers are affected by environmental factors which can be shown under the undermentioned degrees, the Macro degree besides known as the Far Environment which includes all outside influences upon which the concern operates in nevertheless, the concern has little or no control over these influences and as such can non place when or how alterations within these factors will happen. PESTEL is normally used to place factors within the Far Environment and this is broken down below. P – Political Drivers for Change hold alot of weight over the ordinances of a company as they form the foundation upon which a company must run within, these factors can include consumer, competition and employee Torahs, merchandise and service ordinances, besides these factors can be influenced by terrorist act such as the bombardments in London which brought about immense alteration with the air hose industry security such as the limitation of liquids on planes. E – Economic Drivers for Change are immense factors for administrations as they include the type of revenue enhancement within an country, involvement rates, exchange rates and rising prices. Economic factors will hold a immense impact on the type of work force available to a company as it can place how educated the population is, can providers be accessed and how clients will respond. An illustration of economic factors impacting concern can be the recent recession in which many builders went out of concern as people stopped purchasing and edifice houses. S – Socio-Cultural Drivers for Change vary from each state and must be recognised to place the cultural alterations in different societies, they can include altering tendencies within a specific society such as faith in India where people say prayer daily, how good educated the society is e.g. IT companies looking for a technologically educated population for their concern, the province of the wellness system and ethnicity. It is besides identified as how a company chooses to sell or market themselves E.g. Fair Trade non merely benefits the company who sells the merchandise but besides guaranteed work for people in hapless states from which the merchandise originated. T – Technological Drivers for Change define new and bing developments as engineering is now a cardinal constituent in the mundane activities of concerns as it helps the administration to work quicker e.g. the usage of electronic mail in communicating, alterations in engineering can be expensive as the buying of equipment is a factor and the preparation of employees. L – Legal Drivers for Change place the ordinances which companies must adhere to, what they can and can non make in order to obey the jurisprudence O matter the cost such as the smoke prohibition. E – Environmental Drivers for Change affect more concerns in recent times as more clients are going environmentally cognizant, demanding environmentally friendly merchandises and services, i.e. reduced C footmark, selling Fair Trade merchandises. On the other manus with the Meso degree besides knows as the Near Environment of the administration tends to hold more control over factors as it includes the Stakeholders of the concern who are better able to force alteration as communicating is much easier and more flowing, three groups are formed the first being Dependant Stakeholders which rely to a great extent on their connexion with the concern, Co-Dependent Stakeholders have a common association with the concern as it benefits both side for the house to win e.g. stockholders puting in a company to derive from its success, and eventually Independent Stakeholders being people on the exterior of the company that feel they need to step in to rock the determination of a concern e.g . Americans banding together in a command to forestall Wall Mart from puting up store in their towns as they felt the shop would negatively impact concerns in the country ( Wall Mart, the high cost of low monetary values ) . And in conclusion the Micro degree known as the Internal Environment which has to make with the concern itself and is chiefly dictated by direction within the concern, its identified by the relationship between employees, employers, concern construction, civilization, processes and systems and is the get downing point of organizational alteration as this is where people start desiring alteration, development and betterment within the concern nevertheless, alteration in one country of the administration will hold a direct affect on another portion of the concern and this must be taken into consideration when doing a determination on alteration ( Price, 2009 ) . Due to outside influences driving alteration administrations are forced to maintain up to rush with these alterations and have administrations in a place whereby if alteration is required the appropriate alterations are implements to reflect these external environmental factors in a timely and smoothly mode so as non to set any added force per unit area on the company ( Price, 2009 ) . Grundy identified that tonss of directors viewed alteration as being all the same whilst others viewed it as holding a negative impact on the administration, he identified three types of alteration as is shown in â€Å" Grundys ( 1993 ) three assortments of alteration † , the first being â€Å" smooth and incremental alteration † which is alteration that is implemented bit by bit, continually and in an orderly manner, Grundy states that this type of alteration was more so typical in the UK during the 1950s and 1970s and would be seldom seen in the concern universe of today, the 2nd type o f alteration is recognised as â€Å" rough incremental alteration † which identifies infrequent phases of certainty within the external environment but in no manner uninterrupted plenty to enable the measuring of the alteration involved hence doing sporadic alteration which upsets the administration, and in conclusion â€Å" discontinuous alteration † is due to a immense displacement in the environment internally or externally, this can be due to such things as chances within the market like merger/take-over or a big alteration in the external environment such as the presently economic recession which has forced many administrations to implement alterations to counter the effects of the recession. This type of alteration demands to be implemented rapidly and is instructed to staff instead than being discussed as it is normally implemented in an exigency state of affairs ( Senior, 2002 ; Price, 2009 ) . Burnes ( 2004 ) besides identifies another two type of alteration the first being Punctuated Equilibrium, this recognise that fact that alteration can happen at fickle explosive periods and secondly is Continuous Transformation which identifies the demand for regular dramatic accommodations in administrations change such being regular preparation for staff ( Senior, 2002 ; Price, 2009 ) . Traveling on to Schools of Change it should be noted that at nowadays there is no 1 â€Å" attack to alter that is theoretically holistic, universally applicable, and which can be practically applied † , the undertaking for a concern is to happen a theory and place the strengths and failings of that theory in order to recognize how it can be best implemented into the concern. This assignment will look at four of these attacks get downing with the Classical attack which was developed in the 19th century and works off the thought that there is merely â€Å" one best manner † to execute a undertaking â€Å" portraying administrations as machines, and those in them as mere parts which respond to the right stimulation and whose actions are based on scientific rules. † The attack is wholly geared towards direction doing all determinations in the concern and employees being viewed as merely a portion in a on the job machine. This attack is besides known as the Scientifi c-Rational attack and has three similar constructs: to see an administration as a machine that one time set in gesture will prosecute and accomplish its ends, the administration is merely interested in workers that can help the company in accomplishing its ends, people are motivated to work merely by money and direction must remain in control at all times. The most of import theoreticians of the classical attack were Fredrick Taylor, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, Henri Fayol and Max Weber. Taylor ‘s rule of scientific direction is based on the thought of efficiency and is deemed to be the get downing point of the â€Å" development of administration and direction theory † . Taylors theory focused on making the best and manner to make a occupation and that workers are money motivated with direction detailing what each occupations is, the result expected from each place within a specified timeframe, workers have to be micro managed to guarantee the work is being completed w hilst being motivated by money ( fillips ) , more work peers more wage and as with the classical attack workers are merely viewed as objects and non valued by the administration that can be replaced at any clip ( Burnes, 2004 ) . Deems taylors theory worked off of three parts: gather all cognition about the occupation to enable elaborate â€Å" occupation regulations, Torahs and expression † to be drawn up that must be adhered to by each worker, restricting worker engagement to the extent of really physically making the work and directors micro managed to guarantee the work was being done the clip allocated, this theory take all duty off from the worked and topographic points it with the director â€Å" each adult male receives in most instances complete written instructions, depicting in item the undertaking which he is to carry through, every bit good as the agencies to be used in making the work ( Taylor, 1911a: 39 ) † . Taylor besides believed in engaging the best worker for each specific occupation and merely by making this would the administration acquire the best consequences, this farther solidified the thought of workers being classed as â€Å" human machines † and of no value to the administration as their cognition was limited to the specific occupation they held in the administration, undertakings became limited which in bend made it easier to learn to new workers and hence the demand for a skilled work force was reduced and this lowered rewards. This theory is still really popular in big administration such as mills like Dell where employees are required to work off lines nevertheless ; this theory would non be possible in smaller administrations such as enlisting bureaus as this function required a high input from the work force in order for the concern to win ( Burnes, 2004 ) . The following attack to be looked at is Human Relations which was developed in the 1930 ‘s as a reaction to the â€Å" de-humanised † attack of classical. Theorists to develop the attack were Myers in the 1920 ‘s and Mayo in 1933, in their hunt they recognised workers had more to offer an administration that the classical attack let its work force proving that administrations were societal Mecca ‘s and therefore required input from the work force, it was about completed different to the classical attack in that it viewed employees demands as holding great influence on the administration compared to employees merely being offered pecuniary inducements, that workplaces are non merely machines but societal countries where employees form relationships with others and insouciant activities are the norm compared to the formal activities of the classical attack, where as classical is a predictable machine driven by regulations and clip frames, human dealingss is a m ore insouciant and laid back attack best suited in little administrations such as the enlisting industry where it will gives advisers the freedom to work on their ain virtue and accomplish their ain marks. Similarities do be in that both attacks believe in being immutable entities one time constructions have been out in topographic point and that they are both the best manner frontward. Elton Mayo is famed for his word on â€Å" The Hawthorn Experiments † on Western Electric during the 1920s and 30s, these experiments identified workers need to be recognised as it showed it was non the alterations in the construction of their work that saw an addition in productiveness but the fact that they were being singled out to be surveies that gave the workers a sense of duty and utility. Mayo identified two nucleus facets that would come to organize the footing of the human dealingss attack, one being the demand for societal groups within the work force and for employees to work toget her instead an as persons, the 2nd being the demand for employees to be recognised for their work, this attack shows that actuating employees and sing employees as a valued portion of the administration benefits the concern which is wholly contradictory to what Taylor viewed in the classical attack ( Burnes, 2004 ) . The Contingency theory attack was developed during the 1960 ‘s and works on the footing that there is more than one best was frontward for an administration as all administration face different uncertainnesss so the theory needs to be tailored for each administration individually and non be viewed every bit one as the classical and human dealingss approached show, it proves that administrations are non closed systems but are reliant on external environmental factors such as engineering placing all administrations have different constructions, three of the most of import eventualities are the capriciousness of environmental factors to the administration whether internal or external, the usage of engineering as it has become a core portion of the activities of administration in the modern universe and the size of the administration being a important variable, Tom Burns and George Macpherson conducted the first surveies in 1961 that identified a nexus between administrations envir onmental factors and constructions and proved that â€Å" one best manner † as identified by the classical and human dealingss was in fact non the best manner frontward, their research identified five environment types that affected the administration on different degrees and two types of construction they names as Mechanistic ( similar to classical ) which worked positively in stable conditions and Organic ( similar to human dealingss ) in un-predictable conditions, their research does non confute the classical or human relation but identifies the dependence on the type of environment in which they will be applied to ( Burnes, 2004 ) . And eventually the Systems attack which was besides developed in the 1960s viewed â€Å" administrations as both a whole, and as portion of a larger environment † made up of a figure of different sub-systems that in times of alteration will impact other parts of the administration and alternatively of being classified as closed and cut off from the external environmental factors, as shown in the classical and human dealingss attacks, administrations are in fact â€Å" unfastened systems † within the internal and external environments. This system is used in placing these sub-systems hence recognizing if there is a demand for alteration to better public presentation on an overall degree. Miller ( 1967 ) identified four organizational sub-systems as organizational end and values, proficient, psychosocial and managerial with Burke ( 1980 ) as stated in Burnes ( 2004 ) placing when taking an over all position of the administration the undermentioned factors need to be looke d at, sub-systems are mutualist as a alteration in one country is traveling to impact the administration in another country. Decision

