Copy Rights

Why there Is piracy? There must be reasons for piracy. Piracy Is a committed by people for a number of reasons. Some of the reasons for this act are Identified below: To enjoy services or entertainment at low cost prices or no cost to the consumers. Expo: Music, games, videos, software from internet. For profit Competitive Advantage Sabotage 3. What is law? Malaysia's copyright act 1987 came into effect on 1 December 1987, replacing the copyright act 1969. The 1987 act confers copyright on and protects computer programs (software).The 1987 act amended in 1990 to ensure compliance with the prescribed standards and minimum requirements under the Berne Convention. The copyright (application to other countries) Regulations 1990 came into force on 1 October 1 990, the day Malaysia acceded to the Berne Convention. [ source: http:// www. Abs. Org/Malaysia/intricacy/Piracy-and-the-Law. Com ] Point: Source: www. Slideshows. Net/Lonny/copyright-and-piracy-from-moral-and-legal- attendants-cit-p resentation 1 .Copyright is a form of legal protection that grants people who create and produce material the exclusive rights to control certain uses of that material from being reproduced without the permission of the copyright owner. 2. Why Piracy E-SST The price For profit/competitive advantages 3. Moral Issues Give a chance to the creator to able to make a living and provide jobs for many other Decrease the chance to get problems. Note from Facial: Please find more and add.

Knife Crime Essay Essay

Hi. Today i am going to be talking to you about knife crime and how it affects our society. Lately in the news Jay Whiston a 17 year old boy was fatally stabbed innocently outside a house party. Such a waste of a life for a young boy that had his whole future ahead of him. Knife crime has increased over the past couple of years due to the amount of gang violence going on. While the large majority of young people follow the law a small number of people do find themselves getting involved in knife crime. The few reasons that teenagers may get involved with knife crime are because of family problems, at school where they are influenced by someone who is involved in gangs. Some teenagers just want to fit in, so they join gangs and hang around with trouble makers, and some teenagers think that by killing someone and having a knife gives them power. However carrying a knife is illegal in the UK and the courts will take firm action if you are found with one. Some people may say they carry a knife around for different reasons such as: Protection * Self defence * Fear * Peer pressure * To gain respect , power or control As you may know not all people who carry weapons intend to use them. But if you are carrying a weapon and get into an argument, the situation is more likely to get out of hand and you are more likely to be provoked/stupid enough to use it. You could seriously injure someone or someone could use your weapon to seriously injure you. Police have the power to stop you and search you if they believe that you are carrying a weapon. So this is your choice whether you plan to use it or not, you could end up in a lot of trouble and the consequences would be serious. Knife crime can affect anyone, not just people in gangs. This could affect: * Innocent people that get caught in the middle of other people’s rows/arguments and could suffer with serious injuries or worse. * Police officers that could be trying to sort a situation out. * The community because they wouldn’t want to leave their houses knowing that there is knife crime going on and they could get stabbed. * Children that are growing up, as they may be  influenced by older people and may think it is cool. Remember that an injury may look small, but any inside damage can kill. The law is it is illegal for a shop to sell any kind of knife to anyone who is under 18. You will be committing an offence if you buy any of these items. Did you know that owning a knife even if it is yours or not is illegal and can end in a prison sentence? Some knives are illegal even for adults to buy. They are completely banned: * Flick knives(where the blade is hidden inside the handle and shoots out when a button is pressed) * Butterfly knives (where the blade is hidden inside a handle that splits in two around it, like wings; the handles swing around the blade to open or close it) * Disguised knives (where the blade is hidden inside a belt buckle or fake mobile phone) * gravity knives * sword-sticks * hand or foot-claws * push daggers Carrying a weapon in school does not mean that the school is only involved; the police will also be involved. These are some of the consequences for anyone who is found carrying a knife: †¢It is illegal to carry a knife or a gun, even a fake one. †¢If you are caught with a knife or a gun whether you say it was for your own protection or you were carrying it for someone else, you will be arrested there and then. †¢Control of a knife can carry a prison sentence of up to 4 years even if it’s not used. †¢If you stab somebody and they die, you will face a life sentence and you will be in prison for minimum prison sentence of 25 years. Remember that the law is clear. If you choose to carry a weapon, you are putting your future in danger. If you don’t take it with you, it won’t be used.

The partisan battle in policymaking within the U.S Congress Essay

The partisan battle in policymaking within the U.S Congress - Essay Example The US Congress consist of the House of Representatives and the Senate both of whom are required to agree for the passage of laws in the US. (Schiller, 2000) The general powers of Congress are contained in Article 1, Section 8 of the US Constitution, although several amendments have added to Congressional powers. (US Constitution, Article 1, Section 8) These powers include but are not limited to the power to regulate commerce, impose taxes, make laws, levy punishments in respect of unlawful conduct, declare wars, establish post offices, regulate the value of currencies, regulate laws for the acquisition of water and land, support and maintain the military, to declare a state of emergency and to discipline the military. (US Constitution, Article 1, Section 8) The US Constitution requires that in order for either the House of Representatives or the Senate to conduct business a quorum is present. (US Constitution) A majority vote is required to indorse a cause of action and since Congress is typically comprised of two parties, the Democrats and the Republicans the vote is usually controlled by the controlling party with the result that partisanship determines policymaking rather than ideology. Roger Scully and Samuel Patterson argue that during the 80’s and 90’s American politics developed into more â€Å"deeply entrenched partisan divisions†. (Scully and Patterson, 2001, 131-155) With the two party politics that characterizes American governance it is hardly surprising that policymaking is often split along partisan lines. (Soss and Canon, 1995, 253-174) Author Ronald Brownstein refers to recent developments in Washington as â€Å"hyperpartisanship† (Brownstein, 2007, 8) According to Brownstein partisanship functions to divide the parties and only heightens disagreements not only among Congress but in â€Å"American life.† (Brownstein, 2007, 9) Put another way, parties

For this part of the assignment you must research a Serious Case Essay

For this part of the assignment you must research a Serious Case Review concerning a child in the UK aged between birth and 16 y - Essay Example The court proceeding were held on 4th August, 2011 and was presided over by Judge Caddick. Child D was born in 2010 in Kent. The child and her mother resided at the same address immediately after birth. Kent County Council had raised concerns of the child even before its birth. The local authority raised fears that the child was not in good hands since her mother was viewed as her child herself. Her mother was under police protection in Surrey County Council but she principally resided in Kent. The only option left in regards to the custody of child was for the child to be taken up by foster parents in a location where they resided. After birth, Child D and the mother stayed under foster care in Kent after which the mother was transferred to police protection in Surrey County Council. However, Child D remained under the care of foster parents in Kent County Council (Family Justice Review, 2011). Kent Count Council had applied for the Custody of the child and they were granted. The ru ling was made in regards to Section 31(1) (a) of the Children Act 1989: â€Å"placing the child with respect to whom the application is made in the care of the designated local authority†. The 4th August, 2011 court ruling was an appeal on the case made by the Surrey County Council. ... At the same time Surrey County Council could not release the mother since she was under protective custody in the address. However, Kent County Council argues that they had the right to grant the child a proper family to enable it to grow in a normal family setting. Additionally, under protective custody the mother was not in the right position to raise the child effectively considering the limitations she had at protected custody (Family Justice Review, 2011). Legally, the case was against the arguments by Surrey County Council as the law stipulates custody should be granted to the local authority which requested for custody and the local authority to which the child was given birth to (Howe, 2009). In this case, the child and her mother were principally residents of Kent County Council and this was enough to grant the local authority custody of child D under the provisions of Section 31(1) (a) of the Children Act 1989. In this particular case, with the mother of child in protected custody and the child at a critical age the case became a serious case review with a lot at stake in regards to the most appropriate decision that would make the child comfortable. In an argument by Mawby (2008) a case concerning a child immediately from birth makes the case critical since its future life will greatly depend on the care it’s given at its first stages of life. The case of custody in regards to local authorities has been provided for by numerous legislations. In the U.K the role authorities in child care and protection is significant as the bodies are given great mandate to determine the status of each and every child in the counties. In the Children Act 1989, Local authorities are given great mandate to claim

Statement of purpose Personal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Of purpose - Personal Statement Example On the other hand, teachers are supposed to bless their students with an ample amount of opportunity to form and express their opinions about various happenings worldwide, so that they can develop the ability of critical thinking. Because, educated people are expected to think logically, which can be achieved through reading and discussing about several concepts across different professions in order to develop students with well rounded personality that will assist them in settling with any sort of job. However, developed countries are plagued with the dwelling concept of racism (Giles), while Arab nations are relatively better in this regard because of Islamic teachings of equality and inter-religious tolerance, which are playing an invincible role in purifying the society from racism beliefs. Therefore, Arab society is providing equal educational services to the children belonging from different ethnic and national centers on the globe. Furthermore, technological interventions in t he field of education proved them as enhancing agent for learning because, teachers can access internet in order to provide real life application of the subjects that they are teaching. So, in this way, technology helped students in relating the knowledge with the real time application, which in turn fostered the students’ belief in the practicality of the information that they gathered in the class (Watson and Watson). Thus, internet is participating notably in the effective education of the next generation. Moreover, MRI technology blessed medical students with an opportunity to study hidden human organs without threatening the life of an individual (Bevan, Senn-Reeves and Inventor); therefore, they are able to understand the interdependency of various human organs, which enabled them to devise increasingly effective treatments for commonly fatal diseases. In the light of above literature, the significant role of teachers in terms of shaping the future of the nation because , they are the ones with the responsibility of training and developing the future intellectual capital for the nations. However, teachers are benefiting from the internet in order to facilitate students’ learning process through making them witness the practical application of the knowledge they are learning, which will help them in relating the knowledge with the outside world that assist them in attaining excellence in their respective field. Nevertheless, teachers’ prime responsibility is to foster self-confidence of his or her students, so that they can make effective and timely decisions in their lives. At the same time, I consider myself fully capable of enrolling in the English doctorate program of Claremont University. Because, I posses sufficient experience in teaching English in international schools, which makes me an ideal candidate in this regard because, English is a necessary skill in order to survive in the shrinking global village, which is characteriz ed with the convergence of values and norms internationally. However, nationalism is becoming weakened in the globalized educational and economical world. Therefore, it is imperative for the students in Saudi Arabia to learn both oral and written English, so that they can be acceptable in the outside world. On the other hand, I can also integrate modern

