Barriers of Effective Communication

Describe the barriers of effective communication. Introduction: If an individual (Sender) sends a message and the receiver interprets it in the same way as the sender had intended to express,the process of communication is said to be complete. But it is not always so. Certain barriers in communication affect the clarity, accuracy and effectiveness of the message. The barriers could be related to the communication system, mechanical devices being used, language or symbols being used for encoding, the sender and the receiver himself. There exist many barriers to communication and these may occur at any stage in the communication process.Barriers may lead to your message becoming distorted and you therefore risk wasting both time and money by causing confusion and misunderstanding. Effective communication involves overcoming these barriers and conveying a clear and concise message. Below are some common barriers to effective communication include: †¢ Physical Barriers: this has to do with poor or outdated equipment used during communications. Physical barriers are often due to the nature of the environment like background noise, poor lighting, temperatures that are too hot or too cold which in turn interfere with effective communication. Organizational Barriers: System design faults refer to problems with the structures or systems in place in an organization. This happens due to the physical distance between the sender and the receiver due to their task, power, and authority and status relationship. examples could be inefficient or inappropriate information systems, a lack of supervision or training, and a lack of clarity in roles and responsibilities which can lead to staff being uncertain about what is expected of them. †¢ Ambiguity of words/phrases or Semantic Barriers:Different people assign different meanings to one specific message. Hence the communicator must ensure that the receiver receives the same meaning. It is better if such words are avoide d by using alternatives whenever possible. †¢ Attitudes or Interpersonal Barriers: Another main barrier is the fear and mistrust that form the roots of our emotional barrier which stop us from communicating effectively with our co-workers. These are based upon relationships, values held and attitudes of the members involved.Shortage of time for subordinates, lack of trust, can be a major hurdle in effective communication. emotions like anger or sadness can taint objectivity. Also being extremely nervous,having a personal agenda can make communications less than effective. †¢ Cross cultural/ Geographical Barriers: This barrier arises due to time, geographic locations and the effect of time upon reception of the message. Social relationships, words, colors, symbols concepts of time and space and perception are barriers peculiar to different cultures. Language Barriers: this can seem like an easy one, but even people speaking the same language can have difficulty understandin g each other if they are from different generations or from different regions of the same country. Slang, professional jargon and regional colloquialisms can even hurt communicators with the best intentions. †¢ Information Overload: it takes time to process a lot of information and too many details can overwhelm and distract the audience from the important topics. Keep it Simple and short. Insufficient Knowledge of the Subject: If the sender lacks specific information about something, the receiver will likely receive an unclear or mixed message. For example: Have you shopped for an item such as a computer, and experienced how some salespeople can explain complicated terms and ideas in a simple way ? Others cannot. †¢ Lack of Basic Communication Skills: The receiver is less likely to understand the message if the sender has trouble choosing the precise words needed and arranging those words in a grammatically-correct sentence. Lack of Sensitivity to Receiver: A breakdown in communication may result when a message is not adapted to its receiver. Recognizing the receiver’s needs, status, knowledge of the subject, and language skills assists the sender in preparing a successful message. one can improve effective organizational communication is by changing one’s thoughts and feelings with one’s colleague. In this way, we don’t just break down communication barriers, but also build relationships that work successfully for long.

Human Resources Management Contribution

â€Å"How can Human Resource Management contribute to the success of an engineering business? † Although there is no widely acknowledged definition for the term Human Resource Management, as far as I can understand it Human Resource Management is an approach to personnel management that sees people as the key resource of a company. In short it is a system that believes it is important to communicate well with employees and include them in what is going on with the organization, to increase the commitment and help them to identify with the organization. HRM specifically is a body of functions and policies that shape the work environment and control the relationship with employees. Some functions contain alternative methods or practices from which managers can choose. The key functions in HRM are; Planning the HR needs of the organization, particularly for the future. Integrating HRM with the organizations strategic management process and co-ordinating clusters of HR practices to achieve the desired goals. Staffing correctly; obtaining the correct people with regards to their skill set, abilities, knowledge and experience. Some practices involved within this are HR planning, Job analysis, Recruitment and selection. Developing skills, to ensure that workforce can perform satisfactorily in their jobs and can advance within the organization. To identify employee’s key skills and where they are competent the ‘Performance appraisal’ practice can be employed. Motivating employees through reward system, this can be done through performance appraisal, job evaluation. Designing and maintaining work systems that are safe and promote workplace wellness and employee health so as to fulfil health and safety legislations and retain a capable workforce. Managing relationships between employees, it covers a wide range of practices that can be used to create a better co-operation between employees and also a better feeling of involvement/participation. It also extends to co-operation with unions if they are involved. Managing change for the future by helping others be able to envision and understand the change, along with setting expectations for performance and helping develop the capability to reorganize and reallocate resources (including people). Evaluating the value of the entire HR system y designing procedures and processes that measure it. All of these functions and practices are underpinned by legislation. In a practical application typically a company would set out organizational objectives and then decide on a strategy in order to achieve those objectives. In the context of an Engineering company/business the strategic focus could, for example, be on the following: †¢ Ensure effective training and development of all st aff in order to ensure flexibility and competence within roles. Develop effective communication between employees and between departments/functions. †¢ Develop mechanisms to cope with future environmental change including social, political and technological. In this example strategic focus is on developing a flexible organization that can adapt to change in the environment and has a good communication structure in order to achieve this. Intel is a good example of a company in the Engineering business world whose business competitive advantage is its speed and flexibility in meeting the changing needs of various market niches. Given the extremely short product life cycle in this industry, there is a pressing need, according to Andy Grove, CEO of Intel, to channel resources swiftly from declining areas into emerging/growing areas. In these scenarios technological and financial resource transfer can be done quickly, but people are the hardest part of the system to redeploy. In order to develop and encourage continuing success the business must develop a HRM strategy that focuses on the correct HR areas in order to maximise competitiveness. To develop a successful HRM strategy, the business strategy must first be understood (Key driving forces of the business [technology, competition etc. ], Implications of these driving forces and the fundamental contribution of people in the business). From here a mission statement can be developed that relates to the people side of the business, establishing what they contribute. Analysing the organization (Culture, Organization, People, HR systems) and the external business and market environment will determine potential performance, skill issues etc. and highlight opportunities/threats. For each critical issue options can be generated considering the consequences of possible actions. From this a set of broad objectives can be created that can be split into specific HR areas, for example, Management, training/development, communication etc. The choice of strategy will have a big effect on the company’s success. Smaller companies will have to choose different objectives, for example, it is more expensive for a smaller company to offer effective training to their workforce, so a better option would be to select and recruit the correct staff. This is illustrated by Small to medium sized companies in China, which were found to have focused their HR efforts on selection and recruitment, performance-based remuneration and employee involvement in decision-making. This may be working well for these SME’s but for future success it would be a good idea to develop effective training/development programmes in order to further develop their employee’s skills. The problem here is that in order to compete with other companies there has to be compromise in certain areas. SME’s can’t always provide effective/quality training because of the cost, but over a longer period of time the cost-benefit ratio can be swung in a positive way as effective training can mean future development for the organization. In terms of Engineering industry this can provide greater benefit as development in certain skill areas, and skilled workers in general are essential for business growth. Problems can arise here though as if employee’s leave for other, better paid jobs once they have had training and developed skills in certain areas, the companies lose out on work time and incur costs. Another focus of HRM is to develop the central role of managers and also to prevent the view from workers as ‘us and them’ with regards to managers and help create an ‘us and us’ view. Cost can be controlled to a degree within a larger business by developing the roll of line managers as people managers, this cuts down the need for HR persons and helps to create a more ‘personal’ environment for employees. This is shown by Hewlett-Packard (HP) who relatively recently have been moving back towards developing the central role of managers. Primarily the role of the HR department now is to facilitate, measure, and improve the quality of management and teamwork, not to provide an avenue for managers to abdicate their responsibilities for people. HRM also helps to develop workers ability to manage themselves, many companies now are emphasizing flexibility and cohesion through team based activities and self managed work teams. One of the largest and most successful companies in the electronic engineering world, Apple, are a good example of focusing on self managed work teams and creating very strong employee-company bonds. By facilitating the development of self-managed work teams, HR departments can remove themselves from the intermediary role and allow employees to be self-determining. The HRM system can provide great success for an engineering business. It provides a method to narrow down the problems within an organization relating to the people within it, and create specific areas to focus on headed by generalised terms to provide an easy to follow and implement strategic plan. It has many advantages, such as the ability to create a flexible work environment, focusing on specific areas of the business to maximise competitiveness. However it also has some disadvantages, for example if quality training for workers is provided at great cost to the business, without proper precautions in place it is possible for trained employees then to leave and obtain better paid jobs with their provided training. In many of the examples illustrated here it is possible to see that there is strong links between the success of an engineering company and the use of HRM. Without effective management of people the business can fail to achieve its goals or sufficiently succeed in its market. The many different aspects of HRM allow enough flexibility and variation to allow a business to select and develop specific areas to meet its needs, for example Intel has a built a flexible structure for its employees to allow the business to move in and out of growing/declining markets. Resources An empirical study of high performance HRM practices in Chinese SMEs Connie Zheng, Mark Morrison & Grant O'Neill The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol 17 No 10, October 2006 Allbusiness. com – Lower cost, higher value: human resource function in transformation. By Brockbank, Wayne -THE IMPACT OF HUMAN RESOURCE AND OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON COMPANY PRODUCTIVITY Human Resources Management (Theory and Practice 4th Edition) [Bratton and Gold] The essence of Human Resource Management [McKenna and Beech] Introduction to HRM [Maund] Managementtoday. com – Working Human Resoruces into the system