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Suppose that a manufacturer of men’s shirts can produce a dress shirt in its Houston, Texas plant for $8 per shirt (including the cost of raw materials). Chicago is a major market for 100,000 shirts per year. The shirt is priced at $15 at the Houston plant. Transportation and storage charges from Houston to Chicago amount to $5 per hundredweight (cwt.). Each packaged shirt weighs 1 pound. As an alternative, the company can have the shirts produced in Taiwan for $4 per shirt (including the cost of raw materials). The raw materials, weighing about 1 pound per shirt, would be shipped from Houston to Taiwan at a cost of $2 per cwt. When the shirts are completed, they are to be shipped directly to Chicago at a transportation and storage cost of $6 per cwt. An import duty of $0.50 per shirt is assessed. a. From a logistics-production cost standpoint, should the shirts be produced in Taiwan? b. What additional considerations, other than economic ones, might be considered before making a final decision?

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Final Project - Assignment Example Pricing is determined by the extra cost incurred in producing one extra unit of the commodity such that price is equated to marginal cost i.e. Price=MC.Since the main objectives of these firms is to maximize profit the following measures are appropriate for the respective firms. Firm 1: This firm should retain its price at 4 units and maintain it’s AVC at 3units so that it can maximize profit and minimize loss. This is because as long as P>AVC the firm will recover its cost of operation plus extra revenue which goes to profit. Firm 2: In this firm the price is 10 which equals MC at 10 and therefore qualify to be in the competitive market but since VC>TR it will make losses as the firm is not even meeting the break-even point. The policy to be adopted by the firm is to reduce the variable cost and squeeze the fixed cost which is not affected by the variations in output. Firm 3: In this firm the losses arises from employing many variable factor inputs which outweigh the fixed and therefore the best recommendation is a freeze in employing variable factor inputs like reducing the casual labor size. Firm 4: In this firm the price (25) is greater than AVC i.e. P>AVC and this already ensures that it beat the break-even point. This is responsible for its zero economic profit. For the firm to do better it either maintains its current output or reduce price. In a monopoly market, the firm tends to be the sole seller and therefore have power to give any price through manipulating of the output (Hall, Robert & Marc, p 64). Under this market structure, for profit maximization the MC=MR. In this respect the firms above needs the following

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Towar Sustainability Tourism in the republic of Cyprus - Term Paper Example Indeed, various communities rely on tourism to bring economic growth and stability into the community. Nevertheless, many people overlook the potential and environmental impact that tourism brings to a society. In fact, various confirm that many of Less Developed Countries (LDCs) engage in unsustainable tourism development, which generates irreversible and adverse effects that lead to social, cultural, and environmental challenges on the reference economy. Nevertheless, various communities and governmental agencies like European Union and United Nations agencies have been trying to promote sustainable tourism development across the world. However, the LCDs manifest lack of concern to these interventions to lack of knowledge and commitment towards sustainable tourism development and hence the continued unsustainable tourism development. Notably, tourism activities in Cyprus are prone to these dynamics. The republic of Cyprus is a dominant tourist destination because it is seemingly lo cated between three continents where it is at the top right hand corner of the Mediterranean and it is very close to Europe, Asia, and Africa. Before the contemporary development and planning of tourism, the republic of Cyprus had many tourism activities but it was yet to reach maximum development (Harrison & Husbands, 1996). Indeed, there were more than 21,000 visitor arrivals and 4000 beds between 5 towns in Cyprus (Harrison & Husbands, 1996). The Cyprus Tourism Organisation is responsible for the tourist planning and research and the development and marketing of the tourist product in Cyprus (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2013). Established in 1969 by the Republic of Cyprus, the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) is a statutory body whose main aim was to organize and promote tourism in the Republic of Cyprus, by using all possibilities and resources available (Harrison & Husbands, 1996). The CTO does not offer travel agent services but focuses on offering assistance to professional bodies, companies and individuals who have an interest in Cyprus' tourism with an overall goal of enhancing economic growth in Cyprus (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2013). Indeed, the CTO had a policy that consistently aimed at attracting high and middle-income visitors to the exclusion of mass tourism (Harrison & Husbands, 1996). Another body that regulated tourism in Cyprus is the Ministry of Energy, Commerce, Industry, and Tourism. This ministry had a mandate of formulating and implementing Government policy on matters pertaining to trade, industry, tourism, and Consumer, in such a way that it will contribute positively towards the further development of the Cyprus economy and the well-being of the population of the island (Ministry of Energy, Commerce, Industry and Tourism, 2013). The factors affecting tourism activities in Cyprus include the Turkish invasion that occurred in 1974 placing a hold on all economic activity in Cyprus. The invasion sought to divide Cyprus in to two b y invoking the Treatee of Guarantee (Harrison & Husbands, 1996). This jeopardized tourism development in Cyprus as the island lost a huge part of its territory as well as its potential in manufacturing and agriculture. Indeed, there was a closure of most accommodation, entertainment, and catering buildings as well as airports, which limited access top various place in Cyprus (Harrison & Husbands, 1996). This lowered the tourist levels and forced the government to consider

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Rebuttal Argument about Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman - Essay Example These biases are unseen, but they program the human mind to respond in specific ways towards experiences in the world. Orate cultures formed the foremost presentation techniques in the globe. Antique philosophers capitalized on this technique in their presentation. Socrates was a major philosopher who used this communication technique in his diverse encounters. For instance, he used this technique for his court proceedings after his arrest (Postman, 1985). During the antique times, oral presentations were regarded more credible than the ones in writing. Audiences would invest much belief to orally presented ideas than the written ones. This was an evident trend in the antique legal institutions. The court of law during these times would majorly capitalize on the orally presented evidence. They would also adopt laws presented orally. Therefore, oral presentation of laws was the main and recommended technique communication in courts. Jurors would exclusively receive training and evidence with the oral nature (Schubert, 2005). Orate presentations were paramount techniques of communication, since they h ad outstanding merits. For instance, they propagate a firsthand encounter of information or evidence. According to Postman, rhetoric techniques in oral presentations deprived the credibility and truthfulness of the presentation (Postman, 1985). However, some rhetorical techniques are majorly instrumental to the presentation of truth. Thus, Postman’s implication is invalid in this case. Rhetoric techniques reinforce emphasis that substantiates truth. Therefore, some rhetoric features like questions are paramount to emphasize truth. It is not necessarily that the rhetoric features hinder truth. Print techniques were subsequently enhanced after orate techniques (Schubert, 2005). During the era of their inception, the levels of literacy had taken an elevating trend in society. Research institutions were taking

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Exam econmic of race and gender - Essay Example rmulated as a response to the decisions of the United States Supreme Court which had led to the rights of the employees being limited since they sued their employers for discrimination. a) The term paper was on the topic, â€Å"Instances of gender discriminatory behaviors at work places†. This helped me identify with the discrimination that people face at work and also allowed for a clearer understanding of the various acts and laws in place to resolve these issues. On the whole, the term paper was very beneficial in better understanding of the subject as a whole. Working on the gender discriminatory behavior at work has not only helped in this class but is also a beneficial learning for how work environments actually function. Here this report has been detailed with complete insight into affirmative action and how it works. This provides a practical experience and helps relate better to subject. There is also clarity of various cases and the outcomes of the cases which make it simpler to understand the subject rather than simply learning the laws directly. b) The group presentation was on the topic â€Å"Affirmative Action losing favor in the United States†. This presentation has been very helpful for the course as it helps bring out the views and opinions of the students on affirmative action. The presentation was divided into three main parts, i.e. history of affirmative action, diversity rationale and the main discussion of whether affirmative action is losing favor. The presentation was in its own way a chance for us to study the literature carefully and in detail. The presentation helped each of us work on different part individually which helped in understanding the subject to a greater extent. On the whole this presentation not only helped us learn the topic more in detail but also lead us to use our knowledge to correlate to the success of the affirmative action. This I believe brought about a lot of discussions and views which were not otherwise

