The CAPM is a valid pricing model and can be trusted to explain the Essay

The CAPM is a valid pricing model and can be trusted to explain the expected return on a security. Discuss - Essay Example The followed discussion will be on in-depth explanation of the ÃŽ ² factor in the equation of the model. The purpose of the paper will hopefully be fulfilled by discussion on these related issues to the model. CAPM was developed during the mid 1960s with several assumptions about the market and the behaviour of investors, giving certain equilibrium conditions which allow an investor to calculate the return of an asset for a given level of systematic risk. CAPM makes use of a measurement of systematic risk which can be used to make a comparison of other assets in the market. In order to arrive at the equilibrium condition of CAPM, certain assumptions have to be defined: CAPM is a model by which the relationship between the risk and expected return on an asset can be determined and this is widely used in pricing of risky securities. The equilibrium condition of the CAPM is as follows: The concept of CAPM starts with a risk-free rate (may be yield on a 10 year government bond). With this concept, a premium is added which is equity investor’s demand for compensation on holding an extra risk. This premium is also known as the equity market premium which is calculated as expected return from the market less the return on risk-free asset. This premium is then multiplied by a coefficient called ‘beta’ (McClure, 2010). In the above figure, the efficient frontier is the line which consists of optimal portfolios and is created from the risk-return graph. The Capital Market Line (CML) is a tangent drawn from the intercept point on efficient frontier to the point where the risk-free rate of return is equal to the expected return. The CML is better than the efficient frontier because it considers risk-free asset in the portfolio (Investopedia, 2010). The SML is a line that shows the systematic risk and whole market return at a certain point of time and this line shows the entire risky assets. The SML is very useful in evaluating the expected return on an asset

Advanced Project Management unit 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Advanced Project Management unit 2 - Essay Example Unless the basic guidelines of BoK are adhered to, organizations would not be able to achieve competitive advantage through effective PM. Changes in technology, changes in HRM and constraints of time require organizations to be more efficient. The Maturity Models provide a logical path for progressive development. The PM team at Toyota could achieve significant competitive advantage and respond to the changing business environment through the application of the principles, and the tools and techniques of PM (Maylor, 2010). Procedurilisation has to be adhered to and then creativity can be implemented, if projects have to be completed successfully. If it was not for the BoK, project managers would not know how to organize, manage and control projects (Evans, n.d.). BoK helps organizations to deal with critical issues and project planning is at the heart of project management. BoK does not encourage autonomy and empowerment. On the contrary they insist that procedures should be adhered to. If procedures are adhered to creativity is stifled. Without creativity and innovation projects may not achieve the desired level of success. According to PMI, the standards have to be ‘consistently applied’ to achieve organizational excellence (PMI, 2012). BoK does not merely provide the basic guidelines, but the standards have to be consistently applied! If the organization or the project manager has to adhere to the five processes containing nine knowledge areas as per the BoK, there is little room for individual growth and development. If all projects follow the same nine principles, all projects are likely to follow the same mundane path and may not be able to cope with or respond to changes in technology. Certification programs in PMP are supposed to enhance eligibility to engage in the principles of BoK. However, failures of projects are a common phenomenon. This explains the importance of innovation in project management. This also implies that BoK restrict

The Theory Of Positivism Sociology Essay

The Theory Of Positivism Sociology Essay As what Beauvoir had said, Representation of the world, like the world itself, is the work of men; they describe it from their point of view, which they confuse with the absolute truth Men dominates the legal system, has created law and theories about law. The law is made in how they see the world. It becomes their representation of reality and it is held to be the absolute truth. Based on such arguments, the law is thus gendered. This is due to a patriarchy world where men rules over women. A patriarchy world where an unjust social system which is oppressive towards women exists. It looks at them not as an individual capable of the same reasoning as men and not on equal standing with men. Liberal feminism challenges male domination by showing that there are no difference between men and women. Both men and women are equal and capable of the same social role without any form discrimination. However, Catharine Mackinnon does not agree with liberal feminism. She believes and argues that sex and sexuality are the main reason, the fundamental reason why women are being dominated and discriminate. Sexual domination is the main reason for sexism. To understand deeply on Catharine Mackinnons argument of sexual domination, we need to first understand on how the law objectifies, how sexual domination occurs in the reality and other counter arguments. Mackinnon pointed out that the whole problem with this unjust system is the dominance of men over women  [2]  . This domination is deeply embedded in the system, in the Rule of Law. It is not a matter of rights or being equal with men as what the Liberal feminists see. It is the domination of women by men by the law/the State which is male in nature. The domination occurred due to the objectification of women by men. Men objectify women. As the legal system is dominated by men, the law thus objectify women. Thus sexism was born. Liberal feminist see it as an illusion or myth that need to be dispelled but Mackinnon views it as a male power that creates the world in its own image and how male desires it to be. This is quite true as the law is legislated by male and thus it does not take into account of the point of view of women. Nor does it drafts based on a womens experience of everyday life by women and for women. It was after all drafted by white upper class men to be exact and their opinions which they held to be the absolute truth. The irony is that despite being excluded from the legislating process, women are bound by the rules. The law was not create for the benefit of women as what women think they ought to be but merely it was create by what men thinks benefit the women. By not taking into account the point of view of women and their everyday life and experience, the law is thus ineffective and oppressive. This is why objectivity epistemology is the law of law. Objectivity is just a conception of the society by men. Men legitimizes itself by reflecting their beliefs and view of existing society, a society men made and makes by so seeing it and calling that view and that relation practical rationality and objective. Thus the law shows men rules and dominates over women and in a male way. To put it more simply, objectification is the primary process of the subordination of women. How does objectification occur? How does it affect women as what the radical feminist preaches? Mackinnon in her works examined the law regarding rape and how the law had objectified it. She stated that, where the legal system has seen the intercourse in rape, victims see the rape in intercourse  [3]  . The legal system describes rape as violence and failed to see the effects of rape toward women. For all the law could see was the intercourse in rape but the victims see rape in intercourse. The law failed to see from the point of view of women and imposed their view, the view of upper class white men and the law was legislated according to their views. Rape law is one of the many laws which were objectified. According to s1 (1) (a) Sexual Offences Act 2003, rape is defined by the penetration of penis. The law is fixed upon the act of penetration. It shows oppression toward women by defining the element of rape from the point of view of male. What Mackinnon try to point out from her analysis of rape law is that the law is based on a male point of view and incapable of understanding or even comprehend the perspective from a woman point of view. It renders the law to be distant and unable to understand rape from the experience of a victim. The rape law is only concern with penetration of the vagina, it reflects upon a loss defined in a male term. It favours male sexuality rather than female sexuality. It does not understand what loses the female went through but what male loses instead. Mackinnon described rape as a crime against female monogamy than against female sexuality  [4]  . This is very true with such phallus-centric definition of rape. It acts as a protection for men more than a female. The female sexuality was ignored; their experience and resentment of rape were not taken into account. The rape law is to protect the property of men which is women. Women are thus objectified. They are not considered to be equal with men; they are sadly, regarded as property. This is oppression on the ground of sex. Sex is defined by men and on what they believe to be. It is the masculine form of sex that was incorporated into the law. The law was imposed onto women and male domination occurred. The projection of a patriarchal belief and vision of female sexuality occur and imposed onto the body of women. Consent is the line that governs between what is rape and intercourse. Intercourse without consent is rape. This show how the law governed and defined the sexuality of women. Rape in the eyes of women is not prohibited but it is in reality regulated. When a woman is rape and the prosecution failed on the ground of consent, the women is not considered to have suffers any loss. Because it is sex and it is not a violation and thus it could not be an injury. The law governed from the point of view of men. When women described rape, men could only see sex for they see it as sex. Thus the law objectified from a male point of view and dominated over women who are forced into subordination. It fails to deal with the more important issue, how the law going to reduce the rate of women being rape. While it is very true that the law is male and phallocentric in nature, radical feminism focuses too much on the issue of sex and sexuality. It does not take into account of other types of oppression and other school of feminism. It is criticised for being essentialist, oppositional, and utopian  [5]  . Mackinnon presented her argument as the universal truth and essentialises the experience that women faced. She sees sexual division as the foundational division at the heart of social life. This is because according to her oppression of women occurred because male dominates women over sex and reproductive rights. Due to this sex domination, women are thus oppressed and discriminated. However radical feminist reduces everything to sex and emphasise everything to sex. Mackinnon stated, Sex makes a woman a woman. Sex is what women are for  [6]  . This shows that sexual oppression happens due to what men perceive women to be. Mackinnon turned her theory into the ultimate truth and failed to take into account of other cultures or other oppressed groups. What she did was the same as what white upper class men did. Objectified the world according to what they believe. Thus by adopting the method men had used, did she not ended up being the same as men and render her argument against liberal feminisms aspiration to be like men to be nothing. Mackinnon and her sexual objectification had victimised women. It had in a sense betrayed the goal of feminism of overturning and restructuring this patriarchy world. It reduces women into victim and to be subjected into sexual violence instead of empowering them. She creates a specific voice for women and assumes that all women have the same experience. All women undergo the same sexual oppression whether they are lesbians, non-white women and for other non-privileged women which is not true. . Sexism occurs in a variety way and sex is not the only cause for it. There is after all a variety different cause of sexism that happens in the world. In America, it may be due to sex as what Mackinnon had argued but what about those from Islamic nations where sexism occurs due to religious or cultural reasons. For example, women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia and Chinese women used to practise foot binding during the 19th century A.D. It is not due to sexual domination but due to religious belief and, for the latter, cultural traditions. While it is truth that men objectified women and thus a patriarchy world was born but it is not sex that is the only cause. Gender stereotypes, social reproduction, cultural are only a few examples of how sexism occurs. Cultural feminist, Carol Gilligan  [7]  stated that boys and girls reason differently to resolve problems. Their ways to react and deal with problems differ from one another. Boys tend to focus on individual entitlement and generate rules to solve problems or conflicts. Girls tend to emphasise on personal relationship and seek compromise so that everyone interests are taken into account. What happen is that gender stereotypes occur since young and children are brought up in such scenarios. This creates a social reproduction. Discrimination happen to women is not just due to sex domination. It is due to gender stereotype that was installed into children since they are young. They grew up and they acted the way they though they ought to be. Davies asks, how can we disentangle ourselves from the social environment which has made us what we are  [8]  ? This question is respond towards Mackinnons feminism which focuses too much on sex subordination. Men and women are different and this is a naturally self-evident attributes. Clearly Mackinnon did not agree with Gilligan in regards the differences between men and women. But it is impossible to think of such world where there is no difference between men and women. It is clearly beyond our comprehension and clearly too utopic in nature. This is due to us being brought up in a patriarchy world and socialise according to the order of such world. Radical feminists strive to eliminate sex subordination and by doing so eliminate the way the law looks and objectified women due to her sex. Nevertheless the question remains, how it is possible for women to be defined in an alternative legal way when the difference between men and women are not just sex but naturally and self-evident attribute. It is too utopic that it is absurd and incomprehensible. I do agree with most feminists that the law is male in nature. It is phallocentric and it objectifies women the way we men see women and think women ought to be and imposes it to be the law. Nevertheless, I could not endorse or agree with Mackinnons view that sex and sexual subordination are the fundamental reason for women to be discriminated against. It is too simplistic. For in my opinion, there are others valid reasons why the law objectifies women as men see it. One of them is Gilligans point of view that women and men have different voices and ethics. We are brought up in this patriarchy world and our points of views are being shaped by what society thinks we ought to behave based on our gender. Radical feminism pretends that their point of view to be the ultimate truth without taking into account of other groups such as black women or lesbian. Lastly, it forgets that other part of the Earth have different reasons for sexism to occur, be it cultural or even religion.