First impressions Essay

In my opinion it is your first impression of something that ultimately gives you the perfect vantage point in which to accurately assume the true nature of something. Your notion of this something is then unaffected or swayed by any outside sources or by second guessing yourself. Upon first experiencing this first time offered course, I immediately felt right at home concerning the direction in which the course was headed and also with the enthusiasm and involvement of the professor. The first class began as any other, anxiously awaiting an unknown professor and the educational information he bears. With a proverbial collective sigh of relief, the class was greeted with a pleasant professor offering a most interesting lesson plan on the writing in the discipline of psychology. After welcomed introductions class was underway and a new appreciation for my major was attained. Our first homework assignment required us to read and analyze an article entitled â€Å"Making Science Understandable to a Broad Audience† by Richard Reis. The article portrays the notion that we as those in search of educational advancement must accommodate the manner in which we write for individuals many whom are otherwise unaware. This piece I believe sets the tone for this course in its entirety and my perceptions as to what is seeks to achieve, in that to truly know and understand an idea or concept one must have the ability to correctly perceive and present information of the utmost importance to the vast majority. Throughout my college career I have strived to put forth my best effort and achieve a great standing in all my courses. I plan on not doing any different here, so upon perusing the course syllabus I noticed many assignments wherein groups were involved. In my past experience, sadly I have had many instances in which fellow group members became ‘clingers’ to my dedicated work whilst I labored on it. Assignments listed as anything prefaced by the dreaded utterance â€Å"Group,† made me question my position here. Despite my reservations I believe that those fellow students in my class are just as dedicated as I and wish to succeed just as much. Without further explanation of the group work involved, much of it looks fairly familiar to projects that I have done in past classes both in college and high school concerning poster presentations and literature reviews. My worries, other than those aforementioned, lie in the â€Å"Individual Components† of the course description and what they might entail. At least for me, when work pertaining to that of doling out constructive criticism is required I simply feel inadequate in telling others how to go about their work. Other than that one hiccup, the rest of the work to be done individually seems common or at least manageable. In the past I have kept a record or journal of daily events of significance, in that I can see doing well in keeping a research journal. Being accustomed to modern times and technology use should help serve me in using the â€Å"Learning E-Portfolios,† and submitting assignments online. My major is in psychology and therefore have read extensively on the subject as well as taken previous writing courses, all of which will hopefully aid me in doing well this semester. I feel as though this course will play towards my strengths and will be successful overall. Although, I do not expect to go without surprises, I trust this course to challenge my writing ability as well as my grasp on psychology ASSIGNMENT REFLECTION FORM 1. How would you describe your experience in working on this assignment (Was it difficult to begin? Did the ideas come easily or with difficulty? What obstacles did you face in the process of writing? How long did it take you?)? A: As with any paper, I found it slightly difficult to begin because I enjoy taking the time to organize my thoughts into a cohesive and coherent piece. In the writing process I found it difficult to completely fulfill the requirements in that the book contained in the courses required reading section had been backordered and in an attempt to continue, I had purchased a copy on Amazon.com and am sadly still awaiting its arrival. From beginning to end this essay took me around two hours to complete in its entirety. 2. What do you see as the strengths of this paper? A: I believe the strengths of this paper to be my honesty involving the course. It may or may not help with improvements and or changes in future assignments and course direction. 3. What do you see as areas for improvement in the paper? A: Not to sound clichà © but I believe that all papers still require improvement. No matter how many edits or drafts it takes there will always be one idea or point that may have been over expressed or a central one that had been simply left out completely. I may need to improve upon my ordering or overall flow of my paper to achieve a better read. 4. What did you learn (about yourself, the subject, writing, or reading) from doing this assignment? A: While writing this piece I learned that I truly enjoy expressing myself through writing. Although I consider myself to have a limited vocabulary I find nothing more exciting than to surprise someone with my work.

Legal Aspects of Hospitality Managment Term Paper

Legal Aspects of Hospitality Managment - Term Paper Example The safety regulations require the employees handling food to observe personal hygiene and use clean uniform and other attires when handling food. In addition, all food handlers are required to undergo medical check-up on a regular basis in order to minimize the spread of contagious diseases such as tuberculosis and diarrhea. The restaurant managers are required to maintain clean and safe environment and premises in order to reduce liabilities that business may incur through injuries to visitors while in the premise (Tansey and Rajotte 79). If the restaurant management complies with these safety requirements, clients will get motivated and encouraged to revisit the restaurant in the future. 2. Improved workers efficiency Safety standards require restaurant owners to ensure secure and clean environment of the business. Another requirement is better working environment for employees and the use of recommended food handling facilities (Brown 785). Regarding the safety of the workers, th e law protects employees against discrimination, poor working environment, and unfair dismissal from work, inadequate pay including overtime allowances, leave and other allowances. If the business is able to comply with these requirements it will motivate employees and increase their productivity (Jha and Elgar 51). Also, employees feel motivated because of better pay, appropriate equipment and excellent working atmosphere and they are able to identify with business. 3. Reduction of unhealthy competition When establishing a restaurant the investor must ensure compliance with all legal requirements relating to safety of the customers, workers and the environment (Vogel 116). The law requires the restaurants to ensure the food is... This paper approves that food safety rules describe the hygiene conditions for handling food and the environment surrounding the food business. The process involved when interacting with food safety rules is usually cumbersome and cost intensive. The process of registering business is generally tedious and time consuming. Some businesses are unable to meet the safety regulations requirements hence they opt out of business. This closure of business results to significant loss of business revenue during the closure period. This essay makes a conclusion that the future of the restaurant business lies on the level of compliance of the business with safety regulations relating to customer, employees and the environmental protection. The safety standards have stringent requirements for the establishment and management of the restaurants. Adherence to these safety measures will promote business growth by increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty. Also, this will increase the efficiency of business through the use of recommended food handling equipments, protection of environment against improper waste disposal and will result to motivation of employees as a result of better terms of work. However, many potential investors may not comply with these standards hence reducing the potential for investment. In addition, the high cost of business compliance with safety regulations will reduce business revenue hence decrease employment opportunities.

D&I Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

D&I - Essay Example In communicating the vision for D&I, the post stressed that collaborative relationship should be fostered, and that the vision should be operationalized throughout the organization as a means of communicating the firm’s D&I policies. What is meant by â€Å"collaborative† relationship is, however, unclear as it relates specifically to D&I. Collaboration should be more explicitly fleshed out as to the parties, the activities, and the manner by which it is operationalized. â€Å"Collaborative relationship† could apply to all policies and initiatives of management, thus how it particularly advances D&I should be more thoroughly elaborated. The quotation from Anderson & Harris (2010) is well-taken, however, and would have been a good springboard for further discussion. Finally, the identified barriers to effective D&I implementation principally redound to resistance to change, which is a valid argument. However, the change sought to be implemented by D&I is more of a long-term transformation (Koch, McMillan & Peper, 2011). Response to the post of Student 2: John Kolojaco The post makes a salient point about the adoption of diversity practices as part of business norm, which this reviewer takes to mean the institutionalization of practices and behaviours which encourage tolerance of individual differences within the organization. The quotation by Rink and Ellemers (2008), however, is slightly misplaced as it assumes the acceptance of diversity among groups as a prerequisite to the adoption of more tolerant practices, not the other way around. That being said, the mentioned articulation of policies and a â€Å"living mission statement† are excellent but tentative first steps which must be followed by concrete action to ascertain effective leadership towards D&I. The answer to the second question (i.e., â€Å"making sure efforts expressed externally apply internally†) infers – validly, it appears – that most D&I efforts are ineffective because they result from a failure to internally apply what is externally promoted by the company. The implication is that so-called D&I corporate advocacies are used mostly as marketing slogans or catchphrases, to project a favorable image of the company that may engender stronger sales and greater profits. The principal issue therefore is the lack of credibility on the part of management as a result of the lack of transparency in its decisions and actions, which strains all facets of the management’s relations with its stakeholders (Tapscott & Ticoll, 2003). John’s sharing of his personal experience is well appreciated, and effectively delivers a first-hand justification of the contention that discrimination need not be ethnic, gender-based, racial, or one of the other attributes associated with D&I. Any perceived personal difference that sets an individual apart from the group (in this case, a difference in educational attainment) has the potential f or discriminatory acts – a very perceptive observation from John. Response to the post of Student 3: Soosai Xavier The post makes an excellent case for the â€Å"obligation, responsibility and accountability† of middle managers to ensure the effectiveness of what is initiated at the CEO level (i.e., corporate commitment to D&I) at the lower levels. Dovetailed with the earlier

Joint venture success factors in the petroleum industry (management Essay

Joint venture success factors in the petroleum industry (management side) - Essay Example On the other hand, there were thirteen failure factors that gas and oil managers pointed out. The failure factors include; i. Selecting a suitable business partner. ii. Managerial teams having mixed abilities. iii. The company’s power of negotiation. iv. Gain of foreign technology v. Compatibility of each partners objectives vi. Having a clear understanding of the petroleum sector future dynamics vii. Gaining managerial expertise from foreign partners viii. Cooperation between supply and reinforcement. ix. Export development. x. Sharing risks and profits. xi. International marketing cooperation. xii. Joint venture agreement transparency. xiii. Powers for independent decision making. The success factors that were pointed out by the managers include; i. Corporate cultures importance ii. Production cooperation. iii. Solving of conflicts iv. Export development v. Domestic marketing cooperation. vi. Taking an equal responsibility in management vii. The willingness of the partners f rom Algeria to retain their stake as majority shareholders in the Joint Ventures. viii. Involvement of domestic partners in R & D. ix. International leasing eligibility. The data gathered from all the participants in the form of filled questionnaires were then arranged as tables in the SPSS data files in order to be analyzed through the SPSS processor. In total, four SPPSS data files or tables were composed, out of which one represented the Algerian Managers failure factors, one included the Algerian Managers success factors, one comprised of Foreign Managers failure factors and one consisted of Foreign Managers success factors. Each one of the 4 SPSS data files was analyzed by executing the descriptive analysis, t-test analysis and chi-square analysis with the help of the SPSS software. Subsequent to which, the output data that were generated for each table have been presented in the respective tables in the following sections. The SPSS processor also generated the histogram showin g the distribution of each factor with respect to the normal-distribution-curve. The output data for each section will then be compared to develop the similarities and the differences in the perception of the Algerian managers to that of the foreign managers in relation to the success and failure factors of the international oil and gas joint ventures in Algeria both in the past and in the present. 11.1. Literature Review 11.1.1. Hypothesis Testing A hypothesis, in a research-study, can be defined as an expression that can be subjected to analysis. For answering a statistical question, the question is formulated in the form of a hypothesis. Then the hypothesis is accepted or rejected on the basis of the outcome of the analysis. The hypothesis that is being analyzed or tested is referred as the null hypothesis and is denoted by H0, which has to be a true or false statement. There is an alternative hypothesis denoted by HA for every null hypothesis. In this regard, the development and the assessment of the hypotheses is the most important task however the best way for the hypothesis-construction is not necessarily evident: Priority is given to the null hypothesis and it is accepted until some strong evidence is found or produced against it. If a hypothesis is simpler than the other one then it should be given priority in order to adopt a relatively 'simpler' theory unless adequate evidence is found