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How Business Can Protect Themselves From Fraud in an Ecommerce Environment - Essay Example Fraud transaction is an issue of concern among customers and merchants. In the situation of fraud transactions, customers have several assurances from their card issuing banks through companies like master cards, visa, American express, and discover. Nevertheless, merchant have limited resources to counter fraud occurrences. Merchants can also follow the stipulated legal transaction process but end up losing payment without making any mistake. In case of a fraud transaction, banks are always not willing to refund the merchant resources. It is also likely that banks do not even bother to do an investigation on merchants’ claims. On the other hand, it is extremely easy for customers to make fraud claim to the bank as compared to merchant. Most customer claim refund of their transaction verbally. In most cases, detecting fraud cases is very expensive and labor extensive to merchant companies. In the scenario of fraud transaction, merchant are the one who suffer immensely since cu stomers can be compensated the loss. It is therefore imperative for online merchants to take action and come up with ways of minimizing fraud risks and protect their business from any financial loss through fraudulent transactions. Proper measures can increases confident among merchant in transacting business online. To develop confidence in their transaction, merchant should adopt the following measures ... One key is for decryption which is also known as private key while the other key is for encryption commonly known as public key. The public key is used by transaction administrators to assess the transaction process while the private key is used by customer and merchant to protect their personal information. The key helps in denies access of transaction information to intruders and hackers. The technology is also characterized by theoretical based security guarantees, effective weighing features and arithmetical elegance which identify the area transaction fraudulent. The technology does not require centralized intermediary for safe transaction thus it is cheap for the business (Anderson, 2001). The other most effective technology for protecting data and preventing fraud transaction is the use of smart cards. Smart card is effective in storing data such as identification credentials, medical information, and financial records. Due to the sensitivity of the information contained in sm art card, encryption keys are exceptionally relevant. The information in smart can be very helpful in retracing the transaction process in case the transaction is fraud. The merchant can use the contents in smart card to trace the customer in the situation of any transaction problem. It also reduces trust between the merchant and the customer thus forcing the merchant to be more cautious in the transaction process (Bishop, 2003). To protect their businesses from fraud transactions, merchants should adhere to the laid down guidelines and security policies. Most fraud cases are brought about by failure of merchant to adhere to the laid down security policies and regulations. More than 60 percent of the fraud cases emerge as a result of exposing transaction

Occupation is the major determinant of both social class and status in industrial societies Essay Example for Free

Occupation is the major determinant of both social class and status in industrial societies Essay In our society today, it is argued if occupation is the major determinant of both social class and status in industrial societies. Occupation is defined as an individual’s regular work or profession, job or regular activity performed for payment that occupies one’s time. Occupation has been viewed both negatively and positively as the major determinant of both social class and status. Industrial societies are those driven by the use of technology to enable mass production, supporting a large population with a high capacity for division of labour. Status and class are both supported by factors that influence occupation such as race, education, community size, family status, income of workers and measured intelligence. It is greatly supported that occupation is the major determinant of both social class and status in industrial societies, for example, if an individual is brought up either in a rich or poor family and becomes educated to an extent of achieving a higher national degree such as a P.H.D or a M.D. such an individual is bound to earn a higher status and class in a society. For instance, a neurosurgeon can achieve a higher status and class as they may be earning a higher income as compared to a general doctor at a local clinic situated in a local town. Another example may be that of a lecturer at a university and a teacher at a school, because a lecturer earns a higher salary as compared to a teacher his/her status is higher. Their level of education is also considered as the lecturer is usually more educated than a teacher, thus he/she earns higher prestige in an industrial society. Family status may also be another factor out of many which influences one’s status or class. Taking for example, if an individual was to be born into a wealthy and influential family, they would have attained an ascribed status which could turn out to be a great advantage in the industrial societies. The individual has a privilege of learning at a well facilitated expensive school and also attaining a high rank as a managing director or even the C.E.O in the family’s company or due to membership influence in another major company. This may result in one earning a higher status and class in the society. Occupation however, is sometimes not viewed as the major determinant of either social class or status as there are other factors like that of race amongst others. Race has always been a major factor of discrimination and segregation in societies, for example in Zimbabwe, during the liberation struggle black people were considered of being lower class, they occupied the lower class jobs, housings and many other underrated facilities as they were made to work for the white people who were their lords and only means of employment. This kind of unfair treatment brought the social class and status of black people down in the industrial societies, which therefore provides supporting evidence to Karl Marx’s conflict theory. Another example of racial discrimination still evident in most parts of the globe is that of employment opportunities, given a black man and a white man who just graduated from university with equal achievements and applied for a job vacancy at a major company. Th e white man is usually the first preference to the black man due to beliefs that whites are more superior, this kind of treatment surely lowers the status and class of blacks whilst raising that of the whites. Community size is another factor influencing one’s status and class. The greater the community size, the greater the prestige it holds. For example, a professional accountant working at a small bank at a growth point like Murombedzi growth point is bound to achieve a lower status and social class as compared to an equally qualified professional accountant working at a big company like Econet or NMB bank in a huge city. In this case it can be reasoned that the social class and status were not determined by occupation but by location and community size. With the above information, one can conclude that occupation is in fact the major determinant of both social class and status in an industrial society. However, despite the seemingly convincing contributions of occupation in determining the class and status, it must not be left out that there are also some factors other than occupation like community size and race which also determine an individual’s social class and status in industrial societies.

Arguments For And Against Biofuels

Arguments For And Against Biofuels The human body has always needed energy -food for the most important and vital day to day activities. A major role for the production of the energy which keeps us viable and in motion is carried out by the sun. The importance of the Sun as an energy provider was underlined by Stephen (1977): The sun provides these foods, or bio-fuels, that keep us alive, and fossil fuels are in a sense stored bio-fuels, for they were living organisms eons ago. Carbon is the main denominator of bio-fuels, somehow a byproduct of the sunlight is derived from biomass or bio-waste. The entire biomass or bio-waste like renewable bio-fuels as methane, organic waste and liquid fuels are abundant in carbon. This essay will consider the advantages and disadvantages of using bio-fuels and it mainly will refer to renewable biomass or bio-waste. Finally, this study will weigh and conclude if the using of bio-fuels is worth the effort. We live in a world where fossil fuels coal and oil are vital for heat, transportation and electricity. The issue which concerns us the most is the fact that we are going inevitably to run out somewhere in the future. We cannot afford millions of years until the nature provides us with new reserves of coal and oil, therefore the solution would be to use bio-fuels on a current basis. The most effective answer to the energy shortage which lies in front of us is the renewable energy, for instance solar, tidal, wind, geothermal and hydraulic power. The energy sources mentioned above are cost effective and for the most part environment friendly, besides that we are never going to exhaust the sunlight or the wind for the simple fact that those resources are naturally replenished which makes this solution a permanent one. Furthermore, as Kruger (2006) stated Biomass (and the bio-energy obtained from it) comes from agriculture. There is an abundance of plants from which we can produce bio-energy. The most common substances known for their bio-energy producing properties are starch and peat. We can extract starch from plants such as potatoes, rice, corn and cassava; these plants are known for their cost-effective production and they can be found in almost every corner of the planet being cultivated by men from a very long time. In authors opinion peat can be more effective cost effective, for the simple reason that it is found in the nature, compared to the starch which is a byproduct of a cultivated plant than starch in the production of bio-fuels for it can be found on a very large scale around the world. According to the World Energy Council (2007) [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] the total area of peat lands approaches 3 million km ², or about 2% of the total land surface. Nevertheless, there are many oth er plants from which we can produce bio-fuels, especially for transportation. The most well-known bio-fuel used for transportation is the bio-ethanol produced from starch, sucrose (a byproduct extracted from sugarcane and sugar beet), lactose and cellulose. The most important advantage of the bio-ethanol is that besides the fact that this bio-fuel assures the availability of fuel for transportation in the future, it makes an enormous contribution for the limitation of carbon dioxide emissions. For example, as Guderjahn in Handbook of Fuels edited by Elvers (2008) states that bio-ethanol [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] engines have been utilized in buses that have been used for more than 15 years by the municipal transportation companies in Sweden [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦]. The number of ethanol-fuelled buses in the country is around 400. Moreover, another source exploited for the production of bio-fuel is animal and human waste such as animal dung, municipal waste and sewage. These wastes by the process of anaerobic digestion in absence of the oxygen are transformed into methane gas, fuel used mainly for heating. Its benefits are incontestable, for it replaces coal, the limited fossil fuel. In addition, the production of biogas can facilitate removal of the human waste and litter from the sewage systems and landfills around the major cities. On the other hand, the production of bio-fuels has some drawbacks concerning the environment, health, safety and energy consumption. As far as concerning the wind power energy, disadvantages that mainly bears on the wind mills such as noise pollution, falling blades and structural problems caused by the vibrations leads to injury and damage to the surroundings and sometimes to employees who are working on the construction and maintenance. In addition, wind mills interfere with the flight paths of birds affecting their migratory habits. There are many other environmental and economic aspects regarding renewable energy, such as fish migration and health that are affected by the temperature changes of water tanks used to produce electricity by hydraulic power. Furthermore, the construction of tidal power plants sometimes can raise question marks considering the extremely high costs and the electrical output generated. Geothermal energy production facilities can lead to land subsidence and pollution caused by the sulfur and ammonia thrown into the waste water. Regarding the use of biomass to produce bio-energy scientists underlined some specific problems, such as: health, safety, air pollution and the large amount of energy consumption for the collection of biomass. Ih-Liu (1998) gave an example: Yunnan Province, in Xuan Wei County in China, has the highest rate of lung cancer in China for both its male and female populations. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦]In 1982, [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] scientists discovered that polycyclic organic compounds were being released from coal and wood-burning stoves [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] which are carcinogens, are by-products of incomplete burning of the biomass [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦]. This assignment has explained the case for and against the use of bio-fuels. One of the important ideas within this essay is that in the future the planet will run out of the widespread fossil fuels-coal and oil-utilized for almost everything that puts humankind in motion. Despite the fact that in the future bio-fuels are going to be produced on large scale whether if they are harmful or not, there are many advantages of using renewable energy. The most important advantage is the fact that the earth will never run out of self replenished natural resources supplied by nature. From this point of view, the most important assignment for the specialists and scientists working in this field should be to find out how to hedge the negative aspects of using bio-fuels.