Julius Caesar :: essays research papers

JULIUS CAESAR   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  William Shakespeare lived from 1564 to 1616. During his time, he wrote and established many plays. Although he lived about 400 years ago, his themes still have proven their universality today. A good example of this is in the play, Julius Caesar. One of the themes in this play is that there are many methods of manipulation, that persuade and influence people into a certain direction, sometimes too quickly, without thought.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shakespeare distorts the views of people to show that commoners or plebeians in the play, tend to change their minds without thought or consideration. An example of that occurs in the play within the beginning on a street in Rome. The Romans are gathered to celebrate two events, the religious festival of Lupercal and the recent victory of Julius Caesar. â€Å"We make a holiday to see Caesar and to rejoice in his triumph,† says a cobbler, whom like most commoners had once supported Pompey. The commoners have since changed their views toward Caesar, now that he holds the power. Another example occurs later in the play. Brutus has just convinced the commoners that what the conspirators did was only out of their love for Rome. One commoner says, â€Å"we are blest that Rome is rid of him,† referring to Caesar which statement is supported by the rest of the crowd. Once again, the hearts of the commoners quickly changes again once Antony gives his speech. After he finishes, the commoners run through the streets noting and searching to kill the once glorified conspirators. This still applies today. For example; Bill Clinton was a fairly respected and admired president, until the world discovered about his mistress. Because of this, voters and people in office have changed their views so quickly, we have lost sight that, disregarding his personal affairs, Clinton has actually been a good president.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shakespeare shows that the commoners change their minds too quickly, he also shows that methods of manipulation, such as ridicule, can change the views of people. Ridicule is used to persuade Casca to join the conspiracy, Cassius says, â€Å"so vile a thing as Caesar! But O grief, where hast thou led me? I perhaps speak this before a willing Bondman!† Considering that Casca doesn’t like the idea of being a subject to Caesar, he immediately becomes offended and joins the conspiracy. Another example is the first scene of the play. Marullus says to the commoners whom no longer worship Pompey, â€Å"You blocks of stones, you worse than senseless things!† to try and influence them to stay loyal to the great Pompey.

What is Behaviorism?

In the United States, there are two conflicting psychology schools of thought. The first is the introspective psychology which has also been considered as speculative psychology and the other being behaviorism psychology, which is also considered as objective psychology. Although introspective psychology has long been accepted in the field of psychology, behaviorism has not only begun to gain more ground among psychologists but it has also begun to contest and question the premise of introspective psychology and their method of analysis and research.It was only during the 19th century that development of the field of psychology began to become evident through the efforts of Wundt who is considered to be the father of experimental psychology. Wanting to find a solution on the mind-body problem, Wundt decided in 1879 to develop psychology as a science rather than a field of study associated with philosophy. He substituted the term â€Å"soul† with the concept of the â€Å"consc iousness† and eventually developed the introspective approach in the study of psychology.According to this approach to the study of psychology, the consciousness of the individual is the primary subject matter of psychology which led to psychologists such as William James to define psychology as the study aimed to describe and explain the various states of an individual’s consciousness. In order to do this, psychologists observe the consciousness through catching it as it occurs. This school of thought had become highly accepted that it had reached the United States from Germany and became the dominant form of psychological analysis in American universities.Among the most noted introspective psychologists in the United States were E. B. Thchener of Cornell University and William James of Harvard University. In 1912, a new group of psychologist emerged. These were the behaviorists or behavioral psychologists. They began to see the shortcomings of introspective psychology . As a result, behavioral psychologists decided that the information being discovered and disseminated are no longer sufficient and they began to create their own methods for the study of psychology.The first thing done by behavioral psychologists was to change the subject matter of the field of psychology. Because the consciousness is deemed to be unobservable, they began to search for some characteristic or trait of individuals that could be observed. It was then that they began to observe the behavior of individuals which has been defined as what an individual says or does. Hence, this approach of the study of psychology as the behaviorism school of psychology. Behaviorism has also been considered as the objective approach to the study of psychology.This is because behavioral psychologists gather facts about an individual’s behavior and analyze the data through the use of logic and mathematics. This is why behaviorism has been defined as a natural science that is intereste d in the adjustments done by individuals through the study of changes in the physiological conditions of the individual which they termed as the stimuli and the response the individual would have as a result of the stimulus presented. Based on the studies done by behavioral psychologists, there are four kinds of responses exhibited by individuals.The first kind of response is classified as overt or external responses. These responses are those responses that the individual in consciously aware of such as the act of sitting, standing or walking. The second kind of response is termed as internal or implicit responses. These responses are more difficult to observe since they involve responses that occur within the body of the individual such as digestion in the stomach of the individual after the individual takes in food. The third type of response is the unlearned response which refers to instinctive responses to stimuli such as breathing.The last form is classified as learned respons e which includes the habits done by the individual such as observed when an individual sits, facial reactions and hand gestures while communicating. Analysis Up to the 1900s, the study of the human psyche was hindered by the teachings of religion. Even today, people remain to be apprehensive if the new information that is presented is contrary to the generally accepted belief. Back then, it was the teachings of the Church that provided answers and explanations to life and the universe.This is why despite the desire of Wundt to establish psychology as a branch of science, the influence dualism had on him while he was growing up provided him a subject matter that cannot be observed. As a result, all the observations done and the theories conceptualized based on these observations were viewed as speculative and were frequently contested by fellow psychologists. Behaviorism psychology developed as a result of a group of psychologists who realized that the only their theories would not b e susceptible to much speculation from their peers is by substantiating these theories with verifiable data and results.This could only be done if their subject matter could be observed. Seeing that they would be able to observe the behavior of individuals, these psychologists broke away from the accepted notion that the consciousness of the individual is the basis of the study of psychology and instead viewed that it is the behavior, and not the consciousness, of the individual that is the prime subject of study of psychology.Today, it is clear to see that behaviorism has superseded introspective psychology as the practiced school of psychology with the association of the field of psychology as the field of science that is associated with the study of an individual’s behavioral patterns and the causes for such behavioral patterns to arise. This does not mean to say that introspective psychologists failed to contribute to the current accepted school of psychology. On the cont rary, introspective psychologists paved the way for psychology to develop as it is known today.Through the introduction of the introspective school of psychology, men in the field of neurology and the other sciences were presented a field of study that would allow them to understand the human psyche and the human mind more comprehensively. Being men of science, they would eventually find loopholes to a theory or finding made by one of their peers. This would result to them further studying the human mind. It was through this process that behavioral psychologists were able to determine the shortcoming of this field of science.As a result, behaviorism through the scientific method used to validate assumptions may be able to determine just how close the speculations stipulated by the introspective psychologists were in their assumptions about the human mind and psyche. Finally, the development of behaviorism shows that psychology is continuously evolving. This is because the subject ma tter being studied is the human mind, which is considered as the most complex body part of one of the most complex, if not the most complex, organisms on this planet.

Reading Art Essay

The four main roles of an artist according to Henry M. Sayre are: Keeping a historical record much of the art that was created in the past and that is considered to be history was created at a time when most of the people in the world were considered to be illiterate, and it was better for the people to get a visual understanding because it was better for them to understand than a worded understanding. Another role is to be able to give form to intangibles when one thinks of the emotions of fear, love, or even adornment these emotions cannot be seen but are felt, an artist’s job is to create works that can make these feelings seen in their work. The next main role of an artist is being able to reveal the hidden, when an artist creates a piece through their own interpretation instead the actual event. Picasso was known for this type of works. The last main role of an artist is showing the world a new way when one is an artist they may see the same exact things as everyone else does, but when it come to them interpreting things the artists inspiration is beyond any other humans. When one is able to see the world through the eyes of any artist, they will be able to see it in a whole new way (Xaxx, 1999-2011). An example of a piece of art that is an explanation of symbolic significance would be Pablo Picasso’s â€Å"Guernica† this piece may not be a picture of the actual events of what happened at the Massacre of Guernica but this is how he portrayed them, or how the artist saw the victims of that massacre. Another example of a piece of art is Sara Atzmon’s â€Å"A Sealed Room at the Center of the World†. Atzmon was a Holocaust survivor who had seen many of her family members murdered during the Holocaust many of her pieces reflect the pain and horror that she saw during these events (Pelaia, 2011). Bibliography Pelaia, A. (2011). Jaduism. Retrieved from  https://www.dotdash.com/