Organizational Behavior Final Project Research Paper

Organizational Behavior Final Project - Research Paper Example Organization culture deals with the code of work, belief and skills perspective in the organization and defines how things are done in the organization (Baker 2). In general, organizational culture is created to encourage the collective role by all the employees to meet set objectives and goals (Madu1). The leadership style used dictates the type of organizational culture in an organization. For a leader to develop a proper organizational culture, they first impose their, standards, expectations, beliefs and standards to the other employees to be applied in the organization. As leadership ideas become shared, and embedded in the organizations operations, the employees develop skills signals and work ethics as required. Proper culture can develop into deep into the organization, and if it is fully integrated, can lead to business success. This culture takes two levels of existence, and the first level deals with organizational behavior and artifacts. This relates to behavior that can be physically observed in the organization including the layout of organization environment, dressing code and the general behavior of people. The second level of organizational culture involves expressing the values of the organization that are not physically observable, but are appear in the general operations of the organization. For instance, the way the organizations related to the products and customers also is reflected by the organizational culture. Organizations can set their standards to become customer oriented in the operations, and through this, products and services are be tailored to meet the specific needs of customers (Madu 3). Organizational cultures can be evaluated on whether or not they are effective at a time when the organization is facing a crisis. If the culture is incapable of handling the crisis at that time, then the leadership needs to change their culture to handle it (Haworth 1). Furthermore, organizational culture plays a very important role in organi zations, and in many cases, it provides direction to the organization. This organizational culture provides employees with what is desired from them, and how they are to present themselves, or behave in the workplace environment. It also provides employees with a sense of communication in the organization, and in most cases it with a chain of command to be followed. It also provides a sense of order in the organization, and leadership together with the staff can be able to know how their roles and how they are to achieve this in organizations. Culture in an organization allows for strategic innovation of products and services, and shows, which methods organizations can follow; either product centered or market centered approaches. Organizational culture provides management with a means of managing the workforce in the organization, and helps set the roles and tasks for each member of the staff (Tharp 3). Organizational culture is very important in managing organizational change, whi ch may arise either internally or externally. This organizational change enables the management to gain competitive advantage from

Teenage drug addicts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Teenage drug addicts - Essay Example A study by National Center of Education Statistics during the year 2009 found out that the main reason of this proliferating numbers of teen drug addicts is that 22% of high school teens are being provided in drugs in their respective schools (Russell, 2008). This teen population, around 45% of this part of teen population cannot see any ‘risk’ due to excessive drug use. That means lack of awareness is the dominant reason that has led to such a grave issue. Teens living in UK are also in the running. They too fall in the same category that is severely attacked by this issue of Drug Abuse. They too are falling in the trap and ruining their lives, UK’s society and the country as a whole. Teen Drug Addiction in UK – Causes, Effects and Current Trends Even after the government’s several attempts of implementing strict policies on its teen population, the numbers of ‘Teenage Drug Addicts in Britain’ are increasing at a high rate. The deaths i n Britain due to drug abuse rose from 1952 to2182 deaths in total. Before peeking into the world of Teen Drug addicts in UK, we first need to know who these drugs came into this country and ruined the lives of many people, enjoying their teenage life. In case of Cocaine, UK is considered to be the most affected country due to drug abuse in the entire world. With 2% regular users of cocaine in UK, teens living between these people will surely fall in this trap and try their first drug, and this is what really happened. With a 19million share of the cost of drugs in the GDP of UK, more than 40% of this is paid by the UK teens. These figures clearly demonstrate the scenario of drug addicts who are teenagers and are living in Britain (Plant, et al, 2010). Overview of Teen drug Addiction During the time 2008 to 2009, around 8.1% increase has been observed in the number of teen drug users in UK. In UK, drug abuse is not just an epidemic, but a plaque. United Kingdom has a long history of teen drug abuse in its regards, because it was the first ever country of European Union that was reported to see the emergence of the drug misuse. In United Kingdom, drugs are commonly supplied around the country that’s why teens cannot find difficult in finding them and becoming huge big drug addicts in a short time period. This has led to a creation of social norm about this country as now the teen population have become really open minded when it comes to use drugs openly in social gatherings (Paylor et al, 2012). The current scenario of teen drug addicts in Britain has illustrated that this issue is getting out of hand. In a European Schools Survey Project, with 42% teen boys and 39% teen girls, illegal drugs have been used. Alcohol abuse, alcohol one of those drugs widely used in teenagers in UK, is prevailing commonly in UK, and this situation is getting worse in case of girls. Professor Martin Plant, of the University of West of England said: â€Å"One of the big prob lems is that vast numbers of young people who engage in these behaviors believe that they are completely invulnerable†. Causes of Teen Drug Addiction One of the reasons of a high rate of teenage drug addicts in UK reported by this professor are poor parenting. Parents living in UK are very broad minded and don’

Report 3 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Report 3 - Assignment Example We will make sure that all our ads will comply with the Chilean laws (Shaver and Soontae 67). The ads will be in English targeting the right group to use smoke detectors in their home; however, I would prefer using Spanish because most of Chilean speaks it. Most of our advertising budget will go the Television whereby we will want to increase the number of times a commercial will be aired per week. Therefore, allocating much of the budget to television is because it is the most effective medium for advertisement and will be $1,750,000 per year (Warc n. pag). The viewers cannot ignore an advert that comes as they watch a program they love, thus making it more effective (Shaver and Soontae 71). Our commercial will be aired in one major television station, which is Channel 4. The commercial will be aired in the evening hours, mostly when the news is ready in order to target the more mature customers twice a week. The television advert emotionally highlights the importance of having a smoke detector in the house, with fireman ready to come to the rescue. It will highlight the catastrophe fire can cause if a house does not have a smoke detector and the losses one can get. The commercial will finally show how a person with the burned house i s going to our store to buy a smoke detector and goes home happy. Our team also discussed using the most listened radio stations in Chile by the targeted consumers with a budget of $200,000 annually. After doing a statistical analysis on the most listened national radio stations, we decided that we would advertise with RCN La FM. It is the most listened radio stations by mature people who the major targets of our product. The advert will be aired on the morning hours while people are going to work in the La  ½ Maná ½ °ná ½ °. The advert will be aired three times a week. In Santiago alone, 97% of the population listens to a radio station. The radio commercial

Relationship between Catholic Church and Nazi Regime Essay

Relationship between Catholic Church and Nazi Regime - Essay Example So, the idea of dechristianizing Germany was clearly evidenced when, in 1933, Hitler, through his Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels started exercising control over the Catholic Church by interfering with its youth groups, schools, cultural societies and even workers clubs. As the sole authority over the land, Nazi could not tolerate the existence of any other authority whose legitimacy had not been granted by the state. So, the church is one of such independent institutions, had to be fiercely fought. The dechristianization of Germany had to be done by openly subordinating the church and stripping it off the powers it earlier enjoyed. So, as this author recounts, Hitler had to seriously take the antichurch war without ever looking back. At one time, he decided to eliminate political Catholicism so as to make the church be under a full control of the state to the extent that it could no longer influence the political climate of Germany. This was effected by molesting, harassing and arresting a large number of church leaders and the clergy. This really created a lot of fear to the church and its followers. It was so sad that even the clergy on whom many people relied on for inspiration and guidance would now be indiscriminately arrested without any proper justification. As events unfolded, the Nazi regime later decided to take more stern action against the church. Kertzer says that the government dissolved the Catholic Church’s youth leagues maybe because it was viewed as a radical group that would give rise to dissents. Nonetheless, the state continued targeting the nuns, clergy and lay leaders who were arrested and charged with serious criminal offenses such as the smuggling of currency that came with harsh sentences.  

Great Gatsby Analytical Writing Essay Example for Free

Great Gatsby Analytical Writing Essay Gatsby is a pillar of the American literary canon and has been woven over generations into the very fabric of American culture. You should read this text carefully and interactively – annotating your text so that, during class discussions, you are able to find and reference meaningful passages. On the second day of classes you will turn in a well-crafted, thoughtful essay of 3-6 pages. Your essay must be typed, doubled spaced, in 12 pt. Times New Roman font, with one-inch margins and formatted according to proper Modern Language Association (MLA) standards [proper header, page numbers, and parenthetical citations]. If you have any doubt about how to write in MLA format, consult the most recent edition of the MLA handbook (available in the ISS library). This will be my first encounter with your formal writing. Some things to consider when writing a formal literary analysis paper: 1.The paper should have a defined, focused, and assertive argument (thesis). 2.The paper should be written in third person (no use of â€Å"I,† â€Å"we,† â€Å"you,† etc.). 3.The paper should be written in the literary present tense (e.g. â€Å"Gatsby goes† as opposed to â€Å"Gatsby went†). 4.The paper should paraphrase and quote specific passages as evidence to support claims. 5.Quoted material should be properly assimilated in the student’s writing. 6.The paper should be structured according to a logical progression for the argument. 7.The paper should be thoroughly edited for proper grammatical usage. 8.The paper should hold the reader’s interest. 9.Good essays have interesting titles. Options for responding to the text: 1.Choose two characters in the work and compare them – noting their similarities and differences. Do so, though, not merely on a surface level, but in such a way that you explore the greater issues and concerns of the novel that the characters’ represent. 2.Choose two particular places that represent two opposing forces or ideas that are central to the novel. Write an essay explaining how the places differ, what each place represents, and how their contrasting contributes to the meaning of the work. 3.Choose at least two â€Å"social† scenes from the novel and discuss how these scenes establish some of the values or concerns that pervade the novel.