Factors that affect the demand and supply of houses

Factors that affect the demand and supply of houses Introduction The past couple of years have seen dramatic fluctuations in the demand and supply of houses. It has been observed that movement in house prices is a balance of the quantity demanded and supplied. In this essay, we first look into the factors that affected the prices of houses in UK in the past three years. Then, we will discuss factors that affect the sizes of elasticities of demand of houses. Factors affecting demand of houses The table below shows the various factors that affect demand of houses. Table 1: Factors affecting demand of houses. S. no. Factor Trend Reason Change in the demand curve 1. Affordability As affordability of houses increases, demand for houses increases and vice versa. Because when the price of houses goes down more people can afford to buy houses. Movement along the demand curve. FIG. 1 2. Disposable Income As the disposable income of the people increase the demand for houses increases and vice versa. People tend to buy houses when they have sufficient disposable income with them so that their weekly budget is not affected significantly. Shift in the demand curve. FIG. 2 3. Economic Trends If the economy is booming, then there is a net increase in demand for houses. Similarly, in case of a recession, the demand for houses decreases. A booming economy means a good overall health of the economy which translates into greater demand of all goods. Shift in the demand curve. FIG. 2 4. Supply of substitutes If the supply of substitutes such as rented accommodation decreases, then there is a net increase in demand for houses and vice versa. If the supply of rented accommodation is less, then there is an increase in the price of rented apartments. Therefore, in the long run people find that it is cheaper to buy houses than to live in a rented accommodation. Hence, then they will tend to purchase a house. Thereby, increasing the net demand for houses. Shift in the demand curve. FIG. 2 5. Availability of mortgage finance If the mortgage finance is easily available then this results in a net increase in demand and vice versa. This is because it is easier for people to arrange for money to finance their houses. Shift in the demand curve. FIG. 2 6. Interest rates If the interest rates are high, then there is a net decrease in demand and vice versa. This is because at higher interests rates people will have to shell out more money to repay their loan. As people have a fixed monthly income, a higher interest rate would mean that the loan instalment would form a higher portion of their monthly income. Thereby, decreasing the demand for houses. Shift in the demand curve. FIG. 2 7. Consumer confidence As consumer confidence in the housing market increases, the demand for houses increases and vice versa. If prices of houses are expected to rises then consumers think it is profitable to enter the market. However, if the prices fall or remain static then consumers find no urgency to enter the market. Shift in the demand curve. FIG. 2 8. Demographic factors As increase in immigration, number of divorces, life expectancy, results in an increase in demand for houses. An increase in immigration, number of divorces, life expectancy will result in more people needing independent houses. Shift in the demand curve. FIG. 2 9. Inherited wealth An increase in number of people inheriting a huge wealth would result in an increase in demand of houses. Because these people have more money to spend on luxury products, such as houses. Shift in the demand curve. FIG. 2 10. Tax benefits If people receive greater tax benefits by buying houses, then this would result in a net increase in demand for houses. This is because people prefer to use their hard earned money on themselves rather than paying it to the government. Shift in the demand curve. FIG. 2 Source: Nationwide, Besanko et. al 2007 FIG. 2: Shifting of the demand curve. D D Price P1 Q2 Q1 D D Quantity FIG. 1: Movement along the demand curve. Price P1 P2 Q2 Q1 D D Quantity Factors affecting the supply of houses The table below shows the various factors that affect the supply of houses. Table 2: Factors affecting supply of houses S no. Factors Trend Reason Change in supply curve 1. Price If the price of houses increases then there is an increase in supply of houses and vice versa. Because sellers can then sell houses at higher rates thus making more profit. Movement along the supply curve. 2. Cost of building a house If the cost of building a house increases then there is a net decrease in supply of houses and vice versa. As this would mean a larger initial investment for the builder. Shift in the supply curve. 3. Government regulations If government regulations are inclined towards building/selling of houses then there is a net increase in supply of houses and vice versa. This would mean lower costs from the perspective of a builder/seller, which would result in more building/selling of houses. Shift in the supply curve. Source: Nationwide, Besanko et. al 2007 FIG. 1: Movement along the Supply curve. Price P1 P2 Q2 Q1 S S Quantity FIG. 2: Showing shifting of the supply curve. S S Price P1 Q2 Q1 S S Quantity Factors that have led to changes in the prices of house in UK over the last 3 years Source: Nationwide FIG. 5: Average house rates in UK from 2008 to 2010 During the first half of 2008 there was a 5.1% drop in house prices. With the financial crisis and a looming economic recession this price fall was expected. This was evident from the clear change in the consumers housing market sentiments, with people being more reluctant to buy houses. It should be noted that there is a direct relationship between the demand of houses and the confidence consumers have in the market (See table 1). In addition, factors such as high mortgage rates, tighter lending criteria, and higher interest rates affected the house prices in early 2008. The fall in demand from the buyers was also due to the rise in unemployment and associated job insecurity. Further, the problems in the credit market led to tighter lending conditions which made it difficult to obtain loans at higher loan-to-value ratios. However, these strict rules were predicted to lead to a more stable housing market. FIG. 6: Consumer House Price Expectations and House Purchase Approvals An anomaly in this trend was the slight increase in the prices in June and July 2008. This was probably because the suppliers had responded to price decline by reducing the supply of property. The reduced supply combined with an increased demand from potential buyers, who had been priced out previously, translated into a slight price rise of houses. In addition, the slight increase in prices was because of latent demand for houses. Earlier, due to the banking crisis there was reluctance among buyers to purchase houses. However, once the buyers saw that the government was taking corrective actions to stabilize the banking system, they re-entered the market along with the added assistance of low interest rates. (Nationwide, 2008) However, this was a mere aberration and between August 2008 and March 2009 the house prices fell by 10.1% due to the overall lack of consumer confidence in the economic and market conditions. In addition, there was an additional supply of houses from homeowners, whose financial positions were impacted by higher unemployment and lower income levels. FIG. 7: UK GDP and House Price Growth between 1985 and 2007 With UK slipping into recession, even drastic cuts in interest rates didnt help in increasing the demand for houses. The reduced access to credit resulting from the financial crises catalysed the fall in prices. Then, a combination of initial fall in prices, widespread news of financial turbulence, and slowdown in the real economy prompted consumers to expect further price falls. As consumers expectations turned negative, the incentive to enter the market reduced and this led to a sharp price fall. (Nationwide 2008, 2009) Then in June 2009, the low interest rates and extension of stamp duty holidays were welcomed by borrowers as they reduced the costs of already high priced housing market. Further, notwithstanding the economic downturn, there was a notable shift in house price expectation from negative to positive. These two factors resulted in increasing the demand for houses and thus increasing the price of houses. (Guardian 2009, Nationwide 2009) The second half of 2009 was marked by rebound in house prices. This was contributed by the better than expected performance of the labour market. Even though workers were forced from full-time to part-time work resulting in a reduction in income, the impact was less severe than if they had lost their jobs completely. In addition, reduction in mortgage rates meant that fewer borrowers had fallen into arrears than expected. This led to lesser number of second-hand properties being on sale and thus stabilizing the housing markets. (Nationwide 2009) The first half of 2010 also saw a 4.1% rise in prices of houses. An important factor of price rise during this period was the low level of stock for sale as many homeowners and buy-to-let landlords preferred to wait for prices to rise. And this approach was supported by the very low levels of interest rates. As a result, many potential sellers could easily afford to wait for prices to recover further before they decided to sell. Between July and October, there was a fall in the prices of houses. The impact of increasing capital gains tax from 18% to 28% was seen in the housing market, with many second homeowners choosing to sell them in response to the tax increase. Further, the spending cuts by the new government had clearly put a pressure on the disposable incomes of households. As a result there was a decrease in the prices of houses during this period. (Nationwide 2010) Factors that affect the sizes of different elasticities of demand for houses The responsiveness of the quantity of houses demanded to the change in prices, income, price of other goods, etc. is measured by the corresponding elasticities, i.e., Price elasticity of demand of houses, Income elasticity of demand of houses, or Cross prices elasticity of demand of houses. Factors that affect the sizes of different elasticities are as follows: Availability of substitutes: It is observed that more the number of substitutes, more elastic the demand will be. If the availability of rented accommodations is high, then a slight price rise will result in a large change in demand for houses because people will prefer to live in a rented apartment than to buy a house. Therefore, making the demand for houses elastic. On the other hand, if availability of rented accommodations is low, then even a large change in price would not affect the demand because everyone needs a place to live. Therefore, the demand for houses will be inelastic. Importance of the good in the consumers budget: Expenditure on housing, according to R.K. Wilkinson (1973), is an outcome of three sets of influences on the consumer, i.e., their needs, their aspirations, and their ability to realize their needs and aspirations. The latter is measured by the consumers income and the two former qualify the way in which income and changes in income affects housing expenditure. If there is a need for a house and consumers have the ability to realize that need, then the demand of houses would be inelastic. In contrast, if there is no real need and an aspiration to buy a (bigger) house combined with no real income to realize that aspiration, then the demand for houses will be highly elastic. Time: It was observed by Hanushek and Quigley (1980) that the demand for houses is elastic in the short-run. However, in the long-run the demand tended to be inelastic. This was because higher prices dissuade buyers to buy houses in the short-run. However, in the long-run he may realize that the price of houses will rise and thus he finds it better to buy a house. Conclusion In this essay we determined the factors that affected the prices of houses in UK during the last three years and the various factors that affect the elasticities of demand of houses. Based on the above discussion, I think consumer expectation of house prices is one of the most important drivers of prices in the short-run. As for the long-run, the drivers of house prices are the economic conditions, the fiscal policies, and supply of houses.