Difference Between Customer Care And Customer Service Tourism Essays

Difference Between Customer Care And Customer Service Tourism Essays Difference Between Customer Care And Customer Service Tourism Essay Difference Between Customer Care And Customer Service Tourism Essay Its said that no issue how many different types of clients are about but it is ever believed that the attacks to them should ever be the same. I.e. a high quality service or merchandise delivered in a unfastened, professional manner at a reasonable and suited rate, client attention means guaranting for transport your positive service professionally and successfully. It has to be related to run intoing your deadlines and do certain that it was non confused for besides of you i.e. client and staff. It means non doing any complains but working with a helpful mode, as it can be seen that you are basking your work likely. It is said that a happy invitee is a 1 who ever gives good response and seek to maintain the nexus for a longer continuance. Source- ( Knight, A. ( 1999 ) .Effective Customer Care, The directory of societal alteration. ) Customer service is non a division everyplace within your company. Quite, it s a company imposts in which every individual at every place is client oriented. ( Bailey, K. et Al ( 2006 ) , client service for silent persons, Wiley Publishing, Iraqi National Congress. ) Customer service is the system in which an organisation handles the dealingss along with themselves and its clients. The dealingss which takes topographic point largely depends and varies, as it could last more than some old ages or merely for few months or yearss. but, every trade between the employee and the client demand to be give right attending and proper handling. The chief duty of the client service director should be that the staff tries all the clip to set their attempt to do happy and complete the demands and outlook of the client. Source ( Dredge, F et Al. ( 1998 ) Pull offing client service, Gower Publishing limited. ) THE NEED FOR THE CUSTOMER CARE POLICIES AND PLANS ARE AS FOLLOWS- It is indispensable to spread out a helpful client friendly civilization in cordial reception industry, and besides it must be divided within all the employees of the organisation. It is said that the more people who know about the policy the more possible expert you have. If the organisation gives first-class service to the client so the other organisation will be able to accomplish client trust. If an organisation wants a repetition concern from its clients so it has to have the client inducements at first. Besides it is mandatory to cognize about the client on whom the organisation is taking at, besides the wants and demands of the client should be understood right, and eventually believing that client fulfillment is indispensable. The policies and programs play a really of import function in constructing up the organisations public presentation. By followin the policies the work state of affairs of the organisation will be soft and successful, this system the employees will cognize their work and harmonizing to that they will demo their public presentation in the organisation. Plans help the organisation to look in the hereafter, and seek to accomplish the set ends, the mark which the organisation has set to accomplish. Source- ( Knight, A. ( 1999 ) .Effective client attention, The directory of societal alteration. ) Ans 2- The importance of client form which are encountered with in the cordial reception industry are- It is necessary to place the clients on which the organisation is taking at, by which the organisation can put it ends, marks and run into the demands and outlook of the invitee. Particularly in cordial reception industry there are two chief types of client form such as concern clients or corporate and tourer, which are chiefly emphasised by the cordial reception industry. The length of concern clients are short and their disbursement wont is besides really less as because the concern clients come through any company, which has a tie up with the hotel organisation. For case the British telecom has a tie up with Marriott s, so there will be a particular rate fixed for the employees of British telecom. In that instance the client comes and remain in the hotel, uses largely the complimentary points and so eventually look into s out. The necessities of concern patronages may be letter papers in the room, a Wi-Fi connexion, require a aftermath up calls in the forenoon, a conference room for meeting, air ticket from travel desk, a good and luxury auto with chauffer. Source- ( Schmitt Bernd, H. ( 1976 ) . Customer Experience Management, John Wiley A ; boies. ) It is non ever compulsory that the concern clients have less passing power, because when a main executive officer or head runing officer of any company arrives in the hotel organisation, he would possibly look for the most expensive things, such as alcoholic drink, a personal pantryman for 24/7. The tourer come to bask and divert themselves in the hotel, besides their length of stay is for a longer continuance. There passing power is better because they come to pass. For case booking a suite room, passing on intoxicant in the bars, discotheque, shopping in the shopping arcade etc. In Mc Donald s the staff knows who are the sort of clients which can be attracted towards the organisation, such as portion clip female parents and kids i.e. adolescents, by keeping a friendly ambiance in the eating house, coming up with new bill of fares to acquire clients with new gustatory sensation, besides by administering balloons and playthings to the childs. The clients pattern is wholly different as what it was in the hotels, as the hotel marks different sorts of client and the megahertz Donald s marks other sort of clients. Both of the organisation has different form but one slogan i.e. supplying better service to the client by carry throughing its demand and desire and do them experience comfy all the clip. Source- ( Knight, A. ( 1999 ) .Effective Customer Care, The directory of societal alteration. ) Ans 3- The importance of client attention civilization and how it applies in Mc Donald s Think customer- The organisation must seek to construct the exhilaration and energy amongst the staff about the construct of clients. Every member of staff should be responsible for client communicating. Every sections and the squads should research their ain impressions of what a client is and what this means to them. Value for the customers- Convince every person to believe as how much worth client is for the organisation, non in footings of finance but in footings of what they bring to the organisation. Remember that everyone is a customer- The secret of client attention is to handle every client with great regard, and purpose to present the highest criterion of attention and service that you can. Train your squad in client service- Share the policies and programs of client attention with the staff of the organisation, and so inquire them to set some thoughts and suggestions into it. Try non to let the employees, as they start giving them excess good service that represents value for money. Set targets- If the organisation has a scheme so it must hold marks so that it can supervise advancement. Make these realistic and accomplishable but disputing plenty to actuate enough the forepart line squad. Have client forums- So that the backroom squad, who may non cover direct with clients on a day-to-day footing, acquire to see who the organisation is working with, why they are of import, and they mean to the success of your charity. Source- ( Knight, A. ( 1999 ) .Effective Customer Care, The directory of societal alteration. ) The client attention civilization of Mc Donald s has improved quickly as a proper preparation programme had conducted for the new employees. In 2004 the organisation wanted to re set up this competitory advantage. The Mc Donald s service civilization was based on velocity and convenience. The demand, while retaining those elements, was to heighten the bing cordial reception civilization to transcend client outlooks. Besides the company had undergone a trade name relaunch with the subject I m lovin it and wanted the client experience to reflect this subject . ( David Pollitt, human resource direction international digest editor, wrote this article, from instance survey. ) The rating of client attention program- After traveling frontward it was believed that the criterion of client attention needed to travel to a higher degree of consistence. As there were few countries that peculiarly needed to be improve were: Aid for specific groups, such as female parent with immature kids, staff being comfy and confident handling and deciding client issues, a friendly eating house ambiance with personal, non everyday, interaction, and staff able to reply questions about Mc Donald s bill of fare ingredients. As antecedently the preparation of client attention were delivered to the directors but it was non forwarded to the front line staff, but now to derive the best impact the preparation is straight delivered to client attention staff. The profile of the group in Mc Donald s was, and remains, varied. Customer attention helpers range from female parents working portion clip to college pupils, and besides many people in their first occupation. The design squad included- a procedure suitable for bing and future client attention staff, developing an on-going component to the acquisition, non a one-off hole, and advancing existent cultural alteration. Then the client attention class was designed to capture the best portion of the first stage workshops, and those class include- Facilitated group treatment depicting good and bad illustration of client attention, sharing best pattern, function playing in little groups on ailment handling and recovery. Source- ( Case survey ) Ans 4- The KPI s and benchmark that could be implemented as a consequence of rating are discussed below- The quality and consistence of merchandise and service have underpinned the success of the McDonald s eating house concatenation since its origin. To accomplish this consistence, the company sets many Key Performance Indicators ( KPIs ) , both quantitative and qualitative, to which its eating houses aim to follow. McDonald s is known as the taking supplier of speedy service nutrient globally. In the UK, the company has 1,250 eating houses around 500 of which are franchised operations. Competition is severe in this market, re-emphasizing the importance of consistent quality and the ability to run into KPIs that range from merchandise output and gross revenues to cleanliness, restaurant quality and eating house enterprises within the local community. Traditional manual bite of eating house information was resource intensive and the terminal of twenty-four hours s trading figures would typically non be received until noon the undermentioned twenty-four hours. This meant there was a hold in responding to job countries. Steve Tiley, Head of Management Information Systems at McDonald s UK, says, Restaurant directors were passing excessively much clip measuring public presentation information, particularly at month terminal, and non plenty on the store floor with clients and staff. ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.uk.businessobjects.com/customers/spotlight/mcdonalds/default.asp ) 09/01/09 The EFSIS partnership with fast nutrient eating house, McDonalds, has continued to boom following the accomplishment of Benchmark Excellence in the company s latest Supplier public presentation measuring survey, The Supplier Quality Index ( SQI ) . The SQI steps public presentation from both a long term and short term position and covers a provider s direction excellence, communications, strategic concern alliance, assured supply, quality, invention and cost. The partnership between McDonald s and EFSIS began three old ages ago and has gone from strength to strength with new classs being added to the portfolio. Currently EFSIS undertakes over 450 reviews across beef, porc and poulet cake providers and slaughter and deboning workss all across the universe. ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/106942250.html ) 09/01/09 Ans 5- The different communicating method and their feedback are discussed below- Questionnaire- A questionnaire is a set of inquiry, in which different types of inquiries are mentioned, this is fundamentally prepared to take a proper feedback from the clients about the organisation or sometimes the set of inquiries are based upon the clients history. This is by and large prepared to take complete information about peculiar organisation or the clients. It is a long and clip taking procedure of feedback. Guest history records- The guest history record is a sort of book which is maintained by different organisation to do a note about the regular invitee or a crabbed invitee. It is really maintained to assist the organisation to cognize more about the invitee as when the times comes such as birthday or matrimony day of remembrance, so the members of the organisation can wish them, and do the client feel happy and delicious. Interviews The interview is considered to be one of the good manner to acquire the feedback, as it is a formal talk between the client and the employee of the organisation, in which the staff or the director raise the inquiry to the client and the client is the entitled to give the replies of the peculiar inquiry asked. Mystery guest- The enigma invitee are those invitees who arrives in the organisation in secret, without allowing the organisation to cognize approximately them as who are they, and why they have come for. They merely enter in the premises and clear whatever uncertainties they have in their head, if they found something leery or non up to the grade so they send notice to the organisation for the incommodiousness, or for the improper service. Remark cards- Remark cards are prepared by the organisation to precisely allow to cognize the feedback of the clients, in most of the eating houses a remark card is given to the client to make full up, as how they felt and if there are negative feedback so the organisation start implementing on those countries. Competitions- In today s epoch each and every organisation is confronting the fright of competitions, because there are no longer the monopoly system, in every field the organisation has to confront competition and the determination taken by the organisation should be harmonizing to the forum, if that peculiar organisation wants to prolong in the bing market. Beginning ( David, R ( 2007 ) . Communication methods and steps .28th July 2007:19-23. ) Ans 6- The advantage and disadvantage are discussed below- Questionnaire The advantage of questionnaire is that, if it is filled decently so it takes out most of the information about the invitee or the organisation. It helps the organisation to track the record easy of any invitee, if it is maintained decently. The disadvantage of questionnaire is that it s a clip taking procedure, and guest attempt to avoid make fulling it. Many a times it is left in completed, and the chief information to be filled in is left out. Guest history record- The advantage of guest history record is that it has a hint of every invitee coming in the organisation. And if the organisation knows about the past history of the guest so it can clearly do it out which sort of invitee he/she is. The disadvantage is that the guest history record needs to be updated every clip, as when a regular invitee alterations his phone figure, or a new invitee comes in. It is sometimes hard to happen the records as it is maintained in a book and so the job comes to happen the book as where it is kept. Interviews- The advantage of interviews are that the client and the staff of the organisation comes into direct conversation and whatever information is needed that can be taken out easy by the client. Besides the client will experience better as they are interviewed and whatever things the client does nt desire in the organisation, that can be implemented. The disadvantage of the interview is that it can be for longer clip, besides many a times the client are non in a temper to give replies to the inquiries asked to them. Mystery guest- The advantage of enigma invitee is that there is a small fright in the head of employees that it can be a enigma invitee so in that instance they try to give their degree best most of the times at work in the organisation, and besides they try to carry through the client need even if they are non willing to make that. For case, a invitee arrives in a hotel and sits in a anteroom for long hours and inquire the employee to acquire a glass of H2O for him. The disadvantage of a enigma invitee can be really unsafe to the organisation, as it can be a member of HRACC, who fundamentally approves the star evaluation of any hotel, if he/she find something incorrect so the organisation can endure a immense effect. Remark card- The advantage of remark card is that it s non really drawn-out in most of the organisations, and it s is filled by different invitee so in that instance a proper feedback can be measured. The disadvantage of remark card is that sometimes it may incorporate false information, and if the remark card contains any complain about the employee, his evaluation will vastly fall down. Competitions- The advantage of competitions are that new merchandise and services are seen in the market, good merchandises in low monetary value. The disadvantage of competition is most of the organisation in order to vie with the other organisation ignore the quality of the merchandise and emphasise on the measure. Beginning ( Dean E. Hewes, ( 1995 ) . The cognitive bases of interpersonal communicating .17th March 1995:6-13. ) Ans-7 Staff authorization is the procedure of enabling or authorising an person to believe, act, take action, and control work and determination devising in independent ways. It is the province of experiencing self-empowered to take control of one s ain fate . ( hypertext transfer protocol: //humanresources.about.com/od/glossarye/a/empowerment_def.htm ) 09/01/09 We must take out from our head that if the employee studies to the employer, as he is low-level to him that does non intend as the employee ca nt do any determination. The superior authorization must besides give the opportunity to believe and authorise in the organisations determinations. As now it is seen that in most of the organisation immature endowments are preferred ab initio, as they can come up with new thoughts, facts, and figures which can be really helpful for the organisation to turn. If we think about authorization in human dealingss footings, attempt to avoid thought of it as something that one person does for another. This is one of the jobs organisations have experienced with the construct of authorization. Peoples think that person, normally the director, has to allow authorization on the people who report to him. Organizations has the duty to make a work environment which helps advance the ability and desire of employees to move in sceptered ways. The work organisation has the duty to take barriers that limit the ability of staff to move in authorization. All it can convey is merely the benefit to the organisation because if seen loosely the staff are confronting more new challenges so the directors, the directors are at that place merely to advice non to assist the employee with their work. Then the employee can take right determination at the right clip, if we talk about nutrient and drink section of any hotel, the work burden lies on the shoulder of employees, as they are extremely responsible from set uping the apparatus till the clip of clearance. It is benefitted in different ways, by which the organisation can take to a higher place. Source- ( Martin, D. ( 1998 ) one halt client attention, ICSA publication limited. )