Current Events with Leadership Challenges Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Current Events with Leadership Challenges - Essay Example owing an investigation that found Co CEO Mark Hurd culpable for having a relationship with the company’s contractor who was paid irregularly he had to resign. The investigations also revealed misuse of company resources totalling $ 20,000 as well as violating company policies. However, instead of firing him, the company still allowed him to resign and take home over # million despite having presented inaccurate expense reports concealing his actions. Considering that investigation had found the CEO to have mismanaged the company the company further made an ethical mistake by allowing him to resign (Gregory, 2010). Hurd should have been fired, made to account for his unethical behaviour, pay the company money he misappropriated and prosecuted. This was not the case; instead he was paid handsomely on his resignation. Such a message being sent to employees and the general public could further work to the detriment of the company. The public could form a negative opinion of the company and this would have substantial business implications. As a giant in the computers sector, the company has since lost significant market share to other firms such as Lenovo. This underscores the need for ethical leadership in today’s business

The Crossrail railway project-Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Crossrail railway project-Report - Essay Example ing connections between the city of London and those in the East and the West thought direct linkages, employment of thousands of workers and creation of business opportunities, significant reduction of time taken by commuters while travelling, and most importantly eases perennial congestion of commuters through increased capacity of existing railways and the construction of others (House of Lords, 2005:62). Easing up of congestion has been highlighted as the most important benefit the Crossrail project will deliver. It is envisaged that over 20 trains will operate every hour when the project is officially opened in the year 2014, with each train having a capacity to ferry about 1400 commuters. As such, it is estimated that annually, over 200 million passengers will use the Crossrail (Pagan, 2011:54). The Crossrail is without doubt a very ambitious project which will have significant impact to the economy of Europe once completed. In this paper, we will look at the factors that are contributing to its success across the stages of presentation of the bill to parliament, building, and being ready to commence operations. We will also look at the practices employed, both bad and good, in its management and development against skill and managerial primary elements usually used in the management of such projects. Factors that have contributed to the success of the development of the Crossrail development project include political good will, especially in funding, identification of reliable sponsors, and time tracking to ensure completion of project is on schedule. The Crossrail bill was introduced to parliament in the year 2005 for discussion, deliberations and possible approvals (Colville, 2008:34). The support accorded to it has been very positive so far, with the bill being granted a royal assent in 2008, effectively making it an act of parliament, that is, the Crossrail Act of 2008 (Bernand, 2008:29). One of the good practices employed in the management and

Finance Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Finance Project - Essay Example AMN’s Total margin is negative for both years, but better comparatively in 2011 which is because the expenses incurred are greater than Revenue generated. AMN’s Days Cash on hand is 0, which is because AMN has very less hand and so has no number of days for existing cash to be paid to creditors. AMS’s Days A/R has increased in 2011 and is far more than in 2009. It is mainly due to the fact that A/R has increased, significantly. AMN’s Long term to equity has increased from 0.59 to 1.28, which is because AMN has employed more debt in its capital structure, not only to meet its current but also log-term obligations. AMN’s Sales per FTE has increased a bit in 2011, due to Revenue increasing the same year. Lastly, AMN’s EBITDA has increased to positive figure in 2011 from 2009, which is a significant improvement as AMN has been able to bring its operating income to positive figures. Now it will have to cut on its operating expenses to generate a positive net

Education & Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Education & Culture - Essay Example It is actually through this that the values of the society are rather utilized to identify which medium of educational instruction shall actually lead the American society towards immeasurable future success. To understand the matter further, the following paragraphs shall give an intense discussion about each educational procedure's impact on the human society [particularly the American] today. Education as known to all is very much significant to for the human society as this is viewed and considered as the most efficient and effective means for personal and social development. The concept of education entitles an individual, if properly trained and utilized the essential ability to progress for personal sustenance and economic survival. This is considered as one of the most important realm in one's life that must be achieved as also viewed by the family structure in the society. In addition, education can be used by the society as a whole to developed productive and capable citizens for fueling the progress of the humanity. Thus, education indeed is important. In the present though,... Basically, the system of education in a given society is mainly promoted through the secular educational institutions and facilities namely the schools and university. In the course of the society's development, this educational structure is now being presented to have its flaws at it lacks sufficiently attention from the government and society itself. The professional service of providing quality education in the government and secular institutions are now becoming scarce and limited to the upper few because of many problems mainly location and capacity to address the increasing need of the growing population . Thus, other means of attaining quality education must be included in the probably option of the willful public. Enticed with the present technological advancement of the society at the present, other means of securing quality education is now being offered for the public namely the concept of virtual schools through the internet. Through the aid of the modern technology in th e communication, willful students and professional educators can now interact with each other in the course of training and educating regardless of the boundaries of location and institutional facilities. The concept of virtual schools can be implemented with the significant aid of technological advancement to promote better learning and understanding of the students regarding the lesson matter as visual imagery and wide information resources can be accessed with ease. Technology is indeed manifested as a strong aspect of the modern society significantly promoting their fact-paced development. Because of this, it is only logical to use this strength of the people to address their most concerning problem which is the increasing demand for quality

The Benefits of Cross-training in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Essay Example for Free

The Benefits of Cross-training in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Essay The proposed study primarily aims to identify the advantages of cross-training in mental health and substance abuse for the Mental Health Director to consider a cross-training program implementation. In general, cross-training allows employees to learn other responsibilities in addition to their own tasks because they share knowledge and skills, address each others concerns or issues, and maximize their productivity while performing their primary functions. It is a beneficial means of having other human resources to complement or make adjustments for an absentee whenever it is needed. This low-cost strategy allows organizations to enhance employees’ skills and increases knowledge about another field of expertise instead of looking for new applicants that would fit to the workload that is available. Given the advantages of cross-training for the enhancement of the twelve counsellors’ performance through learning knowledge and skills in both areas of mental health and substance abuse, the program will be facilitated by resource speakers and team leaders from each department for three months which will be conducted an hour before work periods which will be extended to ensure that their duties will not be affected. An estimated amount of $1000-$2500 will be for the trainers’ compensation, learning materials, and facilities to be used. It is expected that the counselors would be able to function effectively in another filed of specialization whenever they are needed since they will be taught about different approaches and strategies in counselling clients with either any of the problems. The counselors will become competitive and flexible for the additional responsibilities. Proposal Training workers different skills and providing them useful information about related functions will help organizations to maintain high level skills, make employees perform at optimum levels and master new jobs or skills, and become more productive (Kolak, 2003; Dubois Rothwell 2004). Therefore, any organization that wishes to empower its employees needs to consider cross-training opportunities. The advantages of cross-training have been recognized to improve performance efficiency of health workers and professionals in the healthcare industry (Van Hook Ford, 1998; Sacks, Sacks, Stommel, 2003). Cross-training is one of the cost-effective development strategies in improving performance efficiency (Minter Thomas, 2000; Kolak, 2003). Research Questions 1. What are the advantages of cross-training in both mental health and substance abuse departments? 2. How does cross-training improve the functions of the 12 counselors in the institution? 3. How will the cross-training program be effectively implemented? Research Objectives 1. To review literature regarding cross-training and its advantages and implementation strategies. 2. To conduct a survey through standardized questionnaire to analyse the perceptions and opinions of health care practitioners on the importance and benefits of cross-training. 3. To interview key persons regarding the strategies in implementing cross-training. 4. To formulate recommendations based on the findings and conclusions for the performance enhancement of the mental health and substance abuse counselors. Methodology The study will employ a descriptive research design in investigating the concept of cross-training and the possible outcome of implementing such human resource management strategy. This approach involves qualitative and quantitative analyses of data. Survey methods will be used to obtain information from literature, interviews and questionnaire survey. Information from literature will strengthen the reliability of the actual findings. References Van Hook, M. P. M. E. Ford (1998). The Linkage Model for Delivering Mental Health Services in Rural Communities: Benefits and Challenges. Health and Social Work 23(1), 53+. Minter, R. L. E. G. Thomas (2000) Employee Development through Coaching, Mentoring and Counseling: A Multidimensional Approach. Review of Business 21 (1), 43. Kolak, J. (2003). Buildings. â€Å"Basic Training: Cross-trained Employees can Solve Skills Shortages. † Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Stamats Communications, Inc. Sacks, S, J. Y. Sacks, J. Stommel (October 2003) Modified Therapeutic Community Program for Inmates with Mental Illness and Chemical Abuse Disorders. Corrections Today 65(6), 90+. Krueger, N. F. A. S. Dean (2002). An Intentions-Based Model of Entrepreneurial Teams Social Cognition. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 27(2), 167+.