Doing Business in Thailand :: GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Doing Business in Thailand Thailand’s booming economy has encouraged me to begin a new business relationship with a highly recognized Thai company. I manufacturer a line of products for the sugar processing industry. I recently signed a one-year contract with Thai Chemiclas and Engineering Co. Ltd., located in Bangkok, to be my exclusive representative in the Thailand area. Thai Chemicals and Engineering will promote my product line and get it into the all the sugar mills in the area. They will purchase two containers per month for which we have negotiated a compatible price. The containers will be shipping out of Savannah, Georgia with a final destination of the port of Bangkok. The shipping terms will be CIF: Bangkok. I decided to use a local company to represent my product line for various reasons. First of all, I need someone that knows the culture and business environment who has an established relationship with other locals. Once my products become known, I would like to establish a factory in Thailand. Therefore, I found it necessary to gather all the information required to begin a new business in Thailand. Establishing Business or a Factory Although business can be 100 % owned by foreign investors, some are reserved for 51 % Thai ownership. People of any nationalities can participate in ownership to varying degrees: through sole ownership, a limited company /corporation, an ordinary partnership, a limited partnership, or a branch of a foreign corporation. The Ministry of Commerce's Department of Commercial Registration is directly in charge of company registration. The Stock Exchange of Thailand The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) is a well-developed financial institution which welcomes foreign investment. Tax Corporate income tax rate is 30% Transport Bangkok's modern Don Muang International Airport can easily serve your arrivals or connections. Thailand is equipped with an extensive and ever-developing transport infrastructure and an extensive state-run rail system. There are numerous shipping ports including Bangkok's Klong Toey Port and the Eastern Seaboard's Mab Ta Phut and Laem Chabang deep-sea ports within 200 kilometres of Bangkok. Working Hours Typical business hours are : for banks and financial institutions, Monday - Friday 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.; Government offices, Monday -Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (closed noon - 1 p.m.); private business, Monday - Friday from 8:30 p.

United Nations :: Free Essays

Describe the goal and functions of the United Nations. Upon the conclus5ion of WWII, the 1945 San Francisco Conference created the provisions for the United Nations. The purpose of this multinational organization was to promote international peace and security, settlement of disputes between nations by peaceful means, develop friendly relations with other nations, and the international cooperation to solve global social, economic, and cultural problems. To accomplish this agenda, the United Nations is divided into six departments, all having their own specific duties.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The U.N. charter gave the Security Council the responsibility dealing with threats to our international peace and security. There are five permanent members on the board and they include China, France, Great Britain, Russia, and the U.S.. Each member carries veto power over other the member’s actions. There are also ten non-permanent members elected by the General Assembly. These ten members serve a two-year term to ensure that various populations are represented on a rotating basis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The General Assembly includes all voting eligible nations. This assembly meets to discuss and make recommendations concerning world problems. Africa makes up 33% of total membership and can have a tremendous influence on the resolution process.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Secretariat is sort of the grunt or laborer in the organization. They are responsible for the day to day operations, calls conferences and meetings, and distributes information to the other departments as well as the public.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The U.N. Secretary General serves as a look-out. This part of the organization is to inform the Security Councils attention to direct or possible threats towards our world peace. The Secretary general also may undertake special missions and command emergency forces.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Economic and Social Council coordinates the activities of specific agencies. It is their responsibly to is make sure each department is running smooth and in the right direction.

Iago the villain Essay -- essays research papers

Iago the villain William Shakespeare, in his play, â€Å"Othello the Moor of Venice†, brings to life one of his most complex villains, Iago. Iago plays the ancient of Othello, who is the general of the Venetian forces. As an ancient, Iago is to be a loyal servant to Othello. However, Iago has grown bitter and contempt and uses his supposed loyalty as a wedge to cause Othello’s demise. It has been said of Iago that he is the devil incarnate or that he personifies the devil (pg. 244) this accusation comes to life as you read the play and discover for yourself that in each scene in which Iago speaks one can point out his deception. It is not clear whether Iago has a master plan or if he is just winged it moment by moment with his ultimate gain in mind. However, what is clear, and what we will point out in the following, is that Iago has the ability to use word play to say the right thing at the right time. He is quick witted and that is what makes him a successful villain. Iago’s is filled with rage and envy because he was passed over for a position he felt he deserved. Without conscience, Iago vows to take back what he feels is rightfully his by whatever means necessary. As we can see right from the beginning of Act 1, Iago begins to weave his web by revealing his true intentions to Roderigo as he justifies his hatred toward Othello. â€Å"O, sir, content you; I follow him to serve my turn upon him.† (Pg. 246, lines 41-42). Iago snares Roderigo, a man who is in love with Desdemona, by being the barer of bad news that she has just married Othello the Moor. It appears to Roderigo that Iago has his best interest at heart and that he wants to help him to win Desdemona over from Othello. Once Iago gains the trust of Roderigo he convinces him that they must do what is right and tell of Othello’s marriage to Desdemona the senator, her father. Iago accompanies Roderigo to the door of the Senator, Brabantio, and convinces Roderigo to call up to him to tell of this news. Once the senator is waked, Iago flees to tell Othello that trouble is on its way. This was the first clue that he was up to no good. Toward the end of Act 1, we find Iago and Roderigo speaking again. This time Roderigo is at his rope’s end and is contemplating suicide because of his lost love for Desdemona. Iago tries to reassure Roderigo that it is a matter of time that Desdemona will come to her sens... ...sio â€Å"Ay, if you dare yourself a profit and a right† (pg. 280, line 232). In the final Act, Act 5, we find Iago’s wife about to uncover his treachery, but before she can, Iago kills her to keep her quiet. In doing so he still hangs onto the hope that his plan is not all lost. Instead he flees to stall for time, however this is an admittance of guilt. â€Å"He’s gone, but his wife’s killed† (pg. 286, line 238). When Iago’s treachery is finally unmasked the justification he offers almost cheats the audience at first glance, as he stands there almost speechless â€Å"Demand me nothing. What you know, you know† (pg. 287, lines 303-304).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In his final words Iago offers no justification and conveys no expression of guilt for the treachery he bestowed upon Othello and the others. His willingness to lie, steal and kill is evidence that he is willing to go to any lengths to achieve his goal. One may ask what motivated Iago to commit these acts; it may seem that his motivation was his anger toward Othello for passing him over for the position of lieutenancy. However, to the contrary, true villains need no motivation, to be malicious and evil is their motivation.

Urban Farming in New York

Ilona Mukhisnova ENG 1101 10/22/2012 Prof. Alatriste Home Paper #2 – Argumentative Essay Urban Farming for Providing NYC with a Sustainable Food System ?Nowadays, a life in a huge megalopolis like New York can be very advantageous for a person in things like an easy access to business, culture, politics, and entertainment. However, live in the big city can has its own negative sides. Scott Stringer, in the report â€Å"Food NYC: A Blueprint for Sustainable Food System† points out serious nutrition and pollution issues in the city.Indeed, there are a lot of problems that New Yorkers have to face with, but a lack of â€Å"affordable and healthy† food is one of things that the City’s residents suffer most from. The report contains ideas and recommendations that New York can adopt to â€Å"balance health, economic, and environmental needs. † According to the report, it could be reached by changing processes of producing and consumption of food such as t he use of efficient and energy-saving technologies which may lead to reducing NYC’s GHG emissions.I think that sustainable food system could be developed by means of promotion of local agriculture and encouraging residents and businesses to consume locally produced food. ?There are a lot of problems that make the developing of local agriculture in the city difficult. One of such problems is the high CO2 production. In his report, Stringer says that â€Å"the city has committed to reducing its GHG emissions by 30 percent by the year 2030,† if it sticks to Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC initiative.However, a lot of people think that it’s really a low percentage of improvements for almost twenty-year period, but I believe that it’s way better than no improving at all, and that there’s some other ways to improve the environmental situation the city. One of the ways to reduce such problems as CO2 emission is to increase the number of parks and gardens in the city. According to Stringer’s report, some people consider gardens as â€Å"a transitional use of land, available until the land is ready for urban development. I find this point of view wrong, as these green oases in the middle of the concrete jungles help to keep our city healthier by both â€Å"absorb[ing] carbon through photosynthesis† and, thus, preserving the environment and being a place for community activities. Lubie Grujicic-Alatriste, the author of the article â€Å"New York City Community Gardens Are in Full Bloom,† says community gardens â€Å"bring so much needed relief from urban pollution. I agree with the author’s view that local residents’ help in maintaining community gardens are one of the best examples of people’s efforts to save the green â€Å"plots of land,† and this, most importantly, can help decrease the negative impacts of food sector. ?One of the biggest stoppers of developing urban agriculture in New York City is a lack of available for gardening and farming lands. In a built-up city like New York, the demand on land is great.There are some groups of people such as construction companies who are against securing the City’s land for agriculture purposes. They all need land for developing new projects and getting large profit. I think the City Government should create proper legislation to regulate the City’s land use and protect existing parks and gardens from being replaced with buildings. Also, the land demand keeps the prices on land extremely high, what makes it difficult to do business by growing fruits and vegetables; farms’ profits not always can cover the costs of production.Danielle Sonnenberg writes in her article â€Å"Interest Grows in Urban Farms: City’s Green Movement Has Ear of Wall Street† that â€Å"real estate costs are high†, and that the City and community organizations should increase the interest of Wall Street to invest in urban farming. The author points out that agriculture companies like NewSeed Advisors and Gotham Greens find urban farming profitable. Examples of these companies show that projects like hydroponic greenhouse are actually â€Å"commercially viable. That makes Wall Street consider urban farming as a good source of investment. All of the above reasons bring us to the point that we should consider new ways of city farming. According to the â€Å"Food NYC†, urban agricultural growth may be achieved by considering opportunities of using of â€Å"underutilized spaces, such as rooftops, basements, or warehouses. † In the article â€Å"Huge Rooftop Farm is Set for Brooklyn†, which appeared in the New York Times on April 5th, 2012, the author (Lisa W.Foderato) tells about a new project of â€Å"Bright Farms, a private company that develop greenhouses,† the world’s largest rooftop farm in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. The farm is going to work on the hydroponic technology, – â€Å"vegetables are [going to be] grown in water rather than soil. † Rooftop farms are not a novelty for New York: there are already farms in Long Island City, the Greenpoint, etc. Thus, the development of alternative urban farms may encourage city residents to consume locally produced food.The supporting and developing untraditional type of urban farming will bring affordable fresh produce to the City’s counters. Locally produced food with the use of modern technology can improve the overall health of the City’s population, lower the food’s costs, and reduce negative environmental impact. Securing the land for parks and gardens use can also improve NYC environment. Promoting urban agriculture and encouraging residents to consume locally produced food can help the City Government to provide New Yorkers with sustainable food system.