Relation between International Trade and World Output

Relation between International Trade and World Output Abstract This paper seeks to explore the relationship between international trade and the general world output by discussing the pattern of international trade over the years as it has grown since the World War II. This is because most of the trade done today is between different countries some of which are not in the same continents or trading blocks that will be explored further in this paper.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Relation between International Trade and World Output specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This phenomenon is not only evidenced in the developed countries, but also in the developing countries, a concept that was earlier unimaginable, hence the great interest in the topic. This has been mainly attributed to the growing spirit of globalization and the advancement of different technologies which have made communication and especially transport not only fast, but also cheap hence turning the world in to a global village. Introduction Trade is basically the exchange of goods and services between different parties, and in this case between different countries. International trade does not only involve the exchange of goods and services across international borders, but it has also evolved to include capital exchange and even exchange of vital ideas. When these different countries increase their output, international trade also increases since there are more products to be exchanged in trade. Due to the diverse trading cultures, developing and also established economies came together and introduced a global organization that would harmonize the differences among these countries (Vaidya, 2006). WTO would from then on monitor all international trading and settle any disputes that may arise. They would also monitor tariffs and ensure there is no discrimination towards any member country. WTO being a permanent body has far much power in establishing law and order in order to avoid any oppression, and can hence establish a long lasting solution to many of the misunderstandings that often arise in commerce. It has over 146 members making it a global organization that can exercise its power which would in most cases have an impact to the global economy. WTO also controls subsidies and quotas of different items that were initially not under any regulations. It has led to much more efficient banking freedom and confidence among member countries (Gallagher, 2005).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Pattern of International Trade International trade has directly and indirectly affected the world output significantly. It has been noted that countries that rarely practice international trade remain poor and show very little or no growth at all. The countries that have reduced trade barriers and increased in international trading have shown greater and faste r growth compared to those with trade barriers and with no trading relations with the outside world (Zhang, 2008). Exports have been one of the greatest boosts to individual country’s GDPs and imports has led to introduction of new technology and new inventions, which has resulted to improved living standards, faster trading, good relations, and peace between partner countries, with many other indirect benefits. According to a study by World Bank, about twenty four developing countries that got involved in international trade in the world economy between 1980-1990 became more advanced in terms of better Medicare, schooling, increased GDP, longer life expectancy, low mortality rate in both children and the elderly and even per capita income of these countries greatly increased. The study showed that the per capita income increased at an average rate of about 5% in these countries, while it grew at only 2% in developed countries. Countries like China, which is currently a globa l giant in terms of commerce and international trade, Hungary and India, were among the few countries that took advantage of the global market and this resulted to a sharp increase in their various GDP, which is still among the best, but lately strained by the Global economic meltdown. Over the last two decades or so the growth of world trade has averaged about 6% per annum, which is as fast as the word output. The economic output is affected by various factors such as exchange rates, purchasing power parity, including human economic activity, among several others. International trade greatly increases the world output as it encourages completion to some level. It also motivates production of high standard goods with exceptional quality thus favoring the world output in monetary terms. With a higher economic output, one can be sure to find countries expanding there trading with other countries since they have attained a higher bargaining power since they have a lot more to offer. In creased world economic output also brings about a near balance of trade that is almost similar to barter trade system, where one would offer an item for an item of the same value.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Relation between International Trade and World Output specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More With this kind of trade, developing countries that produce valuable unfinished goods can actually trade these goods for other manufactured goods with added value instead of having to be expecting grants and relief from the developed countries. Similar elements affect both international trade, and world output. This may include geographical segmentation of manufacturing processes similar nations trading in related goods, emergence of super trading economies such as the USA and China and producers that slice up the value chain. Due to the current economic crunch, demand for imports has increased whereas the exports have decr eased which was a phenomenon only evidenced during the World War II and the years thereafter. This has shown a significant drop in the world output, leading to lower GDPs. A lower GDP, especially for developed countries which have for a long time enjoyed a steady economic stability, means accumulating debts which will end up reducing international trade. Aspects of international trade As explained in the Ricardo and Heckscher-Ohlin theories, international trade is like new technology, which continuously adds up to the productive capacity of trading countries and the realized efficiency is mainly due to comparative advantage and proper utilization of increasing returns. Trade in essence, greatly promotes dynamism and innovation as has been seen in the USA, Japan and China, to be especially due to competition.   In return, thiscatapults world output to a whole different level. This proves that international trade and world output are actually interdependent (Wild, Wild and Han, 2003 ). Increased trading and increased world output results in standardization of many elements such as tariffs, quotas and reduced trading barriers, which results in the theory of purchasing power parity. This is a theory of exchange rate adjustments in accordance to the law of one price. It involves harmonizing prices between trading countries by using the normal exchange rate of currencies around the world. The failure of purchasing power parity across borders may involve additional expenses that arise along the trade, like transportation cost, duties on imports, spoilage for the case of agricultural and other perishable goods, among many others.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Ocampo and Martà ­n, (2003), countries specialize in production of goods they are best at. This ensures a country exploits its ability to produce as much as it can of the commodity it produces best. This eliminates wastage of resources on non-viable production of commodities that such a country is not best suited to produce. This model takes into consideration the technological differences between countries, especially between the developed and the developing countries. This model thus allows specialization and in a way leads to interdependence. It also leads to maximum output for individual countries and specialization leads to increased trade. Without international trade, the consumption of countries would only be limited to their production capacities. Trade allows for specialization as countries can consume products which they dont produce, with the effective exchange with that which it produces in abundance (Zhang, 2008). For instance Japan doesnt produce grapes, but it is able to consume a lot of grapes which are imported from other countries, which in turn consume the electronics and vehicles that Japan has specialized in producing. Conclusion Therefore, it is imperative that international trade exists since lack of it will force countries to be contented with their own products that they produce with their available resources, which locks them out of the resources that they may not have (Zhang, 2008). It will also lead to the degeneration or slowdown of the advancements made in the communication and transport sectors as well as the exchange of information and knowledge whose consequences will be the detriment of global and local economies. References Gallagher, P. (2005). The first ten years of the WTO: 1995-2005. Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press. Ocampo, J., A. and Martà ­n, J. (2003). Globalization and development: a Latin American and Caribbean perspective. New York: World Bank Publications. Vaidya, K. (2006). Globalization: e ncyclopedia of trade, labor, and politics, Volume 1. New York: ABC-CLIO Wild, J., J. Wild, K., L. and Han, J., C. (2003). International business. New York: Prentice Hall. Zhang, W. (2008). International Trade Theory: Capital, Knowledge, Economic Structure, Money, and Prices over Time. New York: Springer.

Aurora Leigh and The Odyssey

Aurora Leigh and The Odyssey Essay In Elizabeth Barrett Brownings Aurora Leigh the conquest of the feminine is present, though its form ridiculed and its male perpetrators abased so that some measure of equity between the sexes can be achieved. Not present is the one sided subjugation which features prominently in The Odyssey, for in her adaptation of the epic form, the now female protagonist conquers and is subtly conquered herself. The Odyssey presents masculine heroism (partially) predicated on the oppression of women; for a hero to even project some semblance of authority, he must be the master of his home. The home however is the domain of women and thus the inference is made ad hoc ergo propter hoc. Odysseus conquers both mortal (Penelope) and immortal (Circe) women, while conquering (resisting) the lure of the Sirens. Even the goddess Athena is enamoured with his wit and wily charm, sending aid or bringing it in person. Thus the whole of the feminine world, both perceived and sublime is at his command, either directly or indirectly conquered. All the women he conquers make the hero, pushing him to his greatest potential. They instil in him courage, ambition and humility, and are thus integral Odysseus very being a hero. The Greek ideal of the hero therefore bases itself on dominion over the female sex. Telemachus follows this path also, for no hero he would be if he had not established social order at home with his mother, nor hanged the treacherous maids. Elizabeth Barrett Browning shows women as able in their own right however. No longer are they confined to womanly chores, but can be artists, intellectuals, they can succeed in the ultimate domain of men. A full and willing surrender to fate is not in order, the protagonist and hero or Aurora Leigh being both headstrong and female. Both the baser, in Lady Waldemar and pure, in Mariam sides of womanly nature are shown. It can be inferred that Browning means to caution while promoting freedom, for some human instincts must be controlled. Female strength however, is sometimes found in the most unlikely of places, among the denizens of brothels and hovels, in Mariam. She, having been abandoned by Romney, denies him marriage when he returns many years later proposing this. Thus Browning alters form, in her poetic justice, Romney must be rebuked, and soundly so. Another Greek dogma is abandoned with her differentiating between love and rape, love being an entity that cannot be forced upon one party. Aurora is her own woman, writing poetry for a living, and even acting as a benefactor to Mirian, a decidedly male role. Love is not conquest, nor conquest love she says: When we learn to lose ourselves, and melt like white pearls in anothers wine , equating love with a soft stupor, yet one for the better, where the self of one becomes the whole of two. Aurora struggles to assert herself, yet does so, even though the hostile forces of her aunt and Romney try to hold her back. The departure from the style of The Odyssey however is not complete, Browning muses that no epic of true value and meaning can Aurora write, museless as she is (without Romney). She finds her poetic inspiration reconciling love and her poetry (a symbol of her independence); feminist thought was not so radical in Brownings time. However, there is a clause to be fulfilled for the reconciliation to be fulfilled, Romney, once so strong and sure of himself, must be humbled. He previously sought to double himself in what he loves, and make his drink more costly by our pearls This train of thought was however equivalent to the Odysseian archetype and thus cannot be upheld in Brownings epic; change is in her opinion necessary. Aurora acknowledges her own weakness in love, and succumbs to it, but is self-critical in doing so, realising her own folly. Portraying Aurora so, Browning can be considered an early feminist, and her thought radical for her age. However, she also meant to comment on Victorian society, and its hypocritical views on women and the home. READ: Characteristics of an epic hero EssayHers was the age of Victoria, of prudish behaviour, where one slip, one impropriety meant ones end. Yet at the same time, there was a surplus of women, and as often follows, a proliferation of prostitution. Marian herself becomes one, but Browning meant her not to be viewed as vile, but rather with compassion. Society made the woman, and her strength in persevering should be glorified rather than her actions vilified. In Brownings narrative, it is not only the women who are humbled, but also the men. Romney did not see clearly what Aurora deserved, and thus he is blinded literally so that he can accept and acknowledge what she means to him. He mistook his own heart, and that slip was fatal , as did Aurora, and thus they both conquer each other, entering a relationship of equals. The feminine is conquered in Aurora Leigh, but not in the sense that it was in The Odyssey. Women as heroes can agree to be conquered, once both they and their lovers have grown morally, and shed the false skin that is the collection of judgements society makes of them, and in turn expects them to believe.

Ethical Responsibilities of Australia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethical Responsibilities of Australia - Essay Example Television journalists are also the personalities seen on TV who report on sports, weather, and current events for local and even international television stations (â€Å"TV Journalist†, n.d.). They must have the capacity to think fast and improvise if needed because most of the time, the television journalists are broadcasted live on TV. In a study conducted by Nankervis (2005) in Australia, the television newsroom hirers want to recruit journalists that are â€Å"thinkers with inquiring minds.† They want to hire those who have â€Å"old-fashioned† skills of breaking news not covered in another place (Nankervis, 2005). According to Nankervis (2005), television journalists should have the drive for news, ambition and the confidence. But behind the faces aired on television for reports or news, the personalities are bound to fulfil their job responsively. How can television journalists be said to have complied with their responsibilities? What are the responsibili ties of the journalists? In Australia, most of the media journalists are members of the Australian Journalist Association (AJA), a division of Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) (â€Å"Journalist Code of Ethics†, n.d.). The members of the association are required to obey to the code of ethics (â€Å"Journalist Code of Ethics†, n.d). ... They give a practical form to freedom of expression. Many journalists work in private enterprise, but all have these public responsibilities. They scrutinise power, but also exercise it, and should be accountable. Accountability engenders trust. Without trust, journalists do not fulfil their public responsibilities. MEAA members engaged in journalism commit themselves to Honesty Fairness Independence Respect for the rights of others Australian Journalism Association also commit to obey their Guidance Clause which states that: Basic values often need interpretation and sometimes come into conflict. Ethical journalism requires conscientious decision-making in context. Only substantial advancement of the public interest or risk of substantial harm to people allows any standard to be overridden. Giving information to the public such as news or current affairs, the journalists have the responsibility to comply with the legal and ethical responsibilities of the profession. There are instan ces that television journalist are prosecuted by the concerned or affected members of the society who feel that the media journalists libelled them publicly. Thus it is the responsibility of the television journalists to familiarize with the existing code of ethics and media law where the journalists practice the profession. It is the responsibility of the journalists to know what lines they should not cross because there comes a time that the journalists may offend some people but should make sure that they did not violate any law. With the Code of Ethics guiding the Australian journalists including the television journalists, the journalists are restricted to pursue their own political agendas. They must not alter the truth. They should ensure fairness at all times. Their reports

Personality assesment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personality assesment - Essay Example (Funder 1991, Tellegen 1991) personality psychologists predominantly make use of the ‘Five Factor Model’ for the assessment of an individual’s personality. (Digman 1990, Goldberg 1993a) This model reflects an individual’s psychological, social and cultural components that contribute towards his personality. It also reveals if an individual has had a troubled history or comes from a very poor socio- economic background. Research has given us an invaluable theory of personality which could be used for assessing the different personality variables. Personality assessment helps us to get a better idea of an individual and also helps us understand the individual’s behavioral pattern in a better light, thereby avoiding many conflicting issues. The 8th edition of Robert Feldman’s (2006) book on Understanding Psychology, stimulates the understanding and capabilities of students through his broad vision and insightful thinking. He strongly felt that if students understood psychology then they would learn it well. The principles and concepts contained in his book cover the areas of five important perspectives – Cognitive, behavioral, neuro-scientific, psychodynamic and humanistic. 1. Validity – Validity is considered to be the subjective judgment which could be based on either experience or other empirical indicators. Validity is also considered to be the maximum extent to which a test measures what’s needed to be measured. For a test to be considered valid it has to be first of all reliable; but reliability of the test does not guarantee its validity. The different types of validity include – 1) Face validity, 2) Construct validity, 3) Criterion validity, 4)Convergent validity and 5) Discriminant validity. 2. Reliability – Reliability is nothing but consistency. Reliability is considered to be the extent to which any test provides consistent scores. Measuring procedures do