Impact of Non-Financial Resources

Impact of Non-Financial Resources TASK 1. Physical resources are the tangible resources used in a certain company or an organization. These resources makes their work processes more appealing and efficient. One the other hand, technological resources are the resources in which an organization or company uses to promote and increase efficiency in the company, sometimes these technological resources can also be used for security purposes. The following are the physical and technological resources needed in Mohammed’s company dealing with advertising and publishing:- The physical resources needed are: a building or a rented shop. The location of this building has to be in an area where it is possible for people to notice the company. The best area is in Qurm since there are a lot of residential areas, schools and other companies around that area. It is a busy area so if the company is located that area, it has a high possibility of being known all over Muscat and in couple of years it will expand to all around Oman if the business goes as planned. He should rent a shop for a while until the business goes well and in the meantime he should continue finding another area of which he should have his own building and not rent for his whole life since his business won’t be small for life but expansion of his company is his mission in life. Furniture. Furniture such as office tables and chairs are essential in a company. These furniture are the ones that provide appealing environment for a customer when entering the office. For instance, a customer gets in the office and already explained his/her problems to the receptionist and was told to wait, he/she would definitely expect to see a sofa or a chair in which he/she can sit as he/she was told to wait. The work environment also needs these furniture since a computer cannot just stay on the floor and expect a customer to deal with that company after seeing that. Appearance of the work area by the use of furniture is an essential thing to consider when starting up a new business. Fahmy Furniture LLC is the best place to get these furniture from since they have good quality furniture with reasonable prices. Filing system is also needed in certain situations so, shelves are also appropriate and can be also found in this company. Toilet equipments. These are essential because every human has to visit the toilet eventually at any time. These can be kept in both male and female sections of the toilet since the toilet cannot be bisexual and used by both genders. These can be bought from any local dealers who have provide with good quality and affordable prices. Toilet equipments meaning sinks and the actual toilet in which a person uses for specific reasons and the sink to wash hands after the usage of the toilet since it is healthy to do so. Safety equipments. In any company, there always have to be safety precautions in case of any emergency occurs. Safety equipments such as fire extinguishers should be installed around the office in case of any fire outbreak that might happen. These fire extinguishers have to be the ones that can switch off fire of any class. In publishing, papers are needed so as to portray all the work that a person kept effort in when wanting to advertise something that a person hired the company for. These papers are special since publishing a pamphlet or brochure isn’t done by normal A4 papers but with a required paper material needed for the process to take place. These papers can be bought online or imported from out of Oman and reach the office for the publication to take place. The company should have a trademark and a copyright protection that will avoid other people to use the same mark as their own. According to Wikipedia, â€Å"Trademark law is designed to fulfill the public policy objective of consumer protection, by preventing the public from being misled as to the origin or quality of a product or service.† The Omani Copyrights laws will actually help in this kind of situation since whenever someone copyrights the company’s work, the company will always be protected by having the law on their side. Technological resources needed include communication devices such as telephones. These devices are important in a way that the company is able to communicate with their clients in the progress of their work. Also communication is available to those people who are interested in knowing more about the company and wanting to know where it is located and making appointments. A contract with Oman Mobile will be suitable since they provide better landline services than any other networks in Oman. Computers. Computers are needed for the operational activities of the company in the process of advertising and publishing what a client hired them for. These computers are installed with a publishing software which it makes it easier for the designer to complete his/her work in a short while. Bear, J.H (n.d), â€Å"Desktop publishing software allows the user to rearrange text and graphics on screen, change typefaces as easily as changing shoes, and resize graphics on the fly, before finally committing a design to paper.† Computers are used when designing features that can be kept in brochures and pamphlets. Websites. A website is there to provide awareness of the company’s information. Since the technology is developing and most people are always surfing the internets, it is easier for them to know about the company online than going to them and ask them about their information. According to Wikipedia, â€Å"Electronic publishing has become common in scientific publishing where it has been argued that peer-reviewed scientific journals are in the process of being replaced by electronic publishing. It is also becoming common to distribute books, magazines, and newspapers to consumers through tablet reading devices, a market that is growing by millions each year,[1] generated by online vendors such as Apples iTunes bookstore, Amazons bookstore for Kindle, and books in the Google Play Bookstore.† Instagram accounts can be useful sometimes since it’s a new application and most people have it, they will be able to see the quality of publications and the previous contracts they had. Publication machines such as printers. These printers are used in the publication processes that requires brochures to be spread for the knowledge of what the client asked the company to advertise about. These publications act as an advertising tool and also advertising can be done through websites but all of these are choices done by the client himself/herself. Smoke detectors. In case of fire outbreak and nobody notices, the smoke detectors will detect the smoke since fire produces it. These smoke detectors will be installed with a water system which will automatically activate when there is fire in a certain area and an alarm will go on to alert the employees about it so they can put it off as soon as possible so as to avoid destruction of properties in the office. Projectors are needed so as to present what will be done to the clients. This presentation is to confirm what the company is doing and the client to say if it is okay or something else should be done with the publications and the advertising as per the contract agreement. Security cameras. These are to be installed so as to know every single person who came in the office and went out, and whenever something bad goes wrong such as theft, the cameras will definitely show you who did it since they record everything that’s happening in the office. In conclusion, the company will work according to efficiently since it has all the technological and physical resources. This will also depend on the human resources present in the company for the operations to work as planned. Without human resources, there won’t be a company since they are the ones responsible in operating all physical and technological resources. TASK 2. Human resource management is the process of hiring people who are qualified for a specific job. In order for Mohammed to manage the human resources, he should put job vacancies available for people to apply for. He can advertise them through newspapers, magazines or websites. Job descriptions and personal specifications are provided in these advertisements together with a job application form details on where to find them if they are not attached in the advertisement. After they apply, they are to go to the company for a job interview and go through a specific course if necessary. The person has to have all the necessary skills both personal and employability so as to get the job. If he/she passes the course, it is when he/she sits to discuss about the salary and starts to work after given a specific date to begin. Mohammed should know how to motivate his employees in remaining in the company for a long period of time. This process is called retention.Business Burrito (n.d), â€Å"When people arent motivated, they become less productive, less creative, less of an asset to your company.† He should have a promotion system by which an employee earns it for his/her hard work to the company. This will motivate other employees to work harder providing more work force to the company and the company to be known more by others and at the end they get their rewards on their hard work. Training should be provided to the employees through taking them to courses concerning a certain task since technology changes after a period of time. These courses can either be indoor or outdoor. Indoor meaning inside the country and city and outdoor meaning in a different country. Training Today (n.d),â€Å"Training is crucial because it: Educates workers about the effective use of technology, Ensures competitive edge in the market, Promotes safety and health among employees, Creates opportunities for career development and personal growth, an important factor in retaining workers Helps employers comply with laws and regulations, and Improves productivity and profitability† Through having this new knowledge on a certain job, it is easier for the company to attract more customers since the competitors won’t have the knowledge but when they know that the company has it and it is useful, they would go obtain the knowledge so as for the competition to be stable. Security guards are there to protect theft from happening. Competitors might act in unethical manner and hire people to steal things from the company and eventually getting them. Itcan happen when clients’ competitors would want to destroy the publications and eventually break in the company so as to get them. These guards are there to protect anything from happening to the company at any time. Physical resources are there to provide a good and appealing appearance to the society. These resources are noticed by people and they are satisfied by what they see so they agree to deal with the company. These people will spread the word to others and fortunately the company will gain more clients than before. The physical resources such as computers and printers makes work much easier and effective because they are essential in this kind of business that using free hands in drawing on papers and use them as publications to advertise to other people. This won’t generate a lot of clients because they would think that the company is too old fashioned and cannot afford the modern technology and has no knowledge of it. Technological resources improve the performance of a company in such a way that protection is provided to them through the security cameras and smoke detectors. This makes the work conditions safe for the employees to do their jobs without any threats coming between them. Having publication machinery makes it possible for work to be done in a certain period of time without asking other people to do it for you and pay them at the end. The machines help in production of the publication in a short period of time and get on with the next employee’s agreement. Good quality publications that are advertised can lead to the attraction of more customers into the company. Projectors will provide update to the clients through the presentation that is prepared by the company on what the company is getting at in the process of publication. The communication devices will make it possible for communications between the company and the customers when it comes to appointments and informing them on where the process of publishing and advertising has reached. This makes the customers to have trust which is a good thing and get to spread the word to others. In conclusion, all these human, physical and technological resources are very important things in a company. They cannot work without each other so without one, the other won’t work as effective as it used to be and the company won’t be successful as it hoped to be. TASK 3. It is true that managing resources and controlling budgets costs can improve the performance of the business. This happens when controlling a budget costs can also control the resources in a company which are all human, physical and technological resources. Consider human resources, instead of having more employees a company can only have two employees. Since Mohammed is the owner of the company, he has to recruit two employees who are able to do all the work needed in advertising and publications. Since the technology is growing, the only thing needed to know is how to design and put it out online for people to see it. They should have skills like sales and computer designs in conducting this kind of business. Courses are to be given to them if they lack one of these skills to reduce the cost of more employees and save money in paying more instead you just pay the two employees who keep working hand in hand helping each other. Online meaning in websites and mostly on Instagram since most people nowadays use most their time surfing the internet for information and some just for their own goods. When they see the advertisement, they wouldn’t mind looking at it and get a clear image of what the advertisement is about and maybe get interested in knowing more about it. In physical resources, the production of pamphlets and brochures should be stopped. The company has to stop the ordering of these papers used in the production process since they won’t be needed anymore. This will save more money because the cost of ordering these papers abroad includes the cost of shipping them and their prices are not cheap. Publication machinery won’t be of use since the production of brochures, flyers and pamphlets will be stopped. This is because due to the technology upraise, people read news and information online and not through papers as how it was few years back. In couple of years there will be no papers publications in advertising world so it’s better that the company starts that now. This will reduce the cost of buying machines and also the repairing and servicing of the machinery after a certain period of time. Technological resources are very hard to manage and control since they change every after a while and it is difficult to cope with it. Barton, R (2013), â€Å"Technology is innovating and expanding at an exponential rate. It’s difficult to grasp how dramatic is the growth of 2 x 2 x 2 x 2†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The only way that it’s possible to manage and control is by allowing the employees to get courses of these new technology in the world and eventually apply them in the operations of a company in advertising. Controlling resources will lead to managing the budget cost since he won’t paying more employees, not buying more machinery that would need services after a period of time and it also costs money. This money that will be saved can be invested in more of the company’s activities than using it in areas that might be of waste. These activities include expansion of the office to a better location or bigger office and getting known all around a targeted area. According to the consumption and saving of money during controlling and managing both resources and budget costs, it is the right way to conduct business since it makes the company get more than what it uses. Mohammed should consider doing this if he doesn’t want to have risks in his business operations since this will make him use less money and gain more than he expects. REFERENCES. Barton, R (2013). Technology’s Explosion: The Exponential Growth Rate. Retrieved on November 25, 2014. Retrieved from http://www.mstech.com/nh-it-blog.php?show=171 Bear, J.H (n.d). Why is Desktop Publishing Important? Retrieved on November 23, 2014. Retrieved from http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/beginners/f/why_dtp.htm Business Burrito (n.d). Employee Motivation. Why Motivating Your Employees is Important. Retrieved on November 24, 2014. Retrieved from http://www.businessburrito.com/why-is-employee-motivation-important.html Training Today (n.d). Employee Training. Retrieved on November 24, 2014. Retrieved from http://trainingtoday.blr.com/employee-training-topics/Employee-Training Wikipedia (n.d). Electronic Publishing. Overview. Retrieved on November 24, 2014. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_publishing Wikipedia (n.d). Trademark. Public Policy. Retrieved on November 23, 2014. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trademark