Master Slave Dialect Essay Example for Free

Master Slave Dialect Essay The insightful analysis of Hegel in his Phenomenology of Spirit concerning the development of self consciousness revolves around the important impulse to â€Å"Self Consciousness† in which he details the master/slave dialectic. Contrary to preceding German Idealists, Hegel does not hold the assumption that the conscious agent is self conscious a priori; rather, the agent must establish this notion of self-conception through experience. This experience become developed through time and is therefore associated with the concept of â€Å"history†. It can even be claimed that any development of self consciousness must be conditioned historically as much as it draws upon the demands of desire and the means to its sating. Self consciousness is therefore far from innate with regard to individual agent. This break with tradition appears to be in arguing that self consciousness emerges out of non-self consciousness over time in a process which is conditioned historically. Commentators are however not in agreement in regard to the specifics of this historical process and its holistic ontological location, particularly in the nature of the process which underlies the development of self consciousness. Alexandre Kojeve finds Hegels dialectic of the mater/slave relationship to be referring to historically conditioned, material processes. The basic question concerns the amount of historicity required for the development of self consciousness: is it a purely external process brought about by the conflict between two living beings, or is it an internal struggle that encompasses the conflict between various faculties? Kojeve argues for the former interpretation. Kojeve on the Historicity of the Master/Slave Dialectic Kojeves analysis of the master/slave dialectic integrates Marxist conception of class struggle with Hegels phenomenological account. Beginning with Hegels view of desire, Kojeve holds the assumption that the physical creature is the basic unit of consciousness and the locus of desiring. It is from this foundation that humans, together with animals, have desire referred to as the drive to alter external shapes or forms of being to that which would suit their own interests and being. Desire seeks to transform the world, to negate the external object in its own existence and put it to the use of the desiring being. Kojeve, for instance, points to the desire of hunger as a clear example of a desire that a being has that negates the very existence of an object through radical change. The essence of human being lies in this power of negation; he argues that man is negating action, which transforms given being and by transforming it, transforms itself (Kojeve, 1980: 38). The difference that lies between human desire and animal desire is that human desire goes so far as to surpass itself. Humans possess desires that result in the negation of their conception as natural beings. This leads to the possibility of self consciousness which needs â€Å"transcendence of self with respect to self as given† (ibid 39). The key to this transcendence could be human desire if it focuses on that which liberates oneself from that mode of being. The ability to desire non-being is characteristically human and enables an individual to free himself from the concept of being that so enslaves human life. Instead of corresponding to the pulls and pushes of nature, humans can employ desire to transcend the mere â€Å"freedom of the turnspit† and achieve self consciousness. Kojeve is stressing on the biological basis of the master/slave relationship by labeling biological drives â€Å"desires†. The major difference between humans and animals is the ability of humans to desire non-being or death. According to Kojeve, the ability to desire non-being is the extreme limiting case of human freedom. Humans are free from their essence in the most basic way possible; they can opt to end it through their own desires. It is at this point that a desiring consciousness makes the realization that there are more than objects of desire in the world. The desiring subject becomes cognizant of other conscious beings in the world. According to Kojeve, a conscious being can only be satisfied when the other desiring conscious meets its desire for recognition. This is not a natural reciprocation from other beings, and the consequent lines of action are competitive in nature. There exists a struggle between the two agents in a life and death fight for recognition of the other. It appears that since humans demand recognition from the other being and possess the capacity to transcend natural animal desires through the desire of non-being, a struggle ensues between these desires. It seems as if Kojeve is arguing that freedom and ultimate worth reside in the ability of the being to defy nature and desire, and risking destruction in the face of inclinations towards natural preservation. Why is this risk being taken? The non-essential end of this endeavor is identification from another desiring consciousness. The only moment that animals seem to risk their lives is when they are pursuing the means to preserve their life. Humans on the other hand can defy nature to achieve desired recognition from other creatures of the same capabilities. Recognition cannot be gained from any animal in this scheme. It must be from a being that can also risk all of its natural prerogatives in the pursuit of the same end of recognition. Kojeve conceives of Hegels transition from a life and death struggle to one in which no being dies as a last and irreducible premise in the Phenomenology. It appears to be a mere assumption that the deadly struggle ends in one being assuming the role of the master and the other of the slave. According to Kojeve, this results from the ability of the master, and the inability of the slave to resist his natural instincts for survival. The master was strong enough to continue risking his life, while the slave eventually succumbed to his natural desires and attempted to preserve his life through assuming the role of the slave. Kojeve suggests that, â€Å"the vanquished has subordinated his human desire for recognition to the biological desire preserve life. The victor has risked his life for a non-vital end† (ibid 42). At the beginning of the struggle, the two agents appear to be unequal with regard to resolution and stamina. The one who is to be the slave is not capable of continuing the struggle and is therefore forced into subjection as the only way of preserving his life. It must be judged therefore that if both agents had similar resolution and power, the struggle could possibly and with both being slain. This is of course a condition that would not aid the establishment of self consciousness or the extension of biological life, perhaps explaining which Hegel stresses on the ascendance of one master and the servitude of one slave. The work of the slave is the intermediary between the master and the world of nature. According to Kojeve, it is this work that enables the master to satisfy all his needs without personal expectation; the master desires while the work of the slave bends nature to meet these desires. From the masters perspective, desire is followed by immediate satisfaction. From the perspective of the slave, the desire of another is answered with their labor, which then results in the others desire being satisfied. In this scheme, the master is tied to the drives of nature; while he could risk his own natural drives to secure recognition from the subjugated other, his courage and freedom then faded into a mere pursuit of particular biological desires. According to Kojeve, the master remains a natural being, an animal since he maintains this state of egocentric desire and the satisfaction of desire. The actual action of negation and transformation that is achieved in the instantiated relationship of the master and the slave appears in that of the slave. He is the one that is acting and transforming the world, whereas the master merely has desires qua natural being. Given this foundation, Kojeve realizes that the base is set for the possibility of a historical process which is holistically the history of the Fights and the Work that finally ended in the Napoleonic wars and the table on which Hegel wrote the Phenomenology so as to comprehend both those wars and the table. History starts with the resolution of the initial struggle into two classes, those of the master and slave. All material products and future struggle are to be comprehended within this simple framework of master/slave dialectic. History is nothing but a product of the master/slave struggle, made up of entirely of such struggles, and is no more when such struggles end physically. The materialist tendencies in such a conception is quite evident especially when Kojeve remarks that man must always be either master or slave, and that beings must be in a relation with each other for them to be at least considered human. The extreme historicity of the master/slave dialectic is obvious in this conception which is important in describing not only the progress of world history but also the universal history, offering in details the interaction of humanity with the rest of the natural world. According to Hegel, the slave interacts with nature. It therefore follows that natural history details the progress of slave overcoming nature and bending it to its will. The will of the slave is however not the operative force here; instead, it is the masters mediated will that drives the slave to his interaction with nature through his labor. According to Kojeve, it is this fundamental interaction with nature that enables the dialectic reversal of the masters dominance and the slaves subservience in the Phenomenology. The reading of Hegels master/slave dialectic by Kojeve is quite materially founded in its historicity. It involves conflict of individuals or groups, and requires that they resolve into two groups; those that fear death and become the slaves and those that can surpass this fear of death by risking their life and become masters. History starts with this struggle, and the entire history is the continuation of this struggle until the slaves are finally freed from the tyranny of the masters. The sources of this ultimate freedom are work, fear, and service, but only after the slave journeys through a series of ideologies, by which he seeks to justify himself, his slavery, to reconcile the ideal of freedom with the fact of slavery (ibid, 53). The final point of history, according to Kojeve, is when the physical struggle between mater and slave ultimately ceases. History reaches its final point since it is nothing but the constant struggle between masters and slaves. It is in this note that Kojeve ignores much of Hegels true purpose behind Phenomenology. Inadequacy of Kojeves formulation The materialist reading of the master/slave dialectic has been characterized by much criticism owing to what it has ignored concerning Hegels phenomenology. In emphasizing on the purely external struggle between two agents, such a reading simplifies the integral, internal role of another in the establishment of the subjects self consciousness. Kojeve unduly restricts the master/slave analysis in Hegels Phenomenology to the external struggle between two creatures. The true reading of this dialectic must encompass other perspectives as well. The master/slave dialectic can be explicated from three perspectives. The first is the social which is exclusively adopted by Kojeve. This reading focuses on the physical, actual struggle of persons or groups to acquire recognition and power. It is however not enough to take this social perspective for the entire master/slave dialectic. The psychological perspective complements it, which regards the dialectic as an interpersonal struggle within the individual ego. With this regard, the master and slave are various powers or patterns of the mind itself. The latter perspective is one of fusion between the previous two perspectives; the ego is changed by internal processes that are set in motion due to the external struggle between agents. As far as the limitations of the social perspective is concerned, there is no problem with Kojeves analysis. The actual disagreement with Kojeve is enabling the historicity of the psychological account of the master/slave dialectic without reducing it to material conflict between physical agents. The heart of Hegels though is the Platonic parallel between conflict in the stater and conflict in the individual agent. According to this interpretation, the quest for harmony will enable the master/slave dialectic on the levels of both the social and the psychological. The psychological perspective on this dialectic is required to comprehend the succeeding development of self consciousness. Vital to this conception is the idea that the faculties of the ego must contend in order to act because a single comprehensive faculty, regardless of the number of egos, would render them either completely static or completely destructive. Therefore, internal conflict must underlie any external conflict. There is thus the possibility of giving a psychological interpretation of the master/slave dialectic as a struggle within the soul, of the ego striving for self consciousness. Problem with Kojeve according to Carl Schmitt and Emmanuel Levinas The fundamental commonality between Schmitt and Levinas is their replacement of a Hegelian conception of politics as a struggle for recognition emanating from an originary battle to the death with the view that the originary relationship is rather between the rescuer and the victim, always in the presumed presence of some third whose ethical position is not known. At the end of a century that is characterized and dominated by the dialectic of revolution and counter revolution, a shift to Levinas and/or Schmitt can help in understanding the post cold war linkage between the global and the local as a humanitarian relation between the rescuers and the victims and a political doctrine of preemptive third party intervention. Lavina argues that, by relating to beings in the openness of being, understanding finds a meaning for them in terms of being (Lavina, 2006: 87). With this regard, understanding does not invoke them but only names them. Understanding therefore carries an act of violence and of negation. Violence is therefore a partial negation. This partial negation can be defined by the fact that without disappearing, beings are within ones power. Violence denies the independence of beings. Possession is the means whereby a being, while existing, is partially denied. Lavina holds that it is not merely a fact that the being is an instrument and a tool, that is, as a means, it is also an end. According to Lavinas, peace is the paradigmatic ethical relation between one and another in proximity. As a relationship of pure exteriority of two neighbors, each of whom is incapable of knowing the others inner life, peace is entirely different in its origin and demands from the political pursuit of justice. Lavinas sees the responsibility for other human being as anterior to every question. Lavinas acknowledges politics as involving comparison, reciprocity and equality which is external to ethics and is always about peace rather than justice, and presumes human incommensurability. The specific political distinction to which political actions can be reduced is that between friend and enemy according to Schmitt (Schmitt, 1996: 26). The antithesis of friend and enemy does not contradict to the relatively independent criteria of other antitheses. He conceives of the distinction between friend and enemy to denote the utmost degree of intensity of union or separation, association or dissociation. It can exist both in theory and in practice without having to draw from other distinctions. His view shifts from that of Kojeve in the sense that he conceives of the other not to be necessarily an economic competitor. In other words, he does not view master/slave dialectic in the sense that Kojeve views it. According to him, a political enemy does not necessarily have to appear as a competitor. According to him, only the actual participants can correctly identify, comprehend and judge the concrete situation and settle the extreme case of conflict. Each participant, he argues, is in a position to judge whether the adversary intends to negate his opponents way of life and therefore must be repulsed or fought in order to preserve ones own form of existence (Schmitt, 1996: 27). Terrorism as it pertains to master slave dialect Terrorism is an ideology of violence meant to intimidate or cause terror for the aim of exerting pressure on decision making by state bodies. It encompasses a series of acts that are meant to spread intimidation, panic, and destruction in a population. These acts can either be carried out by individuals and groups that are opposing a state or acting on behalf of the state. The question of violence is closely connected with sovereignty. The master slave dialectic must be a violence that makes sense, violence that results in the production of sense in the form of man and history. Terrorism on the other hand is a senseless violence that lays waste without recognition. In order to produce history, the master slave dialectic must produce the positions of master and slave. Because the master has not encountered death in all its terrifying reality as the absolute master and the slave has, the slave possesses the power over the master. In this situation, the act of terrorism is a struggle between masters and slaves. The terrorists have confronted the reality of death. Having defeated the slave, the master forced him to work. This labor implies that while the master is idle, the slave labors at transforming the world. The transforming labor of the slave eventually gives it the power to take up once the liberating Fight for recognition that he refused initially for fear of death. Terrorism thus becomes an element of a struggle between the master and the slave. According to master slave dialectic, the course of history is determined by this struggle.