Critical thinking Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Critical thinking - Case Study Example The bid is recorded as â€Å"one of the shock and exasperation† that could only bring jubilation among the small bid team from the tiny Gulf state that had travelled to Switzerland.    The success of the bid brought with it a mired of questions from the potential counterparts who could not make it. First was the manner in which it could have succeeded with the vast representation of big countries in the committee. The capacity to host an event of such magnitude and their inexistence in the football arena was questionable. The country itself has very hash temperatures, which could not favor any tournament of this kind. It was evident that high profile and highly influential figures like The UEFA president Michel Platini had voiced their opposition to the notion. He said, â€Å"You cannot possibly play football in Qatar.† (YANKS ABROAD 2013) One of the executive committee members Mr. Franz Beckenbauer stated, â€Å"One should think about a different solution.† It was more evident that there were some hidden tactics behind the bid when a number of senior FIFA officials with the inclusion of Qatar head of the Asian Football Confederation, Mr. Mohammed bin Hammam were suspended as a result of questioning the legitimacy of Qatar wining the bid. There are also concerns raised on the country’s commitment to Sharia law, which does not support homosexuality and the questionable human rights records. The case has been viewed as a possible reaction from the looser of the bid that controls the huge numbers of football fans in the aim to water down the tournament and get a revote. This is possible because they have millions on internet users. The temperatures were viewed to be attainable through control but would cost the country billions of cash higher that the expenses used in the South African tournament. On the bribery case, FIFA President exclaimed, â€Å"we are anxiously

Philosophy - Article oppression by Irish Young - response

Philosophy - oppression by Irish Young - response - Article Example Exploitation generally depicts the conflicts between and haves and have-nots. It is a major trade union issue of all times, as most of the workers’ unions think that the management is their permanent enemy and the workers need to be in war with it always. In the extreme form of unionism, productivity is lost sight of, resulting in grievous loss to the economy. The working class also suffers in the long run. Marginalization is about those sections that are unable to bear with the stiff competition in the labor market due to variety of factors like loss of employment due to recession, disabilities, racial discrimination, etc. Powerlessness is about the plight of the workers, especially those who are unskilled and are unable to tap the alternative sources of employment due to lack of educational qualifications. Such classes of workers have neither autonomy nor authority and have less chances of improving their job prospectus. They have to carry on with the available facilities. Cultural Dominance refers to the dominance of one group over the other that goes in tandem with cultural expressions and interpretations on the basis of history. Iris Marion Young argues about such attitudes in her book â€Å"Justice and the Politics of Difference, â€Å"The Hebrews are oppressed in Egypt, and many users of the term oppression in West invoke this paradigm.†(41) Violence dominates over a big canvas of societal life. State sanctioned violence, racial segregation, harassment to women in workplace, are some of the prominent examples of oppression in these areas. In this materialistic world impacted by industrial and internet revolutions, Iris Young has correctly assessed the aspects related to various types of oppressions and the anguish they cause in the day to day life of the people in the concerned segments as stated above. Attitudinal differentiation on the basis of sex is the hallmark of societal interactions. In

What are the pros and cons of the rise of networks Essay

What are the pros and cons of the rise of networks - Essay Example To put it simple, â€Å"a network society is a society whose social structure is made of networks powered by microelectronics-based information and communication technologies.† In this definition, it is evident that network as an essential part of social structure has a two-fold basis for its functioning. In this context, it is necessary to concentrate on the reasons of network to empower. In fact, this argumentation enables to comprehend the core contradiction that appears with the rise of networks. Among the key drivers towards the new network society, Castells (2010) mentions technological revolution, growing interdependence between contemporary economies.In other words, â€Å"social changes are as dramatic as the technological and economic processes of transformation†.In the case of technology, the very ability to analyze innovations in the close link with social movements rejects technological determinism. In particular, it is presented as a deeply rooted in the so cial fabric instance, which is a mirror of prevailing type of social and economic knowledge, organizational framework, and network disposition (Castells, 2010, p. 35). In the context of the latest technological revolution, Castells (2010) emphasizes the role of Silicon Valley in America as a precise driver of this significant change (p. 62). Moreover, he stresses on the genetic engineering as â€Å"they also refer to the decoding and recoding of the information of living matter†.

Case study analysis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis - Case Study Example Leadership defines the company and its purported growth pattern, as leaders possess the power to make the needed strategic as well as operational decisions. The ascent to power of new leader in an organization either may define the growth or continual slack of the company. At Ernst Benary, the current leadership has failed to take grasp of the needed changes that will conform to the changing needs of the consumers. Though history defines the growth pattern of any organization and is an important factor in leadership and positioning, there needs to be a disintegration or shift from known ways of operations to cater for the developing market. Klaudia Benary on entering the marketing department realized the stagnation and the struggling position of the company. Family ties could be purported as determinants in decision making within the company, taking to consideration the positions that Katrin Benary Thimm occupied, yet she did not have enough experience and education to play part in m anagement board. This can be defined as the beginning of the stagnation state. Failure by management to take effective and bold steps, implies that the company also lacks a directional strategy. The Benary company began its failing by lacking of strategizing leaders. The current management system at Benary is taking steps towards ensuring the initial growth associated with the company exists. Current 10 year strategy plan in the increasingly concentrated industry means that this is an important growth strategy. As the assistant managing director puts it (beyer et la p2), there is need to demonstrate capability to fulfill the growth strategy plan. Goal setting is an important strategy for growth, but has to go hand in hand with strategy implementation process that will define the steps towards ultimate achievement of organizations goal. Streamlining of the company’s resources with the strategy implementation is another managerial tool whose adoption defines the growth pattern. Any organization’s mission, vision, objectives, and steps taken towards achievement of these goals is also an important management tool for the growth strategy of the company. Ernst needs to have well defined company’s vision, mission and objectives that will help in achievement of its goals. The company was adversely affected by the World War 1, where business relations were abruptly cut following the war. This emerges as a threat to the company and so does the emergence of new international competitors from USA, Japan and Netherlands. The company was able to favorably build on its strengths that involved the breeding knowledge which helped introduced a new seed variety in the 1920’s. Management is also defined by the ability to capitalize on it strengths as it tries to outdo the threats. More threats emerged after the country experienced a struggling economy and later the coming to power of the German Nazis also became a threat. The company was headed by a fa mily of Jewish origin. This stipulated challenges and threats to the organization which it was able to conquer. The managements capability to identify threats and weaknesses and devise strategies to overcome the weaknesses will define the growth of a particular company. Motivation of employees, an important factor in any production and company dependent on employee output, also is affected by decisions of top managers. Incorporation of employees in decision making and decentralization of power is a

What are the pros and cons of the rise of networks Essay

What are the pros and cons of the rise of networks - Essay Example To put it simple, â€Å"a network society is a society whose social structure is made of networks powered by microelectronics-based information and communication technologies.† In this definition, it is evident that network as an essential part of social structure has a two-fold basis for its functioning. In this context, it is necessary to concentrate on the reasons of network to empower. In fact, this argumentation enables to comprehend the core contradiction that appears with the rise of networks. Among the key drivers towards the new network society, Castells (2010) mentions technological revolution, growing interdependence between contemporary economies.In other words, â€Å"social changes are as dramatic as the technological and economic processes of transformation†.In the case of technology, the very ability to analyze innovations in the close link with social movements rejects technological determinism. In particular, it is presented as a deeply rooted in the so cial fabric instance, which is a mirror of prevailing type of social and economic knowledge, organizational framework, and network disposition (Castells, 2010, p. 35). In the context of the latest technological revolution, Castells (2010) emphasizes the role of Silicon Valley in America as a precise driver of this significant change (p. 62). Moreover, he stresses on the genetic engineering as â€Å"they also refer to the decoding and recoding of the information of living matter†.

Medieval Archetypes Utilized in Hamlet Essay Example for Free

Medieval Archetypes Utilized in Hamlet Essay Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a complex play because of its multiple dimensions. Upon dissection, the influence of other works can be observed in it. One of the most prominent of these works is the York Fall of Man. This particular play is a very poor remake of the book of Genesis in the bible. However, William Shakespeare utilizes the medieval traditions exemplified in the Fall of Man to create the characters in Hamlet. For example, Hamlets mother, Queen Gertrude, shows an uncanny parallel to Eve from the Fall of Man. Gertrudes behavior and characteristics fall under the archetype presented in the rendition of Genesis. Eve can be described as: gullible, naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve, accidentally rebellious, trusting, curious, manipulated, and egocentric. These same traits can be used to identify Gertrudes personality as well. In part three of the Fall of Man, Satan, in the form of the worme, is trying to convince Eve to rebel against God by eating the forbidden fruit. The worme claims that it will make her omnipotent. When Eve questions Satan, he replies, Why trowes thou nog[h]t me?/ I wolde by no- kynnes ways/ Telle nog[h]t but trouthe to the[e] (pg 270, line 75). In perhaps one of her most naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve and gullible moments, Eve responds, Than wille I to thy teching traste,/ and fange this frute unto oure foode (78). Likewise, in Hamlet there is a moment that closely mirrors this. When King Claudius and Polonius decide to spy on the interaction between Hamlet and Ophelia, Claudius tells Gertrude to leave even though it is her son. She only answers, I shall obey you (III,I, 42). These two quotes show the extent to which both Eve and Gertrude have been manipulated by their curiosity and weakness. Eve only wanted to know if the fruit contained a certain power and Gertrude was interested in her sons apparent madness yet both women put aside independent thinking and oblige the villain. Later in the Fall of Man, Eve brings the forbidden fruit to Adam saying A worme has done me for to witte/ We shalle be as goddis, thou and I,/ If that we ete/ Here of this tree (91). Then in Hamlet, Gertrude asks her son, Have you forgot me? ( III, IV, 16). She is essentially asking if Hamlet has forgotten whom he is speaking to. In the Fall of Man, Eve portrays egocentric qualities. When she discovers the power of the fruit, she suddenly desires to share it with Adam so that they might be god- like together. She wants to be all knowing and powerful, so when she sees the chance she takes it. Gertrude is self-centered as well. She doesnt want to lose her standing as queen when her husband dies so she marries his brother not even two months following his passing. When Hamlet confronts her on her actions she retorts with anger that he would dare speak to her in that manner. Both Gertrude and Eve have a mental self image of themselves that is better than what others perceive them as and both women strive to maintain/ improve that image. Gertrudes character directly parallels that of Eve in respect to characteristics and traits. They are both archetypal characters but the resemblances are eerie. The women both end in similar manners as well. Eve eats the forbidden fruit and guarantees her banishment from the Garden of Eden. Gertrude drinks the poison and ensures her own death. The characters have too many similarities to be dismissed as coincidence. Ergo it can be stated with a level of confidence that William Shakespeare utilizes the medieval traditions outlined in the Fall of Man to write Hamlet. Works Cited Medieval Drama. Ed. David Bevington. Boston; Houghton Mifflin Company, 1975 Hamlet. William Shakespeare. Ed. Louis Wright. Virginia Lamar. New York; Simon Schuster Inc, 1958