The Knowledge is Power Program Essay examples -- Education, KIPP Schoo

The Knowledge is Power Program (hereafter referred to as KIPP) has been the recipient of much praise. In the recent documentary, Waiting for Superman, KIPP was lauded as one of a handful of educational programs for poor children of color that is making a difference in closing the achievement gap. Diane Ravitch wrote in her recent book, â€Å"[T]he charter schools with the most impressive record of success are the KIPP schools† (Ravitch, 2010, p.135). Washington Post Education Columnist, Jay Mathews wrote an entire book on the schools, calling them â€Å"the most promising schools in America.†(Mathews, 2009) So, why is KIPP garnering all of this attention and is it really narrowing the achievement gap? KIPP was started in 1994 by Teach for America alumni David Levin and Michael Fienberg, who had been working in inner-city Houston schools. KIPP was created with a singular goal in mind; to get low-income students of color to college. The data would suggest that these schools have been successful in achieving that goal. During the 2008-2009 academic year, KIPP enrolled 21,831 students, 95% of whom were African-American or Latino (KIPP Foundation, 2009). Of those students who finish 8th grade at a KIPP school, 95% graduate from high school and 88% of them matriculate to college. These compare to national rates of 70% high school graduation and 40% college matriculation for low-income students (KIPP Foundation, 2009). According to a recent study of 22 KIPP schools, within three years, half of all KIPP schools in the study closed one half or more of the black-white achievement gap in math, and one third of the black-white achievement gap in reading. In these KIPP schools, student gains are equivalent to 1.2 years of additional growth i... ...the tools to significantly close the achievement gap, but they won’t likely be responsible for a radical upward mobility of low-income students of color. So, what role can KIPP play in the larger picture? Diane Ravitch offered sage advice in a recent speech at Rice University when she challenged KIPP co-founder Mike Fienberg in saying, â€Å"Don’t compete. Collaborate with public schools. Share whatever you know that works. Work with public schools. Help them get better. We all share the same goal and that is to ensure that every child in America gets a great education† (Ravitch, 2010). Perhaps KIPP schools are best utilized as â€Å"laboratories† where methods are tested, refined and readied for export to the public school system at large and utilized by all students. This collaboration could contribute to real public school reform and be the lasting legacy of KIPP.

Cicero and Stoicism :: History Philosophy Philosophical Cicero

Cicero, was truly a man of the state. His writings also show us he was equally a man of philosophical temperament and affluence. Yet at times these two forces within Cicero clash and contradict with the early stoic teachings. Cicero gradually adopted the stoic lifestyle but not altogether entirely, and this is somewhat due to the fact of what it was like to be a roman of the time. The morals of everyday Rome conflicted with some of the stoic ideals that were set by early stoicism. Thus, Cicero changed the face of stoicism by romanizing it; redefining stoicism into the middle phase. Of Cicero it can be said he possessed a bias towards roman life and doctrine. For Cicero every answer lay within Rome itself, from the ideal governing body to the place of divination. Cicero does not offer any alternate answers to roman society, which robs him of being truly a unique and bold political philosopher. This is not to say however some of his doctrines are untrue, just that he is somewhat blinded by his roman beliefs and assumptions. The assumptions of Cicero can be noticed when one inspects his view of the ideal governing body, which he expresses through Scipio (in the commonwealth). Although Cicero presents very convincing arguments for a Composite government, clearly his view is possibly only due towards his belief in the roman structure of government.1 Cicero was limited to roman borders of experience, and this point was best illustrated by his disagreement with Aristotle's writings on the decay of states. Cicero was unable to think on the level of Aristotle's logic. He quite simply used roman history as a mapping of the paths of the decay of states. In contrast, Aristotle understood the underlying forces and influences that transpired when a state degraded. Cicero quite frankly could not understand the forces which Aristotle so eloquently denoted. For Cicero, history offered the only possible paths of outcomes; the forces and behaviors played little part on the resulting state.2 A further point of philosophical belief which Cicero contradicted the stoic lifestyle, is religion. Roman tradition conflicted greatly with stoic doctrine, and the two philosophies could never truly harmonize with one another. This point brought the distinction between the Greek learned world of intellect, and the traditional religious roman patronage. This observation literally draws a line between the two worlds, that of knowledge and reason opposing that of tradition and sentiment.

Who is Monica Lewinsky? :: essays research papers

Is Monica simply a hapless White House intern caught in the middle of a media created scandal started by Linda Tripp. Monica Lewinsky is a 24 year old graduate of Lewis and Clark University in Oregon. Daughter of a Democratic contributor she was easily able to get an intern position in the White Horse. Some of Lewinsky's friends have said that she only took the intern position to sleep with important people. If the recent news reports are true Monica Lewinsky got what she was looking for. Linda Tripp has over 17 tapes of her discussions with Monica Lewinsky describing her sexual relations with President Bill Clinton. Linda Tripp was a high ranking administration assistant formerly of the White House, and now of the Pentagon. In an unusual twist Tripp also happens to be the last person to see Vince Foster alive! Kathleen Willey, another person alleged to have had sexual relations with Bill Clinton, is the one that gave Kenneth Starr Linda Tripps name as a possible witness in the Paula Jones sexual harassment civil suit. None of this would have been much of a problem had Monica Lewinsky had not told Tripp that Bill Clinton and Vernon Jordan instructed her to lie about the affair with Clinton. Supposedly Linda Tripp has Monica alleging this on tape. These tapes if finally released to the public should prove to be quite titillating, Monica Lewinsky claims that Clinton was very fond of oral sex and that she it to him on a number of occasions. It has been alleged by various news organizations that a secret service agent actually caught Lewinsky and Clinton in the act. It has also been alleged that Monica Lewinsky has a blue semen stained dress which, if true, would be direct DNA evidence of the affair. But it still would not prove obstruction of justice. If that was ever proven it could be an impeachable offence, a sexual scandal probably would not lead to the impeachment of Bill Clinton. If not then it will simply be a source of Bill Clinton jokes. In a new twist on all of this Attorney Terry Giles client Andy Bleiler claims to have evidence relavent to the case. He also claims that Monica Lewinsky and he were lovers when he taught her at the Lewis and Clark University in Oregon. It is possible that Monica Lewinsky gave him documents and presents that Clinton had given her.

Ballot or the Bullet

People would come from all over the country to Harlem, New York in the year 1964 to listen to Malcolm Little, better known as Malcolm X, give his speeches about having more civil rights for the black community. He claimed that they should try to spend money inside of their community to help it prosper and prevent it from becoming a slum or a ghetto. He compared their situation many times to when America was first starting and how they had to fight for their freedom from Britain.Malcolm X talked about Patrick Henry and how he said, â€Å"Give me liberty or give me death† and was saying that they need to stand up for what they want. He said that there can not be a revolution with blood shed but America is in a position right now where they can be involved in a â€Å"Bloodless revolution. † One thing that he repeated throughout his speech was that it would be the â€Å"ballot or the bullet† (Malcolm X). This meant that they would either get what they asked for or th ey would have to fight for it.In Malcolm X’s speech he addressed different rhetorical strategies to convey his message to the people of Harlem. One way the speaker attempted to sway his audience to feel the way that he did was by telling the people that he was educated about how the white people felt when they were suppressed by Britain. The white people of the time were being taxed without representation. He learned who Patrick Henry was and how he would rise up and say â€Å"Liberty or death† which is the equivalent to what Malcolm X’s slogan was, ballot or the bullet.He said that, the statement â€Å"Liberty or death† brought freedom to the white people in this country and that if they could do it, so could he and his supporters. He also talked about how he knew the new generations of black people in this country didn’t care how far the odds were against them; they wanted to fight for their rights to be equals to the white people of America. The y would ignore the odds altogether until they had succeeded in what they have come to do.Later, Malcolm uses emotion to get his message across to his audience when he talks about how America right now could be the only place to have ever had a bloodless revolution by simply succumbing to what the black population wanted and give them their civil rights. He said that usually you aren’t in a position where you love your enemy but here is a time where they love America but just would like to be treated as equals along with the rest of the population.Malcolm also said that Uncle Sam was the one that created this problem in the first place and going to his court expecting him to fix the problem would do absolutely nothing because he is the criminal and he is the one that needs to be fixed. A little bit later he talks about how Afro-American churches are being bombed, little girls getting murdered, and leaders of the black population getting shot in broad daylight. He asks why this isn’t being brought to the UN when these sorts of things that happen in other countries go directly to the UN. Then Malcolm says that it is their turn to take their case to the UN.He says that there he will have the support of all different ethnicities, including the 800 million Chinese people out there. Malcolm also talks about how Uncle Sam is able to stand up and represent himself as the leader of the free world when he is violating the human rights of over 22 million Afro-Americans. Malcolm used different methods to try to get his feelings across to his audience but they all were directed towards the same purpose; to try to get the civil rights of the black population in America at the time. This worked to a degree, it got people all riled up to fight for their civil rights.He first talked about how when America was first starting they didn’t like it when their civil rights were suppressed and that the Afro-Americans feel the same way they want their rights. Then Malcolm talks about how this revolution doesn’t have to include any death as long as America listens to the black communities requests. He purposes that it is time to go to the UN and have them help sort this out with the help of other countries. He sums up his whole speech in four words and those words are â€Å"ballot or the bullet† they will get what they want or they will fight for it.