Flight Control System Using Zigbee Wireless Sensors Engineering Essay

Flight Control System Using Zigbee Wireless Sensors Engineering Essay Abstract- This paper presents the future concept of flight control systems that is named as Fly-By-Sensors (FBS) flight control system. It can be used for controlling and monitoring of an in-flight functions, taking off and landing, voice communication etc. and can be employed on any kind of air vehicle including Unmanned Air Vehicles, Quad rotor, Aerial Vehicles, Drones, Jet air craft, commercial air craft etc. Nowadays, a fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control system of Air vehicles is employed for last few years in aircrafts through which the internal and external functions of aircraft are controlled and monitored by electrical signals which are transmitted and received by electrical wires. The proposed idea is based on Zigbee Wireless Sensor network that can be implemented on any air vehicle by using Zigbee Wireless Sensors that are low cost, low power, reliable and secure to control and monitor the internal and external functions of the air vehicles. The electrical signals, for contro lling and monitoring of internal and external functions of air vehicle, in Fly-By-Sensors (FBS) flight control system will be transmitted and received by using Zigbee wireless sensor network. The proposed idea will bring remarkable improvements in the field of avionics and aerospace. Keywords-component; Zigbee Wireless Sensors; FBS; FBW; flight control system of Air Vehicles. Introduction (Heading 1) The flight companies are in a struggle to reduce their air craft operational and maintenance costs, saving fuel consumption and the gross take-off-weight of the air vehicles to carry as many as useful things for civil and military purposes. In past several applications of Fly-By-Wire (FBW) flight control systems to civil aircrafts had been experienced. In FBW flight control systems the commands for controlling of the aircrafts internal and external functions are computed by the on board flight control computer on the basis of instructions by the pilot and without any mechanical linkage[1]. This resulted in the reduction of pilot workload and in general improvement of the Flying Qualities (FQ) characteristics. However the high development costs of a FBW flight control system made it unaffordable for the small aircrafts [2]. Moreover, FBW flight control system is the ability to exhibit aircraft configurations and parameters which provide increased aerodynamic efficiency, but at a cost of reduced natural stability. Moreover, this can cause instability of the aircraft at specific speeds and height conditions (or flight envelope). However, maintenance and troubleshooting of air vehicles, such as fault detection and monitoring systems of modern fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control system cannot detect faulty location accurately, so that experts can troubleshoot them in a shorter time. However, troubleshooting time depends mainly on the personnels skillfulness and experience [3]. Flight Control Systems Fly-By-Optics(FBO) flight control system FBO control system as the name implies that this kind of flight control system is based on the light signals which are transmitted through optical fibers. It uses electronic signals, transmitted through the fiber optics inside the air vehicles to control the employed electro-hydraulic actuators such as flaps, spoilers, slats, ailerons and rudder, in response to input commands. Some times, it is used because of higher transfer data rates. The data generates by the software and interpret by the controller. It is also called as fly-by-light flight control systems. Power-By-Wire (PBW) flight control system [4] Power-by-wire (PBW) is a control systems employed in some aircrafts to eliminate the bulky and heavy hydraulic circuits to replace by self contained electro-hydraulic actuators or electrical power circuits that are controlled by the digital flight control computers. Proposed Fly-By-Sensors (FBS) Flight Control System The proposed flight control system is Fly-By-Sensors (FBS) flight control system to employ on any kind of air vehicle. As the name implies this type of control system will base on latest Zigbee technology which is low cost, low power consumption and short distance wireless communication technology that is developed for wireless personal area network (WPAN) [5]. By using this technology, the reduction in high cost in the manufacturing of electrical wires, gross take off weight of the air vehicles, fast detection of faulty equipment, landing and taking off of the air craft on auto pilot function of the aircraft, safety, security and so on, can be achieved. Zigbee Wireless Technology ZigBee is similar to IEEE 802.15.4 protocol, which is a one of the latest research in the field of communications in short distance wireless communication technology. Its main advantages are low-power, short-distance, low-complexity, self organization, low-speed, low-cost, and so on. It is widely using as monitoring and controlling devices in many fields. It is suitable for low data-rate and low power consumption applications [6]. Figure : Difference of other wireless network standards with Zigbee Network standards (Source: www.zigbee.org) Zigbee Characteristics The IEEE 802.15.4 or Zigbee standard includes the features of low power consumption that is needed just for two major modes (Tx/Rx or Sleep), high density of nodes per network, low costs and simple installation of devices. Following are some more features for Zigbee: It operates on radio bands of 2.4GHz in this high band is used in most of the jurisdictions of world wide, 868/915 MHz, this lower band in the areas of North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. High density of network nodes which is up to 65,000 network nodes. Low in cost, complexity power consumption as compared to competing technologies. Data rates ranges are 250Kbps for 2.45GHz, 40 Kbps for 915MHz and 20Kbps for 868MHz band. Handshaking and 3 Frequencies bands with 27 channels. Extremely low duty-cycle ( Star, cluster tree and mesh topologies can be used in Zigbee technology with the devices named as network coordinators, routers and end devices. Figure Zigbee Devices Characteristics Zigbee Wireless Network used for landing of aircraft Zigbee technology has been used for landing of the Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) and tested. The results showed that the recognition rate is over 90%, and the calculated error of position in landing of the UAV is less than 3m with 5000m distance and 0.2m with a measure of 500m distance. [7]. Figure Landing of UAV through Zigbee Wireless Sensors Networks [7]. As the Figure 3 shows the landing of UAV by using Zigbee sensors so we propose that Zigbee devices can also be used to control the aircrafts or UAVs for taking off purposes too so that the function of auto pilot can be used in an unfavorable climate conditions for safety and security purposes. Figure Proposed Future Concept of Taking off of the Aircraft through Zigbee Sensors Proposed Fly-By-Sensors (FBS) over Fly-By-Wire (FBW) flight control System In FBW flight control system, as the all electrical signals to Electro Hydraulic Actuators, Aileron, flap, rudder etc. are transmitted through wires. So the cost and weight of electrical wires limits the FBW control system to the commercial aircrafts only. Moreover, maintenance and troubleshooting of the faulty electrical wires consumes time and cost. The Safety and security of FBW flight control system is costly and non reliable for long term usage. Whereas, FBS flight control system will have the following advantages over FBW or PBW: It will be cheaper to use Zigbee technology than using electrical wires as it will costs almost 80% more than using the wireless sensors. The low power feature of Zigbee wireless sensors makes it to use for years without rechargeable batteries. The operating radio frequency is license free that is 2.4GHz with 16 channels FBS control system will provide the safe monitoring system for controlling the aileron, rudder, electro hydraulic actuators etc. The Zigbee wireless sensor can also provide the Voice communication between pilot and co-pilot and the remaining staff for commercial aircrafts. The promising features of Zigbee technology will improve the reliability in the in-flight fault diagnostics and identification (FDI) as well as fault-tolerant control (FTC). By using Zigbee wireless sensors we will achieve the remarkable decrease in weight of the aircraft that will also help in more stability of the aircraft. At the result, there will be increase the number of passengers, goods or any material for transport purposes etc. Proposed Fly-By-Sensors (FBS) Flight Control Systems Block Diagram Structure Figure Block Diagram of proposed FBS flight Control Systems As Figure 5 shows the commands from the Pilot or from the Autopilot function of the aircraft will transmit by Zigbee Wireless Sensor Network through the on board computer on the aircraft. This technology will also be used for voice communication and other communications purposes in aircrafts. Conclusion The proposed idea of Fly-By-Sensors (FBS) flight control system by using Zigbee Wireless Sensors will be better than Fly-By-Wire (FBW) if it will be employed on the air vehicles. Specifically the decrease in weight, manufacturing cost, maintenance costs, troubleshooting time, power consumption, fuel consumption and increase in stability, reliability, safety, security etc. will bring the remarkable benefits to the aircraft industry. Acknowledgment The research work was supported and assisted by University College of Engineering Technology, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur.

Terrorism :: Terrorist

Terrorism The Good, the Bad, the Terrorist? Terrorism by nature is difficult to define. Acts of terrorism conjure emotional responses in the victims as well as in the practitioners. No two writers agree on what is terrorism. Even the U.S. government cannot agree on one single definition. The old adage, "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter" is still alive and well today ("Terrorism Research Center: Definitions" 1). Although many people believe that terrorism is evil, it is merely misunderstood because there is no set definition. Terrorists are responsible to most of the freedom movements in every country. Terrorists have used violence to get their point across to the public. These acts are often necessary for the success of the movement or cause. The use of this violence can be justified in several ways. You can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs has been used by terrorist to describe their actions.