Personal Plan Proposal | Leadership

Personal Plan Proposal | Leadership Personal development plan for a leadership would be to recognize areas for further development and encourage lifelong learning. It acts as a process of empowerment, self-assessment mentoring, continued renewal, role modeling, positive attributes, networking, and improvement on weaknesses. The proposed plan process describes how leader should lead by having the above mentioned skills to lead affectively. and support to help staff develop their capabilities. I would reinvent as nurse leader who is innovative by possessing the following abilities such as; self-assessment, empowerment, mentor, continued renewal, role modeling, positive attributes, networking and improvement on weaknesses (Bleich Kasiak, 2007). By having these trades will assist in support the staff to develop their capabilities and gain to be an efficient leader. I have never thought of myself as leader but I have been told that I possess the skills. The thought of being a leader sometimes alarms me because of all the stress, headache, which I have heard and seen managers or leaders complaining about their job is never ending. But to be a great leader one must develop these characteristics to lead others which are the followings; Empowerment, delegate and encourage staff members to take responsibility. Mentor, give staff advice, guide, train, coach. Role model, set positive example for others to follow, give advice to develop leadership. Net working, is to maintain a positive relationship with other managers or staff. Self-assessment, of the self as a leader which will help measure the progress overtime. Continued renewal, consider the concerns of staff members and patient care. Positive attribute, as a leader one must possess an important element which is compassion. Improve on weakness, such as time management, multitask (ex. I sometimes pick up where others leave off. Picking up the slack in the workplace). Show how a weakness can be turned into strength. I am happy to be a nurse and l like the way people responds to me when I tell them I am a nurse. Nurse empowerment as both individually and as a profession can be achieved. The fact that nursing has traditionally been thought of as a profession for only women but that has changed more men are nurses now than before (OGrady Mallock, 2003). The nursing profession has changed dramatically. There are so many opportunities for nurses now then before they can be political workers, publicists, journalists, speakers, researchers (Fitzgerald, T., 2000). Weve expanded into so many different avenues. Since I became a nurse has helped me to have the vital critical thinking and decision making skills in doing my patient cares. Studies have been done at national level in recent years have asked nurses what factors supported to their job satisfaction. In general the most important factors reviewed were research on each of the following factors contributed to job satisfaction are the, productivity, burnout, turnover rates, and, empowerment (Fletcher, 2001). Power is demonstrated as much by the attitude that one project as it is by the tasks that one perform. Some self analysis may be in order in terms of the attitude and image that you portray. It is import to act in professional manner but it is also important to look professional. Even dirty shoes and long acrylic nails can give the impression to others that we dont take ourselves very seriously in the regard. Power sometimes comes from others so it may be helpful to make connections. The truth is that sometimes who you know rather than what you know is important. Use the grapevine may or may not be accurate, so also do some investigation on your own. Make these connections for positive reasons and in a careful manner, such as to assist in your professional growth, rather than to win power or take power from someone else. Avoid confrontation, as it rarely helps anyone. Power without respect is hollow. We dont need to see o urselves as victims. We complain to each other about how bad our jobs are and how nursing is not what we thought it would e. It doesnt have to be that way. We can increase our involvement in our workplace whenever possible. We can continue to observe our environment, gather information and contribute whatever we c can to make improvements. We can be a visible presence in the workplace, networking with others and asking questions. We can continue to practice professional ways to communicate our thoughts and needs, but recognize when using power may not be in our best interests or may increase hostility. We owe it to those who will come after us in the nursing profession as well as to ourselves to make an effort to change the degree of authority and power that we have. We can do it? Self awareness is stated as knowing ones internal states, preference resources and intuitions. This is being conscious and being able to connect to our feelings and actions. By accepting and understanding our thoughts and interpretation processes, one will have a clearer picture of what we want to achieve. And this will undoubtedly help in making wise and sound decisions in a personal or professional relationship. Interview: FF is the nurse manager of renal clinic at hospital. She is an R.N. whose leadership position is unique because she also created the program she is in charge of. F.F. had a vision and used her leadership skills to see that vision become a reality. The renal clinic began because there was a need. One of the qualities in an effective leader is the ability to recognize a need and take action to make that need met. F.F. started her nursing career after graduating from west state university by working in various areas and units. While working in these capacities one Dr A.B. approached her on several occasions about the need to have a renal clinic for diabetic patients. These patients population was not being served locally. F.F. would agree with him saying yes, it would be nice to have a renal clinic, and that would be it. Then in that time F.F. needed to care for a sick family member. At the same time the hospital needed a manager and F.F. was filling in as an interim for the inpatient d epartment. This position had a very demanding schedule that included weekends, being on call, and rotating shifts. And the hospital was not recruiting for a manager and what was supposed to be an interim position now did not have a foreseeable end. With a sick family member at home, F.F. needed more flexibility in her work schedule. This was the turning point that spurned F.F. to take action to meet the needs that were before her. The answer to F.F. personal dilemma took the shape of creating a renal clinic. F.F. could see that working in this specialty would give her the family friendly schedule she desired. She took the initiative in making the renal clinic a reality. As it is mentioned in the article of Quantum leadership that those who are not born leaders can acquire the necessary skills, (OGrandy Mallock, 2003). I believe anyone can be a leader by motivation and applying the self to become a leader. As a leader I would like to have a vision of greater good and initiate actions to achieve that vision. In making decisions to attain goals, as a leader I would create change and make that change a past history. In a nurse leadership often times they use personal traits to be beneficially and ethically which will influence others through a process where clinical and organization outcomes are achieved through joint efforts. As a nurse leader I would unite in building a relationship to empower staff or others that would led toward achievement. I like all the other elements of a nurse leader I dont have a less preference. As a follower I would want a leader that has direction that can be trusted, have a vision and hope for the department or organization. The most valuable asset of a leader is honesty and trust. I want a leader that is honest with both his or her staff and the management. Another element that a leader must have is integrity. Once a leader compromises his or her integrity it is lost. That maybe the reason integrity is considered the most admirable trait. Leadership qualities are different for different position but one must be thinking for future scope of improvement, quality and quantity of in conducting business. The ideal leader must have a vision beyond what is here today know where the business is headed and be able to use that vision to move the department forward. I would help my peers to become better by being a great leader that my peers can look up to and depend on. As, a leader I need the ability to lead because there is a certain quality to manage a problem if my followers cant face the problems on their own. This leadership quality is extremely important because if the leaders do not possess some special ability, then there wont be anything that will distinguish him/her from his/her followers. As a leader I would motivate my team mates for good work and maintain healthy environment. And make my first priority is safety for the workers and see that they are not exploited by superiors. These are some of the many ways that I can lead and have followers. Reference Bleich Kasiak, 2007 Fitzgerald, T., (2000), Nurse appeal profession tries new tactics to woo next generation of nurses, posted date January 13, 2000. Retreived on November 13, 2009 from http://www.nurseweek.com/features/00-01/attract.html Ketle, J. L., RN. Factors Affecting Job Satisfaction in the Registered Nurse, University of North Carolina, charlotte, NC. Retreived on Novermber 23, 2009 from http://juns.nursing.arizona.edu/articles/Fall%202002/Kettle.htm#Abstract OGrady, P. Mallack, 2003. Quantum Leadership 2003, article for this course. Bradberry Greaves, 2003 Francis, F., RN. (2009). Indian Health Service Hospital/ACL, Personal interview in October 28, 2009. Fletcher, C. E. (2001, June). Hospital RNs job satisfactions and dissatisfactions. Journal of Nursing Administration, 31(6), 324-31.

The Role of Women in Giants in the Earth Essay -- Giants in the Earth

The Role of Women in Giants in the Earth   Ã‚   Peter Mangus Hagen, a large Swedish immigrant carpenter, pushed back his chair, rose from the end of the long dining table in their kitchen, and announced, "And now for my dessert--."   He walked the length of the table past his thirteen children to the other end, bent his large frame down, and tenderly kissed his wife Maggie, who was fifteen years his junior and mother of those thirteen.  Ã‚   As he pulled himself to his naturally erect stance, he proceeded to thank her for her labor in preparing an excellent meal and in caring for their home and their thirteen children.  Ã‚   This conclusion to the meal was as much a ritual as was the blessing asked in Swedish before it began.  Ã‚   And if the "thank you" was customary, so was the bill of fare, i.e., a large bowl of navy beans, freshly-baked bread and freshly-churned butter, a bowl of home-canned tomatoes and a bowl of home-canned fruit, a very large bowl of mashed potatoes, two pitchers of milk, and c offee for the adults.   In that household a seven-course banquet was not mandatory in order to extract a word of appreciation.       This Scandinavian never pretended that his building of refrigerator boxcars for the Santa Fe Railroad in 1919 was more important or worthwhile than Maggie's homemaking, home management, clothes-making, food preparation and preservation, or care of their family.  Ã‚   In fact, it may have been Peter's respect and high regard for Maggie's "woman's work" that helped hold together and make easier a loving marriage that encompassed not only their thirteen children, but also his five children by an earlier marriage.       Of course, if looked at realistically, the couple's division ... ...probably all women are alike--they have no sense" (194).  Ã‚         The one important function Beret fulfills is having children.  Ã‚   Giving birth to Peder that Christmas on the prairie is her only noteworthy accomplishment.  Ã‚   But even then, Per Hansa takes over and names him with a name that poor Beret dislikes and regards as near sacrilege (279).       By looking at Beret in Giants in the Earth and certainly by looking at Peter and Maggie Hagen, it could be concluded that childbearing is the chief item of value in "woman's work."   By comparing those lives further, it might also be concluded that it is too bad that Beret was not told more often that she was Per Hansa's "dessert" and that her "woman's work" was appreciated.       Works Cited    Rolvaag, Ole Edvart.  Ã‚   Giants in the Earth.  Ã‚   New York: Harper and Row, 1955.

The Rift Wars :: essays research papers

THE RIFT WARS Long before humans came to this part of the world, dwarves and elves made their homes in Caspia. Neither group bothered the other because they did not desire the lands of the other. After a time, however, their racial incompatibility began to wear on them. Since their basic attitudes and outlooks were so different, their infrequent encounters became less and less civil. Eventually, their leaders forbade their subjects to have anything to do with the other race. Feelings of mistrust and dislike grew as the years passed, eventually blossoming into hatred. Often, the younger, more hotheaded dwarves and elves disobeyed the orders of their elders. Members of each race began to stage guerilla raids on the other. Finally, the elves and dwarves declared an all-out war.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The elves, armed with powerful magic, reduced the fortresses of the dwarves to rubble. Their skilled archers also decimated the dwarven offense in the forest. Defeat for the dwarven army seemed certain, but the dwarves were not to be easily beaten. Exploiting the blustery winds of the Rift, the dwarves lit and burned large tracts of woods. Either to avenge the burning forest or to escape the mounting flames, the elves poured out of the woods in droves. As they emerged from the flaming trees, half blinded by hot ash and choking smoke, the dwarves mowed them down. The blood of these two peoples ran thick in the Caspian River.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Meanwhile, the truly evil god Morgion with his orcs and goblins capitalized on a chance to wreak havoc on two of their most hated enemies. They began to covertly destroy the villages of both elves and dwarves, knowing that the feuding creatures would blame each other for these atrocities. The young, the old, the crippled, and the infirm of both races began to feel the bite of both lawful and chaotic blades.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For a time, this ruse worked perfectly. The slaughter of the innocents served to inflame the passions of the combatants, and they fought all the more fiercely because of it. The elves and dwarves might well have exterminated one another, had not an elven child escaped the carnage in one of the orc raids and told his rescuers of the monsters who were actually responsible.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Then the elves and dwarves met under a flag of truce, where they agreed to set aside their differences and deal with the common enemy. Their combined forces were mighty enough to crush the hordes of the evil Morgion.