Ebusiness And Bank Of America Essay

In the world where technological aspects are booming, it could be fairly deduced that some of the communications and even transactions could be addressed through the internet. One of such idea is the concept where banking could be made available anytime, anywhere with just a simple click. Ideally, this notion is amendable to the changes bit it could not be avoided that this advancement would not go questioned. In this particular paper then, the concept of e-Business would then be reviewed along with the discussion of the bank of America as one of the establishment who had tried to adopt such change in banking style. In the e-Business system, it could be seen that the main players are the computer, the internet connection, and the website where a person could have a transaction with (â€Å"The Complete Guide About Advanced eBusiness Systems,† 2007). It was said that the provider of the e-business system would make it possible for the business partners and the clients to be able to communicate and transact any business. It would then be possible to have web-based orders or it would then be possible to have a simple way in communicating with customers (â€Å"Comergent eBusiness System,† 2006). It would be seen that these kinds of systems has a way of protecting those who would venture into a progressive step. Given that there are numerous people who are also gifted in the workings of technology, the main concern that a person might have is the protection and security of the things that they are keeping. As could be known, these kinds of systems would have to be protected at the same be able to accommodate the needs of the people who are interested in having these kinds of systems. One of the most talked issues is the ethical issues that e-business might have on the customers as well as the legalities it may entail and the necessary regulations needed. One of the main concern when it comes to the ethical issue is the problem of fraud and scams (Warholic, 2007). This issue then would concern the authenticity of an e-business site especially when there are still untrustworthy people who are still trapping innocent victims. The other issue is on the legalities where a system is copy write and protected would mean that a client could have a certain degree of guarantee that what would be written had been carefully put especially when plenty of people could be able to read what would be posted in the internet (Warholic, 2007). Another is the regulatory problems that might occur. When these things happen, there is always the case of intellectual property theft. It would be known that a person seeking to publish that site or what was written in the site should gain the permission first of the owner of the site (Warholic, 2007). Now the Bank of America had upgraded its transactions by extending it to the internet. It could be seen then that the bank provides different programs that may come from different states of the country. The upgrade then to e-business would then have to mean that the services that they offer could be accessed by anyone. The ethical implication of this is that they have certain reassurances that their website is not part of the people who are scheming to get the innocent. In fact, a client’s profile could not be seen by just anyone but the company itself. Upon visiting the security and policies that the bank has in their website, it could be seen that they have tried to appease the customers or clients with the nagging uncertainty of safety. The security then would come out through the handling of the cookies and also that the profile that would be passed by the client would not be seen by others. This certain confidentiality is highly essential when a person has to submit a password and a profile for the transactions. If a person would just care to read the policies and regulations that are needed to be followed, I would not think that a person could get wrong in trusting the company in some degree. In addressing international issues, Bank of America also has a certain research devoted for some parts of the world where they could reach out to do business with. As a caution then, a person must carefully read the copyright laws and regulations especially when this could protect you, as a customer, and the company or business that you are interested in.