Preserving the Sanctity of Marriage

Preserving the Sanctity of Marriage â€Å"They are preserving the sanctity of marriage, so that two gay men who've been together for twenty-five years can't get married, but a guy can still get drunk in Vegas and marry a hooker at the Elvis chapel! The sanctity of marriage is saved! † Lea DeLaria states her views on gay marriage. Some although, view this topic very differently, it is seen as a dirty abomination to many that heterosexual marriage is being corrupted by the possibility of homosexual marriage.The year is 2010, yet America has seemed to take a step back in giving everyone and anyone equal rights in today’s society, leading back when America thought it was not a good idea to give African Americans their rights. Is that situation so different from today’s argument of giving homosexuals their rights? Although heterosexual marriages are more acceptable in America today, homosexual relationships as well as marriages need to be respected, not restrained so homosexuals can live freely as they please. People who are against gay marriage often are very religious in the Christian sense.They can relate gay marriage back to the bible with quotes like â€Å"Marriage shall consist of a union between one man and one or more women† (Genesis 29:17-28; II Samuel 3:2-5). These kinds of people are the ones who stay in tradition; the union between a man and women has been the only way of a legal connection in a society of any kind. This tradition proves to be strong; in June of 1986 the U. S Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that adult gay members practicing a gay lifestyle were not protected by the constitution. This was the first ruling in the U.S that outright said that gay marriage would not be tolerated. Since 1986 not much has changed, a gay lifestyle is not widely accepted, as well as marriages between them. Being part of the gay community is not an easy task, especially when marriage is involved. Just because someone is gay does not mean that t his person should have different rights than a straight person. Both are human beings, both deserve the same rights. One does not choose to be a homosexual or heterosexual, it is how one is wired as one grows up, neither is wrong and therefore, why does one get to marry and not the other?This is a question still being answered today where through the ages homosexuality was considered a disease up until 1973, where it was finally taken off the DSM-II (official list of psychiatric disorders). Gays were also blamed for AIDS, the disease being called the â€Å"gay plague. † These things are absolutely horrendous; as this shows, some people are extremely ignorant about the gay culture. When people do not know what these people are like, they make assumptions and stereotypes that lead to the culture to not have the same rights as others because of the nasty things that are spread like wildfire throughout the world.In Africa, gays can legally be killed for just being themselves. It is exactly like the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. People accuse others in Africa of being gay and they can be imprisoned for life or killed simply for being accused. This is not what should be going on in a 21st century world. The same thing goes for being gay and trying to get married, they are denied time after time in the U. S. America is known for its free land and democratic values, yet America cannot handle the simple task of giving one group the full rights that everyone else has.I strongly believe that denying one’s rights because of their sexual orientation is beyond wrong, it is an abomination to what America stands for. It makes me angry to think that someone who loves another that just happens to be the same gender as they cannot legally marry. They deserve to be happy just like anyone else. Why would someone deny happiness to someone because they love the same gender as they? Is life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness not part of America’s Declaration of Independence?I believe the U. S has lost sight of this in today’s religiously ridden society. The separation of church and state has been lost and blended together, creating a storm of hatred and racism toward the gay community. These people are some of the kindest I have ever met, and yet they get some of the cruelest comments I have ever witnessed in my life. These people deserve more, including an equal right in everything, especially marriage. It is time for America to move forward for the goal of equal gay rights.These people have seen enough turmoil throughout time, longer than any community to date. It is time for acceptance, love, and peace toward the gay community. I have too many friends who have so much love for everyone else and they are turned away by society, dumped in an area called disgusting, repulsive, and unacceptable. Even though in America homosexual marriages are beginning to be accepted, their relationships as well as marriages should be given the same right as everyone else anywhere in the world, to truly save the sanctity of marriage.