THESECRT GARDEN :: essays research papers

The Secret Garden The book was about a girl, a wealthy one, who lived in India. Her name was Mary. Mary always thought her parents never paid attention to her and was too busy with parties. Mary was always angry, but she never cried. She thought her mom didn’t care about her until one day, when her parents died. After her parents died she went with this lady named Mrs. Madlock. She was going to her uncle’s that Mary had never met before, Mrs. Madlock said. On the carriage-ride to her uncles, is when she found out exactly where she was going. Mary also found out that her mother had a twin sister, which was her uncle’s wife. But, she had died also. She was said that she had died from falling off a swing in her garden. She had reached her uncle’s house, but she didn’t get to meet him, just yet. Her orders were to get some rest and maybe she could see him in the morning. The next morning she met Martha, Mrs. Madlock’s servant. After she was told to stay in her room she found a passage-door where it led to a dusty old room. She thought it most have been her Aunt’s room because it had matching things as her mother. In that room she found a big key, an odd-looking key.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  That day she went outside to play. She wasn’t sure whom to play with; she didn't have any friends that didn't live in India. She found a robin, which led her to a door, a locked door. It had a keyhole that look as if the key in her aunt’s bedroom would fit. She got the key from the bedroom and it slides in perfect. She opened the big door and looked around, she saw how beautiful everything was and a wooden swing. Then she saw a boy. The boy’s name was Dickon; he was Martha’s brother. She and Dickon became friends and they planted many flowers together.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A couple of nights later when she was wandering around the house like she shouldn’t have she heard a boy. She went to go see who it was. It was her cousin, Colin. She has never met him either, she didn’t even know she had a cousin, nor an uncle. Colin has been in bed all his life, he was â€Å"sick†. Mary talked to him and became friends. THESECRT GARDEN :: essays research papers The Secret Garden The book was about a girl, a wealthy one, who lived in India. Her name was Mary. Mary always thought her parents never paid attention to her and was too busy with parties. Mary was always angry, but she never cried. She thought her mom didn’t care about her until one day, when her parents died. After her parents died she went with this lady named Mrs. Madlock. She was going to her uncle’s that Mary had never met before, Mrs. Madlock said. On the carriage-ride to her uncles, is when she found out exactly where she was going. Mary also found out that her mother had a twin sister, which was her uncle’s wife. But, she had died also. She was said that she had died from falling off a swing in her garden. She had reached her uncle’s house, but she didn’t get to meet him, just yet. Her orders were to get some rest and maybe she could see him in the morning. The next morning she met Martha, Mrs. Madlock’s servant. After she was told to stay in her room she found a passage-door where it led to a dusty old room. She thought it most have been her Aunt’s room because it had matching things as her mother. In that room she found a big key, an odd-looking key.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  That day she went outside to play. She wasn’t sure whom to play with; she didn't have any friends that didn't live in India. She found a robin, which led her to a door, a locked door. It had a keyhole that look as if the key in her aunt’s bedroom would fit. She got the key from the bedroom and it slides in perfect. She opened the big door and looked around, she saw how beautiful everything was and a wooden swing. Then she saw a boy. The boy’s name was Dickon; he was Martha’s brother. She and Dickon became friends and they planted many flowers together.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A couple of nights later when she was wandering around the house like she shouldn’t have she heard a boy. She went to go see who it was. It was her cousin, Colin. She has never met him either, she didn’t even know she had a cousin, nor an uncle. Colin has been in bed all his life, he was â€Å"sick†. Mary talked to him and became friends.

Postmodernism and Social Praxis Essay -- Ethics Feminism Theology Essa

Postmodernism and Social Praxis Whereas the interpreter is obliged to go to the depth of things, like an excavator, the moment of interpretation [genealogy] is like an overview, from higher and higher up, which allows the depth to be laid out in front of him in a more and more profound visibility; depth is resituated as an absolutely superficial secret.(18) So those are the changes, and I try to show those changes...(19) In Communities of Resistance and Solidarity, as well as in A Feminist Ethic of Risk, Sharon D. Welch sets forth a liberation theology in which the deconstructive processes of Michel Foucault are key. Her theology is an amalgam of Foucault's poststructuralist concepts and liberation theology's action-oriented motivation. Welch claims the genealogical methods of Foucault are ideal motivators, urging the activist to political involvement. However, Michel Foucault's genealogy was not intended for such pragmatic applications. Foucault's purpose in writing genealogies was never action-oriented. He only set out to "show those changes." By definition, genealogy never rests in one discourse or on one "truth." Foucault, as an "interpreter," emphasizes the necessary tension between keeping distance from historical discourse and awareness of one's inescapable position in historical discourse. In short, the genealogist can never rest on his or her laurels: seeming bases of "truth" are actually co nstantly changing historical constructions. While Welch claims not only to possess this type of awareness, but also to recognize its absolute necessity for her theology, she is in danger of defeating her own goals: with no solid foundations, no fixed truths, on which to base liberation theology's arguments, how can her action-... ...78. Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason. Trans. Richard Howard. New York: Pantheon, 1965. Kaufmann, Walter, ed. The Portable Nietzsche. New York: Penguin Books, 1982. Mohanty, Chandra Talpade, Ann Russo, and Lourdes Torres. Third World Women and the Politics of Feminism. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1991. Rabinow, Paul, ed. The Foucault Reader. New York: Pantheon, 1984. Schà ¼ssler-Fiorenza, Elizabeth. In Memory of Her: A Feminist Theological Reconstruction of Christian Origins. New York: Crossroad, 1983. Welch, Sharon D. Communities of Resistance and Solidarity: A Feminist Theology of Liberation. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis, 1985. A Feminist Ethic of Risk. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis, 1985. Winter, Gibson. Address. "Religious Social Ethics in a Postmodern World." Temple University, Philadelphia, 22 March 1995.

Case Study Nike Essay

1. How does Nike’s decision to retain an in-house arm of ad agency Wieden & Kennedy exemplify the concept of organizational design? The decision to retain an in-house arm of ad agency exemplify the concept of organizational design, makes you look at how both companies interpret organizational design. Organizational design is the process of creating structures that accomplish the company’s missions and objectives. First looking at the text, you interpret the Nike’s mission is to design products that will have an outcome of a positive image and that positive image will encourage consumers to purchase Nike products. This shows you that Nike’s image is one of the most viable and important aspects for their company’s success. Which would leave to the following aspects of customer satisfaction, because without that I could potentially ruin Nike’s positive image that they strive so much for. Another factor that plays into this positive image would be advertising. Advertising is an important factor because helps the company showcase their â€Å"consumer-aimed† designs to the public. â€Å"Nike recently spent nearly $2.5 billion annually on advertising.† This textbook reference perfectly displays Nike’s commitment to their positive brand image. Nike’s current advertising agency, Wieden & Kennedy has portrayed this image successfully in the past and currently. This success was show by Nike providing them with â€Å"in-house arms† at the Nike headquarters. By Nike displaying this affection of placing a core contributor to their mission of having a positive image and taking placing them into their headquarters, embodies the concept of organizational design. Not only does is embody the concept is gives the advertising agency the opportunity to have access to Nike’s executive officers, all other employee’s that fall under the top-down and bottom-up structures of change. Which will stimulate Weiden & Kennedy form to better and personalize  marketing strategies and divisional structure for Nike’s mission and purpose to give them the competitive advantage that they have and strive for. 2. Given the problems Nike has had with sweatshop labor being used by some of its foreign contractors, are there parts of the firm that need to be run with a mechanistic rather than organic design? Give examples to support your answer. In my opinion, Nike should run with a mechanistic design rather than organic. They should do this because when looking at the manufacturing departments that Nike employs it is common knowledge that they companies may not provide nor have the basic necessities that would be implemented by labor laws. Now, seeing that mechanistically control is exceedingly bureaucratic is only proves that this needs to happen within outsourcing departments. Nike should have more restricted limits of control to keep them on task when employing these realities of outsourcing. The association with sweatshops is a big deal alone, and Nike is being accused of allowing then to be employed within their company. Looking back at the question above, this would impact their mission of having a positive image as a while. Referring to the text: Nike refused and refuted to comments made by the critics. Nike will destroy their mission of wanting a positive image, when being associated with allowing sweatshops and unsatisfactory work conditions. When looking at prevention of this negative image, you would have to go to the employees who watch the outsourcing and construct and organize the business dealing with the manufacturing firms. Like stated before they should have personalized and centralized tasks and authority at all times. A way they could implement this in there current situation would be appointing Hannah Jones a Nike executive to watch over the efforts of improvements in the factories working and labor conditions. She could do this by simply appointing a position below hers to watch over a specific issue at a time and report back to her. This would give her department power of what is occurring in these manufacturing companies that Nike as a whole  has decided to outsource to. The manufacturing companies involved with Nike’s brand image and business, as a whole should be required to follow Nike’s standards of ethics. When referring back to organizational design, extreme use of supervision is key. Even if Nike were to implement the idea of taking action of supervising every factory to focus of labor issues alone, it would give them the information needed to know if they should be outsourcing with those manufacturing departments. This could lead to the manufacturing departments actually taking that information and collaborating to have well trained and the proper authority to give them the expectations needed.