Island of the Sequined Love Nun Chapter 4~7

4 Pinnacle of the Pink Pyramid A low buzz of anticipation ran through the halls of the hospital. Reporters checked the batteries in their microrecorders and cell phones. Orderlies and nurses lingered in the hallways in hope of getting a glimpse of the celebrity. The FAA men straightened their ties and shot their cuffs. One receptionist in administration, who was only two distributorships away from earning her own pink Oldsmobile, ducked into an examining room and sucked lungfuls of oxygen to chase the dizziness that comes from meeting one's Messiah. Mary Jean was coming. Mary Jean Dobbins did not travel with an entourage, bodyguards, or any other of the decorative leeches commonly attached to the power-wielding rich. â€Å"God is my bodyguard,† Mary Jean would say. She carried a .38-caliber gold-plated Lady Smith automatic in her bag: the Clara Barton Commemorative Model, presented to her by the Daughters of the Confederacy at their annual â€Å"Let's Lynch Leroy† pecan pie bake-off, held every Martin Luther King Jr. Day. (She didn't agree with their politics, but the belles could sure sell some makeup. If the South did not rise again, it wouldn't be for lack of foundation.) Today, as Mary Jean came through the doors of the main lobby, she was flanked by a tall predatory woman in a black business suit – a severe con-trast to Mary Jean's soft pastel blue ensemble with matching bag and pumps. â€Å"Strength and femininity are not exclusive, ladies.† She was sixty-five; matronly but elegant. Her makeup was perfect, but not overdone. She wore a sapphire-and-diamond pin whose value approximated the gross national product of Zaire. She greeted every orderly and nurse with a smile, asked after their families, thanked them for their compassionate work, flirted when appropriate, and tossed compliments over her shoulder as she passed, without ever missing a step. She left a wake of acutely charmed fans, even among the cynical and stubborn. Outside Tucker's room the predatory woman – a lawyer – broke formation and confronted the maggotry of reporters, allowing Mary Jean to slip past. She poked her head inside. â€Å"You awake, slugger?† Tuck was startled by her voice, yanked out of his redundant reverie of unemployment, imprisonment, and impotence. He wanted to pull the sheets over his head and quietly die. â€Å"Mary Jean.† The makeup magnate moved to his bedside and took his hand, all compassion and caring. â€Å"How are you feeling?† Tucker looked away from her. â€Å"I'm okay.† â€Å"Do you need anything? I'll have it here in a Texas jiffy.† â€Å"I'm fine,† Tucker said. She always made him feel like he'd just struck out in his first Little League game and she was consoling him with milk and cookies. The fact that he'd once tried to seduce her doubled the humi-liation. â€Å"Jake told me that you're having me moved to Houston. Thank you.† â€Å"I have to keep an eye on you, don't I?† She patted his hand. â€Å"You sure you're feeling well enough for a talk?† Tucker nodded. He wasn't buying the outpouring of warm fuzzies she was selling. He'd seen her doing business on the plane. â€Å"That's good, honey,† Mary Jean said, rising and looking around the room for the first time. â€Å"I'll have some flowers sent up. A touch of color will brighten things up, won't it? Something fragrant too. The constant smell of disinfectant must be disturbing.† â€Å"A little,† Tuck said. She wheeled on her heel and looked at him. Her smile went hard. Tuck saw wrinkles around her mouth for the first time. â€Å"Probably reminds you of what a total fuckup you are, doesn't it?† Tucker gulped. She'd faked him out of his shoes. â€Å"I'm sorry, Mary Jean. I'm†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She raised a hand and he shut up. â€Å"You know I don't like to use profanity or firearms, so please don't push me, Tucker. A lady controls her anger.† â€Å"Firearms?† Mary Jean pulled the Lady Smith automatic out of her purse and leveled it at Tucker's bandaged crotch. Strangely, he noticed that Mary Jean had chipped a nail drawing the gun and for that, he realized, she really might kill him. â€Å"You didn't listen to me when I told you to stop drinking. You didn't listen when I told you to stay away from my representatives. You didn't listen when I told you that if you were going to amount to anything, you had to give your life to God. You'd better damn well listen now.† She racked the slide on the automatic. â€Å"Are you listening?† Tuck nodded. He didn't breathe, but he nodded. â€Å"Good. I have run this company for forty years without a hint of scandal until now. I woke up yesterday to see my face next to yours on all the morning news shows. Today it's on the cover of every newspaper and tabloid in the country. A bad picture, Tucker. My suit was out of season. And every article uses the words ‘penis' and ‘prostitute' over and over. I can't have that. I've worked too hard for that.† She reached out and tugged on his catheter. Pain shot though his body and he reached for the ringer for the nurse. â€Å"Don't even think about it, pretty boy. I just wanted to make sure I had your attention.† â€Å"The gun pretty much did it, Mary Jean,† Tucker groaned. Fuck it, he was a dead man anyway. â€Å"Don't you speak to me. Just listen. This is going to disappear. You are going to disappear. You're getting out of here tomorrow and then you're going to a cabin I have up in the Rockies. You won't go home, you won't speak to any reporters, you won't say doodly squat. My lawyers will handle the legal aspects and keep you out of jail, but you will never surface again. When this blows over, you can go on with your pathetic life. But with a new name. And if you ever set foot in the state of Texas or come within a hundred yards of anyone involved in my company, I will personally shoot you dead. Do you understand?† â€Å"Can I still fly?† Mary Jean laughed and lowered the gun. â€Å"Sweetie, to a Texas way a thinkin' the only way you coulda screwed up worse is if you'd throwed a kid down a well after fessing up to being on the grassy knoll stompin' yellow roses in between shootin' the President. You ain't gonna fly, drive, walk, crawl, or spit if I have anything to say about it.† She put the gun in her purse and went into the tiny bathroom to check her makeup. A quick primping and she headed for the door. â€Å"I'll send up some flowers. Y'all heal up now, honey.† She wasn't going to kill him after all. Maybe he could win her back. â€Å"Mary Jean, I think I had a spiritual experience.† â€Å"I don't want to hear about any of your degenerate activities.† â€Å"No, a real spiritual experience. Like a – what do you call it? – an epiphany?† â€Å"Son, you don't know it, but you're as close to seeing the Lord as you've ever been in your life. Now you hush before I send you to perdition.† She put on her best beatific smile and left the room radiating the power of positive thinking. Tucker pulled the covers over his head and reached for the flask Jake had left. Perdition, huh? She made it sound bad. Must be in Oklahoma. 5 Our Lady of the Fishnet Stockings The High Priestess of the Shark People ate Chee-tos and watched afternoon talk shows over the satellite feed. She sat in a wicker emperor's chair. A red patent leather pump dangled from one toe. Red lipstick, red nails, a big red bow in her hair. But for a pair of silk seamed stockings, she was naked. On the screen: Meadow Malackovitch, in a neck brace, sobbed on her lawyer's shoulder – a snapshot of the pilot who had traumatized her was inset in the upper-right-hand corner. The host, a failed weatherman who now made seven figures mining trailer parks for atrocities, was reading the dubious rsum of Tucker Case. Shots of the pink jet, before and after. Stock footage of Mary Jean on an airfield tarmac, followed by Case in a leather jacket. The High Priestess touched herself lightly, leaving a faint orange stripe of Chee-to spoor on her pubes (she was a natural blonde), then keyed the intercom that connected her to the Sorcerer. â€Å"What?† came the man's voice, weary but awake. It was 2:00 A.M. The Sorcerer had been working all night. â€Å"I think we've found our pilot,† she said. 6 Who's Flying This Life? At the last minute Mary Jean changed her mind about sending Tucker Case to her cabin in the mountains. â€Å"Put him in a motel room outside of town and don't let him out until I say so.† In two weeks Tucker had seen only the nurse who came in to change his bandages and the guard. Actually, the guard was a tackle, second-string defense from SMU, six-foot-six, two hundred and seventy pounds of earnest Christian na;vet named Dusty Lemon. Tucker was lying on the bed watching television. Dusty sat hunched over the wood-grain Formica table reading Scripture. Tucker said, â€Å"Dusty, why don't you go get us a six-pack and a pizza?† Dusty didn't look up. Tuck could see the shine of his scalp through his crew cut. A thick Texas drawl: â€Å"No, sir. I don't drink and Mrs. Jean said that you wasn't to have no alcohol.† â€Å"It's not Mrs. Jean, you doofus. It's Mrs. Dobbins.† After two weeks, Dusty was beginning to get on Tuck's nerves. â€Å"Just the same,† Dusty said. â€Å"I can call for a pizza for you, but no beer.† Tuck detected a blush though the crew cut. â€Å"Dusty?† â€Å"Yes sir.† The tackle looked up from his Bible, waited. â€Å"Get a real name.† â€Å"Yes, sir,† Dusty said, a giant grin bisecting his moon face, â€Å"Tuck.† Tucker wanted to leap off the bed and cuff Dusty with his Bible, but he was a long way from being able to leap anywhere. Instead, he looked at the ceiling for a second (it was highway safety orange, like the walls, the doors, the tile in the bathroom), then propped himself up on one elbow and considered Dusty's Bible. â€Å"The red type. That the hot parts?† â€Å"The words of Jesus,† Dusty said, not looking up. â€Å"Really?† Dusty nodded, looked up. â€Å"Would you like me to read to you? When my grandma was in the hospital, she liked me to read Scriptures to her.† Tucker fell back with an exasperated sigh. He didn't understand religion. It was like heroin or golf: He knew a lot of people did it, but he didn't un-derstand why. His father watched sports every Sunday, and his mother had worked in real estate. He grew up thinking that church was something that simply interfered with games and weekend open houses. His first ex-posure to religion, other than the skin mag layouts of the women who had brought down television evangelists, had been his job with Mary Jean. For her it just seemed like good business. Sometimes he would stand in the back of the auditorium and listen to her talk to a thousand women about having God on their sales team, and they would cheer and â€Å"Hallelujah!† and he would feel as if he'd been left out of something – something beyond the apparent goofiness of it all. Maybe Dusty had something on him besides a hundred pounds. â€Å"Dusty, why don't you go out tonight? You haven't been out in two weeks. I have to be here, but you – you must have a whole line of babes crying to get you back, huh? Big football player like you, huh?† Dusty blushed again, going deep red from the collar of his practice jersey to the top of his head. He folded his hands and looked at them in his lap. â€Å"Well, I'm sorta waitin' for the right girl to come along. A lot of the girls that go after us football players, you know, they're kinda loose.† Tuck raised an eyebrow. â€Å"And?† Dusty squirmed, his chair creaked under the strain. â€Å"Well, you know, it's kinda†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And suddenly, amid the stammering, Tucker got it. The kid was a virgin. He raised his hand to quiet the boy. â€Å"Never mind, Dusty.† The big tackle slumped in his chair, exhausted and embarrassed. Tuck considered it. He, who understood so much the importance of a healthy sex life, who knew what women needed and how to give it to them, might never be able to do it again, and Dusty Lemon, who probably could produce a woody that women could chin themselves on, wasn't using it at all. He pondered it. He worked it over from several angles and came very close to having a religious experience, for who but a vicious and vengeful God would allow such injustice in the world? He thought about it. Poor Tucker. Poor Dusty. Poor, poor Tucker. He felt a lump forming in his throat. He wanted to say something that would make the kid feel better. â€Å"How old are you, Dusty?† â€Å"I'll be twenty-two next March, sir?† â€Å"Well, that's not so bad. I mean, you might be a late bloomer, you know. Or gay maybe,† Tuck said cheerfully. Dusty started to contract into the fetal position. â€Å"Sir, I'd rather not talk about it, if you don't mind,† he whimpered. There was a knock on the door and he uncurled, alert and ready to move. He looked to Tucker for instructions. â€Å"Well, answer it.† Dusty lumbered to the door and pulled it open a crack. â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"I'm here to see Tucker Case. It's okay, I work for Mary Jean.† Tuck recognized Jake Skye's voice. â€Å"Just a second.† Dusty turned and looked to Tucker, confused. â€Å"Who knows we're here, Dusty?† â€Å"Just us and Mrs. Jean.† â€Å"Then why don't you let him in?† â€Å"Yes, sir.† He opened the door and Jake Skye strode through carrying a grocery bag and a pizza box. â€Å"Greetings.† He threw the pizza on the bed. â€Å"Pepperoni and mushroom.† He glanced at Dusty and paused, taking a moment to look the tackle up and down. â€Å"How'd you get this job? Eat your family?† â€Å"No, sir,† Dusty said. Jake patted the tackle's mammoth shoulder. â€Å"Good to be careful, I guess. Momma always said, ‘Beware of geeks bearing gifts.' Who are you?† â€Å"Jake Skye,† Tuck said, â€Å"meet Dusty Lemon. Dusty, Jake Skye, Mary Jean's jet mechanic. Be nice to Dusty, Jake, He's a virgin.† Dusty shot a vicious glare at Tuck and extended a boxing glove size mitt. Jake shook his hand. â€Å"Virgin, huh?† Jake dropped his hand. â€Å"Not including farm animals, though, right?† Dusty winced and moved to close the door. â€Å"You-all can't stay long. Mr. Case isn't supposed to see no one.