The Da Vinci Code Chapter 60-62

CHAPTER 60 Sangreal†¦ Sang Real†¦ San Greal†¦ Royal Blood†¦ Holy Grail. It was all intertwined. The Holy Grail is Mary Magdalene†¦the mother of the royal bloodline of Jesus Christ.Sophie felt a new wave of disorientation as she stood in the silence of the ballroom and stared at Robert Langdon. The more pieces Langdon and Teabing laid on the table tonight, the more unpredictable this puzzle became. â€Å"As you can see, my dear,† Teabing said, hobbling toward a bookshelf,† Leonardo is not the only one who has been trying to tell the world the truth about the Holy Grail. The royal bloodline of Jesus Christ has been chronicled in exhaustive detail by scores of historians.† He ran a finger down a row of several dozen books. Sophie tilted her head and scanned the list of titles: THE TEMPLAR REVELATION:Secret Guardians of the True Identity of Christ THE WOMAN WITH THE ALABASTER JAR: Mary Magdalene and the Holy Grail THE GODDESS IN THE GOSPELS Reclaiming the Sacred Feminine â€Å"Here is perhaps the best-known tome,† Teabing said, pulling a tattered hardcover from the stack and handing it to her. The cover read: HOLY BLOOD, HOLY GRAIL The Acclaimed International Bestseller Sophie glanced up. â€Å"An international bestseller? I've never heard of it.† â€Å"You were young. This caused quite a stir back in the nineteen eighties. To my taste, the authors made some dubious leaps of faith in their analysis, but their fundamental premise is sound, and to their credit, they finally brought the idea of Christ's bloodline into the mainstream.† â€Å"What was the Church's reaction to the book?† â€Å"Outrage, of course. But that was to be expected. After all, this was a secret the Vatican had tried to bury in the fourth century. That's part of what the Crusades were about. Gathering and destroying information. The threat Mary Magdalene posed to the men of the early Church was potentially ruinous. Not only was she the woman to whom Jesus had assigned the task of founding the Church, but she also had physical proof that the Church's newly proclaimed deity had spawned a mortal bloodline. The Church, in order to defend itself against the Magdalene's power, perpetuated her image as a whore and buried evidence of Christ's marriage to her, thereby defusing any potential claims that Christ had a surviving bloodline and was a mortal prophet.† Sophie glanced at Langdon, who nodded. â€Å"Sophie, the historical evidence supporting this is substantial.† â€Å"I admit,† Teabing said,† the assertions are dire, but you must understand the Church's powerful motivations to conduct such a cover-up. They could never have survived public knowledge of a bloodline. A child of Jesus would undermine the critical notion of Christ's divinity and therefore the Christian Church, which declared itself the sole vessel through which humanity could access the divine and gain entrance to the kingdom of heaven.† â€Å"The five-petal rose,† Sophie said, pointing suddenly to the spine of one of Teabing's books. The same exact design inlaid on the rosewood box. Teabing glanced at Langdon and grinned. â€Å"She has a good eye.† He turned back to Sophie. â€Å"That is the Priory symbol for the Grail. Mary Magdalene. Because her name was forbidden by the Church, Mary Magdalene became secretly known by many pseudonyms – the Chalice, the Holy Grail, and the Rose.† He paused. â€Å"The Rose has ties to the five-pointed pentacle of Venus and the guiding Compass Rose. By the way, the word rose is identical in English, French, German, and many other languages.† â€Å"Rose,† Langdon added,† is also an anagram of Eros, the Greek god of sexual love.† Sophie gave him a surprised look as Teabing plowed on.† The Rose has always been the premiere symbol of female sexuality. In primitive goddess cults, the five petals represented the five stations of female life – birth, menstruation, motherhood, menopause, and death. And in modern times, the flowering rose's ties to womanhood are considered more visual.† He glanced at Robert. â€Å"Perhaps the symbologist could explain?† Robert hesitated. A moment too long. â€Å"Oh, heavens!† Teabing huffed. â€Å"You Americans are such prudes.† He looked back at Sophie. â€Å"What Robert is fumbling with is the fact that the blossoming flower resembles the female genitalia, the sublime blossom from which all mankind enters the world. And if you've ever seen any paintings by Georgia O'Keeffe, you'll know exactly what I mean.† â€Å"The point here,† Langdon said, motioning back to the bookshelf,† is that all of these books substantiate the same historical claim.† â€Å"That Jesus was a father.† Sophie was still uncertain. â€Å"Yes,† Teabing said. â€Å"And that Mary Magdalene was the womb that carried His royal lineage. The Priory of Sion, to this day, still worships Mary Magdalene as the Goddess, the Holy Grail, the Rose, and the Divine Mother.† Sophie again flashed on the ritual in the basement. â€Å"According to the Priory,† Teabing continued,† Mary Magdalene was pregnant at the time of the crucifixion. For the safety of Christ's unborn child, she had no choice but to flee the Holy Land. With the help of Jesus' trusted uncle, Joseph of Arimathea, Mary Magdalene secretly traveled to France, then known as Gaul. There she found safe refuge in the Jewish community. It was here in France that she gave birth to a daughter. Her name was Sarah.† Sophie glanced up. â€Å"They actually know the child's name?† â€Å"Far more than that. Magdalene's and Sarah's lives were scrutinously chronicled by their Jewish protectors. Remember that Magdalene's child belonged to the lineage of Jewish kings – David and Solomon. For this reason, the Jews in France considered Magdalene sacred royalty and revered her as the progenitor of the royal line of kings. Countless scholars of that era chronicled Mary Magdalene's days in France, including the birth of Sarah and the subsequent family tree.† Sophie was startled. â€Å"There exists a family tree of Jesus Christ?† â€Å"Indeed. And it is purportedly one of the cornerstones of the Sangreal documents. A complete genealogy of the early descendants of Christ.† â€Å"But what good is a documented genealogy of Christ's bloodline?† Sophie asked. â€Å"It's not proof. Historians could not possibly confirm its authenticity.† Teabing chuckled. â€Å"No more so than they can confirm the authenticity of the Bible.† â€Å"Meaning?† â€Å"Meaning that history is always written by the winners. When two cultures clash, the loser is obliterated, and the winner writes the history books – books which glorify their own cause and disparage the conquered foe. As Napoleon once said, ‘What is history, but a fable agreed upon?'†He smiled. â€Å"By its very nature, history is always a one-sided account.† Sophie had never thought of it that way.† The Sangreal documents simply tell the other side of the Christ story. In the end, which side of the story you believe becomes a matter of faith and personal exploration, but at least the information has survived. The Sangreal documents include tens of thousands of pages of information. Eyewitness accounts of the Sangreal treasure describe it as being carried in four enormous trunks. In those trunks are reputed to be the Purist Docum ents – thousands of pages of unaltered, pre- Constantine documents, written by the early followers of Jesus, revering Him as a wholly human teacher and prophet. Also rumored to be part of the treasure is the legendary† Q† Document – a manuscript that even the Vatican admits they believe exists. Allegedly, it is a book of Jesus' teachings, possibly written in His own hand.† â€Å"Writings by Christ Himself?† â€Å"Of course,† Teabing said. â€Å"Why wouldn't Jesus have kept a chronicle of His ministry? Most people did in those days. Another explosive document believed to be in the treasure is a manuscript called The Magdalene Diaries – Mary Magdalene's personal account of her relationship with Christ, His crucifixion, and her time in France.† Sophie was silent for a long moment. â€Å"And these four chests of documents were the treasure that the Knights Templar found under Solomon's Temple?† â€Å"Exactly. The documents that made the Knights so powerful. The documents that have been the object of countless Grail quests throughout history.† â€Å"But you said the Holy Grail was Mary Magdalene.If people are searching for documents, why would you call it a search for the Holy Grail?† Teabing eyed her, his expression softening. â€Å"Because the hiding place of the Holy Grail includes a sarcophagus.† Outside, the wind howled in the trees. Teabing spoke more quietly now. â€Å"The quest for the Holy Grail is literally the quest to kneel before the bones of Mary Magdalene. A journey to pray at the feet of the outcast one, the lost sacred feminine.† Sophie felt an unexpected wonder. â€Å"The hiding place of the Holy Grail is actually†¦ a tomb?† Teabing's hazel eyes got misty. â€Å"It is. A tomb containing the body of Mary Magdalene and the documents that tell the true story of her life. At its heart, the quest for the Holy Grail has always been a quest for the Magdalene – the wronged Queen, entombed with proof of her family's rightful claim to power.† Sophie waited a moment as Teabing gathered himself. So much about her grandfather was still not making sense. â€Å"Members of the Priory,† she finally said,† all these years have answered the charge of protecting the Sangreal documents and the tomb of Mary Magdalene?† â€Å"Yes, but the brotherhood had another, more important duty as well – to protect the bloodline itself. Christ's lineage was in perpetual danger. The early Church feared that if the lineage were permitted to grow, the secret of Jesus and Magdalene would eventually surface and challenge the fundamental Catholic doctrine – that of a divine Messiah who did not consort with women or engage in sexual union.† He paused. â€Å"Nonetheless, Christ's line grew quietly under cover in France until making a bold move in the fifth century, when it intermarried with French royal blood and created a lineage known as the Merovingian bloodline.† This news surprised Sophie. Merovingian was a term learned by every student in France. â€Å"The Merovingians founded Paris.† â€Å"Yes. That's one of the reasons the Grail legend is so rich in France. Many of the Vatican's Grail quests here were in fact stealth missions to erase members of the royal bloodline. Have you heard of King Dagobert?† Sophie vaguely recalled the name from a grisly tale in history class. â€Å"Dagobert was a Merovingian king, wasn't he? Stabbed in the eye while sleeping?† â€Å"Exactly. Assassinated by the Vatican in collusion with Pepin d'Heristal. Late seventh century. With Dagobert's murder, the Merovingian bloodline was almost exterminated. Fortunately, Dagobert's son, Sigisbert, secretly escaped the attack and carried on the lineage, which later included Godefroi de Bouillon – founder of the Priory of Sion.† â€Å"The same man,† Langdon said,† who ordered the Knights Templar to recover the Sangreal documents from beneath Solomon's Temple and thus provide the Merovingians proof of their hereditary ties to Jesus Christ.† Teabing nodded, heaving a ponderous sigh. â€Å"The modern Priory of Sion has a momentous duty. Theirs is a threefold charge. The brotherhood must protect the Sangreal documents. They must protect the tomb of Mary Magdalene. And, of course, they must nurture and protect the bloodline of Christ – those few members of the royal Merovingian bloodline who have survived into modern times.† The words hung in the huge space, and Sophie felt an odd vibration, as if her bones were reverberating with some new kind of truth. Descendants of Jesus who survived into modern times. Her grandfather's voice again was whispering in her ear. Princess, I must tell you the truth about your family. A chill raked her flesh. Royal blood. She could not imagine. Princess Sophie. â€Å"Sir Leigh?† The manservant's words crackled through the intercom on the wall, and Sophie jumped. â€Å"If you could join me in the kitchen a moment?† Teabing scowled at the ill-timed intrusion. He went over to the intercom and pressed the button. â€Å"Remy, as you know, I am busy with my guests. If we need anything else from the kitchen tonight, we will help ourselves. Thank you and good night.† â€Å"A word with you before I retire, sir. If you would.† Teabing grunted and pressed the button. â€Å"Make it quick, Remy.† â€Å"It is a household matter, sir, hardly fare for guests to endure.† Teabing looked incredulous. â€Å"And it cannot wait until morning?† â€Å"No, sir. My question won't take a minute.† Teabing rolled his eyes and looked at Langdon and Sophie. â€Å"Sometimes I wonder who is serving whom?† He pressed the button again. â€Å"I'll be right there, Remy. Can I bring you anything when I come?† â€Å"Only freedom from oppression, sir.† â€Å"Remy, you realize your steak au poivre is the only reason you still work for me.† â€Å"So you tell me, sir. So you tell me.† CHAPTER 61 Princess Sophie. Sophie felt hollow as she listened to the clicking of Teabing's crutches fade down the hallway. Numb, she turned and faced Langdon in the deserted ballroom. He was already shaking his head as if reading her mind. â€Å"No, Sophie,† he whispered, his eyes reassuring. â€Å"The same thought crossed my mind when I realized your grandfather was in the Priory, and you said he wanted to tell you a secret about your family. But it's impossible.† Langdon paused. â€Å"Sauniere is not a Merovingian name.† Sophie wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed. Earlier, Langdon had asked an unusual passing question about Sophie's mother's maiden name. Chauvel. The question now made sense.† And Chauvel?† she asked, anxious. Again he shook his head. â€Å"I'm sorry. I know that would have answered some questions for you. Only two direct lines of Merovingians remain. Their family names are Plantard and Saint-Clair. Both families live in hiding, probably protected by the Priory.† Sophie repeated the names silently in her mind and then shook her head. There was no one in her family named Plantard or Saint-Clair. A weary undertow was pulling at her now. She realized she was no closer than she had been at the Louvre to understanding what truth her grandfather had wanted to reveal to her. Sophie wished her grandfather had never mentioned her family this afternoon. He had torn open old wounds that felt as painful now as ever. They are dead, Sophie.They are not coming back.She thought of her mother singing her to sleep at night, of her father giving her rides on his shoulders, and of her grandmother and younger brother smiling at her with their fervent green eyes. All that was stolen. And all she had left was her grandfather. And now he is gone too. I am alone. Sophie turned quietly back to The Last Supper and gazed at Mary Magdalene's long red hair and quiet eyes. There was something in the woman's expression that echoed the loss of a loved one. Sophie could feel it too. â€Å"Robert?† she said softly. He stepped closer.† I know Leigh said the Grail story is all around us, but tonight is the first time I've ever heard any of this.† Langdon looked as if he wanted to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but he refrained.† You've heard her story before, Sophie. Everyone has. We just don't realize it when we hear it.† â€Å"I don't understand.† â€Å"The Grail story is everywhere, but it is hidden. When the Church outlawed speaking of the shunned Mary Magdalene, her story and importance had to be passed on through more discreet channels†¦ channels that supported metaphor and symbolism.† â€Å"Of course. The arts.† Langdon motioned to The Last Supper. â€Å"A perfect example. Some of today's most enduring art, literature, and music secretly tell the history of Mary Magdalene and Jesus.† Langdon quickly told her about works by Da Vinci, Botticelli, Poussin, Bernini, Mozart, and Victor Hugo that all whispered of the quest to restore the banished sacred feminine. Enduring legends like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, King Arthur, and Sleeping Beauty were Grail allegories. Victor Hugo's Hunchback of Notre Dame and Mozart's Magic Flute were filled with Masonic symbolism and Grail secrets. â€Å"Once you open your eyes to the Holy Grail,† Langdon said,† you see her everywhere. Paintings. Music. Books. Even in cartoons, theme parks, and popular movies.† Langdon held up his Mickey Mouse watch and told her that Walt Disney had made it his quiet life's work to pass on the Grail story to future generations. Throughout his entire life, Disney had been hailed as† the Modern-Day Leonardo Da Vinci.