The Lost Duke of Wyndham Chapter Five

Lovely house,† Jack said, as he was led – hands still bound – through the grand entrance of Belgrave. He turned to the old lady. â€Å"Did you decorate? It has that woman's touch.† Miss Eversleigh was trailing behind, but he could hear her choke back a bubble of laughter. â€Å"Oh, let it out, Miss Eversleigh,† he called over his shoulder. â€Å"Much better for your constitution.† â€Å"This way,† the dowager ordered, motioning for him to follow her down the hall. â€Å"Should I obey, Miss Eversleigh?† She did not reply, smart girl that she was. But he was far too furious for circumspect sympathy, so he took his insolence one step further. â€Å"Yoo-hoo! Miss Eversleigh! Did you hear me?† â€Å"Of course she heard you,† the dowager snapped angrily. Jack paused, cocking his head as he regarded the dowager. â€Å"I thought you were overjoyed to make my acquaintance.† â€Å"I am,† she bit off. â€Å"Hmmm.† He turned to Miss Eversleigh, who had caught up to them during the exchange. â€Å"I don't think she sounds overjoyed, Miss Eversleigh. Do you?† Miss Eversleigh's eyes darted from him to her employer and back before she said, â€Å"The dowager duchess is most eager to accept you into her family.† â€Å"Well said, Miss Eversleigh,† he applauded. â€Å"Insightful and yet circumspect.† He turned back to the dowager. â€Å"I hope you pay her well.† Two red spots appeared on the dowager's cheeks, in such stark relief to the white of her skin that he would have sworn she'd used rouge if he hadn't seen the angry marks appear with his own eyes. â€Å"You are dismissed,† she ordered, not even looking at Miss Eversleigh. â€Å"I am?† he feigned. â€Å"Lovely.† He held out his bound wrists. â€Å"Would you mind?† â€Å"Not you, her.† His grandmother's jaw clenched. â€Å"As you well know.† But Jack was not in the mood to be accommodating, and in that moment he did not even care to maintain his usual jocular facade. And so he looked her in the eye, his green meeting her icy, icy blue, and as he spoke, he felt a shiver of deja vu. It was almost as if he were back on the Continent, back in battle, his shoulders straight and his eyes narrowed as he faced down the enemy. â€Å"She stays.† They froze, all three of them, and Jack's eyes did not waver from the dowager's as he continued. â€Å"You brought her into this. She will remain through to the end.† He half expected Miss Eversleigh to protest. Hell, any sane person would have run as far as possible from the upcoming confrontation. But she stood utterly still, her arms stick-straight at her sides, her only movement her throat as she swallowed. â€Å"If you want me,† he said quietly, â€Å"you will take her as well.† The dowager sucked a long, angry breath through her nose and jerked her head to the side. â€Å"Grace,† she barked, â€Å"the crimson drawing room. Now.† Her name was Grace. He turned and looked at her. Her skin was pale and her eyes were wide and assessing. Grace. He liked it. It fit her. â€Å"Don't you want to know my name?† he called out to the dowager, who was already stalking down the hall. She stopped and turned, as he knew she would. â€Å"It's John,† he announced, enjoying the way the blood drained from her face. â€Å"Jack to friends† – he looked at Grace with heavy-lidded seduction in his eyes – â€Å"and friends.† He could have sworn he felt her shiver, which delighted him. â€Å"Are we?† he murmured. Her lips parted a full second before she managed to make a sound. â€Å"Are we what?† â€Å"Friends, of course.† â€Å"I – I – â€Å" â€Å"Will you leave my companion alone!† the dowager barked. He sighed and shook his head toward Miss Eversleigh. â€Å"She's so domineering, don't you think?† Miss Eversleigh blushed. Truly, it was the prettiest pink he'd ever seen. â€Å"Pity about these bindings,† he continued. â€Å"We do seem to be caught in a romantic moment, your employer's acidic presence aside, and it would be far easier to drop one exquisite kiss on the back of your hand were I able to lift it with one of mine.† This time he was certain she shivered. â€Å"Or your mouth,† he whispered. â€Å"I might kiss your mouth.† There was a lovely silence, broken rather rudely by: â€Å"What the devil?† Miss Eversleigh jumped back a foot or three, and Jack turned to see an extremely angry man striding his way. â€Å"Is this man bothering you, Grace?† he demanded. She shook her head quickly. â€Å"No, no, he's not. But – â€Å" The newcomer turned to Jack with furious blue eyes. Furious blue eyes that rather closely resembled those of the dowager, save for the bags and wrinkles. â€Å"Who are you?† â€Å"Who are you?† Jack countered, instantly disliking him. â€Å"I am Wyndham,† he shot back. â€Å"And you are in my home.† Jack blinked. A cousin. His new family was growing more charming by the second. â€Å"Ah. Well, in that case, I am Jack Audley. Formerly of His Majesty's esteemed army, more recently of the dusty road.† â€Å"Who are these Audleys?† the dowager demanded, crossing back over. â€Å"You are no Audley. It is there in your face. In your nose and chin and in every bloody feature save your eyes, which are quite the wrong color.† â€Å"The wrong color?† Jack responded, acting hurt. â€Å"Really?† He turned to Miss Eversleigh. â€Å"I was always told the ladies like green eyes. Was I misinformed?† â€Å"You are a Cavendish!† the dowager roared. â€Å"You are a Cavendish, and I demand to know why I was not informed of your existence.† â€Å"What the devil is going on?† Wyndham demanded. Jack thought it wasn't his duty to answer, so he happily kept quiet. â€Å"Grace?† Wyndham asked, turning to Miss Eversleigh. Jack watched the exchange with interest. They were friends, but were they friendly? He could not be sure. Miss Eversleigh swallowed with noticeable discomfort. â€Å"Your grace,† she said, â€Å"perhaps a word in private?† â€Å"And spoil it for the rest of us?† Jack chimed in, because after what he'd been subjected to, he didn't much feel that anyone deserved a moment of privacy. And then, to achieve maximum irritation, he added, â€Å"After all I've been through†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"He is your cousin,† the dowager announced sharply. â€Å"He is the highwayman,† Miss Eversleigh said. â€Å"Not,† Jack added, turning to display his bound hands, â€Å"here of my own volition, I assure you.† â€Å"Your grandmother thought she recognized him last night,† Miss Eversleigh told the duke. â€Å"I knew I recognized him,† the dowager snapped. Jack resisted the urge to duck as she flicked her hand at him. â€Å"Just look at him.† Jack turned to the duke. â€Å"I was wearing a mask.† Because really, he shouldn't have to take the blame for this. He smiled cheerfully, watching the duke with interest as he brought his hand to his forehead and pressed his temples with enough force to crush his skull. And then, just like that, his hand fell away and he yelled, â€Å"Cecil!† Jack was about to make a quip about another lost cousin, but at that moment a footman – presumably named Cecil – came skidding down the hall. â€Å"The portrait,† Wyndham bit off. â€Å"Of my uncle.† â€Å"The one we just brought up to – â€Å" â€Å"Yes. In the drawing room. Now! â€Å" Even Jack's eyes widened at the furious energy in his voice. And then – it was like acid in his belly – he saw Miss Eversleigh lay a hand on the duke's arm. â€Å"Thomas,† she said softly, surprising him with her use of his given name, â€Å"please allow me to explain.† â€Å"Did you know about this?† Wyndham demanded. â€Å"Yes, but – â€Å" â€Å"Last night,† he said icily. â€Å"Did you know last night?† Last night? â€Å"I did, but Thomas – â€Å" What happened last night? â€Å"Enough,† he spat. â€Å"Into the drawing room. All of you.† Jack followed the duke, and then, once the door was shut behind them, held up his hands. â€Å"D'you think you might†¦?† he asked. Rather conversationally, if he did say so himself. â€Å"For the love of Christ,† Wyndham muttered. He grabbed something from a writing table near the wall and then returned. With one angry swipe, he cut through the bindings with a gold letter opener. Jack looked down to make sure he wasn't bleeding. â€Å"Well done,† he murmured. Not even a scratch. â€Å"Thomas,† Miss Eversleigh was saying, â€Å"I really think you ought to let me speak with you for a moment before – â€Å" â€Å"Before what?† Wyndham snapped, turning on her with what Jack deemed rather unbecoming fury. â€Å"Before I am informed of another long-lost cousin whose head may or may not be wanted by the Crown?† â€Å"Not by the Crown, I think,† Jack said mildly. He had his reputation to think of, after all. â€Å"But surely a few magistrates. And a vicar or two.† He turned to the dowager. â€Å"Highway robbery is not generally considered the most secure of all possible occupations.† His levity was appreciated by no one, not even poor Miss Eversleigh, who had managed to incur the fury of both Wyndhams. Rather undeservedly, too, in his opinion. He hated bullies. â€Å"Thomas,† Miss Eversleigh implored, her tone once again causing Jack to wonder just what, precisely, existed between those two. â€Å"Your grace,† she corrected, with a nervous glance over at the dowager, â€Å"there is something you need to know.† â€Å"Indeed,† Wyndham bit off. â€Å"The identities of my true friends and confidantes, for one thing.† Miss Eversleigh flinched as if struck, and at that moment Jack decided that he'd had quite enough. â€Å"I suggest,† he said, his voice light but steady, â€Å"that you speak to Miss Eversleigh with greater respect.† The duke turned to him, his eyes as stunned as the silence that descended over the room. â€Å"I beg your pardon.† Jack hated him in that moment, every prideful little aristocratic speck of him. â€Å"Not used to being spoken to like a man, are we?† he taunted. The air went electric, and Jack knew he probably should have foreseen what would come next, but the duke's face had positively twisted into fury, and Jack somehow could not seem to move as Wyndham launched himself forward, his hands wrapping themselves around his throat as the both of them went crashing down to the carpet. Cursing himself for a fool, Jack tried to get traction as the duke's fist slammed into his jaw. Pure animalistic survival set in, and he tensed his belly into a hard knot. With one lightning-quick movement he threw his torso forward, using his head as a weapon. There was a satisfying crack as he struck Wyndham's jaw, and Jack took advantage of his stunned state to roll them over and reverse their positions. â€Å"Don't†¦you†¦. ever strike me again,† Jack growled. He'd fought in gutters, on battlefields, for his country and for his life, and he'd never had patience for men who threw the first punch. He took an elbow in the belly and was about to return the favor with a knee to the groin when Miss Eversleigh leapt into the fray, wedging herself between the two men with nary a thought to propriety or her own safety. â€Å"Stop it! Both of you!† Jack managed to nudge Wyndham's upper arm just in time to stop his fist from reaching her cheek. It would have been an accident, of course, but then he'd have had to kill him, and that would have been a hanging offense. â€Å"You should be ashamed of yourself,† Miss Eversleigh scolded, looking straight at the duke. He merely raised a brow and said, â€Å"You might want to remove yourself from my, er†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He looked down at his midsection, upon which she was now seated. â€Å"Oh!† She jumped up, and Jack would have defended her honor except that he had to admit he'd have said the same thing were he seated under her. Not to mention that she was still holding his arm. â€Å"Tend to my wounds?