Chapter 15 Beauxbatons and Durmstrang

Early next morning, Harry woke with a plan fully formed in his mind, as though his sleeping brain had been working on it all night. He got up, dressed in the pale dawn light, left the dormitory without waking Ron, and went back down to the deserted common room. Here he took a piece of parchment from the table upon which his Divination homework still lay and wrote the following letter: Dear Sirius, I reckon I just imagined my scar hurting, I was half asleep when I wrote to you last time. There's no point coming back, everything's fine here. Don't worry about me, my head feels completely normal. Harry He then climbed out of the portrait hole, up through the silent castle (held up only briefly by Peeves, who tried to overturn a large vase on him halfway along the fourth-floor corridor), finally arriving at the Owlery, which was situated at the top of West Tower. The Owlery was a circular stone room, rather cold and drafty, because none of the windows had glass in them. The floor was entirely covered in straw, owl droppings, and the regurgitated skeletons of mice and voles. Hundreds upon hundreds of owls of every breed imaginable were nestled here on perches that rose right up to the top of the tower, nearly all of them asleep, though here and there a round amber eye glared at Harry. He spotted Hedwig nestled between a barn owl and a tawny, and hurried over to her, sliding a little on the dropping-strewn floor. It took him a while to persuade her to wake up and then to look at him, as she kept shuffling around on her perch, showing him her tail. She was evidently still furious about his lack of gratitude the previous night. In the end, it was Harry suggesting she might be too tired, and that perhaps he would ask Ron to borrow Pigwidgeon, that made her stick out her leg and allow him to tie the letter to it. â€Å"Just find him, all right?† Harry said, stroking her back as he carried her on his arm to one of the holes in the wall. â€Å"Before the dementors do.† She nipped his finger, perhaps rather harder than she would ordinarily have done, but hooted softly in a reassuring sort of way all the same. Then she spread her wings and took off into the sunrise. Harry watched her fly out of sight with the familiar feeling of unease back in his stomach. He had been so sure that Sirius's reply would alleviate his worries rather than increasing them. â€Å"That was a lie, Harry,† said Hermione sharply over breakfast, when he told her and Ron what he had done. â€Å"You didn't imagine your scar hurting and you know it.† â€Å"So what?† said Harry. â€Å"He's not going back to Azkaban because of me.† â€Å"Drop it,† said Ron sharply to Hermione as she opened her mouth to argue some more, and for once, Hermione heeded him, and fell silent. Harry did his best not to worry about Sirius over the next couple of weeks. True, he could not stop himself from looking anxiously around every morning when the post owls arrived, nor, late at night before he went to sleep, prevent himself from seeing horrible visions of Sirius, cornered by dementors down some dark London street, but betweentimes he tried to keep his mind off his godfather. He wished he still had Quidditch to distract him; nothing worked so well on a troubled mind as a good, hard training session. On the other hand, their lessons were becoming more difficult and demanding than ever before, particularly Moody's Defense Against the Dark Arts. To their surprise, Professor Moody had announced that he would be putting the Imperius Curse on each of them in turn, to demonstrate its power and to see whether they could resist its effects. â€Å"But – but you said it's illegal, Professor,† said Hermione uncertainly as Moody cleared away the desks with a sweep of his wand, leaving a large clear space in the middle of the room. â€Å"You said – to use it against another human was -â€Å" â€Å"Dumbledore wants you taught what it feels like,† said Moody, his magical eye swiveling onto Hermione and fixing her with an eerie, unblinking stare. â€Å"If you'd rather learn the hard way – when someone's putting it on you so they can control you completely – fine by me. You're excused. Off you go.† He pointed one gnarled finger toward the door. Hermione went very pink and muttered something about not meaning that she wanted to leave. Harry and Ron grinned at each other. They knew Hermione would rather eat bubotuber pus than miss such an important lesson. Moody began to beckon students forward in turn and put the Imperius Curse upon them. Harry watched as, one by one, his classmates did the most extraordinary things under its influence. Dean Thomas hopped three times around the room, singing the national anthem. Lavender Brown imitated a squirrel. Neville performed a series of quite astonishing gymnastics he would certainly not have been capable of in his normal state. Not one of them seemed to be able to fight off the curse, and each of them recovered only when Moody had removed it. â€Å"Potter,† Moody growled, â€Å"you next.† Harry moved forward into the middle of the classroom, into the space that Moody had cleared of desks. Moody raised his wand, pointed it at Harry, and said, â€Å"Imperio!† It was the most wonderful feeling. Harry felt a floating sensation as every thought and worry in his head was wiped gently away, leaving nothing but a vague, untraceable happiness. He stood there feeling immensely relaxed, only dimly aware of everyone watching him. And then he heard Mad-Eye Moody's voice, echoing in some distant chamber of his empty brain: Jump onto the desk†¦jump onto the desk†¦ Harry bent his knees obediently, preparing to spring. Jump onto the desk†¦. Why, though? Another voice had awoken in the back of his brain. Stupid thing to do, really, said the voice. Jump onto the desk†¦. No, I don't think I will, thanks, said the other voice, a little more firmly†¦no, I don't really want to†¦. Jump! NOW! The next thing Harry felt was considerable pain. He had both jumped and tried to prevent himself from jumping – the result was that he'd smashed headlong into the desk knocking it over, and, by the feeling in his legs, fractured both his kneecaps. â€Å"Now, that's more like it!† growled Moody's voice, and suddenly, Harry felt the empty, echoing feeling in his head disappear. He remembered exactly what was happening, and the pain in his knees seemed to double. â€Å"Look at that, you lot†¦Potter fought! He fought it, and he damn near beat it! We'll try that again, Potter, and the rest of you, pay attention – watch his eyes, that's where you see it – very good, Potter, very good indeed! They'll have trouble controlling you!† â€Å"The way he talks,† Harry muttered as he hobbled out of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class an hour later (Moody had insisted on putting Harry through his paces four times in a row, until Harry could throw off the curse entirely), â€Å"you'd think we were all going to be attacked any second.† â€Å"Yeah, I know,† said Ron, who was skipping on every alternate step. He had had much more difficulty with the curse than Harry, though Moody assured him the effects would wear off by lunchtime. â€Å"Talk about paranoid†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Ron glanced nervously over his shoulder to check that Moody was definitely out of earshot and went on. â€Å"No wonder they were glad to get shot of him at the Ministry. Did you hear him telling Seamus what he did to that witch who shouted ‘Boo' behind him on April Fools' Day? And when are we supposed to read up on resisting the Imperius Curse with everything else we've got to do?† All the fourth years had noticed a definite increase in the amount of work they were required to do this term. Professor McGonagall explained why, when the class gave a particularly loud groan at the amount of Transfiguration homework she had assigned. â€Å"You are now entering a most important phase of your magical education!† she told them, her eyes glinting dangerously behind her square spectacles. â€Å"Your Ordinary Wizarding Levels are drawing closer -â€Å" â€Å"We don't take O.W.L.s till fifth year!† said Dean Thomas indignantly. â€Å"Maybe not, Thomas, but believe me, you need all the preparation you can get! Miss Granger remains the only person in this class who has managed to turn a hedgehog into a satisfactory pincushion. I might remind you that your pincushion, Thomas, still curls up in fright if anyone approaches it with a pin!† Hermione, who had turned rather pink again, seemed to be trying not to look too pleased with herself. Harry and Ron were deeply amused when Professor Trelawney told them that they had received top marks for their homework in their next Divination class. She read out large portions of their predictions, commending them for their unflinching acceptance of the horrors in store for them – but they were less amused when she asked them to do the same thing for the month after next; both of them were running out of ideas for catastrophes. Meanwhile Professor Binns, the ghost who taught History of Magic, had them writing weekly essays on the goblin rebellions of the eighteenth century. Professor Snape was forcing them to research antidotes. They took this one seriously, as he had hinted that he might be poisoning one of them before Christmas to see if their antidote worked. Professor Flitwick had asked them to read three extra books in preparation for their lesson on Summoning Charms. Even Hagrid was adding to their workload. The Blast-Ended Skrewts were growing at a remarkable pace given that nobody had yet discovered what they ate. Hagrid was delighted, and as part of their â€Å"project,† suggested that they come down to his hut on alternate evenings to observe the skrewts and make notes on their extraordinary behavior. â€Å"I will not,† said Draco Malfoy flatly when Hagrid had proposed this with the air of Father Christmas pulling an extra-large toy out of his sack. â€Å"I see enough of these foul things during lessons, thanks.† Hagrid's smile faded off his face. â€Å"Yeh'll do wha' yer told,† he growled, â€Å"or I'll be takin' a leaf outta Professor Moody's book†¦.I hear yeh made a good ferret, Malfoy.† The Gryffindors roared with laughter. Malfoy flushed with anger, but apparently the memory of Moody's punishment was still sufficiently painful to stop him from retorting. Harry, Ron, and Hermione returned to the castle at the end of the lesson in high spirits; seeing Hagrid put down Malfoy was particularly satisfying, especially because Malfoy had done his very best to get Hagrid sacked the previous year. When they arrived in the entrance hall, they found themselves unable to proceed owing to the large crowd of students congregated there, all milling around a large sign that had been erected at the foot of the marble staircase. Ron, the tallest of the three, stood on tiptoe to see over the heads in front of them and read the sign aloud to the other two: TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT THE DELEGATIONS FROM BEAUXBATONS AND DURMSTRANG WILL BE ARRIVING AT 6 O'CLOCK ON FRIDAY THE 30TH OF OCTOBER. LESSONS WILL END HALF AN HOUR EARLY- â€Å"Brilliant!† said Harry. â€Å"It's Potions last thing on Friday! Snape won't have time to poison us all!† STUDENTS WILL RETURN THEIR BAGS AND BOOKS TO THEIR DORMITORIES AND ASSEMBLE IN FRONT OF THE CASTLE TO GREET OUR GUESTS BEFORETHE WELCOMING FEAST. â€Å"Only a week away!† said Ernie Macmillan of Hufflepuff, emerging from the crowd, his eyes gleaming. â€Å"I wonder if Cedric knows? Think I'll go and tell him†¦.† â€Å"Cedric?† said Ron blankly as Ernie hurried off. â€Å"Diggory,† said Harry. â€Å"He must be entering the tournament.† â€Å"That idiot, Hogwarts champion?† said Ron as they pushed their way through the chattering crowd toward the staircase. â€Å"He's not an idiot. You just don't like him because he beat Gryffindor at Quidditch,† said Hermione. â€Å"I've heard he's a really good student – and he's a prefect.† She spoke as though this settled the matter. â€Å"You only like him because he's handsome,† said Ron scathingly. â€Å"Excuse me, I don't like people just because they're handsome!† said Hermione indignantly. Ron gave a loud false cough, which sounded oddly like â€Å"Lockhart!† The appearance of the sign in the entrance hall had a marked effect upon the inhabitants of the castle. During the following week, there seemed to be only one topic of conversation, no matter where Harry went: the Triwizard Tournament. Rumors were flying from student to student like highly contagious germs: who was going to try for Hogwarts champion, what the tournament would involve, how the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang differed from themselves. Harry noticed too that the castle seemed to be undergoing an extra-thorough cleaning. Several grimy portraits had been scrubbed, much to the displeasure of their subjects, who sat huddled in their frames muttering darkly and wincing as they felt their raw pink faces. The suits of armor were suddenly gleaming and moving without squeaking, and Argus Filch, the caretaker, was behaving so ferociously to any students who forgot to wipe their shoes that he terrified a pair of first-year girls into hysterics. Other members of the staff seemed oddly tense too. â€Å"Longbottom, kindly do not reveal that you can't even perform a simple Switching Spell in front of anyone from Durmstrang!† Professor McGonagall barked at the end of one particularly difficult lesson, during which Neville had accidentally transplanted his own ears onto a cactus. When they went down to breakfast on the morning of the thirtieth of October, they found that the Great Hall had been decorated overnight. Enormous silk banners hung from the walls, each of them representing a Hogwarts House: red with a gold lion for Gryffiindor, blue with a bronze eagle for Ravenclaw, yellow with a black badger for Hufflepuff, and green with a silver serpent for Slytherin. Behind the teachers' table, the largest banner of all bore the Hogwarts coat of arms: lion, eagle, badger, and snake united around a large letter H. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down beside Fred and George at the Gryffindor table. Once again, and most unusually, they were sitting apart from everyone else and conversing in low voices. Ron led the way over to them. â€Å"It's a bummer, all right,† George was saying gloomily to Fred. â€Å"But if he won't talk to us in person, we'll have to send him the letter after all. Or we'll stuff it into his hand. He can't avoid us forrever.† â€Å"Who's avoiding you?† said Ron, sitting down next to them. â€Å"Wish you would,† said Fred, looking irritated at the interruption. â€Å"What's a bummer?† Ron asked George. â€Å"Having a nosy git like you for a brother,† said George. â€Å"You two got any ideas on the Triwizard Tournament yet?† Harry asked. â€Å"Thought any more about trying to enter?† â€Å"I asked McGonagall how the champions are chosen but she wasn't telling,† said George bitterly. â€Å"She just told me to shut up and get on with transfiguring my raccoon.† â€Å"Wonder what the tasks are going to be?† said Ron thoughtfully. â€Å"You know, I bet we could do them, Harry. We've done dangerous stuff before†¦.† â€Å"Not in front of a panel of judges, you haven't,† said Fred. â€Å"McGonagall says the champions get awarded points according to how well they've done the tasks.† â€Å"Who are the judges?