† Both men were generations ahead of their times, uniquely gifted artists, members of secret societies, and, most notably, avid pranksters. Like Leonardo, Walt Disney loved infusing hidden messages and symbolism in his art. For the trained symbologist, watching an early Disney movie was like being barraged by an avalanche of allusion and metaphor. Most of Disney's hidden messages dealt with religion, pagan myth, and stories of the subjugated goddess. It was no mistake that Disney retold tales like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White – all of which dealt with the incarceration of the sacred feminine. Nor did one need a background in symbolism to understand that Snow White – a princess who fell from grace after partaking of a poisoned apple – was a clear allusion to the downfall of Eve in the Garden of Eden. Or that Sleeping Beauty's Princess Aurora – code-named† Rose† and hidden deep in the forest to protect her from the clutches of the evil witch – was the Grail story for children. Despite its corporate image, Disney still had a savvy, playful element among its employees, and their artists still amused themselves by inserting hidden symbolism in Disney products. Langdon would never forget one of his students bringing in a DVD of The Lion King and pausing the film to reveal a freeze-frame in which the word SEX was clearly visible, spelled out by floating dust particles over Simba's head. Although Langdon suspected this was more of a cartoonist's sophomoric prank than any kind of enlightened allusion to pagan human sexuality, he had learned not to underestimate Disney's grasp of symbolism. The Little Mermaid was a spellbinding tapestry of spiritual symbols so specifically goddess-related that they could not be coincidence. When Langdon had first seen The Little Mermaid, he had actually gasped aloud when he noticed that the painting in Ariel's underwater home was none other than seventeenth-century artist Georges de la Tour's The Penitent Magdalene – a famous homage to the banished Mary Magdalene – fitting decor considering the movie turned out to be a ninety-minute collage of blatant symbolic references to the lost sanctity of Isis, Eve, Pisces the fish goddess, and, repeatedly, Mary Magdalene. The Little Mermaid's name, Ariel, possessed powerful ties to the sacred feminine and, in the Book of Isaiah, was synonymous with† the Holy City besieged.† Of course, the Little Mermaid's flowing red hair was certainly no coincidence either. The clicking of Teabing's crutches approached in the hallway, his pace unusually brisk. When their host entered the study, his expression was stern. â€Å"You'd better explain yourself, Robert,† he said coldly. â€Å"You have not been honest with me.† CHAPTER 62 â€Å"I'm being framed, Leigh,† Langdon said, trying to stay calm. You know me.I wouldn't kill anyone. Teabing's tone did not soften. â€Å"Robert, you're on television, for Christ's sake. Did you know you were wanted by the authorities?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Then you abused my trust. I'm astonished you would put me at risk by coming here and asking me to ramble on about the Grail so you could hide out in my home.† â€Å"I didn't kill anyone.† â€Å"Jacques Sauniere is dead, and the police say you did it.† Teabing looked saddened. â€Å"Such a contributor to the arts†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Sir?† The manservant had appeared now, standing behind Teabing in the study doorway, his arms crossed. â€Å"Shall I show them out?† â€Å"Allow me.† Teabing hobbled across the study, unlocked a set of wide glass doors, and swung them open onto a side lawn. â€Å"Please find your car, and leave.† Sophie did not move. â€Å"We have information about the clef de voute.The Priory keystone.† Teabing stared at her for several seconds and scoffed derisively. â€Å"A desperate ploy. Robert knows how I've sought it.† â€Å"She's telling the truth,† Langdon said. â€Å"That's why we came to you tonight. To talk to you about the keystone.† The manservant intervened now. â€Å"Leave, or I shall call the authorities.† â€Å"Leigh,† Langdon whispered,† we know where it is.† Teabing's balance seemed to falter a bit. Remy now marched stiffly across the room. â€Å"Leave at once! Or I will forcibly – â€Å"Remy!† Teabing spun, snapping at his servant. â€Å"Excuse us for a moment.† The servant's jaw dropped. â€Å"Sir? I must protest. These people are – â€Å"I'll handle this.† Teabing pointed to the hallway. After a moment of stunned silence, Remy skulked out like a banished dog. In the cool night breeze coming through the open doors, Teabing turned back to Sophie and Langdon, his expression still wary. â€Å"This better be good. What do you know of the keystone?† In the thick brush outside Teabing's study, Silas clutched his pistol and gazed through the glass doors. Only moments ago, he had circled the house and seen Langdon and the woman talking in the large study. Before he could move in, a man on crutches entered, yelled at Langdon, threw open the doors, and demanded his guests leave. Then the woman mentioned the keystone, and everything changed.Shouts turned to whispers. Moods softened. And the glass doors were quickly closed. Now, as he huddled in the shadows, Silas peered through the glass. The keystone is somewhere inside the house.Silas could feel it. Staying in the shadows, he inched closer to the glass, eager to hear what was being said. He would give them five minutes. If they did not reveal where they had placed the keystone, Silas would have to enter and persuade them with force. Inside the study, Langdon could sense their host's bewilderment. â€Å"Grand Master?† Teabing choked, eyeing Sophie. â€Å"Jacques Sauniere?† Sophie nodded, seeing the shock in his eyes.† But you could not possibly know that!† â€Å"Jacques Sauniere was my grandfather.† Teabing staggered back on his crutches, shooting a glance at Langdon, who nodded. Teabing turned back to Sophie. â€Å"Miss Neveu, I am speechless. If this is true, then I am truly sorry for your loss. I should admit, for my research, I have kept lists of men in Paris whom I thought might be good candidates for involvement in the Priory. Jacques Sauniere was on that list along with many others. But Grand Master, you say? It's hard to fathom.† Teabing was silent a moment and then shook his head. â€Å"But it still makes no sense. Even if your grandfather were the Priory Grand Master and created the keystone himself, he would never tell you how to find it. The keystone reveals the pathway to the brotherhood's ultimate treasure. Granddaughter o r not, you are not eligible to receive such knowledge.† â€Å"Mr. Sauniere was dying when he passed on the information,† Langdon said. â€Å"He had limited options.† â€Å"He didn't need options,† Teabing argued. â€Å"There exist three senechaux who also know the secret. That is the beauty of their system. One will rise to Grand Master and they will induct a new senechal and share the secret of the keystone.† â€Å"I guess you didn't see the entire news broadcast,† Sophie said. â€Å"In addition to my grandfather, three other prominent Parisians were murdered today. All in similar ways. All looked like they had been interrogated.† Teabing's jaw fell. â€Å"And you think they were†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"The senechaux,†Langdon said.† But how? A murderer could not possibly learn the identities of all four top members of the Priory of Sion! Look at me, I have been researching them for decades, and I can't even name one Priory member. It seems inconceivable that all three senechaux and the Grand Master could be discovered and killed in one day.† â€Å"I doubt the information was gathered in a single day,† Sophie said. â€Å"It sounds like a well-planned decapiter.It's a technique we use to fight organized crime syndicates. If DCPJ wants to move on a certain group, they will silently listen and watch for months, identify all the main players, and then move in and take them all at the same moment. Decapitation. With no leadership, the group falls into chaos and divulges other information. It's possible someone patiently watched the Priory and then attacked, hoping the top people would reveal the location of the keystone.† Teabing looked unconvinced. â€Å"But the brothers would never talk. They are sworn to secrecy. Even in the face of death.† â€Å"Exactly,† Langdon said. â€Å"Meaning, if they never divulged the secret, and they were killed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Teabing gasped. â€Å"Then the location of the keystone would be lost forever!† â€Å"And with it,† Langdon said,† the location of the Holy Grail.† Teabing's body seemed to sway with the weight of Langdon's words. Then, as if too tired to stand another moment, he flopped in a chair and stared out the window. Sophie walked over, her voice soft. â€Å"Considering my grandfather's predicament, it seems possible that in total desperation he tried to pass the secret on to someone outside the brotherhood. Someone he thought he could trust. Someone in his family.† Teabing was pale. â€Å"But someone capable of such an attack†¦ of discovering so much about the brotherhood†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He paused, radiating a new fear. â€Å"It could only be one force. This kind of infiltration could only have come from the Priory's oldest enemy.† Langdon glanced up. â€Å"The Church.† â€Å"Who else? Rome has been seeking the Grail for centuries.† Sophie was skeptical. â€Å"You think the Church killed my grandfather?† Teabing replied,† It would not be the first time in history the Church has killed to protect itself. The documents that accompany the Holy Grail are explosive, and the Church has wanted to destroy them for years.† Langdon was having trouble buying Teabing's premise that the Church would blatantly murder people to obtain these documents. Having met the new Pope and many of the cardinals, Langdon knew they were deeply spiritual men who would never condone assassination. Regardless of the stakes. Sophie seemed to be having similar thoughts. â€Å"Isn't it possible that these Priory members were murdered by someone outside the Church? Someone who didn't understand what the Grail really is? The Cup of Christ, after all, would be quite an enticing treasure. Certainly treasure hunters have killed for less.† â€Å"In my experience,† Teabing said,† men go to far greater lengths to avoid what they fear than to obtain what they desire. I sense a desperation in this assault on the Priory.† â€Å"Leigh,† Langdon said,† the argument is paradoxical. Why would members of the Catholic clergy murder Priory members in an effort to find and destroy documents they believe are false testimony anyway?† Teabing chuckled. â€Å"The ivory towers of Harvard have made you soft, Robert. Yes, the clergy in Rome are blessed with potent faith, and because of this, their beliefs can weather any storm, including documents that contradict everything they hold dear. But what about the rest of the world? What about those who are not blessed with absolute certainty? What about those who look at the cruelty in the world and say, where is God today? Those who look at Church scandals and ask, who are these men who claim to speak the truth about Christ and yet lie to cover up the sexual abuse of children by their own priests?† Teabing paused. â€Å"What happens to those people, Robert, if persuasive scientific evidence comes out that the Church's version of the Christ story is inaccurate, and that the greatest story ever told is, in fact, the greatest story ever sold† Langdon did not respond. â€Å"I'll tell you what happens if the documents get out,† Teabing said. â€Å"The Vatican faces a crisis of faith unprecedented in its two-millennia history.† After a long silence, Sophie said,† But if it is the Church who is responsible for this attack, why would they act now? After all these years? The Priory keeps the Sangreal documents hidden. They pose no immediate threat to the Church.† Teabing heaved an ominous sigh and glanced at Langdon. â€Å"Robert, I assume you are familiar with the Priory's final charge?† Langdon felt his breath catch at the thought. â€Å"I am.† â€Å"Miss Neveu,† Teabing said,† the Church and the Priory have had a tacit understanding for years. That is, the Church does not attack the Priory, and the Priory keeps the Sangreal documents hidden.† He paused. â€Å"However, part of the Priory history has always included a plan to unveil the secret. With the arrival of a specific date in history, the brotherhood plans to break the silence and carry out its ultimate triumph by unveiling the Sangreal documents to the world and shouting the true story of Jesus Christ from the mountaintops.† Sophie stared at Teabing in silence. Finally, she too sat down. â€Å"And you think that date is approaching? And the Church knows it?† â€Å"A speculation,† Teabing said,† but it would certainly provide the Church motivation for an all-out attack to find the documents before it was too late.† Langdon had the uneasy feeling that Teabing was making good sense. â€Å"Do you think the Church would actually be capable of uncovering hard evidence of the Priory's date?† â€Å"Why not – if we're assuming the Church was able to uncover the identities of the Priory members, then certainly they could have learned of their plans. And even if they don't have the exact date, their superstitions may be getting the best of them.† â€Å"Superstitions?† Sophie asked.† In terms of prophecy,† Teabing said,† we are currently in an epoch of enormous change. The millennium has recently passed, and with it has ended the two-thousand-year-long astrological Age of Pisces – the fish, which is also the sign of Jesus. As any astrological symbologist will tell you, the Piscean ideal believes that man must be told what to do by higher powers because man is incapable of thinking for himself. Hence it has been a time of fervent religion. Now, however, we are entering the Age of Aquarius – the water bearer – whose ideals claim that man will learn the truth and be able to think for himself. The ideological shift is en ormous, and it is occurring right now.† Langdon felt a shiver. Astrological prophecy never held much interest or credibility for him, but he knew there were those in the Church who followed it very closely. â€Å"The Church calls this transitional period the End of Days.† Sophie looked skeptical. â€Å"As in the end of the world? The Apocalypse?† â€Å"No.† Langdon replied. â€Å"That's a common misconception. Many religions speak of the End of Days. It refers not to the end of the world, but rather the end of our current age – Pisces, which began at the time of Christ's birth, spanned two thousand years, and waned with the passing of the millennium. Now that we've passed into the Age of Aquarius, the End of Days has arrived.† â€Å"Many Grail historians,† Teabing added,† believe that if the Priory is indeed planning to release this truth, this point in history would be a symbolically apt time. Most Priory academics, myself included, anticipated the brotherhood's release would coincide precisely with the millennium. Obviously, it did not. Admittedly, the Roman calendar does not mesh perfectly with astrological markers, so there is some gray area in the prediction. Whether the Church now has inside information that an exact date is looming, or whether they are just getting nervous on account of astrological prophecy, I don't know. Anyway, it's immaterial. Either scenario explains how the Church might be motivated to launch a preemptive attack against the Priory.† Teabing frowned. â€Å"And believe me, if the Church finds the Holy Grail, they will destroy it. The documents and the relics of the blessed Mary Magdalene as well.† His eyes grew heavy. â€Å"Then, my dear, with the Sang real documents gone, all evidence will be lost. The Church will have won their age-old war to rewrite history. The past will be erased forever.† Slowly, Sophie pulled the cruciform key from her sweater pocket and held it out to Teabing. Teabing took the key and studied it. â€Å"My goodness. The Priory seal. Where did you get this?† â€Å"My grandfather gave it to me tonight before he died.† Teabing ran his fingers across the cruciform. â€Å"A key to a church?† She drew a deep breath. â€Å"This key provides access to the keystone.† Teabing's head snapped up, his face wild with disbelief. â€Å"Impossible! What church did I miss? I've searched every church in France!† â€Å"It's not in a church,† Sophie said. â€Å"It's in a Swiss depository bank.† Teabing's look of excitement waned. â€Å"The keystone is in a bank?† â€Å"A vault,† Langdon offered. â€Å"A bank vault?† Teabing shook his head violently. â€Å"That's impossible. The keystone is supposed to be hidden beneath the sign of the Rose.† â€Å"It is,† Langdon said. â€Å"It was stored in a rosewood box inlaid with a five-petal Rose.† Teabing looked thunderstruck. â€Å"You've seen the keystone?† Sophie nodded. â€Å"We visited the bank.† Teabing came over to them, his eyes wild with fear. â€Å"My friends, we must do something. The keystone is in danger! We have a duty to protect it. What if there are other keys? Perhaps stolen from the murdered senechaux? If the Church can gain access to the bank as you have – â€Å" â€Å"Then they will be too late,† Sophie said. â€Å"We removed the keystone.† â€Å"What! You removed the keystone from its hiding place?† â€Å"Don't worry,† Langdon said. â€Å"The keystone is well hidden.† â€Å"Extremely well hidden, I hope!† â€Å"Actually,† Langdon said, unable to hide his grin,† that depends on how often you dust under your couch.† The wind outside Chateau Villette had picked up, and Silas's robe danced in the breeze as he crouched near the window. Although he had been unable to hear much of the conversation, the word keystone had sifted through the glass on numerous occasions. It is inside. The Teacher's words were fresh in his mind. Enter Chateau Villette. Take the keystone. Hun no one. Now, Langdon and the others had adjourned suddenly to another room, extinguishing the study lights as they went. Feeling like a panther stalking prey, Silas crept to the glass doors. Finding them unlocked, he slipped inside and closed the doors silently behind him. He could hear muffled voices from another room. Silas pulled the pistol from his pocket, turned off the safety, and inched down the hallway.