† Jake put the grocery bag down on the table, pulled out a fourinch-thick bundle of mail, and tossed it on the bed next to Tucker. â€Å"Your fan mail.† Tucker picked it up. â€Å"It's all been opened.† â€Å"I was bored,† Jake said, opening the pizza box and extracting a slice. â€Å"A lot of death threats, a few marriage proposals, a couple really interesting ones had both. Oh, and an airline ticket to someplace I've never heard of with a check for expenses.† â€Å"From Mary Jean?† â€Å"Nope. Some missionary doctor in the Pacific. He wants you to fly for him. Medical supplies or something. Came FedEx yesterday. Almost took the job myself, seeing as I still have my pilot's license and you don't, but then, I can get a job here.† Tucker shuffled through the stack of mail until he found the check and the airline ticket. He unfolded the attached letter. Jake held the pizza box out to the bodyguard. â€Å"Dopey, you want some pizza?† â€Å"Dusty,† Dusty corrected. â€Å"Whatever.† To Tuck: â€Å"He wants you to leave ASAP.† â€Å"He can't go anywhere,† said Dusty. Jake retracted the box. â€Å"I can see that, Dingy. He's still wired for sound.† Jake gestured toward the catheter that snaked out of Tucker's pajama bottoms. â€Å"How long before you can travel?† Tucker was studying the letter. It certainly seemed legitimate. The doctor was on a remote island north of New Guinea, and he needed someone to fly jet loads of medical supplies to the natives. He specifically mentioned that â€Å"he was not concerned† about Tucker's lack of a pilot's license. The â€Å"need was dire† and the need was for an experienced jet pilot who could fly a Lear 45. â€Å"Well,† Jake said, â€Å"when can you roll?† â€Å"Doctor says not for a week or so,† Tucker said. â€Å"I don't get it. This guy is offering more money than I make for Mary Jean. Why me?† Jake pulled a Lone Star from the grocery bag and twisted off the cap. Tuck zeroed in on the beer. Dusty snatched it out of Jake's hand. â€Å"The question is,† Jake said, glaring at Dusty, â€Å"what the fuck is a missionary doctor in Bongo Bongo land doing with a Lear 45?† â€Å"God's work?† Dusty said innocently. Jake snatched back his beer. â€Å"Oh blow me, Huey.† â€Å"Dusty,† Dusty corrected. Tucker said, â€Å"I'm not sure this is a good idea. Maybe I should stay here and see how things pan out with the FAA. This guy wants me right away. I need more time.† â€Å"Like more time will make a difference. Damn, Tucker, you don't have to sink eyeball deep in shit to know it's a good idea to pull yourself out. Sometimes you have to make a decision.† Tucker looked at the letter again. â€Å"But I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Before Tucker could finish his protest, Jake brought the Lone Star in a screaming arc across Dusty Lemon's temple. The bodyguard fell like a dead tree and did a dead-cat bounce on the orange carpet. â€Å"Jesus!† Tucker said. â€Å"What the fuck was that?† â€Å"A decision,† Jake said. He looked up from the fallen tackle and took a pull on the foaming Lone Star. â€Å"Sometimes this high-tech world calls for low-tech solutions. Let's go.† 7 Travel Tips â€Å"I can't believe you hit him,† Tucker said. He was in the passenger seat of Jake Skye's camouflaged Land Rover. It was much more car than was re-quired for the Houston expressway, but Jake was into equipment overkill. Everything he owned was Kevlar, GorTex, Polarfleece, titanium alloy, graphite-polymer composite, or of â€Å"expedition quality.† He liked machines, understood how they worked, and could fix them if they didn't. Sometimes he spoke in an incomprehensible alphabet soup of SRAM, DRAM, FOR-TRAN, LORAN, SIMMS, SAMS, and ROM. Tuck, on the other hand, knew most of the words to â€Å"Mommas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys† and could restore burned toast to new by scraping off the black stuff. Of the two, Jake was the cool one. Tucker had always found being cool a little elusive. As Jake put it, â€Å"You've got the look, but you can't walk the walk or talk the talk. Tucker, you are a hopeless geek trapped in a cool guy's body, but out of the goodness of my heart, I will take you on as my student.† They'd been friends for four years. Jake had taught Tuck to fly. â€Å"He'll be fine. He's a jock,† Jake shouted over the buffeting wind. He hadn't bought a top for the Land Rover, opting instead for the Outback package with the â€Å"patented rhinoceros poking platform.† â€Å"He was just a kid. He was reading the Bible.† â€Å"He would have ripped my arms off if I'd let him.† Tuck nodded. That was probably true. â€Å"Where are we going?† â€Å"The airport. Everything you need is in that pack in the back.† Tucker looked into the back of the Rover. There was a large backpack. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Because if I don't get you out of the country right now, you're going to jail.† â€Å"Mary Jean said she had that handled. Said her lawyers were on it.† â€Å"Right, and I go around smacking kids with beer bottles for recreation. The hooker filed a civil suit this morning. Twenty million. Mary Jean has to throw you to the wolves to save her own ass. She has to let the court prove that you fucked up all on your own. I grabbed your passport and some clothes when I got your mail.† â€Å"Jake, I can't just take off like this. I'm supposed to see a doctor tomorrow.† â€Å"For what?† Tuck pointed to the lump of bandages in his lap. â€Å"What do you think? He's supposed to take this damn tube out of me.† â€Å"We'll do it in the bathroom at the airport. There's some antibiotics in the first-aid kit in the pack. I confirmed you for a flight to Honolulu that leaves in an hour. From there you go to Guam, then to someplace called Truk. That's where this doctor is supposed to meet you. I've got it all written down. There was an e-mail address at the bottom of the letter. I sent him a message to expect you tomorrow.† â€Å"But my car, my apartment, my stuff.† â€Å"Your apartment is a pit and I put your stuff worth keeping in a ministorage. I've got the pink slip for your Camaro. Sign it over to me. I'll sell it and send you the money.† â€Å"You were pretty fucking sure I'd want to do this.† â€Å"What choice do you have?† Jake parked the Land Rover in short-term parking, shouldered the pack, and led Tucker into the international terminal. They checked the pack and found a rest room near Tucker's departure gate. â€Å"I can do this myself,† Tucker said. Jake Skye was peering over the door into the stall where Tucker was preparing to remove his bandages and, finally, the catheter. A line of businessmen washed their hands at a line of lavatories while trying not to notice what was going on behind them in the stall. â€Å"Just yank it,† Jake Skye said. â€Å"Give me a minute. I think they tied a knot inside it.† â€Å"Don't be a wuss, Tucker. Yank it.† The businessmen at the sinks exchanged raised eyebrows and one by one broke for the rest room door. Jake said, â€Å"I'm going to give you to five, then I'm coming over the stall and yanking it for you. One, two†¦Ã¢â‚¬  A rodeo cowboy at the urinals hitched up his Wranglers, pulled his hat down, and made a bowlegged beeline for the door to get on a plane to someplace where this sort of thing didn't happen. â€Å"Five!† Security guards rushed through the terminal toward the screaming. Someone was being murdered in the men's room and they were responsible. They burst into the rest room with guns drawn. Jake Skye was coiling up some tubing by the sinks. There was whimpering coming from one of the stalls. â€Å"Everything's fine, officers,† Jake said. â€Å"My friend's a little upset. He just found out that his mother died.† â€Å"My mother's not dead!† Tucker said from the stall. â€Å"He's in denial,† Jake whispered to the guards. â€Å"Here, you better takes this.† He handed the tubing to one of the guards. â€Å"We don't want him hanging himself in grief.† Ten minutes later, after condolences from the security staff, they sat in the departure lounge drinking gin and tonics, waiting for Tuck's boarding call. Around them, a score of men and women in suits fired out phone calls on cell phones while twenty more performed an impromptu dog pile at the bar, trying to occupy the minuscule smoking area. Jake Skye was cataloging the contents of the pack he'd given to Tuck. Tucker wasn't listening. He was overwhelmed with the speed with which his life had gone to shit, and he was desperately trying to sort it out. Jake's voice was lost like kazoo sounds in a wind tunnel. Jake droned, â€Å"The stove will run on anything: diesel, jet fuel, gasoline, even vodka. There's a mask, fins, and snorkel, and a couple of waterproof flashlights.† The job with Mary Jean had been perfect. A different city every few days, nice hotels, an expense account, and literally thousands of earnest Mary Jean ladies to indulge him. And they did, one or two at each convention. Inspired by Mary Jean's speeches on self-determination, motivation, and how they too could be a winner, they sought Tucker out to have their one adventurous affair with a jet pilot. And because no matter how many times it happened, he was always somewhat surprised by their advances, Tucker played a part. He behaved like a man torn from the cover of some steamy romance novel: the charming rogue, the passionate pirate who would, come morning, take his ship to sea for God, Queen, and Country. Of course, usually, sometime before morning, the women would realize that under the smooth, gin-painted exterior was a guy who sniffed his shorts to check their wearability. But for a moment, for them and for him, he had been cool. Sleazy, but cool. When the sleaze got to him, he needed only to suck a few hits of oxygen from the cabin cylinder to chase the hangover, then pull the pink jet into the sky to convince himself he was a professional, competent and in control. At altitude he turned it all over to the autopilot. But now he couldn't seduce anyone or allow himself to be seduced, and he wasn't sure he could fly. The crash had juiced him of his confidence. It wasn't the impact or even the injuries. It was that last moment, when the guy, or the angel, or whatever it was appeared in the copilot's seat. â€Å"You ever think about God?† Tucker asked Jake. Jake Skye's face went dead with incomprehension. â€Å"You're going to need to know about this stuff if you get into trouble. Kinda like checking the fuel gauges – if you know what I mean.† Tucker winced. â€Å"Look, I heard every word you said. This seemed important all of a sudden, you know?† â€Å"Well, in that case, Tuck, yes, I do think about God sometimes. When I'm with a really hot babe, and we're going at it like sweaty monkeys, I think about it then. I think about a big old pissed-off Sistine Chapel finger-pointin' motherfucker. And you know what? It works. You don't come when you're thinking about shit like that. You should try it sometime. Oh, sorry.† â€Å"Never mind,† Tucker said. â€Å"You can't let that kid with the Bible get to you. He's too young to have given up on religion†¦doesn't have enough sin under his belt. Guys like us, best bet is that it's all bullshit and we go directly to worm food. Try not to think about it.† â€Å"Right,† Tucker said, totally unsatisfied. If you had a question about any piece of gadgetry on the planet, Jake Skye was your man. But spiritually, he was a hamster. Which, actually, was one of the things Tucker used to like about him. He tried not to think about it and changed the subject. â€Å"So what do I need to know about flying a Lear 45?† Jake seemed relieved to be back into the realm of technology. â€Å"I haven't seen one yet, but they say it flies just like Mary Jean's old Lear 25, only faster and a longer range. Better avionics. Read the manuals when you get there.† â€Å"What about navigation equipment?† Tucker's navigation was weak. Since he'd gotten his jet license, he'd depended completely on automatic systems.† â€Å"You'll be fine. You don't buy a four-million-dollar plane and cheap out on the navigation and radios. This doctor's got an e-mail address, which means he's got a computer. You'll be able to access charts and weather, and file flight plans with that. Check the facilities at your destinations, so you'll know what to expect. Some of these Third World airstrips just have a native with a candle for night landings. And check your fuel availability. They'll sell you sewer water instead of jet fuel if you don't check. You ever deal with Third World airport cops?† Tucker shrugged. Jake knew damn well he hadn't. He'd gotten his hours flying copilot in the Mary Jean jet, and they'd never taken that outside of the continental United States except for one trip to Hawaii. â€Å"Well,† Jake continued, â€Å"the catchword is ‘bribe, bribe, and bribe.' Offer the highest amount you can at the lowest level of authority. Always have a thick roll of American dollars with you, and don't bring it to the table if you're not willing to lose it. Keep something stashed in your shoe if they tap you out.† â€Å"You think this doctor is going to have me hauling drugs?† â€Å"Good chance of it, don't you think? Besides, it doesn't matter. These people are brutal. Half the time the government guys have the same last name, so if you move up the ladder, you're just talking to the uncle of the last one that hit you. He has to charge you more out of pride.† Tucker cradled his head in his hands and stared into his gin and tonic. â€Å"I'm fucked.† Jake patted him on the arm, then drew back at the intimacy of the act. â€Å"They're calling your flight. You'll be fine.† They rose and Jake threw some cash on the table. At the gate Tucker turned to his friend. â€Å"Man, I don't know what to say.† Jake extended his hand. â€Å"No sweat, man. You'd have done it for me.† â€Å"I really hate flying in the back. Check on that kid from the motel, okay.† â€Å"I'm on it. Look, everything you need is in the pack. Don't leave it behind.† â€Å"Right,† Tucker said. â€Å"Well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He turned and walked down the ramp to the plane. Jake Skye watched him go, then turned, walked to a pay phone, dialed some numbers, and waited. â€Å"Yeah, it's Jake. He's on his way. Yeah, gone for good. When can I pick up my check?†