† Harry asked. â€Å"Well, the Heads of the participating schools are always on the panel,† said Hermione, and everyone looked around at her, rather surprised, â€Å"because all three of them were injured during the Tournament of 1792, when a cockatrice the champions were supposed to be catching went on the rampage.† She noticed them all looking at her and said, with her usual air of impatience that nobody else had read all the books she had, â€Å"It's all in Hogwarts, A History. Though, of course, that book's not entirely reliable. A Revised History of Hogwarts would be a more accurate title. Or A Highly Biased and Selective History of Hogwarts, Which Glosses Over the Nastier Aspects of the School.† â€Å"What are you on about?† said Ron, though Harry thought he knew what was coming. â€Å"House-elves!† said Hermione, her eyes flashing. â€Å"Not once, in over a thousand pages, does Hogwarts, A History mention that we are all colluding in the oppression of a hundred slaves!† Harry shook his head and applied himself to his scrambled eggs. His and Ron's lack of enthusiasm had done nothing whatsoever to curb Hermione's determination to pursue justice for house-elves. True, both of them had paid two Sickles for a S.P.E.W. badge, but they had only done it to keep her quiet. Their Sickles had been wasted, however; if anything, they seemed to have made Hermione more vociferous. She had been badgering Harry and Ron ever since, first to wear the badges, then to persuade others to do the same, and she had also taken to rattling around the Gryffindor common room every evening, cornering people and shaking the collecting tin under their noses. â€Å"You do realize that your sheets are changed, your fires lit, your classrooms cleaned, and your food cooked by a group of magical creatures who are unpaid and enslaved?† she kept saying fiercely. Some people, like Neville, had paid up just to stop Hermione from glowering at them. A few seemed mildly interested in what she had to say, but were reluctant to take a more active role in campaigning. Many regarded the whole thing as a joke. Ron now rolled his eyes at the ceiling, which was flooding them all in autumn sunlight, and Fred became extremely interested in his bacon (both twins had refused to buy a S.P.E.W. badge). George, however, leaned in toward Hermione. â€Å"Listen, have you ever been down in the kitchens, Hermione?† â€Å"No, of course not,† said Hermione curtly, â€Å"I hardly think students are supposed to -â€Å" â€Å"Well, we have,† said George, indicating Fred, â€Å"loads of times, to nick food. And we've met them, and they're happy. They think they've got the best job in the world -â€Å" â€Å"That's because they're uneducated and brainwashed!† Hermione began hotly, but her next few words were drowned out by the sudden whooshing noise from overhead, which announced the arrival of the post owls. Harry looked up at once, and saw Hedwig soaring toward him. Hermione stopped talking abruptly; she and Ron watched Hedwig anxiously as she fluttered down onto Harry's shoulder, folded her wings, and held out her leg wearily. Harry pulled off Sirius's reply and offered Hedwig his bacon rinds, which she ate gratefully. Then, checking that Fred and George were safely immersed in further discussions about the Triwizard Tournament, Harry read out Sirius's letter in a whisper to Ron and Hermione. Nice try, Harry. I'm back in the country and well hidden. I want you to keep me posted on everything that's going on at Hogwarts. Don't use Hedwig, keep changing owls, and don't worry about me, just watch out for yourself Don't forget what I said about your scar. Sirius â€Å"Why d'you have to keep changing owls?† Ron asked in a low voice. â€Å"Hedwig'll attract too much attention,† said Hermione at once. â€Å"She stands out. A snowy owl that keeps returning to wherever he's hiding†¦I mean, they're not native birds, are they?† Harry rolled up the letter and slipped it inside his robes, wondering whether he felt more or less worried than before. He supposed that Sirius managing to get back without being caught was something. He couldn't deny either that the idea that Sirius was much nearer was reassuring; at least he wouldn't have to wait so long for a response every time he wrote. â€Å"Thanks, Hedwig,† he said, stroking her. She hooted sleepily, dipped her beak briefly into his goblet of orange juice, then took off again, clearly desperate for a good long sleep in the Owlery. There was a pleasant feeling of anticipation in the air that day. Nobody was very attentive in lessons, being much more interested in the arrival that evening of the people from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang; even Potions was more bearable than usual, as it was half an hour shorter. When the bell rang early, Harry, Ron, and Hermione hurried up to Gryffindor Tower, deposited their bags and books as they had been instructed, pulled on their cloaks, and rushed back downstairs into the entrance hall. The Heads of Houses were ordering their students into lines. â€Å"Weasley, straighten your hat,† Professor McGonagall snapped at Ron. â€Å"Miss Patil, take that ridiculous thing out of your hair.† Parvati scowled and removed a large ornamental butterfly from the end of her plait. â€Å"Follow me, please,† said Professor McGonagall. â€Å"First years in front†¦no pushing†¦.† They filed down the steps and lined up in front of the castle. It was a cold, clear evening; dusk was falling and a pale, transparent-looking moon was already shining over the Forbidden Forest. Harry, standing between Ron and Hermione in the fourth row from the front, saw Dennis Creevey positively shivering with anticipation among the other first years. â€Å"Nearly six,† said Ron, checking his watch and then staring down the drive that led to the front gates. â€Å"How d'you reckon they're coming? The train?† â€Å"I doubt it,† said Hermione. â€Å"How, then? Broomsticks?† Harry suggested, looking up at the starry sky. â€Å"I don't think so†¦not from that far away†¦.† â€Å"A Portkey?† Ron suggested. â€Å"Or they could Apparate – maybe you're allowed to do it under seventeen wherever they come from?† â€Å"You can't Apparate inside the Hogwarts grounds, how often do I have to tell you?† said Hermione impatiently. They scanned the darkening grounds excitedly, but nothing was moving; everything was still, silent, and quite as usual. Harry was starting to feel cold. He wished they'd hurry up†¦.Maybe the foreign students were preparing a dramatic entrance†¦.He remembered what Mr. Weasley had said back at the campsite before the Quidditch World Cup: â€Å"always the same – we can't resist showing off when we get together†¦.† And then Dumbledore called out from the back row where he stood with the other teachers – â€Å"Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!† â€Å"Where?† said many students eagerly, all looking in different directions. â€Å"There!† yelled a sixth year, pointing over the forest. Something large, much larger than a broomstick – or, indeed, a hundred broomsticks – was hurtling across the deep blue sky toward the castle, growing larger all the time. â€Å"It's a dragon!† shrieked one of the first years, losing her head completely. â€Å"Don't be stupid†¦it's a flying house!† said Dennis Creevey. Dennis's guess was closer†¦.As the gigantic black shape skimmed over the treetops of the Forbidden Forest and the lights shining from the castle windows hit it, they saw a gigantic, powderblue, horse-drawn carriage, the size of a large house, soaring toward them, pulled through the air by a dozen winged horses, all palominos, and each the size of an elephant. The front three rows of students drew backward as the carriage hurtled ever lower, coming in to land at a tremendous speed – then, with an almighty crash that made Neville jump backward onto a Slytherin fifth year's foot, the horses' hooves, larger than dinner plates, hit the ground. A second later, the carriage landed too, bouncing upon its vast wheels, while the golden horses tossed their enormous heads and rolled large, fiery red eyes. Harry just had time to see that the door of the carriage bore a coat of arms (two crossed, golden wands, each emitting three stars) before it opened. A boy in pale blue robes jumped down from the carriage, bent forward, fumbled for a moment with something on the carriage floor, and unfolded a set of golden steps. He sprang back respectfully. Then Harry saw a shining, high-heeled black shoe emerging from the inside of the carriage – a shoe the size of a child's sled – followed, almost immediately, by the largest woman he had ever seen in his life. The size of the carriage, and of the horses, was immediately explained. A few people gasped. Harry had only ever seen one person as large as this woman in his life, and that was Hagrid; he doubted whether there was an inch difference in their heights. Yet somehow – maybe simply because he was used to Hagrid – this woman (now at the foot of the steps, and looking around at the waiting, wide-eyed crowd) seemed even more unnaturally large. As she stepped into the light flooding from the entrance hall, she was revealed to have a handsome, olive-skinned face; large, black, liquid-looking eyes; and a rather beaky nose. Her hair was drawn back in a shining knob at the base of her neck. She was dressed from head to foot in black satin, and many magnificent opals gleamed at her throat and on her thick fingers. Dumbledore started to clap; the students, following his lead, broke into applause too, many of them standing on tiptoe, the better to look at this woman. Her face relaxed into a gracious smile and she walked forward toward Dumbledore, extending a glittering hand. Dumbledore, though tall himself, had barely to bend to kiss it. â€Å"My dear Madame Maxime,† he said. â€Å"Welcome to Hogwarts.† â€Å"Dumbly-dort,† said Madame Maxime in a deep voice. â€Å"I ‘ope I find you well?† â€Å"In excellent form, I thank you,† said Dumbledore. â€Å"My pupils,† said Madame Maxime, waving one of her enormous hands carelessly behind her. Harry, whose attention had been focused completely upon Madame Maxime, now noticed that about a dozen boys and girls, all, by the look of them, in their late teens, had emerged from the carriage and were now standing behind Madame Maxime. They were shivering, which was unsurprising, given that their robes seemed to be made of fine silk, and none of them were wearing cloaks. A few had wrapped scarves and shawls around their heads. From what Harry could see of them (they were standing in Madame Maxime's enormous shadow), they were staring up at Hogwarts with apprehensive looks on their faces. â€Å"As Karkaroff arrived yet?† Madame Maxime asked. â€Å"He should be here any moment,† said Dumbledore. â€Å"Would you like to wait here and greet him or would you prefer to step inside and warm up a trifle?† â€Å"Warm up, I think,† said Madame Maxime. â€Å"But ze ‘orses -â€Å" â€Å"Our Care of Magical Creatures teacher will be delighted to take care of them,† said Dumbledore, â€Å"the moment he has returned from dealing with a slight situation that has arisen with some of his other – er – charges.† â€Å"Skrewts,† Ron muttered to Harry, grinning. â€Å"My steeds require – er – forceful ‘andling,† said Madame Maxime, looking as though she doubted whether any Care of Magical Creatures teacher at Hogwarts could be up to the job. â€Å"Zey are very strong†¦.† â€Å"I assure you that Hagrid will be well up to the job,† said Dumbledore, smiling. â€Å"Very well,† said Madame Maxime, bowing slightly. â€Å"Will you please inform zis ‘Agrid zat ze ‘orses drink only single-malt whiskey?† â€Å"It will be attended to,† said Dumbledore, also bowing. â€Å"Come,† said Madame Maxime imperiously to her students, and the Hogwarts crowd parted to allow her and her students to pass up the stone steps. â€Å"How big d'you reckon Durmstrang's horses are going to be?† Seamus Finnigan said, leaning around Lavender and Parvati to address Harry and Ron. â€Å"Well, if they're any bigger than this lot, even Hagrid won't be able to handle them,† said Harry. â€Å"That's if he hasn't been attacked by his skrewts. Wonder what's up with them?† â€Å"Maybe they've escaped,† said Ron hopefully. â€Å"Oh don't say that,† said Hermione with a shudder. â€Å"Imagine that lot loose on the grounds†¦.† They stood, shivering slightly now, waiting for the Durmstrang party to arrive. Most people were gazing hopefully up at the sky. For a few minutes, the silence was broken only by Madame Maxime's huge horses snorting and stamping. But then – â€Å"Can you hear something?† said Ron suddenly. Harry listened; a loud and oddly eerie noise was drifting toward them from out of the darkness: a muffled rumbling and sucking sound, as though an immense vacuum cleaner were moving along a riverbed†¦. â€Å"The lake!† yelled Lee Jordan, pointing down at it. â€Å"Look at the lake!† From their position at the top of the lawns overlooking the grounds, they had a clear view of the smooth black surface of the water – except that the surface was suddenly not smooth at all. Some disturbance was taking place deep in the center; great bubbles were forming on the surface, waves were now washing over the muddy banks -and then, out in the very middle of the lake, a whirlpool appeared, as if a giant plug had just been pulled out of the lake's floor†¦. What seemed to be a long, black pole began to rise slowly out of the heart of the whirlpool†¦and then Harry saw the rigging†¦. â€Å"It's a mast!† he said to Ron and Hermione. Slowly, magnificently, the ship rose out of the water, gleaming in the moonlight. It had a strangely skeletal look about it, as though it were a resurrected wreck, and the dim, misty lights shimmering at its portholes looked like ghostly eyes. Finally, with a great sloshing noise, the ship emerged entirely, bobbing on the turbulent water, and began to glide toward the bank. A few moments later, they heard the splash of an anchor being thrown down in the shallows, and the thud of a plank being lowered onto the bank. People were disembarking; they could see their silhouettes passing the lights in the ship's portholes. All of them, Harry noticed, seemed to be built along the lines of Crabbe and Goyle†¦but then, as they drew nearer, walking up the lawns into the light streaming from the entrance hall, he saw that their bulk was really due to the fact that they were wearing cloaks of some kind of shaggy, matted fur. But the man who was leading them up to the castle was wearing furs of a different sort: sleek and silver, like his hair. â€Å"Dumbledore!† he called heartily as he walked up the slope. â€Å"How are you, my dear fellow, how are you?† â€Å"Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff,† Dumbledore replied. Karkaroff had a fruity, unctuous voice; when he stepped into the light pouring from the front doors of the castle they saw that he was tall and thin like Dumbledore, but his white hair was short, and his goatee (finishing in a small curl) did not entirely hide his rather weak chin. When he reached Dumbledore, he shook hands with both of his own. â€Å"Dear old Hogwarts,† he said, looking up at the castle and smiling; his teeth were rather yellow, and Harry noticed that his smile did not extend to his eyes, which remained cold and shrewd. â€Å"How good it is to be here, how good†¦.Viktor, come along, into the warmth†¦you don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Karkaroff beckoned forward one of his students. As the boy passed, Harry caught a glimpse of a prominent curved nose and thick black eyebrows. He didn't need the punch on the arm Ron gave him, or the hiss in his ear, to recognize that profile. â€Å"Harry – it's Krum!†