Production and operation management Essay

Part One: Multiple choices: 1. Production and Operations Management concerns itself with the conversion of: a. Outputs in to inputs b. Inputs in to outputs c. Outputs in to outputs d. None of the above 2. Continuous Production is a. The last operation to the finished product b. The first operation to the finished product c. The mid operation to the finished product d. None of the above 3. Independent demand is a. Demand that is controlled by the company b. Demand that is controlled by the customer c. Demand that is not controlled by the company d. All of the above 4. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has been defined as a a. Complete Enterprise wide business solution b. Complete Enterprise narrow business solution c. a & b d. None of the above 5. CAD stands for a. Computer Architecture Design b. Computer Aided Design c. Computer Aided Drafting d. All of the above 6. Delphi method is the most widely used and accurate method of a. Demand forecasts b. Exponential forecasts 1 IIBM Institute of Business Management Examination Paper of Production and Operations Management c. Technological forecasts d. All of the above 7. JIT/Kanban systems help eliminate a. Increase the number of products b. Increase the amount of raw materials c. Increase the amount of energy d. All of the above 8. PPSCS stands for a. Project Planning Scheduling & Control System b. Project Planning Sequencing & Control System c. Production Planning Scheduling & Control System d. None of the above 9. Process layout is also known as. a. Group layout b. Line layout c. Product layout d. Functional layout 10. Time study is a technique for recording the times and rate of  working a. Standard times b. Work measurement c. Allowances d. None of the above Part Two: 1. Define Job Shop Production. 2. What do you understand by „Quality Control‟? 3. What do you mean by materiel handling? 4. Define ABC analysis. END OF SECTION A Section B: Caselets (40 marks) This section consists of Caselets. Answer all the questions. Each Caselet carries 20 marks. Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 150 to 200 words). 2 IIBM Institute of Business Management Examination Paper of Production and Operations Management Caselet 1 Company Background The Bronson Insurance Group was originally founded in 1900 in Auxvasse, Missouri, by James Bronson. The Bronson Group owns a variety of companies that underwrite personal and commercial insurance policies. Annual sales of the Bronson Group are $100 million. In recent years, the company has  suffered operating losses. In 1990, the company was heavily invested in computer hardware and software. One of the problems the Bronson Group faced (as well as many insurance companies) was a conflict between established manual procedures and the relatively recent (within the past 20 years) introduction of  computer equipment. This conflict was illustrated by the fact that much information was captured on computer but paper files were still kept for practical and legal reasons. File Clerks  The file department employed 20 file clerks who pulled files from stacks, refilled used files, and delivered files to various departments including commercial lines, personal lines, and claims. Once a file clerk received the file. Clerks delivered files to underwriters on an hourly basis throughout the day. The average file clerk was paid $8,300 per year. One special file clerk was used full time to search for requested files that another file clerk had not been able to find in the expected place. It was estimated that 40 percent of the requested files were these â€Å"no hit† files requiring a search. Often these â€Å"no hit† files were eventually found stacked in the requester‟s office. The primary â€Å"customers† of the file clerks were underwriters and claims attorneys. Underwriting Company management and operations analysts were consistently told that the greatest problem in the company was the inability of file clerks to supply files in a speedy fashion. The entire company from top to bottom viewed the productivity and effectiveness of the department as unacceptable. An underwriter used 20-50 files per day. Because of their distrust of the files department, underwriters tended to hoard often used files. A count by operations analysts found that each underwriter kept from 100-200 files in his or her office at any one time. An underwriter would request a file by computer and work on other business until the file was received. Benson employed 25 underwriters. Management Information System Upper management was deeply concerned about this problem. The MIS department  had suggested using video disks as a possible solution. A video disk system was found that would be sufficient for the companies needs at a cost of about $12 million. It was estimated that the system would take two years to install and make compatible with existing information systems. Another, less attractive was using microfilm. A microfilm system would require underwriters to go to a single keyboard to request paper copies of files. The cost of a microfilm system was $5 million. Questions: 1. What do you recommend? Should the company implement one of the new technologies, if yes, why? IIBM Institute of Business Management Examination Paper of Production and Operations Management 2. An operations analyst suggested that company employees shared a â€Å"dump on the clerks† mentality. Explain. Caselet 2 Harrison T. Wenk III is 43, married, and has two children, ages 10 and 14. He has a master‟s degree in education and teachers junior high school music in a small town in Ohio. Harrison‟s father passed away two months ago, leaving his only child an unusual business opportunity. According to his father‟s will, Harrison has 12 months to become active in the family food-catering business, KareFull Katering, Inc., or it will be sold to two key employees for a reasonable and fair price. If Harrison becomes involved, the two employees have the option to purchase a significant, but less than majority, interest in the firm. Harrison‟s only involvement with this business, which his grandfather established, was as an hourly employee during high school and college summers. He is confident that he could learn and perhaps enjoy the marketing side of the business, and that he could retain the longtime head of accounting/finance. But he would never really enjoy day-to-day ope rations. In fact, he doesn‟t understand what operations management really involves. In 1991 Kare-Full Katering, Inc. had $3.75 million in sales in central Ohio. Net profit after taxes was $ 105,000, the eleventh consecutive  year of profitable operations and the seventeenth in the last 20 years. There are 210 employees in this labor-intense business. Institutional contracts account for over 70 percent of sales and include partial food services for three colleges, six commercial establishments) primarily manufacturing plants and banks), two long -term care facilities, and five grade schools. Some customer location employs a permanent operations manager; others are served from the main kitchens of Kare-Full Katering. Harrison believes that if he becomes active in the business, one of the two key employees, the vice president of operations, will leave the firm. Harrison has decided to complete the final two months of this school year and then spend the summer around Kare-Full Katering – as well as institutions with their own food services – to assess whether he wants to become involved in the business. He is particularly interested in finding out as much as possible about operations. Harrison believes he owes it to his wife and children to fairly evaluate this opportunity. Questions: 1. Prepare a worksheet of operations activities that Harrison should inquire about this summer. 2. If you were Harrison, what would you do? Why? END OF SECTION B Section C: Applied Theory (30 marks) This Section Consists of Applied Theory Questions. Answer all the questions. Each question carries 15 marks. Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 200 to 250 words). IIBM Institute of Business Management Examination Paper of Production and Operations Management 1. What do you mean by Tactical Planning? What are the mathematical approaches to aggregate planning? 2. What is the concept of forecasting in operation? List the different types of forecasting methods.