† he asked, making his eyes big and green and brimming with the world's most effective expression of seduction. Which was, of course, I need you. I need you and if you would only care for me I will forswear all other women and melt at your feet and quite possibly become filthy rich and if you'd like even royal all in one dreamy swoop. It never failed. Except, apparently, now. â€Å"You have no wounds,† she snapped, thrusting him away. She looked over at Wyndham, who had risen to his feet beside her. â€Å"And neither do you.† Jack was about to make a comment about the milk of human kindness, but just then the dowager stepped forward and smacked her grandson – that would be the grandson of whose lineage they were quite certain – in the shoulder. â€Å"Apologize at once!† she snapped. â€Å"He is a guest in our house.† A guest. Jack was touched. â€Å"My house,† the duke snapped back. Jack watched the old lady with interest. She wouldn't take well to that. â€Å"He is your first cousin,† she said tightly. â€Å"One would think, given the lack of close relations in our family, that you would be eager to welcome him into the fold.† Oh, right. The duke was just brimming with joy. â€Å"Would someone,† Wyndham bit off, â€Å"do me the service of explaining just how this man has come to be in my drawing room?† Jack waited for someone to offer an explanation, and then, when none was forthcoming, offered his own version. â€Å"She kidnapped me,† he said with shrug, motioning toward the dowager. Wyndham turned slowly to his grandmother. â€Å"You kidnapped him,† he said, his voice flat and strangely devoid of disbelief. â€Å"Indeed,† she replied, her chin butting up in the air. â€Å"And I would do it again.† â€Å"It's true,† Miss Eversleigh said. And then she delighted him by turning in his direction and saying, â€Å"I'm sorry.† â€Å"Accepted, of course,† Jack said graciously. The duke, however, was not amused. To the extent that poor Miss Eversleigh felt the need to defend her actions with, â€Å"She kidnapped him!† Wyndham ignored her. Jack was really starting to dislike him. â€Å"And forced me to take part,† Miss Eversleigh muttered. She, on the other hand, was quickly becoming one of his favorite people. â€Å"I recognized him last night,† the dowager announced. Wyndham looked at her disbelievingly. â€Å"In the dark?† â€Å"Under his mask,† she answered with pride. â€Å"He is the very image of his father. His voice, his laugh, every bit of it.† Jack hadn't thought this a particularly convincing argument himself, so he was curious to see how the duke responded. â€Å"Grandmother,† he said, with what Jack had to allow was remarkable patience, â€Å"I understand that you still mourn your son – â€Å" â€Å"Your uncle,† she cut in. â€Å"My uncle.† He cleared his throat. â€Å"But it has been thirty years since his death.† â€Å"Twenty-nine,† she corrected sharply. â€Å"It has been a long time,† Wyndham said. â€Å"Memories fade.† â€Å"Not mine,† she replied haughtily, â€Å"and certainly not the ones I have of John. Your father I have been more than pleased to forget entirely – â€Å" â€Å"In that we are agreed,† Wyndham interrupted, leaving Jack to wonder at that story. And then, looking as if he very much still wished to strangle someone (Jack would have put his money on the dowager, since he'd already had the pleasure), Wyndham turned and bellowed, â€Å"Cecil!† â€Å"Your grace!† came a voice from the hall. Jack watched as two footmen struggled to bring a massive painting around the corner and into the room. â€Å"Set it down anywhere,† the duke ordered. With a bit of grunting and one precarious moment during which it seemed the painting would topple what was, to Jack's eye, an extremely expensive Chinese vase, the footmen managed to find a clear spot and set the painting down on the floor, leaning it gently against the wall. Jack stepped forward. They all stepped forward. And Miss Eversleigh was the first to say it. â€Å"Oh my God.† It was him. Of course it wasn't him, because it was John Cavendish, who had perished nearly three decades earlier, but by God, it looked exactly like the man standing next to her. Grace's eyes grew so wide they hurt, and she looked back and forth and back and forth and – â€Å"I see no one is disagreeing with me now,† the dowager said smugly. Thomas turned to Mr. Audley as if he'd seen a ghost. â€Å"Who are you?† he whispered. But even Mr. Audley was without words. He was just staring at the portrait, staring and staring and staring, his face white, his lips parted, his entire body slack. Grace held her breath. Eventually he'd find his voice, and when he did, surely he'd tell them all what he'd told her the night before. My name isn't Cavendish. But it once was. â€Å"My name,† Mr. Audley stammered, â€Å"my given name†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He paused, swallowed convulsively, and his voice shook as he said, â€Å"My full name is John Rollo Cavendish-Audley.† â€Å"Who were your parents?† Thomas whispered. Mr. Audley – Mr. Cavendish-Audley – didn't answer. â€Å"Who was your father?† Thomas's voice was louder this time, more insistent. â€Å"Who the bloody hell do you think he was?† Mr. Audley snapped. Grace's heart pounded. She looked at Thomas. He was pale and his hands were shaking, and she felt like such a traitor. She could have told him. She could have warned him. She had been a coward. â€Å"Your parents,† Thomas said, his voice low. â€Å"Were they married?† â€Å"What is your implication?† Mr. Audley demanded, and for a moment Grace feared that they would come to blows again. Mr. Audley brought to mind a caged beast, poked and prodded until he could stand it no more. â€Å"Please,† she pleaded, jumping between them yet again. â€Å"He doesn't know,† she said. Mr. Audley couldn't know what it meant if he was indeed legitimate. But Thomas did, and he'd gone so still that Grace thought he might shatter. She looked at him, and at his grandmother. â€Å"Someone needs to explain to Mr. Audley – â€Å" â€Å"Cavendish,† the dowager snapped. â€Å"Mr. Cavendish-Audley,† Grace said quickly, because she did not know how to style him without offending someone in the room. â€Å"Someone needs to tell him that†¦that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She looked to the others for help, for guidance, for something, because surely this was not her duty. She was the only one of them there not of Cavendish blood. Why did she have to make all of the explanations? She looked at Mr. Audley, trying not to see the portrait in his face, and said, â€Å"Your father – the man in the painting, that is – assuming he is your father – he was his grace's father's†¦ elder brother.† No one said anything. Grace cleared her throat. â€Å"So, if†¦if your parents were indeed lawfully married – â€Å" â€Å"They were,† Mr. Audley all but snapped. â€Å"Yes, of course. I mean, not of course, but – â€Å" â€Å"What she means,† Thomas cut in sharply, â€Å"is that if you are indeed the legitimate offspring of John Cavendish, then you are the Duke of Wyndham.† And there it was. The truth. Or if not the truth, then the possibility of the truth, and no one, not even the dowager, knew what to say. The two men – the two dukes, Grace thought with a hysterical bubble of laughter – simply stared at each other, taking each other's measure, and then finally Mr. Audley's hand seemed to reach out. It shook, quivered like the dowager's when she was attempting to find purchase, and then finally, when it settled on the back of a chair, his fingers grasped tightly. With legs that were clearly unsteady, Mr. Audley sat down. â€Å"No,† he said. â€Å"No.† â€Å"You will remain here,† the dowager directed, â€Å"until this matter can be settled to my satisfaction.† â€Å"No,† Mr. Audley said with considerably more conviction. â€Å"I will not.† â€Å"Oh, yes, you will,† she responded. â€Å"If you do not, I will turn you in to the authorities as the thief you are.† â€Å"You wouldn't do that,† Grace blurted out. She turned to Mr. Audley. â€Å"She would never do that. Not if she believes that you are her grandson.† â€Å"Shut up!† the dowager growled. â€Å"I don't know what you think you are doing, Miss Eversleigh, but you are not family, and you have no place in this room.† Mr. Audley stood. His bearing was sharp, and proud, and for the first time Grace saw within him the military man he'd said he once was. When he spoke, his words were measured and clipped, completely unlike the lazy drawl she had come to expect from him. â€Å"Do not speak to her in that manner ever again.† Something inside of her melted. Thomas had defended her against his grandmother before; indeed, he'd long been her champion. But not like this. He valued her friendship, she knew that he did. But this†¦this was different. She didn't hear the words. She felt them. And as she watched Mr. Audley's face, her eyes slid to his mouth. It came back to her†¦the touch of his lips, his kiss, his breath, and the bittersweet shock when he was through, because she hadn't wanted it†¦and then she hadn't wanted it to end. There was perfect silence, stillness even, save for the widening of the dowager's eyes. And then, just when Grace realized that her hands had begun to tremble, the dowager bit off, â€Å"I am your grandmother.† â€Å"That,† Mr. Audley replied, â€Å"remains to be determined.† Grace's lips parted with surprise, because no one could doubt his parentage, not with the proof propped up against the drawing room wall. â€Å"What?† Thomas burst out. â€Å"Are you now trying to tell me that you don't think you are the son of John Cavendish?† Mr. Audley shrugged, and in an instant the steely determination in his eyes was gone. He was a highwayman rogue again, devil-may-care and completely without responsibility. â€Å"Frankly,† he said, â€Å"I'm not so certain I wish to gain entry into this charming little club of yours.† â€Å"You don't have a choice,† the dowager said. â€Å"So loving,† Mr. Audley said with sigh. â€Å"So thoughtful. Truly, a grandmother for the ages.† Grace clamped a hand over her mouth, but her choked laughter came through nonetheless. It was so inappropriate†¦in so many ways†¦but it was impossible to keep it in. The dowager's face had gone purple, her lips pinched until the lines of anger drew up to her nose. Not even Thomas had ever provoked such a reaction, and heaven knew, he had tried. She looked over at him. Of everyone in the room, surely he was the one with the most at stake. He looked exhausted. And bewildered. And furious, and amazingly, about to laugh. â€Å"Your grace,† she said hesitantly. She didn't know what she wanted to say to him. There probably wasn't anything to say, but the silence was just awful. He ignored her, but she knew he'd heard, because his body stiffened even more, then shuddered when he let out a breath. And then the dowager – oh why would she never learn to leave well enough alone? – bit off his name as if she were summoning a dog. â€Å"Shut up,† he snapped back. Grace wanted to reach out to him. Thomas was her friend, but he was – and he always had been – so far above her. And now she was standing here, hating herself because she could not stop thinking about the other man in the room, the one who might very well steal Thomas's very identity. And so she did nothing. And hated herself even more for it. â€Å"You should remain,† Thomas said to Mr. Audley. â€Å"We will need – â€Å" Grace held her breath as Thomas cleared his throat. â€Å"We will need to get this sorted out.† They all waited for Mr. Audley's response. He seemed to be assessing Thomas, taking his measure. Grace prayed he would realize just how difficult it must have been for Thomas to speak to him with such civility. Surely he would respond in kind. She wanted him so badly to be a good person. He'd kissed her. He'd defended her. Was it too much to hope that he was, underneath it all, a white knight?